The Weldon Wall

NEW HOME FOR OUR BLOG!

2010-04-25T19:07:00.002-05:00

WE'RE MOVING THE BLOG TO
www.theweldonwall.wordpress.com

Come visit us at our new Blog Home!!!

Strawberry Pie Time!

2010-04-15T16:17:00.002-05:00

My first Strawberry Pie of the year!!!

I make Strawberry pies for my family, usually all during the Summer months - but with the weather being so nice - FINALLY with NO SNOW on the ground - and temperatures above freezing, I decided to make them early this year . . . . and NO ONE in my family was complaining about it, either!

Fridge Art Friday!

2010-04-14T08:07:00.013-05:00

Peter's crazy-art kit allowed him to make some pretty cool pictures!

Volcano (stenciled) a Long Neck Dinosaur,

a Pteranodon, a Stream and Dino Foot Prints:

"Daddy" Spider, a "Mommy" Spider (next to the tree), a "Baby Spider"

a "Big Boy" Spider and, of course, a Dinosaur Foot Print:

Try-Something-New-Tuesday

2010-04-10T09:48:00.001-05:00

My 'TSNT' idea was a new recipe from a new cookbook!

Cookbook:

White Chocolate Chip, Banana, Coffee Cake Muffins:

They were DELICIOUS!

Mix the following in a small bowl and set aside:

2 1/2 C flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

In another small bowl, mix:

1 T instant coffee granules

1 T hot water

. . . stir until dissolved, then add 2-3 mashed bananas

Cream together the following until light and fluffy:

1 C softened butter

1 1/4 C sugar

1 egg

Add banana mixture to sugar/butter mixture. Add flour mixture and stir well. Add 1 cup of (I used white) chocolate chips. Divide evenly among muffin tins and Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.

Family Day!

2010-04-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

Tim and I received a lovely card from a family at our church, for Easter, with money in it. It was super generous of them! Tim and I used about half of it for a date night - at a wonderful SIT DOWN restaurant and had a really nice time together, talking, eating SLOWLY. . without having to feed someone else first! We took a stroll after dinner and stopped at a bookstore where I bought a baking magazine (one of my favorites!) and then we went into one of my favorite coffee shops - Caribou Coffee! We sipped on a hot cinnamon latte walking around the outdoor shopping mall, and just enjoyed each other's company. Later, in the evening, we stumbled by a store and decided to take a quick look to see if they had any nice Easter dresses. I hadn't bought one yet, and I wasn't planning on it this year, but we thought we would look anyhow. Not only did they have a huge selection, but I bought my dress and dress jacket together for only $47! What a steal!!! Nothing excites me more than a good sale!!!

We also wanted to have a family night with the boys. So, the following day we had a couple of errands to run - and the kids acted SO well. We picked up some food at Wendy's and then headed to a local park. The kids played for about an hour and really had a blast! It was perfect weather too!! After the park, we had one more errand that we had to run (a favorite of the kids . . . Sams Club) and then we topped off our evening with Cold Stone ice cream!!!

Peter, taking a picture of . . . Peter.

James . . . . trying to copy the mad skills of his brother.

Each of the boys got a scoop of Cotton Candy Ice Cream, both topped off with lots of sprinkles! They ate every bite! (which is saying a lot for my boys, who dislike any form of dessert)

It really was a perfect weekend!!!

Showers of Blessings

2010-03-29T14:06:00.001-05:00

A Open House Shower is being held for

Kimberly Cornett

Friday, April 16th

from 6:30 – 9:30pm

4011 Willowcreek Drive

Dayton, OH 45415

(home of Michelle Shaeffer)

On February 1st, the attic of the Cornett home caught fire and destroyed most of the kitchen and dining room area. Further damage was done due to water and the freezing temperatures. We will be hosting a Pampered Chef party for Kimberly, to help replace those things that were lost due to the fire, as well as welcoming any new or gently used books to replace the ones ruined. Gift cards of any kind are also greatly appreciated!

(The Pampered Chef party will also be open for you to purchase items for yourself)

Below are listed a couple of idea’s of books and other interests:

ROSS – 7yrs:

Cowboys, horses, Batman

DYLAN – 7 yrs:

Super heroes, science/nature, animals/rabbits

LYDIA – 4 yrs:

Princess’, Tinker Bell, babies/dolls

(All – anything Disney or Disney characters)

Ricky & Kimberly: Devotional or Daily Devotion books

We hope you can join us for this celebration and help us pour

Showers of Blessings on Kimberly, for her and her family!

[s\

Refreshments will be provided.

Please RSVP to Stephany Weldon, by email: Sonaip88@yahoo.com

Or to Michelle Shaeffer, by phone: 890-3892

Funny and Not So Funny

2010-03-26T18:45:00.000-05:00

So, we get the kids' Easter pictures taken, and at the photo shop the photographer was talking about how much Peter and James looked alike. I chimed in with this comment . . .

"Yes, they do - except they have completely different personalities, different hair styles and different fathers"

. . . no one laughed. Obviously, that was only funny to me!

I had to quickly announce that I was joking.

It really made me think, however, about how truly blessed I am. Blessed that the man that I fell in love with 12 years ago is the caring and involved father to my children and a faithful, loyal and loving husband to me. To see our decision, to live pure before marriage, as a good decision, and to be able to experience all of the many wonderful and amazing blessings that have come from that decision.

Wow.

Just wow.

Spring 2010

2010-03-23T11:55:00.005-05:00

Happy Easter!

Odd Order

2010-03-19T11:08:00.002-05:00

For the last couple of weeks, Tim and I have been gradually teaching James how to drink out of a 'big boy' cup - no lid, no straw. We are also going to be potty-training him soon . . . and at that thought, in the words of James . . "I don't WANT to go potty in the big boy potty!" . . . so, this should be interesting. The cutest thing that he now does is order. We have taken him to a couple of restaurants where he will order his entire meal - super cuteness!!! Here's a one example . . . .

Waitress: And what would you like for lunch?

James: Grilled cheese sanmich.

Waitress: Would you like fries with that?

James: No. . . . FRENCH fries.

(Mom: What do you say?)

James: Please.

Waitress: Sure! What would you like to drink with that?

James: Um . . . . . barooni and cheese (macaroni and cheese).

Mom: No, James - what do you want to DRINK.

James: OH . . . . .(thinking, thinking) . . . barooni and cheese.

Mom: (to the waitress) . . . Chocolate milk, please.

We thought it was pretty funny - but, he now does this every time he orders. We're hoping it's just a cute stage and that he doesn't actually want to drink mac and cheese!

Jameser . . . The Bruiser

2010-03-18T13:53:00.000-05:00

Mommy let James take some pictures with her camera . . . guess who he loves the most?

HIMSELF!!!!!

(but with cheeks like those, who wouldn't?!?!)

~New Fun Thing For James' Mouth~

That's right . . . . . that's potpourri! *yuck*

Funny Catch-Up's

2010-03-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

So, I'll catch you up - quickly - on some funny things that the boys have said or done . . . . .

James: It took us about 2 months to get this kid to STOP eating our CHRISTMAS TREE! If you've ever seen Elf the movie - he's exactly like Buddy when he kept stuffing cotton balls in his mouth, so quick, that his dad couldn't stop him - THAT'S James!!! He would run up to the tree . . . stop in front of it, look at me. I would say something like, "Don't you dare, Mister . . . ", at which point he would grab a handful of needles, yank them off of the tree and stuff them in his mouth and run! Most of those times I got him to spit out at least half of the needles - the other times . . . well, let's just say it was good fiber!!

Peter: We have been having Peter sit with us during Communion service. It is SO very important to Tim and I to raise these boys as Christ has called us to - in the Lord, loving and serving Him, His children and the world with the love of Christ and in mission to reach out to others. I had the privilege of explaining to Peter what it meant to take Communion. How this is very sacred. What you need to do to be able to partake in it. What it means, and so on. He was so intrigued. He noticed that the church people were taking the bread (aka crakcers) and the cup (aka juice) then bowing their heads. Peter looked up at me with a concerned face and asked, "Since I'm not eating the crackers, do I have to close my eyes??"

James: After going through (what looked like hundreds and hundreds) of amazing pictures of Aunt Eleanor, for her memorial service slide show - we came upon a couple of these - of TIM . . . guess who James takes after????!!!!????

this is Tim

this is James

(now - Tim was older than James at this point, but you just wait!!

- we are going to get one that makes them look like twins!)

Peter: He recently turned 5. That's right - 5!!!!!! One whole hand! He's half way to double digits. It frightens me and, at the same time, excites me to see what he'll be interested next. To watch him play sports. To see him go to school for the first time. He's going to have a LOT of 'first time' experiences this year! He asked for a Semi-Truck birthday party. Do you know how hard it is to look for SEMI TRUCK THEMED PARTY SUPPLIES!?!?! I'll tell you. . . . impossible. I found construction truck themes, monster truck themes, fire truck themes - NO semi-truck anything! So we made up our own version! . . .. for starters - as in tradition in our home - and birthday boy gets to pick out which flavor of cake he would like - so, Peter picked Strawberry (which is REALLY good, for those of you who are ever looking for a good quick dessert to make!!). So, he got his Semi-Truck - ALL eatable - Birthday Cake!

He loved it!!! He wanted the front grill and a tire for his first piece!

. . . . more to come!!!

We're Back!!

2010-03-08T11:09:00.005-06:00

My, oh my . . has it been an eventful February.

And, not a super-go-lucky-fantastic February either.

It all started about 3 weeks ago. . . on a Thursday morning.

   I have a Women's Bible Study, hosted at my mother-in-law's house - every Thursday morning. I dropped off the boys at church, for their play time, as usual. Once I got to Dot's house, I was greeted at the door by our Pastor's wife who informed me that Aunt Eleanor (Great Aunt Eleanor) had had a heart attack and was just taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Dave and Dot were upstairs getting things ready to take to the hospital for Aunt Eleanor. This was a surprise to us all. Thankfully, Dot caught this attack at the forefront and was able to get the EMT there quickly while she was still experiencing pain in her chest. We decided to have our study as usual and to clean up/lock up for Dot. I called Tim to let him know and we called Dave and Dot to get an update. According to the doctor's she had a mild to moderate heart attack and she had to undergo a procedure to determine how bad the blockages were. I told Tim to call his dad to invite them over that evening for dinner - to make sure that they eat and get out of the hospital for at least a little while. We had a lovely dinner with them and really enjoyed our evening together.
   The next day, Friday, we got the results back from the tests and they showed more than 5 blockages, all ranging from 60% blocked to 90% blocked. Surgery, at this point in her life, was a high risk. At 95 years old, not many things are 'as normal'. The other option that the doctor's gave us was to let her die peacefully and give her medications to subdue any pain. Not caring for either of these options, Dot opted for the third option - a small balloon that would be inserted into the veins to open the arteries. Again, there was a low risk of death due to her progressed age, but it was the "leaser of evils".
   I called Tim to let him know the update. She was supposed to go in at 2:00PM that afternoon. However, we waited and waited. It was quite delayed.
   David called me at 4:00 to let me know that she still had not gone in. So, we just continued to pray and wait.
   Tim called me around 4:15 to let me know he was on his way home and asked if I still had the phone numbers of some of the companies that had contacted him about other job openings. I hesitated to answer knowing, very well, why he would be asking me this - now. Sure enough, Tim was laid off (again!). His contract ended and the company decided not to continue any contracts. To be honest with you - Tim was quite relieved. We have had some reservations about this specific company. They were not at all honest with their consumers and were 'cutting corners' just because they weren't being caught in the act. So, Tim had a real sense of the Lord's perfect timing on this one. As hard as it was to hear that he was out of work, again, so soon - we have a peace.
(funny fact . . . this was the exact same day - February 19th - that he was laid off last year)
   We had planned on going on a date night this evening, since the boys were with my parents for a sleepover. Tim told me that we were going as planned, though. We desperately needed a date night, so we were really looking forward to eating at the Cheesecake Factory - despite the events of that day.
Dave called around 5:00 to let us know that they took Aunt Eleanor in for the procedure and that they would let us know as soon as she came out of the OR.
   I called some family members and our Elder and Pastor to let them know about Tim's job, so that I didn't have to put it on the prayer chain, in case it would get back to Dot. We didn't want her to know yet. She didn't need any more stress in her life at this point.
   We went to the restaurant and had a lovely dinner. As soon as we were done, we packed up all of our leftovers for Dave and Dot to enjoy and went to the car to leave for the hospital. Dave called to let us know that Aunt Eleanor made it out of the OR and was in the recovery/ICU room and gave us the room number to her room. Tim and I really felt a sense of relief that she made it through - and we assured them that we were on our way.

10 minutes later, we received the devastating news that Aunt Eleanor's blood pressure plummeted and she had just passed away. We were in pure shock. We even asked "What?" as if he weren't telling the truth. We let them know we were minutes away - then there was just silence the rest of the way there.

   We got to the hospital and just sat and grieved with Dave and Dot.
   It was a day full of sadness, shock, sorrow, grief, questions. But, we delight in that Aunt Eleanor is with her Savior. And that she got to hear Him calling her Home.
   This was the end to our day. We left the hospital and went to Dave and Dot's house to sit with them. We made them eat something and left the rest of the leftovers at their house. We talked until midnight. We laughed and laughed. I think it was just what we all needed after such an eventful day.

Snowy Pictures

2010-02-17T08:22:00.000-06:00

Snowy Day!

2010-02-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

It was a lot of effort.

It took a long time JUST to get ready for.

But, totally worth the freezing temperatures.

The boys had a blast and a half today!

Mr James told me that he was 'all done' . . . so, I took him inside, pulled the boots off his little feet, rolled up his pants so that the snow wouldn't touch his skin as I took them off, took off his coat, gloves, hat and socks . . got him new pants, new socks, warmed him up - JUST IN TIME for him to ask me to go BACK OUTSIDE to play in the snow! Ahhhh!!!!!!!

Throwing some good snowballs at Daddy.

Payback . . .

Snowball FIGHT!!!

Making the largest Snow Angel known to man!

Playing 'Snowball' (instead of baseball!)

Peter got some really good hits in. I was quite impressed!

Afterwards, I made everyone some nice, hot chocolate and we all 'melted' until dinner was ready.

It was a good day for mac and cheese!!!!

Snow Storm ~ 2010

2010-02-07T17:38:00.000-06:00

We got about a foot/foot and a half of snow in just a couple of hours . .

here are some pictures I took around our house and neighborhood.

Our Trash Cans:

Our Front Tree:

The Bird Feeder:

Front Bushes:

Our Neighborhood:

The Tree in the Backyard:

It sure was beautiful - but things were definitely slippery and dangerous out there. Tim came home on Friday night, during the snow storm, and announced to me that he had made plans for a sitter to come over to watch James and he was going to be taking Peter and myself to see a movie. As surprised as I was, I felt the need to remind him that there was a major snow storm going on outside. He insisted that we get out of the house and spend some Mommy/Daddy time with Peter, and told me to trust him. So, I did. We left an hour of time for our (usually) 20 minute drive. We made it there safely and, not to my surprise, were the ONLY ones in the theater. We didn't even have to turn off our cell phones!!! We watched Alvin and the Chipmunks, the "Squeakual". It was hilarious!!! Peter actually laughed out loud a couple of times and later said that it was the funniest movie he'd ever seen! We had a wonderful evening, which is exactly what we would need later on - we ended up getting the stomach bug last night, and we're all under the weather now. God has a way with plans, doesn't He?!?

Art Work

2010-02-06T19:58:00.000-06:00

James' Piece:

Peter's Piece:

One Year Ago . . .

2010-02-01T14:03:00.002-06:00

Peter was 3 years old - a few months shy of 4 - loving his CARS characters and movie more than anything else in this world! He just started enjoying to draw . . . he used to just be in tears because his circles weren't 'round enough' or perfect enough. It was a silly, yet frustrating thing for both of us to go through - but we both survived it, and he is amazing at art work (and most importantly, ENJOYS it!!!)

Mr. James - a little over one. Walking, talking, trying to play with everything that big brother played with. This was our second year dealing with his massive droolege. . and he hasn't stopped since. He sure loves his Mommy and Daddy and Big Brother and gives big (juicy) kisses. This was his 'perfect size' - not too big to carry, but not to small to have to worry about taking his places.

Tim and I were almost into our 7th year of marriage. Six years, two kids, one dog and a home was surely a lot to take care of - but totally worth every single second of it!!!

The 'BIG' thing from this year - was my dad's deployment. 5 months - missing his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas - his 31st Wedding Anniversary, and New's Years. Once he was home and safe and sound - we had a big party for him, with all of his Christmas/Birthday gifts and a bunch of his favorite treats! It was hard with him being gone for so long, and missing out on so many special moments, but amazing to have him back home!

Vikings Game

2010-02-01T10:25:00.001-06:00

The Vikings last game - this year -
a sad ending but a great year!!

Our Buffet:

Our #1 Brett Favre fan!

We had Aunt Caralee and Uncle David over for the 'big game' . . . I think all we did was eat!!! We had a good time with them, though - and it was a very exciting game - overtime in fact!!! Hoping that Brett Favre comes back next year - at least for one more season!!

Beautiful Friend, Beautiful Flowers

2010-01-25T00:06:00.000-06:00

My Best Friend brought us a loaf of bread, while we were under the weather

and also gave me these beautiful flowers!

Peter's View

2010-01-24T23:57:00.001-06:00

Tummy Bug

2010-01-22T14:37:00.000-06:00

This was pretty much - our entire week . . .

The boys, watching cartoons while Mom cleaned.

As soon as their tummy's settled down, enough to eat something besides toast and crackers . . I made them some Oatmeal Raisin Cookies . .

They LOVED them!

At one point, Peter actually said to me . . .

"Ahhh . . just like a day in the sun!" - weirdo!

Poor Little James

2010-01-21T11:16:00.000-06:00

Here's our Little Guy . . Mr James

He has been under the weather for about a week now. He's starting to get rotten again today - so, I'm guessing that this means he's turning a corner and getting back to his 'normal' self!!

He looks like he's praying! (super cute!)

TWO major hints that we knew James doesn't feel well:

He sits still and enjoys cuddling
He turns down food!

My Famous Friend

2010-01-20T13:01:00.000-06:00

My friend, Erin Chase, has become quit the household name! She started a blog, a couple of years ago - to challenge herself to make a dinner meal, each night, for $5.00 or less. She came out with flying colors, and in the long hall, was asked by a publishing company to write and publish a cook book - to which she did! Here is her book-signing event at a local bookstore.

5dollardinners.com

Becky-Boo (my BFF) with Erin's littlest one - lucky Becky!

Famous Friend and Me!!

Acting Like Dinosaurs

2010-01-16T20:59:00.000-06:00

Guess what sound my boys LOVE to make - ALL DAY LONGGGG??

Pete's Photo's

2010-01-16T20:35:00.000-06:00

My Morning

2010-01-15T10:18:00.002-06:00

  8:15 . . . I'm up, dressed, make-up on, jewelry on (matching my sweater perfectly, of course!) hair done, shoes on - ready to get the kids up - we HAVE to be in the car by 8:45 to be on time today.
  8:20 . . . I get the boys up (I let them sleep in thinking we would have more than enough time)
  8:25 . . . Peter is now getting his clothes on, that I laid out for him. I'm getting stuff ready for James' diaper change and his clothes for the day.
  8:26 . . . I notice a 'spot' on James' PJ shirt, right above his pants line.
  8:26 and 30 seconds . . . I'm now noticing that James has a total blowout . . .

Let me specify this one - for all of you moms out there - you all have had one of these!

When I say 'blowout' - I mean, all the way up his back. . almost touching his neck. There was not a thing in the front of his diaper . . .so if you didn't smell it, you wouldn't have known it. At this point - I thought it would be pointless to continue to lift his legs and wipe him from front to back, because I would literally have to lift him so high, he would've done a somersault - . . so, what do we all do?? We strip them down to their nudee-kazudee, of course! - and clean them back to front in the standing position. Thinking this would be the best way, and not taking into consideration that he had just woken up and was still a little 'out of it' . . . .

  8:28 . . . I strip him, wrapping his poopy clothes up in a ball as I'm rolling in over his head, making sure that not an inch of him is touched by the poo. Being successful, I am now grabbing a bunch of wipes to prepare for, what Tim calls, the 'Wipe Bath' . . .
  8:30 . . . James sits on me!!!

  . . . .

  . . . .

  8:35 . . . I get redressed. I redo my hair. I change my earrings, necklace and bracelets to match my new sweater - which now doesn't match my pants. I change my pants. I change my socks. I throw all of my clothes in the hamper. I sigh.

  8:45 . . . I grab something from the kitchen, throw them into snack bags, I grab a sippy cup and put some milk into it . . . throw some coats on the kids . . . grab a toy or two for them to play with get into the car . . .

  9:00 . . . we leave.

Good News - we got there on time - I don't know how . . .

Now, remind me again . . . aren't blowouts intended to make the kids a mess?!?!?

Snowy Ohio!

2010-01-13T14:05:00.000-06:00

Try-Something-New-Tuesday

2010-01-12T21:52:00.000-06:00

I am trying to organize my life - better - and more efficient. So, I am going to try something NEW, every Tuesday. It could be an outing, a recipe, a craft/art project . . . something totally new and different!

Today's Try-Something-New-Tuesday is

Cheesy-Rolls!!!

I decided to combine two of my boys' favorites - cheese and rolls - and make my own 'creation' for them to enjoy!!!

Take a roll of biscuits, and roll them flat.

Cut a string cheese stick into fourths. Place one piece into the middle of a biscuit and roll the biscuit up.

Roll each biscuit tightly around each piece of cheese, tuck in the ends, place with seal on the bottom.

Mix 2 Tablespoons of melted butter with a teaspoon of garlic/herb seasoning.

Spread the butter/herb mixture over each roll, until roll is covered.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until tops of biscuits are lightly browned.

ENJOY!

Peter's Phrases

2010-01-12T07:17:00.000-06:00

Peter: "Mom, can you please turn on the light, so that I can put my seatbelt on?"
Mom: "Sure" (turns on light)
Peter: "Can you please turn the light off now?"
Mom: "Sure thing . . . and good job using your good manners, Dude!"
Peter: "Thanks! It's like what the Bible tells us to do . . . 'Use your good manners . . . .' (thinking). . . or something"

James' Favorite Toy (for the time being)

2010-01-11T10:04:00.002-06:00

James calls this his 'Blue Giraffe' - even though it's obviously PINK!

I know it's super attractive . . .try not to be jealous!

The thing looks like it's been skinned!!!

Trying Something New

2010-01-11T09:27:00.000-06:00

So, Tim and I have been shopping for 'art' - we desperately need some color to decorate our walls.
Well, while we're checking out different web sites, I thought to myself, "Wow . . . some of these pieces just look like abstract pictures of things around the house" . . . so, I thought that I would try taking some close-ups of some random things around our house . . . here they are (guess what they are!)

Things NOT to say in public

2010-01-09T09:30:00.000-06:00

Peter - "Dad . . . beat Mom!"
Dad - "What?!?!?"
Peter - "BEAT Mom!"
Mom - "Excuse ME?"
Peter - "You know, like in a race!"

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Peter - "Look! There' a big fat man!" . . . . this is a hard one. He was technically telling the truth, you know. So, I guess we'll be learning more about MANNERS!

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Peter - "Um, Grandma . . . . I can't wash my hands . . your sink is kind of dirty"
(which actually was lime built up just around the tip of the bottom of the sink - honestly . . . this one was, I guess you could call, my little 'guilty pleasure' - my mom is the 'clean queen' . . so, for him to think that THAT was 'dirt', kind of made my day - OF COURSE, I didn't tell HIM that!)

Pete's Photo's

2010-01-09T08:36:00.000-06:00

I think someone wants to be a professional photographer when they grow up!!!

Snow Day!

2010-01-08T15:17:00.002-06:00

Rottenness . . . pure rottenness.

2010-01-05T08:29:00.002-06:00

James kept saying "Tiom, Tiom . . . " when he wanted something. Tim and I kept scratching our heads trying to figure out what he was trying to say.

We finally figured it out.

Here's THAT conversation . . . .

James: Tiom . . . . Tiom
Tim: James!!!! MY name is DADDY! You may NOT call me TIM!

Funny Quote #152

2010-01-05T08:23:00.000-06:00

Peter and Daddy played on the wii last evening, while I spent a couple of hours catching up with a good friend at a coffee shop. I came home after bedtime, so Tim brushed their teeth, PJed them up and read them their bedtime story all before I got home. Tim told me about how much fun he and Peter had playing the wii resort together and how good Peter was doing on the game.

That next morning, during breakfast, I said to Peter, "So, Pete, Dad told me how much fun you guys had playing on the wii . . . Daddy said you're doing really well!"

Peter responded, "(sigh) Yea, we did . . .. but, it's a long story . . . we'll talk about it later"

Special Memories

2010-01-04T10:59:00.001-06:00

James' BIG gift this year:

Daddy put this horsy together - it took a long time, but it was well worth the wait. James did not get off of this horse for the first 2 hours of getting it! He absolutely ADORES this thing!

James' RE-GIFT:

Tim and I decided this year, that we were going to re-gift at least one toy for James. Seeing as he is still pretty young, and that he is starting to enjoy all of the same things that Peter does, we wanted to give him a toy that Peter 'outgrew' - something JUST for James to play with. It was PERFECT!

Peter's Lego's:

This year was the first year Tim and I have even ALLOWED small lego's in the house - with a 2 year old that eats EVERYTHING, we wanted to wait until the right time. Peter has such a great imagination and loves to build things, so this really was the perfect gift to give him this year.

Our Christmas Tree:

Tim is famous for the obscene about of lights he puts on our real tree's every year. And, this year - was NO exception! I think we started a new tradition this year too - Tim asked Peter to help him strand all of the lights on the tree - instead of using my help. I made some popcorn and Tim let Peter stay up extra late with him until they were all up! Peter really felt special being the 'chosen' one for such a large task!

Our Cards from Friends & Family:

Tim and I like to display all of the pretty Christmas cards that we get each year. We actually received more than what's shown - in fact, our hallway door is almost covered from top to bottom with Christmas cards - it sure is an easy way to decorate the hallway!!!

Christmas Breakfast!

2010-01-04T09:49:00.000-06:00

When Patrick and Catherine come out to visit during Christmas, I get to make a big breakfast for everyone each morning. Here are some pictures of the table each morning. . .

And, what's Christmas Breakfast without COOKIES & CANDY!?!?

Our Christmas Tree

2010-01-04T09:26:00.002-06:00

Our Christmas!

2009-12-30T14:22:00.015-06:00

Peter and James at Grandma and Grandpa Weldon's House - Christmas Eve

. .making a gingerbread house!

Christmas Day - At Grandma and Grandpa Shaeffer's House

Aunt Caralee had to step in and help Mr. James - or should I say Mr. Slowpoke!!!

Caralee - opening her gifts

(we took pictures of each other's gifts since we made our own bows this year!)

. . . I knitted her a blanket this year . . .

David - and the smallest playing cards in the world!

Tim - opening his presents!

December 27th - With Patrick and Catherine

James really loves his new bat!

Christmas Festivities

2009-12-24T09:09:00.009-06:00

This year, my Grandma Shaeffer paid the way for my entire extended family (all 42 of us) to a Christmas Concert in Columbus. It was amazing, to say the least. This enormous church gives a beautiful gospel presentation and they always tie it in with a modern family dialog.

Here's my sister, Caralee - my Grandma Shaeffer (dad's mom) and me!

My little sister, Caralee and her hubby, David - married for 3 years, just bought a new home (huge!) in Huber Heights.

Dad, trying to hide from the camera. This is a special year for us all - last year, at this time, dad was deployed overseas for over 5 months, missing Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday's and his anniversary, so this year is going to be especially nice with him being home!

Mr. James - 2 years old. We almost had to pick his jaw up off of the floor after he saw that they used REAL LIFE camels (and super huge ones at that) in the Christmas Story.

After the program, my Grandma took us ALL out to dinner at the Der Dutchman, one of the most delicious restaurants around!
We had a really good time. In fact, when they had our tables ready, they announced "Shaeffer . . . party of 42, your table is now ready" . . and everyone in the restaurant started looking around for this army of Shaeffers!

This is my cousin, Sharon - she was actually in the beginning stages of labor (with her 5th baby), later the next day, she welcomed Ransom Isaiah to this world.

Grandma Shaeffer (Great Grandma, to most of us!)

My sister, Caralee - and my two beautiful cousins, Melanie (left), just graduated this year (and most say that she looks like me, even though her Mommy was adopted, so we get a kick out of that!) and, April (middle), away at college, I had the privilege of teaching her piano for a while.

Pete's Thoughts

2009-12-17T21:31:00.002-06:00

Driving on the Highway
Peter: WOW, Mom . . look at all of those bridges!
Mom: Yeah, buddy! There are lots of them!
Peter: God made those bridges, didn't He?
Mom: Well, God gave the strength to do the work to a bunch of bridge builders, so, yes - He DID make the bridges
Peter: God made EVERYTHING!!
Mom: That is right!
Peter: That sure was nice of God to do.

Night-Night Prayer
Peter: Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins, help me to be a better good boy. Thank You for the nice weather that we are having. Please help me to have humility. Thank You for Your goodness. Amen.

Listening to Mariah Cary's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' . . . .
Peter: Wow, she sure is excited to get something for Christmas!!

Christmas Concert

2009-12-15T16:48:00.003-06:00

Tim and I have decided to start a new tradition in our little family . . . each year, just before Christmas, we all pack up and go out for a yummy dinner and then attend a local church's AWESOME Christmas concert. The gospel message is presented in very unique and different ways, each year and the music is out of this world!

Peter and James got to meet some fun characters and each one of them had a basket full of goodies for them to pick out from!

(wish I could have gotten a better picture of this . . . still super cute, though)

2009-12-10T09:54:00.002-06:00

So, the boys and I are in the car listening to Christmas music, on our way back from the mall, and this is the conversation . . .

Peter: Mom, this song is SO true! They ARE miles away!

Mom: (listening quickly to the song) What is Sweetie?

Peter: All of our troubles.

(song: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas)

Finding Our Christmas Tree!

2009-12-06T22:11:00.003-06:00

Looking . . . . . .

Looking . . . . . . .

FOUND IT!!!

Thanks~Giving

2009-11-30T19:18:00.002-06:00

Every year, all of (my side) the Shaeffer's get together for a massive Thanksgiving celebration.

Typically, there are anywhere from 25-32 people, 4-5 tables, and at least 9 grandchildren with their own children - adding another 9 GREAT-grandchildren who all join together for our annual Thanksgiving feast . . . and, by 'feast' - I mean a colossal amount of food!!!

My cousin, Ben, prepares the turkeys all year long, for their debut and fattens them up and just before they are about to explode from overeating, he cooks them. This year, he smoked TWO 48 POUND turkeys . . . 48 POUNDS . . . . A PIECE! They were heavier than Peter!!
After our delicious lunch, the kids get to enjoy a hayride.

They look forward to this every year . . even despite the freezing rain and drizzle, they held on tight for a long, cold ride and enjoyed every second of it.

We did almost tank . . . but, thanks to Mr. Ben, he was able to get the tractor back down the hill without jackknifing the trailer!

It was a wonderful day, full of family, laughter, singing and praising our High Priest who intercedes for US . . . His chosen people, who have been more than blessed this year!!

Praise God for His Great Love!

From Peter's View

2009-11-22T11:43:00.006-06:00

He got ahold of my camera (after asking, of course!)

James' Birthday Cake

2009-11-21T16:06:00.003-06:00

I think I've decided to make the boys' cakes from now on, instead of buying them at the store.

Honestly - I would rather buy them and have someone else decorate them . . . but, I'm starting to get the hang of this - and see a large investment being made here in my near future . . . despise Tim's best effort!

TIM HAS A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-18T09:10:00.003-06:00

Thanks be to our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ

We are SO proud to announce that Tim received a call today - from a recent employer interview last Friday - that TIM HAS BEEN HIRED!!!!

We are beyond ecstatic about this news and could not wait to share it with you all!
Thank you ALL for your many notes, letters, kind words, encouragement, prayers and support for our family during these last 9 months. It seemed long, but now that it is all over, Tim and I both looked at each other and "That wasn't SO bad!"
I had just talked to a longtime friend, yesterday afternoon, about the major difference between OUR idea of 'perfect' timing and GOD'S idea of HIS perfect timing. Tim has about a week and a half left of his unemployment 'income', and with the Holiday's quickly approaching, and because I teach piano, my regular income usually begins to dwindle due to vacations/weather, etc.

He starts MONDAY!!!!

. . . . so, this TRULY was the Lords' perfect timing!!!!

We will keep you all posted on our progress , here at the Weldon Home.
God Bless!

The Gift that keeps on Giving!

2009-11-17T07:55:00.002-06:00

If you know my dad - this is so worth a minute of your life!

You want WHAT?

2009-11-10T21:15:00.002-06:00

Tim: Ok, Peter, what do you want for lunch?

Peter: Um. . . a peanut butter and paper-cut jelly sandwich.

Tim: You WANT a paper cut? Peter, do you know what a paper cut IS?

Peter: Yay, it's little and round and orange.

Me: Peter! You goofball . . do you mean APRICOT ??

Peter: Oh, yea . . that's what I meant, a peanut butter sandwich with apricot jelly.

Trick-or-Treat

2009-11-03T08:01:00.007-06:00

Our Firefighter and Star Wars Hero!

Peter - being Peter . . .

It was a chilly night - so I double layered these guys. With all of the walking that we did, we sure kept warm, though! We decided NOT to do the entire 2 hour time slot, instead we tricked and treated for about 45 minutes. We were even able to hit two neighborhoods (one of a friend and one of our own) in that short amount of time. We aren't really into 'getting all you can get' when it comes to Trick-or-Treating. Maybe we will be, one day - when the kids are a bit older.

First House:

A familiar house to the boys . . . (trying to get James into the routine)

This is James' FIRST Trick-or-Treat . . .he had an absolute blast!

There was even a Police Officer handing out candy. Peter just about passed out . . . he said "Wow . . I can't believe that! A Police Officer gave ME candy!!!"

Ooooo . . . a BIG spider!!!

Tim mostly held James in between houses. His little legs aren't able to keep up with the rest of us!

This is my favorite one of James . . . look how little he looks walking all by himself!

It was a really fun night, ending with a trip to McD's in full costume, to use their coupons for their free cheese burgers and apples (thanks Becky!)

~Fall 2009~

2009-10-31T15:09:00.005-05:00

Too Much TV!

2009-10-30T08:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we were over at my moms house, visiting with my grandparents (from Phoenix) and the men were watching 'political TV' (aka - BORING!) and the women were playing with the Peter and James. Peter must have snuck downstairs a time or two, just enough time to have see some of the commercials that they were playing.
On our way home, Tim and I struck up a conversation about some random topic, and Tim had used the sentences "that's been an issue" . . .
Peter piped in and said "Just like Issue 3! It's a bad deal for Ohio."

Obviously, we have a political figure in our midst.

Bossy Boy

2009-10-29T07:20:00.002-05:00

Peter: James, please be quiet.
James: Blahahallalalhahah
Peter: JAMES - please stop talking!
James: alalalllaaalalaa
Peter: Daddy, James is not being quiet like I asked him to.
Daddy: That's probably because your not his parent.
Peter: (looks at James, really closely) James, PLEEEASE shut it and be quiet, . . . for a long time
(James: aahhhh, ahahah,. . . )
Peter: ZIP IT . . lock it and give me the KEY!
James: Oh-tay. (hands his a 'key')

Good Night, Humble Boy!

2009-10-27T08:27:00.003-05:00

Peter tonight, saying his 'night-night prayers'. . . .

Dear Jesus . . please forgive me of my sins. That we had fun (Mom: "THANK YOU that we had fun. . .") . . . THANK You that we had fun today. That we played in the leaves. Thank You for the beautiful weather that we have been having. And, thank You that James and I are so very wonderful! Amen

. . . .uuugghh, I think our next 'fruit' that we'll be working on will be HUMBLENESS!

Saucy Spiced Apple Pie

2009-10-20T10:32:00.003-05:00

This is the BEST apple pie I've ever HAD! . . . . really, it is!

Pastry (for double pie crust)
1/4 C butter, softened
2 C sugar
1 egg
1 egg - separated
1/3 C pineapple juice
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/3 C flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
** I added a 1/4 cloves too
6 C sliced, tart apples

Line a 9-in pie plate with bottom pastry - trimming even with edge.
In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, pineapple juice and vanilla until well blended. Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg - gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Fill crust with apple slices, and then top with the creamed mixture.
Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie - place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges (important, it will over-flow if not sealed tight)
Beat egg white, brush over pastry, sprinkle with additional sugar (and cinnamon)
Bake @ 350 for 55-60 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool - serve - enjoy!!!

B&B ~ Day 1

2009-10-13T19:03:00.012-05:00

Sunday, after church - Tim and I dropped the boys off with my parents, and headed Northeast to Danville , OH.

For our joint birthday gift - Tim's parents booked a Bed and Breakfast for us to stay for 2 nights/3 days. It was truly the PERFECT gift!

Tim and I were SO excited and really had NO idea how good this trip would be for us both!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We arrived around 3:30/4:00 in the late afternoon. The owner of the B&B greeted us, handed us our key and walked us around the Inn. First thing I saw (of course) was THIS beauty

A Chickering Rococo Style Square Grand Piano

A beautiful antique grand piano, built in the mid 1800's, valued at over $30,000! I just about passed out when the owner told me that I could TOUCH it and PLAY it!!!

She showed us our own little cabin, and let us know that dinner would be ready at 7:00. What a treat! We settled in, I knitted, took a nap and then got into the whirlpool, all just because! It was wonderful!
We headed to the Main Hall to sit and relax, running into another (sweet) couple. We chatted it up quite a bit, a little of this, a little of that. We learned that they were regulars at this particular B&B and they just adore the Inn owners. The owner came in to tell us of our dinner selections for this evening.
Warm Bread
Tossed Salad with Oranges and Pine Nuts with a Seseame Dressing
Golden Vegetable Soup
Scalloped Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli and Carrots
Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Sauce or
Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with mushroom red wine sauce
(Tim and I both picked the Chicken)

It was amazing!!!

We have a lovely conversation with the two couples that joined us for dinner. The other couple - our age, was very quiet, but joined in the conversation. Tim then decided to ask what they do for a living and the wife (Tanya) said 'Christian counseling' . . . well, Tim and I must have lit up and had flags popping out of our heads, because the husband (Todd) knew that we were VERY interested in her profession. So, Todd asked what we did, and I chimed in telling them that I teach piano and write music for a Christian band. Then THEY lit up like NY city and we hit it off immediately.
We had an amazing dessert. . . . . . .

The younger couple did excuse themselves from the table during dinner, but Tim and I never thought another thing about it (later to come) but they finished dinner with us all and headed back to their cabin early. Tim and I stayed up with the older couple and I got to serenade them all evening and even took requests. It was RIGHT UP my alley! A perfect end to a perfect day!

B&B ~ Day 2

2009-10-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

We had the option of having breakfast ready for us at 8:30 or at 9:30. Tim and I looked at each other and both said "9:30!!!"
We had heard that the older couple wanted to have their breakfast earlier this morning - but we also learned that the younger couple (who have young children) picked the later time as well. The Lord had BIG plans for us, and this was just ONE sign of His Grace to us this weekend.
We had a lazy morning, knowing that breakfast wasn't until later, we got to sleep in . . I read, knitted some more and took a nice (LONG) hot shower . . . and went to the bathroom without ANY intreruptions. That does NOT happen at home, by any means.
We met up with the older couple just as they were heading out, Tom (the husband) gave me his business card and told us that if we were ever in the Dellaware area, or closer to Columbus, to give them a visit.
Tim and I sat down for breakfast - and at this particular Inn, they like to purposefully 'pair' you with the other couples in the Inn. So we got to enjoy our first breakfast with Todd and Tanya.
The breakfast menu this morning consisted of. . . . . . . .
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Breakfast Suffla with Spinach and Squash
Pear Ginger Pancakes with Brandied Pear Syrup
Hot Coffee
Cranberry Juice

Delicious is such an UNDERSTATEMENT when it comes to this breakfast!! Truly a delight!

We started eating between 9:15/9:30 and started right up with a great conversation with Todd and Tanya. We learned that they too had two children (a little bit older than ours) and went to a similar church like we do. And then, one by one we went around the table and gave our testimony. This does NOT happen to Tim and I, ever - on a regular basis or irregular basis. We talked about our favorite scripture verses, ones that have helped our own Spiritual growth, ones that have helped us with parenting and those that have guided our thoughts and actions while witnessing to others. Long story short, when we started to 'wrap things up' it was 1:00 IN THE AFTERNOON! I thought praying with them over breakfast was fantastic . . .this was incredible! I really never expected this, at all.

Tim and I had scheduled a Couple's Massage at 5:00, so I thought that we could cram in a million different things and get back to our cabin by the time Kim would come over to give us our massages. NO SO! In fact, about a third way into the driving around town, I barely got the words, "If you want to just turn around and. . . ." OUT - before Tim turned the car around and headed back to our cabin. It was taking WAY to long to drive to all of the 'happening' places, and I wanted to get another awesome nap in before dinner.
Since we had talked so long with our new-found friends, we completely forgot about lunch. So, we decided that we would eat at a 'Ma & Pa' restaraunt and decide later if this meal would be lunch or dinner.

Turns out it was a late LUNCH! . . . . and a very GOOD one, at that!

We went back to our just relaxed, started a great fire in the fireplace in our cabin, read our books and listened to music (which they provided). It was very romantic!

Kim - our Massouse - came around 5:30 - Tim went first (it was his first massage ever!) and he was like jello afterwards, then I went and we had a lovely talk with Kim. She was wonderful! We were both VERY relaxed.
Tim's parents surprised us with a tray full of chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling cider. What sweet treat for us!

We went out later, for dinner. It was a pretty 'late' dinner, too. I think we didn't eat until 8:30/9:00, but again - a small chain always has the BEST food - and it was GOOD!

We headed back to our cabin and saw 6 deer on the way! Three of them were running along side of our car . . . for at least a half of a mile. It was amazing!!!!

After my first attempt of starting a fire . . .and Tim, having to REstart it . . I started to doze off, so I headed to bed and slept like a LOG! (no pun intended)

B&B ~ Day 3

2009-10-11T20:43:00.003-05:00

Our last morning here . . . . totally bummed out that we are leaving so 'early' . . . even though, this is the LONGEST that we have been away from BOTH boys at the same time. . . it seemed like a minute!
We (as in I) got up around 8:30 (which is TOTALLY sleeping in for me!) and started to pack. Took another hot shower, put things away, tidyed up a bit, got Tim up, we finished packing and headed to breakfast.

This morning we enjoyed . . . . .
Chocolate Cherry Muffins
Herbed Scrambled Eggs with Tomato Basil Sauce
Stuffed Baked Cream French Toast with Roasted Pears
Hot Coffee
Cranberry Juice

DELICIOUS - again! Nothing short of it!

We had another wonderful conversation with Todd and Tanya, finishing in the parlor. Todd wanted to hear me play the piano, so they finished up packing and met us in the Main Hall. He told me some of his favorite Christian Contemporary songs and I would play them (as best as I could) and we just really got to enjoy each other's company.

We had to check-out at 11:00, but promised the Inn owners - as well as Todd and Tanya, that this would become an annual visit. It's only 2 1/2 hours away . . . we don't have to rent a car - the scenery was breathtaking and since they come THIS weekend, every year - we would be sure to visit with them again. We said our goodbyes and they took a picture of all 4 of us together (to come soon!) and then we exchanged information and promised to keep in touch.

Tim and I had a shorter ride home, mostly in silence. We were spent. I think more emotionally than physically, but it was a good 'spent'. Kind of like the one after a 'high' . . . . like a retreat or camp.

Here are some pictures of our stay at the White Oak Inn

Our Cabin:

Our Bedroom:

Our Tub:

Our Living Area:

The View from The Back Porch:

Our Bathroom/Closet/Hallway:

The Cabins:

More pictures around the Inn . . .

trust me - they don't do justice to the beautiful fall colored leaves . . they were stunning!

A couple pictures - just the tip of the iceberg - of our sights on the way home

Just a gorgeous house . . one, of many - we saw on our travels.

**By the way . . . Tim and I found out later, that the reason Todd and Tanya excused themselves from dinner, was because - after finding out that we were Christians - they went to the back, talked and prayed if this would be God's timing in them asking us to share our testimony to the other couple sitting with us. How cool is that!?! Turns out, it wasn't in His plan - but still so cool knowing that THAT was in their thoughts and prayers for this other couple!

Same Difference

2009-10-08T11:16:00.002-05:00

Today, while eating lunch - Peter asked Tim what 'why not?' means?
And, the conversation went something like this. . . .

Peter: What does 'why not' mean, Dad?
Dad: Well, it's kind of like saying 'yes'
Peter: *silent*
Dad: It would be like you asking me something, like if you asked if I was your Dad, and I would say . . . . . um . . . . .

{dramatic pause . . and careful consideration of a GOOD example to give}

Dad:. . .It would be like if you asked me for something to drink, and I would say 'why not' - meaning 'yes'!

Christmas List . . part 1

2009-10-07T09:38:00.006-05:00

Peter has recently become VERY excited for Christmas . . mostly due to his Mommy playing Christmas songs all day long, and also partly due to all of the local stores displaying and decorating for Christmas already.

The other day, he decided, on his own, that he really should start writing out his Christmas List out for Santa. Now, when I say 'writing out' - I actually mean 'drawing'. . it has taken us about 2 years to get this kid to draw something! NOT because he couldn't . . but because he never thought it looked good enough. For example - He would draw a face and then cry because it wasn't round enough! Oi . . . . it was interesting. But, FINALLY - he is now interested and loves to draw things, pictures and his own Christmas List.

This kid could SPELL WORDS before he had any interest in drawing! - something is WRONG with this picture!

So, here is ONE list (out of many, I'm sure - to come!):

If you look in the far left corner - what looks like a Bee - it is actually 'Bumble Bee' from Transformers.

Yes, yes . . my child who is afraid of COOLWHIP - saw and loved the Transformers movie.

(now, we didn't let him watch all parts of the movie - but he LOVED it!)

Fall Pancakes

2009-10-07T08:35:00.007-05:00

As most of you may remember, Fall is my FAVORITE season of all!!!

The cool crisp air.

Hot cider.

Pumpkin pie.

Over sized Sweaters.

Warming up by a fireplace.

Pumpkins.

Leaves turning colors.

Last year, I posted a couple of recipes of some of my favorite 'fall' recipes. So, here we are again!

I made these this morning for my family - the kids ate them UP! (which is saying something, because they are picky eaters!)

~ Ginger Pancakes ~

2 C baking mix (like Bisquick)
1 1/2 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1 egg
1 1/2 c milk
1/4 c molasses

Mix all of dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk and molasses - whisk until well blended. Blend the dry ingredients with the wet mixture. Pour, cook and enjoy!!!

My Ghetto Children

2009-10-02T10:04:00.004-05:00

Tim and I made the kids look this way, on purpose . . . they have no cheeks behind them to hold their pants up, so we just elaborated a bit - and here's the outcome!

2009-10-01T21:12:00.001-05:00

Peter: Today is THURSDAY!
Tim: That's right, Peter! Good job!
Peter: I'm REALLY smart!
Tim: You sure are!
Peter: That's because I've got a BIG brain in there!

Bible Verse Time!

2009-09-24T16:43:00.003-05:00

Tim and I think it is very important for the boys to know, learn and memorize Scripture verses by heart. One way of them doing this is through our Church - Peter has been learning the first 5 verses of Psalm 1 in his Children's Church class, and I teach him other verses here at home as well.

This week, we re-learned (really, I re-learned, he knew it still) 1 Samual 12:24
"Only fear the LORD, and serve Him faithfully - for consider what great things He has done for you!"
Thankfully, he has been asking what parts of the verse mean - that he doesn't fully understand. What a great way of learning his own little way!
So, here is a conversation between Pete and I, while going through his memory verse. . . . .

Mom: Let's say 1 Samual 12:24 . . . .
(us): Only fear the LORD, and serve. . . . .
Peter: What does fear mean?
Mom: Fear means that you respect God and really want to do good so that we don't get punished.
Peter: OH!!!
(us): Only fear the LORD, and serve Him faithfully . . .
Peter: What does faithfully mean?
Mom: Faithfully means that you do something all of the time, like obeying the Lord everyday.
Peter: OHHHH!
(us): Only fear the LORD, and serve Him faithfully, for consider what . . . .
Peter: Mom, what does consider mean?
(Now, I'm starting to get a little bugged that he keeps interupting so often, but pleased that he really wants to know!)
Mom: Consider means to think about it a lot . . .
Peter: Oh, wow, Mom! You sure are smart! You know a LOT of things about this!!!
Mom: Thanks, bud!
(us): Only fear the LORD, and serve Him faithfully, for consider what great things He has done for you!
Peter: What does THAT mean?
Mom: Well, some great things he has done for you is He made you super cute, and really smart and He gave you LOTS of toys and things to play with!
Peter: OH! And, like He gave you pants and shirts to wear!
Mom: Yes, Peter. He did allow me to not be nude. (sarcasm)

2009-09-24T11:40:00.000-05:00

Guess where I found James, today!?!?

YAY! We're all better!

2009-09-23T22:17:00.004-05:00

After a whole week of the stomach bug - we are officially ALL BETTER!

We, desperately needed to get out of the house! So, Tim and I decided to take the kids to a local park - to get outside, use some of that (gradually-returning) energy - and, as I told my mom - we needed some fresh AIR!!!

Tim and I spent the week bleaching, cleaning, spraying, washing and sanitizing the house - so Tim and I were very tense and needing some OUT time too! It was the perfect weather and the perfect day to just get out!

Favorite Number

2009-09-09T18:05:00.004-05:00

Recently, Peter has been using the number '100' A LOT! I don't know if it's because he can count to 100, or because he just really enjoys that number - but he's been using it - almost always - out of context, or improperly.

For Example:

"I'm better at puzzles than James . . . . I'm 100 BETTER!"

"I'm sorry 100, Mom"

"We are going on vacation in 100 weeks"

"I can count to 100!" . . . .oh, wait - that one WAS used in the right context!
. . .it's been very interesting - and a little entertaining - listening to his use of the number '100'!

Darke County Fair

2009-08-27T08:24:00.006-05:00

2009-08-25T08:39:00.002-05:00

We got the chance to go to a Fund Raiser for our local Firemen and Policemen. Well, the 'big event' was going to be a helicopter that would land in the middle of a field right next to the fair at the station. Peter and I got FRONT row 'seats' to watch it land . . it was amazing! Peter was in shock and couldn't believe that he saw this massive thing land right in front of his eyes! After it landed, the pilots let the kids sit in the cockpit and get pictures! It was really COOL!

Gym Class

2009-08-24T14:42:00.004-05:00

Peter's Gym Class . . he absolutely LOVES his Tumble Bunnies class! He loves his teacher, Miss Tanya and is really getting the wiggle worms out at this class too!

Sleepy Boys - over the years . . .

2009-08-23T22:35:00.003-05:00

Our Weekend

2009-08-23T22:03:00.002-05:00

We had a pretty full weekend that ended up being a really FUN weekend for everyone! On Friday evening, we went to my mom's house to cook a homemade dinner for Caralee's birthday. Mom made the BEST ever - beef and mushroom stroganoff - corn, crab dip, green bean casserole, rolls and banana spilt dessert. It was SO delicious!!!
Caralee and I ended up talking the husbands into playing some games with us, while the boys played in their room - and I think we forced some fun into them!
On Saturday, I dropped the boys and Tim off at his parents house (he is housesitting for them while they are on vacation), and I had planned to help set up for a surprise party, so that took Mommy out of most of the day - so after I was done, I headed back to the Weldon's house to pick everyone up and we headed out for a night on the town! We went to a outdoor mall near us, (The Greene) and ate dinner, walked around, listened to a local band (the boys LOVED watching the drummers hit the drums really fast!) and then we walked to Panera for dessert and coffee. It was a perfect evening and even better- PERFECT weather. It is starting to get cool, now, at night - so that makes is really nice to be outside. . we are a 'Fall' family . . we just burn if ever in the sun, so we really enjoy evenings like this! Not only that - but we wore the kids out SO well that even PETER asked me to hold him on the way back to the car - and if I do say so, myself - we're getting pretty good at this 'wearing out' thing!
Then, Sunday - we had early service, Tim and I taught Peter's Sunday School class and then we went out to Sonic for lunch (Tim's parents gave him $$ to thank him for helping them out the last couple weeks with this and that, which has made it VERY nice for our family to get the chance to go out a couple times while Tim is still without work) We sat in the 'drive through' which we had never done before. They had music playing - so both the boys ate and danced the day away in the car! We all took really nice LONG naps today - the perfect end to a perfect weekend!

Bye-Bye, Bug!

2009-08-14T19:24:00.002-05:00

Tonight, Little James found a little bug - a spider, crawling along our Family Room floor. He was so intrigued by it and kept saying "Bug, bug, bug!" Tim found the little spider and told James that he was right, it IS a bug - but he had to kill it because bugs aren't allowed in our house. I had just finished popping popcorn when Tim went to kill the bug (unbeknownst to James). James asked me for a 'bite' so I gave him two pieces of popcorn. He ate one, quickly, and then took the second piece to the place where he found the spider and held it to the floor, calling it by name "Bug . . BUG!!??" trying to feed it. What a sweet little guy!

Another New Do

2009-08-07T07:35:00.002-05:00

I had left over money on the gift card that Tim and the boys got me for Mother's Day. So, I decided to go get my hair cut - again - before my 10 Yr. High School Reunion this Saturday. My last 'Summer Do'. I had EXACTLY to the dollar amount of what I needed to get a cut and walk out of there paying NOTHING - so you can see my excitement . . .. . oh - did I forget to mention, I FORGOT the gift card at home and had to pay anyway? That's me, though. Ask my mom. I am SO organized for big things, like vacations, trips, driving the kids places - I remember EVERYTHING . . . . tickets, passes, snacks for the car, juice cups, extra diapers, luggage, maps, sunglasses for everyone, lotion, shampoo, etc. - but the 'simple' things in life (purse, phone, giftcards, etc) apparently mess me up often. Oh, well - I actually got another $5 off my next visit, for booking early, and I'm getting highlights again too. All in all, it was still nice and I got one of those head massages again! Totally worth it right there!

Silly James. . .

2009-08-07T07:33:00.002-05:00

Guess who likes to put Mommy's shoes on and parade around the house!?!?!?

Chuck E. Cheese!!!

2009-08-01T22:39:00.004-05:00

I received a call from my best friend that we and our boys were invited to Chuck E. Cheese - just for fun!
So, we got in the car and spent most of the day there. Peter was so overwhelmed by the place - and, of course, found the ONE dinosaur game there - and played it over and over. Our friends bought us lunch and gave the kids a whole bunch of tokens. They had such a great time!!

Mr. James:

The boys rode a couple of the rides together. Awwwww

Peter wanted to try out this 'camera'. . . .

Peter - on 'T.V.'!!!!!

James and his little girl-friend

Now- look at James' face on this one . . . I think we have a little love interest going on here!

We had a blast!

Glorious Ruins Concerts

2009-07-24T07:33:00.006-05:00

My band, Glorious Ruins will be performing two concert (so far) in the Dayton area this August.

August 15th
7:00PM
South Dayton Presbyterian Church
1180 E Alex Bell Road
Centerville, OH 45459

(seating is limited for this concert, so please RSVP by either)
phone ~ (937) 433-1022
email ~ office@southdaytonpcachurch.org

August 16th
6:00PM
Basore Road Grace Brethren Church
5675 Basore Road
Dayton, Ohio 45415

Prayer Need

2009-07-21T21:38:00.002-05:00

Please keep Tim in your prayers this week.

He has TWO scheduled interviews.

- Wednesday morning, 9:00AM

- Thursday afternoon, 2:30PM

Either one of these would be such a blessing to us, so please keep Tim in your thoughts and prayers as he interviews for the first time in over 5 years.
Thanks so much!!

What they get JUST for being CUTE!

2009-07-18T07:56:00.004-05:00

My MIL gave us a coupon for a new donut shop that just went up down the street from us. We had never heard of them before, but figured a 'Buy 6 - Get 6 Free' was too good of an offer to pass up - even if they were only so-so!
So, we ran a couple of errands and took the kids there after we were done. They walked in with there eyes big and mouths open

- they KNEW where WE were!!!

The lady at the front asked if they wanted a special surprise . . and filled two little bags with donut holes! The boys were SO happy! Peter and James both told her 'Thank You'! and Tim and I made our oder - amazing donuts!! I'm a 'fritter freak' and just LOVE the apple/cherry fritters . .and they had one that looked like a giant rose! It was so good! So, while we were wrapping up our order, the lady threw in another bakers dozen of the donut holes for the boys - what a special treat! She was super kind! We will definitely go back soon!

Creation Museum

2009-07-16T21:11:00.006-05:00

We have received so many wonderful words of encouragement, cards, letters and even monitary gifts during this duration of Tim's job loss. So many wonderful, gifted and generous people have gone above and beyond to help us in anyway possible. One of those (of many) gifts was a couple days ago. . . .
In our church mailbox was a card saying, "you've been through the ringer, go have some fun!" with a $100 bill in it. We don't know who it was from, there was no name on the card, just a generous person, full of God's love.
Tim and I talked it over - we could either
1) Go out somewhere really nice (and $$$) and 'blow it' on a super great date . . . .OR
2) Take the whole family out to someone special, far away, and make a whole day of it!

So, we choose the FAMILY DAY!

We packed up the boys early in the morning, (not telling them where we were going) and headed out to Kentucky to the Creation Museum!!!

A most WONDERFUL place to go!

The boys just loved the museum - and we just beat the stormy weather! After we were done inside, we grabbed a bite to eat at 'Noah's Cafe' and then headed to the museum shop - we had enough $ to let the boys pick out a toy of their choice - and OF COURSE, they both picked out dinosaurs!
The museum, itself, was pretty packed - so these pictures are pretty much from outside of the museum - but cute, just the same!!!

Peter, looking out at the gardens.

The Wibbly-Wobbly Bridge . . . Peter really liked it!!

Tim - however - wasn't super excited about going over it with James in the stroller!

Mommy and Petree!

Petting Zoo Fun:

James wasn't so sure about this whole 'touching animals' thing . . but he got the hang of it!

Ahh. . . Baa-Baa to the rescue! (James always loves him a good baa-baa!!!)

Peter has never seen a camel before, so he kept referring to it as a 'BIG SHEEP'!

He did get to feed it, though - and that was pretty cool to him!

James - on the other hand - not so thrilled with being that close to a camel!

James, 'baching' at the chickens and roosters.

We had a lot of FUN!

Happy July!!!

2009-07-06T09:25:00.004-05:00

This month we celebrate the freedom of our country.

We should always be in prayer for our country, and for her leaders.
Tim and I do not care for how our leaders are leading our country. It grieves us to see where our money is going to and supporting.
We, however, know that the Lord is in control, so we choose to celebrate our TRUE freedom

- IN CHRIST!

Please Pray!

2009-06-29T10:08:00.003-05:00

This morning, Tim received a call for a job interview tomorrow

- at 3:30

It is a local business with a large pay upgrade.
He is very excited about this opportunity!
Please pray for the Lord's will for him.
Thank You!

Update On Our Silliness

2009-06-24T18:09:00.004-05:00

James now knows all of the animal sounds, and if we throw in a tricky one (like, "What does a giraffe say?") he'll answer 'Moooo'!

Peter and James are playing trains together, all of a sudden Peter breaks out with . . .
"Dad . . . I think we have a sleepy little boy here!!!"

We all l have colds now, so the medicine is constantly flowing out of our cabinet.
Mom: Do you know when the last time you had medicine was?
Peter: I think it was Friday, or something.

Mom: PETER! Stand by the door. . . I'm tired of telling you!!
Peter: Stop, Mom . . you are freaking me out!

James has FINALLY learned when to say 'Thank You' and when to say 'Please'! A HUGE milestone for him!

Peter: I'm going to color a picture for Michaela's mom
James: Maa
Peter: NO. . .not OUR mom, Michaela's mom
James: MAAAAA
Peter: NOO, Baby Boy - it's for MICHAELA'S MOM!!!!

New Bed - New Position

2009-06-22T09:10:00.003-05:00

The boys are officially in the same room!!!
They have bunk-beds, now, and Pete couldn't be more excited to sleep on the TOP BUNK! He's been talking about it for months! James gets to sleep on the bottom bunk, surrounded with pillows and guard rails.
The first night was interesting, trying to keep James in bed . . it took about an hour. Tim and I didn't hear anything after that, so we both assumed that he was still tucked in and sleeping. We woke to find James like this . . . . .

apparently he got out in the middle of the night and either couldn't find his way back, so this was the closest thing he could come up with, or he really enjoys this new position.

Play Day!

2009-06-22T08:48:00.004-05:00

Today we had a play day with two little friends. My friend, Erin, is finishing up a cook book (wow!) and she needed some quiet time, so we got to watch her two boys for a couple hours. We had a total blast of fun!
Her oldest is close in age to Peter and her youngest one is a couple months older than James - so they all have a ton of fun when they all get to play together.
The kids wanted something to eat - right off the bat . . .so, we started our day with

a snack and some Wonder Pets!

The boys wanted to play with Trains all day, so that's exactly what they did. Boys are SO different than girls. Their energy levels are out of this world and they really need stimulated throughout the day . .so a large train track in the middle of the Living Room was the perfect solution! (apparently!)

Erin brought us all lunch from City Barbeque - or as my dad calls it; the 'Biker Bar'! It was awesome good!
After lunch, we parted ways for nap time and then met up at a local park. This was the first time my boys and I had been to this park. And, it was nice to know of another one that isn't too far away!

They had a dinosaur teeter-totter . . . a favorite of the boys!

The ducks at this park live by the motto, 'No guts, no glory' . . they would walk right up to you without even thinking twice. The boys loved it!
If you look really closely, you can see a Mommy duck and her little babies walking behind her.

The weather held out nicely and we were all able to enjoy the day outside . perfect!!

Final Day of Vaca

2009-06-19T11:00:00.003-05:00

Well, we leave today - to head back home . . .the LONG, LONG journey home.

Here's some pictures of the boys in our 'Living Room' area in our hotel room. They loved to sit on this couch and watch cartoons. We had a lot of fun at this place!

Vacation ~ Day 5

2009-06-19T10:17:00.003-05:00

Today was the saddest part of our 'vacation': Uncle Mike's funeral service.
This was the first service that I have been to, of a non-believer. It was sad and depressing. There was no hope. No joy. No Heavenly future for this young man.
I have been to many funerals in my life, and even though it is still a very sad event - there was a difference in everyone's grieving. When you know that the person who's life you are celebrating - was in God's hands, a child of the King - a living Servant of Christ - the service is beautiful. Full of hope. Full of Eternal Life. Full of love and celebration. There was none present today.
After the service, Tim and I realized more clearly - that it doesn't matter how well they do in school or how many sports they excel in or how many friends they have. If they know the love of Christ, in their heart, that is all that matters. Tim and I know that the future of our boys is in God's hands, and that He - and He alone - knows what they will become and who they will be when they are older. It is our God-given responsibility to help to train them in God's Word, to enrich their little lives in His Love. It's a large responsibility, but we are more than please to do so - for His service.

After the service, we all headed to Austin (about a two hour drive) to spend the remainder of the evening with David's brothers. One of the brothers (who's house we were going to) has a sheep farm. For those of you who know James well - his FAVORITE animal of ALL TIME is his 'Baa-Baa'! He owns so many of them. He has a Baa-Baa pillow, he has a Baa-Baa that he sleeps with, he has finger puppet Baa-Baa's . . . and the list goes on. He just about passed out from excitement when I showed him the hundreds of 'Baa-Baa's around the farm. He thought he was in Baa-Baa Heaven! We had a lot of fun - but, accidentally - forgot the camera for this momentous occasion. (Oops!)
Since it was such a long way away, the ride home seemed forever and ever. . both kids (and Grandma and Grandpa) fell asleep. Nighty-night!

Vacation ~ Day 4

2009-05-24T15:52:00.023-05:00

Jams, on his first 'ride' - at Mall of America

Peter joins in on the fun.

Peter's first REAL rollercoaster!

Both the boys had a blast at the Mall of America! James got to get out of the stroller and play in Lego Land! They let the kids got to make their very own race car with the legos and then race them down a couple tracks. It was a lot of fun seeing them play with their cars.

We enjoyed a couple of snacks and I got my favorite ice coffee from Caribou (for those who may not know - I am a TOTAL Caribou snob! - and they are all over Minnesota!) You could tell that the economy is really starting to effect the Mall of America. The were all understaffed and they had removed all of the food venders from the park area. It wasn't like Tim and I had remembered it, but it was still a lot of fun!

We planned on meeting David's brother (Jim) tonight, for dinner. He and his family flew in this morning and were anxious to see everyone (and the boys!). We all had a wonderful dinner - at one of our favorite places - Bonfire!! It was DELICIOUS! It was a little challenging to keep the boys entertained. . . but the waitress was so awesome - she brought the boys their meals before our meals (so that they had something to do/eat!) and then, while we were all eating our own meals - she brought out Ice Cream Sundae's for the boys - with all the toppings in a basket for them to make their own sundae! They LOVED IT! We got out of there pretty late - so we knew that the boys would be nice and tired out from today's activities.
Tomorrow is the funeral for David's youngest brother - so it was nice to have some 'fun' distractions today, for all of us - especially Grandpa.

Vacation ~ Day 3

2009-05-21T11:27:00.019-05:00

This morning we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel (both the kids ate really well!) and we decided that today was going to be 'Como'-day. Como Park started as a conservatory and has since bloomed into a multifunctional Amusement Park and Animal Zoo. Tim and I came here on our Honeymoon, and we have made it a family tradition to visit here every time we travel to Minnesota. It just awesome!

Peter - right away found Fireman shoes and 'jumped into them'.

Here's Pete and Mommy. . in front of his favorite animal of all time!

. . more giraffes

. . goofy look'n animal. . .

cute penguins

My favorite picture of Pete-

Amazed at this one. . . James - seeing the ducks swimming in their pong yells out "Quack, Quack!!!" (which means 'duck'!) . . . and the more I thought about it, the more I was amazed that he even knew what they were. In ALL of James' books, they show duck's yellow and fluffy. . . these ducks weren't even close to being either one of those things, yet he still knew what they were. That 'wowed' me! What a smarty!

Silly Petee-Fay!

We thought - for SURE - that Peter was going to be horrified on these rides, but he did so well! We were VERY proud of him!

And, of course - Peter's favorite thing of all time - DINOSAUR BONES! (this was a new thing they added since last year . . we were super siked that they had this, though!)

Grandma came with us, and watched James so that Tim and I could walk Peter around the park and watch him ride rides. She also gave us some 'fun money', so we got to enjoy some Cheese Curds ('carnival style' - good and greasy!), Peter got dinosaur nuggets and Tim enjoyed his favorite, mini-donuts, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. It was enough to wear us all out, but, unfortunately, the boys decided not to take a nap - I just didn't get it! We wore them out thin and STILL no nap?!? We knew this would make an interested evening for us! (Grandpa stayed back at the hotel preparing for his brother's eulogy for tomorrow's funeral)
We had a couple errands to run before dinner, so after we were done, we met up with the grandparents, Pat and Catherine for dinner at (one of our all-time favorite places to eat) Bakers Square!! With a name like that - I bet you could guess what they are well-known for! THEIR PIES! They must have 15 different kinds of pies. Some are seasonal, but they always have a couple of specialty pies too! I had the lemon creme pie . . boy, was it creamy and delicious! Tim had a warm fruit pie and the boys didn't finish their dinner, so they did not get to have any dessert. (Got to stick to the rules, even on vacation - bending them is for the grandparents :0)
We ate late tonight, so we were pretty tuckered by the time we got back to the hotel. Thankfully, the boys were finally tired and bothersome, so we all went right to sleep tonight!
- Ready for a new day tomorrow!-

Vacation ~ Day 2

2009-05-21T11:05:00.005-05:00

This morning was an early morning for us. We were up by 6:15, dressed, fed and out of the door by 7:00. Patrick's graduation was at 9:00 this morning, and it was a 'first come, first serve' seating, so we needed to be there at least an hour early. We ended up getting great seats and an excellent parking spot in the garage.

The Auditorium:

Patrick walking:

Pat stopped at our row, to shake Peter's hand. . . you would've thought that Peter just met the President of the United States (well, at least last year's President) He shouted "Patrick shook my HAND!!!" Pat (and the other graduates around him) got a good laugh from that.

The proud Mother and Wife:

James - of course - was completely calm, collected and respectful during the entire ceremony. . . oh, wait, did I mention that sarcasm is my second language of choice??? After the first three trips out to the front hallway, Tim and I decided that he wasn't going to get any better, so I took him outside - where other parents were with their 2 year olds - and let him run around and get that last bit of energy out. As I was walking James down the flight of concrete steps, I accidentally ram my *hurt* finger into a metal poll, sliding down the railing. That hurts SO bad!!! I was grinding my teeth and trying not to scream, but I knew that it would start to bleed again after that. So, after surrendering all of our assets for the parking fee (a WHOPPING $7.00!!!! - I couldn't believe it! We were there for an hour and a half!) . .I asked the parking guy if we needed to take out a small loan, or if he just wanted us to hand over our 401K now . . .not very godly of me, I know
-we headed back to the hotel (I re-bandaged my finger), then we all went swimming, took a bath and got all dressed up for Pat's Celebration Dinner - at a FABULOUS upscale pub.

The kids were very good during dinner and ended everything on a good note tonight.

Vacation ~ Day 1

2009-05-21T10:41:00.006-05:00

Today was Patrick's graduation party, so we got a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast to start out our first morning of vacation. The sun was out and shining bright today . . a perfect day for an outdoor open house. We got to meet many of Patrick's childhood friends, some of whom we knew. Peter and James took their afternoon nap at Pat's house and woke up to a house full of little boys. There must have been at least 8 of them, all between the ages of 9 months to 6 yrs old. They all went outside and kicked balls, threw rocks, played with a mini-set of bulldozers (using a 'generous' portion of Pats grass as 'mulch' - sorry Pat!) and blew bubbles. They had a blast!
bonus: none of us got sunburnt!

Patrick's Graduation Open House:

Many of Pat's friends, neighbors and family came to congratulate him at his home on Sunday.

It was a fabulous party with amazing food - Catherine did a fantastic job!!

The beautiful cake:

James, chilling in the shade:

Patrick and his graduation gift, from his lovely wife, Catherine:

{a weekend fishing trip to catch fresh walleye (super yummy!)}

Patrick and his new Masters Degree Plaque:

After his party, we all headed back to the hotel, to change (into warmer clothes, it gets down to the 40's still, in MN, at night) and headed back to Pat and Catherine's house for some Jimmy John subs. The kids started to get restless, so we had to end the night a little early to get them to bed at a decent time. But, we sure had fun today!

And, off we GO!!!

2009-05-16T09:04:00.002-05:00

We will be leaving this morning for Minnesota. We have Tim's Uncle's burial and Tim's brother's graduation to go to, all within the same week, so we are going to (hopefully) take advantage of this trip, since it will most likely be the one and only vacation trip we take this Summer.

{13 hours + 2 kids + 1 large coffee = vacation!!!!}

Please continue to lift Tim up in prayer. We are still in 'job hunting' season, here. I pray that he won't be discouraged, but that maybe he will be hired soon and be able to relax about this process. Thanks, so much!

Mommy's New Do

2009-05-13T18:50:00.004-05:00

For my Mothers Day gift, Tim bought me an 'all inclusive' hair-spa day. It included a shampoo/cut, highlights and lowlights, dry and a style. I told my hairdresser that I was looking for something new, and that I was at her mercy. She played around with my hair, felt the thickness of it, tried a new part (who knew you could part anywhere but just down the middle!) and showed me what colors and what style she was thinking of. I told her to go with it . . . (plus - what I didn't know I was going to get - I received a five minute head massage after my last rinse that just about put me in a trance)

I LOVE IT!!!

(side-view . . really does the color more justice too!)

Handmade Potatoes - literally

2009-05-12T14:31:00.003-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, I woke up at 3:00, got up, dressed and started to make the preparations for my Mother's Day meal, for my mom, dad, sister and brother-in-law. I boiled the noodles for macaroni and cheese, got out my cake pans for the chocolate cake for mom (a favorite of hers), already had the chicken marinating in the fridge and started on the potatoes, for grilling out. I called a best friend of mine to get the recipe and got out my 'slicer' for the potatoes. I noticed that I wasn't getting them really cut right, and that they were a little on the thin side, so I (stupidly) thought, "I'll just lift the blade up a little". Well, without going into much detail (for Becky's sake - mostly) here's my hand after two Urgent Care visits. . .

I, officially cut the tip of my ring finger (rand hand) clean off. I screamed for Tim, and he got me paper towels to wrap my finger in, got both the boys out of bed, got their shoes on, put the 'tip' in ice and we were off! They couldn't sew it back together, but as long as I could still play, I could've cared less about what to do with the tip!!!
I went back on Tuesday, had the bandages soaked off (mostly . . near the end of the 1 1/2 of soaking it, she had no other choice but to 'tear' the rest off). I had it re-bandaged and will have to go back again, on Thursday for my last Urgent-Care-Supplied-Bandage. The rest of the time we'll have to gauze it ourselves. I DO, however have some wonderful and amazing blessings that have already surfaced from this accident. . .

1) It was only the tip, and NOT my whole finger!
2) I didn't do any major nerve damage
3) The Urgent care was down the street from our house
4) We only had to pay $200 for the entire visit
5) Tim - who is still unemployed, was home during this accident and was also home to take me to my second visit (which was very, very painful!) and hold my hand
6) My in-laws live very close, and they jumped out of bed to come pick up the boys from the UC and take them away from the situation 'at hand' - (ha, ha, ha)
7) My mom is an excellent cook, and could've finished the meal with her eyes closed!
8) God is good. . . and cares about me and even little things like fingertips. Praise God!!!

Needless to say, I wasn't able to make the cake, or make ANY more of the dinner, for that matter. Instead, my MOM had to finish cooking it. Which wasn't the point of having her over, in the least, but she was more than willing to do so.
I would sure appreciate any prayers. Today was very painful and at one point I thought that I was going to pass out! The nurse added a double layer 'moist' gauze, this time - hoping that I won't have to go through THAT again on Thursday. I pray that I don't! We are leaving for vacation soon, so please pray that everything is in tip-top (ha, ha, ha) shape!! Thank you!!!

Peter The Wiz

2009-05-12T13:49:00.008-05:00

Peter came running up to me one afternoon yelling

"Look, Mommy . . look, a rectangle!!"

I looked down and found that Peter had 'drawn' a perfect rectangle with his Etch-A-Sketch.

Wow! I can't even draw a set of stairs on that thing!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Peter was doing his 'school work' (as he likes to call it) in his Kindergarten Workbook, and we were talking about letters. Well, it had been a while since we have gone through letter recognition, so I was treading it slowly. He took off like a bandit! He remembered everything we had learning thus far, and he loves learning - so that makes it easy on me!
One of the pages we were working on, I wanted him to use the color of the word. So, 'RED' would be written with a RED CRAYON, etc. So, he eagerly picked up a red crayon and wrote 'red' in lowercase letters.

I, then, said "Great . . now write 'red' in uppercase letters" Thinking that I would need to help im remember what they looked like, I asked him if he would like help. He refused, insisting that he did it all by himself - and wrote 'RED' in all capitals.

I was impressed!!! So, I thought I'd mix things up a bit and said, "Now write the word in 'small letters'." He did just that . . .

I laughed at how small the letters were and asked Pete why he decided to make them SO small? He said to me, "Oh, you said 'small' letters . . did you mean 'lowercase' letters?"

Whatever, my 4 yr old just outsmarted me - nuts!!

I don't know what we're going to do with this kid . . .

but we sure love this boy!!!!

Sleeping Stinker

2009-05-12T13:38:00.003-05:00

I started noticing different pieces of clothing in James' bed each time I would get him out. I thought to myself "I wonder where they were coming from?" So, I snuck into his room, one afternoon, during his nap time and found out that he was reaching through the posts of his bed and pulling out his dirty laundry, bunching them up into piles - so that he could SLEEP on them!

What a stinker!!!

So that's why I can't find all of his clothes on laundry day!?!

You want a WHAT? . . .

2009-04-28T20:17:00.003-05:00

Peter came up to me, this evening, and asked this question . . . .
"Mommy. . . I want another baby. . . can we have another baby?"

Notice the 'we' in that sentence?

I did what any civilized and mature mother would do,

I told him to go ask Daddy.

. . .that stopped things very quickly.

Cincinnati Museum

2009-04-22T17:14:00.004-05:00

My mom invited Tim, the boys and I to the Cincinnati Museum, to see the Dinosaur Exhibit.
It was AWESOME!!!

Even James loved it! He wasn't afraid for a minute! I wish I had nerves of steal like he does, when I was his age.
ALL of the dinosaurs had sensor's beneath them, so that when you would walk in front of the dinosaur it would start to growl and move. The boys LOVED it! - and, of course, Tim took the longest - because he has to read simply EVERYTHING in the museum! It was a blast!!!

The Weldon Wall

NEW HOME FOR OUR BLOG!

Strawberry Pie Time!

Fridge Art Friday!

Try-Something-New-Tuesday

Family Day!

Showers of Blessings

Funny and Not So Funny

Spring 2010

Odd Order

Jameser . . . The Bruiser

Funny Catch-Up's

We're Back!!

Snowy Pictures

Snowy Day!

Snow Storm ~ 2010

Art Work

One Year Ago . . .

Vikings Game

Beautiful Friend, Beautiful Flowers

Peter's View

Tummy Bug

Poor Little James

My Famous Friend

Acting Like Dinosaurs

Pete's Photo's

My Morning

Snowy Ohio!

Try-Something-New-Tuesday

Peter's Phrases

James' Favorite Toy (for the time being)

Trying Something New

Things NOT to say in public

Pete's Photo's

Snow Day!

Rottenness . . . pure rottenness.

Funny Quote #152

Special Memories

Christmas Breakfast!

Our Christmas Tree

Our Christmas!

Christmas Festivities

Pete's Thoughts

Christmas Concert

Finding Our Christmas Tree!

Thanks~Giving

From Peter's View

James' Birthday Cake

TIM HAS A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!

The Gift that keeps on Giving!

You want WHAT?

Trick-or-Treat

~Fall 2009~

Too Much TV!

Bossy Boy

Good Night, *Humble* Boy!

Saucy Spiced Apple Pie

B&B ~ Day 1

B&B ~ Day 2

B&B ~ Day 3

Same Difference

Christmas List . . part 1

Fall Pancakes

My Ghetto Children

Bible Verse Time!

YAY! We're all better!

Favorite Number

Darke County Fair

Gym Class

Sleepy Boys - over the years . . .

Our Weekend

Bye-Bye, Bug!

Another New Do

Silly James. . .

Chuck E. Cheese!!!

Glorious Ruins Concerts

Prayer Need

What they get JUST for being CUTE!

Creation Museum

Happy July!!!

Good Night, Humble Boy!