Jonathan's 1st Christmas

This Christmas was one of the best ever for me, because it was Jonathan's 1st. We had 5 Christmas' in 3 days, it was crazy, but fun!

Christmas Eve morning we woke up and had our own little Christmas. We ended up getting Jonathan a little piano, a cheetah that goes forward when you push a button, a fishing boat and a new book. He was scared of the wrapping paper, but once the toys were out he loved playing with them.

We then headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house where we opened gifts and ate a brunch. It was fun to be with my family. Jonathan got a Micky mouse rider, a machine that throws balls into the air, and a tonka truck. Loads of fun for him!

Christmas morning I worked, but Nathan took him over to Nonna's house to spend the day. After work I headed over there too, Nathan's mom's family were there. Jonathan got a hammer from his great uncle Al and Aunt Mary, and a play mat that makes noises when you touch areas (one side is animals and the other side is musical instruments) from Nonna. The new baby even got presents, a musical stuffed animal, swaddles and a blanket. We had a wonderful meal, and Jonathan ate a TON of sweet potatoes and rolls!

Sunday morning we had Christmas with Nathan's immediate family. That day Jonathan got a semi-truck/tow truck toy, a new blanket, Packer bibs/hats, an animal sounding toy from Nonna. He got a "bag of bugs" from Uncle Lucas and Aunt Kay. Another fun morning!

That afternoon Nathan's Aunt Tammy and her family came over. Jonathan got a "sing-o-matic" animal, and new baby got a giraffe blanket.

All in all, it was a GREAT Christmas, Jonathan was SPOILED! And his momma loved every moment of it! But I am glad that it's over for another year. Next year we'll have another baby to have a 1st Christmas. FUN FUN FUN!

the little things

Tonight I was playing with Jonathan. He had a plastic lid from his baby food. I took it from him and then handed it back to him. He then proceeded to give it back to me again. We passed it back and forth for quite a while, him laughing the whole time. I then gave the lid to Nathan who started the same game with Jonathan. The funny thing.... Jonathan would start to hand it to him, and then as Nathan would reach out to grab it, he would pull it back as if he was teasing him, and just laugh and laugh. such a stinker!!! gotta love my little guy!

life

Life has just been flying by, and I have found no time to blog. I was sick with the stomach flu all day yesterday, so my mom came and picked up Jonathan and had him spend the night over there. Today my brother is watching him while I rest and regain my strength, so I thought I would take a few minutes to share what has been going on in our lives. Since my last post of stresses, we have continued to have car problems, but they are almost done being fixed, and I'm praying that we won't have any problems after this next week.

Nathan went hunting a few weeks ago, and got a doe. My brother went with him and got a buck fawn. I always enjoy eating the meat, and making up different dishes and recipes for venison. My favorite is the roast. cooking meat in the crock pot is somehow magical, the meat always cooks perfectly.

I've been working 2-3 days a week. I enjoy my job, but look forward to someday finding a job in a hospital where I use a lot of the skills and assessments that I've learned at school. I feel like I'm losing a lot of my knowledge that I've learned, and that scares me. I hope to start looking and apply as soon as I have this baby in May.

Jonathan is now 9 months old. I can't believe how much he has grown and how curious he is. Everyday is an adventure with him. he's crawling, pulling himself up on furniture, walking along furniture, and can climb the stairs. Thank God for baby gates! He's got 4 teeth. The upper teeth gave him a lot more problems than the bottom teeth, poor kid. Lots of crying with those two. But his smile is so cute with teeth. He learned how to PUSH his toys across the floor the other day, so he now spends his time on his stomach, pushing toys under the couch and coffee table. then I have to proceed to drag them out because he can't reach them and he does it all over again! so cute. He's also into EVERTHING! He is curious and wants to learn as much as he can. He's learning to open my cabinets. He's found one that has his bottles and bibs in it. He then proceeds to pull everything out the drawer onto the floor. does he put it back, nope, he leaves that for momma. He has also leanred where that where there is a toilet, there is a roll of toilet paper. Yep, he knows how to unroll the WHOLE roll. We now keep the bathroom door shut. lol

I decorated for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving while Jonathan was taking a nap. I was so excited to see his reaction to the Christmas tree. when he FINALLY woke up (he took almost a 3 hour nap that day) I brought him downstairs. At first he just sat in my lap and stared at the tree with a blank expression. It did not take long for him , however to get a huge smile on his face and want to go over and explore. He only goes by the tree if the lights are on, so thankfully if I don't want him over there I just turn off the lights. I'm looking forward to this 1st Christmas. we got him 3 gifts, and I had them under the tree unwrapped at first. One gift is a small piano. Well, he found it, and I heard him playing with it. Thankfully we know he'll like it, and I know he doesn't remember seeing it, so all is good :)

Other than that, not much is going on in our lives. We stay busy. work, family, friends. we have a bible study Tuesday nights which we are really enjoying. Nathan is working out at the gym. we are looking forward the birth of our 2nd child and of family and friends. God has truly blessed us, and we look forward to the next year and all that will come with it.

life stresses

Lately, I feel like life is throwing me every punch in the book. First, our white car died... and we could not figure out what to do to fix it. So, we bought a new truck from a used dealership. The NEXT day, the check engine light came on. not cool. We waited a few days, thinking maybe I didn't tighten the gas cap. we bought a new cap in case this one was bad. The light never went out. We then had it checked out and found out that the transmission needed fixed, and we needed new wheel bearings! I took the truck to a transmission place in Cedarburg. They did a nice job for a good price and replaced both wheel bearings and the brake pads. So, i picked up the truck. They did have one problem with it not starting at first, and said we might need a new fuel pump, but hopefully not for a while. Back on the road, and the truck was running nice! Everything was looking up. two days later, I go out to start the truck before work. I smell gas in the garage, and the truck won't start! So needles to say, now it's sitting in my garage until we can get it fixed and again, I'm borrowing my parents van. So, I've been praying and asking God to help me get through this, trying not to stress and trust God that he will provide. Last night I get home from work and Nathan informs me that the washer broke. Hopefully he'll be able to fix it. But geez, what else is going to go wrong?

So this was my rant, one way to get my stresses. I KNOW God is in control and everything will work out. I need prayer from others that I always keep that in mind and that I don't stress.

Thanks for listen.

Straight No Chaser

So this past weekend my mother in law took my husband and I out to dinner and so "Straight No Chaser" in concert at the Pbast theater for our birthdays. A friend of the family Andy came along!

We went to Mo's Irish Pub for dinner. I had a penne dish, which was very good. Nathan got a burger, which took forever to get since our waiter forgot to put it in! oops! For dessert we got a huge homemade chocolate chip cooking with ice cream on top. It was SOOO good!

The concert was amazing. I had never heard of this group before, but they were very talented and entertaining. Check out some of their work on You tube!

Bathtime

Bathtime at the end of a long day is such a special time for Jonathan and me.

Its becoming a lot more fun too as he is learning to splash the water and

play with the bath toys! He loves his yellow rubber ducky!

Jonathan's 1st dinner date

We started our Tuesdnight bible study with Michelle, Tim, Beth, Scott, and us. While we talked, the babies played and had thier first dinner date... :)

Only a helmet???

This has been a challenging week for me. I took Jonathan to his 6 month appointment last week and brought up this bump appeared on Jonathan's head, just above his forehead and a ridge that runs down this forehead to the top of his nose, between his eyes. I've never been very concerned, and the doctor wasn't too concerned either, but wants us to take him to Children's Hospital for an x-ray to see what is going on. If anything, she thinks the bones might be overlapping and the treatment for that just wearing a helmet.

Of course, as the parent, I thought WHAT?? ONLY A HELMET??? HE'LL HATE THAT!!!!

But I calmed my nerves quickly and told myself, lets not worry until we know what's going on. I'm sure it's nothing.

Nathan and I have discussed what to do since then. Do the x-ray? watch and see if it gets bigger? get a second opinion? do we really want to put our child through the x-ray? what will be be exposing him to? does our insurance cover this? (I checked, the neurosurgeon is in our plan... praise GOD).

So, the concerned parent I am, I started to research online. At first I wasn't getting much, and the stuff I was finding, what just freaking me out. I finally ran across picture that reminded me what Jonathan's head looked like, only more severe. It's called Trigonocephaly. A lot of research is scary, but I am trusting in God to look after my little man, to show us if this is what is really going on, and if it is, what we need to do.

I called the neurosurgeon today to set up the appointment for the x-ray. Just to be sure. I'm worried, but I honestly believe that God is in control, and I do not have to fear. Until I know anything, no need to stress. Below is the website that I found out my information. Interesting.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/pediatric_neurosurgery/conditions/craniosynostosis/types.html


I started rethinking about the helmet.... only a helmet huh? I guess that's not too bad. It doesn't look serious enough for surgery.... so only a helmet. I can handle that.

Please be praying that it is nothing, and if is, God will guide us.

Labor Day weekend: Up North

We went up North for labor day, a weekend that was overall fun for me, but not for Nathan. For starters, he ended up having to fix the back of the house which had water damaged, but it all got "fixed". The main reason he went up there was to go disc golfing at a course up there, but ended up driving around for 1 1/2 hours just to not find it. thirdly, while working on the house he got stung and bit by a bee right under his eye. His left side of the face swelled up pretty bad. I felt so back for him. It was not the weekend he was anticipating!

Here is the fun stuff we did do!

We rested at the house:

we ate out a lot and ate a lot!

we went to the Lakewood Zoo:

we got our pictures at the tank and with "Larry". We have pictures of Nathan as a child on these and us when we 1st got married.

Jonathan is 6 months!

Jonathan is 6 months old! How time flies! Here are the mild stones that I can think of this late in the evening!

*he officially sits on his own. He sat for 20 minutes today before he started fussing!

*loves to eat... eats TONS of solids, 3 meals a day

*is attempting to get up on all 4's, but ends up scooting backwards.

*loves to stand with assistance

*laughs a lot

*Cries if strangers come too close

*love mom, and gets upset when she leaves the room

*when on tummy, can lift all of his chest and stomach off the ground

*loves playing in his Toy Saucer

*loves to swim

*LOVES dogs, he has recently discovered them!

And the best part........

*Jonathan sleeps now for 9-10 hours every night!!!! how exciting is that!! As soon as I took the pacifier away he started sleeping through the night, and no crying. Most naps he even goes down without crying! yeah!

What gets me is I put together a scrapbook so far, of just birth through 4-5 months, and it's over 70 pages already!!!! I have at least 15 pages for 5-5 1/2 months old! I think I'm going to need to start a new album for the last 6 months!

Steele Family Update

Life has been busy for my family this past month, and not having my lap top has slowed down my blogging, since now I have to come all the way to the basement to use Nathan's computer. Hopefully I'll be up and running again soon!

Nothing new is happening, we are just busy. Nathan is wrapping up the season of softball within the next few weeks. He has a fun with both teams, but by the end of the summer we are ready to just relax! He's getting back full swing into disc golf as well. He's excited for the day when he can take Jonathan with him. Other than that, he's working hard, playing with the church still a little, and spending time with me and Jonathan.

I've been working 3 days a week. I do enjoy it, but it's hard to leave my baby while I'm gone. I'm in the process of looking for a new job. I would love to get into a hospital on a med/surg floor. No luck yet, but I'll keep looking and applying. My days off are filled with play dates, errands, housework, and spending time with Jonathan. He's growing up in front of my very eyes.

He turned 5 months last week. So much has changed.

He's finally sleeping 9 1/2-10 hours a night. I took the pacifier away from him, and he's doing great. For naps and bed time I put him in this crib, give him a blanket and walk out, and he goes right to sleep without crying! I'm so proud of him!

He still is not very interested in rolling over. He has rolled over both ways, more often from his tummy to his back, but hasn't really started doing it often. He just doesn't seem like he wants to.

His favorite things right now are:

Playing in the toy saucer

Watching veggie tales

Laughing with mommy and daddy

looking at books

swimming in Nonna's pool

Playing in Grandpa and Grandma's toy car toy

playing with rattles,

playing in the Johnny Jumper

eating

sleeping

Milestones:

he can sit propped up with pillows

From a sitting position, with us holding his arms, he pulls himself up to his feet

Eats lots of solids (cereal, green beans, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, banana, apple)

Rolls over some, but loves to just lay on his side

leaned to wiggle his lower half of his body to move across the carpet or turn 90 degrees

recognizes strangers

when holding the bottle in front of him, he brings out both hands and pulls it into his mouth.

he can hold his bottle for a short time period, but only if it's the smaller one

10 lb challenge

So, my mom and I have a bet with each other... to see who can lose 10 lbs first. I'm starting today, so we'll see how it goes. The loser has to give the other person money towards a new outfit.

The plan:

Count calories. Last time I lost weight I only had 1200 calories a day. This time I think I'm going to do 1400. I just don't think I can do 1200 again, that was tough!

30 min exercise daily. I bought the Biggest Loser last chance workout video. We'll see how I do on this part of the plan. I'm so lazy when it comes to exercising. I also have the Wii Fit to weight myself in and do the exercised there, even if they don't work well, they are fun to do, and it's better than sitting around eating cookies!

I worry that my mom will win, she's very athletic, and loves to workout. Bring the challenge on! I'll keep you updated on who's winning and if I'm able to follow my goal. I think the only way I'll be able to do this is because I'm competing against my mom.

I really want to lose 15 lbs before we start thinking about another child, just so I don't keep gaining weight with each one..lol

I'm going to be an Aunt!!

So, yesterday we went over to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house. The plan was to go out to dinner to celebrate Kay's work promotion. We were all standing in the dining room and everyone was talking, and playing with Jonathan in his car seat when Lucas said, We never got to thank you for making me and Kay an uncle and an aunt, so I guess we'll just have to return the favor. (something along those words). I knew the second he said it, got really excited and gave Kay a hug! Both mom's looked at each other and screamed!! It was great! Congrats Lucas and Kay! Now Jonathan will have a 1st cousin, and they will only be a year apart!! Ya!!! Kay is due late Feb/early March.

My Indiana Trip July 2010

A few weeks ago I went to visit my Grandparents and many family members in Indiana. While I was there I decided to climb the tree (probably for the last time ever because let me tell you, I am not as flexible or as strong as I use to be, so it was HARD to get up). My dad took a picture of me in the tree. I wish I had a picture of me in the tree as a child. I'm sure I do, but I just can't find it right now!

While there I spent a lot of time with my cousin's Abby and Ashley. We had a fun day at the park. They love getting pictures taken, so we had fun!

Before we left we made sure to get a picture of Grandpa Sand holding his first great grandson! I love this picture of them together!

high school continues

My sophomore year was probably the hardest year for you. At the time, I thought my life was just awful, I was depressed and didn't know what I was doing. Of course, looking back now, I realize I was young and stupid... I had a great life, and things weren't as bad as they appeared to be. I don't know what started me feeling sad, but I remember friendships in my life were changing, and I felt like things were going all wrong. Needles to say, I wound up falling into a group in school that weren't the best people to hanging out with. I started pulling away from my faith, and started to control my surrounds by not eating. I look back now, and realize that I was never really anorexic, but I was more trying to get attention. My pastor at the church ended up talking to me, praying with me, and meeting my parents to talk about what they could do to help me get though this tough time. I went to see a counselor and a nutritionist. Through talking with them, getting back involved with the youth a church, getting back into a good group of friends. Many friends reached out to me at that time as well, which was a blessing to me. If you are reading this, you know who you are... and Thankyou! I started getting my life back on track.

And when I mean back on track, I mean right with God. I read my bible every day, spent time in prayer, helped lean a bible study at school, and got so involved with the kids from church. I had never felt as close to Christ as I did at that. I look back and remember how happy I was, and I realize at this moment, I don't think I'm in that spot anymore. I need to start readying and praying daily again, for when I am in the WORD, I am most happiest, I trust God with all my heart, and I don't stress about things. Anyways....

The years went on in high school. Nothing else eventful. I went to dances (good story.... Junior year, I asked Nathan to go to turn-a-bout with me. If you ask him, I was crying(???) when I asked him,.. so he felt bad and said yes.... I don't remember it that way. Well a few days later he informed me that he decided not to go. He broke my heart. :) funny memory), I performed in Wizard of Oz my junior year, did 2 years of tennis, did 2 3-Act plays, performed in 2 summer musicals (crazy... my mother-in-law was the director, to this day I don't know why she put me in them... I'm not the best singing in the world). But my best memory is the time I spent with friends.

Marissa and Jesse were my closest friends in high school. Us three were together all the time. We laughed, we watched movies, hung out, but most importantly, we prayed together. Our group as a whole in high school was a good group. No one did drugs, smoked, or anything. We all respected our parents and did what they said. Without that group, I don't know what my life would be like today. Sadly, only a few of us are really in touch still. But I always hold them all in my heart.

Senior years was great. I was so excited to get out of school. At the time, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. My friend talked about becoming a nurse, and I thought that might be good. My mom always said I'd make a great nurse. I looked at some colleges and narrowed it down to UW Oshkosh (more of college life to come) Below is my senior pic

But before graduation, I was on the computer one night chatting with Nathan. All of a sudden he typed.. "I have to tell you something".. I said "What?" He then informed me that he liked me. So what did I do.. I told, 'that's nice, but I don't feel the same way!". But I had lied to him. I did feel that way, but I wasn't ready to admit it. I remember talking to Jesse a few days later about it and saying, I'm so stupid for not telling him. Nathan said he remembers feeling really embarrassed about it. Needles to say, I then told I did like him, but we didn't start to date right away. We wanted to wait and see how things turned out, since he was moving to St Paul in a few weeks for school.

Graduation day was great!!! I was so happy to finally be done and free of school. I remember sitting there waiting to go in thinking, "Wow, I did it! All those years I sat in class, thinking of this day, and it's finally here!" I was so excited, and so proud of myself. My mom cired, which meant a lot to me. They threw me a HUGE party the day before graduation, where most of my family came into town for. That meant a lot to me as well.

To be continued....

Green beans!

Jonathan had his first taste of veggies... green beans. He HATED it. The look on his face was priceless.

Just a reminder, i did not forget that I'm telling my story.. part 3 coming soon!

Our camping adventure

This past weekend we went camping.. and we took Jonathan! It was a blast. He love being out doors so we had no problems. As we packed up the van I realized I probably over-packed for Jonathan, Nathan would said I DEFINITELY over packed. I brought:

pack n' play

swing

stroller

Bumbo chair

2 diaper bags

feeding bag and the

chest carrier

Needless to say, I USED THEM ALL!!!

I set up out huge tent nice a neat. The front half was Jonathan's side. I had the pack n' play on one side, a chair and the swing on the other side so I could nurse him if he woke up. On the back side we had out 2 cots pulled together to make one big bed and our suitcase. (I wish I had a picture of this!) It was a nice little homelike set up. I wish I could say it stayed that way the whole night.

We had a HUGE rain storm that night. As it turns out, our tent is not as waterproofed as we would like... it's not water proofed AT ALL. I woke up with Nathan saying 'I'm getting dripped on". So we looked around, sure enough, one small drip above him. No big deal, right? We moved the cots over more and put a towel there. A little while alter we noticed one corner of the tent had water building up and roof was sagging. Now I'm getting worried. Nathan used the flashlight to push the water off and we went back to bed. A little while later Nathan turned the flash light on again to check the other corners. At that time Jonathan was in his swing. AND right above him the water was pooling and the ceiling was sinking it. I quickly jumped up and got him out of the swing and put him in the pack n' play. Of course he woke up... bummer. After getting him back a sleep I tried to sleep, but of course I needed to go to the bathroom, so I got the umbrella and make the trek to bathrooms... stepping in just about every puddle there was.

Finally back in bed, I thought I could get more sleep. Boy was I wrong, I heard drips. I looked up and water was dripping onto Jonathan, so I pulled the crib closer to me. He stayed dried the rest of the night. Unfortunately, I had a drip over me. Now at this point, the walls were seeping in water and the floor was flooded because the water was coming up through it as well. I didn't have anywhere else to move, so I slept with the drips. We woke up at 12:15 from the rain, and it stopped raining at 3, and Jonathan got up at 5. LONG NIGHT!!

But besides the night it was so much fun. Nathan and I went biking with friends of ours 5.6 miles. And the two families went for a hike to town (Fish Creek in Door County). It was a long walk, but fun. Oh yeah, I did fall of the bike within 1 min of getting on, twisted my ankle, but it's okay now. My parent's loved having Jonathan with them.

Our parents took us and our friend's to Wilson's Ice cream place to celebrate our anniversaries. Theirs is only a few days before ours.

Jonathan did great, he loved looking at the trees, and loved laying on the blanket with toys and he's friend Gabby!

We left Saturday night because it was suppose to rain again... and we bought a new tent Sunday for our next camping adventure in 4 weeks!

Wedding Day: 5 years ago!

We've been married 5 years. I look back at the pictures and remember what an AWSOME day our wedding day was!

1st cereal

This last weekend was Nathan's 1st Father's day. We celebrated with my dad on Saturday and Nathan's family on Sunday. I gave him a card from myself, and we gave my Dad a card from Jonathan. It was so cute!!! On Sunday morning I put a card from Jonathan to Daddy in his carseat for him to find. I had to work that morning.. bummer!

Saturday we gave Jonathan his 1st bowel of cereal. It was ADORABLE!! Nathan was the 1st one to feed him. He put a small amount in his mouth and Jonathan kept him mouth open, as if expecting a bottle. It took him only a second to realize that there was something in his mouth. He shut it, half of it came out and the other half he swallowed. It was all fun from there. We couldn't get it in his mouth fast enough!!! He really enjoyed it, as well as Dad, Mom, Grandpa and Grandma. We all took turns feeding him. It was a fun evening!

this makes me happy!!!

1st bite!!!! What is this???

high school: part 1

Fall on 1999 I started public high school. I remember that day very clearly! I was walking to school with my neighbor, and as we were walking up the big hill I kept thing... oh my goodness, I'm actually going to be graded on everything I do... I'll have to do speeches in FRONT of people... what if I get lost in the building, don't fit in???? I wanted to turn around and run home. I didn't. (now. if you asked my mom about me and going to school in 1st grade, I ran home a lot as I was walking to the bus as she'd be on the front porch screaming for me to keep going, would miss the buss and she'd have to take me..lol)

I had done a practice walk through my classes with my parents, so I found my locker and first class okay. Hour 1: Spanish. I hated that class. That 1st day, Liz approached me. We became friends very quickly. She introduced me to many new people and I started to form a great group of friends. At this time I was also on the swim team with Beth. I HATED swimming, so I quit, yes, I am a quiter! As I developed more friends outside of sports, some of my previous friendships started to dissolve.

I met Nathan that 1st half of the school year. I was hanging out with some friends and they wanted me to prank call two guys they know. One was Nathan, and the other one Jesse.So, after the prank call, I told Nathan that I was the red head in the Spanish class. What I didn't realize at the time was that another red head sat right in front of him, so he still didn't "know" who I was one. The first time we actually met was at the auditions for a 3 act play. They didn't know my name at the time, so he ended up calling me "Orange girl". I guess that day I was wearing an orange shirt and my hair looked really orange! lol What I remember about his was that he was pretending to "wrestle" with a chair, and the chair was winning... and I actually laughed at!! why, I don't know.

We began developing a friendship during the play, and he and I ended up liking each other. We went on one outing together, family skate night with the church! lol fun stuff. However, I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16, and I was only 15 at the time, so Nathan respected that and we only became friends. He actually dated one of the girls in our group for 2 years during high school.

Anyways, that first year of high school I "attempted" the swim team, participated in Forensics's, was in a musical out at Memories for Christmas, where I sang my first sole, was in the 3 act play for school, got my driving temps, and started my first job at Dairy Queen. Despite all my reservations that 1st day of school, it became the best decision ever. I developed so many lasting friendships that year.

to be continued....

my childhood

I thought today I'd give you some background of my life. I was born in Goshen Indiana on Aug 10, 1984. I was the first of three kids (Me, Kevin & David). I was the first grandchild (out of 8) on my mom's side, and number 4 (out of 14) on my dad's side. I remember as a child going to my Grandma and Grandpa Sand's house every Sunday to have lunch with the family and play. As children, we did a lot of fun things together. Me and my cousin's use to play games in the yard, pretend we were statues as cars drove by, or tried to get them to honk at us, climb the tree in front of the house, play school, or put on shows for the parents. Once we did Billy goat's gruff, 3 little bears, and performed a circus. Yes, I have wonderful childhood memories at my grandparents house. We lived far away from the Bonds, so we didn't get there as much, but I have fun memories there as well. EVERY time I went I watch Annie, or we played video games, went shopping, or went to a movie. I love all my cousin's and wish I could be with them more.

When I was 3 years old I prayed the salvation prayer, but that is not when I think I became saved. When I was 6 or 7, my dad was reading me the book about Paul Bunon. His story somehow touched me and I prayed for God to enter into my life that night. That is the night I remember as becoming a christian.

The August when I turned 7 we moved to Wisconsin. My dad got transferred here to Milwaukee. I don't remember if I was sad to move or not. I don't remember it all too well. What I do remember is when we got to our apartment in Grafton, I saw this girl outside (Leslie) playing with those maple seeds, the ones that when you throw up in the air they come down and look like helicopter propellers. I remember going up to her to talk, and we became fast friends. Our big thing back then was playing with Barbies. I took all my barbies to her house because she had TONS of barbie stuff, including houses, cars, and buckets of clothes. My dad built me a wood barbie house that I took over there as well. We did not play barbies in the usual way, if there is a usual way. We started with each having a "family", and as those kids grew up, they married and kids, and so on. I couldn't tell you how many generations of families we went through. It was so much fun.

That first year was tough on my family. We missed our family, and my brother David was having some medical problems. He had multiple seizures in one day, and had to be put on special medication that made him a little monster (sorry David, but you were). But we got though that.

I went to 2nd grade at Grafton Elementary school, but after one year, and one scary incident of a guy in a red pick up truck trying to get me and my friend to come with him, my mom decided to home school us. I thought it was a lot of fun. I got to do all my work in the morning, and have fun late afternoons and evenings. Best things: TONS of field trips, getting to read A LOT of books, and NO HOMEWORK!!!! I really enjoyed it.

Now, I know what I alot of people say... what about socialization though??? Well, let me tell you what I was involved in for socialization: swimming lessons, piano lessons, AWANAs, VBS, Sunday school, a homeschooling group that met once a month, a smaller group of 4 girls who met weekly, girls scouts, softball for one summer, Irish dance, and we had SO many kids where we lived we always had someone to play with. So, yes, I do think I got the proper socialization growing up. I don't feel like I'm lacking in that area as an adult now.

Also, people say, how do you know if your child is getting a proper education? well, of course the state regulates somewhat of how many hours you need to get in, but we also took tests to make sure we meet the standards, and I did great in high school and college, so I don't think I was lacking there. Granted, I don't remember much of my history (that was my LEAST favorite class), and my grammar isn't always correct, but so is a lot of people that went to public school. I was a science and math girl.. those areas I excelled in.

One of my favorite activities that I was in was girl scouts. I started that in 2nd grade, and continued until high school graduation. We met every other Saturday morning at my friend Lydia's house (1 block from the apartment). Of course, as we got older we didn't meet as much and we stopped selling the cookies! Two of my best memories was of our train trip from milwaukee to chicago to go camping and our trip to Mackinac Island. My mom went with us on a lot of our outings. I also enjoyed the day camps, the back pack camping trip we went on, and being a counselor at one of the Junior's camping trip.

We lived in Grafton for I think 6 years before moving to out house in Port Washington. We had already started going to ODBC (5th grade) where I met Beth and we became BEST friends. We had so many secrets and special names of people we liked... but I won't revel them all here. I hold my memories with her close to my heart.

I did go to Ozaukee Christian School for one year (7th Grade), I enjoyed it, but opted to go back home for 8th grade to do a video school before deciding I wanted to go to public school for high school....

to be continued.....

more post

Ok, so I know I've already posted twice today, but I feel like I have a lot of catch up to do. I haven't had the time to write much,or the computer to. Mine got a stupid virus and I need to take it Nathan's cousin to get it cleaned and rebuilt. Thank God I back up all my pictures on a hard drive so i didn't lose it all.

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. My little boy is growing up right in front of my eyes! He sat in his bumbo chair all by himself last night. I put some toys on the tray and he was pushing them around and trying to pick them up! Today in the car he figured out how to press the play piano to make music. He would wait until the song was over before pressing it again. It made his daddy proud! I hope he gets his daddy's musical talent.

This is the first summer that my mother-in-law has a pool. We've spent a few days over there swimming now. The water's been too cold for Jonathan to go it, but hopefully soon! We have taken Jonathan swimming at the pool inside a hotel. He didn't know what to quite think of it the first time, but this past weekend he really enjoyed it.

This past weekend Jonathan officially found his feet. Since then he is constantly trying to get his toes into his mouth. It's so funny to watch.

David's Graduation

My youngest brother David graduated high school this year. This makes me feel old! I am so proud of him though. Didn't know if he was going to make it... lol just kidding! We had a party for him the day after Kevin's wedding.. yes, I realize we squeezed a lot into one weekend, but when you have family so far away, you have to do things like that. When I had my wedding we had Kevin's graduation party the next day (however, I did not make it...;) ) Anyways, it was a beautiful day for it. David is home schooled, so he doesn't get a cap and gown, so I brought mine from my college graduation and made him wear it. He pretended to be appalled at first, but I think he loved it int he end! It makes it feel more real! Well, now he is done, and will be going to MATC for graphic design... go David!!!

wedding weekends

I am officially wedding out! I went to three weddings in the past 6 weeks!!! 2 of which I stood in. All beautiful and fun, but glad they done. The first wedding I stood in was my brother Kevin. He married Liz! We love Liz, and welcome her to the family. She'll make an awesome sister-in-law! During that wedding, both my men were dressed in tuxes. How cute is that! Jonathan did well that day, my mother-in-law a huge help in taking care of him at the wedding and putting him to bed for us at home.

This past weekend we went to La Crosse for my college roommate Erica's wedding. That was a beautiful outdoor wedding. Thankfully it didn't rain. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel... Jonathan's 1st hotel stay. He did pretty well. Woke up a few times during the night, but went back to sleep with no problems. We took him into the pool, which was a lot of fun. He was ALL smiles the whole weekend, and everyone loved him. We have a great baby!!!

Down in the dumps

Today I'm feeling down in the dumps. Jonathan hasn't pooped since MONDAY, so he is SO crabby, and he hasn't been sleeping well at nights. I think I've been getting up with him at least 3 times a night! GRRRR I'm so tired, and I now I have to go to work, and work on a floor that I am not usually on, which is nerve wracking. Please pray for me to get though this day.

God- give me the strength, the peace and the correct mood to work today. I should be glorifying you in all that I do.

On the up side, I got to go see "letters to Juliet" with some friends last night, it was REALLY good. However, after the movie I found out Jonathan screamed 2 hours for Nathan... poor guy (and I'm referring to both of them) I can't wait until things start to look up again for us.

weekend

This last weekend was my first day back at work. It was very emotional for me. Friday night Nathan attempted to put Jonathan to bed for me after I fed him so I could try to get to sleep early. It didn't work very well. He enjoyed his bath, but then screamed for a while after wards. I ended up getting up and going in and calming him down to go to sleep. He slept for 8 hours that night.. me, only 5. I woke up at 3:50, laying there thinking, do I get up now and get ready in case he gets up and wants to eat, do I wake him up before I go, do I pump... so much going through my head, so i didn't go back to sleep. I ended up getting up at at 4:45 and pumping. Jonathan woke up at 5:30, so I fed him a bottle for 10 minutes before giving him over to Nathan and leaving for work. I cried as I walked out of the house. But as soon as I started driving, I realized it was very foggy and I better not cry at the same time. the day went fine. I called Nathan all 3 of my breaks to see how things were going.. and they were going fine. Day 2 went better. Jonathan slept 7 hours so I got to sleep much better. work went slow, but I didn't worry about him and Nathan as much, and only talked to Nathan once. Overall the weekend was a success. Unfortunately, he only slept 3 1/2 hours before waking up the first time that night, and then every 2 hours after that. I was exhausted too. Oh well, I got to snuggle with him and sleep in that morning. Last night he was back to 7 hours. This past week he's done 4 nights of 7 or 8 hours, do I dare hope that this is the beginning of a new trend?

This weekend my brother Kevin gets married. And David's graduation party is on Sunday. I have 10 people staying at my house. should be a FUN weekend. I'll post next week about it! for now, I have a list of things that needs to get done prior to everyone arriving, so i better get started!

reflections

Rain Rain Go Away

Come again another day!

Today is my last day before work. I really really hoping that it would be nice and sunny out so Jonathan and I could take a walk. Oh well. I guess we are staying indoors. He still is only napping for 30 minutes at a time, unless we are out running errands and he is in his car seat. very annoying! oh well, I hope he naps well for Nathan this weekend!

I look back over my last 12 weeks off of work, and think about how much God has blessed me with, and how much Jonathan has changed.

He weighs 11 lbs 7 oz (at 11 weeks, 3 days)

loves to smile

loves his bouncer

sleeps 5 hours, then another 3, then another 2

eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours

he LOVES his bath every night before bed

smiles at his mobile in his crib

tries to mimic what nathan and I say, he's so cute when he coo's at us!

loves to watch veggie tales

working on falling asleep without his pacifier.

loves his pacifier

has had 2 sleep overs at grandma's house, and has done well each time

has slept for 8 hours straight 2 x for me

pulls on his blankets and bibs and tries to eat them

loves to eat

hates being on his tummy, but is getting better at it. He lifts his head for about 3-4 min before crying

went to his first hockey game, softball game, and zoo

1st holiday: Easter

baby dedication May 9th

Both mommy and daddy loves him very much!!

I'm sure there is a lot more that I'm just not thinking of. I will cherish this time that I got to be a full time stay at home mom. Thankfully I'll only be going back part time. I can handle this, and I look forward to hearing about the time Nathan gets with Jonathan too. God had truly blessed out little family!! Here is our 1st family picture, taken Mother's Day.

final week

This weekend I go back to work. It is my FINAL week of maternity leave. I started thinking, I can't remember my locker combination... I wonder what my sign on name is for the computer system.... will I be on the same floor.... do I remember what all needs done... how many new residents are there.... will I have enough time to pump.... I need to just step back, take a deep breath, and pray. God will help me get through this. But I do need to remember my locker combination so i can put all my stuff in there. I remember my last day thinking, I should write this down so I don't forget it... and what do i do, I forgot to write it down! I'm praying it'll come back to me when I see the lock.

I'm excited to see how Jonathan and Nathan do with their first weekend together. I hope Nathan enjoys it. He'll have Jonathan for almost 10 hours that day. I'm sure going to miss them both.

But, I still have 4 full days, including today, to enjoy my time at home, and I intend to do just that. My goal was to scrapbook Jonathan's album before going back, so I should start that. Next week I don't work at all during the day, so I'll get my house ready for guests. Kevin gets married that Saturday, so I'll have 9 people here! wow!! I'm excited though!

This week I'm also trying to get Jonathan to fall asleep without his pacifier so he can learn to put himself to sleep. It's been interesting. Yesterday was my first day. He only cried for 8-12 min all three naps, which really surprised me. I was expecting him to cry up to 30 minutes. what did shock me was that he only slept for 3o minutes for all 3 naps. I think he's waking up thinking he wants the pacifier. Hopefully by the end of the week he's sleeping longer and learns he's not getting it. I just have to be strong and follow through. I did give it to him last night at the game, but we were in public. I'll probably end up confusing him. On a brighter note, he slept 5 1/2 hours last night, then was up 25 min to eat and then slept for another 3 1/2. I feel somewhat refreshed this morning.

by the way, I think I remembered my locker combination... it only took me writing this blog to help. we'll see if it's right on saturday. And I'm gong to write it down right now so I don't forget it again!

My 1st mother's day

My 1st mother's day was a special day. We had Jonathan's baby dedication at church. I am so thankful for such an amazing Christian church to bring our son up in. I look forward to watching him learn about Jesus and what he did for us. I look forward to watching the friendships he will develop at church. I look forward to watching him have fun at children's church, Sunday school, awana, and VBS. I look forward the spiritual growth I will have over the years at Open Door Bible church.

After church we spent the afternoon with Nathan's mom and her whole family. We had brunch at Port Hotel. David, my brother, was working so I got to see him a little bit. Jonathan did pretty well until almost to the end when he woke up crying, hungry. Oh well, at least I got to finish eating. We then spent time at Nathan's uncle's house with the whole family. It was Jonathan's nap time, so him, and his new cousin Ethan (7 days old), both slept in their car seats in the other room. They are so fun to watch together.

That evening we spent time with my mom and family. David couldn't make it because he had to work his second job. Kevin and my soon to be sister-in-law Liz came. We got Chinese for dinner.. yummy yummy! While there, my dad took some family pics of us three. I will post them soon when I get them off his camera.

I was hoping Jonathan would sleep really well for me as his mother's day present. Can't say that he gave me that. The night before mother's day we only slept 2 1/2 hours, then 3, then 2... Last night he did go 4 hours, 3 hours, then 2. I don't know what's going on and why he's not sleeping like he did a few weeks ago. I'm really starting to feel discourage and run down. I suppose he'll slip into a new sleep pattern soon, I just hope its soon, and not the current one!

mommies

You know what one of the best parts of motherhood is... being able to go on play dates and meet up with other mommies! I have seen more friends, made more friends, and done more things with others since becoming a mommy! So many people I know have small children, had a baby recently or will be having a baby! Life is so fun with other moms! You know if you are one of the mommies I spend time with. I just want to say thanks for your friendship, the talks, advice, and time out. You are all amazing! I look forward to many more times together with our children!

feeling good!

I feel great today!!!! It's amazing how a hair cut can change your whole attitude. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed... and it helps that Jonathan slept for 6 hours and then another 3 after I put him back down 40 minutes later. I feel like the past 8 weeks I haven't been taking care of myself much. I never did my hair or makeup anymore, haven't been exercising much, except for the occasional walk I took Jonathan on, and probably haven't been eating the best either. I look forward to taking back the controls over my life... at least as much as I can with a baby! So, I made myself some goals:

*take 20 minutes a day to take care of myself.. do my hair, makeup, take a bath, etc.

*eat healthier... I want to lose another 10 lbs over the next year... I'll have to wait to really diet until after I stop nursing

*continue doing a daily biblestudy/prayer journal

*exercise 3-4x a week. I have the Ab lounge.. so I really should be working on my stomach more..lol

*just enjoy life!

We'll see how I do.

here are the before and after shots of my haircut... what a difference! I went to Carter's in Grafton

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'm getting my hair cut!!! ahhh... I'm nervous but very excited. Not sure how short I'll go, we'll see. I'm going to Carters in Grafton. I will post pictures afterwards. If anyone has any ideas what I should cut it like, let me know. I'm going to go early and look at some pictures and decide on the spot. Or I'll ask the lady what she thinks will work best on me. We'll see!!

This weekend was very busy. Friday night we went bowling with Nathan's family for his cousin's birthday. I stink at bowling... but it was nice to get out of the house. We dropped Jonathan off at my parents. We didn't want him around the smoke. Saturday we spent the day at home, it was so dreary out. I felt a little down in the dumps because of the weather. Thank God my husband was at home so I could spend time with him. Sunday we went to church. We went to Home Builders ABF for the first time. I really enjoyed, as well as Nathan. I look forward to spending more time at the group. Its just hard to go when I will be working every other weekend 1st shift, and then a lot of the other weekends we have vacations planned during the summer. Well, we'll just have to go when we can. Sunday afternoon we had lunch at my parents for my brother's 23rd birthday.. tacos.. one of my favorites! Afterwards Nathan and I went to the movies for a date. We saw "How to train your dragon" 3D. I LOVED IT!!! I highly recommend it.

Well, that was my weekend. It was busy but nice. I have 4 weeks left (3 weekends) before I have to go back to work. I'm starting to really dread it. But I should complain, I haven't worked for 10 weeks already.

Not going to feel guilty

Everyday my little Jonathan gets happier and happier

I've been working on getting him to sleep in his crib.. what a difficult thing! He cries and cries, despite being SOOO tired. He loves sleeping in his swing, or in my arms, but I feel like he is getting too use to this. I know they say you can't spoil a baby, but I've been questioning that lately and have come to conclude that.. YOU CAN. I get so many different opinions from others on what i should be doing.. don't let him cry... let him cry it out... don't use the pacifier...the pacifiers OK...and on and on. I've been overwhelmed with advice, and with all the information I've read in books... and frankly, I'm sick of it all. I'm not going to sweat it anymore. I'm going to find a system that works for us... and stick with it. When I try to live up to others expectations and try to strive for what the books tell me, I'm only left frustrated and expecting more from my baby that I should. As long as what I'm doing works for me, Nathan and Jonathan, then I'm happy! This doesn't mean that I won't ask for advice, opinions, or just freak out at anyone who tells me anything, it just means that I may or may not take that advice... and if I don't, I'm not going to feel guilty about it.

A Wife's Understanding of God: God's Protective Authority - chapter 2

Today's chapter addressed Who GOD is, what we need to know about him, what wives need to know about their works and themselves, and Why we need God's protection.

We know that the God of the bible is the sovereign, just, and loving Ruler over all the Earth and all his creatures. He is the "potter and we are the clay" Rom 9:19-20. First I want to Thank God for his gift of salvation. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so that I can go to heaven to be with Him. I know I cannot get to heaven on my own. Sin is what keeps us from him. Through Christ's death and Resurrection we have been given the free gift of salvation and a chance to go to heaven.

What wives need to know about God:
1. God has planned a ministry for you - Gen 2:18: "Then the Lord God said, "It is not good fora man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him"
2. God is gracious, righteous, and compassionate (Psalm 116:1,2,5) - God will walk with me through whatever circumstance I encounter and I can completely trust Him.
3. God's strength and understanding are unlimited (Psalm 147: 3,5) - There is no limit of god's understanding, this enables Him to determine what is best for me and how I may glorify Him the most. He can also heal your heart even if it is broken. ***what a great thought!! ***
4. God is PURPOSEFULLY working in your life - Romans 8:28-29 This part encourages me the most. It's encouraging that with so many people on this earth that God still has a plan FOR ME, and is working in my life and there for me ALL the time.
5. God wants me to be a Joyful and Fulfilled wife (Proverbs 31: 13,18,25,28,29) - Joy Will come to you as you look forward to what God has planned for you!!


What wives need to know about their works and themselves:
1. God has prepared good works for the Christian wife to do - Ephesians 2:10
** Key concept that really hit home to me: "The works that God has prepared for you to do include not only what you do in your relationship with your husband, but also your heart's motive or attitude. It will help you to have the right attitude if you focus on what you are suppose to be doing, not on what your husband is suppose to be doing". this is one area that I struggled with in the past, and still do at times. God has really shown me that I need to be looking at what I'm suppose to be doing!!
2. The Christian wife's good works have eternal worth! 2 Corinthians 5:10
3. The christian wife does not have to be afraid - 1 peter 3:6
4. The focus of the Christian wife is to be on God rather than herself - Hebrews 12:1-2
5. A Christian wife does not have to sin - Romans 6:6-7

As Christian wives we need to learn to put ourselves under our husbands authority as the Bible has called us to. (1 Cor 11:4; Ephesians 5:23). This is a hard concept for a lot of women to grasp and do joyfully. When you know the Lord, and look at his scriptures you come to realize that being under our husband's authority is the best place to be. God is our ultimate authority, but under our husband's we are safe and serving God by fulfilling our ministry that He has created us for.

I continue to look forward to what this book and the Bible has to teach me. Chapter 3 is titled: A wife's understanding of Sin: God's provision. I don't know if I'll write on every chapter I read, maybe just the ones that really touch me in someway. Looking at the book though from last time I read it , I have things highlighted and underlined in every chapter. If anyone reading this wants me to continue with the chapters, let me know, and I will continue to share what the book is say.


I also don't want to just write about what I'm reading, so there may be multiple posts some days with more of my thoughts and sharing what is going on in my life. For right now, Jonathan is taking a nap and I'm going to take this time to get a shower in. :)

Proverbs 31

Today I started to reread the book "The Excellent Wife: A biblical perspective" by Martha Peace. I did this study at my old church in Sheboygan a few years back. My old prayer journal reminded me about this book, and I figured it was a good time to reread it and begin applying more biblical principles to my marriage. I have come a long way since doing this study last time, and I look forward to seeing how God is going to change me during this study again.

Today I read chapter 1: The Excellent Wife. I want to share the points that stuck out to me the most. First off, that chapter starts off with this paragraph:

"God's will for every Christian wife is that her most important ministry be to her husband (gen 2:18). After a wife's own personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else should have greater priority. Her husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife's time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day" - this statement hit me hard. I have always had something in my life that has seem to take more of my time and energy away from my husband. Our first year of marriage it was my own selfishness. After that, school took all my energy. Now I have my son. I need to learn how to balance my time out more and spend more of my time and energy on my husband.

The chapter continue to list the traits of the Proverbs 31 wife. They are:

kind
fears the Lord
Blessed by her children
careful
praised
not afraid
worker with hands
wise
generous
good to her husband
of exceptional worth
respectful to her husband
trusted

I look at this list and thing... wow, this is IMPOSSIBLE to be ALL of those things. I felt overwhelmed while reading what God expected of ME! But wait, I can be all of those things.. but not by own power. I KNOW, that by myself I cannot do it. SIN is the only thing that can keep m from becoming a godly wife, and through my salvation with God, I am "no longer a slave to sin" (Romans 6:6) Praise God for that biblical truth! Through HIM I CAN BECOME THAT EXCELLENT WIFE!

I look forward to continuing this book and sharing what I have learned.. and most of all, putting it into practice.

Child of God

I must always remind myself in time of need.. I am a child of God. HE loves me. HE takes care of me. Thank you God for being Lord of my life.

I was reading my personal prayer journal from a few years back. I was amazed to see how similar my prayer requests were daily for that whole year. I was constantly asking God to help me to a more positive and patient person. I knew/know I can't be who God intends me to be without letting HIM work in my life. My prayer for today is that I will lay myself down at his feet, to allow HIM to mold me into the Christian he wants me to be. There is so much for me to still learn... so much for him to change in me. I've come along way since what I wrote in my prayer journal, and I praise God for the work he has done already.

I really want to start writing in my prayer journal daily again. I've been really lazy the past 3 1/2 years when it comes to that. It was fun to reread what I had wrote, to remember events that I would have otherwise forgotten. I think I'll restart one tonight.

Feeling whole again!

I am beginning to feel whole again!!!! This past week has made motherhood well worth the sleepless weeks prior. 4 our of 5 nights Jonathan has slept for 5 1/2 hours, ate and then slept for another 2 1/2 hours. I feel so much better and well rested. Then hope this routine we have continues! He is also smiling a lot more! His smiles make my heart melt. I can't wait until I can hear his little laugh as well.

This is what I have learned to work to keep his nights better. All day he eats every 3-4 hours. Once 4pm arrives we moved to eating ever 2-2 1/2 hours. At his 7:00 feeding i give him 2 ounces of formula. Sometimes he drinks less, depending on how well he nursed prior to the bottle. At 9:00 I nurse for 15 minutes, give him a bath, lotion him up and then nurse until he is ready to stop and go down, around 10pm. Thankfully he doesn't cry when I put him in his crib. I don't even have to give him the pacifier. I swaddle him, and he just looks at me, and then I leave. I do have soft music playing from after his bath and throughout the night. In a few weeks I'll turn the repeat CD option off and see how he does sleeping in quiet. Overall, this has worked for us the best. Maybe soon he'll start sleeping longer than that 5 1/2 hours, but until then, I'm not complaining!

My prayer for today.

I am overall a quiet person. My closest friends might not think so... but I am. I do not always voice my opinion or tell people what I am really thinking. I do not like arguing or debating. I like to think that I bring a sense of calm to people around me. My husband might not agree with the "I do not like arguing" statement, but I really don't. I do argue with those I am most comfortable with, and I know I need to work on that. I like to stay in the background when uncomfortable situations arise. And for the most part, I should stay quiet. But there are times that I do need to speak up... and this I need to learn.

I am overall a quiet person. I tend not to speak up when I have a great opportunity to witness to others around me because I fear I won't say the right thing, or I'll cause an argument. I need to work on that quietness. God has really been pressing on my heart to speak up and encourage those around me with God's word. I know, that by myself I am unable to do that. So this is my prayer today:

God - please give me the courage and the words to share your gospel and grace message to those around me. Allow YOU to shine through my actions and words. Be with my family members and friends who do not know you, Allow my actions to be a witness to Your testimony and love. And when a conversation arises that I can share you with them, help me to do dive in and share your Word. Amen.

my random thoughts

I always have a hard time knowing what to write about in my blog, and others have said they just sit down and type and see where their thought take them. Well, here are my thoughts.. we'll see where they go....

Days like these i sit back and take extra time to thank God for his beautiful creation. The warmth in the air is wonderful. As most people know, I like heat much better than cold. I am a summer girl. God knew what he was doing when I was born in August!

This will be the first summer since 2006 that I don't have classes or other commitments. I am looking forward to it. Here are some of my favorite things to do in summer:

tennis
bike ride
reading in my backyard
grillng out
camping
hiking
spending time with family and friends
eat ice cream!!
my birthday

This summer we have so much planned! We are going to be taking Jonathan on two camping trips! I'm a little nervous about it. Not sure how the nights will go. Worse case scenario.... take a drive! I am looking forward to spending time with family and friends. One of these trips includes a canoe trip. I am hopeing that my mom will watch Jonathan for a while so I can go out for an adventure!

Other fun things coming up include my brother's wedding May 29th! I am so happy and excited for him and Liz. She will be an awesome sister-in-law. I look forward to the friendship we will develope over the years. I also have Eric & Amies wedding in May and Chad and Erica's in June. It is a crazy wedding season for us. A friend of the family bought us a little tux for Jonathan. He'll be so cute. Can't wait to get my two men in their tuxes for pictures. I will post them later on.

This summer (June 25th) also marks Nathan and my 5 year anniversary. I look over the past 5 years and what God has done in our marriage. I went and completed nursing school, we've lived at 4 different places, bought a new car and a Harley, bought a new house, lost my father-in-law to cancer, my mom had a Pulmonary embolism, Kevin got engaged,we got 2 cats and gave them away when I got pregnant, and the latest thing: we had a son... the list goes on. And we still have 2 more months until our 5 year mark, we'll see what else will happen!

This past year and a half has been the most difficult and most rewarding year of our lives. The pain that we went though watching Robert suffer with lung cancer and passing away, to seeing the birth of our son. It has truly been an emotional roller coaster. Thank You GOD for your peace, loving kindness, and support in all that we have been though. we know that we would have fallen apart a long time ago without having Christ in our lives. He is our rock and salvation.

I leave you with my favorite verse:

For I know the plans I have for you, Declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future - Jer 29:11

Jonathan's play date

Today Jonathan had his 1st play date. We had Sonya (8 weeks) and Levi (7 weeks) over. It was so cute watching them all lie of a blanket together, staring and arms moving uncontrollably. Poor Sonya and Levi got bumped and punched by Jonathan, who didn't even really seem to know they were next to him. After the three of them finished "playing" we went for a walk and had lunch at Cousin's. It was great to spend time with other moms. I look forward to more times like these.

Thank You Jesus!!!

The past few days I have been thinking about the upcoming easter holiday. As we plan family get togethers and church services I must remember to really take a moment and reflect on the reason we celebrate. We celebrate the death and RESURECTION of our Lord Jesus Christ!!! How exciting is that!?!?!

bathtime

Jonathan's bath... he loves the warm water

I love the smell of new baby!!!