21 Weeks

I've been in Victoria since Monday since Braden is working overtime this week trying to finish a paper before the Thanksgiving break. I was a little nervous making the trip by myself, but after the successful trip to Abilene I figured I'd give it a shot. The boys did AWESOME! Deacon fussed (not really crying) just before we got to Victoria for about 15 minutes--not bad for a whole day in the car! We left at 10 am and arrived about 5 pm. We stopped in Waco to have lunch at Chick-fil-A and let Caden play. The employees there were SO helpful! I just love that chain.
It's been quite a treat being back in town. We've loved getting to see many of our friends and spend time with Marmie and Pa Pa. As for the picture...
Yes, those are perm rollers. I got brave (or crazy) and decided to have mom give me a perm yesterday. I like it, and thankfully, it doesn't look anything like the last perm I had in third grade :)

As for an update on Deacon's sleeping and pacifier use...we gave him back the paci after we weaned him from it for a week. Now he'll go to sleep with or without it--sometimes he wants it, sometimes he doesn't. It comes in really handy at church and on long car trips. We did the Ferber thing for a little over a week and it went ok but then we went out of town, then back home, then out of town etc. During this time I put Deacon back in bed with us and we'd do a mixture each night of him in a bassinet or pack-n-play in our room and him in bed with us. The problem is that he has a mama that can't decide what she wants to do: co-sleep, in our room, sharing a room with Caden, or in his own room. We've done it all at this point (which is probably part of the problem!). I don't sleep nearly as well when he's in bed with us (although it sure is nice for nursing) or even when he's in the same room really. However, as I'm out of town again this week he once again is in bed with me (for at least half the night). So as for sleeping, I still haven't figured out what I want to stick to. I've read Ferber and I've read Sears and I just don't know. I do know that I don't want him to give up all his nightly feedings as I believe this is one of God's ways of providing natural child-spacing (for me at least). At least now I'm at the point where I don't feel sleep deprived when I get up in the morning, and really, that's all I'm hoping for. If you have any suggestions or advice I'd love to hear your different views.

I'm reading a book right now by the author of Grace-based Parenting that my sis-in-law mailed me called Why Christian Kids Rebel (or something like that). I'll try to post more on it latter. He makes some great points (not sure if I agree with everything, but definitely with most at this point). I'm hoping to read Grace-based Parenting later this year to give me another perspective from some of my favorite parenting books. I'm glad God pours grace upon all parents that are trying to faithfully fulfill that role even though the methods/ideologies we all embrace might differ. It's good to know I can put my hope in Him and not in my efforts. After all, there are no perfect parents, but we serve a PERFECT God who makes up for our failures! Thank you, Father!!

20 Weeks

I had to download the I-20 sign from google images since I wasn't able to actually take a pic of Deacon in front of the sign on the way to Abilene, but had I not been by myself with the boys on the trip this is what I would have taken :)

My grandmother started a Motherly Love program in Abilene about 20 yrs ago--basically a mentoring program where godly/experienced moms mentor mothers of young children. They are covering different aspects of Child Training this year and mom and I were asked to come speak on training young children to be honoring, responsible/hard-workers who demonstrate self-control. Whew! Mom started with laying the Biblical foundation for everything and I ended with a bunch of practical ideas.

Last week after I recovered from the flu I busily made last-minute revisions on my part of the talk while trying to take care of both boys who had come down with 103 fevers and lovely coughs--oh what a week it was! I needed to be in Abilene by Thursday but on Wed. I wasn't exactly sure how that was going to happen. Thankfully Nannie and her prayer group offered up lots of petitions on my behalf and Thurs. morning both boys were doing MUCH better and the trip to Abilene (my first "long" car trip by myself with the boys) went miraculously smooth!

We enjoyed a nice weekend with Nannie and Grandad and Marmie and Pa Pa before heading home Saturday night. Sunday both boys were sick again and on Monday Caden was asleep for his nap (which he normally takes about 1 pm) by 10:30 and then went to bed for good at 5 pm and didn't wake up until after 7 am Tues. morning! I'm just grateful that God managed to give me sick children on either side of the trip and not during our time in Abilene-what a blessing in the midst of a trying week!

Caden fell asleep today by 11 am and it's now almost 2:30 and he's still not awake, so I'm thinking he hasn't quite recovered fully! Poor thing. Despite sick children we're having a wonderful week and are enjoying focusing on all the blessings God's given us as we prepare for this Thanksgiving!

19 Weeks & Oklahoma

Well, Deacon wasn't quite 19 weeks (two days short) when we spent the weekend in Oklahoma, but when we got home I got a bad cold (or 24 hr. flu) complete with body aches, chills, fever, sore throat, cough, headache, etc... so this random pic will have to count :)

Thankfully I felt much better by Monday in time for Deacon's well child check-up. At 19 weeks he weighed in at 18 lbs. (91%) and is 27 in. long (95%). I guess that explains why he's in 6-9 month sizes right now.

The weather was perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with our good friends! N was in seminary with Braden in California and now he, R, and their two precious children are preparing to head to the mission field. It was so good to have a nice weekend away to reconnect and watch our little ones play together.

We thought the kids would really enjoy helping make faces in a pumpkin and cleaning out all the yucky mess--boy were we wrong. It ended up being the adults who cleaned and carved while Caden and A played chase/soccer/baseball with the pumpkin top. It was quite the sight.

What cute 2 yr olds!

18 Week Video

18 Weeks Old

Life's pretty crazy right now. I think Deacon must be teething as he's been up EVERY hour (yes, that's right) for the past three nights now! I'm barely functioning so I'm heading to bed now. No 18 week picture, but we did do an 18 week video a few days ago. Will post soon.

Week 17

I'm trying to hang on (even though our leaves aren't). Deacon's finally settling into a predictable nap schedule which makes life run so much more smoothly! As for Caden--we're really working on various character issues right now...more to come on that latter :) I'm really trying to focus on creating an atmosphere of JOY in our home--lots of laughter and smiles and praises to God. This trait doesn't come as naturally to me as to some (but then, I guess that's why it's a fruit of the SPIRIT....I have to allow the Spirit to produce this in/through me).

I re-listened to the CD Twenty-four Hours Is All You Get by Susan Bradrick. It (once again) inspired me to make better use of my time and the time of my little ones. Therefore, this blog entry didn't get posted when I wanted to do it on Monday b/c "blogging" fell into category 3 (or 4). If you've don't own the CD, I HIGHLY recommend it as it's one of those you'll want to listen to several times each year. You can order it from http://graceandtruthbooks.com/listdetails.asp?ID=1915 or from http://www.visionforum.com/search/productdetail.aspx?search=24+hours&productid=37952.

The CD comes with some PDF downloads, so I've been working on the Priority Planning Sheet. She suggests prioritizing every activity (from sleeping/eating to recovering upholstery or taking a vacation) your family ever does into one of four categories:

Priority #1-Essential Must Do's: Activities that are essential to Godly healthy (spiritually or physically) human existence.

Priority #2-Very Important Should Do's: Activities that are very important for God-pleasing human existence, and which are dependent upon regular performance of #1 priorities. Beware: any of these can be taken to extremes and take up time which should be given to other high-priority activities thus becoming a detriment to Godly living.

Priority #3-Could Do's: Activities that are non-essential in most cases but which can be edifying and God-honoring if time remains after #1 & #2 Priorities are faithfully performed in your home on a daily basis. Beware: we often rationalize these into a higher priority category!

Priority #4-Would Like to Do's: Activities that are fun, relaxing, enjoyable, exciting, pleasant, etc. but which are really unnecessary for God-honoring living. In many cases, these activities dominate one's life and can actually interfere with observing the essential and important priorities. Beware: we often rationalize these into a higher priority category, too!

She has a whole list of all her family's activities categorized under each priority to show as an example--not as a list to follow. Anyway, I thought I'd list her #1 Priority items to give an example of what the Lord led her family to consider as "Essential Must Do's."

• Frequent time in personal, intimate fellowship with God through prayer and quality time in His Word.
• Getting adequate sleep most nights (normally 7-8 hrs/adults; 9-14 hrs/children; 14-18 hrs./infants)
• Eating and drinking sufficient, nourishing food and liquid
• Sharing intimate thoughts often with spouse & children regarding God and the work He is doing in your lives and world, in general
• Reading, discussing, and memorizing God's Word with your spouse and children
• Daily time to teach and train your children in cheerful, Godly obedience
• Providing the basics of life: adequate food, shelter, clothing

Obviously what goes under priorities 1-4 will differ for each family but maybe the above list will help get you thinking as it did for our family.

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time for the days are evil. So then, do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17

The leaves have fallen and the cold weather is here...Oh how I love Autumn!

16 Weeks & Victoria

We had a wonderful extended weekend in Victoria--our first time back since our move two months ago. We left Thursday night after Braden's class and got home last night. It was SO good to see all our friends and I'm already missing everyone. We were able to time our visit to celebrate Dad's b-day (which is actually today).

Over the weekend we attended Lilly's first b-day party, recovered all of mom's dining room chairs, turned 55 lbs of apples into applesauce, apple pies, and other apple treats, visited with our old neighbors and lots of friends, and enjoyed worshiping with our church family on Sunday. What a blessed weekend! Now our friends the Fojts are here and we're loving their company too--Caden sure loves to play with Brandon and Britney!

As for other exciting news, we found out my brother and sis-in-law are expecting ANOTHER boy...YAY!!! That means mom and dad will have five grandsons under 3 by the beginning of March--WOW! God is so good and we are excited about this addition to our family.

Still Baking & 15 weeks

Caden has been busy in the kitchen helping me use our new grain mill. Yesterday we made tortillas and used them to make individual pizzas for dinner--delicious! If I'm in the kitchen he wants to be on the counter helping with whatever it is I'm making.

Sometimes this can be such an inconvenience --especially when he accidentally spills ingredients or makes messes but I'm constantly trying to remind myself that motherhood is not about what's convenient for me. Sometimes I struggle with patiently taking Caden under my wing, using these everyday moments for training him, talking to him of God's goodness, singing and memorizing Scriptures together. I really want to focus on making the most of each moment with him this week--not pushing him off to play when I have things that need to get done, but trying to include him and talk with him while we accomplish the days tasks. I also want to strive for times where we put the "to do" list behind us and just have moments of play and fun together.

As Deacon turned 15 weeks old I broke out my Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems by Ferber. This time I started with chapter one and actually read what he had to say instead of just reading the few paragraphs that seemed to apply. Our problem--a son who was just as addicted to the pacifier as Caden so that every time it fell out at night he'd wake up until we replaced it. He also wanted to nurse lots during the night (not that I'm opposed to middle of the night nursing)... I just was having trouble functioning the next day when I was up every hour of the night either replacing a pacifier or nursing my sweet baby. We decided to try and get him to where he could fall asleep with out the pacifier. Hence the picture of him with the timer.

Just for the record...I absolutely HATE allowing my baby to cry but I was beginning to hate "survival mode" during the day even more. I felt like I was becoming a bad mother for Caden who had a half-sleeping mama all day. There's no way I would have/could have "stuck with the program" if I had a baby that didn't (thankfully) fall asleep after his brief crying episodes. The longest was 26 minutes of crying and I was about in tears too. Now he is going to sleep with a couple minutes of brief fussing or no fussing at all (not the screaming he started with 3 days ago). He hasn't used a pacifier (night or day) since Sunday and I'm getting a good nights rest again. He still wakes up once in the middle of the night when I nurse him, but other than that he's a much better sleeper and a happier baby.

I might end up using the pacifier for church or other "quiet places" after this paci-weaning week is over since that is really nice. And if the Ferber method ends up not working in a few weeks I'll probably go back to using the pacifier all over again just so I don't have to go through those awful baby crying episodes all over again.
I know lots of you are big advocates of this method and others are strongly opposed to it--I'm still not exactly sure where I stand and have really been praying about it lots all week. I'm just glad it seemed to have worked and that awful first day is over!

Yes, that says 15 minutes--week 15, remember?

14 Weeks & Two Jobs

Ok, I really did take this picture on Monday but it's taken me this long to post--sorry.

I found a great deal on apples last week at Sprouts (.49/lb) so we bought 10 lbs and made lots of applesauce and apple pies. Yesterday was the last day for the sale price so I went back and bought another, lets see, 55 lbs of apples. 15 lbs are for mom and dad so that leaves me with 40 lbs. to put up for the winter. I'm so excited about the thought of more apple pies, applesauce, apple muffins, apple pancakes, etc. If you have a favorite apple recipe that you'd like to share I'd love to have it!

I'm still struggling to figure out how life can run smoothly with two boys. I'm beginning to think "smoothly" is an unrealistic expectation right now and am trying to remain thankful and joyful throughout my "bumpy" days. It's not that every day is difficult--we'll have several good days but the difficult ones are sprinkled in there. It always seems harder when I've had little sleep the night before. I become easily frustrated (something I'm trying to work on) and have moments when I just want to stop and cry--but I don't b/c I'm sure Caden would really think I'd lost it.

I'm encouraged by all the other moms I see that are faithfully carrying out the noble task of motherhood and by the Scriptures which remind me that God will supply me with everything I need for life and godliness--including the ability to joyfully embrace this wonderful (although challenging) task as mother/homemaker.

Here's my friend Rachel's post regarding this that really encouraged me:

Working a job and a half

May 21, 2009

Today I'm wondering how mothers through the ages have done it. Somehow they have managed across the majority of cultures and times to successfully navigate two jobs, both nearly full-time in their scope.

The full-time, decade-long, without-a-vacation task of childcare, goes something like this...
The baby needs a new diaper at least 10 times a day, and often manages to get the contents of that diaper onto his clothes and whatever he is laying on, so his burp rag, his blanket, his clothes, and/or your shirt must be changed. The toddler needs a snack or meal every two-three hours and cries that it does not appear in front of her at the instant that she requests it. She then cries that it is not the snack she did not ask for but now thinks she wants. The toddler's nose always seems to need wiped when she's got a cold and when she proudly wipes it herself a smear of mucus across her upper lip, cheek, and forehead are worse than the alternative. The toddler's face and hands ALWAYS need to be wiped/washed. The toddler needs to go outside, needs to be taken to see her grandparents, friends, and aunts/uncles, needs to be cuddled and read to and prayed with and talked to and played with and is able to tell you so in very immature, insistent, and honest ways. The infant needs to be talked and sung to when he's awake, burped, mopped up from violent spit-up incidents, and cuddled/comforted to sleep when he's worked up. He also needs to nurse... while your toddler is also hungry, while your toddler thinks she needs 12 books read to her or a special toy off her top shelf that she quickly abandons once acquired, while your toddler goes pee all over the bathroom floor while she was supposed to be sitting on the potty chair and you are getting her a clean diaper, while your toddler takes her nap, and while your toddler_________ (fill in the blank). In fact, almost invariably, each of the above tasks are urgently needing to be done in the exact same moments and your day consists of an unending motherly triage in discerning which of your two children's many needs are most urgent.

The other job, housekeeping, should go something like this...

You make the bed, you make breakfast and then you do the dishes, you do some laundry from your reasonably sized pile of dirty clothes and then fold and put them away in their proper places, you clean the mirror in the bathroom or polish the furniture or mop the floors, you think up a tasty dinner with all 5 food groups in right proportions and you get started on it early, you weed the garden and water the plants that have not been rained on in several days, you straighten the almost tidy living room, you wash the dinner dishes and call it an orderly, well-done day. You know this is how it should go because in your better moments as a wife when you weren't working outside the home or when you had a calm unbooked Saturday this is how it did look. And it was good.

In fact it looks a lot more like this...

Your living room is hidden under mounds of half-folded laundry that the toddler keeps shaking out after it's folded because she's "helping", mountains of children's books that have been read and stacked in a pile to indicate that they are "finished", heaps of toys that have migrated from their rightful places in the children's room and not found their way back, & random papers and other things that you realize don't really have a place in your house so they get stacked together or placed in corners to be found a home for later. Your kitchen counters indicate that dishes have not been done in at least a week although the reality is that it has just been day after day of getting "almost finished" followed by a normal day when you didn't get a chance. Your bathroom has mold growing on the shower walls that you noticed last week and countless times since, promptly being interrupted each time by a more pressing need than bleaching it. Your laundry hampers look like you haven't begun the week's load, when really you've already done 4 loads, the normal quota in the pre-2nd child era of your life. Your trash can is overflowing and your home smells like the fish you made for supper the night before. This is status-quo for the last 5 weeks of your life. You try not to stop and think about it because then you get the sinking feeling that makes you want to go do something mindless--usually sitting down with the baby in front of a wall or computer screen or book and telling the toddler you're too "busy" to play or read right now. Then something happens that jolts you to attention to your surroundings. An as-yet child-less couple from Sunday School drops by unexpectedly to pick up a borrowed tool. And it hits you...your living place has in all your 27 years of life never looked like such a total wreck. You smile sheepishly, mumble an apology about the mess, and rationalize in your mind, "this is okay because they are seeing you at your most real, and it is okay that people know you are not perfect." "But really," another little voice in your head argues, "you don't want to be perfect, you just want some level of competency at your second job so your friends and your husband don't enter the threshold of your home and wonder what in heavens name you've been doing with your day."

Mothers through the ages have been doing a job and a half. They have been competent and hardworking housekeepers and successful, patient, & kind mothers, right? If so, how come I can't be one of those normal ladies? Or do I have history pegged all wrong and could nearly all mothers with young children identify with these thoughts? And if so, how do I cheerfully resign myself to and make it through this brand of life for a season, however short?

Can anyone else relate with this? May God give us all grace as we seek to accomplish what HE places on our plate--and don't forget to stop and enjoy some apple pie every once in a while :)

13 Weeks

Our sweet Deacon is 13 weeks and his mama started back into cloth diapering. It seems to take me about 3 months before life settles down enough for me to add in this extra task. I still have to put him in a disposable at night b/c no matter how great the insert I can't seem to keep him from soaking through at night. I think it's due to sleeping on his tummy. Caden had this same problem when he slept on his tummy as a baby (of course, Caden would soak through disposables at night too--combo of tummy sleeping and nursing a zillion times each night).

We love the doctor we found! If you're near McKinney and wanting a great holistic doctor here's his site: http://www.harmonyfamilyhealth.com/index.html I had to take Deacon in yesterday b/c the thrush had returned--what a battle it's been. Each time I treated him with gentian violet or grapefruit seed extract it would quickly go away, but b/c it kept returning I decided to make an appt. Our doctor said he always recommends starting with gentian violet but recommended Deacon start Nystatin since it's now his fourth episode. He also told me to treat myself with apple cider vinegar & 5 min. of sunlight and then to apply an acidophilous paste to the inside of Deacon's cheeks a few times each day. Hopefully this will kill it all off for good!

We've also been blessed with a wonderful church! You can check out the churches site http://citychurchintl.org/ We prayed and prayed before moving here that the Lord would provide a good church home and He quickly answered that prayer. The church meets near Braden's school so its location is great for inviting other students, but it also has a small group that meets right near Sachse! We went to our community group for the first time last night and came away so blessed. The church is very passionate about the Lord, evangelistic and prayer centered. They really encourage holiness and transformed lives and encourage each family to minister/serve together. We found out about it through the family-integrated church website. It's a 30 min. drive on Sundays but well worth it! We are praising God for answering our prayer so quickly.

Wonderful Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend we had! Mom and Dad arrived last Thursday to help celebrate my b-day and to spend time with the boys. Caden was entertained non-stop the whole time and loved every moment. He and PaPa worked on the car together, made salsa, built a tower of books/blocks, and played lots of games while Marmie read him TONS of books (and he couldn't get enough!!). Caden's top picks from Marmie's shelf are Make Way for Ducklings, Last One Home is a Green Pig and Blueberries for Sal. It was fun to hear her reading him all the books that I remember being read as a child--and that my Nannie read to my mom for that matter.

As fun as it is to build a tower the best part is always knocking it down in Caden's opinion :)

Mom is such a servant (Dad is too!!). She helped me sew more curtains and pillowcases while she was here along with cooking some FABULOUS meals--her famous cinnamon rolls and the homemade Schlotskys were an absolute treat! They had to leave on Saturday and I just about cried again as they drove away. I sure am praying the Lord puts us back in the same town someday (the same street would sure be nice!).

Last week I was blessed beyond measure with lots of out-of-town company. Tom and Katie Olson visited us last Monday, Mom and Dad were here Thurs-Sat. Darrell Klimitchek came and had dinner with us on Fri. night, and Sat. night Nathan and Jackelynn came and spent the night here and then went to church with us on Sunday. It was the most WONDERFUL weekend and I was sure sorry to see it end. I'm just thankful we've had so many visits from all our Victoria friends considering we've just been gone a little over a month. How blessed we've been!

12 Weeks Old

Well, you can't really tell that there are 12 candles in the photo but there are. We celebrated my 27th b-day yesterday, and Braden made a FABULOUS shortcake topped with strawberries and a whipped cream sauce---it was DELICIOUS!!! As far as birthdays go, I'd have to say yesterdays was the worst (until Braden got home--it was wonderful from there!)

I only got three hours of sleep the night before (a two hour stretch followed by a 1 hr stretch later on), so I was exhausted all day. Caden was on a roll yesterday morning. Half the time he was being directly defiant but the other half the time it was just one little thing after another. The morning started when he called me into the bathroom at 6:15. I walked in to find Caden standing on the counter next to the sink in a puddle of pee. After sticking him in the tub I scrubbed down the counters, cabinets and floor which had all received his shower. Later that morning he stuck a handful of coins into the car CD player, and I only managed to get one quarter out...the rest are still in there and now it won't work - obviously; he dumped flour all over the floor, kept sticking lids/tops in his mouth--top to the milk, the vanilla, etc..., dumped water all over the floor (yes, "dumped" not "spilled"), and to top it all off he spit in Deacon's eye b/c Deacon was fussing and according to Caden he was "just trying to help"--I guess that's what we get for reading him the story of Jesus healing the blind man :)

By naptime I was in ultra survival mode and instead of fixing the dinner I had planned I decided to use the boys naptime to take a nap myself--I was desperate for some sleep. I put Caden down at 12:45 but Deacon didn't go to sleep until 1:15. Then Deacon woke at 1:45 for some reason so my "nice long nap" turned into a 20 min. cat-nap. Deacon fell back asleep about 2:15 and I fell back asleep only to be awoken by Caden at 2:30. I was ready to cry and both Caden and Deacon were crying. Needless to say, when Braden walked through the door at 4:45 with flowers and a big hug I was more than relieved! He helped make tacos and enchiladas, gave Caden some Daddy time, made a wonderful dessert, and to top it all off, he took Deacon (& the bottle I had pumped into) to sleep in the living room with him so that I could get a full nights sleep. Deacon slept from 9pm-4:30am, his longest stretch ever! I got up and nursed him at 5 and then went back to sleep. I got to sleep from 9:45 until 7:15 (minus the quick nursing)--and today I felt like a new woman!
What a beautiful gift sleep is!!

Today has been great and the boys have done so much better (thank you Lord). Now I'm ready to go enjoy the roast & potatoes I postponed from yesterday.

Caden & Tyler

We enjoyed a visit from Caden's best friend, Tyler on Friday. We have a WONDERFUL park just a few minutes from our home. It has a really nice covered playground, and we enjoyed getting to take Tyler along. We left our babies sleeping with the daddies while we watched our boys play, wrestle, and give sweet hugs :)

We miss you, Tyler!!!

11 Weeks Old

Poor Deacon began the week with his first cold. He's been a little more fussy than normal but still has plenty of smiles to share. He's awoken a little more during the night, but thankfully he's been able to go back to sleep fairly quickly, and so I've managed to still function the next day. He's got another round of thrush so this time I'm treating him with grapefruit seed extract to see if we can knock this out....I'd prefer to stay away from Nystatin if possible. Dr. Gordon has a good article on his website about treatment options http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp, and I love his DVD on vaccines for those who are curious.

Now for the weekend...
Our good friends from Victoria came to stay with us Friday and we had a wonderful time getting to visit and letting our boys play(I'll post those pics in a minute). Caden cried and cried when the Pauls drove away and kept begging to have them come back. We miss y'all!!
We then drove to Longview to spend the weekend with Braden's family. We had a wonderful time watching all the grandkids play together. Jacob helped Braden keep on eye on the three toddlers outside while the three babies were inside...it's quite a busy place.

Sunday after church we got a picture of 7 (out of 10) grands, but only Addie had her camera so I'll have to wait for a copy from her.

10 Weeks Old

To celebrate 10 weeks we got a picture of Deacon with Caden's 10 "friends". Deacon is much more "smiley" than Caden was as a baby and is getting to be quite the charmer. We are really enjoying him and all those smiles.

Now, you might not be able to see my labels on the picture, but Caden has named all his little toys and it is so fun to watch him play with them in the living room. Caden plays the most with "Uncle Andy" and "Mae Mae"--taking them fishing, to play soccer, to go potty, etc. He likes taking "Mykaela" and "Bridget" on walks to "Papa's" land. Then everyone goes to "Marmie's" house for lunch. I should have taken some video of him playing this morning as it really was hysterical to see (and hear) his imagination at work. Later this morning he realized he didn't have a character for Lily so he used a lion puzzle piece for her. When I asked him to clean up before lunch I told him he'd forgot to put the lion puzzle piece away, to which he explained, "Mama, that's not a lion...it's Lily!" How we miss all our friends in Victoria!!

Daddy Duty...is my man great or what?! The semester officially started last week but Braden always has plenty of time for the boys before he hits the books. He is such an amazing daddy and I just love watching him interact with our sons.

Who says a two year old and a two month old can't play together? Caden usually listens to Deacon's heart with the stethoscope but I guess when the heart is covered by a stuffed animal you have to settle for the hand instead :)

9 Weeks Old

As Deacon turns nine weeks old I'm busy trying to find place for all the pictures and decor that we brought. I'm not known for my decorating abilities (and must confess that I greatly envy those who have that gift!), so finding the right place to hang everything is quite the challenge. I'm thankful that all the boxes are finally packed and that making our house feel more like home is all that's left now.

Deacon currently has a purple mouth, lips, etc... due to another case of thrush. He got his first case when we moved here and I treated it with gentian violet and the next day it had cleared up. This past weekend he got another bout with it, but I waited to treat him until Sunday afternoon as I didn't want to deal with all the funny looks and questions we might receive had I brought him to church that way :) I'm hoping that by the time the purple has gone away the thrush will be gone.

He smiles more and more and is finally getting past his fussy, "can't get comfortable" times. He's also sleeping MUCH better at night. In fact, the past couple nights he's gone to bed a 9pm, woken to nurse at 2:15, woken at 4:45 with burps/gas (back to sleep quickly), and nursed again about 6. Braden is such a wonderful daddy!! He gets up at the 4:45 wakings to burp Deacon and get him back to sleep, so basically it's meant I'm only getting up once a night---WOW---what a difference from my "up-10-times-a-night-Caden"!!! I'm praying this lasts, but only the Lord knows. I know He'll give me the grace to function the next day, but getting a good night sleep sure makes it easier!
The boys are sleeping in the same room now (for the past 3 days at least) and it has actually worked remarkably well. I moved Deacon out of our room b/c all his little grunts and movements were keeping me up all night. At first he was in our closet but then I decided to go ahead and try to see if putting them in the same room would work (it worked well for my sis-in-law). Sure enough, Deacon's managed to take his long nap in the afternoon at the same time Caden takes his and so far they aren't waking each other up (that was my fear).

Caden loves to "play" with Deacon and is so excited that they now share a room. His favorite new activity is pushing Deacon around the living room in the bumbo...what fun!

And finally, my handsome hubby with our two precious sons (one with crooked bangs and the other with a purple mouth...what a pair).

8 Weeks Old

No, Deacon didn't get a haircut, but since Caden did we thought the scissors would still be appropriate. When I took Deacon in at 7 weeks for a weight check he was 12 lb 8 oz. I'm not sure how much he weighs this week but he's definitely getting bigger. He's in 3-6 month sizes now. I forgot how quickly they outgrow the 0-3 month stuff!


We decided Caden needed a slight trim :) and so we decided to go out on the back porch last night and save some $ by doing it ourselves. I was just going to trim his bangs to get them out of his eyes and then trim the back just a bit (trying to save the curls). We'll, Caden wanted nothing to do with it and since he was moving so much Braden said he would take over and do the job....well, Caden moved, Braden cut, and the next thing you know we had a kid with much shorter (and very crooked) hair (not Braden's fault of course!). By the end of our hair cutting session we had both taken a few turns and the result was pretty bad.

Anyway, this morning I got on the phone and found a place in town that agreed to cut his hair for $5. It definitely helped, but we both prefer our sweet boy with the longer hair look. Oh well, hair grows and so it isn't the end of the world.
When we got home it was nap time and Caden picked out the Teach Them To Your Children book and opened it to the story about a haircut....I guess he felt he could identify with the doll in the story :)

I'll try to post before and after pictures later.

Love those Grandparents!

Thank you Mimi and Pappy & Marmee and Pa Pa for all your help!

So thankful for the time we had with y'all this past weekend!

7 Weeks Old & Moving

I'm a week late posting Deacon's 7 week picture, but here he is at 7 wks just before we left town. He was a trooper throughout the moving process and was *usually* content to be in the swing while we loaded boxes. I say *usually* b/c he definitely had his fussy times when he had to be held. Thankfully we had lots of ladies from church willing to help with that role :)

Caden wanted to be a helper and load some boxes on the truck too. He did quite well on the moving trip also and is really enjoying his new home...especially the pool!

Mom and Dad stayed for about 5 days helping us get settled. The first item for the men was to put up a fence around the pool. I must say they did a fabulous job....thanks Dad and Braden (and Harry & Scott!!)

Well, when mom and dad were driving away I'll admit that I shed a few tears before coming in and having a good cry while I rocked Caden and put him down for his nap. I sure am going to miss them! I'm glad we're only 51/2 hours away. Caden will miss them too. I'm looking forward to setting up Skype so that we can visit over the computer.

6 Weeks Old

Well, we're finally getting smiles out of our little guy. Amazing how a little turn of the lips just makes your heart melt. Last night was a major milestone as Deacon only nursed once all night!! He went 5 hrs. on either side of nursing....WOW! Of course, I guess I shouldn't call it a milestone as it was probably a one-and-only occurrence. We'll see hoe he does tonight.
On our way home from Horseshoe Bay we were able to stop in San Antonio and see Addie, Andy, Mabry and our newest niece, Allie! What a treat. Caden loved getting to play with Mabry for a few hours and it was fun to see our two babies sleeping next to each other while their older siblings played.
Sunday night we enjoyed a wonderful going-away party from our church family. Our church feels just like family to us and we will miss them all SO much! After unpacking from our trip we're now busy packing up boxes for our move...what a summer!

Isn't he adorable?!

Horseshoe Bay

Caden LOVED his time in the pool....especially jumping off the diving board to Daddy. He finally started jumping off without someone there to catch him and would swim to the steps.

We took a quick family outing on the seadoo while Deacon slept. Caden kept asking, "Some more?!"

Caden loves to be read to, and his new favorite books over the week were The Noisy Books by Margaret Wise Brown. Here Uncle Chris does the honors....thanks bro!

Sascha celebrated his 2nd birthday while at Horseshoe. He is absolutely adorable and is the smartest little guy...he's reading very well now and knows all his states and their capitals (thanks to a puzzle that he plays with). It was so good to spend time with Sascha and Sebastian as we don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like.

5 Weeks Old

We've spent this past week enjoying our annual family get-together at Horseshoe Bay with all my mom's family. Caden has enjoyed spending time with all the relatives (especially his cousins!). The first two days after we arrived Deacon was fussy, but now he's back to doing well at nighttime and he's much less fussy during the day. He still gets the hick-ups multiple times each day, and he can't be laid down after a feeding without a good burping or he spits up. He smiled a few times this week which I LOVED.... a wonderful glimpse of what's to come.

Caden still has to be reminded that he must kiss GENTLY and that he's not allowed to squeeze Deacon. At times I think he's genuinely trying to be sweet but other times I'm pretty sure he knows he's hurting his little brother. If anyone has any tips on encouraging Caden to be kind and gentle towards Deacon I'm definitely open to suggestions! I'm fine with Caden wrestling with Daddy...just not the baby!
More pictures of Caden in the pool to come....we've got a little fish on our hands!
Off to see if I can catch a little nap before the boys wake up.

"FOR" Weeks Old

I can't believe it's been a month since our Deacon was born! He's four weeks old now and doing great. He tends to have a fussy time in the evenings, but I'm hoping that won't last long. We introduced him to a pacifier on our Dallas trip and that tends to help during those times.
This past week has been a week of selling. We found a buyer for our house (Thank you, Lord!). We've also listed lots of other items for sale on Craig's List. Yesterday we sold Braden's radial arm saw. Tonight we sold the washing machine...I guess I'll have to take our laundry to mom's until we move. We plan on having a garage sale before moving unless we can sell all our big/bulky items via Craig's list before then.
It's been hard accomplishing everything on the "to do" list with both boys but one of the girls from church came home with us Sunday, spent the night and then helped with the boys and household tasks on Monday also. What a blessing!!! Thank you, Bridget. I look forward to the day when I can "shoot out" my children like arrows to help serve those who have needs. Caden will miss his babysitters Bridget and Mykaela so much when we move and we will too!

3 Weeks Old

It's hard to see, but the three green squares are Monopoly houses.

We spent the past week at Braden's brother's home in Sachse as we looked for housing each day with the real estate agent. Our first trip two weeks ago we looked at Richardson and Plano. This trip we looked in Garland, Rowlett, and Sachse. We liked Sachse more than all the other towns plus the housing there is VERY reasonable.

Last Friday Braden's parents drove in to help with Caden while we looked at housing. We actually ended up only needing to look at three houses once they arrived (all in Sachse) and they were able to go with us to see the houses. We decided to make an offer on the next to last house we saw (it was just what we had been looking/praying for!) and the couple made a counter-offer which we accepted. We stayed in the area in order to be present for the inspection (which was yesterday). All has gone well and we are closing at the end of July.

Now you can pray that we sell our house here in Victoria quickly. A potential buyer came to look at the house again today (her third visit). Pray that she will be able to buy it if that is what is best. We know the Lord will provide a buyer at exactly the right time.

The children did very well on the trip. We had a few melt-down moments but all-in-all I'd say they handled our crazy week pretty well. Deacon is growing longer and most his newborn onsies don't fit anymore (I forgot how quickly they grow out of those!).

I'll have to post some pictures of our new house soon. God was very good to us and we saw His hand at work numerous times over this past week.

Mountain...Valley...Mountain

There are a lot of blogs out there that I love but I must say Ann Voskamp's blog http://www.aholyexperience.com/ brings me to the feet of Jesus like no other. I love the encouragement and conviction that I come away with when I find the time to read it. Her prayer at the end of today's post inspired me, " Lord God, cause me to embrace the terrain of a life: mountain... valley... mountain. We'll be weak and we'll be brave and Your heart will lead us Home."
It got me thinking about all the joy I've had today with my boys amidst the brief moments of frustration at trying to meet the needs of two souls who both need me at the same time. The house is now quiet. Braden was gone tonight helping a friend work on his car and for the second night I was able to manage putting Caden to bed by myself while trying to nurse Deacon and keep him from fussing.

Caden comes to me, wrapping his arms around me and our eyes meet as he says, "I love mama." Then later he plants kisses on my cheek and exclaims, "I love mama SO much!" Do you ever feel your heart will just burst with the love you have for your child? I treasure the times we play with his train set, make forts out of the couch cushions, read books, give back massages, and sing together. MOUNTAINS.
Caden responds disrespectfully, interrupts, fusses when he is told no to his want, tries to hit Deacon and must be again reminded of what our rules are, must again be disciplined, must again be prayed for/with. Deacon fusses and wakes multiple times at night. VALLEYS.
Caden is learning to respond respectfully, learning to wait to speak until we are through, learning to respond politely when denied his request, kisses Deacon and genuinely apologizes for "not showing self-control" and hitting. Deacon finally calms, nurses well, makes sweet baby sounds and is fast asleep. MOUNTAINS.

Even in the valleys God is teaching me, teaching Caden-- and we're growing together.

MOUNTAIN: Sneaking in to stand over Caden while he sleeps, brushing my fingers through his hair, kissing his forehead, and whispering prayers over him. Precious time! Rocking Deacon in the middle of the night, nursing, and pondering how quickly this season flies. Treasure it.

2 Weeks Old

I can't believe it was two weeks ago that Deacon entered the world! I have to say that the first 13 days were almost too easy....then day 14 hit :)

Deacon now fusses more during wake hours and is just more restless. His wake hours are growing (the first 1 1/2 weeks he pretty much slept all day and most the night) and with that his fussy hours are growing too. Don't get me wrong, he's still an easy baby but it's just harder now to juggle him and Caden at the same time.

Yesterday was my first day to have the two children all by myself. It was definitely a challenge! I'm praying to be a joyful mother despite the sleep deprivation and the need to discipline Caden throughout the day. It's so much easier to be joyful when Caden obeys and has a cheerful disposition. I just don't want to make it harder on him to be sweet, cheerful and obedient by being a mother that's irritable when tired. I keep having to remind myself to keep smiling and to speak in a sweet tone (after all, I can't expect to train him if I'm not living up to the standard either).

Caden has had really good days since Deacon's arrival and some really bad days too. Last Thurs. morning he had a complete meltdown in the morning. He had spent the night at mom and dad's and I didn't know that he had stayed up 'till 10 pm and then was up by 5:30 am. I'll put it nicely to say it was awful!! By the time I was rocking him for his nap we were both in tears. Thankfully when he awoke he was back to being the sweetest 2 yr. old. Isn't it amazing the effect a lack of sleep can have?!

I'm more grateful now to my dear husband than ever! I knew it was nice having him here to help during the day but I didn't give him the credit he deserved! His help is hard to do without. He really is such a good daddy to our boys and an exemplary husband.

Keep me in your prayers as I learn how to balance being the mother of two now that the "the baby just sleeps all day" stage looks like it's past. I know women have been balancing the role as wife, mother, and housekeeper for thousands of years but I'm not sure how they did it well without the grace of God and Him living through them. I'll have to see about posting the thoughts of my good friend Rachel regarding this. She encouraged me so much through her post.

Caden

The first few days for Caden were a bit of an adjustment. He would wake up fussy from nap time and just be whinny. Thankfully he seems to be doing great now. He's only supposed to use a pacifier when sleeping but one of his favorite things to do these days is stick a whole bunch in his mouth (how you're able to suck on three pacies at once I'm not sure) and be tickled until he takes them out....a little game his PaPa started with him.

Caden LOVES having his Daddy home! They've been busy building with blocks, playing with cars and hiding in the tent that dances (due to the fan).

Caden still loves being read to although I must confess that since my child isn't interested in videos on the tv I decided to try something on the computer instead. It worked and now our son begs to watch little clips off youtube (Goldilocks and the 3 bears, Susie the car, and Dr. Seuss' green eggs and ham). I can definitely see how parents like to stick their kids in front of the tube...it gives you a few minutes to make sure they're occupied while you are able to tend to something. Hopefully this will be a treat instead of a habit (very tempting at times!).

1 Week Old

Time to begin the weekly picture tradition for Deacon! Here's our ONE week old Deacon with his ONE big brother, Caden.

Our Boys @ 3 days

The top picture is of Caden at 3 days old and the bottom picture is of Deacon at 3 days old. Pretty similar...Deacon weighs about a pound more.

Week in Review

Tues: Deacon's doctor appt. went well. He weighed in at 7lb. 8 oz. We enjoyed a visit from Braden's family and lots of friends who stopped by to see our newest family member.

Wed: Marmee & PaPa took Caden for the day so we could enjoy a restful day without visitors or phone calls...I even got to enjoy a nice herbal bath that night. Very relaxing day.

Thurs: Caden still ooohhhs and aaahhhs over his "baby brother". He loves getting to hold him and showers him with kisses all day long. Thankfully he's been sweet so far without completely smothering him (something I was a bit worried about); praying that this will continue :)

Fri: We had to schedule Deacon's circumcision for Friday since this was our doctor's last day in town before leaving for a two week vacation. We called the Jewish synagogue in town to find out if there was a rabbi in town that could perform the procedure on the eighth day but never got anyone to answer the phone (later we found out we don't have a rabbi in town and would have had to travel to Houston). Deacon ended up having to have a Vit. K injection since he was being circumcised on the fourth day (God designed the body to produce a higher amount of prothrombin on the eighth day --this helps with clotting so that bleeding isn't an issue-- than any other day in one's life). Braden stayed in the room with Deacon during the procedure while I walked the hall with Caden. The picture above was taken when we got home.

Sat: Caden just giggles and giggles when Deacon makes baby noises and moves his little arms and legs. While Caden was sitting on the potty he suddenly looked up at me and exclaimed, "Mama, you don't have a big belly any more!" -- I can't believe it took him until Saturday to notice :)

Caden meets Deacon

Caden was SO excited to meet Deacon and get to see his Mama again. Braden read from 2 Chronicles 18:13 and announced our newest son's name and the meaning before Caden was ready to give "gentle kisses" to Deacon.

Caden loves holding Deacon (in about 15 second intervals)! He's going to be a great big brother!

Deacon and Caden both woke up from their afternoon naps ready to see each other. They timed their naps well allowing me to rest for a little over an hour.

We are praising God for the beautifully smooth arrival of Deacon Micaiah Hoelzle. I'll try to write more about the labor/birth later. I figured most people were more anxious to see pics than to get the scoop:)

Transition & A Baby!

Laboring

Mid-labor

Here we are in our last family pic before Pa Pa took Caden for the morning.

....and then the contraction!!!! Breathe, Bethany, Breathe.

Deacon Micaiah Hoelzle Arrives!

At 11:48 a.m., Deacon Micaiah Hoelzle made his appearance, after about 30 min. of pushing. He was beautifully pink all over and cried so heartily that he didn't need suctioning. His vital statistics are 7 lbs., 12 ozs. (Bethany's prediction) and 20.5 inches in length. He has a full head of black hair just like Caden did, and the family will have to label all the baby pictures in order to tell the two of them apart, although he's more plump than his brother was. He's already nursed very well and has been quite peaceful since being swaddled in his warm blankets. Braden & Bethany chose the name Deacon because of its meaning ("servant") and Micaiah after the O.T. prophet who had the courage to speak faithfully the word of God before the king and a hostile audience.

Bethany requested Schlotsky's for lunch, so she was fortunate to be able to have breakfast, followed by the baby, and have everything taken care of in time to enjoy lunch, sitting at the table in the kitchen. She worked well through the entire labor and declares that the birth stool is the "way to go." Caden wanted to "pet him" as soon as he came into the room following Deacon's birth. He gave him kisses and was allowed to hold him for a while, a job which he took seriously as you could see by the expression on his face.

I'm sure B & B will have more to tell in a later posting, but we're all thanking the Lord for Deacon's safe arrival and Bethany's labor. -- Marmee

Labor Update

Well, Bethany is now sitting on the birthstool, dilated 10 cm. Papa is bringing Caden to the house from out at the airport (and they didn't even have time to put up the tent). We'll be back shortly. (Posted by Marmee)

Labor Update

Here's the latest update: Contractions are variable, some sets as close as 2 min. apart. The midwife has been called and should be on her way. We'll keep you posted.

Labor is Here!

Well folks, I think I'm finally officially in labor. Contractions are about 7-10 min. apart right now. I was awakened several times each hour throughout the night and by 4 am they were much more intense. It's funny how in between contractions (in the first stage) things are fine and I feel great....then the next contraction hits....OUCH! Anyway, I'll try to have mom or someone post some updates throughout the day to let you know how things are going.

Caden has been such a sweetheart through the labor so far. Dad's coming to get him in just a little bit, but this morning he crawled in bed to lie next to me and would give me sweet kisses and gently rub my arm after each contraction. He's super excited about baby brother's arrival and just as excited about all the fun things he and Pa Pa have planned for the day (field trip to the airport, playing at the park, setting up the tent and getting to eat lunch inside it--not sure why eating in the tent is such a big deal to him, playing in the pool, etc.).

My birth team: Mary Riggs and daughter Mykaela (Mykaela was one of my flower girls at our wedding) and Mom will be arriving soon. I'll be calling my midwife Darlene once things really pick up and get intense. Keep us in your prayers. Ouch...here goes another one.

Scriptures for Birth

Here's a list of Scriptures I've made cards for to focus on through labor and for my birth team to read to me. If any of you have a particular Scripture that you think would be helpful feel free to email me so I can add it to the stack! God's Word is powerful and I'm praying the truths will help give me strength in case this labor is anything like my last one!

2 Chronicles 15:7 "Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."
Nehemiah 8:10 "...the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Psalm 18:32 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."
Psalm 29:11 "The Lord give strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."
Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song."
Psalm 33:20-22 " We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."
Psalm 34:4 "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."
Psalm 46: 1-2, 7 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
Psalm 54:4 "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me."
Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you."
Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalm 127:3-4 "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth."
Psalm 128:3-4 "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."
Isaiah 26:12 "Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us."
Isaiah 40:29-31 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 41: 10,13 "So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."
Isaiah 46:4 "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Romans 8:32 "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
1 John 5:14-15 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him."

Pregnancy Pics

My good friend Leanna is an excellent photographer so I asked her to take a couple of me when we were eating at their house the other night so I won't forget what I looked like days before our sons arrival. With Caden I was so good about taking pictures of my growing belly every few weeks/month, this time I only took some pictures at Easter. I definitely got bigger with this pregnancy than with Caden but I still hear "you're so small" from folks all the time when they find out I'm due any day. Well I don't feel small! Most of the 43 lbs. I've gained has gone to my hips and rear but my tummy has grown too! I hope nobody is offended by the immodest belly shot..it's my favorite picture :)

We showed our house again today and are hoping it sells soon as it's quite the challenge to keep it clean with a toddler in the house! We have a few potential buyers at this point so please pray one of them is able to work out.
I'm ready and waiting for the arrival of this precious boy. The birth pool is ready to be inflated, the bed is made with the plastic sheet underneath, the fridge is filled with drinks/snacks to keep me energized, and the birth basket is ready filled with Scripture cards to meditate on, praise music to listen to, massage oil, peppermint oil for possible nausea, and all sorts of goodies that will hopefully help get me through this labor. Of course, if I have this baby as fast as Addie had her sweet girl I probably won't use any of it! Maybe he'll make his arrival tomorrow just in time to make the perfect "Happy Father's Day" gift. We'll keep you updated as soon as we have any news :) Please keep us in your prayers![

Big News

I'm finally back to the blogging world after a whole month of CRAZY business! I thought I better hurry and catch up from the past month before I have to start all the birth/baby posts (I'm still pregnant but the midwife says it could be anytime now).

The biggest news is that we are moving to the Dallas area in August.

Braden was accepted into a Ph.D. program at Southern Methodist University and we are very excited about this door that the Lord has opened. http://smu.edu/education/teachereducation/graduate/phd.asp ...Here's the link for the program in case you want to read more about what he'll be doing. Our friend Dr. Kyle Roberts (professor in the program) called Braden about applying a little over a month ago, and we found out on Monday that he was accepted! We both are very confident that this was an answer from the Lord and are praising Him for His faithful leading in our lives.

When we moved to Victoria for Braden to help Dad with the land development we knew this was a temporary place. We've loved every moment here and will miss our church family and my parents SOOO much! We've all been so spoiled living only a block away from Mom and Dad, and Caden is going to incredibly miss his Marmee and Pa Pa!

We put our house on the market yesterday (for sale by owner) and are praying it will sell quickly (of course we know the Lord's timing is always perfect). Braden was also accepted into a chaplaincy program at a hospital in Tyler over the Memorial Day weekend, so by the time we got home from Longview we knew we were either moving to Tyler or Dallas come August. Thus the past three weeks we've been cleaning, finishing all house fix-ups, organizing and packing all while making all the last minute birth preparations as well. Needless to say, it's been pretty crazy around here!

Caden's been in "big boy underwear" (officially potty trained!) for 6 weeks now...yeah for no diapers!! The first week he went several days with no accidents and then we'd have a day where he "forgot" like 5 times! But just as I was getting a bit discouraged he's do great again. During naps and night time he's able to stay dry which is really nice since this means I'll only have one baby in diapers! It's also great that he can now take off his own shorts/underwear and get to the potty without me. I have a feeling this will come in handy after his baby brother arrives and I'm not able to jump up and take him each time he comes to tell me he needs to go. Here are some memories from Caden this past month (maybe more for my sake since blogging is my form of baby book recordings):

Caden loves for me to read Everybody Has a Bellybutton and When You Were Inside Mommy.
He'll tell you all about how his baby brother is inside his mama's uterus or womb (yes, he actually uses the phrase "uterus or womb") and how the baby gets his nutrients from the umbilical cord which is attached to the baby and to the placenta. He then tells you how when mama is in labor her muscles help push the baby out (when he says push he makes a pushing sound while saying PUUUUUSH). He will then tell you that cutting the umbilical cord doesn't hurt the baby. It really is quite hilarious to listen to a two-year-old birth "expert." He loves going to all my prenatal appointments and helping the midwife measure fundal height and take my blood pressure. The highlight of each visit is when he gets to "listen to baby brother's heart beat."

Since we don't have television (well, no tv channels just the T.V. for videos) Caden hasn't had much exposure (beyond seeing some news at Marmee and Pa Pa's house) to the tube. I decided for the long car ride to Longview over Memorial Day weekend that I'd check out a few toddler DVDs from the library and bring our laptop in the car so the time would pass more quickly for Caden. I even got one DVD with dump trucks, excavators, and tractors which he loved for about 5 minutes. After that he was back to playing hide-n-seek behind his pillow and asking for me to read him so more books. Here I thought I was giving my kid this special treat and he wasn't the least bit interested. Maybe when he's older (not that I'm wanting to get him to love sitting in front of the tv!) he'll be more interested.

His favorite books from the library this past month have been the My First Little House books and the Hickory Dickory Dock book. He's memorized most the Little House books as well as most of the nursery rhymes. It's amazing to me how he can memorize lines and lines from books but can't even get all his colors right!

He loves building tall towers with his blocks, signing the ABC song, counting, jumping on our friend's trampoline, grabbing any animal he can get his hands on, going on walks, getting in his pool, playing with play-doh, helping water the plants, and drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.

Caden's talking like crazy...nonstop many days :) Here are some of my favorite quotes from this past month:

"Kissing makes me nervous." (said while shrugging his shoulders and tilting his head to one side) - I have no idea where he heard this!

"God says only use chalk on the sidewalk." -after being corrected for drawing on the house brick and screens. I explained that, no, it was actually mama and daddy who made that rule. He then said, "Oh, God says obey mama and daddy. Only draw on the sidewalk." Things are starting to finally click!

"I love Jesus! I want Jesus to hold me." - He said this while sitting on the potty and then proceeded to hug himself...I guess demonstrating what he meant.

"Mama, read the story 'bout Jesus rose up!?"- I must hear this 10 times a day, but there's no story I'd rather him request!

Braden: "Caden, why did Jesus die on the cross?"
Caden: "To take our sins away."
Braden: "And what are our sins like?"
Caden: "Like dirty rags"
Braden: "And what does Jesus give us to replace our sins"
Caden: "Righteousness and holiness." -which is pronounced in the cutest way!

"Mama, please, me please have more zucchini bread, please."- All said while signing "please" repeatedly. He's getting a hang of manners (though he often needs sweet reminders).

Pictures from the past month to follow.

Our Baby's Name Will Be....

Caden talks non-stop and we catch him saying the funniest things. Last week I was sharing our Baby Boy Names list with Caden. I'd say, "Caden, should we name your baby brother _____?" I must have listed 25 names and after each name he look at me and say, "No." Finally after I finished the list, and it was obvious that none of our selections had his approval, I decided to ask his opinion.
"Caden, what do you think we ought to name your baby brother?"
He contemplated the question for about 3 seconds before telling me (in the most serious face), "Toilet Paper."
"Toilet Paper?!" I questioned.
"Yes, toilet paper."

Such is the reason our sweet boy will have no say in the naming of the newest member of our family.

Braden was taking 11 grad. hours this past semester and officially finished on Friday...YEAH!!! Saturday night we had a camp-out in the living room to celebrate. Caden was SO excited! We grilled hotdogs and Caden was so thrilled about eating inside the tent. What a fun Family Night!

Ever since Easter Caden mentions (at least once a day) how Jesus died on the cross, was buried in a tomb and how He then rose up and now lives in Heaven with God. On Saturday as we were cleaning out the garage we had the ladder to the attic pulled down so Caden could climb up and down. On one of his trips up he turned to us and said, "Mama, Daddy, see you later." I waved back to him and asked where he was going. "I'm going up to Heaven to see Jesus!" Braden then informed him that Heaven would be MUCH better than the attic!

Braden and I finished Safely Home by Randy Alcorn this weekend and now I'm recommending it to EVERYONE! It is such a great book for focusing on persecuted believers. Randy also presents an AWESOME view of Heaven (and awful view of Hell) while providing a captivating story full of great quotes and convicting lines. It's one I'd love to reread with a highlighter! Definitely a new favorite fiction for us!

No meal plan this week, but here are a few pictures of our ever growing garden. Everything is producing beautifully and our tomatoes will be ripe soon!

The back row is all the tomato plants (in cages) and a few pepper plants. The middle row has all the strawberries and potatoes (which you can't see from this shot). The front row has green beans (pole beans), zucchini, squash, cucumbers and swiss chard. Aren't the greenbeans beautiful?!

Here's a pic of our garden just a few weeks ago. Amazing what a few weeks makes in the garden!Zucchini and squash. It's like going on a scavenger hunt trying to find these things under the leaves.

Menu & Recipes

Well, I meant to post this yesterday and never got around to it. Here's our meal plan & recipes for the week. Some entries have recipes via the link, those in italics have the recipe at the bottom.

SUNDAY
B- leftover pancakes
L- Pizza & Salad
D- Leftover Stuffed Manicotti, baked veggies, Oatmeal bars

MONDAY
B- Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
L- Homemade mac-n-cheese, grapes, salad
D- Taco Soup, Peanut Butter-Chocolate-Banana-Oatmeal Milkshake

TUESDAY
B- Oatmeal
L- Peanut butter on crackers, applesauce, raisins (at the land)
D- Meatless night: California squash casserole, Braden's hominy, garden salad, fresh bread

WEDNESDAY
B- Banana Oatmeal Milkshakes (brunch to follow)
L- Ladies Brunch
D- Church Pot-luck (Mary's Coleslaw & baked fennel)

THURSDAY
B- Carrot Apple (Bran Flax) Muffins
L- PB&J sandwiches, fruit slices
D- At g-parents

FRIDAY
B- Cereal w/Fruit
L- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Apples
D- Paula Deen’s Chicken & Rice Casserole (via Stacy’s blog), baked beets

SATURDAY
B- Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes ...I double the entire recipe except the sugar...we love 'em!
L- Egg salad sandwiches, fruit
D- Meatballs, mashed potatoes, swiss chard

RECIPES

Taco Soup
1/2 lb. ground beef, browned (mine was already seasoned with taco seasoning from tacos this past weekend)
1/2-1 packet taco seasoning (if meat isn't seasoned)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can corn, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
2 c. chicken broth (I may have only used 1 1/2 c.)
Topping:
cheddar, shredded
tortilla chips

Combine all ingredients and let simmer 30 min. Top each serving with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Peanut butter-chocolate-banana-oatmeal Milkshake
I made up this recipe so I'm just guessing on measurements. I made it for me and Caden after his nap and we loved it!

1/2 c. oatmeal (blend this first until powdered; now add remaining ingredients)
2 ripe bananas...lots of brown spots
2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. peanut butter
1 T. chocolate nesquik (I'm sure using cocoa and sugar would be better for you!)
6-8 ice cubes

Blend Well & Enjoy! Next time I plan on adding ground flaxseed meal.

California Squash Casserole
I got this recipe from my mom and we love it, especially since our garden is now producing so much squash & zucchini!

2 lbs. squash (I sometimes use half zucchini)
1 lg. onion
1/4 c. butter + 2 T. butter (to mix with cracker crumbs)
2 T. flour (I used whole wheat)
1 tsp. dried dill (I think this is what makes the casserole!)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1 c. saltine cracker crumbs (I bet Ritz would work too)

Saute squash and onion in butter until soft. Stir in flour, dill weed, salt & pepper. Beat eggs and add to the milk; pour over vegetables which have been placed in a greased 2 qt. shallow casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake at 325 for 40 min (I think I only baked 30). Toss cracker crumbs with 2 T. melted butter. Sprinkle over casserole and bake 10 min. longer. Allow casserole to rest on wire rack for 10 min. before serving.

Braden's Hominy
I think Braden might have learned this from one of his old college roomies. Can't get any easier!

1 can. white hominy, drained
Enough milk to cover hominy (~2 c. This is the "sauce")
Sugar to taste (~3 T.)

Heat on the stove and remove before boiling. Serve in bowls with the "sauce".


Swiss Chard
This is the same recipe I included several months ago on the blog.

1 lg. bunch swiss chard or kale (about 1 lb)

2 c. water

1 lg. clove garlic, chopped

2 T. olive oil

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. bread crumbs

salt & pepper to taste

1. Rinse the kale in cold water to remove any sand. Trim off and discard the stems.2. In a large saucepan, bring 1 c. water, lightly salted, to a boil. Add the kale (or Swiss chard), cover, and steam over med-high to high heat for 5-7 minutes. Drain and cut into 2-in. pieces.3. In a large skillet, saute the garlic in the oil for 30 sec (I actually did it longer). Add the kale and remaining cup of water. Cover. Cook over high heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender. (I had to take the cover off for the last few minutes of cook time to allow the excess water to evaporate). Add the Parmesan and the bread crumbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

NKFW

Our church decided to get a small taste of what many of our persecuted brothers and sisters go through by having an underground church experience. We met from 10pm 'till midnight last night instead of meeting this morning. The home we met in is out in the country. We parked a ways from the house and hiked down the dirt road in the dark. Not far down the road we were stopped by a guard in camo who took our Bibles and questioned us before allowing us to continue. The house was only lit with a few candles inside, and during our worship we sang very softly.

Braden's lesson centered around persecution and how we can unite with our suffering family throughout the world, specifically those in North Korea. Several in our group played the role of North Koreans, reading their testimonies as a reminder of what many are facing in the world's most hostile nation. During communion we each poured a portion of our own grape juice into a bowl as a reminder of our many persecuted brothers and sisters who are unable to partake of the Lord's supper. We then spent time lifting up the North Koreans before our Father's throne.

This week the families from our church will be going through seven days of focused prayer for North Korea. http://www.opendoorsusa.org/UserFiles/File/NK_prayer.pdf This prayer guide is a great way to become informed about the situation in North Korea while bringing the nation before God. Open Doors explains more about North Korea Freedom Week and has several additional resources to check out.

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." -Heb. 13:3

During our ladies study last Friday we watched a few videos which informed us a little more about the suffering and persecution that exists in North Korea.

North Korean Prison Camps (This video is almost 20 min. long but well worth watching! *do note that at 12:22 into the video the word sh** is used to describe the country--in case you want to skip over that part)

Christian persecution in Atheist North Korea (This video is only 4 min.)

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute...defend the rights of the poor and needy” -Prov. 31:8-9

Oh, and Braden and I are still reading Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. If you want an incredible fiction book to read that will inform you of the persecution occurring inside China while challenging your faith then this is a GREAT read! We are loving it!!

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter weekend this year. We were able to spend a few days in Longview with Braden's family which was great. Caden LOVED playing with his cousin Mabry and oohing over "Baby Chandler Grace" as he calls her.


We then headed for Abilene where we spent a few days with my Nannie and Grandaddy & Mom and Dad. We made resurrection cookies on Saturday night and told the Easter story while making them.

The next morning when Caden woke up our conversation went like this:
Me: "Good morning, Caden. Today is Easter morning! Do you know why today is so special?"
Caden: "Jesus rose up from dead!" (he proceeded to lift his hands into the air)
Me: "That's right, Caden! (I was quite shocked at his response...the cookies/story must have made an impression!"
Caden: "Yea, Jesus!!!" (while clapping his hands)

Caden loved playing in the toy room where he found all sorts of things to get into. Like the wig?

Caden remembered "Big Bear" from our Thanksgiving visit to Abilene and couldn't wait to see him.

Sitting in Big Bear's lap + Being read to by daddy = One happy boy!

Since Easter Caden now asks for us to read the story "Where Jesus rose up from dead" every day. We start with the last supper and end with the ascension. I'm so thankful that the greatest story of all time happens to be Caden's new favorite, and I'm praying that the excitement he displayed Easter morning doesn't ever wane.

Empty Tomb Buns & Resurrection Cookies

Empty Tomb Buns: http://retirementwithapurpose.com/hobbies/etbuns.html I was introduced to the the bun recipe via Ann Voskamp's blog. She has lots of great ideas on ways to walk towards the cross this week including their menu for a Messianic seder dinner.

Resurrection Cookies: I was introduced to the cookie idea via Stacey's blog and decided to just paste the instructions from http://blessingsforlife.com/recipes/holidays/resurrectionstorycookies.htm
If I run across any other ideas that help our families focus on the cross & resurrection this week I'll try to post them. Happy Easter!

What a wonderful recipe to share with the children. These cookies are made the evening before celebrating the Resurrection, and are cooked in a warm oven overnight so they will be ready on Easter morning.

You need to preheat the oven to 300 degrees (this is important--don't wait until you are half done with the recipe!)

• 3 egg whites1 cup whole pecans
• 1 tsp. Vinegar
• A pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar
• A zipper baggie
• A wooden spoon
• tape
• Bible

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Resurrection morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Resurrection, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9

* * *

New Life!

I love spring time, because it's filled with NEW LIFE! I enjoyed watching baby birds sleep in their nest at our friend's house this past weekend....Amazing! My bro- & sis-in-law just welcomed their first baby into the world...just beautiful! The smell of orange blossoms fills the air on our walks, the trees are all budding, and our garden is blooming. What a perfect time of year to celebrate Passover, Easter & the resurrection of our Lord! As we watch new creations growing around us we can meditate on the new life we've been given through Christ.

Braden and I won't be able to celebrate Passover with friends this year b/c we will be traveling to see our new niece, Chandler Grace. (YEAH!!) However, I'm praying this week will be a time of reflection for our family (and yours) as we contemplate the events surrounding the death of Christ and His glorious resurrection!

Romans 6:4-5 "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."

Here are a few pictures from our garden. We've got swiss chard, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, potatoes, strawberries, banana peppers, and LOTS of tomato plants growing this year. We'll be planting okra, melons, and a few other things over at mom and dad's later this spring/summer. It's so neat to watch the seeds we've planted sprouting through the soil and then growing leaves and producing buds and fruit! We're enjoying the whole process and marveling at our Creator's handiwork!

Ramblings

I've been up since 4:00 this morning (not by choice but due to back pain: scoliosis/pregnancy/deep cleaning combo). I confess that I had a sinful, complaining, "why me" attitude and spirit when I got up 4:15. Thankfully the Lord helped me redeem the time (something He is oh so good at!). He gently reminded me to pray for all my persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world who are probably unable to get a good night sleep b/c of the pain they are in, the suffering they are experiencing, and the fears they often face.

Lord, thank you for the trials and little bits of suffering
that You allow me to experience which help me
to remember & join with my brothers and sisters
who daily suffer for Your Name.
May we never forget them, Lord.

I've also been enjoying the quiet this morning; enjoying pictures from many of your blogs, challenge by others and as always, thanking God for speaking to me through Ann Voskamp's beautiful writings. I think I need to plan to labor/birth in the study (where our computer is at) just so I can listen to the music that is streamed on her site throughout my labor :) Isn't it awesome how God created music to stir the soul and move our emotions. David Nevue's piano pieces definitely sooth my spirit and help me enter into meditative worship of our awesome Creator! If you haven't checked out Ann's blog yet you definitely need to (and make sure the volume is up on your computer as you read).

I enjoyed reading her post on Homeschooling Pros/Cons, but it was her post from Friday March 20th titled Real Spring Cleaning that really spoke to my heart (especially in the midst of beginning to organize all our closets yesterday).
She talks about how her heart was hardened after a comment her hubby made (her hopeful expectations didn't match his words). Then after breakfast the Word spoke to her:
“Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
Ann continues,

"Is it normal to feel so the unclogging of one’s arteries?In my spring cleaning furor, how had I purged out the only attire necessary?

Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience.

And how was that I would pray this verse, this day, with this ugly, naked heart? But He knew....

For grace is contagious and love a spacious, wide open place.

Lord, wash this heart clean."

So often I can relate with her words. Do I allow circumstances or comments to harden my heart? In my attempt to clean my home and accomplish all the seemingly mundane tasks the Lord puts before me I'm often too resistant to allowing the Potter to clean my heart, to mold my character. Am I filled with the fruit of the Spirit as I go about my day?

What does it matter if I prepare nutritious meals, keep a clean home and have organized closets if I'm not allowing the Bread of Life to sustain me and if my heart, soul, and mind are not decluttered & then renewed by Clothing of Christ?

My memory/meditation verse this week is Philippians 2:3-5.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
Although I've memorized this passage before it is one that I need to MEDITATE on throughout my day. Isn't that a purpose of memorizing Scripture anyway, to let it TRANSFORM us through the power of the Spirit? May God use His Word to transform me this week!

I decided not to do a menu plan this week since we have been experimenting so much over the past few weeks with recipes (& will continue to be due to veggie co-op). Besides that, half the recipes I've been experimenting with have only been "ok." I'd rather spend my energy posting delicious recipes that our family tries and actually loves. So, I'll try to post some recipes this week but might not do the menu for a few weeks.

Also, today is the day to mail your red envelopes to the President if you haven't done so already. If you haven't heard about the project than check out http://www.redenvelopeproject.org/

Menu & Recipes

*Entries that are italicized are the ones with a recipe included*

SUNDAY
B- Breakfast burritos
L- Potluck (tuna noodle casserole & carrot soufflé)
D- Homemade Pizza

MONDAY
B- Wheat Bran Muffins
L- Leftover Tuna Noodle Casserole, carrots
D- Black Bean Burritos, Spinach salad

TUESDAY
B- Left-over muffins & fruit smoothies
L- Egg & Spinach wraps, Fruit Slices
D- Cabbage Roll Casserole

WEDNESDAY
B- Biscuits & Eggs
L- Baked potatoes & sautéed greens
D- Church Pot-luck (I’ll bring left-over cabbage casserole)

THURSDAY
B- Granola
L- PB&J sandwiches, fruit slices
D- Mentoring Moms (mom’s night out!)

FRIDAY
B- Cereal w/Fruit
L- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Apples
D- Venison steaks, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls

SATURDAY
B- Pancakes with blueberry sauce
L- Chef Salads, fruit
D- Chicken Tetrazzini, Leaf lettuce w/ Strawberries & Mandarin Oranges w/Sue’s dressing, garlic bread

RECIPES

Black Bean Burritos
via http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Delicious-Black-Bean-Burritos/Detail.aspx?prop31=6
Tonight was the first time I’ve made this. We thought they were “ok” despite the rave reviews from others.

INGREDIENTS
· 2 (10 inch) flour tortillas
· 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
· 1 small onion, chopped
· 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
· 1 teaspoon minced garlic
· 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
· 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno peppers
· 3 ounces cream cheese
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

I altered:
· I used dry beans (soaked overnight, rinsed, and simmered 2 hrs.; used 15 oz. cooked beans)
· ½ can Rotel
· 1 tsp. cumin
· 1 tsp. chili powder
· ½ tsp. garlic salt
· We added Taco Bell sauce to each burrito

DIRECTIONS
1. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven heated to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.
2. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapenos in skillet, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour beans into skillet, cook 3 minutes stirring.
3. Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to skillet with salt. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir cilantro into mixture.
4. Spoon mixture evenly down center of warmed tortilla and roll tortillas up. Serve immediately.


Cabbage Roll Casserole
via http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cabbage-Roll-Casserole/Detail.aspx?prop31=2
This will be my first time to try this recipe, so I don’t know how well we’ll like it. I plan on using purple cabbage as that’s what we got from co-op.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 1/2 pounds chopped cabbage
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 teaspoon salt
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth

I plan on using a jar of spaghetti sauce (or making my own) so that the recipe will have some Italian spices…otherwise I’m afraid it will be too bland. This is similar to Stacy’s Cabbage Casserole (which we really like & have received several compliments on at potluck).

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, brown beef in oil over medium high heat until redness is gone. Drain off fat.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the onion, tomato sauce, cabbage, rice and salt. Add meat and mix all together. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour broth over meat mixture and bake in the preheated oven, covered, for 1 hour. Stir, replace cover and bake for another 30 minutes.

Chicken Tetrazzini IV
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tetrazzini-IV/Detail.aspx?strb=1 Once again, a new recipe I haven’t tried yet. I plan on following several of the suggestions posted by other reviewers. We’ll see how it turns out.

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, broken into pieces
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sherry
1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in chicken broth and cream.
4. Return to heat, and bring to a low boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sherry, then stir in cooked spaghetti, mushrooms, and chicken. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish, and top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

About a month ago I began making our own laundry detergent. I made two seperate recipes, one for our clothes and another for cloth diapers. I have a few friends who have asked for the recipes, so I'll post them in hopes that it will help others too.

Cloth Diaper Laundry Soap (Powdered)
I got this recipe online from Andrea Erickson http://www.scribd.com/doc/10267990/Homemade-Laundry-Soap-Detergent-Recipes She has 13 different cloth diaper recipes and this one just happened to call for what I already had on hand. Also, I multiplied the recipe by 5 or 6 so that I don't have to make it often. It's worked great and diapers always come out smelling fresh & clean.

1 c. Washing Soda (I couldn't find this at Wal-mart, but HEB sold it)
1 c. Borax (20 Mule Team)
1 c. Oxyclean Free

• Mix the ingredients well and place in a sealed container.
• Use 2 T. for a small load, 1/4 c. for a large load.
• I usually add one drop of lavender pure essential oil to the wash.

Old Fashioned Laundry Soap

I got this recipe via A Virtuous Woman: http://www.avirtuouswoman.org/forum/topics/by-request-homemade-cleaner I'll just list the ingredients. If you want all the instructions than click on the link. She also has great recipes for homemade dryer sheets and other household cleaners.

1 box of Borax
1 box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
3 - 5 Cups Baking Soda
2 bars of grated soap ( Use either one of the following or a combo of the following; Ivory, Fels Napha or Zote; I used "Pure Soap" from Calben that I had ordered months ago.)
2 c. Epsom Salt
10 - 15 drops of Pure Essential Oil(s) ( I use one or a combo of the following - Tea Tree Oil; Lavender; Eucalyptus; Cedar)

I ended up halving the recipe and it still made TONS! I use 2 Tbsp. per load (sometimes 3 for an extra large, extra dirty load). Also, I didn't add my lavender oil to the mix but instead just put one drop in the wash each time I do a load. So far it's worked well and was really easy to make. I ended up storing mine in gallon-sized ziplock bags.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Caden!!

We started the morning off with pancakes shaped as the number "2". The baster made this much easier! Caden was so excited! He was really thrilled about the two candles we put on his pancake and let him blow out.

Marmee and Pa Pa came over for dinner and afterwards we enjoyed strawberry cupcakes (icing free) and homemade strawberry ice cream. I'll try and post the recipes for both sometime next week.

As soon as he finished blowing out the candles he dove right in. In fact, I had to stop him to remove the cupcake liner before letting him proceed. Yum, yum!

Caden enjoyed a few bites of cupcake but couldn't wait for the ice cream (which he's been begging for for weeks now!). His semi-new phrase that he now uses ALL THE TIME is "No, me do it, mama." If he needs my help he'll ask, but he's definitely enjoying gaining some independence. Here Caden enjoys feeding himself BIG bites of ice cream. We put his in a little cup instead of a big bowl but I think he ended up having about 8 cups worth! Oh well, birthdays come but once a year.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I realize I haven't posted any pictures of our sweet boy in WAY too long...especially for the great-grandparents & distant aunts/uncles. So here are a few of Caden's favorite activities documented via photos. I'll try & post birthday pictures later.

Caden LOVES to climb the ladder and get up on the roof with his daddy. Here's a picture I took from our living room of my guys looking through the skylight.

We finally caught the noisy rat in our attic that was keeping us awake at night. I don't know why I'm posting this gross picture other than to tell you that another one of Caden's favorite things is to go up into the attic with his daddy to check the mouse traps. A lot of times Braden will place a stick into the trap so Caden can hear/watch the trap go off. He loves these educational "field trips" with daddy and can't wait to tell me all about them when he gets back in the house. He keeps saying, "Dangerous, dangerous; mouse trap loud....boom, BOOM, no touch, ouch......" and on and on he goes. Then he demonstrates the trap with his hands before begging to go see it again!

Caden loves to play outside and he loves to play with balls...even deflated ones. He's so silly and enjoys putting on a show for his mama.

Caden loves to have daddy put him in the airplane swing and spin him. In fact, his favorite is to swing high and spin at the same time. Just to watch him makes me dizzy, but when I was his age I'd do the same thing in a tire swing....spin and spin until I couldn't even walk.

Menu

Sunday
B- cereal with fruit
L- Breakfast foods potluck at church
D- Leftovers

Monday
B- Whole wheat banana muffins
L- Personal pizzas, chips, grapes
D- Garbanzo bean & veggie soup, cornbread muffins

Tuesday
B- Toast & Eggs
L- Lunch with friends
D- Turkey chili with rice, salad

Wednesday
B- Oatmeal with apples
L- Turkey sandwiches, veggie dippers, fruit
D- Cheddar Broccoli soup (church potluck)

Thursday
B- Biscuits & eggs
L- Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, yogurt, fruit
D- Left-overs

Friday (CADEN'S B-DAY!)
B- Pancakes (in the shape of the number 2)
L- Grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit
D- Caden's favorite: Pan grilled fish, homemade fries, fried okra, salad
Homemade peach (or strawberry?) ice cream for dessert...& a cupcake on which to place two candles.

Saturday
B- Waffles
L- Tuna fish sandwiches, veggie dippers, fruit
D- Spaghetti, green beans, garlic toast, salad

Soli Deo Gloria

The following is an email I got from my dad (he sends weekly thoughts to his Bible class). I was challenged by the S.D.G. comment. May all we do bring glory to our God!

Dear Class,

The following passage is from Exodus 35:30-33. 30
Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship.

Len asked Sunday what does it mean to be made in the image of God. I believe the passage above is a part of the answer. We appreciate music and fine art because God has put that into our souls. On Monday we had a picture on the wall that had been bumped and was crooked. We had to straighten it. Why? Why should we care if a picture frame is off from level by an inch or two? Being bothered by a crooked picture frame is part of what makes you different from every living animal. Your desire to create, have purpose, and to live for the future are all ways in which we differ from animals.

I recently read that Johann Sebastian Bach put S.D.G. at the bottom of all of his compositions. The letters stood for Soli Deo Gloria--to the glory of God alone. We do not all have the talents that the Lord gave to Bach, but S.D.G. should be on everything we do--every thought, word, and action. We are not animals. We are spiritual beings who can choose to live for the Lord and to bring him honor and glory.

Two passages to ponder:

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God," 1 Corinthians 10:31.

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us," 1 Peter 2:12.

*Entries that are italicized are the ones with a recipe included*

SUNDAY
B- Oatmeal
L- Taco Salad (Mexican Stack-up)
D- Homemade Schlotzsky's(I’ll include the recipe another time), Chips, Green Milkshakes for dessert

MONDAY
B- Whole Wheat Muffins
L- Turkey on Rye, Bethany’s Favorite Salad
D- (Meatless Mondays) Mary’s Oriental Coleslaw, Baked Beets, Carrot Souffle, l.o. Rolls; Grapefruit for Dessert

TUESDAY
B- Spinach Mushroom Frittatas, Sliced Strawberries
L- l.o. Coleslaw, Fruit Slices
D- Sloppy Joes, Baked Beans, Potato Salad

WEDNESDAY
B- Whole Wheat Biscuits & Eggs
L- Tex-Mex Turkey (Chicken) Soup
D- Church Pot-luck (I’ll bring Broccoli Salad & l.o. Baked Beans)

THURSDAY
B- Oatmeal w/Fruit
L- Egg & Cheese Burritos w/Greens (either kale, or spinach depending on co-op), Strawberries
D- Left-Overs

FRIDAY
B- Cereal w/Fruit
L- Bubbie’s Borscht (new recipe that I may not care for; I’ll include the recipe another time if it turns out), Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Apples
D- Veggie Pizza; Green Milkshakes for dessert

SATURDAY
B- Cinnamon Rolls (It's getting late, so I'll include this recipe closer to Saturday)
L- Egg Salad Sandwiches, Harvard Beets
D- Poppyseed Chicken Casserole, Spinach Salad w/ Strawberries & Mandarin Oranges (variation of Bethany’s Favorite Salad), l.o. Beets

RECIPES

Green Milkshakes
3 c. Swiss chard (may use kale, spinach, lettuce, etc…)
2 bananas
1 c. strawberries
4 ice cubes
1 ½ c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
sprinkle of sugar or squirt of agave

Combine ingredients in blender in the order listed. Blend on high about 2 minutes or until completely liquefied. *Caden begs for this everyday!* Sometimes I substitute frozen peaches for the strawberries and then leave out the ice cubes. It’s a great way to get your greens!

Whole Wheat Muffins

6 c. whole wheat flour
½ c. flaxseed meal
2 T. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt

1 T. cinnamon

3 c. milk

3 eggs

½ c. butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and add to the dry mixture. Stir until just moistened. Fill greased muffin tins about ¾ full and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
*Recipe can be cut in half. Put 2 eggs in if halving.

Bethany’s Favorite Salad

Salad:
1 head of leaf lettuce (or a bag of spinach, chopped)
2 c. strawberries (sliced or chopped)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (I use the small can but you can use the large if you want more)

Dressing:
I either use Brianne’s Poppyseed Dressing or the following recipe:

1/4 c. Olive oil
2 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Combine all ingredients & refrigerate dressing long enough for it to be chilled when ready for use. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.

Mary’s Oriental Coleslaw

Coleslaw:
Cabbage, shredded (I used 2 lbs of a head; may use a 16 oz. bag of coleslaw)
8 green onions, chopped
2 pkg. Ramon noodles, crushed (don’t use the seasoning packets, just the noodles!)
¾ c. slivered almonds
¼- ½ c. sesame seeds
2 T. butter

Dressing:
1 c. olive oil (I use extra light)
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar (may use red wine vinegar or plain vinegar)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper (I put a little less)

Brown the almonds and sesame seeds in 2 T. butter until light brown. Cool on paper towels. Take shredded cabbage (I shred mine with a knife and then pulse it in the food processor so it’s in smaller “shreds”) and combine with green onions, Ramon noodles, slivered almonds, and sesame seeds. Mix dressing ingredients together and then pour over coleslaw mixing well. Refrigerate until chilled. *For crunchier noodles you can wait ‘till serving time to add them in (but I prefer to mix them in at the beginning and let it chill a while).

Carrot Souffle

2 c. carrots, cooked 2 rounded T. flour
1/3 c. sugar (recipe calls for ¾ c.; I used ¼ c. agave nectar)

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. butter, softened
3 eggs

1 c. milk

Topping:
1/3 c. brown sugar (recipes called for 1 c.!!)

1/3 c. flour
½ - 1 c. chopped pecans (I used the tiny bag of pecan pieces)

¼ c. melted butter

Puree carrots in food processor. Add sugar and butter. Beat eggs and add milk. Add mixture to carrots. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to carrots. Pour into a greased 8”x8” dish. Bake for 30 min. uncovered at 325 degrees. Remove from the oven. Combine topping ingredients and crumble over carrot dish. Place back in the oven to bake 30 min. longer.

Spinach Mushroom Frittata
I haven’t made this since we lived in California, but we really liked it then.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Fresh-Spinach-Mushroom-Frittata-86112
Update: This time I only used 1 clove of garlic, omitted onions (hubby doesn't like 'em), didn't use any mushrooms as we didn't have any on hand, only used 5 eggs, just sprinkled with salt and pepper (didn't measure), and I used 1/4 c. mozzarella & then sprinkled with grated parmesan.

Tex-Mex Turkey Soup
I plan on using canned chicken instead of turkey (the large can). This will help me use all the cilantro I’ve received from co-op before getting more the next day!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tex-Mex-Turkey-Soup/Detail.aspx

Broccoli Salad
The only change I make from the link is omitting the raisins and adding 1-2 c. grated cheddar cheese. Yummy!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alysons-Broccoli-Salad-2/Detail.aspx


Veggie Pizza
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it seems to have good reviews. I’ll have to let you know how ours turns out later!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Veggie-Pizza/Detail.aspx


Harvard Beets
This recipe is from Martha Storey’s 500 Treasured Country Recipes. I’ll let you know if we liked it next week. It’s another experiment for our beet surplus J

2 ½ tsp. cornstarch

¼ c . water

3-4 whole allspice berries

½ stick cinnamon
¼ c. vinegar

12 small beets, cooked, peeled, and sliced or cubed
½ c. honey

1 T. butter
twist of lemon peel

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the cornstarch and water; blend until smooth. Add the vinegar, honey, and spices. Boil for 5 min.Let the sauce cool for at least 30 minutes. Before serving, add the beets, butter, and lemon peel. Heat the mixture to a boil.

Recipes

Since it's already Wed. I'll just include several recipes that we enjoyed last week and this week. Since our veggie co-op started again you'll probably be seeing me use lots of recipes over the next several months that contain vegetables you may have never tried or may not care for (arugula, endive, turnips, Swiss chard, kale, escarole, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, etc...). If taste buds & the foods you end up liking are developed in utero than this baby should LOVE greens! Caden's even getting several servings of his "leaf veggies" each day (either cooked or raw in a smoothies). Maybe one of the recipes will help your family find a way to eat your greens that you just couldn't stand before. Happy cooking!!



Kale & Banana Smoothie
I got the idea from the following link http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kale-and-Banana-Smoothie/Detail.aspx but altered it a bit.

1-2 c. kale (remove the stems and tear leaves into pieces; we used about 2 c.)
1 banana
1 c. milk (yesterday I used 1/2 c. raw milk, 1/2 c. water, 1/4 c. cream, 4 ice cubes)
1 T. flaxseed meal
1 tsp. agave nectar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until the kale is completely liquefied (1-2 minutes).


Homemade Buttermilk
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/homemadebuttermilk.htm

When we got back from being out of town last weekend some of our milk tasted a bit sour. I decided to go buy a small carton of cultured buttermilk to use as a starter for making my own. Just follow the directions on the link above for WONDERFUL buttermilk! I've used it in tons of recipes this week and it's a great way to get more cultured foods into your diet. I left my 2 qt. canning jar filled with the milk & 1/2 c. store bought buttermilk in the dark cupboard overnight. In the morning it was perfect!


Buttermilk Wheat Bread
This recipe is from the West Bend Automatic Bread & Dough Maker booklet.

10 ½ oz (1 ¼ c. + 1 T.) Buttermilk, warmed to 90-100 degrees
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. bread flour
2 T. brown sugar (may use honey, but combine with buttermilk)
1 ½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 T. butter
1 ½ tsp. bread machine/fast rise yeast (or 2 tsp. active dry yeast)

Add liquid ingredients to pan. Add dry ingredients, except yeast, to pan. Tap pan to settle dry ingredients, then level ingredients, pushing some of the mixture into corners. Place butter into corners of pan. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients; add yeast. Lock pan into bread maker. Program for Whole Wheat and Medium bread color. When done, turn off & remove bread from pan. Cool on rack before slicing. Makes excellent sandwich bread!


Wheat Germ Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wheat-Germ-Whole-Wheat-Buttermilk-Pancakes/Detail.aspx

I followed the recipe from the link above except I used regular whole-wheat flour instead of w-w pastry flour. I can't remember now if I used olive oil in place of the canola or not. We also used our electric griddle instead of a frying pan.


Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins
(this is my new favorite banana muffin recipe...so moist & yummy!!)
http://www.recipezaar.com/Whole-Wheat-Honey-Banana-Muffins-115432


Followed the recipe exactly (used 4 bananas for the 2 c. mashed). Made 24 regular sized muffins plus 12 tiny muffins! Also, I baked mine for 18 min. instead of the 15.


Here's my sweet boy with carrots from our garden. Evidently the soil wasn't loose enough b/c all our carrots are short and squatty...but at least they still taste good. We used them in Mary's lentil soup yesterday.




Mary’s Lentil Soup

4 T. olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 lg. carrot, chopped
1 c. red lentils (or brown)
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
8 c. chicken broth (vegetable broth may be used)
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped (I used 1/2 c. b/c we had LOTS from co-op)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric (this is what gives it flavor/color)
salt & pepper (we didn't use any)

In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add chopped celery and carrots and sauté a few more minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hr. (Mine ended up simmering 2 hrs and was delicious!)



Mom's Spaghetti Sauce
I use this sauce recipe in Leanna's Stuffed Shells (recipe below).

2, 15-oz cans tomato sauce
1 T. dried basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

When using the recipe for spaghetti I also add:
1 lb. ground beef and 1/2 onion, chopped. Brown both, drain fat and add to the above sauce.


Leanna’s Stuffed Shells

1 box jumbo shells, cook & drain
26 oz. can spaghetti sauce (I use 30 oz. homemade if not in a hurry):
- (Hunt’s garlic & herb is good)
1-2 c. small curd cottage cheese (we used 1 c.)
2 ½ c. mozzarella (for stuffing)
½- 1 c. mozzarella (for topping)
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
½ tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 pkg. spinach, chopped (thaw & drain if frozen; we used 8 oz. fresh that I cooked before adding)

Cook shells according to package directions; set aside. Pour just enough spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan to coat; use the remaining sauce at the end. Mix the cottage cheese, mozzarella, egg, garlic, spinach, salt & pepper. Stuff each shell with the mixture and line the pan with shells. When all shells are filled, top them with the remaining spaghetti sauce followed by the remaining mozzarella (and Parmesan if using). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (may want to cover dish for first half of bake time).


Gratin of Kale
This recipe comes from 500 Treasured Country Recipes by Martha Storey. The first time I made this we actually used Swiss chard. The second time I used a combo of kale & Swiss chard and we added it to our breakfast burritos (scrambled eggs in a tortilla). We all went back for seconds...including Caden!

1 lg. bunch kale (about 1 lb...I actually weighed mine b/c my "large bunch" wasn't 1 lb. so I grabbed more)
2 c. water
1 lg. clove garlic, chopped (I used 3 smaller cloves)
2 T. olive oil
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. bread crumbs (I used the food processor on the heal from our homemade bread)
salt & pepper to taste

1. Rinse the kale in cold water to remove any sand. Trim off and discard the stems.

2. In a large saucepan, bring 1 c. water, lightly salted, to a boil. Add the kale (or Swiss chard), cover, and steam over med-high to high heat for 5-7 minutes. Drain and cut into 2-in. pieces.

3. In a large skillet, saute the garlic in the oil for 30 sec (I actually did it longer). Add the kale and remaining cup of water. Cover. Cook over high heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender. (I had to take the cover off for the last few minutes of cook time to allow the excess water to evaporate). Add the Parmesan and the bread crumbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.


Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Garlic-Cauliflower/Detail.aspx

I followed the recipe except I only used 4 small cloves of garlic (didn't come close to the 2 T. recommended). I also added some shredded Parmesan along with the grated. Don't forget to salt it (it needed it).

Sorry again for not posting my menu plan but hopefully the recipes will help.

Priorities

I'm trying to make sure my priorities reflect godly wisdom, so last week that meant I didn't have time to blog and today I didn't get my menu posted as I'd hoped. However, I'll try to post last weeks menu plan along with some yummy/healthy recipes tomorrow.

Saturday Braden and I visited all the folks on our street (about 20 homes) to invite them to our home for a time of prayer for our nation and any neighbor's needs. It was a way for us to meet several neighbors that we had never met. I didn't expect anyone to come except the pastor and his wife down the street, but we were pleasantly surprised tonight! Only 5 neighbors came (representing 3 homes) but it was definitely a start. One couple mentioned that we ought to do this every month. I'd definitely encourage all of you to do something like this if you've never met those in your neighborhood. A few families from church also joined us for the evening which was a blessing. I'm so thankful I married a man who is willing to get outside his comfort zone to lead our family in outreach opportunities. Thank you, Braden!

Caden memorized his first Bible verse last week: "Be joyful always." We even do the sign language as he says it. Being joyful was an issue last week, so we had to pray together several times about his disposition and then work on this Scripture. The verse came in handy for my disposition several times last week too :) I'm praying that I will teach and train Caden in such a way that he will be made hungry and thirsty to walk in the Lord's ways.

Sunday:
B- Left-over (L.O.) strawberry shortcake
L- Chili over rice, salad
D- L.O. fajitas & chili rellano at Mom’s

Monday:
B- Magic Muffins (recipe at the end)
L- L.O. chicken fried steaks, potatoes & gravy
D- Enjoying hospitality at friend’s

Tuesday:
B- Biscuits & scrambled eggs
L- Bean burritos w/salsa, fruit
D- Meatless: sweet potatoes, white hominy w/milk & a bit of sugar, tossed salad, fresh bread; molasses cookies for dessert (recipe below)

Wednesday:
B- Oatmeal w/fruit
L- Turkey sandwiches, apple slices, veggie dippers w/ ranch
D- Church pot-luck: Tuna noodle casserole, glazed carrots (bumped from last week)

Thursday:
B- Toast and eggs
L- Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, fruit slices, veggie dippers w/ ranch
D- Mexican Casserole (recipe below), tossed salad

Friday:
B- Cereal w/fruit
L- Grilled cheese sandwiches, apple slices, veggie dippers w/ranch
D- Pan grilled tilapia, baked potato w/cheese, spinach salad, cheddar-garlic biscuits

Saturday:
B- Pancakes
L- Chicken salad w/crackers, fruit, veggie dippers
D- On the Road

Recipes

Magic Muffins (from the Malt-O-Meal box)
1 ¼ c. unbleached white flour (I use ¾ c. white & ½ c. whole wheat) ¾ c. Malt-O-Meal dry cereal (it’s wheat and barley)
1/2 c. sugar (I’ve used honey or ¼ c. white, ¼ c. brown sugar)
½ tsp. salt
1 T. baking powder
¾ c. milk
¼ c. oil (I use a bit less than ¼ c. olive oil and then add a couple T. of flaxseed meal)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Stir together until all ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into greased muffin pan, filling cups ¾ full. Bake 15 minutes or until center is firm to touch. Yield:12 muffins.

Grandma’s Mexican Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can Ranch styled beans
Tortilla chips
Velveeta cheese

Brown ground beef and onions in a large skillet, draining all fat/grease. Add soup, tomatoes and beans to skillet and heat. Grease 9x9 dish and pour half of the meat mixture into the dish. Top this with a layer of tortilla chips, then a layer of Velveeta cheese slices (sliced thin). Repeat layers (beginning with meat mixture and ending with cheese). Bake at 350 degrees until cheese has melted or slightly browned.

Lisa’s Molasses Cookies
When Braden was in seminary in California we were mentored by Fred & Lisa Mabie (Dr. Mabie was one of Braden’s professors). We spent lots of time at their home and went on several outings with them. I was even able to attend the birth of their fourth child. We were so blessed by their friendship! I wrote down several recipes from Lisa which I just love. Here is one of her cookie recipes.

2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. butter
¾ c. brown sugar
1/3 c. molasses (blackstrap isn’t recommended but will work)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first six ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and beat w/mixer until well mixed. Add flour mixture and beat. *** You can also use a food processor and combine all ingredients and pulse until well blended.***
Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool 1 min. on cookie sheet, and then remove them to cool completely. Makes ~ 4 doz.

Valentine's Day

Well when I was doing my meal plan last week I totally forgot that Saturday was V-day so midweek I changed Saturday morning's breakfast from pancakes to strawberry shortcake (the result is the above photo). I finished Disciplines of a Godly Family by Kent and Barbara Hughes last week and it was full of practical ideas, some regarding family traditions. Anyway, I decided that strawberry shortcake for breakfast will be the new Hoelzle family tradition for Valentine's day. I'm not a chocolate lover, but fruit desserts are my favorite, so this is definitely my type of Valentine's treat! In fact, growing up I would request strawberry shortcake or else cobbler for my birthday instead of cake. Braden decided this was his favorite strawberry shortcake he's ever had. I've always made the dessert using angel food cake or a yellow cake, but this uses a biscuit "cake." The recipe is also special b/c it was shared by Treebeard's Restaurant in Houston, the place Braden and I had our very first date. Here's the link in case you're interested http://www.recipezaar.com/Strawberry-Shortcake-a-la-Treebeards-41156
Next time I think I'll decrease the baking time to 12 minutes instead of 15.


After breakfast we picked up mom and dad for a morning out on the land. Caden loves riding the tractor with his Papa out at the land, so he had quite the morning despite the dropping temperatures.

We picked up a kite at Wal-mart for $1 and Caden enjoyed his first kite flying adventure.

My Boy!

More photos from this past week. Caden loves "working" in the garden. I love the surprised look on his face in the above photo!

Our broccoli did really well this year but most the plants are past the eating point now. Caden likes to pick the flowers and bring them to his mama to put in a vase....hasn't his daddy trained him well?! He wanted to put the hat on before going outside to work with his shovel. I hope he takes after his Great-grandpa Rampey and his PaPa's gardening skills. We've enjoyed broccoli, lettuce, carrots, and banana peppers this winter. I'm hoping our strawberry plants do well. They're looking good so far.

Caden loves to ride around the house in his hand-me-down gator (Thanks Shannon!!). Notice that he loaded all his pacies into the back. He's not allowed to have them in his mouth during the day so I guess he figures carrying them around with him is good enough.

Longview

Here are some pictures from our time in Longview last weekend that I'm just now getting around to posting. We had such a good time with Braden's family. Caden loves his Mimi and Papi and all his aunts/uncles/cousins! Caden was imitating his Papi and Daddy pointing to the clouds.

This picture was taken about 4:30 in the afternoon and our children are still in their pajamas. Hey, we're on vacation! Caden loves spending time with his cousin Mabry. The whole way home and several times this past week he asked for her and would say, "more Mae Mae" and then ask to go back to "Mimi's school" to play on the slide. He thoroughly enjoyed the visit!

I think it's so funny to watch how children imitate each other.

What a blessing to have cousins close in age!

Menu & Recipes

Well, I once again didn't get my menu posted as early as I wanted, but it is still Monday. We had a great weekend with Braden's family in Longview and got home about midnight last night. Caden loved getting to play with his cousin Mabry and has asked for "more Mae Mae" several times today. I finished the 30-day challenge from http://www.truewoman.com/ last week and loved getting up early each morning to read the day's message. I encourage those of you who have never signed up to take the challenge. It will definitely be a blessing!

Once again, I hope the menu plan helps...I know it helps me be more organized! If I don't include a recipe that you'd like to have just post a comment or email me and I'll try to get it to you.

Monday:
B- Bran Flax Muffins (recipe at the end)
L- Bean burritos
D- Chicken pot pie, salad, rolls (at Mom & Dad's)

Tuesday:
B- Biscuits & gravy, hash browns, scrambled eggs
L- Nacho grande (tortilla chips topped w/refried beans, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc...)
D- Stacy's Spinach Alfredo Pizza, tossed salad

Wednesday:
B- Yogurt & granola, fruit
L- Turkey sandwiches, apple slices, veggie dippers w/ ranch
D- Church pot-luck: Tuna noodle casserole (recipe at end), glazed carrots

Thursday:
B- Toast and eggs
L- Sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas, fruit
D- Leftover tuna noodle casserole

Friday:
B- Cereal w/fruit
L- Grilled cheese sandwiches, apple slices, veggie dippers w/ranch
D- Chicken fried deer steaks, mashed potatoes, gravy, fried okra, salad, rolls

Saturday:
B- Pancakes
L- Egg salad w/crackers, fruit, veggie dippers
D- Fajitas, chili rellano (recipe below)

RECIPES:

Bran Flax Muffins (from the back of Bob's Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal bag)
1 ½ c. unbleached white flour ¾ c. flaxseed meal ¾ c. oat bran 1 c. brown sugar 2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ c. carrots, shredded
2 apples, peeled and grated
½ c. raisins (optional, I included; dried cranberries would be good too)
1 c. nuts (I omitted this)
¾ c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together flour, Bob’s Red Mill flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins, and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (I baked 18 min. & mixture yielded 20 muffins).

Spinach Alfredo Pizza (via Stacy Neal's blog...thanks Stacy!)

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Measure cream and butter into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Stir w/ fork. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese and stir till cheese is melted. Add pepper to taste. Pour sauce over your favorite pizza crust. Top w/ package of frozen spinach (thawed and drained). Sprinkle w/ Mozzarella cheese (I usually add a little shredded parm. too). Bake at 400 degrees until melted.

Nannie's Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 can tuna fish
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¼ c. milk
½ c. grated cheddar cheese (I use a bit more)
8 oz. egg noodles, cooked
salt & pepper to taste
¾ c. crushed potato chips (I never add these)

Cook noodles and drain. Add cream of mushroom soup, tuna, milk and salt & pepper. Heat over med-low heat on top of stove. Pour into a greased baking dish and top with grated cheese and chips. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts.
*Alternative cooking method (I use this): Cook noodles and drain. Combine remaining ingredients into pot. Heat all ingredients on the stove-top until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Mom's Chili Rellano

½ c. plain yogurt
2 eggs
5 T. flour
½ c. cheddar cheese
½ c. mozzarella cheese
2 (4 oz.) cans whole green chilies, drain can and slice open chilies to lay flat (diced can be used if whole can’t be found)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 7x9 casserole dish. In a small bowl combine yogurt, eggs and flour, mixing until smooth. In another small bowl combine cheeses. Line the casserole dish with a layer of green chilies (first can), topped with half of cheese mixture. Top with half of yogurt mixture. Add another later if green chilies (remaining can), followed by remaining cheeses and then topped with the remaining yogurt mixture. Bake 25 min. or until not soupy in the center. Top with tomato sauce and bake 20 minutes longer or until the middle of the dish is set. Serves 6-8.
*May bake dish in microwave at 80% power for 10 min. Top with tomato sauce and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

It's a......

Well, Caden is going to be a big brother to a baby BOY! We are SOOOO excited! Now Braden will let us start discussing names :). Everything looked great on the sono. He's already one active little boy which was a blessing to see. I'm so glad Caden will have a brother close in age to grow up with. We're now in Longview and enjoying time with family. Caden loves playing with his cousin Mabry, and he's so excited to be at Mimi and Papi's house. Keep praying that the pregnancy goes well and that the Lord blesses us with a healthy little boy who will have a heart for Him even from an early age.

Baby, Boots, Bed, and Books

Before I begin posting pictures I'll go ahead and announce that today we go to Houston to find out what gender we are expecting. I get lots of questions about if I have a "feeling" as to what he/she will be or if I have a preference. Honestly, I don't have a preference this round and I definitely don't have a "feeling." I can see lots of advantages to us having a girl and lots of advantages for us having a boy. Eventually we'd love the Lord to bless us with lots of each gender, so this time around it'll be exciting to find out, but I'm not holding my breath either way. I'll try to post the big news tomorrow morning (I think it'll be too late when we get to Longview).

Last weekend we went to an outdoor expo put on by a local Christian men's group. Caden loved it! He went fishing, jumped in one of those inflatable bouncing houses, painted, went on a tractor hay ride, played miniature golf (he was actually pretty good!), and enjoyed petting all the goats and sheep (trying to kiss their faces....yuck!). As soon as we got home he ran to our bedroom so he could put on "daddy's boots." He's growing up so fast!
His favorite activities right now are playing "superman" with daddy (Braden flies him around the house and throws him up in the air), enjoying a "blanket ride," playing outside with Angel, making playdough creations, playing hide-n-seek, and being read to. He also love to build forts out of the couch cushions, climb up the cushions and then tumble down.
He's still saying "yes sir" to everything instead of "yes ma'am" but I wouldn't dare correct him as I love his sweet politeness (even if he does get my gender wrong). Now he even says it without me asking him a direct question. I'll say, "Caden we're going to go by Marmee and PaPa's house after we go to the store" to which he replies, "yes sir!" He's such a sweetheart!

We moved Caden into a "big boy bed" a little over three weeks ago and he's done great! It was the top bunk to our bed in the guest room so it sits really high off the ground. We put a barrel next to the bed (and weighed it down with some heavy books inside) so that Caden can use the barrel to get up and down off the bed. We left the crib since he'll be sharing the room with the baby (assuming they don't wake each other up) so the room is pretty crowded now but he doesn't seem to mind. He's still a great sleeper (8pm-7:15 am) and loves his new sleeping arrangement!

Last weekend we enjoyed dinner with our good friends from church (Josh, Leanna, Tyler and Lilly). Before leaving Caden enjoyed "Mrs. Leanna" reading the boys a book. Tyler and Caden are only 5 weeks apart and are good buddies. Caden asks several times a week (or is it several times a day!) for us to go to "Tyler's house." What a blessing to have Christian friends who love the Lord and are seeking to live "set apart lives" for His glory, raising their children to be faithful instruments of our King!

Menu & Recipes

I meant to post my menu plan on Sunday, but better late than never. We're leaving to go to Longview on Thursday so I'll combine this week and last weeks menu plan so you'll have more ideas in case you're interested. I'll try to always post the menu early Monday morning, but we'll see how consistent I am.
Also, every Sunday at lunch (L) and every Wednesday at dinner (D) our church eats together. On Wed. it's always potluck so I may just list the item that I plan to bring. Also, usually every Monday I do "Muffin Monday" for breakfast (B) and "Meatless Monday" for (D). It's a good evening to focus on those in poverty throughout our world and to remember and pray for all our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sunday:
B- toast & scrambled eggs w/cheese
L- Baked potatoes with chili and broccoli cheese soup, salad
D- Dinner with friends

Monday:
B- Ugandan baked oatmeal (recipe below)
L- Grilled cheese on rye/wheat (bread recipe below), pear, broccoli w/dip
D- Twice baked potatoes I didn't follow the recipe, but it's close to this one http://www.recipezaar.com/Best-Twice-Baked-Potatoes-79595,
cooked broccoli, sliced tomatoes, bread, applesauce (recipe below)

Tuesday:
B- Oatmeal raisin toast
L- Grilled turkey & cheese sandwiches, bananas, broccoli
D- Aunt Martha's chicken & mushrooms (recipe below), wild rice, Pachta's green beans(recipe below)

Wednesday:
B- breakfast casserole
L- tuna salad sandwiches
D- Pot luck; corn, leftover breakfast casserole :)

Thursday:
B- cereal
L- turkey sandwich, fruit, raw veggies
D- Mentoring Moms (served stir-fry over noodles)

Friday:
B- biscuits & eggs
L- tomato soup, grilled cheese, pear
D- Venison strogonoff over brown rice (recipe below), baked broccoli, corn

Saturday:
B- pancakes w/syrup (recipes below) & eggs
L- chicken salad sandwiches, fruit, veggies
D- Leftovers

Recipes:

Ugandan Baked Oatmeal
When my parents went to Uganda in 2002 mom came back with this recipe. If you don't decrease the sugar than it's really sweet...almost like eating oatmeal cookies for breakfast!

muffin:
1/2 c. oil (I use olive oil)
1 c. sugar (I think 1/2-3/4 c. would be better)
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. oatmeal (I use old-fashioned)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
sauce:
2 c. milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (warmed)

Mix all ingredients together and place evenly in 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes. They don't bake like a muffin but rather can be very "crumbly". To serve, crumble oatmeal muffin in a bowl and cover with milk sauce.

Rye/Wheat Bread (for bread machine)
This recipe is from my West Bend bread machine book which I've slightly altered (I bought the bread machine/book at a garage sale for $5 and use it all the time!). I makes a 1 1/2 lb. loaf. It makes wonderful toast and delicious grilled cheese sandwiches!

8.5 oz (1 c. 1 T.) warm water (90-100 degrees)
1/8 c. honey (I warmed it with water)
1 c. bread flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. medium rye flour
1 T. dry/powdered milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 T. butter
2 tsp. active dry yeast OR 1 1/2 tsp. bread machine/fast rise yeast (I used the later)

Add liquid ingredients to pan. Add dry ingredients, except yeast, to pan. Tap pan to settle dry ingredients, then level ingredients, pushing some of the mixture into the corners. Place butter into corners of pan. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients; add yeast. Lock pan into bread maker. I used the "basic/specialty" and "medium bread color" settings. It was ready in 3 1/2 hrs.

Applesauce

5 lbs apples, cored and chopped into med. chunks (may peel apples, I didn't)
2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar (may use more or less as desired)
1/4 tsp. each salt, cloves, nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I like more)
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything in a saucepan, cover and boil over medium heat until apples are tender. Remove from heat and add vanilla. I use a potato masher to then mash some of the chunks/slices. Serve warm or chilled. (I always mix it with flax seed meal when serving for added nutrition and texture....it makes it taste more like an apple cobbler!)

Aunt Martha's Chicken & Mushrooms
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1/4-1/2 c. flour (season with salt & pepper to taste)
1/2 c. milk or cream
2 T. butter (may need a bit more)
4 oz can of mushrooms (may use 1/4 lb. fresh)
Parmesan cheese (may use ~1/4. c. grated Parmesan)

Saute mushrooms in melted butter. If fresh, do not allow them to get soggy. Remove from skillet and set aside. Slice chicken breasts into small chunks, removing any gristle. Lightly coat each piece with flour mixture and brown in butter in skillet (may need a bit more butter if none is left from browning mushrooms). Heat only until chicken pieces turn white, turning to heat each side. Remove chicken from heat and place into a greased baking dish. Top with mushrooms. Pour milk or cream to cover chicken pieces with a light film (1/4-1/2 c.). Sprinkle heavily with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes.

Pachta's Green Beans

1 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen green beans (I usually use 2 cans of whole green beans, drained)
2 T. butter
2 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil (may use fresh; adj. amt. to taste...I often use more)
2 c. halved cherry tomatoes (I usually use Roma tomatoes, diced)

Cook beans (or heat if canned) until tender. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a skillet and add spices. Add halved tomatoes and stir gently to coat. Saute just a few minutes. Pour butter and tomato mixture over the beans and stir gently to combine.

Beef/Venison Strogonoff
This isn't the healthiest recipe (with can soup and packaged soup mix) but it sure is easy!

1 lb. ground beef or ground venison (we used venison this time)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of water
1 packet of onion soup mix
8 oz. sour cream

Brown meat in the skillet, draining any grease. Combine meat with remaining ingredients and simmer on low about 30 minutes. Serve over cooked rice or noodles (we use brown rice or egg noodles). Serves 8 but the recipe is easy to half.

Oatmeal Pancakes
This is one of my favorites (from Storey's 500 Treasured Country Recipes). I'm always on the look out for good pancake recipes, so if you have one I'd love to get it!

1 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. unbleached white or all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 c. milk
2 T. brown sugar
5 T. butter, melted

Whirl the oats in a blender until they become a fine powder; a few traces of flakes are fine. Pour into a large bowl, then mix in the flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a med. bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then whisk in the milk and sugar. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the liquids and stir briefly. Add the melted butter and blend just until no traces of dryness are visible. Let the batter sit for several minutes, then cook on a hot griddle. Yields 14, 4-in. cakes.

Maple Syrup
We like real maple syrup but I often make this as it's definitely cheaper.

1 c. water
2 c. sugar, white or brown
(I usually use just 1 c. total, 3/4 c. white and 1/4 c. brown, but it does make the syrup thinner)
1/4 tsp. maple flavoring

Stir ingredients together, Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes. Cool a bit before serving. Store in the fridge if not used within 2 weeks.

Hope you the recipes are helpful with your meal plans!

Frugal Fridays

Just wanted to encourage those of you who are trying to budget or use meal plans to check out the Frugal Fridays entries on the Biblical Womanhood site. I have their link listed under my favorite links on the side. If any of you have tips on frugality you can add a link to your blog's entry on the Biblical Womanhood blog.

Braden and I have been keeping track of every penny we spend this year and it's been really fun. I try to work on the budget and my weekly meal plan on Sunday afternoon when Caden naps. They are both relaxing/enjoyable activities so I like doing them on my "day of rest."

It's also helped reading Stacey Neal's blog each Monday when she posts her weekly meal plan. I've discovered some great recipes and links through her posts...thanks, Stacey! I'll try and start posting a weekly meal plan (hopefully Sun. afternoons) in case the ideas might help anyone. I hope you all have a blessed Friday joyfully fulfilling the role God has for you!

My Husband Rocks!

Before sharing one of the qualities I love about my husband let me start off by saying that we had such a great date night on Monday! My parents agreed to keep Caden Mon. evening and let him spend the night over there (something Caden begs to do!). We had a gift card to Red Lobster so Braden took me out to a nice dinner and when we came home there were beautiful roses surrounded by butterfingers :) on the kitchen table! We had a fun evening enjoying a movie and two rounds of Settler's of Catan (our favorite game!) without any interruptions from our little one. What a treat!

This week I was reminded that one of the things I love about my hubby is that he's honest. Now, I guess this could be combined with being a man of integrity b/c he's honest even when it will end up costing him, even when it's clearly not to his advantage. I just love that!

"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out." - Pr. 10:9

"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful." - Pr. 12:22

"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." - Pr. 24:26....and we know how great that is!

I love you, Braden!

Like Mother Like Son

The other day I decided to read while Caden played outside in the dirt. However, as soon as he saw my chair and noticed what I was doing he stopped playing in the dirt and immediately wanted his chair and his books so he could "read" too. Braden happened to notice and took a few pictures of our little reader. Isn't it amazing the influence we can have over our children just by our example?

Of course, reading outside isn't a moral issue, but it just reminded me how God placed it within the heart of a little child to learn by following the example of those whom he is around. It reminded me of Luke 6:40 "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." I am Caden's teacher, but ultimately I want him to be like The Teacher, Jesus himself. I'm on day 21 of the 30-Day Make-Over challenge from Revive Our Hearts and several of the lessons have caused me to examine what type of example I'm setting for Caden (and for all those I'm in contact with).

• Do I have a joyful spirit as I go about the tasks the Lord (or my family) sets before me?
• Do I ever argue, complain or display a discontent spirit?
• Do I have spiritually focused conversation throughout the day?
• Am I "impressing" the ways of God upon Caden throughout the day (Deut. 6:7)?
• Is my speech always patient, kind and encouraging?
• Do I live each day in prayer and pray often with Caden?
• Am I honoring and respecting my husband so that Caden can see what a "godly wife" looks like?
• Do I always dress modestly and in a Christ-honoring way?
• Is my heart fully devoted to Christ?

I really encourage all ladies to take the challenge. It only takes a few minutes each day and is such a wonderful way to start your day!

Caden, Caden, Caden

I just love the age that Caden's at! His imagination is growing and he can keep himself entertained for quite a while now (which makes cooking dinner much easier for me!). He loves to build towers and roads with his blocks, but he especially likes knocking down those towers or roads. He's been using his "swords" a lot lately....I have no idea how he decided that the torn puzzle were his two swords). He even includes sound effects when destroying his creations. He's pretty entertaining to watch!

Caden still loves to help in the kitchen. He's still an expert "mess maker" but he's also learning to clean up those kitchen messes. Caden's favorite job these days is helping to load/unload the dishes from the dishwasher. His favorite part of unloading is putting all the knives/forks/spoons in the correct slots in the silverware trey. I never thought a 22 month old would be such a help! I love it!

He loves to help make biscuits and then eat the dough from whatever utensils we used. Am I the only mom that lets their toddler lick knives?

I just wanted to start out my Friday bragging on my hubby! I got up early this morning to finish working on my lesson for my Friday ladies Bible study, so Braden volunteered to watch Caden so I could focus. But he's also in the kitchen fixing me breakfast right now...what a treat! But those aren't what I was going to "brag" about today.

Today I want to express how grateful I am for being married to a godly man who really does lead our family. Each morning after breakfast he reads to me and Caden from Scripture or a devotional book and then leads us in a time of singing and prayer. I'm so thankful that Caden is growing up in a home where he can see his earthly father pointing him to his Heavenly Father each day! Braden, you rock!

God's Faithfulness!

The year ended on a sad note as my midwife's husband died on Christmas day. I know we can be filled with joy knowing that he's no longer in any pain and is with the Lord but my heart still hurts for her and the children he left behind. We came back from Longview sooner than planned for Braden to help conduct the memorial service.

Dec. 29th: At the service we were able to connect again with the Yoder family. They are an ex-Amish family that visited our church before the holidays. I was going to be assisting Darlene at the birth of their 9th child in a few weeks, so I was glad to have some time to visit more with them that day. It is so encouraging to hear their excitement over reading the Scriptures and hearing testimonies of how God has provided for them and revealed Himself to them!

Dec. 31st: Darlene sent Laura Yoder to the hospital for a detailed ultrasound b/c she had some concerns after an exam. To make a long story short, U/S indicated the need for an immediate C-section. A healthy baby girl was born about 5 pm but for Laura, the worst was yet to come. The doctors couldn't get her to stop bleeding and ended up having to perform a second operation just to try and get the bleeding under control. They ended up giving her many units of blood before putting her in a medically induced coma and life-flighting her to Corpus Christi.

As soon as we got the call that things didn't look good at all we immediately got on the phone and started calling people to be praying. The doctors told John he needed to go to Corpus to be with his wife (they later stated that they were sure she wouldn't survive) and leave the baby. I drove with Jackelynn, Leanna and her 3 month old baby Lilly to the hospital so we could keep the Yoder baby while John went to Corpus to be with Laura. Leanna made arrangements with John to nurse Lilly so that the baby didn't have to have formula. The family was so grateful! We ended up celebrating New Year's with the friendliest nurses at the small Beeville hospital taking care of a newborn...what a memory! John came back to see his baby girl about 2am and said she had undergone another operation in Corpus and had needed many more units of blood. Later than night she had come out of the coma but that things were still very critical.

Jan. 1st: The baby was named Anna Marie and we spent New Years in a hospital room taking care of her and Lilly. Leanna nursed both and we were praising God that Anna was a born expert! The hospital released us that night and Leanna was able to take both babies back to her home (where she kept Anna for a week).

Jan 2-7th: Laura shocked all the nurses and doctors b/c she had no brain damage, no nerve damage (both were expected) and was recovering quite well. Thank you all so much for continuing to keep this family in your prayers. God is truly the GREAT PHYSICIAN and performed quite the miracle in her life. Laura was released from Corpus on Jan. 7th (one week after the birth). That night our church drove down to their home and worshipped the Lord with them, declaring His goodness and faithfulness! It was such a sweet time. The family does not have much (financially) and so our church was blessed with the privilege of purchasing a used 15 passenger van for their family. John got his driver's license a few months ago, so now the whole family can ride places together.

There have been so many answered prayers (even little concerns) over this past week that I'd never be able to share them all with you. Thank you again for all of you that were lifting this family up before the throne. Prayer is powerful and our God is good!

Catching Up: Christmas '08

For Christmas this year we were blessed to go to California to be with my dad's side of the family. We finally got to meet Sabastian who was born at the end of Oct. He is absolutely precious and is an easy baby (Praise God!). Sascha and Caden were able to play some together which was fun to see. Sascha (four months younger than Caden) is reading like crazy! We even tested him by opening the phone books to some words...yep, he read them correctly! Amazing!


Caden had fun helping Marmee make Christmas cookies this year. I think adding the sprinkles was his favorite part....actually, I bet eating the dough was his favorite (the look he got on his face when it hit his mouth was priceless!).

Caden and Sascha had fun opening stockings together on Christmas morning. We filled his stocking with his two favorite things: baby food --which I hadn't bought him in months, and pacifiers--yes, we still need to break that habit! Mom also stuck in some bubbles and a toy car. The baby food was definitely the highlight for him--sweet potatoes, green beans, squash and his all time favorite- prunes. By the way, didn't mom do a beautiful job on his stocking? She made ours a couple years ago and has enough quilt left for 11 more children :)

As you can see, we haven't tackled the pacifier issue yet.

If he ever gets a hold of two of them this is what he'll do. That has to take some mouth coordination!

We flew from CA to Longview to spend the the weekend after Christmas with Braden's family. We had a great time but unfortunately I didn't take any pictures to prove it. I'm bad about taking pictures there as Caden has two uncles (Hilliard and Andy) who do such a good job.

Catching Up: Thanksgiving '08

It's been so long since I blogged (or uploaded the photos from my camera) that I decided I'd do a quick update from when I left off.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Abilene with Nannie and Grandad (my mom's parents). Caden loved to have Nannie read him books. She's quite the great-grandmother!

We took Caden to the zoo while in Abilene and he loved it. His favorite part was feeding the giraffes. Even now when I read a book and it mentions a giraffe he immediately says "crackers, eat" so I'm guessing he remembers the experience.

Caden loves to help in the kitchen! He is getting to become an expert at adding spices and then mixing them in. He loves to "stir, stir."

On our way home from Abilene we were able to go to the Heritage Homestead outside Waco for their Thanksgiving Fair. We had visited the Homestead before but not during the fair. Braden was able to help with a barn raising (He's in the middle of the photo) and we enjoyed seeing the crafts, hearing the choirs, and visiting with several of the families that live there. I highly recommend going sometime! http://www.homesteadheritage.com/

Now on to more "catching up" posts.

We're Pregnant!

This past weekend we surprised Braden's dad with a birthday party for his 60th. We had a wonderful time with Braden's parents and all his brothers and sisters and their families. While at the surprise party we got to announce our exciting news about expecting another baby. I'm 10 weeks along and due June 24th (if I remember correctly).

Since we we left town early Fri. morning I didn't have a chance to write up why my husband rocks. He has been such a help during this pregnancy! I didn't have much nausea with Caden but I've got it all day with this pregnancy...from the time I wake, throughout the day and even in the middle of the night. I'm thankful it's just nausea, but I'm hoping it won't last much longer. Braden has helped by cooking, cleaning, putting Caden to bed and getting up with him when he wakes early, eating his Doritos in another room (the smell makes me gag) and picking up special treats for me when I feel like eating. He is such a blessing!!!

We're now in Abilene for the Thanksgiving week. We have so much to be thankful for this year but I'm especially grateful for the new life that is growing within me right now. Isn't God good?!

Bragging, Books, and Bubbles

BRAGGING

I've been so encouraged by Stacy Neal's blog and have decided to join in on the "My Husband Rocks Friday" (assuming I can remember to blog each Friday).


This week Braden has pitched in BIG time when it comes to cleaning the house, washing dishes, and helping with Caden. I constantly catch him serving me in some way when I know there's probably a whole list of things that he'd rather be doing. Last night he offered to put Caden to bed and then while I blogged and joined Facebook he cleaned the kitchen (which was quite an ordeal after the mess Caden had made) and finished doing dishes. I'm so thankful the Lord brought us together and I look forward to the chance to brag on him each Friday!!





BOOKS


I just finished Hints on Child Training by H. Clay Trumbull (Elizabeth Elliot's great-great grandfather). It was originally published in 1890. Each chapter is short and sweet but full of practical info and ideas. I've been encouraged and challenged in reading it. Here's a quote from the back,



"Each of these short chapters amazed us with its depth of practical insights. Why the Bible says we must train our children's wills, not break them. Why scolding is always wrong--and what to do instead. How to train your child to be courteous, to deny himself, and not to pester. How to choose proper amusements and companions. How to nourish your child's faith. How to get willing obedience and respect from your children. This book will give you a whole new perspective on your joy as a parent--and a lot more hope! Every family needs this book." - Bill and Mary Pride

I couldn't agree more!

Braden finished Shepherding a Child's Heart last week and liked it and we are currently reading Safely Home together. Right now it's talking about the differences between the Hebrew and Greek way of education and the effect that has had on the family, the church , and the educational system. I'll have to write an update after we finish to give a better overview.

I'm also finishing Isaiah and the Lord keeps reminding me how we are to turn to Him and to Him alone in our lives. I've been reminded of the Lord's mercy and unfathomable love even when we are unfaithful and rebellious. I often get frustrated with Israel throughout Scripture but then have to remind myself that I'm no different. Just as Israel continued to be unfaithful, so I continue to struggle with a sinful spirit in my own life. Acquiring more patience and possessing a "gentle and quiet spirit" are my top desires right now. I just so thankful that I can turn to the Lord for my sanctification. I can grow so weary and discouraged when I seek to change through only my effort.

Finally, if any of you get the Above Rubies magazine (and I highly recommend signing up for the free mag if you don't!!!) you'll have to read the article about Jackelynn and Nathan's courtship and marriage. They go to our church and are dear friends. Even some pictures of them made it into the magazine. Pretty neat!




BUBBLES




Caden loves the bath but especially when it has bubbles! He now asks for them each time he gets in the tub.

Prayer Request

I attended another birth with Darlene (my midwife) this week and another healthy baby entered the world! Praise God!! But Darlene is having a rough week. Her husband, Ronnie has been battling cancer for a long time and this week has been tough. This morning while at his doctor apt. she called me to say he had just had a stroke and was being rushed to the ER. Later today she called to inform me that it was not a stroke but that the doctors discovered that the cancer has spread in his brain which is what is causing the stroke-like symptoms. I know she would appreciate as many prayers as possible. We serve a mighty, all-powerful God!

"Big Mess!"

While Braden's praying with Caden and putting him to bed I'll try to quickly update our blog.

For the past several weeks every time I'm ready to cook Caden pushes a chair from the dining room right next to where I'm working so that he can climb up and get a better view and be my little helper. I've been letting him help pour ingredients that I've already measured into whatever we are preparing at the time (with some help), but last week while I was gathering other ingredients he got his hands on the salt and I suspect he added more to my bread recipe. He was closing the salt at the time so I didn't really catch him but when we tasted the bread later that evening there was no doubt that the salt had been quadrupled (at least)! Then later in the week I actually did catch him adding salt to my sugar bowl. Of course, he always gives the biggest grin and often follows an episode like this with saying, "helper" which I'm sure he thinks he is :)

Yesterday I decided that maybe it would be better (for our taste buds at least) to give Caden a little bowl of flour that he could "cook" with while I prepared the real dishes. It certainly made a mess with all his stirring, measuring, pouring and tasting....but it kept him entertained the entire time! Tonight as I was fixing dinner he climbed up on his chair again, looked at his shirt and the floor and exclaimed, "BIG MESS!" Amen, Caden!

Busy, busy, busy

I feel like I haven't blogged about our family in a long time since the past month has been so busy. So, today I added lots of entrees during Caden's nap time to try and catch you up with the highlights from the past few weeks. You may have to scroll down and start reading with Capstone Estates. Also, I purposefully made the hog pictures smaller but I definitely recommend clicking on them if you want to see the details...very interesting!!

We finally sold Dakota to a family that had room for her to run and a husband waiting for her so that she could have puppies. I was a little sad watching her leave but that only lasted a few hours. I think we're all glad to just have Angel now. Backyard life has been MUCH better...no more holes in the yard or in my garden and no more chewed objects strewn throughout the yard...aaahhh :)

We are trying to either make our Christmas gifts this year or else buy things from garage sales. I'm also trying to have all gifts done by Thanksgiving so that the Christmas season can be less stressful and I can be more spiritually focused this year...we'll see how it goes!
Here Braden works on the blocks he's making Caden...isn't my hubby talented!

We put in a fall garden with lettuce, carrots, swiss chard, winter squash, peppers, broccoli, spinach, and LOTS of strawberries. I'll have to take a picture and post it once things get to growing well. We've also painted the trim on our house and are trying to work on other projects that need to be done before we sell our house someday (just so we don't have a ton of projects to accomplish at the last minute).

Our Friday Fellowship/bible study started back up and we are going through Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes. It had been about 5 years since I last read it so it's good to be challenged/encouraged by it again. Caden and I are taking sign language class with an 8 year old girls from our church at mom's house once a week (Mom is an excellent teacher!). He is picking up more signs all the time and loves to have me sign songs as we sing. Caden's favorite sign this week is "kangaroo."

The highlight for me from the past few weeks was assisting at Leanna's birth. It's hard to believe it was 19 months ago that I assisted at her first birth. Tyler now has a baby sister as we all welcomed Lilly into the world on Oct. 5th. It was another long labor but Leanna did GREAT and had another beautiful homebirth. I've got another birth to attend in November and am looking forward to it as well. What a miracle! God's perfection is so evident when witnessing new life come into this world!

Pumpkin Patch

We took Caden to a local church that has a pumpkin patch each year so he could help pick out our pumpkin.

Of course, I had to dress him in overalls for the pictures.

It was a bit hard convincing him that, though the orange spheres looked like balls, because they're actually pumpkins he really shouldn't throw them.

Last Wed. we drove to Beeville with friends from church to attend an Amish auction. I was hoping I would find a quilt or maybe a butter churn but unfortunately, it was mainly animals, buggies, and lots of horse items (saddles, whips...). I did pick up some honey and a few different herbs. Caden was thrilled to get to sit on the horse!

Let's Butcher!

Jackelynn and I weren't about to let the guys have all the fun. I just can't stop thinking about how much I missed out on having been brought up in the city...not that every girl who grew up in the country has helped butcher a hog.

I'm glad I had the experience but I'm also thankful Braden and Nathan were willing to finish off the job.

Sorry to all of you who are totally grossed out by these pictures, but I just think it's fascinating. I'm so looking forward to being a homeschool mom who gathers all her children on the porch so that can have a quick anatomy lesson as their daddy butchers their dinner.

The whole process definitely gives you a different perspective on eating the meat on your dinner plate!

Hog Hunt

Braden went hog hunting at dad's land with several of the guys from church a few weeks ago, and they ended up killing 5 hogs. Later that week he went again and the group killed 4.
They butchered most the hogs at a house near the land, but they did bring one home so that Jackelynn and I could watch. What an education I got!!


Choosing their weapons.

Stringing up the hog.

Starting to skin her.

Pulling the skin makes it go more quickly.

Capstone Estates

We had the grand opening for Capstone Estates two weekends ago. So much work has gone into this project over the last several years. I wish you could all have seen the land before it was cleared and beautified. You'll have to check out the website and commercial that my brother created.

http://www.capstoneestatesvictoria.com/

He is so talented! The commercial can be viewed from the website. It ran on our local news station the week before the opening. If any of you are interested in moving to Victoria than this would be a great choice :)

Braden's job is quickly turning into a part-time position, so we're praying about what the Lord has in store for our future. Please be in prayer this week for our family as we seek where and what the Lord is calling us to.

Fireproof

Ok, here's my plug encouraging everyone reading this blog to go see the movie Fireproof. It is put out by the same church that did Facing the Giants. Braden and I only go to the movies about once or twice a year but this movie is definitely worth supporting. We had a date night last Sat. to go watch it and then I went with friends from church to see it again the next day (I wanted to "vote" twice since it was opening weekend). Tomorrow night we will be going with another couple to watch it again. Here's the website which includes the trailer for those who haven't seen it yet http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/

And here's one of the posts from the movie blog:

Coming Together as One

In the opening two verses of Philippians 2, we read Paul encouraging the church with these words:“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

We’re pretty sure (okay, we’re certain) that Paul wasn’t referencing movies when he wrote these words. But if you want an example of people being “like-minded … being one in spirit and purpose,” all you needed to do was be at a movie theater yesterday that was showing FIREPROOF. People from every kind of church, large and small, were in the seats ... lots of seats!

Playing on 839 screens, FIREPROOF was the No. 3 movie in the nation on Friday! Read that again: the No. 3 movie in America! To put that in perspective … well, you can’t. Okay, we’ll try. Movies 4-8 on the list were on between 2,300 screens and 3,000 screens. Each.

You have flabbergasted Hollywood for a day. Thank you!

Now who’s up for doing it again today and tomorrow?If you haven’t seen FIREPROOF yet, please make a concerted effort to go between now and Sunday night. If you saw it yesterday, think who you know that needs to see it this weekend ... and take them with you.

Let’s continue to be one in purpose for building strong marriages ... and making an impact on Hollywood this weekend.

- Saturday, September 27, 2008

Never a Dull Moment

Thankfully Ike missed our city completely (but our living room still looks like a disaster at times). Last week we boarded up and left town with our friends and ended up enjoying a nice vacation with no damage to worry about. Many of our friends and family (even in Longview) were/are without power or water. It's amazing how much we take for granted until it's gone.
For all those who are being affected-y'all are in our prayers!

Caden's favorite activity these days is climbing up the couch obstacle course and tumbling down. I figure it's a great indoor muscle development activity. Of course, now that the weather is so nice here we spend much more of our day outside.
Thank you, Lord for cooler weather!

Just b/c the hurricane missed us doesn't mean we are short on excitement around here. The day I was packing up so we could leave town for the storm Braden called to tell me that the "controlled burn" on the land had gotten out of control. The fire department was on it's way but dad's van was gone. I asked him what he meant by "gone" and the picture below will explain :) I'm just grateful that both Braden and Dad made it out unharmed (although they'll probably loose a few years on their life due to all the smoke inhalation!).

So this is what "gone" meant.

Our Week

I'm finally back into a schedule and our whole family is benefiting!

I have been working on a control journal (still at the beginning stages) this week. When we moved to Victoria 1 1/2 yrs. ago I didn't have a clue what a control journal was but several of the ladies at church used one. I discovered it's not much more than a Home Management Binder. It has important info in one section, menu plans, cleaning lists/chores, shopping list, family calendar, budget items, Bible reading plan, Scripture memory page or whatever else you want to include. The following blog has an example of one http://susangodfrey.blogspot.com/2006/12/tour-of-my-home-management-binder.html

When mine is complete I'll try to post some pictures. As for now, here are some pictures from our week.

Every boy needs a picture wearing his daddy's boots :)

I usually toss the diapers in the dryer but have decided to try to dry them in the sun from now on. The only problem is that we don't have a clothes line yet so I had to concoct something over our driveway. I'm sure everyone who drives down our ally will think we're nuts... it does make a pretty amusing site.

We've decided to try and sell Dakota. I listed her on Craigslist this week but haven't put her in the paper yet. I also listed the doghouse...we've had lots of calls about it but none for her so far...we may just have to end up keeping her :) Caden does so love the dogs! If anyone is interested let us know!!!

Here are a two pictures of Caden taken before the haircut.

I do miss the curls but I'm finally getting used to the shorter look...kinda :)

First Haircut

Well, Caden's hair was getting pretty long and was getting in his eyes a lot so we decided he probably needed a little trim (just the back and a little above the eyes).

I LOVE Caden's curls and didn't want them to go....just a trim was all he needed.

My mom was gracious enough to do the honors.

Braden took video while I took pictures and Pa Pa tried to distract Caden.

Caden HATED the whole experience. In fact, hated might be an understatement!

He cried (screamed) the entire time! My mom is amazing to have accomplished a haircut on a thrashing boy without cutting off an ear or flailing hand.

I'm not sure exactly how it happened (I think the grandfather's influence) but soon curls covered the floor. See Caden's face? His face looks about like how I felt at the moment.

We tried moving outside thinking that might help Caden calm down....nope!

Maybe giving him the cell phone (a usual no-no)...nope!

Well, maybe the cell phone helped a little.

Finally there's a smile.

I think I'm still grieving...just hoping all the curls come back :)

Hard Worker

Braden and I watched a DVD called Teaching Responsibility by Michael Pearl several months back and really loved it. We've tried to apply some of the principles from the video at our home. Basically it teaches how to get your kids to enjoy working with the family.

This kid loves to help his Mama and Daddy (especially Daddy who lets him do all sorts of "boy" things).
Of course, at this age I guess most children love to help with chores.

Caden helping with laundry.

Helping Mama dust.

Leaning to use a hammer and nails.

Family Farm

Last week the ladies and children from our church had the pleasure of visiting the farm of the family from whom we've bought all of our vegetables this summer. We enjoyed having their family worship with us several times over the past year. Although the season has ended now it was great to see where all of our produce had been coming from.

Here are some pictures from our visit.

Several ladies from church. Notice Mykaela (center) who was one of my flower girls four years ago. She's now almost as tall as I! Both Bridget (far right) and Mykaela are such great helpers with Caden. They will make the most wonderful wives and mothers someday. It's hard to believe that I babysat Mykaela when she was Caden's age and now she's keeping him.

How time flies!

Stephanie and Caden enjoyed climbing in the back of the wagon. Stephanie (7) is quite the servant, always looking for ways to help and offering to keep an eye on Caden for me. She has such a compassionate heart for all of God's creatures.

Enjoying the hospitality and fellowship.

Caden LOVES tractors!!! He was so excited to get up and pretend to drive. He takes after his daddy and Pa Pa I guess.

Our wonderful hostesses: Mary, Hannah and Nanette