Not ready for snow, but will I ever be?

I woke up and peeked out the window to check the weather before I headed out to exercise. I found the ground covered in white stuff. I really felt like crawling back into bed and hibernating until Spring but since that isn't an option...I embraced the reality, bundled up and went out to exercise. I'm not ready for the snow, but then again, will I ever be?

Small Group!

Our small group got together tonight to hang out and connect with the Huffmans after Simon was in the hospital.

Who needs baby toys...matchbox cars are safe for babies, right?! They both have older siblings so whatever toys they can get their hands on are fair game.

Simon Huffman, Sam Smith and Traeger taste testing yummy treats. Apparently, Traeger is like his dad and likes variety.

Where is God?

Traeger got this blister and has been quite concerned about his owies. So we've been praying and talking about how God will heal his blister and soon he will have new skin. We were marveling at how awesome our God is that He made our bodies to make new skin over our owies. Traeger sat there quietly for a moment and then asked, "Mom, where is God? Is He in my toe?" Well, first I was stunned that my 2 year old was asking me this question, and then I responded by saying that God is not in his toe but that God is everywhere and in heaven. I don't think he could wrap his mind around it all, so he simply said, "Oh," and then moved on to the next thing. I am still trying to wrap my mind around so many of God's truths and will be for the rest of my life.

Playtime!

Bedtime!

Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day...and no that's not just because the kids are going to bed and I can have a little time to myself. I'd be lying to say that didn't have anything to do with it, but one of the other reasons is because I love hanging out as a family, reading bedtime stories and singing along with Traeger's cd before we say prayers and call it a night!

Winding down for the night.

Could she looked more relaxed?

Mom, you're interrupting my concentration.

Simon's home!

We got the call from Julie yesterday afternoon, telling us they were home and doing well! If you want... check out their website for the full story and pictures of Simon! http://www.cfsmissionaryupdate.com/go/huffman

Thanks for praying for them!

Bath time!

Blowing bubbles and then...

and he's up for air.

We are so grateful for a tub to blow bubbles in, go "swimming" in (when I went up to take pictures, Luke was teaching him the crawl stroke), to play in and ultimately to get clean in!

I love my Johnson and Johnson smelling babes :O)!

7 months old!

Ataly Raen is 7 months old.

Ataly enjoys:

- her exersaucer

- sitting up, playing with toys

- giggling with her brother

- putting anything and everything in her mouth

- cuddling when she's super tired

- sharing big smiles with everyone

- her food and dislikes cereal

- talking, and loudly at times

We praise God for your life, beautiful girl!

We trust God with your fragile little life.

Do you think they look alike?!

We love our Taylor and Jimmy!

Tonight we all went to watch the Medford volleyball team play in their first regional game. Medford won and will play tomorrow night in Mosinee! Good luck girls!

Can you tell by the smile on Traeger's face just how much he loves Taylor and Jimmy!?

We are so grateful for the love others have for our kids!

Praising God!

We were able to go visit with the Huffmans today. Simon was doing well and was chomping on a few crackers and sipping his juice while watching Thomas the train. On our way home we got the call from Matt saying Simon got the free and clear to go home tomorrow (Saturday) if all remained the same. There is no known cause as to why Simon had the seizures. We are praising God for his mighty hand on Simon's life.

Please Pray!!!

For those of you who are my faithful readers and sweet friends, please join me in praying for Traeger's friend, Simon! Simon is 2 months younger than Traeger! I'm not sure on all the details right now but will fill you in more as I know more. What I do know is that Simon had a seizure today and was hopitalized in Medford. Because of the circumstances, the doctors decided he needed to be life-flighted from Medford to Marshfield around 6:30 tonight.

Please pray for little Simon and his parents (Matt and Julie). We don't know exactly what is happening or why or what exactly to pray for. What we do know is that God knows what little Simon's body is experiencing and why, and that He loves Simon and we can trust Him.

Thanks for joining us in prayer.

Special gifts!

We got a pkg. in the mail from the Truwes (friends from college, who now live in S.A., TX), opened it up and were delighted to find monogramed kitchen towels! They sent the burp rags a while ago and I just never got around to posting them-sorry Jamie! Thanks Truwe's for these thoughtful gifts! We love them!

Cherry game!

Traeger and I picked up these cherry type berries on our walk. After supper Traeger was showing Luke the treasures we found on our walk and before long, Luke created the 'cherry game' and the two of them had a blast!

The boys hitting the cherry back and forth!

The simple joys in life!

Crunchy leaves!

In Medford, you rake your leaves to the curb and the city picks them up. On our walk, we saw this massive pile and I wasn't sure if I should let Traeger walk through it but... doesn't it look like too much fun to pass up?!

Got Milk?

How's this for timing?

Nana's applesauce!

Traeger's Nana (Luke's mom) makes the best applesauce in the world! Thanks Nana for all your hard work and for sharing the yummy treat with us!

Buddy and Nanny visit!

Luke's grandparents (Traeger and Ataly's great-grandparents) came to visit Monday-Tuesday. They are in WI for a short time as they travel from their summer home in NJ to their winter home in FL. It was a brief but productive and enjoyable time together!

Buddy wasn't here for long before they got right into the first project for the day...putting some insulation in the basement to keep those bitter, cold temperatures outside!

As always, Buddy and Nanny came bearing gifts....we appreicate their generosity! Our favorite gum was one of the many gifts they brought!

Cutting back our front 'tree' was another project we finished! Traeger got in on the action!

Buddy and Nanny treated to a lovely dinner at Florena's!

While the big boys were working on the house projects, Traeger and Nanny settled into a few good books and also put together puzzles together.

Thanks Buddy and Nanny for taking the time to come up and see our new home and love on us! We are grateful that y'all are healthy, active and can be a special part of our lives!

Green gum!

If you know us at all, you know we don't travel long or far without our green, tasty and fresh, Extra gum. We tried capturing a picture showing that Traeger has taken on the 'habit.' Don't worry we don't give him too much at once and he only is a few ounces heavier because of the small mass that fills his tummy because of the swallowed pieces :O).

Moving on!

Our associate pastor and his family took a new job in Denison, KS. Monday morning we went to church to send them off on their new adventure. Blessings to y'all!

Mission Team Reunion!

Sunday after church, we had the whole gang here for a '08 Mission Team Reunion! They had a great time reminiscing and being challenged not forget the lessons they learned from the trip. The greatest challenge of all was to keep pursuing a relationship with God and celebrate the journey He has them on!

A full house!

What's a room full of teens without lots of laughter and crazy fun?!

God's word!

Occasionally Traeger will pull out Luke's or my bible and will ask for us to read to him. It's a joy to be able to share God's word with our son. Here the boys are chatting about one of the stories Luke read. Our prayer is that Traeger will grow to understand and accept what an amazing and loving God we serve.

Out for a walk!

We had to go pick up our car that was at the "garage" getting an oil change and its tires rotated. Since it was so beautiful outside, we walked to go pick it up!

Ataly gobbled up her afternoon snack while we were out and about!

Before we left Traeger put 3 balls in his bag and carried it around his neck for most of our walk!

Snapshot!

Throughout our days there are many times I take mental snapshots of special moments I know won't last forever.

This happens to be one of them - Traeger with his blanket, his buddy "Frank," and his footie pjs, watching his morning show.

Culver's treat!

We traveled to Marshfieldto visit someone in the hospital and then got to stop at Culver's on the way home. I love a lot of things about this place... their cheesecurds, burgers, soups and ice cream just to name a few. Culver's is just a solid option. I think it's a good thing we don't live closer to one or I'd be a few pounds heavier.

Traeger is lovin' his special treat!

Special moment from our day!

One of my favorite activities during the day is when the kids and I settle into reading stories in our bed. Ataly is now at the stage where she likes grabbing at anything in sight and putting it in her mouth. Traeger and I got giggling so hard because Ataly kept trying to grab the books and put them in her mouth. You can kind of see in the picture Traeger is laughing and Ataly is intent on getting that book into her mouth!

It's that time of year!

We are learning that in order to have beautiful, lush shade trees in the summer, the downfall is to have enormous and abundant piles of leaves to rake in the fall.

What would a fall season be like though without the joys of playing in a pile of leaves!

Fall pic.

We have a lady at our church who does an amazing job with decorating in and outside the church. This arrangement is a perfect backdrop for a fall photo op. So during the birthday party we snuck out for a minute and got a kid to take the picture. Using a new tool that Elizabeth told me about (picnik) I worked on the photo and came up with this! I love the new tool and the picture!

Happy Birthday Atticus!

Sunday afternoon/evening we celebrated Atticus Pospisil's birthday!

Atticus and Kim opening up fun birthday presents!

It was a cowboy theme party. Traeger had a blast wearing Katie's cowboy hat.

Our trip down to meet Jackson!

On Saturday, we had a beautiful day to travel down to the Milwaukee area and meet our new nephew. Luke's brother John and his wife Nicole welcomed Jackson Luke into their family, Friday afternoon! He is doing great and was welcomed home Sunday afternoon by proud sisters, Annabelle and Madison!

Jack and Uncle Luke!

Luke was pretty honored that Jack's middle name was after him!

Auntie Kaela and Jack!

The Hatfield men :O)

Nicole and Jack share a birthday so they had delicious cupcakes to celebrate! Traeger couldn't miss out on the yummy treats!

After our visit with John, Nicole and Jack, we went to Luke's parent's house for supper! The girls were there so Traeger and Ataly got to play with their cousins for a few hours too!

Nanny and Buddy are in WI on their way from NJ down to their winter home in FL, so Ataly got some cuddle time with her Great-Grandma!

We rolled back into town around 11:45 p.m. It certainly was a full day of travel and visiting but we were blessed with a wonderful day of travel and continue to be blessed with amazing family to experience life with!