Thank you....

.... to David Letterman for this fabulous clip.  I am posting it merely because we all need to laugh more!  I am certain that if a camera followed me around half as much as one has followed George W. Bush for the past eight years, I would look even sillier than this (have I mentioned the number of brain cells that I have lost since giving birth to my children?!!)  We all say silly things once in awhile.... it's just QUITE silly when they are all pieced together!

Thankful Thursday...

Today, I am thankful....

1) That my parents and sis will arrive anytime! :)
2) That I have a great husband who has been so encouraging to me this week during some emotional times.
3) For a great snowblower.
4) For snow. If it's gonna be cold, we better have snow! :)
5) For coupons and deals. I've been able to save a lot of $$ on groceries and supplies over the past week.... very, very cool!

Have a wonderful, blessed day! Love ya!

Baby Tripp!

I am so excited. We were able to see pictures of our new baby nephew, Tripp Marshall, last night! Look at what a sweetheart he is!!! Congratulations to Kenny, Jill, and Lainy..... we love and miss you guys.... and can't wait to meet your handsome little fellow!

Also, to my dear blog readers, please send up a prayer for this little sweetie. He is still in the NICU as he is trying to figure out bottles and get off the feeding tube.... pray that it just clicks soon so they can bring him home!

Interesting....

Why, oh why, do elderly folks feel the need to attempt to ruin my day while I'm shopping with young children? If you are a regular reader at ourlittlescrapbook, you might recall the day that I shared that the old man followed me through Wegmans, to scoff, and yell at me, "Get that kid a pacifier" (when Isaac was having a typical 2-year old moment!) You also may recall the banter that occurred between me and numerous other shoppers at Aldi when a woman gave me a tract but wouldn't actually talk to me about Jesus.

Well, enter another scenario today. I survived four stops with my kids today (Aaron had a 1/2 day)..... Aldi, the gas station, Wegmans, and Target. At stop number three (Wegmans), I was waiting at the deli counter for #27 to be called. There was an older gentleman waiting in front of me.... at which point, my adorable, kissable little Isaac says to him, "Hi. My name Isaac. I 2. That Aaron. That mommy." (for the record, most people in most stores usually smile and enjoy a little, uplifting conversation with my overly talkative little guy).

Well, not this "kind", "helpful" man. He proceeds to turn to me and say, "What are you doing? You need to teach your kid to not talk to strangers."

After I picked my jaw up off of the floor, I said as sweetly as possible, "Thank you. I do educate my children on stranger danger. However, I think that the rules are a little different when they are safely in a cart at the grocery store with their mommy" (sigh, hoping that this would end the conversation....)

INSTEAD.... he proceeds to say.... in front of my two cherubs, "Do you watch the news? Did you hear about the 13 year old girl who got snatched up at the bus stop?"

Aaron's jaw drops at this point.

I lied. "Yes, I heard." He said something else, but I ignored him and tried to console my 6-year old instead. I wish I would have added, "Yeah, and my 2-year old hasn't waited alone at a bus stop recently either."

Maybe he was right. Maybe my kids should never be friendly with people at the supermarket (have any of you noticed how talkative my kiddos are though? Seriously... impossible for them to NOT be friendly). However, there might have been a more gentle way to tell me, sir.

For the record, for every mean, elderly person I have encountered, I have encountered 50 nice ones. I love all people of all ages..... I just wish that all people of all ages would learn to be a little nicer.... and a whole lot more tactful.

Advice

This is so beautiful.... a letter from the Bush girls to the Obama girls. Absolutely precious.... totally has me choked up!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Please pray....

.... for the Bell family.  They lost their sweet Karsyn yesterday after a long battle with brain cancer.  As a mom, I cannot imagine.... I cannot fathom; but yet, I know that Brad and Anne, like us, do not grieve as those with no hope.  I am certain that Karsyn is dancing with Jesus; yet, the heartbreak for a mommy and daddy must certainly be overwhelming.  I grew up with Anne and enjoyed many, many great memories with her as a 4-Her.  She is a treasure.... oh, how I wish I could hug her.  But I will pray, even when I can't extend hugs.... and am inviting you to join me.

"Gradual change?"

Have I ever mentioned how much our friend, Stevan, makes us laugh?! Check this out.

Made with Love

When Scott and I decided to jump on board with The Advent Conspiracy to "Give more and spend less" this year as a family, we decided that we needed to get creative with some homemade gifts from the heart. One of the things that we decided to do was to have the boys make frames for pictures for grandmas and grandpas and two of their cousins. They really had a blast putting these together, and Aaron couldn't wait to see them opened at Christmas.

Isaac was able to paint a few of the items for the frame, but mostly, we worked to keep him busy on paper instead!

The finished frames

I also made homemade brag books for grandmas and grandpas out of scrapbook paper and ribbon.And we ended up making some mini loaves of banana bread as a way to connect with our neighbors over the holidays. I had some great conversations on the nights when I delivered it and even met a new neighbor in the process and invited her to church!

The giving part of the holidays was extra fun for us this year! We felt a lot of freedom and had a lot of fun making some votive candle holders and even some clipboards with pretty scrapbooking paper for the teachers and the nurse of the family! It was so cool that these gifts made from our hearts actually freed us up to give in other ways.... and we were able to make a contribution to our church's Christmas project and charity:water, too. Very, very cool to live in a counter-cultural way at Christmas. I'm already excited about next year! :) I don't share this post as a means of saying, "Hey, look at us...." That is the LAST thing on my heart..... I'm merely wondering if you might want to join us in Christmas of '09?!! :)

Thankful Thursday...

Today, I am thankful....

1) For coupons! I saved over $58 with coupons today at Kmart! They are running a special, doubling all coupons up to and including $3 coupons. What a great deal! I love to save money! I feel like it is one way that I help "provide" for our family, even when I am not working outside the home! :)
2) For silence! Isaac is napping, and Aaron got home from school and fell asleep on the couch beside me within 10 minutes. Ahh.... hear that?!! Neither do I! I love silence (not all of the time though!!! That's the extreme extrovert in me!)
3) For good days. The last two with Aaron were not.... thankfully, he came home with a GOOD report today! Hoorah!
4) For dance parties. We love 'em at our house. I think tonight is definitely, definitely a dance party night! My hubby has the craziest and most fun dance music on his ipod. Too fun!
5) For dental insurance! We didn't have dental insurance until we moved to NY.... it's great to know that Scott and I can both go to the dentist in the morning for a cleaning and not have to pay a dime! Hoorah!

Hope that you all have a fabulous, blessed day! Much love!

Post-inauguration thoughts.....

I really appreciated Michelle's thoughts after the inauguration. I really appreciated the picture that she posted, too. Check out both HERE.

Flashback Fotos....

So, I didn't win any mommy awards today. It was a rough one. But now, my boys are asleep; Scott is out with a friend getting wings (that would be "Buffalo wings".... he's not taking flying lessons! HA!), and I decided I needed to track down some pictures that make me smile.... that remind me of all of the mommy moments that I've loved, loved, loved. Needed a smile.... a big one. I'm glad I found these.....

One night a few months ago, I walked into Aaron's room to check on him and give him kisses, and this is what I found.....

And while I had the camera upstairs anyway that night, I couldn't miss taking a pic of this sweetie (of course, Isaac is a SUPER light sleeper and woke up right after I took this shot!)There is NOTHING like watching my babies sleep after a hard day.....

These are the days....

.... of our lives.

Sorry that I've been in a blogging funk recently. I can't find my USB cord so that I can post pictures and videos (BOO!) And there are so many fun pictures to share; oh well.....

Hmm, what have we been up to....

- We had a fabulous visit from our dear friends, the Schmitt's this weekend. They are so incredible!
- I just started a new session of Bible study at church on Tuesday mornings. I am diving into Beth Moore's new study on Esther; can't wait!
- I got new jammie pants, and I love 'em!
- I'm making three meals for other families over the next two weeks; lots of babies born around here!
- I'm really frustrated with Aaron's behavior. Yesterday and today.... two BIGGIES at school and on the bus. I won't go into details.... but I'm frustrated and at the end of my rope with him tonight.
- I can't decide if I'm going to be an American Idol fan this year or not.
- We have a NEW NEPHEW!!! Welcome, Tripp Marshall! Born around 2:00 this afternoon! Yippe! Can't wait to get to Nashville to meet him!

Can anyone in the blogging world relate?

I'm just curious.... does anyone else in the world dread the days when you have to call your health insurance company or the credit card company or the gas company or any other "service" provider for that matter?!

Well, today.... I had to call two of the above. After wrestling to get through the stinkin' phone services, waiting on hold for a seemingly endless amount of time, and getting transferred through different people who couldn't help, I finally TALKED with a real people who could "help". Unfortunately, neither situation was resolved in the fashion that I would have liked.... but you know, they are "customer service" people.... what did I expect (it's only THEIR JOBS!)?!! Great.... that probably means I have to spend my valuable time calling again. Yippe.

So, how about you?! Anyone relate?!

Okay, I'm done being grumpy about it.... :)

What a year!

January 16, 2008 was a BIG day in our lives. A day full of emotion. A day full of tears. And a day full of expectation.

One year ago today, we signed the papers to sell our house in Warsaw (thanks, Jason and Kim!). We then drove back to my parents' home, loaded the boys in our van, and started the drive to NY, our new "home." I remember feeling so many emotions at one time throughout the entire drive.

I am here to tell you that the Lord has been completely faithful to His promises to our family. Not every moment has been easy.... but the last time I checked, God didn't promise each of us an easy road (this girl has certainly still experienced her own share of tears throughout the year....) But we've also experienced a whole lot of laughter, joy, excitement about new friendships, and even hundreds of jaw-dropping moments when Scott and I both have gotten a glimpse into why the Lord has brought us to Buffalo, NY. God has been completely faithful in the details that seemed overwhelming to us prior to the move. We've had dozens of visitors.... we've stayed connected with our families (due to much intentionality!!).... and God has grown us in indescribable ways. Three years ago, I never, never, never thought we would ever make a move like this. Oh, what a difference a few years can make!

We just keep taking life one day at a time, attempting to be faithful to what He has called us to: full surrender to Him. There is such joy in following Him. Such joy!

Our home in Warsaw. We brought both of our babies home to this house.... we loved our neighbors there, too!

We had an amazing crew of friends and family that helped us load the truck in Warsaw!

All of the contents of our home were on this truck.... unbelievable how quickly a family of four can fill a 53 foot semi! :)

To a new home in Buffalo....

Thankful Thursday...

Today, I am thankful....

1) For a warm house. My heart is burdened for those in our world who can't say the same on frigid days like today.
2) That God made our bodies with the ability to fight off colds and coughs. Scott and I have been battling both of the above.... it stinks.... but I am thankful that better days are comin'!
3) That Scott has tomorrow and Saturday OFF! Hoorah for times with family!
4) That the Schmitt's are coming this weekend!!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!
5) For birthday blessings. I had a great evening last Saturday, celebrating with my friend, Jen and our families. How fun to share my special day with a new special friend!

We're officially Bandits fans!

An amazing man from our church gave us tickets for another Bandits game last week.... in his box seats, no less! Wow! We never knew that we would become professional lacrosse fans when we moved to Buffalo, but we love it! This was our third game in less than a year, and we've loved every single one of them. At that game, they raised the banner as the 2008 National Champions; pretty cool! A few fun facts that I just learned....

*At the last game that we went to, there were over 18,000 fans in attendance! To watch LACROSSE, people! Cool, huh?!! In case you haven't heard, it is cold and snowy in Buffalo.... it's great to find fun indoor activities!
*Most of the guys on the team have normal, 9 to 5 jobs during the week, and Lacrosse is more of a hobby, I guess. In fact, one of the guys on the team is a teacher! How cool is that?!!

Aaron fell asleep on the way to the game. Since the start of kindergarten, this has become a regular occurrence. Whenever we have to drive somewhere in the evening, he usually falls asleep. Isn't he a sugar?!!

Isaac found some Bandits gear to borrow before the game!

Isaac FREAKED out when the Bandits scored the first time.... the screams and horns and every other noise at HSBC Arena really scared him! This was after another goal, later in the game!

Notice the view from our splendid box seats! So fun!

Fun with friends!

We had such a blast with Ryan, Tina, Bryce, and Caleb! They made the trek to Buffalo through the snow so that we could all ring in the new year together! What a great time with terrific friends that "made us smile"! Enjoy the pics.... especially the joy of the dance party (and don't you just LOVE Isaac's "tattoo"?!! Tina and I went out for some girl time and came home to some awesome tattooed kiddos!)

Many pictures....

.... to post soon! But until I get through them, check out this one. I don't know why, exactly, but I love this picture.... the quality isn't perfect, but the expressions are! We had a major dance party while the Lakin's were visiting over New Years. So much fun. I love this picture of the daddies and the boys. Actually, I think I DO know what I love about this one.... look at the way Isaac and Scott are looking at each other. Precious!

* Y'all only get one guess as to what song we were dancing to at this point! :)

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Well, it's 12:08 AM on January 10th.... Happy Birthday to me!!! :) So far, the past 8 minutes have been great; we're off to a terrific start! The age of 32 included big things in my life.... it will be interesting to see what "33" holds for me!!! Bring it on (I guess I SHOULD get some sleep at some point tonight though.... hmmm....)

Gettin' it done....

Wow! Hats off to you, Tim Tebow. Not just for National Championships or a little thing called the Heisman Trophy (as a sophomore; crazy!).... Rather, for "getting it".... for getting the job done.... for GETTING the fact that God calls all of us to use our lives for good, to use our lives for Him! Hoorah for people with influence who are using their given platforms in order to advance the name of Christ!

This video is priceless....

I'll give you one guess....

??? What Christmas present led to this delightful picture ???

Yep, you probably guessed: I got an amazing, new, fabulous, wonderful, AND sharp set of santoku knives for Christmas. They are definitely the most sharp knives I've ever had; therefore, I have been VERY, VERY careful whenever I've used them over the past week. However, on Saturday, I was cutting a very WET head of lettuce.... and my hand slipped as the back part of the knive descended. 2 1/2 hours later.... I was still bleeding. Thank goodness for walk-in clinics.... thank goodness for health insurance.... and thank goodness, too, for crazy glue for skin! After a few minutes of trial, the doc was able to get the bleeding to slow down just enough so that we could go the glue route vs. novacaine + stitches (to use his words, I made a "filet" out of my finger!.) Hoorah! I had a "wound check" again yesterday by the doc, and it's looking good! I haven't had the courage to pull out the knives again though.... I will, just not yet! :)

Stupid and dumb.....

.... are both words that we attempt to not use at our house ever. But THIS qualifies as both. Un-freaking-believable.

Fabulous, Fun, Family!

We had many fun Christmas celebrations! We decided to head to Indiana from Tuesday the 23rd until Tuesday the 30th. Because we weren't at "home" on Christmas morning, we declared that Tuesday morning before we left was our family's "Christmas morning." We had a great time with family on both sides in Indiana, and in spite of the fact that we ended up at the doctor on that Friday morning with Isaac, it was a good visit (upper respiratory/ear infections.... poor little guy.... he was miserable, not a great way to spend Christmas.... and none of us got much sleep for a week.... oh well, kids get sick; just a part of life.... it did make him extra snuggly.... I do like that part!) We also were able to see our friends, Jamie, Sara, and Gavin who were in Indiana from Minnesota, I got to meet baby Alyssa McCleary (so, so sweet!) and we did grab some time with the Schmitt's before we headed back East. It went by way too quickly.... but it was a good Christmas!

Whew....

Pastor Jerry shared this video during his message yesterday, and it challenged me, yet again, when I saw it on Stevan's blog for a second time. Yep, believers can definitely, definitely be taught by a self-proclaimed atheist.... I was rebuked by this message.... may God use this video clip to challenge you in your journey, too.

We are still alive!

Hi all. Just a quick note to let you know that we are okay.... we are living, breathing, and enjoying life too much to take time away to blog right now!! :) Updates and pictures to come again someday.....

Happy New Year! Love to all!