Life with the Sutphens

Gingerbread House Party

2012-01-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

This year I wanted to start a new tradition; a gingerbread house party. I had seen the idea a couple of places, and I love opportunities to spend time with dear friends during the holiday season. This party was so much fun! It was great to see everyone's creative side and just spending time enjoying one another's company. The kiddos had a great time and even the men got pretty serious about their work! This is definitely something we will continue to do each year!

Thanksgiving

2012-01-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

We continued on the tradition and spent Thanksgiving with the Smith family. Roger and Heather are an amazing couple at our church that excel in hospitality. They always make sure that people have a place to go during the holidays, and I know that this has been such a blessing to so many people.
Because we both have family farther away, we have ended up spending many holidays with the Smith's, and always having a great time. This year we were joined by an old co-worker of Roger's and another family from our church (the Nygrens). We had a wonderful time of fellowship, eating great food, and reflecting on the amazing grace of our God. So many things to be thankful for this past year, and it is amazing to see how God continually works all things for the good of those who love Him; whether that be in the midst of immeasurable joy or suffering and pain. What an amazing God we serve!

9 months old

2012-01-01T21:49:00.000-08:00

OK so I'm super late on this one, but I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't miss a month. So here is what Nora was up to during her ninth month.

*This was the month she really started to pull up on everything. She got quite a few bumps and bruises as she learned how to master this skill :)
*She also learned how to go from standing to sitting, but not without a few hard falls on her bum first.
*She learned how to scream this month, and I mean really scream! She has quite a loud voice, which shouldn't be shocking because she is a Sutphen :) We had to work on her not screaming when she wanted something, and I'm thankful to say that has gotten much better.
*Her curiousity continues to grow as she explores many new things. Her current favorites are computer cords, any spec she can find on the floor and the bathroom (especially when I am in there).
*Her new favorite is waving hi and bye to people. She LOVES seeing people's reactions.
*She is still a fairly good sleeper, but struggled when she was teething.
*She got her first top tooth in (now totaling 3).
*At her doctor's appointment she was:
*20 lbs. 13 oz. (75-90%)
*28 inches tall (75%)
*She is wearing 12 to 18 month clothing. She has grown a distaste for having to be dressed, and proceeds to yell "MAMA" as I'm attempting it.
*She loves to pull shoes and socks off and is quite adept at it. Give her 5 seconds and they are off.

She is growing so fast and is such a joy to parent. We love our Norabug!

Still has those cheeks!

Cutest bumble bee ever

Bath time mohawk

"Helping" with laundry

Blog Slacker

2011-12-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

It's true. I'm officially a blog slacker. Here is my admittance of my problem. Now on to changing this :)

Pumpkin Picking

2011-11-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, a few of us from small group headed over to Apple Jacks to pick some pumpkins. There was a lot of fun activities so not only did we get to pick pumpkins but we got to shoot an apple cannon, go through a corn maze, take a pony ride, jump on a massive bouncy pillow, and take a ride on a train. It was A LOT of fun and a great day to spend time with each other!

Novia riding in honor of Sadie

Enjoying the bouncy pillow

a cookie as big as your head

Nora wanted some

Nora ready for the day!

Gosh I love this girl!

Nora and daddy :)

Nora and Audri

Having fun

I love this girlie

Her first pumpkin!

She liked the gourd

Austin and Adam

Notice whose wearing the skirt :)

Corn Maze

Megan shooting some apples!

Austin trying out the sling shot

I actually hit the target! (but didn't make it through the hole)

Robin rocking the apple gun

Novia enjoying her pony ride

pumpkins!

Nora and Audri

Which one should I choose?

Cutie

Audri had fun bouncing on the pumpkin

8 months old

2011-11-18T10:25:00.000-08:00

Being mischievous when I thought she was napping

So once again, I am almost a month behind in posting this because Nora is now almost 9 months old. Even though it's so late in coming, I have yet to miss a month so I figure that has to be worth something, right?!
Here is what Nora has been up to these days:

*She is crawling on all fours and getting in to everything. I've lost track of how many times each day I have to pull her away from a place she is not supposed to be (like the computer cords).
*She is slowly pulling up on things more often. She mostly prefers to crawl though.
*She is misses smiley lately and attracts the attention of people everywhere we go.
*She has learned how to wave hi, although she does it backwards (facing towards herself). She has also said hi a few times but I don't think she knows what it means.
*Still talking a lot and making all kinds of new sounds.
*Eats a wide array of food and enjoys all kinds of tastes. And might I add, she eats A LOT of food!
*Finally transitioned to just 2 naps everyday. What can I say, the girl likes her sleep.
*Still sleeps 11-12 hours each night.
*Wearing 12 to 18 month clothing. She has started to loose some of her baby fat now that she is crawling, but she is still a chunka monk :).
*Loves toys that she has to figure out. Our little thinker at work :).
*Loves to play games with mommy and daddy and giggle. She has developed quite a cute laugh!
*Loves music! Every time a song comes on she claps her hands, smiles real big, and bounces to the beat.
*Overall, she is just a very content and sweet baby. We get comments on this all the time. Thank you God for giving us such an amazing blessing in this little girl!

Her "yoga pose"

Playing in the laundry basket

bath time mohawk

playing with Kaia

Family visit

2011-11-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

Back in October, my parents were able to come up for almost two weeks. They had so much fun seeing and spending time with Nora and we had some opportunities to visit some different places in and around Minneapolis.

Some of our closer trips involved going to the Como Zoo and the James J. Hill house in St. Paul. We also got to head down to the Amish Country near Lanesboro, MN and up to Lutsen/Grand Marais and the north shore. Here are some pictures below of our fun adventures.

Nora having fun at the zoo

Enjoying the polar bears

Fun in Grand Marais

Picture with Grammie and Papaw

Grand Marais

The pathway out the lighthouse

Gorgeous little town

Loved the boats

Lighthouse at Grand Marais

A picture with Grammie and Papaw from our family pictures

On the gondola in Lutsen

Beautiful scenery

Oh what a glorious season!

The view outside of our seaside villa

Beautiful

Some amazing tree roots on our hike

Enjoying the beautiful fall colors

Excited to be on the Gondola

Family Photos

2011-11-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

Back in October, our dear friend Katie Roche of Kaitlin Mackenzie Photography took some family portraits for us at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. It was a beautiful day and Katie did such an amazing job keeping Nora entertained and keeping my husband on track while still allowing for a few of his goofy moments :).
We highly recommend Katie for anyone who needs some photos taken. You can find her facebook page here and peruse through more of her work. Below are just a few of our favorites.

7 months old

2011-10-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Time just seems to be going faster and faster. As another month goes by, I feel like the changes in Eleanora are all happening so quickly. We get into one routine, and within days all is different again! She never ceases to fill my days with joy, smiles, and laughter. Here's what our little girl has been up to this past month:
*The biggest development is that she is now crawling! For weeks she has been getting up on her knees and rocking back and forth. She had mastered scooting backwards, rolling, and turning in circles, but moving forward was proving to be quite difficult. Well yesterday I looked down and there she was inching forward towards a toy!
*Loves being on the floor now that she is mobile. The days of being content being held are quickly dwindling.
*She enjoys playing with all her toys, but her favorite tend to be the wood blocks that she likes to chew on and her plastic cups that she likes to chase as they roll around on the floor.
*She is never content having a few toys on the floor. She will quickly make her way over to the basket of toys and work at pulling it over until they all come crashing out.
*She enjoys moving objects from one hand to the other over and over.
*She pulled up on the changing table on her own the other day. This was her first time doing this (and the only time so far).
*She is still a good sleeper, but she is not always the best at naps anymore (it just depends on the day).
*She likes to throw her paci out of the crib during nap time.
*She likes to take her hand and do a motion like she is fanning herself. It is quite funny.
*She is still talking lots and lots. She says da da and ma ma a lot. She usually says ma ma when she is frustrated with something I am doing (like changing her).
*She is still a really great eater and has refused almost nothing we've put in front of her. She loves her meat, so she is definitely a Sutphen.
*She smiles all the time now. This is such a change from the first few months where you really had to work to get her to smile. She loves interacting with people and usually never leaves a room without a friend.
*When she gets tired her bottom lip sticks out like she is pouting.
*She loves her Johnny Jump Up and is quite an enthusiastic jumper.
*We are working on "No Touch" because she is starting to get into quite a few things that she shouldn't. Now with her crawling I'm sure that will only increase.
*She loves to be read to, but really enjoys the eating the book even more.
*She is still a chunka-monk and is wearing 12-18 month clothing.
Here are a few pictures of her at 7 months.

Apple Bread and Craft Projects

2011-10-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned in one of my last posts about how much I love Fall. I also mentioned my love for Pinterest. Well I found a recipe on Pinterest that screamed Fall to me, so I had to give it a try. So here is the link to this delicious recipe; Apple Braid Bread found on the blog "Eat, Live, Run". Her's looks much prettier than mine did, but it turned out delicious. It's a nice treat without being overly sweet.

My bread fresh out of the oven!

I've also been doing a little crafting lately, although not as much as I would like. I found an old child's rocking chair at an estate sale I went to. It was pretty beat up, so I decided to sand it and spray paint it white. Next I'm planning on making a cute cushion for it to complete the makeover.

I forgot to take a picture before I started, but this is post-sanding

Spray painted rocking chair

I also found this cool idea on Pinterest for DIY photo canvases. A photo canvas can be very pricey, and I loved the idea of making my own. I didn't get the right canvas sizes (they should be the same size as the photo), so mine don't look quite as they should, but they still turned out fairly well. I will definitely be making a few more of these for around the house!

The 2 middle pictures are the photo canvases

Gooseberry Falls

2011-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

The falls

Beautiful

Nora at the falls on the day she turned 7 months old!

View of Lake Superior

Family picture at the falls

One of the boarded paths that we walked on during our hike

Lake Superior

Robin and I enjoy camping, although we have done very little of it since we've been married. We were discussing our summer plans awhile back and we decided that we wanted to try to make a camping trip as a whole family. Then we started thinking that summer may not be the best time to do it, especially with an infant in tow, so we decided to wait until fall.
So in late September we packed up our car (with WAY too much stuff) and headed up to Gooseberry Falls. This is a beautiful state park along the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. The drive up there is beautiful, and the park itself was wonderful. The campgrounds are very family friendly as there are modern facilities a close to each campsite and you can pull your car right into the site without having to hike in.
We got there pretty late on Monday evening, but just before it got dark. I also need to mention at this point that it was raining. The only other time that Robin and I have been camping together it was raining. Maybe it's us. So needless to say we were bummed to have to set up camp in the rain.
We got everything set up surprisingly quickly and then headed out to Betty's Pies to get some dinner. This place was recommended to us and it was wonderful! Robin and I both loved our meals and their pie was really good as well.
Dinner was great, but we were out too late, and girly was VERY tired. We got to camp around 9:30 and trying to get her to sleep was pretty difficult. After much protesting, she finally went down and we went to bed shortly after. We knew that it was going to be pretty cold that night and we tried to prepare ourselves. We survived, but I woke up at 5am FREEZING. I woosed out and headed to our car to turn on the heat and warm up a bit.
We woke up the next morning, made breakfast, and began our hike up to the falls. It was a fairly easy hike, although there were lots of stairs. The falls were absolutely beautiful and we ended up having great weather with lots of sunshine. We had such a nice day spending time together, hiking, and enjoying God's beautiful creation!
We were going to stay another night and leave early the next morning, but the temperatures were supposed to be pretty cold again that night. We wisely decided just to head home, so we packed up all our stuff and enjoyed the beautiful ride back to Minneapolis!

gooseberries

Daddy and Eleanora at the falls

I thought these tree roots were cool

At the top of one of the falls

Me on top of one of the falls

Nora looking cute in her hat

Mommy and Eleanora at the falls

The falls

Beautiful

Apple Orchard

2011-10-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Oh those Sutphen's...

One of my favorite things to do during fall is visit an apple orchard! There is nothing like walking amongst the apple trees, picking plump, juicy apples, and enjoying the yummy treats afterwards. This year, we went with our friend Heidi and her two girls, Novia and Audri. It was fun to watch the girls play on the train, make their way through the maze, enjoy the animals, and slide down the hay slides. After that, we got down to the serious business; apple picking. :)
So now for our funny story. This apple orchard provided wagons for families to use to pull children and your apples once you were through picking them. This is great in theory, but our experience didn't go so well.
I was the one to pick out our lovely wagon, and Novia immediately hopped in and was excited to ride in it. They first part of journey was uneventful; me pulling the wagon and Novia enjoying herself. Audri soon joined her in the wagon, and then Novia decided that she wanted to pull the wagon. I gladly handed it to her and let her pull. This is where things get interesting.
So Novia is pulling the wagon, and all of a sudden....off popped the back wheel! Either the bolts had fallen off or weren't there to begin with (I know you all must be thinking, "Way to pick a good wagon Nissa!").
At this point Novia had no idea that the wheel had come off, so she is still pulling that wagon along, and Robin, Heidi and I are laughing hysterically. Novia finally figures out what has happened, and I spend the rest of the time pulling around a 3 wheeled wagon (which is not so easy). Needless to say, I got a great workout and we all now have a delightful story to tell!

Novia, Nora and I enjoying the slide

We finally convinced Robin to go down

Novia leading me through the maze

Nora was pretty tired when we first got there, as you can tell :)

All the girls

The Brachle girls

Nora and daddy enjoying the orchard

Novia pulling the wagon

The wagon wheel is off!

Novia realizing the wheel is off, the rest of us laughing hysterically!

Pulling the 3 wheeled wagon

I had to coerce Robin into this one :)

Family photo

Eleanora enjoying her teether

Enjoying the train

6 months old

2011-09-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well I figured I'd better hurry and get this 6 month blog post done before Nora turns 7 months. Are you all starting to notice a trend here? Sorry I haven't been very on top of things lately!

Well Nora had her half birthday a few weeks ago, and once again I can hardly believe how time is flying by. It has been such a joy to see more and more glimpses of her personality. My days are filled with smiles, wonder and delight, giggles, babbling, etc. All of these things fill my heart with an overwhelming amount of joy as I get to live and enjoy life with my daughter!

Weight: 18 lb. 9 oz. (90%)
Height: 27 inches (75-90%)

Here are a few highlights of what Nora is into these days:
*She loves to stamp her feet. A friend and I were joking that she looks like a river dancer. Who knows what her future hold!
*Her arms are constantly flung back like she is making a grand entrance onto a stage.
*She is laughing so much more lately. She is definitely ticklish and loves to play games and giggle.
*She loves to hear me sing and read. Whenever I do these to things she gets a huge smile on her face.
*She sits up by herself now and loves to ~~play~~ chew on her toys.
*She is still eating and sleeping like a champ.
*She rarely ever cries. Several of our friends have asked, "Does she ever cry?" She definitely has her moments (usually when she is really tired or hungry), but they definitely tend to be few and far between.
*She is still obsessed with Kaia. They seem to have quite a special bond.
*She is becoming more and more mobile as she tries desperately to crawl. She makes her way all around the room now if I leave her on the rug and has gotten into a few things that I wasn't expecting. I guess the baby-proofing needs to happen soon!
*She loves to babble and says all types of sounds now like ma, pa, da, and ba.
*She has started clapping her hands now, and finds great delight when we do it too.
*She is most enthusiastic when it is time to eat. She bangs to tray incessantly or hits the bottle as she is eating. It's her way of showing her enthusiasm for her food :)

Here are a few recent photos of her:

I think she has finally gotten over not smiling for pictures

Nora enjoying the swing for the first time

She loves her teether!

Crafting

2011-09-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Here are several of the latest projects I've been working on. Since the addition of Pinterest to my life, my list of craft projects keeps growing and growing. Those of you who don't know what pinterest is, click the link and check it out, but be prepared to have hours of your life sucked away instantly. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This is the dress I made for Nora. It was my first attempt at a whole outfit (I had only done skirts) and it turned out to be much easier than I anticipated! I also conquered my fear of elastic (now that I know how simple it is, I don't know why I was ever afraid).
I also made the headband in the picture out of elastic and felt. I love making headbands because they are so simple but look so nice when they are all done. I also made the one pictured below.

The most recent project I've done lately was definitely the one I was most nervous about. I got the idea into my head to paint a verse out of Song of Solomon over our headboard. I had been wanting to do something with that space and I thought the verse would look great there. I started to get nervous when I realized I would have to free hand it because I didn't have a stencil. I swallowed my fears, found a font on Word I liked, printed off the verse, taped it to the headboard, and painted away. It turned out pretty well!

Reading Corner: Little House Series

2011-09-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the middle of re-reading the Little House series and I am having so much fun reliving my youth. I'm enjoying them as much as I did the first time!

Title: Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the shores of Silver Lake
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

What kind of read is it? Young Adult series
What insights did I gain from these books? When I read these books, I grow a deep appreciation for how hard a pioneering life must have been. So many of the challenges and experiences they faced are so far removed from our present society that they seem very hard to imagine and relate to, and yet there is something completely fascinating and intriguing about their lifestyle. Every time I read these books I long to be Laura running through the prairie! I am also really encouraged by how they use and reuse everything. Nothing went to waste. I want to learn how to be more resourceful, specifically in the kitchen and with my sewing.
What did the author do well? Laura is a wonderful author. She creates these amazingly vivid depictions and uses such descriptive language that I am able to visualize all that she is describing. She also does a great job of allowing us to connect to her characters.
What is lacking in the writing style? At times I feel the endings of each book can be quite abrupt.
What will I remember most about these books? The pure enjoyment that they are to read! I can't wait to read them aloud to Nora!

Fall

2011-09-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

The last few days I have begun to feel fall creeping into the air. As I breath in the crisp, cool air, I can't help but bubble with excitement. Fall is by far my favorite season, and I find it to be truly invigorating to my soul! Here are just a few of the things that I love about fall:

1. Cooler temperatures
2. Putting on long sleeve shirts
3. The crispness in the air
4. The beautiful display of leaves changing colors
5. Anything baked with apple
6. Apple picking at the orchard
7. Picking out our pumpkin at the pumpkin patch
8. Family walks in the lovely weather
9. The smell of cinnamon in many fall dishes filling the house
10. Preparing and eating warm soups

Oh fall, how I love you!

5 months old

2011-08-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

So I'm definitely a little late in posting this since Nora is getting close to being 6 months old, but better late than never I guess! Time just continues to fly by with no hint of slowing down. Month five has definitely been my favorite thus far and Nora's personality continues to develop. She has turned into a bundle of smiles (although those smiles are still elusive when the camera comes out!) and loves to laugh and have people's attention. Here are a few highlights in the world of Nora:
*Almost sitting up on her own
*Has begun to roll multiple times in a row to get at something
*Loves her exersaucer and is beginning to get the hang of the Johnny Jump-up (before she would just twirl around in it rather than jumping)
*Still a very good sleeper but has moved to taking much shorter naps during the day. Still sleeps around 12 hours straight each night.
*Loves when you smile at her, make different noises, and tickle her. She also loves to be sung to.
*Has quite a strong grip and loves to grab at anything in sight. There have been quite a few hair pulls recently :)
*LOVES Kaia. She watches her constantly and loves to pull on her ears. Good thing Kaia doesn't seem to mind :)
*Eating lots of different foods now. Avocados, bananas, spinach, broccoli, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, pears, pineapple, blueberries, and lots of others. The only one she hasn't really cared for is peas by themselves.

Look at that belly :)

*She is quite a little chunka monk! We went to the doctor right around 5 months for an eye infection and she weighed 17 pounds!

Enjoying falling over

*Loves her daddy and gets so excited when he comes home now. She also loves to play with his beard.

Here are some recent pictures of our Norabug.

Her "superman" pose

Almost sitting up on her own

Hello Kaia

2011-07-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

So we have a new addition in the Sutphen household. After Sadie's disappearance it was very hard not having a dog in the house. Robin and I are both definitely dog people, so Sadie's presence was missed on many levels. We had always talked about getting a second dog so Sadie could have a playmate but just never got around to it. With Sadie gone, we quickly realized that we wanted another dog.
Enter Kaia. I went to the Humane Society just to "look". I'm a sucker and immediately fell for Kaia. She is a German Shepherd/Lab mix. She's around 45 pounds (this is a great size for us), a little over a year old, house trained, and such a loving dog. We did quickly discover that someone has not treated her very well in the past so she takes awhile to warm up to people, especially men. She is now completely comfortable with us, and slowly starting to become more comfortable around others. She displays many lab characteristics and is an extremely loyal dog. She wants to be wherever you are and loves to get up onto your lap (Robin loves this). We are so happy to have a dog in the house again!

A Crucified Man

2011-07-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Tom (one of our wonderful worship leaders) played a new song while we took communion. I was so moved by this song and wanted to share it with you all.

A Crucified Man by Graham Kendrick
Follow this link to view it on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oxbYxNPKYw&feature=related

"I place my hope in a crucified man."
Hope you enjoy.

Farewell Sadie...

2011-07-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

So this is a sad post to write. When we went to Florida we left or dog Sadie with our dear friends, the Brachles. They have graciously watched Sadie many times before, and their dog Maverick is Sadie's buddy. Prior to dropping her off there we had been doing a lot of packing. We spent one whole day packing up a lot of stuff left over from our big garage sale and loading it into the car. Then we spent time packing up for our trip. You might wonder what this has to do with anything, but all that packing got Sadie a little spooked. She HATES change and the thought of moving (which we've done twice since we've had her). We think she thought we were moving and had been acting odd, so we were a little nervous when dropping her off that she would think we were leaving her.
Flash forward to her being at the Brachles. Her and Maverick were playing out back and Heidi went to check on them. Everything was good. A few minutes later she comes back out and Sadie is nowhere to be seen. She had jumped the fence (which she had done before, but never been gone for too long) and the hunt was on. The Brachles looked tirelessly for her, as well as some other people in the neighborhood. There were visits to the pounds, ads posted, and many trips around the block, but no Sadie. This all happened the within the first hour of her being at the Brachles. Sadie did not waste any time!
Well needless to say she did not return and was not found. She was a great dog and will be greatly missed. We just hope and pray that someone is taking care of her.

Father's Day

2011-07-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

We got to celebrate Father's Day right before we left for Florida. This was a very exciting holiday as it was Robin's first Father's Day. He awoke to a card with a list inside. The list was a compilation of the days activities. I tried to include all of Robin's favorite things. Here were a few:
*McDonald's breakfast
*Talk as long as you want after church
*Buy a book from the book cart at church
*Lunch at Five Guys
*Go to Starbucks, get a coffee and read while I watch Nora
*Watch Borne Identity and eat popcorn and Starbucks ice cream
*Smoke your pipe
*Play time with Nora
He had a great day and I hope he felt just how much we love and cherish him as a husband and father!

Trip to Florida

2011-07-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

We got back last Wednesday from a great trip to Florida to visit family and friends. There were many people anxious to meet Nora and she definitely got lots of attention, cuddles, and kisses on the trip.
I was pretty anxious about flying with Nora because I really didn't want to be that person on the plan with the screaming baby, but Nora did great on both flights down and even made some new friends. We arrived in Tampa and drove to Orlando the next day to spend time with Robin's side of the family.
It was great to spend some time with family that we don't get to see that often and see some friends and catch up. Nora loved meeting her Aunt Suzanne, Uncle Darren, her cousin Kaitlyn, Aunt Krissy, and Uncle Chris. We are so grateful we got to see all of them!

After a few days we drove back to Tampa and got to spend time with my parents and family. Nora had a great time with her Papaw and Grammie, and she got to meet some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. We also got to see some friends and it was great catching up with them! She also got to experience her first swim, which she thoroughly enjoyed!

The flight back home was quite interesting. The first leg went really well and Nora did awesome. Then we were about to take off from Chicago and we realize that the plan has yet to leave the runway. They announce that there is a problem with the AC and we will have to wait while they fix it. There were quite a few families with young ones and you could tell that this was hard on all of us. It was so hot in the cabin and many of the kids were hungry, hot, and tired. Our 5:20 flight didn't take off until 7! In the midst of all this, Nora decides to have a blow out which got all over her clothes. I was relieved to remember that I had packed an extra outfit for her so I quickly made my way to the back of the plane where the restroom was. I was then told that there was no changing table in that restroom, only in the one at the front of the plane. Then I was told that I could not get to the one at the front of the plane bc it was being blocked while they fixed the AC problem, so I was forced to change her on the top of a toilet seat in a super tiny airplane bathroom. I would definitely not recommend this! But after all of the eventful mishaps we finally got home, and boy did it feel good to be back! We spent the next two days unpacking, resting, and getting back into everyday life.

4 months old!

2011-06-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well another month has passed us by, and Nora is now 4 months old! She went her wellness exam and here are her stats:

Weight: 14 lbs. 11 oz. (75-90 percentile)
Height: 26 1/4 in. (90 percentile)

She is a generally happy baby who still loves her sleep. She is sleeping about 12 hours consistently each night and taking 3 to 4 naps a day. She's been rolling from her front to her back since month 2, but now she is trying desperately to roll from her back to her front and keeps getting hung up on her side. She is really starting to enjoy her exersaucer and play mat. She is able to start grabbing for the toys, but is still quite uncoordinated :). She is able to support herself very well, and likes to sit up on mommy and daddy. She has been making sounds and talking to herself for awhile, but just in the last week she has seemed to really discover her voice. Many screams and odd sounds have found their way out of Nora's mouth since then! Today I was playing with her on the floor and she laughed for the first time! It melted my heart! She still is not a big fan of cameras but we have learned to be a bit sneaky in our picture taking to catch her smiling. Her cheeks are still as big as ever and I kiss them every chance I get! Here are some recent pictures of her:

Nora enjoying her wood teething ring

We tricked her and caught this smile!

Nora in her Exersaucer

All dressed up for a wedding

Pantry/Freezer Challenge

2011-06-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a little over a month now that I have begun my "extreme couponing" and I have scored some great deals! The other day, however, I started to notice that my deals were piling up in my pantry and freezer. I do not want to become like some of those people on the Extreme Couponing show who have cereal boxes under there beds and 100 bottles of mustard. So I've decided the month of June will be my pantry/freezer challenge.
I will not do any grocery shopping except for perishable items (such as milk, fruits, veggies, etc.) or if I can get the item for free. I want to use what I have in our pantry and freezer without doing any further grocery shopping this month. Now, it won't actually be a full month because we will be in Florida for 9 days, but I am excited for the challenge!
Hopefully my husband doesn't tire of eating pasta because boy do we have a lot of it :)

Baby Wearing

2011-06-01T13:07:00.001-07:00

As I prepared for the birth of Nora, I began to think about some specific things I wanted to us, techniques I wanted to use, etc. While some of these things I have discovered to be less than practical now that she has arrived, one thing I have loved using are my baby carriers! Nora loved them from day one, and they have calmed a crying baby more than once. I was given many different types of carriers (ring sling, pouch sling, moby wrap) and bought an ergo carrier from a garage sale.
For the first month, I preferred a pouch sling (such as a Hotsling pictured below). It was easy to figure out how to use (which was something I was concerned about) and Nora loved it! One thing I don't like about the Hotsling is that it is size sensitive, so Robin can not use it.

I also really enjoyed using the moby wrap as well. I began using this at about one month until just recently. I was VERY intimidated by the size of the fabric and how to put it on, but once you get the hang of it, it is quite simple. It is one size fits all, so Robin can use it is well, which is wonderful. I don't like that the material tends to stretch out pretty easily and is not quite as simple to throw on when you are out running errands.

I am now using the Ergo carrier and I LOVE it! I didn't care for the infant insert that came with mine (and neither did Nora) so I only began using it a few weeks ago based on the age recommendation without the infant insert. I love how simple this carrier is to put on, and I love that you can use it on the front, hip, or back as the child grows. It is very easy to use while out running errands, and I love that it has a zipper pouch in the front to throw in my wallet, keys, phone, diaper, etc. It also distributes the wait throughout your back, so I find that I have much less back pain when I use this carrier. The Ergo is also one size and adjustable, so a husband can use it as well. They can be a bit pricey but they are well worth the money! You can also find them occasionally on Craigslist or garage sales like I did.

No matter what style you use, baby carriers are a great way to keep your child near, calm a fussy baby, and keep your hands free to do other tasks!

My Only Gems

2011-05-27T15:22:00.001-07:00

“She came tonight as I sat alone, the girl I used to be…
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye and questioned reproachfully;

Have you forgotten the many plans and hopes that I had for you?
The career, the splendid fame, and all the wonderful things to do?
Where is the mansion of stately height with all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you and the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad for I wanted her please with me…
This slender girl from the shadowy past the girl that I used to be
So gently rising, I took her hand, and guided her up the stair
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems, and precious they are to me;
That silken robe is my motherhood of costly simplicity.
And my mansion of stately height is love, and the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls for the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest, she smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw that the woman that I am now, pleased the girl I used to be.

- Author Unknown
Quoted in Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski

3 months old

2011-05-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that I am already writing this post, because these 3 months have flown by! I know mothers tell you that when you are pregnant, but once you experience you realize how true it is.
Nora is growing leaps and bounds! She is a very happy and chill baby. She still LOVES to sleep. She sleeps about 12 hours straight a night and takes several naps a day.
She is wearing 6 month clothing and getting lots of baby rolls all over. And of course those cheeks are still as big as ever!
She loves to have one on one face contact, and will smile and coo away if you give her attention. She doesn't mind being held by any and everyone, and is generally content.
She is still rolling over consistently and is working at rolling from back to front. She almost has it! She has also begun enjoying sitting in her bumbo seat.
We've discovered that she is not the biggest fan of toys that make lots of noises and gives a quizzical face when the camera comes out.
Nora is an absolute joy and I LOVE being her mommy! Here are a few recent shots of her.

Her 3 month old picture

Enjoying her bumbo seat

What are you doing mom?!

Nora's first 3 months

All ready for a wedding!

Putting up with my photo shoot :)

I love this face so much

Mother's Day

2011-05-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful first mother's day! I was reflecting back to last years mother's day and was just reminded once again of God's faithfulness. Last year Robin and I had been trying to get pregnant for the last six months and the day was a difficult one. It was emotionally difficult and draining to see so many mothers with their children. The longing within me for a child was so strong and it was difficult to see others have what I wanted.
As much as it was difficult, it was also a bittersweet day because the Lord had been doing so much in my heart over those six months. I had to struggle through the question, "Is God still good, even if He never blesses me with a child?" To be honest, at first, I could not answer yes to this question. I felt that I somehow deserved a child and that God could not possibly be good if He did not give me something that I longed for so much. I could give you all the right answers such as God is working good for all those who love Him and have been called according to his purposes, and that my greatest need had already been met by Christ on the cross. I knew these things, but I slowly began to realize that I did not believe them when faced with unmet desires and pain. Once I was able to admit this and be honest with myself, the Lord truly began to change my heart as I confessed my sin to Him. He helped me to truly delight in the gospel and revel in His goodness; with or without a child.
Now some of you who are still struggling with unmet desires may be reading this and saying to yourself, "Yes but now you have the baby you wanted, so you can't possibly understand what it feels like to continue to have unmet desires." I may not know what it feels like to still be struggling to get pregnant or not having that child to hold, but I still am very much aware of my tendency to put my hope and trust in things other than Christ, and when we do this is when we become bitter when they are not given to us or taken away. Nora is a blessing from the Lord, but she can be taken at any moment. As wonderful as my family, house, friendships, etc. are, they can all be gone tomorrow and are not where I am to put my hope and trust. They are all gifts and I desire to hold them with an open hand as I put my trust and full hope in my Savior.

Our family of 3 at Nora's dedication

Mommy and Nora

These are all the babies that have been born in the last 7 months from our current or previous small group

Nora being dedicated

It was a wonderful way to celebrate mother's day by having Nora dedicated at church and being reminded of these truths. Thank you Lord that you heard our prayers and granted them with the life of little Nora. My prayer is that there would be many more mother's days where I can rejoice in this child that the Lord has blessed us with!

A Conversation

2011-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here is Nora and I having a "conversation". She was a little unsure of the camera in her face! She is becoming so expressive and loves to "talk" to anyone who will listen!

Extreme Couponing Round 2

2011-05-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here are my most recent trips.

Rainbow

I didn't find the best deals this time around, but I did find a few. Here is what I got:
*2 bags of Sun Chips
*1 box of Barilla pasta
*1 jar of Barilla pasta sauce
*1 bag of Crinkle fries
*1 package of Always pads
*1 green bell pepper
*3 red bell peppers
*Scallions
*1 red onion
*1 tub of sour cream
*4 tomatoes
Total before savings: $36.46
What I paid: $20.46 (44%)

Cub

Here's what I got:
2 packages of Golden Plump Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts(1 pound each)
1 bag of Purina Dog Chow (22 pounds)
2 Navel Oranges
2 packages of strawberries
1 package of angel food cake shells
5 Digiorno single serve pizzas
Total before savings: $48.46
What I paid: $29.53 (40% savings)

Target
So my Target trip was my most exciting! I actually got paid to walk out of the store! Here is what I got:
2 bottles of Similac ready made formula (free plus overage)
1 bottle of nail polish
Because of the overage they paid me $.67!

Extreme Couponing

2011-05-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

So I officially love using coupons! As I was thumbing through my first Sunday newspaper, I began to wonder why I ever paid full price for some of these items. So here are my recent trips. I plan on making two more this week to Cub and Rainbow, so I will post those after.

CVS

So this was a great trip! Here's what I got:
*3 Colgate toothpastes (free after Extrabucks plus overage!)
*2 Right Guard Body Washes
*2 Dawn dish soaps
*1 box Always with wings
*2 boxes of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
*1 box of Cascade Dishwashing Soap
*1 box of Clairol Nice and Easy hair color
*1 Bic Soliel Razor
Total before savings: $56.15
What I spent: $22.36
Extrabucks (this is like cash to use on anything in CVS) for next time: $11.77
So what I really spent: $10.59 (82% savings)

Walgreens

I don't ever seem to find as many deals at Walgreens, but maybe that's just because I prefer CVS. Here's what I got:
*2 Comet cleaners
*2 Speed Stick deodorants
*3 boxes of movie candy (for our date nights the next couple of weeks)
Total before savings: $13.88
What I spent: $6.81 (51% savings)

Target

Target has a great policy that they allow you to use one Target coupon and 1 manufacturer's coupon. This can add up to some great savings! Here's what I got:
*2 bottles of Similac Formula (free after coupons plus overage!)
*1 package tortillas
*4 limes
*1 package Mexican Rice
*2 packages of Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies
*2 Old Spice body washes
*1 Gillette body wash
*2 packages of Infant Tylenol
*1 package of bones for Sadie :)
*1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 package of boneless, skinless chicken tenders
Total before savings: $46.35
What I spent: $28.60 (49% savings)

Total Savings for these trips: $70.58

New Blog

2011-04-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to start a new blog. Check it out! http://theartofeducating.blogspot.com/

Easter

2011-04-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Our family had such an amazing Easter weekend. We attended a powerful Good Friday service at our church. This was our first time getting to attend it since we were in Louisville last Easter. Our pastor wrote a narrative of the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus. He usually reads it each year, but this year a new member read the narrative and did a fantastic job! Both Robin and I were struck by our great sin, our great need for a Savior, and the great lengths that Christ went through so that we can be free from the penalty and grip of sin and be reconciled to God.
On Saturday we had an Easter egg hunt over at the Brachle's house. Nora and I had fun watching the kids collect the eggs and enjoy their candy. Adam made it harder for the older kids by hiding camouflage eggs (who knew there was such a thing!). It was actually pretty cold out that morning so in the picture the kids are all bundled up.

The Hansel, Young, Brachle and Sutphen kids

Our hosts, Roger and Heather

Adam and Heidi

On Easter Sunday we celebrated the resurrection of Christ with our church family, and what a celebration it was! After church we were able to go to the Smith's house. These dear friends have had us over the last 2 Christmas'. We were able to enjoy this time with them, as well as the Brachle and Gray families. We grilled out steaks (yum!) and had great food and conversation. We love our church family! Here are some pictures below. Unfortunately I forgot to take some before the Gray's left, so they are not in any of these.

Novia, Nora, Kara and Kaitlyn (Audri was napping)

Kara holding Nora

Nora in her Easter dress

Our family of 3

It's going so fast

2011-04-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast Nora is growing! It seems like everyday she is doing something new and changing in so many ways. Yesterday she rolled over for the first time! I was actually not home but Robin told me about it when I got back. We tried to get her to do it again, but she was exhausted and was having none of it. So today I put her down for tummy time and within a minute she had rolled over. She did it one more time, and then I was able to catch it on video.

She used to hate tummy time, but I think she is starting to enjoy it more now that she is getting stronger.

I'm so excited to watch her continue to grow!

Extreme couponing

2011-04-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Our family is now living on one income, which has produced the need to be extremely frugal and watch where each penny is going (which we should be doing anyway). This has led me back to using coupons. I've used them off and on during our four years of marriage, but would always quit because of time constraints. Well I've jumped back on the bandwagon after seeing a few clips from the TLC show "Extreme Couponing". Now some of these people are pretty crazy and extreme, and I have no desire to be either of those things. I don't want you to walk into my garage and see shelfs full of products that could last a lifetime and beyond. I just desire to save money for our family, and pass the blessings around if we receive more than we need. God has called us to be good and wise stewards of the resources and blessings that he has given us and couponing is one way that I can do that.
So today I made my first trip to Rainbow Foods (a local grocery store in Minneapolis). I've been going to CVS and getting some great deals there, but I recently discovered that Rainbow doubles coupons on Wednesdays and Saturdays each week. So I did some research on sale items, matched them up to coupons I had, and I was off! Here is what I walked away with:

Product value: $71.38
Savings: $31.48 (44%)
Total spent: $39.90 (plus $.05 off per gallon on our next tank of gas)

Items purchased:
3 cans of Green Giant Sweet Peas
2 bags Nestle morsels
2 Kraft salad dressings (I got these for free!)
1 Fructis shampoo
1 Parmesan cheese
2 boxes Cascade dish detergent
1 box Always Infinity pads
1 can Similac formula
1 package of 8 Bounty rolls
1 package of 4 Charmin rolls
2 sticks Old Spice deodorant

After this trip, I can see how this can become a bit addicting :) Extreme couponing, here I come!

2 months old

2011-04-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my baby girl is 2 months old today! On one hand it feels that time has flown by, and on the other it's very difficult to remember life without her. We are so blessed that God chose to give us Nora, and we are cherishing every moment with her!
Here is a little update on how she is doing:

Weight: 11 lbs 2 oz
Height: 23 inches
Activities: She is doing lots of "talking" these days and will hold a conversation with you full of coos and shrieks. She also is smiling quite a bit more and has become much more expressive. She still loves her swing, but isn't quite as content to sit in it for long periods of time. She is slowly growing to like tummy time and will tolerate for a few minutes. She is very strong and can hold her head up for extended periods of time.
Sleep: This girl is a rockstar sleeper. She is sleeping an average of about 10 hours straight each night. She takes multiple naps during the day and goes down pretty easily. There are a few exceptions to this, but it's pretty much her routine. We know that we are truly blessed in this area!

Here are a few 2 month shots. Oh how we love this little girl!

Baby Skirt

2011-04-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

So I've made my first piece of clothing! I found this baby skirt tutorial here and just had to try it. I'll admit that my first attempt at this skirt did not go so well. I don't have a serger on my machine so I had to tweak the directions a bit. My second attempt, however, turned out much better! I think I'm going to make another one and add a fabric flower or two to the bottom as embellishment. I will post a picture of that one once it's done.

Reading Corner: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

2011-04-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Title: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
Author: Marc Weissbluth, MD

What kind of read is it?
A wonderful, easy read for parents or soon-to-be parents.
What insights did I gain from this book?
I learned so much from this book! As a first time mom, it can feel overwhelming with all the things that you don't know. You bring your baby home and are immediately confronted with the fact that you really don't know what you are doing, and on top of that, everyone has a different opinion about what you should be doing or what works best. This book helped my understand my little girl better and think through her sleeping habits from the beginning. The biggest insight I walked away with is that most children are overtired, and that it is essential that they get the rest they so desperately need.

What did the author do well?
The author explained things in a very clear and concise way. I liked that he presented multiple ways of doing things without heavily favoring one or the other. I really appreciate when author's can do this, as they recognize that not every child is the same, and what works for one may not be the best for another.

What is lacking in the writing style of story?
Nothing.
What will I remember most about this book?
The signs that he gave to recognize when I child is becoming sleepy. This has been wonderfully helpful as I've tried to establish a sleeping routine with Nora.

Crafting

2011-04-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

So with a newborn in the house, it has been quite some time since I've been able to do some crafting projects. I saw these adorable felt flowers on a crafting blog I follow and decided to give it a try. You can attach these to headbands, bobby pins, or barrettes. I plan on making some more for Nora's headbands too!

I love waking up to this...

2011-04-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty convinced I have the best and most satisfying "job" ever!

Moments

2011-03-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

Fleeting moments; moments that may seem small and insignificant placed against the backdrop of a whole life, but will forever be etched in your memory. They are the moments that define you and are able to be recollected in vivid detail. As we recollect these moments we are able to experience the emotions surrounding it as clearly as if it had just happened.
One small moment that brought about such intense emotions; the joy of being a mother, deep and intense love, thankfulness and praise to the One who created her. One small moment...

Nora asleep on my lap and holding my hand

Nora's First 3 Weeks

2011-03-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has already been more than 3 weeks since our little girl arrived! It has truly flown by! I thought I would give a re-cap below of Nora's first 3 weeks of life.

Week 1:

This was a difficult week as mom and dad continued to adjust to life with a newborn. It was great that Robin was able to take off work and he was amazingly helpful during this period. He is such a great dad and it has been so fun to watch him with Nora!
Nora had some serious day/night confusion and would sleep endless hours throughout the day and would cry and want to be held at night. Anytime I tried to put her down she would scream and cry. Needless to say that made for one tired momma!

Week 2:

Her day/night confusion continued, but got progressively better as the week went on. She started to sleep for longer stretches at night and we decided to move her into her room/crib instead of keeping her in a bassinet in our room. She seemed to respond much better to that routine.
Nora struggled to gain weight her first two weeks. She actually lost over a pound, but she was a big baby at birth, so even after she lost weight she was still bigger than most newborns!

Week 3:
My mom came up and was very helpful in allowing Robin and I some extra sleep. Nora's sleeping habits continued to get better, but the breakthrough seemed to come when I decided to put her down one night at 7. I was noticing that she was falling asleep during this time anyway and was not waking up very well for her 10 o'clock feeding. Once we started putting her down at night at 7 she started sleeping longer and longer stretches. We are not up to 8 hours straight each night, which makes for one happy momma and daddy! I don't know how long it will last but we will take it!
Nora also started putting back on weight. She is now back up to her birth weight which is very exciting!
Here are her 3 week stats below:

Weight: 9 lbs. 2 oz. (75% percentile)
Height: 22 inches (95% percentile)
Head: 14 3/4 inches (75% percentile)

It has been so fun to watch her grow and change this last week or so. She is starting to fix her eyes on things, make more noises, and respond to us when we talk to her. Oh how we love our baby girl!

Eleanora's Birth Story

2011-02-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

Well, our little bundle of joy finally decided to make her appearance on February 19, 2010 at 11:19am. She weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 ounces and 21" long. She was quite a big girl!
It all began Friday afternoon. Up until that point I had been having contractions off and on and varying in intensity since Tuesday evening. There were a couple times that I thought it was the real thing, but the contractions would always fade away.
Well, Friday afternoon they were about 5 to 6 minutes apart. Then as the evening progressed they moved to between 4 and 5 minutes apart. I called my midwife to let her know things were progressing and then we decided to go to bed to try and get some sleep. I woke up at midnight and could not longer sleep due to the contractions, so I went out into the living room and watched a movie in an attempt to take my mind off the contractions. They started to get closer together to where they were consistently 4 minutes apart or less and the pain was getting pretty intense.
I decided to wake Robin up at 2 am so he could start helping me work through the pain. He helped me labor for the next 4 hours at home as the contractions became 3 minutes apart. We called our midwife and both agreed that it was time to head to the hospital. We got there and I was beginning to think that I couldn't continue without pain medication. When she checked me I was shocked to find out that I was already 8 cm dilated! I continued to labor for a few hours, and they gave me just a bit of pitocin at the end to get me ready to push.
I began pushing around 10:45 and Eleanora made her debut at 11:19! It's funny how a memory can hold two such apposing emotions. It was definitely the most painful thing I've experienced, and yet it was a moment filled with inexpressible joy. Finally seeing my little girl was absolutely amazing. What a gift that the Lord has blessed us with!

Proud Papa!

First picture as a family of 3!

Mommy loves her little girl!

39 weeks

2011-02-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well here we are at 39 weeks and still waiting for Eleanora to make her arrival. I secretly had hoped that she would decide to come sooner rather than later, but I am learning to continually trust in God's sovereignty and his perfect timing, including the birth of my little girl.

Here is what my world has looked like for the past few weeks as I look down:

No feet in sight :) As far as how I've been feeling, I have good days and not so good days. I've been having lots of pelvic pain/pressure, backaches, and occasional contractions, although nothing too consistent. She's still moving lots and lots which can definitely be entertaining to watch from the outside :) I'm ready for this little girl to make her arrival so I can finally meet the one who has been occupying my womb these last 9 months!

Recent Craft Projects

2011-02-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

I love thrift stores. I love finding something that has been discarded and giving it new life. I recently went to one of our local thrift stores and found a white wicker shelf. It was pretty beat up and not very pretty to look at, but I thought that it would be great to hang in Eleanora's room for diaper supplies. So I gave it a little face lift. Unfortunately I forgot to take "before" pictures, but here is what it looked like right after we hung it up.

I covered the back with some yellow fabric and created the flowers on the corner with scraps of fabric and buttons. This is what it looks like now that it is filled with diapering essentials.

I also found some frames on a previous trip to the thrift store that semi-matched. I am planning on putting some pictures of Eleanora's arrival in them and hanging them below her name plaque that I painted, but I wanted to find some way to spruce them up a bit and make them look cohesive. Then I found a great tutorial on one of the crafting blogs I follow on how to create these fabric rosettes. So here is the finished product!

Here is a close-up of what the rosettes look like.

These are super easy to make with a few scraps of fabric and a hot glue gun. I only had buttons for embellishments, but the tutorial shows that you can use just about anything. Here is the link to the tutorial: http://www.u-createcrafts.com/2011/01/januarys-create-with-me-rosette-frames.html

Eleanora's Room

2011-01-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

So Eleanora's room is officially done so I thought I would post some pictures of the final product.

This is what you see as you look through her door. I have a few frames that will go below the name plaque once she has decided to make her arrival :)

Then as you walk into the door this is the view of the length of the room.

This is the view as you look at the opposite wall where the crib and dresser are.

This hangs right by the closet above the clothes hamper. I just made it yesterday out of some ribbon to hold all of Eleanora's cute hair clips and flowers she got.

Now all we need is Eleanora to make her appearance!

Life Transitions

2011-01-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was my last day as a teacher at RiverTree School. I must say it was bittersweet as one chapter of my life closes and another one begins. I have been so blessed to have a job that I truly loved and didn't see as a job but as a calling. I was able to be involved in the lives of many students and the Lord used each one of them to teach me much about myself, Him, and loving and training children. I consider it such a blessing to have had an opportunity to be a part of each of their lives!
I am now officially a stay-at-home mom (minus the baby quite yet) and a homemaker. Some may read that and think that it is an archaic concept and far less important than having a "real job". Oh how I disagree. My greatest calling is to fulfill my God given role, which is a wife and a mother. This is a monumental task and every bit as significant (and I would argue even more so) as having a profession outside the home. I have the opportunity to devote myself wholly to serving my husband, taking care of my home, and loving and training my children. I am so thankful that the Lord has provided a way for this to happen financially and logistically. We are so blessed!

Baby Showers

2011-01-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, the 15th, I was blessed by two wonderful baby showers. Unfortunately my old habits of forgetting to take pictures kicked back in and I took none the whole day :(
But the lack of pictures does not change the fact that I was so blessed by both showers and the ladies that threw them! The first shower was thrown by the ladies in my small group at church. It was so great to celebrate with the ladies from my church and I did get to steal a few pictures of the adorable decorations from my friend Heidi, who put so much work into the shower and hosted it at her home.

Heidi also put together a wonderful devotional that I am going to post below. It was such an encouragement as I enter this new phase of life!

Becoming a mom is one of the most wonderful, exciting and terrifying experiences of a woman's life. Days are often filled with uncertainty, questions and doubts. So here is an anagram of Eleanora's name to help you fight through mothering anxieties.

Earnestly seek God

Through prayer: "...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6)

AND

through promises: "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) Saints throughout the centuries have leaned on God's promises and called out to Him in prayer. And each and every time, they have found Him to be faithful. "I sought the Lord," David tells us, "and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4). So let's follow the example of David and that "great cloud of witnesses." Let's seek God through constant prayer, and in the space of His promises, let's park our souls. (from the Girl Talk Blog)

Lean not on your own understanding

I love this quote by Jerry Bridges, "Here's a principle to keep in mind: The promises of God are as real as the circumstances you are in. Your circumstances say "God has forgotten you." Your circumstances say, "I look for God, and just when I need God to come through for me, God doesn't seem to be any place." That's what your circumstances say. The promise of God says, "I will not leave you. I will never forsake you." And that promise is just as real as the circumstances you are in. And so by faith, we look beyond our circumstances and we look to the promises of God."

Embrace the exhortation & encouragement of friends

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end" (Heb 3:13-14). When I find myself coming to the end of my patience or struggling with anxiety about my child not sleeping or having potty issues, it is such a grace to be able to call, email or text a friend who can pray for me and give me "in the moment" encouragement. Or maybe they need to point me to the Gospel or help me see my sin; either way these blessed friendships founded on Christ are refreshing to the soul.

Abide in the grace of God

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). To abide means to accept or act in accordance with. Unfortunately it's easy to forget to abide in Christ throughout our daily "mom" duties. But oh how important to remember that we need the grace of God to accomplish even the most mundane tasks. Too often things don't go the way we have planned and we forget that God is the one who providentially arranges our day. If we will abide in Him, we will find it much easier to put aside OUR agenda.

No grace for "What if?"

Elisabeth Elliot’s wise advise says it best, “There is no grace for your imagination.”

God does not sprinkle grace over every path my fear takes. He does not rush in with support and encouragement for every doomsday scenario I can imagine.

No, instead He warns me to stay off those paths: “Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (Ps. 37:8). There is no grace for our imagination. That’s why our fearful imaginings produce bad fruit: anxiety, lack of joy, futile attempts to control. (from the Girl Talk Blog)

Obey: preach the Gospel to yourself (and your child)

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?" (Martyn Lloyd-Jones). I am learning in my own parenting to remind myself that even on my worst day, I have life better than I deserve... because I have eternal life. I also remind myself of God's proven goodness in my life. One of the best parts about preaching the Gospel to your child is that it is always faithful to hit home for yourself as well. There have been many times of discipline where in the midst of telling Novia of her sin and her need for Jesus to wash her clean, that I am convicted of my own sin and have to confess it to her. It's difficult sometimes and always humbling, but what a better way to exemplify our need for God's grace to our child?! Preaching to myself also looks like reminding myself of God's unfailing love. "Faith reminds itself of what the Scripture calls 'the exceeding great and precious promises' says Lloyd Jones. "Faith says: 'I cannot believe that He who has brought me so far is going to let me down at this point. It is impossible, it would be inconsistent with the character of God.' So faith, having refused to be controlled by circumstances [or feelings!], reminds itself of what it believes and what it knows."

Rejoice in the goodness of God

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything..." (Phil. 4:4). I find it interesting that sandwiched between the command to rejoice and the command to not be anxious, we're instructed to be reasonable. In a difficult situation it can be hard to remember to be fair and sensible with the circumstance let alone our children. We often lose our tempers and in sin lash out. Rejoicing in the Lord will keep us able to -form judgements based by a logical process- as the dictionary defines it.

Act: do the next thing

When things go awry in our mothering our sin tempts us to freeze in anxiety. "I just don't know what to do!" we cry out. But once we have preached the Gospel to ourselves, prayed, and praised, it's time to persevere. One may not know where to begin or how to solve whatever has been the immediate problem, but once again I like to fall back to the advise of Elizabeth Elliott who said, "When you don't know what to do, just do the next thing." There have been many moments in dealing with Novia's #2 issues that I have thought in fear, "She's never going to get this! It's going to be like this forever!" and I immediately get overwhelmed. But then I remember to just do the next thing which means for that situation taking it one day at a time, doing what I can THAT day to deal with the issue. I can't take care of the future I can only do the next thing.

So welcome to this wild ride called "Motherhood"! It has it's ups and it's downs, but by the loving grace of God you will be able to withstand even the lowest of lows. You will have a newfound appreciation for God as your Father and remember, just as your child calls for you at all times of the day and night, you can cry out to your ABBA and He will answer you. He has not brought you this far only to abandon you and He has a vested interest to see you succeed at this new role. Seek HIm, lean on the Word, reach out for help and encouragement, abide in Him, put away your imagination, preach the Gospel to yourself, rejoice in the Lord and persevere with the next thing and everything will be perfect.... no, but you will be more holy and more happy as a mom and as a daughter of the King.

The second shower was thrown by two wonderful mothers of current and former students at RiverTree School (where I taught the last year and a half). A huge thank you to Bekah and Jan; the shower was wonderful and I loved being able to celebrate with you all and the children!

So since I didn't take any pictures at the shower, I thought I would include a picture of all the wonderful gifts that I was blessed with through these showers. Thank you to everyone who came and blessed little Eleanora and us with these wonderful gifts!

Reading Corner: Night

2011-01-17T20:40:00.001-08:00

Title: Night
Author: Elie Wiesel

What kind of read is it?
It is the deeply moving story of Elie Wiesel, a Jew during the time of Hitler's rule and World War II. He tells his story of the German occupation and his life in the concentration camps. It is a short read, but deeply moving and powerful.

What insights did I gain from this book?
I walked away with a profound sadness resonating within me that any human being would have to endure something like that, and a clear reminder of the depravity of man. What these people experienced is something that we often try to reassure ourselves could never happen again, and yet we underestimate the grip that sin and evil have on this world and in the hearts of man. It caused me to long for the day when Christ returns and made me so very grateful that God is sovereign, even in the midst of unspeakable horrors.

What did the author do well?
Relay his story with incredible honesty and transparency.

What is lacking in the writing style of story?
I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt.

What will I remember most about this book?
This power behind this quote as I read it:
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never."

Reading Corner: The Mark of the Lion Series

2011-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

So after seeing this on a friend's blog I've decided to steal her wonderful idea. The Reading Corner is where I will post what I've currently finished reading and my thoughts on it.

Title: The Mark of the Lion Series (3 books in the series)
Author: Francine Rivers

What kind of read is it?
The series is Christian fiction that takes place during the time of the Roman Empire. The books are lengthy but consist of light, easy reading.

What insights did I gain from this book?
Lots. This was my second time reading this series and every time the Lord uses it to encourage me and grow me in my faith. Now, unfortunately, I have found this to be very rare for Christian fiction that an author can right something with enough substance that it causes me to examine my own heart and challenges sin patterns that have found their way into my life. These books are not just entertaining and well written (although they certainly are), but the characters and story truly pierces your soul. I was encouraged by the Sovereignty of God, His faithfulness to those who trust in Him, and His graciousness in pursuing and redeeming us. I was also encouraged to share my faith more boldly and remember that it God who is in control of the results.

What did the author do well?
Create amazing characters that draw you into their stories. They are characters that we can all relate to in different ways, and by the end of the books you are crying when they mourn and rejoicing when they rejoice.

What is lacking in the writing style or story?
Nothing. I love them that much!

What will I remember most about this book?
I will remember that we serve a good and mighty God who has graciously redeemed us while we were yet sinners.

New sewing projects

2011-01-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

I've finally figured out my sewing machine! Now it is very clear to me why people use them; it is so much quicker! I still love the feeling of sewing by hand, but you can't beat the efficiency of a sewing machine. So I've successfully made 2 baby blankets pictured below. One side is super soft fleece and one side is printed flannel. I've folded them in the pictures so you can see both sides.

I also made some reusable nursing pads which proved to be quite tricky. I was having a hard time sewing in a circular pattern, and didn't realize that the thickness of the multiple layers of fabric was the problem. My husband gently encouraged me to lay down my pride and go to JoAnn Fabrics to ask for some help and I'm so glad I did. The lady there was so friendly and helpful, and she quickly pointed me towards the easy solution to my problem. So after a rough beginning and a few ruined pads, I successfully sewed 10 sets!

A tribute to my husband

2011-01-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

So last Saturday was also our anniversary. We've been married for 4 wonderful years. In so many ways it feels that those 4 years have flown by, and in other ways it feels like we've been married forever. I can't imagine my life without him anymore, and I feel so blessed to spend my life with this man.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank my husband. I feel so blessed that the Lord so graciously brought him into my life. He is continuously serving me, loving me, and caring for me. I have especially seen this during my pregnancy. He graciously does all that I ask of him, and goes out of his way to do things for me that will lighten my load, such as washing the dishes, doing/folding laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. This has meant so much to me during this season of life.
He also strives to lead our family well and point me towards Christ. He is a constant source of encouragement and gentle correction when needed. I have seen him grow so much over this past year in love, humility, and faith, and God has used this as a catalyst for growth in my life as well.
I love you Robin and am so thankful for you. I am so excited to walk through this next phase of life and to see you as a father.
Oh and this is what I came home to on our anniversary :)

35 weeks

2011-01-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

So last Saturday began my 35th week of pregnancy. It is starting to feel so close, and I'm filled with joy every time I think about the excitement of getting to hold our little girl soon!
I've been experiencing lots of discomfort, aches, and pains as my body continues to get ready for labor. I can't sit or stand in any one position too long without getting stiff and achey. Eleanora's movements have changed as well. Her kicks and punches are much stronger and hard enough to startle me at times! :) I can also feel her moving from side to side as well as playing in my ribs, which is quite an odd feeling.
I was able to get a lot of things done over my Christmas break that I wanted to do before Eleanora arrives, which definitely adds to the feeling that she is coming very soon! Here is a picture of my at 35 weeks and, as you can see, Eleanora is really making her presence known!

Rain-gutter Bookshelves

2010-12-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

So this is a project that I have been wanting to complete for some time in Eleanora's room, and they are now complete! I got this idea off a blog I follow and love the way they turned out. These bookshelves are made of rain-gutter, which makes them very economical. I love that you can see the books displayed!

Here are some close-ups of the shelves:

Christmas

2010-12-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It has been so fun to start thinking through what kind of traditions we want to place importance on during this special time as our little one arrives soon. On Christmas Eve we went to a Lesson in Carols service at Bethlehem Baptist church. It was a great service, but we found ourselves to be a bit tired as it ran from 10:45pm until 12:15am. It sounded like a good idea at the time :)

Then on Christmas morning we got up, opened presents, and made breakfast. We spent time thanking Christ for what He did and reveling in the awesomeness of the sacrifice.

Then we relaxed the rest of the day until heading over to have Christmas dinner with our friends, the Bielinskis, and some of their extended family. It was a sweet time of fellowship and capped off a wonderful day!

Here is Robin wearing/holding his presents:

Here is a picture or Robin and Sadie enjoying a mid-morning nap on the couch:

And here is me in front of the Christmas tree. I was exactly 33 weeks pregnant on Christmas day.

The lost meaning of Christmas traditions

2010-12-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

On this Christmas Eve, I find myself thinking about all of the things that surround Christmas time; many of the Christmas traditions we just do without really understanding why. This season, for the Christian, is a truly remarkable time that we celebrate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in the human form of a baby. His coming brought hope of the redemption from our sins, and this is a time of true celebration! Here are a few Christmas traditions that have lost their meaning in our culture today.

Christmas Lights: It is no coincidence that we celebrate the birth of Christ during the darkest month of the year, during the week when we experience the shortest day and the longest night. Our lights remind us that Christ shines His love in the midst of the darkness of sin and death. (See John 8:12)

Evergreen Trees: Similarly, the evergreen is the only plant showing signs of life in the depth of winter. We use it at Christmas to remind us of the eternal life promised to us by Christ, as well as a symbol of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, to which we someday hope to return. (See John 10:10, John 6:47-51, and John 3: 13-15 for more on the eternal life promised to us.)

Star: We all know the star rested over the place where Christ was born. It was a sign to point the way to the Savior who had just been born, and it can remind us today to keep our eyes fixed on our Savior and His great sacrifice during this season.

Holly berries: In ancient times, it was told that holly berries were originally white and were stained red by the Blood of Christ at the crucifixion. They actually stand for His crown of thorns, piercing His divine Head for our transgressions. (See Hebrews 9:22, Exodus 24:8, Exodus 12:22-23, Matthew 26:27-29 for more on the significance of blood.)

Candy canes: Here’s a quick recap of the candy canes significance:

Its shape is that of a shepherd’s staff (Ezekiel 34:11-15, John 10: 14-18)
Turn one upside down and it’s a J for Jesus.
The hardness symbolizes the rock of the papacy on which the Church is built (Matt 16:18)
White – for Christ’s purity
Red – for His blood, the 3 small stripes for the wounds he received for us (Is 53:4-5) as well as for the Trinity, and the larger one reminds us of the blood shed on the Cross.

So as we look at these things this Christmas, I pray that we remember what they symbolize, and take the opportunity to truly rejoice in our Savior's birth!

Oh Christmas Tree...

2010-12-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

So this is quite embarrassing to admit, but....Robin and I just put up our tree last night.
Usually I like to put up the Christmas decorations and tree right after Thanksgiving, but this year the procrastination bug has seemed to bite us. We got Christmas decorations up a few weeks ago, but the tree kept being put off by fits of tiredness, illness, laziness, etc.
I had almost given up, but Robin convinced me we should put it up no matter how late it was, and I am so glad I listened to him! There is nothing like looking at a lit tree with all it's beautiful ornaments to put you in the holiday spirit!

Golden Potato Soup

2010-12-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was the first official day of winter, although Minneapolis has already had over 28" of snow so it hardly feels that this could be true. With winter and colder temperatures comes my love of soups. It is very difficult for me to eat soup any other time of year as it seems like a food group that was tailor made for cold winter nights.
One of my favorite soups is golden potato soup. I made it while my parents were up a couple months ago and my mom has been asking for the recipe ever since. Since I have not followed through yet on giving it to her, I thought I would post it here.

Golden Potato Soup (serves 5)

Ingredients

3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded American cheese
1 cup chopped ham or diced bacon (optional)
1 cup diced green onions to top (optional)

Directions

In a large stock pot add potatoes, celery, onion, chicken bouillon, water and parsley flakes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until vegetables become tender.
In a separate bowl mix flour and milk. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup becomes thick.
Stir in cheese and cooked ham (if using) and simmer until cheese is melted.
Garnish with diced bacon and green onions.

Finally!

2010-12-22T07:23:00.001-08:00

OK so I've had this odd wish ever since I've found out I was pregnant...I've wanted to park in one of the expectant mother parking spaces. Now this can be quite tricky for multiple reasons. First, most places don't have them. Second, if they do, they are often taken. And third, it is easy to become quite self-concious as I look down at my belly and wonder if I look "pregnant enough" to be parking there.
Well my day finally arrived yesterday! Robin and I were out running errands and we pulled into the Bestbuy parking lot. As we inched our car further down the aisle I quickly began to loose hope of finding a close parking spot (and in a muddy, snow-filled parking lot this can be quite discouraging!). I saw one up front but assumed that it was most likely a handicapped parking spot. But as we pulled closer this is what I saw:

I literally squealed for joy as Robin pulled into the parking spot! This is one wish I can now check off my list. Oh, and I made sure to keep my jacket unzipped as we walked up to the front of the store so that I looked "pregnant enough". :)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

So we had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year spending it with our dear friends, the Smiths. We were able to spend last Christmas with them, which was also a blast, so we were really looking forward to getting to spend another holiday with them. I'm not always the best at taking pictures, which is something I am trying to work on, so I didn't really get any shots of their family or Alyssa, Kermit, and Kember who were also there, but I do have a few of the turkey carving and some pictures that Roger took of Robin and I.

31 weeks

2010-12-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

So today I am officially 31 weeks pregnant! This means that we are in single digits (9 weeks) until little Eleanora arrives! I can't believe how quickly time has gone and how little time is left to get things done. We are so looking forward to the arrival of our daughter and can't wait until she decides to make her entrance into this world.
Here is a picture of me at 30 weeks.

I'm definitely starting to feel more uncomfortable as my body continues to adjust to carrying her. It's getting more and more difficult to get comfortable whether sitting or lying down. Sleep has been elusive these past few weeks, which I've heard is quite common. This weeks craving has been Cheez-its. Can't get enough of them!

Dad's Visit

2010-12-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

So I want to start by saying that I have wonderful parents. Throughout my life, they have consistently sacrificed their wants so that I might have much. This has continued and extended into Robin and I's marriage as they have helped us fix up our first house. My dad spent a couple months up here after we first bought it doing too many things to list. The outcome is a beautiful home that Robin and I love!
Well this fall he was at it again. He came up for another couple months and did several big projects for us.
The first was re-doing our bedroom closet. This is what our original closet looked like (and what is typical in these older homes.

And this is our new closet! Much more room, and now we can actually keep both our clothes in the same closet.

My dad also spent a lot of time working on the basement. When we bought the house there was a room that was "finished". I use this term loosely because it was not in very good shape or very well done. Well my dad re-did the room for us and now we have a wonderful family room downstairs!

Robin's favorite part is his large desk that he finally gets to spread all his books out on. Before he would use our dining room table, much to my chagrin. Now he can spread out as many books as he likes!

Thanks dad for all your hard work and sacrifice. We love it, and we loved having you stay with us!

The story of Eleanora Ruth

2010-12-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Robin and I are expecting our first child around February 13th. We are so excited for this new adventure and feel beyond blessed to be entrusted with this little one. The road to pregnancy was somewhat difficult as we have been trying for about 6 months to conceive. God used the process of waiting to sanctify me in many ways. He revealed a lot of uncontentment in my heart that I didn't even know was there, and as I sifted through this and confessed my sin, He was faithful to draw me closer to Himself. As I was going through all of that, I wouldn't have every imagined that I would come out on the other end saying I was grateful for that time of waiting, but now I can truly say that I wouldn't change anything. God's timing truly is perfect, and He sovereignly ordained those circumstances for both Robin and I to grow immensely.

So fast forward to June. It was just like any other month, and I was anxiously waiting for the time when I would discover if I was pregnant or not. Because of a few different symptoms, I began to wonder if I was, but I was desperately trying not to get my hopes up. I woke up early Monday morning to take a test, and I could hardly believe it when I looked down...

Pregnant! This is what we had been waiting for, but it was still all quite surreal in the moment.

Now let me insert something here; a bit of information about me that anyone who knows me, knows well. I'm TERRIBLE at keeping secrets. I was the child who would want to run home and tell mom or dad what we just bought them for Christmas.
So this next piece of information will be quite shocking for some of you: I kept something a secret from Robin for a whole year and a half! Can you believe it? So let me explain...
When we were still living in Louisville and began to discuss trying to have a baby, I decided how I wanted to tell him when that day finally came. We have collected several WillowTree figurines throughout our marriage, and they have one of a mother and father holding a baby. So I bought it, wrapped it up, and kept it hidden in the closet. Well as we were moving to Minneapolis, my secret package was discovered in the closet and Robin was dying to know what it was. I told him he had to wait until the right time, and then it would be given to him (needless to say he didn't like that answer). Well, the moment had finally arrived!
I ran upstairs, pulled the package from it's secret hiding place, and ran back down to wake up Robin. I placed the package before him as he was groggily laying in bed and told him to open it. He was quite excited that he was finally going to figure out what was in the box. When he opened it this is what he saw:

And then I finally got to say the words that I had been longing to say: I'm pregnant!
And so begins the adventure and incredible blessing of our little Eleanora Ruth.

Sewing

2010-12-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

So I have taken up a new hobby...sewing. Oh how I love sewing! There is something about it that is so calming and therapuetic. While my dad was up visiting a few months ago, he taught me some basic stitches and so began the start of my new love and obsession. I started with a pillow for Eleanora's room, which was quite easy once I was shown the proper stitches.

This gave me confidence to move on to sewing a covering for an old table that needed some sprucing up.

Then I tried my hand at extending some curtains I had bought for Eleanora. I used the same fabric as the covering for the table and they turned out quite nicely!

Then I tried sewing some burp cloths, which I found were much easier than I anticipated and oh so cute!

Then I spent a afternoon sewing some "baby legs". The benefit of these is that they act like tights and help keep the baby warm, without all the hassle. Because they only go up to the top of the leg, you can change a baby's diaper without having to remove them. Genius!

This is what they look like on a baby, but they are quite expensive to buy.

I found out that you can find socks on clearance at Target for $1. So to sew these baby legs literally costs $1 each plus the cost of thread. I would say that's a bargain!
There are a few more projects that I want to get done before the baby arrives, but now I have some extra help thanks to my wonderful parents. For Christmas they have bought me my very first sewing machine!

I can't wait to get started! Now I just have to figure out how to use it! :)

First Blog Post...

2010-12-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

So I have decided to join the world of blogging. With friends and family scattered across the country, and our first little one due in February, I thought this would be a good option of keeping everyone up to date on the happenings of the Sutphen family.

Right now I'm sitting in the middle of a massive snow storm, so I figured this was as good a time as any to begin my blogging adventure! They are calling for up to 16" of snow, so I am staying in my warm and cozy house enjoying the beautiful snow and the feeling of Christmas. This is the view from out my front window right now:

My husband's going to have a lot of shoveling to do tomorrow!