11/21/2008

PIZZA NIGHT!


Last week I put some ingredients in the bread machine and when I got home from the Y, I had dough! Last Christmas my sister-in-law gave the boys each a pizza kit, which included a personal size pizza pan. The boys had fun making their own pizza!




Drew sure looks guilty, huh!!

We also took the boys to an indoor miniature golf course. They had a blast, though Mike spent more time fishing balls out of the water than actually hitting, I think :) I, on the other, had had quite the streak of 2 shots per hole!! Trent was so excited when he got a "HOLE IN TWO!"






**Note all the 2's under MOM!!**



I asked Trent to take a picture of me hitting, and this is what I got! (it's probably still better than what I would have gotten from Mike. :) Sorry, hon!

11/17/2008

In Memory...

Last year a few of my friends got together to help me make some presents to take to the hospital where Noah was born. We had so much fun, the girls wanted to do it again this year. It really was fun for me to take everything we had made and collected and drop it off at the hospital...it gave me something happy to do on a day that I anticipated dreading.


I keep in contact with one of the nurses at the hospital and so she was able to share with me about giving these items to moms who had just lost their baby. I'm so thankful to be able to make a small impact on the lives of moms who now walk the path I did almost two years ago. At a time when they feel all alone and that know one understands, they receive a gift from a mom that "knows." And I hope it helps, seeing in a tangible way, that they are not alone!


It is such a special thing for me to have friends who want to remember Noah's life with me. I can't thank them enough for their prayer, encouragement, and friendship. You (and you know who you are!) have been Christ's hands and feet to me - your gentle reminders of love, concern, and comfort have taught me so much!


A few pictures of us hard at work...





What the books look like...







The reason why I wanted to do something with pictures stems from this scene...

"After our friends and family had all left the hospital for the night, the hospital photographer peeked in with a small white envelope in her hand. She had printed four or five pictures she had taken of our son. When I saw the pictures of his tiny hand, wrinkly feet, and his face, I could not hold back the tears. They were a priceless treasure! His time with us had come and gone. Now, I held in my hand the only link to remembering his face. He was beautiful!! It was just what I needed, and it couldn't have been better timing. Our time was winding down, we were about to give Noah over to the funeral home, and I felt as though she made it a little easier. We would trade his little body for the pictures we could hold onto for the rest of our lives. I had these beautiful pictures to look at anytime I needed to see him."
Think about how a mom would feel when she receives her baby's pictures, not in a white envelope, but a precious "photo book." It says to a mom who wants something special and unique for her baby...someone cares about your baby too! They are precious and valuable and the "cover" matches the beautiful pictures. I carry my little photo book in my purse even today. Anytime I want to show someone, or look at them myself I have them with me! I hope this becomes something special to the moms that receive them too.

11/06/2008

Playing catch up...

Here are a few more pics of the last month...family visits, Fall Festival, and Halloween!!

Watching Trent's last soccer game of the season. It was great to finally see Loren after his year of teaching in China!


We picked out a couple of pumpkins to carve with Grandma, but the boys wouldn't get in and take out the seeds! They did enjoy eating them though.

Drew wanted his pumpkin to have lots of teeth!

Loren and Trent had a fierce game of driveway hockey goin' on.

We attended a Fall Festival...complete with 2 moonwalks, lots of carnival games, and need I say CANDY!! Drew had to have 2 glare protectors just like Trent...he wanted to put them on himself.

Nice aim! Lots of practice I guess!


Love the tongue sticking out...such concentration for a 4 year old!


Trick-or-Treating!!!! The boys each managed close to 200 pieces!!!!

11/04/2008

Sunsets...

This is just one of the beautiful sunsets we've enjoyed while eating dinner in our dining room. The beauty of nature makes it easy to talk to our boys about the awesomeness of God's creation. Talking of and living out our relationship with Christ, in front of our kids, can be an overwhelming task at times. I'm thankful for the "small" opportunities God gives us to instill truth into the hearts of our children. I wonder how many teachable moments I have just let pass me by. Yet, I'm thankful that tomorrow is a new day. I love the reminder I get from each sunset that His mercies are new every morning. I can't help but think about our son Noah and what he must be experiencing right at this very moment. This sunset reminds me of the majesty and creativity of our Creator, and I am thankful as a stand in awe. I wonder what "pictures" God has shown my Noah...the majesty and glory of God must be truly incredible. This picture doesn't do it justice, but it wets my appetite, and I look forward-with joy-to be in the presence of God.


Psalm 145:3 -7 "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness."