Dec 18

1787 - New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1865 - Slavery was abolished in the United States with the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution being ratified.

1916 - During World War I, after 10 months of fighting the French defeated the Germans in the Battle of Verdun.

1917 - The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress

1956 - "To Tell the Truth" debuted on CBS-TV.

1983 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 100th point in the 34th game of the season.

1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives began the debate on the four articles of impeachment concerning U.S. President Bill Clinton. It was only the second time in U.S. history that process had begun.

2009 - General Motors announced that it would shut down its Saab brand.

Famous Birthdays

Ty Cobb 1886 - Baseball player

Keith Richards 1943 - Musician (Rolling Stones)

Steven Spielberg 1947 Movie producer-director

Leonard Maltin 1950 - Movie reviewer

Ray Liotta 1955 - Actor

Brad Pitt 1963 Actor

DMX 1970 - Rapper

Madison Leigh Schafers 2009 - Most beautiful little girl ever!

Whoa!

Madison is going to be 1 this Saturday and I'm having a really hard time believing it!  I thought that time flew with Mason, but it seems like just yesterday we were welcoming our beautiful little girl to the world!  On the other hand, it seems like she's always been a part of our family and I'm so thankful that she's such a good little sister to Mason - he is such a good big brother too!  He's so protective and let's her beat him up all she wants!  He loves trying to get her to walk to him - it's hilarious! He'll say "Come here sister" over and over again :)

She is taking some steps, but has yet to really "walk".  I'm thinking it is coming soon - she's getting pretty daring!  She's even sillier than Mason...we may have our hands full with those two.

On a more sentimental note, I love this time of year.  I love seeing the look in Mason's eyes when he gets really excited to see the Christmas lights, etc.  He has so much fun just being responsible for turning on the lights on the tree and says "It's Merry Christmas" every time he sees something on TV or at someone's house that is decorated for the holidays!  I can't wait until he knows just what this holiday is all about.  This year will be so much fun with both of them - can't wait!

What's it all for?

Ok...so I'm one of those people.  When something is important to me, I want to read every book on the topic that I can get my hands on!  This drove Randal crazy when I was pregnant...but I wanted to know EVERYTHING that COULD happen so that I was ready and armed against whatever came out of the blue.  This is how I deal with things, so he put up with it :)  Well, in the past 5 years, I've read a LOT of books about marriage and parenting.  I'm reading a couple right now and they've got me thinking...so that has me typing tonight :)

You name the book, I've probably read it or own it...I've read books about how to be a better mother while trying to be a better wife, books about how to pray for your husband, books about how to be a Godly wife, books about how to speak your spouse's love language, etc, etc, etc.  I've pieced together my own idea of what being a wife and mother looks like over the years.  This may or may not be something that others agree with, and that's ok - b/c I think everyone's family has to function differently, and also that no one has it all figured out.  But here's what's got me thinking so much...of all of these books that I've read, they have all tried to give me a reason to do the things they say.  If you're a better parent, your kids won't be so screwed up; If you're a better wife, you'll have a better family; If you're a better wife, you're husband won't leave you; If you're a better wife, your husband will be better to you, etc, etc, etc.

There is a laundry list of reasons to do the things we do on a daily basis, but my question is, what is it all really for?  I mostly read Christian books, but I feel like a lot of them don't focus enough on the big picture.  Yes, I want my kids and my husband, and my life to be better, but first and foremost, as a Christ follower, my duty is to carry out these daily "routines" to the Glory of God.  Everything about my life is made to give me opportunities to bring Him glory, so that's what it's for.

The fact that my life was formed brings Him glory.  The fact that I am saved from the penalties of my sin brings Him glory.  The fact that a little girl like me can stand tall in face of adversity and fear brings Him glory. The fact that I have peace, even in the darkest times, brings Him glory.  He is a wonderful God and He is the only God that deserves whatever glory we can bring Him.  He is the only God that is worthy to demand it of us, so He does. Because He is that great.

So why do things every day that might make a difference?  I just got done doing the 30 day giving challenge...why take the time?  B/c it would make a difference, that's why.  Because whatever good thatt giving does, it brings Him glory.  I think that's why anonymous things are so much more fun - there's no chance of anyone else getting credit but Him :)

So why work on your marriage or parenting?  Do you do it to help with your insecurities?  Or so that your kids won't grow up to be what you fear the most? Or to deal with infidelity?  Or just to better yourself for the heck of it?  Whatever the reasoning has been, the heart of it should be for Him. 

I make the decision every day to love Randal and work on our marriage.  Some days, it's easier than others.  But I know that making that decision not only makes my life better, it brings God glory to see that from His children. I do everything in my power to protect and care for my kids - that makes my heart warm to see them taken care of, but I know that it brings God glory to see me taking care of His kids and raising them to know their Father. 

I won't even try and trick you into thinking that I do everything with this in mind...in fact, I do a lot of things exactly the opposite and I kick myself after.  I'm stupid, but luckily He gets that and has me covered. 

So that is all.  I just need a re-focus sometimes and I think God puts this on my heart in just the right moments.  Glory to Him! :)

The latest gems :)

I was told numerous times over the Thanksgiving weekend that I do not post on here enough, so here I am, on a roll.  Here are a few things from the recent past:

Madison had the flu really bad a couple of weeks ago and reminded me of what a tough girl we have!  The poor thing couldn't keep anything down and was exhausted, but for the most part was a real trooper (even when we had to do a suppository! I cried more than she did!).  She's a tough kid, and it's probably a good thing with her brother around :) 

She's super close to walking, so we're working on that.  She also has SIX teeth now! Wow! And the girl can bite! Don't get your fingers near her mouth or she might draw blood...just sayin.

Mason is hilarious, as always.  Even during his "terrible two's" moments, he makes us laugh.  Here are a few things that have kept us rolling lately:

~He's been very confused about contradicting relationships lately...for example, I told him one day that Grandma Sue is my mommy and he just told me "no" and walked away.  You can imagine how confused he was when we tried to explain that Randal was my husband.  So randomly over the last couple of weeks, he'll look at me and just go, "He's your daddy, not you husband mommy!"  Last night, as he went to go find Randal in the other room, he kept saying "He's not my daddy, he's my husband mommy"  Hopefully he'll be able to work this out in his head :)
~Another doozy is his favorite toy...it's now a flashlight.  He likes to carry it around the house until we yell at him to stop trying to shine it in people's eyes.  We've decided he's going to be an evangelist, b/c he keeps telling us he's going to "find the dark". 

And those are your laughs for today :) Enjoy! Here's a picture of Mason assisting Daddy & Pampa with the Christmas Lights!

30 Days of Giving: Days 10, 11, etc, etc :)

Ok – so I have not been good about keeping up with my blog the last couple of weeks! The 30-Day giving challenge has been great. I have to admit, some days it’s easier than others, but it’s been really good to force myself to look for even the small ways to give of myself this month. Since I haven’t been good at keeping up on my daily updates, here’s a brief list of some of the ways I’ve given in the last couple of weeks:


1) Cooking for others
2) Toys for Tots
3) Giving change to the Salvation Army bell-ringers
4) Giving up my place in line at the store on my lunch break (this one was hard!)
5) Sending anonymous gifts and words of encouragement (these are my favorites!)
6) Filling up someone else's tank of gas
7) Giving extra time for the kids – our family has been sick a lot over the last couple of weeks, so this was essential and special!
8) Giving friendly, encouraging advice to those that come to me with problems and questions
9) Sorting through toys to give away/donate
10) Giving special prayer time for certain people/projects

It’s the 29th today, so I better make the last two days count I guess! :)  Happy Giving!

Randal Posted this....

 He looks like he just stepped out of the Wizard of Oz!

She went down for a nap...

and woke up with the fullest head of hair!

 The new family car, no more pick up. 

Let's face it I never owned a truck they were always pick ups!

30 Days - Days 7,8, & 9

Day 7 - This day was a kind of crazy one :)  I just got back from Joplin and seeing gma, so I was catching up on things around the house and spending time with my family.  I was scheduled to make a meal for our friends for Monday, so I made it on Sunday and took it to them that evening.  It was a wonderful fit :)

Day 8 - oh Mondays...I don't really like them much.  They are crazy and exhausting, but this one was ok! :) I ordered something online for a friend that I hope they'll love ;)  Guess we'll see! 

Day 9 - I have been praying about sponsoring a child through Compassion International for a long time.  After we had a FANTASTIC sermon on Orphan Care this past Sunday, I decided God was prodding me to finally take the plunge.  So today, I sponsored Melody...she is a 5 year old girl from Uganda (a country close to my heart - my friend Melissa is over there right now finalizing the adoption of their beautiful girl Mercy).  My prayer is that this support for Melody will show the Father's love and bless her and her family beyond my imagination :)

Days 5 & 6

Day 5 - This was a long day.  Trying to find out what was going on with grandma took up most of my day. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of information and cell reception is not great at the hospital so most of our information back home was very sporaditic and via text.  Needless to say, we were all feeling pretty confused. We ended up talking to mom and dad for a while in the afternoon and determined it would be fine for me to go out to Joplin and see her and represent the grandkids for the weekend.  Thanks to my sister for her beautiful note on the last post, but I really don't see it as that big of a deal...I consider it a blessing and a priviledge to give grandma everyone's well wishes. 

Anyway, my giving challenge was going to be tough...I was going to be traveling for a while, so I was looking for something random that God would present me with along the way.  On the way to work in the morning, I decided to stop off at Starbucks for a little pick me up :) I decided that my giving challenge for the day would be to pay for the person behind me. Not a huge deal, I know, but hopefully it made that person's day a little bit brighter!

Day 6 has been spent at the hospital visiting grandma.  My giving was my time with God as I walked the halls for a few minutes earlier and read some prayer requests and prayed for people in the hospital.  Nothing better than carrying our burdens to Him. 

I have no idea what else God has in store for me over the next few weeks, but I'm excited for it :)

30 Days of Giving - Day 4

Today is a tough one...one of those days when I'd really like to forget about this challenge and just focus on my own problems, but I'm glad I've accepted this challenge and am looking at this day as a huge one for growth. 

Last night, my maternal grandma had a heart attack.  Initially, things looked hopeless.  I felt more helpless than I have in a while.  She was out of state when it happened, so my mom and her siblings had to quickly drive to be with her and my grandpa.  Thankfully, we've had more reports over the last few hours that make things look a little better, but we are still all needing a lot of prayer.  This could be a very long, scary road and we will all be tested as we lean on the Father for strength and hope.

So today, it would be super easy to throw in the towel on this 30 day thing and focus on this.  Granted, I think giving of my time and energy to all of this is good, but the bigger lesson at hand is that other people need me to give too.  I cannot forget that, even now.  The past two months have been the hardest of my life...I could give up pretty easily and don't think many people would judge me for that...but here I am, resting on the only One who gets me through the days, especially this one.  Satan is attacking and my only defense is Him and He tells me to get back up, dust myself off, and plow through - it's for His glory and it will all work towards His good.  I know that...it's just easier to remember on certain days.

So here it is, a chance for something great - what will I do with it?  I'm using today for a big project.  This will not be completed in one day, as I am asking for assistance from other givers and this is a big undertaking.  But I know that He will bless this effort, so here goes! I want this verse to be a reflection of my life, to be unexpected in this world:

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. ~ 2 Corinthians 8:2-5

30 Days - Days 2 & 3

Day 2 was good.  I gave my vote - what a great privilege! I picked out some clothes out of my closet and am going to drop them off this weekend.  I think the best and worst part of all of this for me is finding time to do all of this.  As a mother who works outside of our home, I have to find those rare windows of time to drop off, deliver things, pack things up, bake things, etc. This is going to be a great growth opportunity for me, and hopefully, my entire family.  I spend so much time worrying about the kids, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, my job, etc that I sometimes forget about the rest of the world.  Thank you God for a reminder like this one :)

Day 3 was good as well.  I spent some time on my lunch break sending out some words of encouragement to some strangers on my favorite cake baking website Cake Central.  It's always great to see when people post on your pictures of your creations, so hopefully those bakers got a little boost from that :)

Day 4 is still a question mark.  I know that I will be giving some extra time to my husband and am hoping that maybe we can do some giving together :) We'll see what tomorrow holds!

Halloween 2010

Our kids had a BLAST this Halloween! It was so much fun to see them both enjoy it this year.  Big M was dressed as Woody from Toy Story and Little m was a cute little duck :)  They were adorable, if I do say so myself!  M had a great time getting candy and I think he's got severe sugar addiction.  m just had fun with all of the excitement!  She still won't eat anything other than formula (my kids are the weirdest kids on the planet!), so we couldn't give her any sort of treat.  She continues to grow like a weed! She got two new teeth this past week, along w/ her first infection.  She just finished up a round of antibiotics and is a complete trooper! 

Both kids are hilarious in their own little way.  m makes the funniest faces and noises and loves to beat up her big brother.  M takes it like a champ b/c he knows it's fun for her and it's funny for everyone else :)  What a good big brother!  Randal did me the giant favor of previously posting her 10 month pictures (mommy didn't do a very good job of getting them done at 9 months).

He repeats everything we say (we're REALLY having to watch ourselves!) and has come up with his own funny sayings now too.  His favorite is "Me do it".  He is SUPER independent now, which I love, but it forces me to be patient, which I don't love ;) He has also become a very picky eater (I have no clue where he gets it from!) and continues to tell me "I can't like it" whenever I put food on his plate.  I just tell him "yes, you can" and move on. He was hysterical in his costume and would say "yay-haw" and take his hat off.  He was shy when the neighborhood kids came to our house to trick-or-treat and would only say "Happy Halloween" to them when they were close to the driveway!  ha! 

 The kids with Grammy & Great Gpa & Gma

 Our little family...m and I are too funny in this one!

 My two with Molly's boys - brings back lots of childhood memories! :)

My smiling duckie :)

30 Days of Giving - Days 1 and 2

Yesterday, I caught wind of the most exciting thing - The 30-Day Giving Challenge.  A group of women started a challenge - spend 30 days coming up with creative ways to give of your time, talents, and resources.  What a beautiful idea!  I'm overjoyed about participating, even if I did learn about it at the last minute and am a little bit nervous about coming up with 30 creative things to do! If you want to learn more, or join me, check out http://www.30daygivingchallenge.com/!

Anyway, I'll be blogging about this journey as I go and hopefully can get Randal and the kiddos involved too! 

Day 1, since it was last minute, consisted of compiling a list of ideas and trying to find something I could do so quickly.  Luckily, one fellow blogger posted a list of wonderful ideas that I will be drawing from and posted some websites that you can "give" on just by clicking to encourage advertisers to post there, so I did a few of those.  I also made Mexican Casserole for my husband, as it is his favorite meal...but I don't think that counts because I forgot how to make it and it was far from being right.  Because he is nice, he ate it anyway :)

Day 1 was also spent praying for my friend Melissa and her precious family.  They are going through the process of bringing home their beautiful little girl named Mercy and Melissa is stuck in Africa trying to get home to reunite her family.  Please join me in continuing to pray for resolution and safe (QUICK!) travels home!

Day 2 will be spent sorting and packing up clothes that don't fit post-baby me anymore :)  Surely some young professional lady will look adorable in all of my old suits, right?  This experience is so refreshing, because lately, I have not been in a place where I have felt like giving much.  It's really great how often God gives me a kick in the pants just when I need it! 

"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." ~Acts 20:35

When September Ends

Well we have been busy, and alot has gone on over the past month.  The kids continue to grow, Madison is crawling all over the place, and wants to stand and walk... she has that on her "To Do" list for the next month.  She has two teeth on the bottom right in the middle, and I am pretty sure she says "DADA" with fair regularity.  One of her current favorite activities is to climb on her brother like a jungle gym.  And Mason doesn't seem to matter for the time being.

Mason is a weed... but the good kind of weed, not the bad kind like Nutgrass, or Milkweed.  He keeps getting bigger, stronger and alot more adverturesome.  The boy would jump off the kitchen table if I let him, and there was his bean bag or ball pit to land in.  He is still a daddy's boy... doesn't look like there is any end in sight (which I fully enjoy!)  He can talk... and does!  He quotes movies, TV shows, what ever Beth or I say... we are to that age where Beth now has to watch what she says around him ;)  

Well in case you can't tell by the writing style, this is not Beth, this is Randal.  My last post went over so good that I have been getting requests to write again... but I had to wait for the right time, the right venue... so in the writing style of my last post here is an update:

Beth still works at EP, with her sister. 

Beth likes her work.

Beth makes cakes in her free time... they are good.

Please order a cake.

I, Randal, work at CCH.

I work in the Sales and Use Tax department.

It has to do with the reporting of the sales tax you paid this morning for your Starbucks.

No Shave Novemeber is coming... are you ready?

Here are recent pics of the kids:

Madsion at Uncle Alan's Wedding

6 Months

Brotherly Love

2 Years old

Mason laughing at a joke... 2 Years Old.

(Have you heard the one about the brick?)

Thinking about everything he has seen in the past two years.

How funny these kids are...

Kids are hilarious, it's a well known fact.  Mine are no exception.  They make me laugh all the time.  Granted, some times the laughter is postponed until after the occurence (or at least until the kids are out of ear-shot), but none-the-less, they're funny.  Here are some gems from the recent past:

Madison is completely bored with crawling already. She has the ability to do it, but as soon as she goes a little ways, she sits up and gives this look like, “Really? This is what you’ve been begging me to do???” She’s going to be tough to please…


Mason says something funny every day. His new thing is saying “You don’t do that again” when you say something silly when he’s not in the mood to hear it.

He also likes to name all of the characters from Toy Story and won’t stop talking about watching them on the “big TV”. I guess we have a few trips to the Warren in our near future.

Madison is scared to death of the Rex (dinosaur from Toy Story) toy that Mason got for his b-day, so Mason likes to hold it up close to her until she freaks out. . .what a great big brother, right?

Mason starting yelling a line from Toy Story a while back – it’s the scene where Woody is trying to convince Buzz that he is not a real spaceman and yells “YOU ARE A TOY!” Mason thinks it’s funny to say to us, either joking around, or as an insult when he’s mad. This has now turned into several different phrases, such as:

“YOU ARE A MONKEY!”
“YOU ARE BUZZ LIGHTYEAR”
“YOU ARE CRAAAAAAZY” (This is my personal favorite)

This morning, while going potty before getting ready for the day, Mason kept telling Randal to "move your arms, Daddy".  When Randal did, Mason said, "I don't see it Daddy...I don't see your seat belt".  After we stopped laughing, Randal explained that it's just called a "belt" on your pants and that he didn't wear one today and that the seat belts were just in the car :)

To sum up, my kids are hilarious…I have no idea where they get it.

Ode to Fall

To show my appreciation for the season of Fall, I've composed a list of my top 15 reasons that I love this time of year :)

1. 2 words – CROCK POT
2. Football
3. The beautiful colors – doesn’t God really know how to paint a pretty picture?!
4. Cool weather, but not too cold
5. Sweaters, jeans, & jackets mean that my post-baby bump doesn’t seem so bumpy
6. The holidays are here, which leads to my next 2 points:
7. Lots of time with family
8. Lots of great food
9. Looking forward to the snow
10. Candy Corn
11. Pumpkin & cinnamon scented candles
12. Chili
13. Seasonal decorations
14. Christmas shopping
15. 3 days weekends as the holiday season begins

Busy, busy, busy

Mason turned 2 on August 14th and we had a great party with some friends and family - of course, we had a Toy Story theme :)  I made an etch-a-sketch cake and we grilled out, then we opened presents.  Mason had a great time opening his gifts and even impressed everyone when he recognized the jayhawk on his new sweats :)   He made this momma so proud!

After Mason's party, I took a nap (can I get a HALLELUJAH!?) and then Randal & I headed out for a fantastic date night at a  Dave Matthews Band concert.  We had dinner and then got to the concert right before it started to rain.  We had so much fun at the concert while my mom and dad watched & played with the kids.  Thanks to the parentals for a great evening out!

The next day, we had baby dedication for Madison and that went very smoothly, except for Randal and Pastor Cody posing like nerds in the picture :)

After church, we rushed down to see some family & my grandpa, who is in a rehab facility since his knee surgery.  It was so great to see all of our family that doesn't live close enough to see more than once or twice a year.  None of them had met either of the kids, so that was so sweet to get to do...we had a blast visiting and playing skip-bo and got back home WAY too late to go to work the next day! 

While we were visiting Grandpa Bob, we rode the elevator up to his room and as soon as the doors closed, Mason said "I want to get out" - it cracked all of us up :) We went back the next Saturday and he proceeded to color in blue crayon on the clean white bed sheets...oops!

On a side note, my friend Melissa is heading out to Uganda today to go get her beautiful little girl Mercy and I'm SO excited for her :)

On another side note, I'd like to give my parents a shout out for raising me to be a girl with a backbone that can stick up for myself...I've seen a lot of people lately that just can't seem to do anything to stick up for themselves and I am thankful that my parents raised me to know better! I know I might do it too much, but you can never have too much of a good thing, right? ;)

It's been a while...

It's been a while...ok, a long while...since I've posted. It's funny that when there are things to post, I just don't take the time to do it. I must get better at this!




Madison is getting SO big! She has 2 teeth that have popped up in the last few weeks, she is sitting on her own, she is trying to eat big-girl food, and she is trying to crawl (she's really good at going in reverse for now)! She is doing great and is such a happy girl! We have baby dedication this week and I am so excited! I love making that declaration that Randal and I are going to raise our kids to be like Christ and to work for His Kingdom.



Mason is going to be 2 this Saturday (can I get a big WOW!?) I am busy, busy this week trying to prepare for his party. I am making a Toy Story themed cake - so we'll see how that turns out :)



We spent this past Saturday at Randal's brother's wedding & it went really well. Mason was the ring-bearer and Randal was an usher. I made the cake (my first!) and we had a lot of fun.



It's been an exhausting few weeks, but hopefully after this weekend it will slow down a little bit. We are heading down to Edmond after baby dedication on Sunday to see my dad's family - my aunt and uncle are in from out of town and my grandpa is in the hospital after knee surgery. I love seeing my family & am so glad to have lots of relatives who want to be a part of my family's life and love and care for my kids :)

The latest...

Well, now that things have slowed down a bit, I can update this thing :) 

The last month or so has been a complete blur!  The kids have kept us busy and we've had a ton of extra activities as well.  Here's a brief run-down :)

Madison is growing up way too fast...she's going to be 5 months old tomorrow and I can't believe it! It's a weird feeling about how fast kids grow up...on one hand, they seem to change every day and you can't believe how quickly it all goes by - on the other hand, you can't seem to remember a time when you didn't love this little person and it feels like they've been a part of your family forever.  I love that it's getting warmer out and I can put her in all of the cute little dresses that we have for her!  She seems to have some allergies, so her nose has been running around the clock lately just like her brother's.  I don't know how 2 people who don't suffer from many allergies ended up with 2 kids that are affected so much, but it does not make for a very happy baby or a very happy momma!  She had her 4 month checkup today (I know, almost a month late, but oh well!) - she was 14 lbs 14 oz and 24 inches long - right at the average for her age.  I can't wait to take her to the zoo and to the lake and have lots of fun this summer!  I know she'll love it - she's such an observer and loves to be moving!

Mason is growing up way too fast too...He's potty training right now (ah!).  It's going pretty well, though we've had some rough moments (him & I both - ha!).  We're going to be tough and stick this out and see where it takes us :) That little boy is ready to be outside, the weather lately has not been cooperating!  It's hard to swing in the yard when it's tornado season and every evening brings torrential rains and hail :(  Hopefully soon, the weather will give us a break and we'll be able to keep him happy out there. His favorite thing right now is Toy Story.  He loves Buzz & Woody and wants to watch them all of the time (this is a good thing and a bad thing all at once!).  It's so fun to see him learn and grow at this point!  I know it's hard to believe, but my child is a chatterbox!  He talks all the time!  And he's hilarious (also hard to believe, given his genes).  He loves his sister and asked me last night if he could "hold the baby" :)  He's such a sweetheart and a great kid - we'll see how I feel when he's a teenager :)

Randal has been super busy at work.  He's been promoted to Lead of the Sales & Use Tax Group at CCH and is working hard to get used to that department.  He went through Six Sigma training last week and I think he really enjoyed it.  I'm so proud of how hard of a worker he is :) 

I have been busy, busy with work and with other things on the side :)  As if I don't have enough to do, I keep coming up with things!  Taking care of the kids is plenty of work, as all of my mom friends will attest to!  I also threw my in-laws a 25th Anniversary party this month - it was a ton of fun to plan, but was a lot of work!  We had a great turn out and it was a great time - it was so good to see some people that I hadn't seen probably since our wedding!  The weekend after that party, Randal's brother Alan got engaged to his girlfriend Katie.  I'm so excited for those two!  Katie is a great girl & I'm so excited to have her as my sister-in-law.  I'm doing the cake for the wedding, so hopefully that works out great too!  On top of that, we've been busy with church comings and goings and other things that pop up. 

Next month is our lake trip and we're SO excited!  We're praying for easy travels and good weather!  Hopefully it is a nice, relaxing trip - and hopefully, mommy can get some reading done :) 

Next month is also our 5th anniversary.  This is another thing that is weird...while it seems like time has flown by, I can't really remember my life without Randal.  Maybe your brain has a way of blocking these types of things out, I don't know, but I'm glad that I met him in 2003, and so glad that he asked me to marry him a year later.  He is my best friend til the end - the only one I can truly be myself with and I'm so glad he's the one that's walking through this thing called parenthood with me. 

Dreaming about the future...

Ok, first, let me point out that Randal also has the password to our blog, so I am not the only one who can make updates! :) 

Alright, now that's off my chest...we just celebrated Easter - what a wonderful day!  We went to church and then it was off to Argonia for lunch with the Stephens clan and a fun little Easter egg hunt.  It was Mason's first time, and he had a lot of fun!  Both the kids looked great in their new Easter duds & we had a good time with family.  We went and saw Randal's parents afterwards and had a good time there, too. 

Mason is growing up so fast - can't believe he's going to be 2 in a few months!  He is talking up a storm and really learning a lot of new words.  He just learned to say "I love you" and it's so sweet!  We are working on numbers and manners for now, so hopefully those things will catch on quickly!  We got the new Toy Story movies that just came out on BluRay and he loves watching Buzz :) 

Madison is getting bigger every day and is staying awake most of the day now to watch what is going on around her.  She loves to observe people, just like Mason did.  She's sleeping through the night (something Mason didn't do until a few months from now!), so we've been able to really catch up on sleep.  She had her three month pictures and they turned out great - I will post some in a little bit along with Easter pictures.  Her stuffiness went away for a couple of weeks, but is back (hopefully not for long!).  She is really working on her leg strength and wants to kick and stand up on your lap now.  She loves to be scared and her giggle is just the sweetest thing :) 

Randal and I have been busy with our usual activities.  We are throwing an anniversary party for John & Denise, so that's keeping me pretty busy along with stuff for the kids and around the house!  The yard is needing some work, so Randal will be busy with that soon I'm sure!  I can't wait for the warm weather so that we can go for walks and play on the kids' new swingset from Grandpa Bob & Grandma Sue!  Mason loves to swing, and I'm excited that we will be able to do a lot of that soon!

Now for my usual rant about what's been on my mind :)  First of all, today I am thinking a lot about the two people in my life who are going through the process of adoption.  This is something that has always been very close to my heart and I have always wanted to do someday.  I saw a quote yesterday that I think sums up why I have always felt so led to this:

"My friends, adoption is remption.  It's costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous.  Buying back lives costs so much.  When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him." -- Derek Loux

I thought that was such a wonderful way to word it!  I have always been so thankful to be able to be called a child of God and am so in awe of the fact that He is willing to bring me into His presence and call me His own.  How wonderful that we all have the opportunity to do the same thing for a child in need of someone to love them unconditionally.  It is such an emotional process and takes such a commitment and a strong, patient person, but it is so worth it in the end!

The other thing that has been on my mind a lot lately is what my kids will grow up to be someday...I know it should be a fleeting thought, but I find myself daydreaming a lot about what they will become...what they will be like when they are older...who they will bring into our lives, etc.  I have such big hopes and dreams for them, I can't contain them!  I wonder if Mason or Madison will be a doctor, or lawyer, or missionary...or maybe a teacher, or an accountant, or an artist of some sort...Will he be a gentleman?  Will she be famous?  Will they live near us or move away?  Will they be a traveler like Kelli or a homebody like me?  Will they be musical like Randal and I or not like music at all? 

Most of all...will they be happy?  Will they glorify God in whatever they do?  This is my prayer on a daily basis...and for now I will continue to dream :)

Alright, alright, already...

Alright, Randal has done me the favor of reminding me that I'm falling behind on my blogging :)  So here's what's going on with us...

Madison is getting so big!  She'll be three months old this week & we are going to get her pictures taken this Saturday.  I'm so excited for her first girly photo shoot :) hehehehe - I was always so nervous about having a girl because I have always been more of the tom-boy type and didn't think that I could do the pink, frilly stuff, but it has been surprisingly fun!  I love her little hair bows (even if Randal doesn't :P)  and I love looking for cute little outfits for her :)  She's smiling really big now and seems like such a happy baby!  She's had a stuffy nose for what seems like forever, so hopefully she'll be able to get that clear soon.  It's RSV season, so we're keeping a close eye on her for more symptoms, but I'm also looking for teeth! 

Mason is getting bigger and funnier every day :)  His wonderful Aunt Kelli took him to see Sesame Street Live last weekend and he had a blast!  He got to hang out with Grant Fisher and he had lots of fun seeing Elmo.  We went out to eat last week at Cheddars and he slapped our waitress on the butt...it was so embarrassing for me (not totally sure how Randal felt about the whole thing...), but everyone around us (including the waitress) thought it was hysterical.  He is beginning to start those "terrible twos" a little early and has learned to throw some pretty awesome tantrums in an effort to get what he wants.  He has yet to learn that it doesn't get him anywhere, so we'll see how long that takes him :)  I can't believe that he'll be 2 years old in a few short months!! 

Randal is staying busy at work, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be this tax season.  I am looking forward to warmer weather so that he and Mason can play outside - I know they're both looking forward to that as well! We got a rowing machine recently and so he has been spending some time working out on that and has been making fun of me for not spending time doing it...we'll work on that :)

I am back to work full time next week (can I get a loud BOO?)  I have really enjoyed spending at least a few days a week home with the kiddos.  It has been so much fun getting to know Madison and getting to spend so much time playing & laughing with Mason (though he's still totally a daddy's boy!).  Going back to work has been hard, but they both seem to really love their babysitter, so I'm very thankful for that!  I have been busy lately planning an anniversary party for Randal's parents and trying to start up a few other projects on the side.  I think I am crazy and can't contain all that I want to do...I just pray that God gives me the energy to keep up with myself! 

We went to OK to help my grandma celebrate her 75th birthday last weekend and had so much fun with my family!  My grandpa is still not feeling well, but we were so glad that he got to spend some time with the kids and the rest of us.  I love seeing them and am so thankful that they have been able to share in all the special moments in my life! 

In other news, my resolution to not be an angry driver is coming along, although there are a lot of people out there that are making it difficult.  Seriously...it's a four way stop, not rocket science. :)

A brighter Twenty - Ten

Ok - I'm not usually one for New Year's Resolutions. In the rare occasions that I have tried to make these commitments, they have been relatively short lived anyway, so I usually don't bother. Instead, I try to make decisions throughout the year that make life better for myself, my family, and those around us (those commitments are short lived sometimes too, but hey, I try!). This week, I have been thinking about my attitude on the every day things that happen to me, and I have not been impressed! So I have made the decision that I will not be passing along my negative attitudes to my children, and also will not be forcing my husband to deal with them any more :) So here I go - my experiment at a more positive me:

My biggest issue is dealing with my frustration with other people, especially other drivers. I know that this bad habit that I have of having road rage drives Randal crazy and I am scared to death that Mason will soon be shouting "idiot!" at passing cars! I have downloaded new music to my iPod and will try not to yell at people who don't know how to drive...we'll see how I do once I go back to work!

Next, I get frustrated when I have to ask Randal more than once to do something for me. I usually keep this to myself, but sometimes let it affect my attiude way more than I should. Now, instead of focusing on what he doesn't do right (because who does everything right anyway??), I will be focusing on everything that is right about him. I married a wonderful man - he is my best friend and he gets me more than anyone ever has. He can always make me laugh - even when I don't want him to. He takes great care of our kids (not to mention his assistance in bringing them into this world!). He works hard to provide for us and he brings life to the world around me. Even though he doesn't always do what I ask, he often does things I don't even have to ask him to do, which mean way more than anything else anyway. He is a great example of overcoming all kinds of obstacles in your life and ending up a responsible, thoughtful man who loves the God who has brought him out of the depths. So thanks Randal, for being a loving, Christ-like example for me and our kids - that's way more important than changing Mason's diaper :)

I often get frustrated when I think about paying someone else to take care of my kids while I work. I wish that I could stay home with the kids and didn't have to have a full time job, but to look on the brighter side: I have a job that I love. I work for a company that has incredible integrity and focus, and I count myself lucky for that. For now, I consider myself blessed just to have a job in a time when so many are trying to figure out how they get by without one. I am also blessed enough to work with my wonderful sister, so that's a plus too! I know the day will come when I won't have to work, so I will count myself lucky that my husband and I are determined to make sure we are in a strong financial position bvefore taking that next step. How wonderful it will be to be completely out of debt and comfortable and be able to actually enjoy being a SAHM.

I am tired, as every mom is. But instead of focusing on the exhaustion, I will focus instead on the wonderful bonding time that I get to share with my daughter for now. I know that I will never get that opportunity again and although I might not have the energy to get as much done at other times, the moments that we share in the middle of the night will be moments that I will miss when they are past.

I get frustrated when Mason won't let me wipe his nose when I can't get up from the chair, or when he won't eat the food that I put on his plate, or when he screams and wakes his sister up just because I won't let him play in the toilet...but with all the times that he does less-than-desirable things (which actually is pretty rare!), I have a beautiful, fun-loving little boy who makes me smile all the other minutes of the day. I can act like an idiot with him and nothing brings me more joy than to see him smile, dance, and have fun. The sound of his laugh makes my heart melt and I will focus on that stuff instead of the fact that he doesn't like my pot roast (he does like my meatloaf though!). Every stage he hits is more fun than the last one and he amazes me every day with all that he learns and all the fun he can have from the simplest things. I love him more than I can ever imagine and the few bad times we have will never outweigh all the beautiful moments we have shared.

I get angry and impatient with people in the church some times. I know that sounds horrible, but I think most people can relate. There are people that I have looked up to and have called on for guidance and to set an example (for me, my children, and the kids in the church). These people disappoint me often (a lot recently for some reason) and this is very frustrating to me. I pray that we can all set aside our own selfish desires and move towards working to build the Kingdom instead of making ourselves happy. Instead of focusing on how disappointing people are, I will be focusing how blessed I am that I don't rely on people and neither does God. He will get His work done, and I feel so lucky to be a part of that mission. I am always reminded of the line from Relient K that the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair. That is a beautiful realization and I have to always remind myself of that fact. God has blessed me beyond belief, and I am lucky enough to be a part of a church that has a clear mission and great leaders that are focused on making disciples and building the Kingdom of God.

So this is the beginning of my year of looking at the better side of things. I used to be optimistic and positive...we'll see if I can be again :) Here's to a brighter 2010 looking at the other side of the coin!

A Beautiful Arrival

Ok, so now it’s time to relive Madison’s welcome to the world. Because Randal would not be allowed to take time off to spend at home because of tax season, we went ahead and talked it over with the doctor, made sure that Madison was ready to arrive, and scheduled an induction on Thursday, December 17th. We went in at 5 pm and they started me on Cervadil to thin out my cervix in hopes that this process would jump start labor on its own. I did start having contractions around the time that they started it, but nothing serious. I was feeling them and they were coming pretty regularly, but not getting closer together or stronger either. Our families came to visit that evening and hung out for a while. Then they all left and Randal and I were able to get several hours of sleep in the delivery room. I woke up every hour or so, either to a contraction or b/c my hospital bed was uncomfortable and poor Randal slept in the recliner in the corner of the room which was pretty uncomfortable too! It wasn’t a super restful night, but I think we both got more rest than we thought we would!

Around 6am the next morning, 12 hours after they had inserted the Cervadil, they checked me to see if I was progressing. I was moving along, but not quite fast enough, so they went ahead and started the Pitocin around 7. I was dilated about 3 cm at that point, so we still had quite a ways to go! Around 9, they checked me again and I was around 4, so they went ahead and broke my water. My contractions were getting stronger and closer together, but were completely bearable until a little while after they broke my water, then things got interesting  Probably around 30 minutes after, my contractions became so intense that I could not talk through them and I started trying to breathe through them. Randal’s mom arrived at the hospital around that time and sat in the room talking with us for a while. My contractions continued to get closer together and were getting really strong at this point. The nurse came in to check my progress around 10:30-10:45, so Denise excused herself for a few minutes. After the nurse checked me, she said I was at around a 5, so we knew we had a lot of progress to make and were expecting a late afternoon arrival. The nurse asked when I wanted my epidural and I couldn’t even explain to her that I didn’t want one at all – luckily Randal stuck up for my decision and explained the situation and that I was set on not having one. All I could get out at that point was “no”! As they were having this conversation, my contractions really ramped up and I was really squirming. The nurse went out to call my doctor and give her an update.

Randal was keeping everyone up to date, so he had talked to my parents, who were keeping Mason while we were away. After hearing that I was only at a 5, they decided to run to Argonia and pick up a few things that they needed and then they would check with us when they got back. My contractions were getting pretty bad and I was getting really uncomfortable, so after I was checked, Denise went ahead and went out to the waiting area and left Randal and I alone. My contractions were now happening pretty much on top of one another, with no time to rest in between. I was gripping the side rail on my bed during my contractions and cutting off the flow of my pitocin IV, so the nurse came in to see what was setting off the alarm on the IV machine. Around that time, my body was really starting to try and bear down and I was starting to feel like something was really wrong. We had just found out that I was just at a five, so I knew that shouldn’t be happening for quite a while! I couldn’t get many words out, as I barely had time to take a breath in between contractions. The nurse realized that my contractions were coming continuously and that I was fighting not to bear down and started to really get on me about not pushing yet. I told her that I was trying my best, but my body was really trying to. She decided to check me and immediately told me that I could not push b/c she was not ready to deliver the baby. She told the nursing student that was shadowing her to turn on the warmer on the crib and to go get help - that we were going to be delivering a baby very soon. She grabbed her phone and called my dr and the nurse’s station and was telling me the whole time that I had to fight it with all that I had, which was really getting hard!

We had a very quick rush of nurses come into our room and they hurried to get the bed broken down and get things set up. The charge nurse got to me in the middle of a contraction and said “this isn’t going to take long, I just saw the baby’s head”. This was such a surreal experience! I was lying there trying to breathe and fight the urge to push, and all that I could think was that this all felt so wrong! I was expecting another long and drawn out delivery like with Mason, and this was all happening VERY fast and it seemed like something bad was happening, so I was a little scared!

After everything was set up and the staff was ready to go, they rolled me over and told me to give one good push. That’s all it took and we heard little Madison’s wailing begin! Such a beautiful sound!!!! Randal let them cut the cord so that they could whisk her away and make sure that everything was alright. She checked out fine and Randal got to be right there and watch them examine, weigh, and measure her. She was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19 ½ inches long and had brown hair - the official time she arrived was 11:12 am. My doctor was unable to make it there on time since everything happened so fast, but arrived soon after and helped get me cleaned up and checked out Madison too.

Because this had all happened so quickly, Randal obviously didn't have time to update everyone, so he was scrambling to get everyone notified after she was born. My parents had started towards Argonia and got his text message saying "She's here" before they got out of Mulvane. Thinking he had accidentaly sent the message, they pulled over and called. After Randal let them know that it was no accident, they turned around, took Mason to lunch and then came up to let him meet his little sister! Randal's mom was in the waiting room, but had no idea anything was happening, so she was surprised to get the message too! She came and waited outside of our room until she got the OK to come in, then she came in and met her new granddaughter. Everyone else arrived as soon as they could, on lunch breaks or after work, but needless to say, they were all shocked to hear that she was already here!

After the nurses checked her out, they showed Randal that she also has a birthmark on her left hand that extends most of the way up to her elbow and another that is on her side. They have faded a little bit since birth, so we’ll see if they continue to clear up. She also has pinholes in her ear just like daddy and brother, only she has one on each ear! The auditory doctor mentioned that these pinholes that have been such a topic of conversation are actually called preauricular pits, so we’ve been able to do a little bit of research on these things now!

Recovery from labor was a lot easier this time – I think both b/c of the shortened experience and b/c I did not have an epidural. I was able to get out of bed and get cleaned up right away, which was REALLY nice and they got us moved up to a recovery room really quickly after delivery. We were able to get some good sleep in our hospital room and Madison has been a great baby – sleeping for 3-4 hour stretches. She figured out her days and nights pretty quickly, so that was helpful too! We have been blessed with two babies that are easy going and adjust well – let’s hope that they continue to behave that way for a while!

We had lots of family drop in on us at the hospital and friends and family visited at home after we were there too. In Madison’s first week of life, she did a lot of traveling and meeting her family! When she was just 6 days old, we started our Christmas celebrations by going over to Randal’s grandparents house for a get-together and lunch. We then traveled to Argonia for dinner and gifts with my family. Travel was interesting on that day, since Madison got to experience her first snow! We didn’t get a lot of accumulation here in the Wichita area, but the snow was blowing so badly that visibility was very slim! The ride to Argonia was a little difficult at times, but we made it there alright! I was beginning to wonder if we would be able to make it to Oklahoma later in the week, as they had accumulations of more than 14 inches and had closed all of their highways, but the roads were cleared by the time we needed to travel again. On Christmas day, we had brunch with my mom’s family and then played games and visited the rest of the day. The day after Christmas, we traveled to Edmond, OK for a celebration with my dad’s family and stayed there until Sunday, when we came back home. We had a wonderful Christmas, with Mason enjoying opening and playing with gifts, and Madison getting to meet everyone and be held A LOT! There is no shortage of love for this little girl!

A new blessing...

Well, this update is WAY past due! Madison Leigh is finally here! After what felt like a forever wait, she arrived on December 18th at 11:12 am. I will post a longer, more detailed delivery story when I have a little more time (and both kids are napping!), but for now I will say that she is perfectly healthy and happy and thriving. Our delivery was a lot easier than Mason's was (though maybe a little more dramatic in some respects!), so recovery seemed a little bit easier and faster. I was so exhausted and down after having Mason (thinking back, I'm pretty sure I had some postpartum depression that I let weigh me down for too long) but feel great this time around! I am enjoying my time at home with both kids and am dreading going back to work! Randal has been working a LOT of overtime now that tax season is in full swing, so I am missing him, but enjoy the evenings after he finally makes it home!

We had a great Christmas this year! Luckily, we were all recovered enough that we got to enjoy get togethers with both of our families, including a trip to Edmond to see my dad's family. Everyone enjoyed getting to hold and meet Madison, and all of us really enjoyed watching Mason open his gifts. He was old enough this year to actually enjoy opening and playing with all of his new toys (and everyone else's!) and he had a lot of fun playing with all of his cousins and other family.

I was a little worried about how he would react to his sister, since he's old enough to act out for attention, but not old enough to understand the need to be gentle or who exactly she is, but he's doing great! He loves to give her kisses (or licks & slobber, whatever!) and enjoys helping out by throwing away her diapers (I wonder how long I can make that seem fun...hmmm...)! He has had to be pulled off a few times when he has been a little too excited, but has overall done a really great job of welcoming his little sister to the world!

That's all for now, I'll post a lot more later!