Party Day

Andrew invited two of his buddies from school over on Saturday afternoon to celebrate his birthday. We went out to Pizza King for supper and then on to Clancy's to bowl. Ask any teacher at school and they will say they are the three amigos! All of them are good boys, but they sure get crazy together!! Earlier in the afternoon, Andrew took his new kite out for a fly and you'll never believe what happened...it got stuck in a tree (imagine that!!) So I was a good mom and stood on a wobbly ladder for a LONG time untangling it from the tree branches. It not only got stuck, but then he threw the handle up into the tree SEVERAL times to "unwind" it~only to compound the problem! Scott was gone all day roofing so I braved the ladder to extend the kite flying fun! All in all, I think it was a good two day celebration for him!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

It is so hard for me to believe that I now have a nine year old! Technically I am posting this on the eve of his birthday, but nobody will notice except his father! As all moms I remember that day nine years ago as if it was yesterday. I woke up feeling kinda different, but didn't think much of it. As the morning went on I still felt really weird. After calling my doctor, I went in for a checkup. After doing some routine checking, Dr.Myers said Andrew's heartrate kept dropping and I was going to have a baby TODAY! This came as quite a surprise because I wasn't due until the 30th. I was immediately sent across the road to the hospital and admitted. I was given an epidural that was dosed in the event that a C-section was necessary. Praise the Lord it was not! I felt absolutely nothing!!! That is good and bad...I won't go into detail! Anyway, 20 minutes after they broke my water he arrived. There is nothing like seeing your baby for the first time, especially your first baby. Mom and dad arrived the next day and mom stayed and helped take care of me for the next week or so. I (we) really needed her help that week not just because we were rookies but because (1) I ended up with an infection and (2) Andrew had lots of trouble nursing. Oh the memories that flood me as I type all of this out. Well, nine years later we thank the Lord for the blessing he has been to us and our family. What a privilege it is to be given a child to raise for Him. Enjoy the pictures!

When the Ride Stops...

You need a little background on this picture....Her big brothers push her in this basket and she LOVES it!! Well, when the "ride" stopped because the "pushers" got tired and distracted she started looking at the contents of the basket. Upon looking through the dirty duds she discovered one of her blankets. Now, if you know her at all you know that as soon as she gets her blanket, her thumb immediately goes into her mouth. I was busy working on Andrew's project for school and realized it had gotten REALLY quiet. I turned around and this is what I saw!! The funniest thing was that she was watching a Baby Einstein DVD through the slats in the basket! Think it was close to nap time???

Urgent prayer request

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for a dear friend of our family, Ruth Sobcinski. She is a close friend of my mom's and her daughter, Andrea, is one of my close friends who I went to school with K-12. She has a cancer called multimyloma. She is in the process of having a bone marrow transplant. Thursday she was admitted to the hospital with a fever of 104.1. They have now figured out that she has an infection in her blood and is in very critical condition. She is on a ventilator and is sedated for the next 2 days or so. The next 24-48 hours are critical. PLEASE pray God will touch her body and heal her infection. I talked to Andrea last night and she is incredibly strong and God's grace is very evident. They are resting in Him and are being carried by the prayers of others. Some of you know them and may be interested in further updates. Andrea set up a website through Caring Bridge. If you would like to access the site go to www.caringbridge.com. Then on the right side click "visit a caring bridge site" and it will prompt you for a name. Just type in ruthsobcinski and it will take you right there. Andrea keeps the journal updated there. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Red, White and Blue

Last night was the re-enrollment program for K-6 at school. Obviously, the theme was patriotic as you can see from the pictures!!! I didn't get to go because Emilee had absolutely HAD it by 6:30 last night and there is no nursery. So I got to see the video Scott took, but I thought you might enjoy some of the pictures. When the program is done, parents are invited to visit the classrooms so some of the pics are from Matthew's classroom. They have a rabbit for a class pet and her name is Miss Speckles. Luke decided to put his finger in to touch her. (I can't believe he did it!) He claimed she bit his finger, but daddy says differently!! I thank the Lord for our Christian school and the opportunity the boys have to be there. I'm thankful for the Godly influences of their teachers and friends and for the best administrator ever! :)

Daddy's Girl

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Sorry this is so dark, but I just had to post it! The lighting was terrible in the room. This took place the other night about 45 minutes after Emilee went to bed. She kept fussing and didn't seem to be settling in because she is teething. I went in to give her some Tylenol and when I opened the door she said, "Da!" I admit she is spoiled......I brought her out to see him and this video shows what transpired. As you can hear he was watching ESPN. She melted into him and cuddled there like she was big stuff. She loves daddy!!! And he LOVES that she LOVES him! The other thing I wanted you all to hear is her new phrase- "Whus Thaa???" (what's that?) She says it all the time. On the video she says it at the beginning and again towards the end. It is pretty cute I must say! She proceeded to get even more wound up until she tripped and hit her mouth on a toy and that was all it took. She got her blanket and stuck her thumb in her mouth and was quickly transported to bed!

Fun with Friends

This past weekend we went to Michigan to visit our good friends, Brad and Mari Stille and their three kids. What a refreshment it always is to spend time with kindred spirits!! All the kids get along great. It went way too quickly, but it was well worth the trip. Here are a few pictures of them snowmobiling in the soccer field behind their house and then devotions on Saturday night. Despite some sickness a great time was had by all!!!!

The Blizzard of '07

As predicted, we got "a hammering!" It began snowing on Monday evening late and Tuesday we woke up to just a couple of inches. As the day progressed the winds picked up and it snowed heavily all day long. We were under a blizzard warning and snow emergency. Tuesday evening the 11:00pm news said Muncie had 12" and we were expected to get 4-5 more inches overnight. I think all said and done we got about 14". We have not had school since Monday. The boys are very ready to go back, but have really enjoyed the snow. They have played outside much of the last two days. Scott attached a rope to the back of the Blazer and has been pulling all the neighborhood kids around. Well, all good things must come to an end. Back to school tomorrow and Valentine parties!!

Nana and Papa Visit

Mom and Dad came into town on Wednesday evening. They are on their way to Myrtle Beach for a week to golf with friends from church. They made a pit stop here until today and then they headed to Knoxville, TN this morning. Tomorrow they will arrive in Myrtle Beach and begin golfing Monday morning. It was a very short stay, but we enjoyed it so much!! Despite the fact that it was during the school week, we managed to have fun in the evenings. Matthew got lunch at Steak and Shake on Thursday and Andrew got McDonald's delivered by Nana and Papa on Friday. We all wished they could have stayed longer, but needless to say, our weather was not a big draw to keep them here! Here are just a few pictures of our time together.

SNOW MUCH FUN!!!

Ok, so the title was a little cheesy! I had to post some pictures of the kids playing in the snow because we haven't had much this winter until yesterday. It was just beautiful!! We got about 5 inches. We were hoping for a snow day, but the storm came too early. These pictures were after school when Scott was shoveling. Poor Emilee just watched from the window. She has a yucky cold, but boy wait till next winter!!!!

GO COLTS!!!!!!!

Zirkle's invited us to join them for a party to watch the big game! We ventured out on a very cold night and had a great time! It was a very full day with Pastor's 40th anniversary celebration and a late night watching the game. But could it have ended any better? :)

Baby Love

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos


Emilee is really into kissing right now. Wide, wet, open-mouthed ones. It is great!! She loves to kiss her babies. This is the kind of kiss I got when I got home from mom and dad's!:) She basically sucked my chin and cheek!!

Happy 60th birthday, Dad!

My sister and I flew home last Friday to surprise my dad for his 60th birthday. My aunt picked us up at the airport and we arrived at the restaurant for dinner. How fun to walk up behind him and plant a kiss on his cheek when we walked in. It took him a few minutes to process all that went in to pulling the whole thing off. After dinner, we went back to the house and more of his friends surprised him there. The whole evening was a lot of fun. It was very weird to be just the four of us again. What a quiet weekend! Our sweet husbands kept the kids at home and they all survived and had fun (I think!) Scott said the time went by very quickly. He had all the dishes and laundry done and the house looked great. As nice as it was to get away, it was even nicer to get back home to all those little hugs and kisses.

My God is Faithful

Aren't you always thankful for a message that speaks right to your heart? I felt that way tonight after Pastor Glenn's message. We had a missionary this morning so Pastor gave this morning's message tonight. I am so glad--because otherwise I would have missed it being in the nursery. What a wonderful reminder it was of God's faithfulness in my life. The text was I Kings 17:8-16 where Elijah asks of the widow to bring him some water and bread. She has nothing left to eat for her and her son. She is about to make their last meal and perish. In obedience to the Lord, she gave of her last things and did what Elijah asked of her. Because of her obedience she was blessed and the flour and oil never ran out! God met her needs day by day by day. "But my God shall supply ALL your need." Just like He did for the children of Isreal in the wilderness for 40 years! That also was day by day by day. As Pastor Glenn said tonight He is always on time...never late! What a timely reminder as I urgently petition the Lord for several things. I was reminded again that it really is a wonderful place to be...at the feet of the Savior placing our family's needs before Him and trusting in His faithfulness and provision.

Now who wants to miss out on that kind of blessing staying home to watch the Colt's game?!? We were even done by 7:00! Ha!Ha! On that note..........GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MEET THE EXTENDED FAMILY: Vol. 1

No excuse this time!

My oh-so-sweet SISTER tagged me for the list below. Here goes:
A- available or single? No, happily married for 12 1/2 years!
B-Best Friend: My husband, Scott (of course, only after the Lord!)
C-cake or pie - Pie--peanut butter
D-drink of choice - Wild Cherry Pepsi
E-essential item I use everyday- microwave
F-favorite color - Purple
G-gummy bears or gummy worms - gummy bears
H-hometown - Coon Rapids, Minnesota
I-Indulgence- break and bake cookies!
J-January or February - February, of course, for Valentine's Day!
K-Kids and names - Andrew, Matthew, Luke and Emilee
L-Life is incomplete without - Having a personal, intimate relationship with the Lord
M-Marriage date - July 15, 1995
N-Number of Siblings - One younger sister, Danielle
O-oranges or apples- both! Pink Lady apples and Clementine oranges
P-phobias or fears - my husband or one of my children having a serious health issue or dying
Q-Favorite quote - "Only two choices on the shelf-pleasing God or pleasing self!"-Ken Collier
R-Reasons to smile - my family
S-Season - Fall
T-tag three or four people - Dayna, Sarah and Kay Ice
U-Unknown fact about me - I am afraid of deep water
V-Vegetables you don't like - asparagus and spinach
W-worst habit - worry
Y- your favorite food - milk chocolate
Z-zodiac - who cares? I don't believe in it!!!

Look Who's Walking!!!

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Forget the crawling...I'm on the move in the upright position for good! Look out brothers here I come!!!

My Dear Husband

Since this is a blog viewed mostly by family and close friends, I thought I could get away with "bragging" on my husband! Especially since my computer was down back when I got tagged to tell 13 things I love about him. So in exchange I will share something else. The thing I appreciate and love most about Scott is what a Godly man he is. His spiritual leadership in our marriage and in our home are truly a blessing from the Lord. The other day someone at school brought something to Scott's attention. The soccer coach at MBBC has set up a blog for soccer. On the blog, January 8th post, he lists what he calls the top eleven men that he has seen play soccer for MBBC. He named Scott in the article, but I wasn't JUST impressed with what he said about his soccer skills. After Scott is mentioned, below him he mentions our good friend, Brad Stille. He then comments on both guys and their godly leadership and example. I whole heartedly agree!!!!!!!! He also lists some in an honorable mention section and Paul Ice is listed there. Thought you all might enjoy reading the article. Scott will kill me for posting this! LOVE YOU, HONEY!!!! :) To view the blog visit www.maranathasoccer.blogspot.com Jan.8th post.

Saturday's Discoveries

First, we discovered this morning that Matthew is now on his third round of pink eye in about a month! Andrew came home Thursday from school and we noticed it so he stayed home Friday-now it is Matthew's turn!! Hopefully it stops there. Second discovery was THE COLTS WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The boys dressed in their Colt's gear right away this morning and made posters. One for the fireplace and one for the front window. Too cute! Scott was at a men's retreat all day today, but made it home in time for the start of the big game! There is our excitement for a very rainy day in Muncie!

Every Girl Loves Her Oreos!

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

I'm finally back!!!

While most of you could probably care less, I wanted to put up some of my favorite pictures from the past weeks to capture what has happened around here while we were offline. We had 3 birthdays and 3 Christmases!!! December is a crazy month for everyone, but ours is extra crazy squeezing birthdays in between all the other programs and parties and shopping going on during the holidays. Enjoy! I am looking forward to being back in touch with each of you.

Check out my Slide Show!

Nana and Papa Visit

Mom and Dad arrived in Muncie on Wednesday evening. We had a really nice time together. The main purpose for them coming was for Grandparent's Day at school on Friday. The boys were so excited to show them and Grandma and Papa Ice the things they had made for them and their classrooms and the program, etc. It was a beautiful day and one everybody enjoyed. Dad's other goal for the weekend was to put the finishing touch on the kitchen cabinets he has made for me. He put the panel on the side that faces the family room. What a difference it made!! Thank you, dad!!! Saturday was a bummer for several reasons...the weather was too yucky for the guys to golf as planned, I had an IBS attack and was sick all day, and we took Emilee to urgent care and found out she had a sinus infection! Oh! well! At least we were together. Scott and Dad ended up taking Andrew and Matthew to a cool place to play laser tag and they had a blast. They left this morning and we are missing them already!! How many days until Christmas?!? We love you guys!

Early Christmas???

Saturday we did alot of cleaning and purging-especially as we (Scott) cleaned the garage! One thing we wanted to do was put the infant toys away and bring out the next set of "big girl" toys for Emilee. Well, as you can see from the picture, that when the toys were brought in it was more than Emilee that enjoyed the toys. Scott and I chuckled as we stood back and just watched them. It was just like Christmas. Toys spread out across the floor and all were quiet as they rediscovered what each toy did! Even the 8 yr old!!!! The only bummer (as with Christmas) is that everything needed batteries. They thought the toys were all cool, but how much cooler will they be when they actually do what they are supposed to do with new batteries! Ha!Ha!

Visit to Great Grandma

Last night the kids were dressed up to hand out candy to the oh-so-few children that trick or treat in the country. We decided after only Gabe showed up to call and see if Great Grandma was up for company. We called up to the hospital and got the go ahead, so we arrived shortly after supper. Luke was Bob again, Emilee was a duck, Andrew was Peyton Manning and Matthew a pirate. We only stayed a few minutes. Long enough to bring a few smiles to the room and give Great Grandma and Grandpa Leon our love. Grandma was very sleepy, but I think the burst of energy from the kids roused her for a brief moment! Continue to pray for God's hand of healing upon her and for the strength she needs to get back on her feet and come home. Thought you all might enjoy the pictures. Love to all! ~Michelle

Little Miss Blue Eyes

This post is especially for my sister because I want her to see Emilee wearing one of Mackenzie's dresses. It was such a pretty blue it made her eyes jump out with that dress on yesterday. That is what everyone said when they saw it! She is not smiling in this picture because we waited to take it too late. It was after church last night and she was more than ready for bed!! Her latest accomplishments: 2 new teeth (now 3 top and 3 bottom), mastery of the sippy cup (guzzling milk, juice and water), eating tons of new table food (her favorite is peas) and getting into all of her brothers' things. Gotta run~she is waking up! Love to all!

Hayride at the Russells

Last night was our annual fall Sunday school party out at Jim and Esther Russell's farm. We do one in September at the Hobb's just for couples and then in October we include kids. We look forward to it every year. We cook out, make smores, have a hayride, sit by the fire and chat, etc. The kids have a blast! The kids usually dress up and it is so fun to see what everyone wears. This year Andrew was Peyton Manning (again!), Matthew was Darth Vader, Luke was Bob the Builder (he thought he actually WAS Bob the Builder I think!) and Emilee was our beautiful butterfly. She was a trooper. She has a nasty cold but with her all bundled up I think she was warmer than any of us. We are home today because she is a snotty, boogery mess and can't be in the nursery. Enjoy the pics!

Fall Fun

There are so many things I love about fall! Here are just a few: beautiful leaves, pumpkin carving, hayrides, the fireplace back on, my smell good candles burning, caramel apples, apple cider, bonfires, making soups and chili again, wearing sweatshirts, decorating my house with my fall stuff. I guess that isn't just a few! The other night I was making supper and I heard a bunch of giggling in the backyard. The pictures show you what I saw but the giggling was the best part. Luke was having the most fun. The other boys would do all the work piling up the leaves and then Luke was the first one to run through it and spread them all out again! Needless to say the others didn't find it as humorous as Luke! The boy in the picture is our neighbor, Gabe Cicotte.

Daddy's Girl

Here are some pictures we recently took of Emilee. She truly lights up when she sees her daddy. It seems lately that her babbling of dada has taken on real meaning and she is associating the person with the word!! It is just one way she melts her daddy's heart! She already has him wrapped around her finger. It's so fun!!!

Too Cute

When we saw this picture we had to post it just because it is so cute!! If that isn't Luke, what is? Good thing the Lord made him so cute or he would be dead some days! Ha!Ha! We had a ladies retreat with Carol Trahan from NBBC this past weekend and she said something so true....our kids reveal our true selves. Isn't that true? It was so convicting!! That was one of many things that were convicting this weekend. I thank the Lord for allowing her to be at Grace. The weekend was truly life changing. My heart is SO full. What an awesome testimony and a woman of God. I do need the Lord to help me each day in each and every action, attitude, reaction, thought AND interaction with this precious little monkey pictured here. God has great things in store for Luke we just know it!! He just keeps us on our knees!!