It seems that alot of the posts recently have focused on Isaac. So I thought I would somewhat remedy that.(Although I have another one for Tot School to post) Miriam is such a little sweetheart! She is such a happy little girl, and she loves to cuddle!!! I love it! I tried to give her a nickname right before she was born, I was going to call her Ladybug, but somehow it just didn't quite work. I guess it is better to let nicknames happen naturally :) So, but as time has gone on, she has become my little Snugglebug. I was holding her one evening after her last feeding and she was so content to just be held. The name just came to me, and she's been my Snugglebug ever since. She is 7 months old now, 2 bottom front teeth, eating solid foods, now on a breakfast, lunch, dinner routine and down to 2 naps a day! She has adjusted so well to that, I know she was ready for it. She started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, but started waking up again around 4 mths. This past week since we have been consistent with the new schedule, she has started sleeping again through the night!! Thank you Jesus!!! This makes for one happy mommy!! She has been sitting up on her own now for the last couple of weeks and doing great!! She loves to play with toys and rattles. She now has her own little basket of toys to play with, filled with lots of pink! I even bought a few new ones for her recently!! Isaac never cared much for toys at this age, so he just had a few that people had given us. So it's fun to see Miriam playing with toys. This past week we had her checkup, and the doctor said she is healthy and a little bit ahead of the game developmentally wise. She is so close to crawling! She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth....any day now! She absolutely loves her bouncer. I put her in itfor alittle bit after breakfast while I am getting Isaac dressed and ready for the day. She now thinks that every time you hold her up to stand that she needs to bounce. She is too cute!

As time goes on, important days to honor my family seems to become more important to me. Through the craziness of life, it is easy to forget how special they are to us and we neglect to let them know how much we love them. That is what makes certain holidays so great. They are not just another day of the year, but a time for us to slow up a bit and reflect on our life and the blessings we've been given. More and more I love giving gifts. I love to think things through and really give to someone something that is thoughtful and something they will truly enjoy. This past week, I knew that Valentine's Day was coming up. I had no idea what to get my hubby, until I went into our local grocery store and saw one of the coolest bouquets I have ever seen! It was a candy bar bouquet!!! It is absolutely perfect for Aaron, but he always has a "secret stash" of candy that he munches on while he is studying. He has such a sweet tooth! I think I had as much fun giving it to him as he had receiving it! I am thankful for my wonderful husband and so grateful that the Lord has granted us 6 great years together and anticipating many more!

OK, so I never realize how long it has been since I have posted until I take time to look at the date or pics. Miriam is now 6 months and the last pics I posted of her were at like 3 months. Oops. I always think of things that I want to post, while they are happening, but sometimes my days are so busy that when I lay my head on my pillow at night it feels like days since I have gone to sleep instead of hours. I would have loved to have posted about our trip to DC with two couples from the church. My intention was to get back to the room every night and post what we had done that day with some pics. That was at the end of September, and as you can tell I never got around to that. Then we had Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time spending it with family in WV. Again, no pics, no commentary, no nothing. Christmas and New Year's. My thoughts on New Year's Resolutions. Fun pics of the kids in their daily activities. Again....zip, zilch, nada. My other big project is I want to get this year virutally scrapbooked. I think I might have about 2 events out of 200 done. Always my intentions are good, but somehow, life just gets me carried away with other things. Some things not so important, but then other things that are the most important. Making sure my babies have something to eat: breakfast, lunch, supper. Keeping them clean and in fresh diapers reguarly. Lots of hugs and kisses, reading our favorite books, walks to the park, playtime in the living room, and picking up all the toys in the living room at least 3 times a day. Kissing away all the hurts and bruises. Trying to find teachable moments all throughout the day to learn our numbers, colors, shapes, body parts, and new words. Lots and lots of laundry to keep my family clean and smelling nice. Being a listening ear for my husband when he comes home in the evening. Doing my best to create a home that is peaceful and restful. A place where my husband and children can re-energize and feel comfortable. I think all this and so much more goes into making up the definition of a homemaker. I will be the first one to admit that I am far from figuering it all out and continually have to remind myself what is important, and the true reason why I am a stay at home mom instead of pursuing a career as an accountant. It is not to keep up with cleaning the house or all the other million things that are so temporary. I am investing in eternity. I am serving those that God has blessed me with. So at the end of my life I can say that I focussed on those things that have a lasting impact instead of focussing on those things that will just fade away.

Normally my posts are just of our family and pics of the kids, but I wanted to share what all has been happening at the church, which is a huge part of our life. There have been many exciting new ministry events that have taken place this year. We had our first annual Health Fair a few weeks ago. We had a bone marrow registry, posture checks, (mine wasn't very good lol which I guess is part of the purpose of a health fair! so you can find out about these things!) blood pressure screenings, etc. It was a great turnout for a first year. That same evening we had our annual church stew. There is always a time of preparation the evening before to cut the onions and get the potatoes ready etc. Then the men get up REALLY ealry in the morning to start cooking the brunswick stew. We had a time for the community to come and eat some stew for supper in the early evening.

Recently we have begun to have a missions focus evening on the first Wednesday of the month. This month we had a time to come together and pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Last year our goal was 35 boxes, this year we have already packed over 50 boxes!!! This is exciting and it was a wonderful evening to pack the boxes as a community.

After a very dry summer, I have enjoyed the rainy days we have had so far this fall. There is something very peaceful about a drizzling rain as it replenishes the ground and brings life back into our plants and grass. It is the best weather to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea (or coffee, whatever your preference :) On one of our recent rainy days, Isaac decided he had had enough of staying inside and shot out the front door as soon as it was opened. We decided to go ahead and let him play. It was his first time playing in the rain and he easily found a small water puddle on our front stoop. He absolutely loved it. It was precious to see him with his face towards the sky and his eyelids blinking as he experienced the water hitting his face. It is the simple things in life that sometimes brings the most joy.