Gwendolyn Elyse

She's here!







Gwendolyn made her debut last night at 8pm. We had the privilege of watching big brother, Dominic, at our house so the kids could play and have fun. They sure had fun, but Dom was still wondering where his parents could be. At bedtime, he got to see a pic of his new sister, but it made him cry to see mommy on the phone.


Today we made two trips to the hospital to visit and meet his new little sister. He was excited to see Mommy and Daddy, but he was not cool with the baby and having to stay in the room. So, when we went back the second time, Ariel and Nathaniel came with us and they were oogling over the baby, which made Dominic more interested in her. We refer to Gwendolyn as Dominic's baby, so he will feel involved and protective... it worked for a minute anyway. He shoved Nathaniel away from her, and was trying to get her out of Ariel's arms. It was cute. Rebecca will definately have her hands full next week when Daniel goes back to work!






Gwendolyn arrived after about 16 hours of labor, and weighed in at 8lbs, 2oz & 21 in long. A 14 inch head proved that she was much easier to push out than Dominic, who's radius was nearly 16 inches. He still has a big head. : ) She has lots of black hair, as you can see, and a cowlick in the front, just like Uncle Jonathan. Tomorrow they will be released from the hospital, and more visits will ensue, which will sure be fun! The kids have the day off from school tomorrow, so it will be a great family day.

POliceman at my Door

So, about 45 minutes ago the doorbell rang. It was the Northeastern Regional Police. Hmmmm... I was thinking that the fundraisers are usually at the end of the year, then I opened the door and I saw he was rather serious and didn't have any peraphernalia with him. So, I thought maybe something had happened to Dustan... then he asked if eveything was alright, as he'd received a 911 call for this address.

I ask what time they'd gotten it, and he said right about noon. I told him, no, I hadn't even used the phone this morning, but that I'd check with my 4 yr old. He took my name and that was it. He sat in his car on the road for about 5 minutes doing paperwork before he left. Very strange.

So, I checked my phone to see if it was off the hook. It wasn't. I talked to Nathaniel and no, he didn't use the phone. We haven't taught him how to use it at all and haven't explained 911 to him yet. So, I don't know how someone called and had it connected with this address. The only other option would be that the police officer didn't take the number down right, or maybe is dyslexic or something, and just ended up being the wrong house. And so now I am concerned that one of my neighbors needs help and they aren't going to get it. Argh!

Easy Bake Time

On Saturday Aunt Monica and Crystal came over to play with us. For the special occasion, we got out the Easy Bake that Monica had given Ariel for Christmas, and gave it a go. Ariel wanted to make the yellow cake first, followed by smores. So, we opened the box, got out everything, and Hmmmm.... we need a clear 100W light bulb. So, I ran upstairs to see what we had. Nothing but soft lights. So, 100W soft light it was. We're thinking that may have had something to do with the quality of the food that came out. But in any case, we all had fun, and Ariel loved it, which was the primary goal, so that's that.

Nathaniel's Playtime

Nathaniel spends hours playing by himself while Ariel is at school. And sometimes he does something he's especially proud of or silly that he wants a picture of. Well, for three consecutive days he has done such. Not that it was anything spectacular, but to him it was great fun.


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Life in all its' Wonder

Life is an interesting journey, even for the dullest of lives. I know. Sounds like an oxymoron. But really, to take notice of the smallest details; the drip of the faucet; the fan running on the computer; the purring of the cat. All are minute parts of the day, generally not noticed; that is- until they are gone. And such are our lives. Here one minute, gone the next, it seems only those next to us would notice for just a moment that we ceased to be on this earth. Even grieving fades with time; eventually all is lost to time in this world. That is why we are told by the scriptures to lay up our treasures in heaven where things will not be destroyed.

The reason I am on this taking 'notice of things' trail is because yesterday we found out that one of Dustan's friends said goodbye to this world this past weekend. He died on Saturday, January 3. Not much can be said about this but much is felt. To me it is strange how much is felt, as I have learned in my life to be a bit of a hard, unfeeling person, out of a necessity to survive, and it is a hard switch to turn off. But at unexpected moments, I feel completely unguarded and pounded against the wall with waves of emotions that I honestly ignore most times- things like empathy, compassion, grief, unconditional love. Yes, unconditional love. I'm sure that if you really thought about the word unconditional, it would be something you'd find hard pressed to show to those other than your children. Especially to those who have hurt you countless times.

Rabbit trailing again... so, as I was saying, we are but dust in the wind. Do what matters most in life- put your footprint of love, compassion, kindness in someone else's path today. It will make a better world for today and perhaps even an impact on more people you can imagine. You'd probably be surprised at the difference you simply being alive makes to people you've only met once. Everyone matters whether they know it or not, whether or not they're treated like it... when life is lost, it simply cannot be replaced.

Our celebrations of the New Year here were very laidback and limited. The kids watched Peanuts' New Year and Rudolph's New Year, and then went to bed at 9pm. We then proceeded to stay awake until all of 10:30. Didn't even try to stay up. It always makes me cry, thinking of the things lost during the year, of the people we said goodbye to, the hopes that weren't achieved, and this year, I was sad that I could not celebrate the New Year with our friends and neighbors in good ole Nussloch. They bring out the fireworks and really let it fly. They fill up the valley with shouting, singing, laughing and the rumbling of rockets flying thru the night air. What a great way to start the new year.

Here in America, you have to go to a big city to see something like that, instead of being in the comfort of your own home. But at any rate, we are thankful that we are here in America and looking back over the year, it was rough and irritating in so many ways, but we are still blessed further than we'd hoped, and have nothing lacking. We hope you all find this year filled with hope and see the countless way which God provides for all of us. Happy New Year!