Happy 2nd Birthday Campbell...

Yep...it was only 2 years ago that I went into labor with Campbell (with the help of some castor oil), at 6:15 a.m. We arrived at the Birth Center at 8:05 a.m., and Campbell Meg was born at 8:35 a.m. in the nice warm water. :)

Campbell, we thank Jesus for your life. We are blessed to have you in our family and love your spunk for life. You are filling your Aunt Meg's shoes for sure...a fiesty sassy girl...You are so independent and want to do everything on your own, "I do it." We love watching you interact with your siblings, especially Calli right now...you are a great big sister, and always wanting to give her kisses and hugs. We hope you will always be great friends! We love you, and cherish your life. I love that Jesus picked me to be your mommy! (even though you are a handful these days) :) Happy Birthday... Love, Mommy & Daddy.

Just a sneak peek at some cupcakes for the family party we're hosting Sunday. Amidst our re-modeling, we are taking some time out to celebrate both Campbell's 2nd Birthday, and Calli's life as well, as she will be dedicated to the Lord on Sunday.

One last video to capture a little of Campbell's Spirit...Opening her present this morning...with the help of the others of course...

Be mad?

Campbell will be 2 in a week. She is full of sunshine, but a little sassy a lot of the time. Today, it occurred to me that she wasn't around...I don't know if I was painting, or nursing, or cleaning up or what...so I went looking for her. I found her in the bathroom. She painted her toe nails, did a pretty good bang up job, don't ya think? Not even 2 ya know. She did pick the darkest shade possible, and spilled a bit on the bathroom floor. Yikes. :(

But how could I be mad? She got the stool, and pushed it over to the bathroom counter, and routed thru a few things, and that's what she found. She's been very sick since last Thur. and this is the first day she's been back to herself again. I just had to laugh...I should have been more attentive to her needs that's all. Or maybe it's time for Moppy to come home...that's who usually does her nails for her. :) Miss you Moppy.

Progress.

So, here are some pictures taken last week. I am a bit behind. This is where the washer and dryer will sit.

Two walls were taken down to create this space. My washer and dryer USED to sit in front of this window, and a huge big upright freezer to the right of those. This space will now house a commode on the left of the window, and a shower on the right of the window.

Here you can see the "old" entrance- from the kitchen to the used to be powder room. That door will now be an entrance to a pantry, from the kitchen. And on the other side of the pantry, will be a linen closet. Again, my washer and dryer will sit to the right of that linen closet.

This is a sneak peak at my new pantry off the kitchen. I must say the color is fabulous, don't you think. I am painting all my "new" closets this color. It was a left over mistake color from Christiana house. :)

And here is a glimpse of the final product. Matt and I have worked really hard finishing painting it in a night and a half...well, one closet isn't done yet...but you can't ask for much more since we still have sick kids running around here. :) I am very excited... We got the tan color from mixing 3 leftover paints from this house, and Christiana house...just trying to be a bit thrifty. :)

These last 2 pictures were just taken now. I am exhausted. Hoping to make it to bed soon. Sleep well.

The Weekend.

The Weekend...

Thursday at naptime Campbell started throwing up. Friday morning at 10:30 am, the speaker cancelled for my Ladies Retreat (@ no fault of hers, she was very, very sick). Through many phone calls and other events happening...at 5:00 pm it was confirmed that Anne Beiler (yes, that's Auntie Anne from Auntie Anne's soft pretzels) would be our speaker for the weekend. It was such a God thing, and we are so thankful we got to be a part of it. Her story is very powerful and she certainly brought down the house...in tears...but our theme was supposed to be "Come to the Water", so it was just a different form of water than we thought. :) It was a very powerful weekend, draining for me, but a very rich experience. For any of you who never heard her story, her newest book, Twist of Faith, would be great for you to read. Calli, was with me, and so many women helped hold her, etc. while I was doing devotions and such...thanks to my sound girl, Cathy, and my worship leader, Jen, and my main secretary, Ruth Ann...I would have been lost without all of you. So, to my precious husband Matthew. I was so nervous to leave my sick child behind, but it had appeared that she was doing better. She had only thrown up once before I left, and I was praying she would have a quick mend. Matt was very quick to send me on my way, and assured me he would check in. Little did I know during our check in's he wasn't being quite honest, but that was good, I guess in retrospect. If I would have know Campbell was not doing any better, I would have come home, and missed out on an awesome God filled weekend for me.

I came home Sunday at lunchtime to find him snuggled on the couch with a very sick Campbell, and a not so good looking Kaycee. (She started throwing up that afternoon after I got home). Kaden is looking great so far. :) So, thank you honey for taking such good care of our kids. It was so good for me to get away for a little bit...There was also a beautiful necklace and earrings here waiting for me when I got home that they went to pick out together (between throw up runs, I guess?) I love them! Thanks for being so great! and helping out so much lately. I love you. me.

So, the throwing up continues...they are trying to hook up our washer and dryer today permanently, and then I can start some painting in my brand new bathroom...it's sooo awesome. I will try to post some pictures later this afternoon between sick bouts between Campbell and Kaycee. :)

Sorry.

Hey...I am going to post soon. I had a fabulous rich, but heavy, weekend away at the Ladies Retreat with Calli. Matt took such good care of our babies. But, most of them are very sick, so I will post about our life when everyone is feeling a little bit better. mis.

The Wedding...

Happy Valentine's Day...

Okay Em and Matt...We wish you the very, very best in your journey of marriage. Thanks so much for including us in your special day...especially Kaycee! She was so tickled to be able to be a "princess" for a day. You looked stunning Emiley. Hope you loved your day.

Kaycee (4) and her cousin, (2nd cousin), Maggie (4)...They did such a GREAT job!
The back of Kaycee's "up-do". thanks for all your votes. :)


The girls had fun jumping around in their dresses. The dresses just kind of stayed "poofed" out when they sat down.

Kaycee and Matt's mom (better known as Moppy).

Okay, so I look exhausted, and I was until this was all said and done. So much fun, but a lot of work to get kids shuffled around where they needed to be, and get to the wedding early for pictures...So glad Kaycee got the opportunity to be a flower girl. Such a fun memory. I got to be a flower girl when I was little too...So much fun. Thanks Meg, and Mom, and Moppy for helping watch kids, and shuffeling around. You make my life so much easier! I am so thankful we are not living in Idaho. :)



Kaycee and Maggie with Matt's grandma. Kaycee's middle name is Agnes, after her. She is 90 years old, and is such a sweet, sweet lady. My kids have been blessed to get to know all 4 of their great-grandma's. I still have memories of 2 of my great-grandma's.

This was killing a little time eating some crackers before show time.

The girls.

So beautiful.

This is my favorite picture.



And this was Kaycee jumping up and down, loving her dress falling on the floor and getting "poofy".

It was such a fun way to spend Valentine's Day. Hope you are all able to share LOVE with someone in your day today. I love you Matt, Kaden, Kaycee, Campbell, and Calli. Thanks for making my life so much fun, and very full. :)

I will post more pictures of our re-model another time. I am very, very tired, and sitting here amoungst 5 inches, I am sure, of dust, EVERYWHERE. I hope that doesn't sound like I am complaining. I am sooooo very excited for what's coming. mis.

Crash. Bang.

Many of you may know that we are finishing part of our basement, and decided to put in a full bath downstairs (off the kitchen, to replace the current powder room), while we had everything in the basement torn up...So, today was a big demolition day. I opted to take the kids to visit Pappy and Grandma Buckwalter, who live at Garden Spot Village in New Holland. We don't get there near enough, but the kids always have fun when we do get there. :)

Great Grandma Sara with Kaycee (4) and Calli (4 months)...Campbell would not cooperate. :)

Pappy with Kaden (5 1/2), Kaycee (4), and Campbell (23 mo).

Our smiley girl Calli...
Meanwhile...This picture was taken last weekend as a "before"...we had to find places for all this "stuff". All you girls who always think my house is in order should really come check it out now...there is stuff EVERYWHERE. I am trying to grin and bear it.


You can see the bathroom is no longer there. They took out 2 walls today, to make one large room for now. The posts on the left were where the old basement entrance used to be. We now put the basement entrance in a previous closet off of the office.

To the left of the window were my washer and dryer, and to the right of the window was an old, old, old heavy upright freezer. Thanks Joe for coming over last night to help Matt move all that stuff...it took some major maneuvering for the freezer, and took several hours..



We were hoping the floor looked a little better than this, but weren't too surprised. A lot of the wooden floors, which I LOVE in this house, have a lot of "soft" spots in various places, as you can see here. :) So, this will be "fixed" tomorrow.

Not sure if we will hang around here tomorrow or not? Probably more than likely, then the wedding fiasco begins with rehearsal dinner tomorrow evening. Can't wait.

Kaden's Shots.

Kaden is 5 1/2, and LOVES to take pictures with his camera. Everytime I get mine out, he is usually in tow... It's fun to see what he comes up with. :) There is a feature where you can play around with different hats to put on your pictures, and Matt figured out how to do this one...

So, the quality isn't the best, but that's not really what it's about at this stage of the game. It's so much fun to watch our kids grow, and see what their interests are...I just feel like this is the easiest stage of their lifetime...I absolutely dread the later years... :) mis.

More new life.

Baby calf just a few minutes old. Sure is nice she could be born in this unseasonably warm weather we are having. :)

Since we are having such nice weather, Kaden and I decided we should give you an update video on all of our baby goats. They are so cute, jumping and running around. They have really grown a lot since our last video. They are all living outside again now, since that really cold snap is gone.

Hair Votes.

Okay...we had a practice run tonight....wanted to see how I am really going to be able to get a 4 year old ready for a wedding, and maintain order with my other 3 kids at the same time...Matt was called in for reinforcements, but it went pretty well overall. I am SURE it is going to be a hectic day, but sooo much fun! I am sure you will not be having time to look at this Emiley, but we just can't wait! Looking for some opinions.

So...I first thought down...but then...


maybe up? What do ya think?

I know it's rediculous, I am asking for an opinion about a four year olds hair. That's her mommy, totally unsure, most of the time.

Homemaking.

One of my dear friends has this link on her blog to check out, so I do every once in awhile, and I loved what I found today...loved it so much, I copied it, and pasted it here for you to read. If you like it, check them out at: http://www.girltalk.blogs.com/. It's a fun, fun blog to glance at now and then.
This is sort of like my own pep talk. You see I didn't get much of anything done today, not my Bible Study, did not crack my Bible, did talk on the phone, did pray, did clean my house, and do TONS of laundry, did make lunch, and dinner, and served all kinds of snacks, did hug and kiss my kids...I don't think I hugged or kissed Matt though :(, did read bed time stories, snuggled, bathed, paid the bills, balanced the check book, had the opportunity to tow that tractor I love, (and didn't get yelled at!), and the list still goes on as it's 9:45pm. Anyway, I was both encouraged and challenged as I read this to complete my day...So, I guess I did get a lot accomplished, just not all I wanted too...Maybe there will be another day. :)


Homemaking is a career that demands considerable expertise, may encompass decades of our lives, and has the potential to spread the gospel to our families, churches, communities, and future generations.
That’s a career worth preparing for, wouldn’t you say?
But how do we learn? Scripture says that the older women should teach the young women to be effective home managers and to love their husbands and children (Titus 2:3-5). It’s the mother’s job to teach and the daughter’s job to learn.
So even though this little series is directed to teenagers, we’re going to stop and address the moms for a moment. We want to encourage you to help your daughter make the best use of her teenage years by preparing to be a homemaker. (But girls, this doesn’t mean you should sit back and wait to be taught. You need to be asking for homemaking training from your mom or, if your mom is not a Christian, a godly mentor.)
Moms (and mentors) we must seize every opportunity to prepare our daughters for their homemaking mission. We should speak often of the joys of being a wife, mother, and homemaker. We should advice them of the sacrifices homemaking demands but also of the unsurpassed rewards it offers.
We must also be intentional. A good domestic training plan begins with the heart. As mothers we must shape our daughter’s convictions to reflect the biblical priority of the home. A steady diet of God’s Word and other biblically informed materials are indispensable.
An effective training program also equips our daughters to manage all practical aspects of caring for a home and family. Consider your daily responsibilities and you’ll easily come up with many skills your daughter needs to learn.
Think of your daughter as your homemaking intern. She needs both practical training and instruction. You can provide hands-on training by delegating portions of the household responsibilities to her for short periods of time. You can provide her with practical instruction by getting books from the library or bookstore on cleaning, cooking organization, decorating or child-training.
Moms, I hope these brief thoughts will inspire you to begin and persevere in training your daughter to be a homemaker.
Daughters, let me conclude by encouraging you to embrace your mother’s domestic teaching. Allow her to direct your affections toward home. And take it one step further. Volunteer to be her homemaking assistant. This way you’ll receive vital training for your future mission and make the best use of your time today!
Posted by Carolyn Mahaney on January 30, 2009 at 03:59 PM Permalink
January 29, 2009

Future Homemakers
What are your dreams and aspirations for your future? How do you answer the well-meaning adults who ask about your plans after high school?
It may surprise you to learn that in the Bible God has already given you a sneak peek into your future. As women, we are all appointed to be keepers of the home (Prov. 31:10-31; 1 Tim. 5:14; Titus 2:5).
Someday you may be called to love a husband and bring up children and make a home for them. Or as a single woman, you may be entrusted with a home from which you extend hospitality and vital service to your church and community.
While you may pursue many other God-honoring tasks or occupations throughout your lifetime, you are also called to be a homemaker.
This is our purpose in life, what John Angell James calls a “woman’s mission,” to “affect society through the medium of family influence.” We as women have a unique task: to change the world by devoting ourselves to home life.
Now this does not mean that the Bible confines girls and women to their homes. The Proverbs 31 woman—the ideal homemaker—pursued endeavors outside of the home for the good of her family. And, of course, single women will have careers that require them to work beyond the home. But Scripture unapologetically sets forth the high priority of the home for each and every woman.
And contrary to popular perception, homemaking is a career that demands considerable expertise. The commands in Scripture to love, follow, and help a husband, to raise children for the glory of God, and to manage a home encompass a vast responsibility. Homemaking requires an extremely diverse array of skills—everything from management abilities to knowledge of health and nutrition, to interior decorating capabilities, to childhood development expertise. If you are to become an effective homemaker, then you must study these subjects and many more.
The time to prepare is now.
Tomorrow we’ll give you some ideas for how to make the best use of this season so you can be ready for your future homemaking task.
Posted by Nicole Whitacre on January 29, 2009 at 02:51 PM Permalink
January 28, 2009