Thanksgiving Weekend

We were blessed to spend a great 5 days with some of our family - Mom & Dad Muth, Mary & Malcham. Anna, Tom, and their kiddos, Karissa & Christian, were able to come up on Wednesday as well, and we had a great time catching up a little with them. Nate & his wife Lissa were also here for the weekend, staying with Mom & Dad Forbes, and we were able to get in the Forbes Family Christmas Present opening ceremony in as well. Aaron was pretty excited to meet all his relatives, and our Thanksgiving day celebration went very well with 16 people in our house! We got a couple of folding tables and a more than a few extra chairs, add a bunch of good cooking potluck style (and of course, our 7 pies) and it was deliciosso!! We also had a chance to tell 5 things we were thankful for and it was really cool to hear thankfulness to God pour out of everyone! We are so blessed to have a Christian family!!!

here's a question for all you moms

OK everyone with any mommying experience! Here is the question I need help with. We are feeding Aaron on a schedule and he loves it - it's about every 3 hours during the day and he sleeps through the night, which means he's eating 6 times a day. Here's my dilemna. I don't want to start feeding him solid foods quite yet - I would love to wait until at least 6 months, BUT I don't want my baby to starve either!

According to some scheduling sources, you are gradually supposed to drop the late night feeding and stretch out the time between feedings...but I would be afraid that if I am not introducing solids, this would not be a good idea, since milk is so easily digested (equalling hungry baby). I also want to make sure to keep up my milk supply, and am a little concerned that fewer than 6 feedings might have a less than desirable effect.

Anybody out there ever delayed solids while feeding on a schedule? Or do I pretty much need to pick between the two? And, if you have delayed solids, what did you do with spacing out feedings?

and not only that, but...

Our email account is a wonder. It has a great spam filter, and best of all, at the top of the spam box page is a recipe for the original chopped pressed meat product. Today was Spam Fajitas. Previously, I've seen Spam Ginger Salad and Savory Spam Crescents.

I am not that brave.

autumn happenings

I hope I never forget

1. how you take in life with curious eyes
2. your adorable noises (experimental) with voice and lips and tongue
3. how you wake up with big stretches and fall asleep grunting
4. big blowout diapers (the stories we'll tell)
5. the look that says "thanks mom, for feeding me"
6. full body yawns
7. your little arm curled around my neck
8. how sometimes you look like a little old man (without wrinkles)
9. your "little bug" blinks
10. the way you startle when daddy sneezes

such a little person...
such a big God
such creativity

the child laughs

Sunday night, for the first time, Aaron laughed. At Michael's funny faces. How appropriate. So glad daddy could be there for this fabulous milestone. Can anyone else see the resemblance here between father and son? This is Michael's kindergarten picture - and our little mini-Michael. Aren't they adorable?

small big blessings

last week, my wonderful husband surprised me with a bag full of lightswitch and wall socket covers. a bag chock full of love straight from Home Depot. it just doesn't get much better than this.

well, actually, it does. every day with Michael is a good one. I am so blessed.

all of us went together at 7am

the Muth "Mansion"

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Here it is - another miracle! This is the house that God allowed us to buy! We closed on it last December and got to work in January. Eleven months, more than a few sore muscles and a little money later, here we live! And, at long last, here are updated house project photos. You will notice that we still haven't unpacked all the boxes, and there still isn't much on our walls. It will come together eventually, I am sure. We're still busy plugging away, remembering that the tortoise, did, after all, win the race.

Current plan is to be here for 5 years, improve as we can, and sell the house (which of course will make us filthy rich, LOL) The remaining projects are lighting, siding, flooring & trim, with a few little projects here and there; then the kitchen gets a major overhaul. Stay tuned, and keep praying!

don't forget ...

you've gotta vote. no excuses.

Happy 3 months old to Aaron C. Muth. Unbelievable how fast the time flies when you have a living, breathing reminder of what leaps of growth can occur in 3 months. Oh, that we would grow as much and as quickly in our knowledge of and love for God...