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"

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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...

happy reformation day!

Well, I briefly thought about posting my conspiracy theory of how "Reformation Day" got turned into Halloween (aka "Free Candy Day"), but as I pondered the wisdom of that, I realized it would not be the best since few people can judge the exact tone of the printed word. Anyone interested will have to see me in person for that. I also have a great theory about how Santa makes his rounds on Christmas Eve...even though Michael says it's unreasonable.

It's the first Halloween we will be living in a house that kids might actually try to come to the door to get free candy. Previously, we've had a long, scary, wooded driveway. This year, we're 30 feet from the road and chiefly unobscured by foliage. Cheapskate that I am, I bought the candy that lingers for weeks after Halloween (after all the good stuff gets eaten) Yep, individually wrapped LifeSavers, and the short little Tootsie Rolls. Just in case kids come to our door despite the lack of outdoor lighting. I hear that this year they are starting at 4:30. Weird if you ask me. But I sure don't want to take a risk that certain kids play tricks on us for not having candy.

As a kid, I was never allowed to go trick or treating. We won't talk about the trauma I suffered the year my parents were out of town and my little brother was allowed to go with a friend and came home with a huge haul that he didn't share with his loving sister. (You might see how this traumatic experience may have inspired creativity in the conspiracy theory)

This is not to say that I never went...I just wasn't a kid anymore. My first gathering of free candy was indeed during my freshman year of college. Two of my roomies and I went to a nearby residential area and exercised the principle of good stewardship, gathering free candy from the happy townfolk. It was back in the day that the Harvest Festivities were semi-optional. Suffice it to say, we did not break any known rules of our institution of higher learning, and we had a lot of fun. That was the one and only time I went trick or treating for the purpose of candy-gathering. I've been several times since then as a chaperone to minor children, which is pretty fun in and of itself.

We haven't decided yet what to do when Aaron gets old enough to a) know about candy and b) scheme about the best way to get MORE candy. There are lots of people that say that Halloween is a horrible holiday and no Christian should participate, but there are also those who look at it as an opportunity for their kids to dress up and get candy for free!

Michael and I have talked about it a little bit, and think it has a lot to do with where you live and who lives around you, and what the general community understanding is of the said holiday. I do know that Halloween is bigger now than it was when I was a kid, so who knows what it will turn into as Aaron and any future kiddos grow older. I think it's going to have to be a pray-as-you-go issue.

At any rate, this day is also the day that changed a lot of things as far as the church goes. This day was the day that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, sparking the Protestant Reformation. It's unbelievable to see how God moves hearts to study His Word and works in hearts to allow men and women to discover and understand truth. Praise Him for His sovereign plan for us, and for being alive and at work in our lives daily! (This is something we can celebrate wholeheartedly and without controversy!)

weird but yummy

I love fall...and fall foods. Squash, apples, pumpkin... ESPECIALLY pumpkin. And those happy fall desserts like pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin dip, pumpkin pie...all very delish, and not exactly at the top of the healthy list. I found this recipe online and modified it a little. It's amazing, and the best part? I am eating veggies & whole grains for breakfast and it tastes great!!!

Pumpkin Oatmeal (2-3 servings)
1 cup quick oats
1 1/4 cups water (or more)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
2 T brown sugar

Mix oats & water, microwave 2-3 minutes or until thick. Add pumpkin, spice, and sugar, heat through. YUMMY! * Make pumpkin pie spice at home! 1T cinnamon + 3/4 tsp nutmeg + 3/4 tsp ginger + 1/2 tsp cloves and you've got some for now and for later.

Try it and let me know what you think.

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he got it from his parents, obviously

Well, it's official. We have a genius child. Aaron is now playing quite enthusiastically with the little toys hanging down from his swing, and smiling at himself in the mirror. (demonstrating, of course, that he likes to look at himself and thereby confirming his pagan status)

Oh, how we love this little pagan genius-baby.

break out the holy hallelujah hands

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17 (ESV)

I NEED to praise the Lord for His miraculous provision on our behalf. The holy hallelujah hands have gotten a bit dusty...at least, the blogging ones. My offline self has been greatly rejoicing, but I've got to let you know what God has done in the past several weeks.

1. We have a new roof!! It took all day one Saturday (with 12, count 'em, 12) volunteer helpers and Sunday from 1 til dark (with an additional 8 volunteers) but we're secure for the winter (and hopefully many winters to come!!) Jehovah Jireh! God provided labor and materials, and we are grateful

2. Aaron continues to sleep through the night and nap well. He's growing and developing great, and we are SO thankful and humbled that God has chosen to give us the blessing and responsibility of parenting this little man.

3. God sends money. Really. Checks in the mail, meeting our needs. Michael & I joke about winning the Home Depot sweepstakes, but how much better is it to watch God provide. I have never been more convinced that God delights in our dependence on Him for all things. Praise Him for His provision and for the generous giving of fellow believers!!!

4. God provided a part time job for me, working from home. Basically I'm calling businesses on behalf of other businesses to pave the way for salespeople to call with more info. It really is delightful to wake up and walk down the hall to work during Aaron's naptimes.

5. God continues to work in our lives, convicting us of changes that need to be made. Discipline, and plenty more of it. Lifestyle changes that need to happen. With His grace, we shall overcome our selfishness and laziness and get busy doing more of His work and less of our play.

6. Free carpet. Enough for all 3 bedrooms plus, pad included. All Michael had to do was go pick it up. (and of course, we still have to put it in...)

7. More little blessings for free...a window for our garage, an air conditioner, garage sale deals on light fixtures, mirrors, clothes for Aaron, the list goes on...

ISN'T GOD GOOD? All the time.

bye, bye Luvs...hello poopiness

As a baby shower gift, we recieved some of the fabulous one-size pocket diapers by BumGenius! that Tricia drew to my attention way back when I was pregnant. We've decided that we're going to give them a trial run to see how they work for us. We only have seven of them, which won't last too long. We have some money set aside for more, however at $18 a pop, the trial run is essential to make sure these diapers are going to do the trick on our son's little bum. Even better is that they are on sale right now for $14 each!!

They're in the washing machine right now...

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about this venture. I am very used to the convenience of throwing away the used diapers, but there are so many plusses to cloth diapering that I am pretty sure I can get used to the slight inconvenience. Especially since we also got as a shower gift...the wonderful diaper sprayer which will, no doubt, make life easier!!

The biggest thing I'm nervous about is that Aaron is a poop-saver. Yep, he waits 2-3 days, then poops more than I ever thought possible for such a little guy. We are talking total blowouts. One Sunday at church it was all in his pant leg and sock and down the front of mommy. Fun times.

Today, we're up to 5 days. I called the doctor, actually, because I was nervous. They told me to give him a glycerin suppository. I DON'T THINK SO! I've read too much about breastfed babies and how it's not possible for them to be constipated to think that a suppository is the answer. The nurse also said I could do some "rectal stimulation" with a thermometer to try to motivate a little action. After I called the doctor, I read some stuff online that says anywhere up to 10 days can be normal, and Aaron seems to be his normal happy self today. So, I think I'll just wait a couple more days.

I'm open for comments! Anybody have a poop-saver and/or done cloth diapers?

Immune System Booster

Okay, usually I'm not really into natural products for sickness. If I've got a cold, load me up with the good stuff, bring on the cough & cold meds for sure. (and I've got the medicine cabinet to prove it). However, when Aaron got a cold at 4 weeks and all I could do was saline and suction, I was up for anything I could do.

A friend recommended (and then delivered) this great product, called VS-C, available from Nature's Sunshine. We gave a few drops to Aaron (a mini-mini dose) several times a day and it seemed to help.

What really got me is that about a week later I woke up with the scratchy throat - you know, that feeling that says "HELP! I'M GETTING SICK!!" and I thought I might as well try the liquid herbs and see if it worked. Michael had similar symptoms, so we both thought we would try it. Let me tell you, that little cold or virus or whatever LEFT US ALONE. Seriously. We had scratchy throats for a day or 2 and kept taking 2 doses a day for about 3 days.

I've never been so surprised by a natural remedy in my life. I am amazed. It tastes sweet and is spicy like cinnamon. The recommendation is to stir it into water, but we stirred it into iced tea and it was great.

an enlightening read

This book is one I have recently read, and I would recommend it to all parents. It's a very good resource for descriptions of childhood diseases and details of the recommended/required shots. I found it to be fair and reasonable, a resource that allows parents to get facts clearly laid out in an easy to understand format. It is Excellent. (notice the capital "E") At B & N for around $6.

Aaron Overload

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