I'm a great big ol' meanie mommy . . .

Scene: The bathtub, tonight.
Lots of screaming was going on. I was frazzled.
I said, "Ya'll are about to get in some big trouble. Who wants to get in trouble first?"
You always ask the "who wants to get in trouble first" question, because you know that no one wants to get in trouble at all, and usually it will stop any further naughtiness. Not tonight.

Noodle and Banana both stopped and looked at me. No naughtiness for a couple of seconds.

Noodle: "I don't want to get in trouble."
She shook her head. All was silent for a couple more minutes.
Then she pointed to Banana and said, "Banana gets in trouble."

Banana, looking up at me with his wide, innocent eyes:"I get in trouble."

Noodle: "I don't get in trouble."

Banana:"I in trouble."

Noodle:"Banana is in trouble, I'm not. I'm not in trouble."

Banana:"I in trouble. I NOT in trouble!"

Noodle:"I'm not in trouble! Nobody is in trouble!"

Lots of giggling. I started laughing. What are you going to do?

Due Date

July 4th, as far as we can tell. Next month, when we have an ultrasound, that may change. But as of now, we're looking for a baby to arrive on the Fourth of July!

More Goals

As per this post, and specifically goal #30, I have made some new goals:

31. Go to Hawaii.*

32. Start a charter school.

33. Complete my family history (I'll be starting it soon).

34. See goal #30.


*this goal was inspired by this post from my friend Boss.

"Miss" covers a multitutde of suffixes . . .

Is it Miss, Ms., or Mrs? Why, yes, it is!

Of our many lovely and traditional idiosyncrasies Down South, one of my favorites has to be our use of the English language. We're always "fixin' tuh" go somewhere; perhaps it's down to the branch (or perhaps crick) to do some fishin'. We can add syllables to words that have only one. We always wonder what "y'all" are doing. We love our Nee-Naws and Pee-Paws. We couldn't pronounce a short e sound to save our lives. And our drawl makes all those words sound as drippingly sweet as a buttermilk biscuit slathered in local honey.

But one "thang" I cannot figure out is how we got to calling all the Mrs.es in our lives, Miss! I grew up doing it. Mrs. Smith was called "Miss Smith." Never in my wildest pronuciation would I have called anyone "Missus." That would sound awkard, almost foolish! No one I knew did that. Not my mom or her mom, and I never, ever heard anyone call my mother "Missus." Nope, "Miss" was for everybody, despite the suffix. I never really thought it was strange.

Until I moved to other parts of the country. On the West Coast and in the Midwest, my Miss-calling was very out-of-place, and I got surprisingly used to calling every married woman "Missus;" at least, those with whom I was not on a first-name basis. I taught my children to say, "Missus." After all, that is how "Mrs." is pronounced!

Well, now I've been back Down South for three years, and I still say, "Missus" for all those Mrs.es that I know. And I'm bit taken aback when I am substitute teaching in a class for Mrs. Barnes, and I pronounce the "Mrs." in the correct manner, and I hear snickering. But I have to think back to a time when I found that pronunciation foreign as well. And there's not a Mrs. in the South that doesn't mind being called "Miss," so, I'll just have to get back into the groove of the Southern way of addressing all women.

So, Ms., Mrs., or Miss? Yes, you are! And so am I. As long as we're in the South, that is!

Overheard

Noodle, to Chicken Nugget:
"Banana's my brother and you're my sister and I'm your sister!"

Chicken Nugget:
"Yeah, and we love each other!"

Noodle:
"Mmmm-hmmm!"

Chicken Nugget:
"Can we hug?"

The Cat Being Out of the Bag . . .

Yay! We're going to have another baby! I'm so, so, so excited! As I've been sharing the news here and there (OK, everywhere!), I've been getting that trepidatious look as people say,
"Are . . . you . . . happy about this?"

And I say, "Yes! We're ecstatic! We've always wanted more kids."

After taking the pregnancy tests, I told Buffalo Wings that I wanted to wait till Christmas to start really telling people. But that I needed to call my brother and tell him that we weren't telling Mamma and Daddy till Christmas, sort of as a Christmas surprise. And I had to call my friends E and K and tell them. But that was it. That was it.

Well, that lasted till the next day!

I could hardly get through the next few days. I was so thrilled, overwhelmed, and feeling blessed. I'm going to be a mom again! I'm going to have a sweet little brand-new baby! I can't help it. I'm overjoyed.

Some people, as I've told them, have chastised me:
"I understand about God taking care of things and all that, but it's just not economical to have that many children this day and age."
"Are you sure you can handle four children?"
And these are well-meaning responses from friends who feel they are watching out for me and my family. So I just respond positively and continue to feel happy for myself and for the rest of my family. And I know that God takes care of things, even if may not seem economical to have several children, and that we are also doing our best to take care of things and plan carefully.

Chicken Nugget didn't take the news as well as I'd hoped. I told her on the way home from school the other day. She kind of frowned and made a disappointed sound. I said, "How do you feel about this? Are you ok?"
She said, "I'm kinda sad and kinda not. You know, there will be the hair-pulling and the scratching and the biting . . ."
I said, "Well, you could hide from the baby."
She responeded, "Yeah . . . but it will find me."

Sweet girl. I felt bad for her, but then I watched her in the backseat today. She was sitting between her brother and her sister, and was entertaining them. This was without prompting. This was not they're-bothering-me-so-I'd-better-entertain-them. This was CN playing with her brother and sister just for the sheer joy of making them happy and seeing them laugh. She told them both how beautiful they were. It was such a great picture to see, and I was rest assured that she'd be just as happy over her new brother or sister.

My mother said it was hard for her not to buy baby things at the store the other day. She's already planning the colors for the new baby quilt - pastels. She's not made one of my babies a pastel quilt yet.

My brother, silly-head that he is, said, "Send it back! Send it back! Now I have to buy more presents at Christmas!"

By my best estimation, I'm about 4-5 weeks pregnant, and the baby should be here early to mid July. I'll correct my Lilypie baby ticker on the 12th, which is my first doctor's appointment. I'll of course know more on that day.

I was doing chores today, thinking about the baby, and I just felt so normal about it all. Happy, ecstatic, thrilled, overjoyed, but normal. Like this is the most natural thing that should be happening in our lives right now. No uncertainty. No fear. Just as if, well, why shouldn't this be happening?

Thanks so much to all of you - we have felt you rejoicing with us! Much love to all of you!

Positives

There are so many positives in my life right now! I'm overwhelmed. There's just so much to be thankful for, and to look forward to.

Substitute teaching, though a challenge, is definitely a positive. I enjoy getting to know each grade level and how it works. So far, jr. high is my favorite. But I also enjoyed being in the class with the eight autisitc kids. That was elementary school. Lots of positives that day.

Chicken Nugget is getting tons of positives herself. She's making excellent grades in third grade, and she participates in UIL, which is an academic competition. Her area is storytelling, and the UIL leader says she's doing fantastic. She really loves it. Positive!

Buffalo Wings is having a good year, happy to still be in a school that he really likes. I really liked subbing at his school the other day. Positive, positive!

Noodle and Banana absoultely LOVE their babysitter, which was something we were praying for. We wanted the right person to keep them, and we wanted them to love her. The other day, Noodle said, "I just love Mrs. Candy*!" I was so happy to hear that from her. Yay for all the positives!

The three pregnancy tests I took this week were also positive.


*not our babysitter's real name.

Long Overdue Pictures

From a day at the park a few weeks ago. The kids enjoyed climbing on a toy car and driving to Wal-Mart.

Noodle, looking pleasantly pensive. There's always lots to think about when you're playing at the park.

Me and Noodle.

Me with Chicken Nugget.

Banana having the most fun ever on the slide!

Though it looks like it, I'm really not holding his head in place!

Striking a pose.



Now, long, long overdue pics of Vacation Bible School, which was in June! The theme was "Gameday Central, Where Heros are Made," so we had a sports theme. I taught the missions class, and we learned about missionaries who teach the Gospel through sports.

This was part of our missions classroom. Can you tell that those are fans in the stands? We (my helper and I) painted that! We always have lots of fun decorating our rooms.

Another corner of our room. It's supposed to be a truck. You know, for tailgating. :o)

The music room. Cute, huh?

Noodle and Chicken Nugget in the music room.

Noodle's very firts time on stage! This was during the VBS program. Though it is a blurry pic, you can still tell how cute she is!

My first job!

I got the call at 5AM this morning - for my first substitute teaching job! I'll be in a first grade classroom today. Please pray for me! I'm nervous and excited. Gotta go get ready now!

Time for Another Tasty Names Family Update!

Lots of things have been going on . . .

Unfortunately, I did not get the special education aide position at Buffalo Wings' school, but I did get hired as a substitute teacher! It may actually work out better this way. Had I gotten the aide job, I would have had to leave probably just after the term started after Christmas, since I'll be looking for an internship (student teaching) at that time. Besides, by substituting, I'll be known in probably all of the schools in the district, which I hope will make it easier for me to get a job when the time comes.

I've pushed the start of my training back just a bit, to Nov. 1. I feel good about that. It had something to do with my sweet brother turning in some paperwork a bit late (he co-signed for my Region IV loan), but it's really OK. And I love him very much. :o) And I'm actually not upset about it. It will be nice to ease into work a little before having to pile studying on top of it.

Remember the fridge incident (go down a few posts to "Oy Vey!")? Well . . . now we have to get our shower replaced! Here's how it has all gone down:
I came in from work a few nights ago and smelled a smell.
I said, "What's that smell?"
BW said, "What smell?"
He hasn't been able to smell for about a week and a half now, due to sinus issues.
Upon further investigation over the next couple of days, I discovered that the smell was mold, coming from a damp wall and carpet, which was hidden by a rubbermaid container. The damp carpet and wall are adjacent to the shower in the master bathroom. We called our landlords, who send a plumber. The plumber said that the shower is leaking everywhere, not just into our bedroom, and the entire bottom part will have to be torn out and redone - drain, tile, and all. I feel awful for our poor landlords, who really have been such a blessing to us. They take great care of us and this house, and never hesitate at the slightest problem. So . . . I'm not looking forward to the grand mess that is about to take place here!

My parents are coming next week, to help celebrate Banana's second birthday! Where did these past two years go???? He's so big and sweet. I can hardly believe he was ever a tiny little baby. We'll be having a little party for him a week from Saturday. Wish you could all be here with us!

As per substitute teaching, I put in my two-weeks' notice at the store. My boss asked if I could stay on minimally, as well as if I could pick up some hours over the holidays and in the summer. She said I could essentially make my own schedule and keep my discount! For the time being, I'll be working every second Tuesday and every second Saturday.

Soccer is in full-swing. Chicken Nugget is playing strong, and BW is her coach. She's so cute! This is her third year to play, and she loves it. The other two kids love to go to the games and watch her, and Banana really tries to run out onto the field and join the game!

We got a cat. Well, actually, a cat wandered up to the house one day while Noodle, Banana, and I were out playing. He is still a kitten, but a bigger kitten, and he was really hungry. I fed him. And I kept feeding him. And the kids started to pet him. And we named him. So now he is our cat, and his name is Eddie, and even BW likes him (from a distance), even though he is allergic.

I stepped out into the garage the other night and standing there, pretty as you please, was quite a large possum. It's been many years since I've seen a possum that close up, and though it didn't scare me, it was not the sight I expected to see. The thing turned its head to look at me, and I could swear it smiled. Then it turned back to where it had been eating the cat's food, seemed to think for a moment, and moved its clumsy body to waddle under our van. I called BW out there to experience the possum with me.
"What do you do with a possum?" he asked," Will it attack me?"
"I don't think so," I said, "See if it is still under the van."
BW looked and sure enough, it was still there.
"It looked at me," he said.
I went over to a picture that I was painting, sat down, and didn't give another thought to the possum. BW stood there, a bit bewildered, checked under the van again, but the possum was gone. Eddie hopped up to help me paint. A peaceful night ensued.

I'll leave you with some funny quotes:

BW, upon coming home from school one day:
"I'm tired."
"Of what?" I asked.
"Lots of things," he answered, "but mostly of being awake."

Noodle, upon laying down for a nap:
"I love you. And I love Daddy. And I love Banana and Chicken Nugget. I love my family."
"Awww . . . we love you too." I said.
"Ewww . . . you stink."

Banana, upon pretending to be a dinosaur:
"Rooooaaaaarrrrr!!!!!!!!!"
Me: "Oh! I'm so scared!" (pretending to cry)
Banana, pauses and looks concerned: "Don't cry, Mamma. I'll keep you safe." (hug)

Chicken Nugget and Noodle go with me to the store to pick up my paycheck. I walk into the store, dancing as usual. My co-workers make fun of me, as usual, trying to tell me that I am not a good dancer.
"CN," I say, "Tell them I am a good dancer!"
CN, after pause, says, "Well . . . do I have to?"

Noodle, after climbing up into my lap and giving me a hug, says:
"I'm daddy's girl!"
"Oh!" I say, "You're not mommy's girl?"
"No. But I'm still your family."

Change of Plans, and I'm Delighted

After a conversation on Saturday with D/S McNary, it was decided that our mission trip to the Czech Republic would be postponed. It will take place in 2009 (probably summer), instead of July or August of 2008.

It is amazing how God works. That sounds cliche, even trite; people say it a lot. But it is amazing.

Psalm 37:4 says this: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

For most of the years that I've walked with God, when I read that verse, I read that God would give me the desires of my heart. It's taken me this long to look also at the first part of the verse, to understand what it meant to delight myself in the Lord.

Even as Paul struggled, he had this to say in Romans 7:22: "For in my inner being I delight in God's law;"

Delighting in, loving the law of God is not always easy. But when I delight myself in the Lord, things happen. Relationships are reconciled, wisdom comes, opportunities to tell my friends about Christ, peace is restored, real joy comes into my life. Other things happen too - I discover God's will for me, and am delighted by God's gift of a husband and children. I find out where God is working, and am honored to join Him. I dream dreams that seem so big and far away, and God shows me that not only can they become real, but that He has dreamed something even bigger.

On Saturday, Shane told me that that the dates we had originally planned for summer of '08 weren't going to work. The dates that did work for that particular ministy, for summer of '08, coincided with plans that we already had. Even so, as Shane left that place and anticipated talking to BW and I about it, he had a peace. An ocean away, BW and I were talking about something else, and we also had a peace. God was telling us all that next summer wasn't the right time for us, and that His timing is best, and that all is well. So when we talked, not much really had to be said. We rejoiced in what God was doing.

Something else happened: I began sharing some ministry ideas for the future. A local (American) church partnering with a ministry abroad. I have been dreaming for several years now that God would lead BW and I to such a ministry, that we might be involved in some sort of a "home base" kind of ministry, that helps with a church or ministry internationally (ie., the projects that Shane and his ministry works with), which will send out mission trips a couple of times a year, send materials or money, etc., but something with which we can really be invested and really know.

This was just an idea, a dream I've been having and mulling over in my heart and mind. Shane surprised me by telling me that this is actually becoming a movement among international missions.

Wow. God is amazing.

Here's something else:

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20

I'm excited. I'm delighted. I'm asking and imagining lots and lots of things. May they all honor Him, that He might grant me the desires of my heart.

I can't wait, ya'll!

In Search of the Perfect Donut . . .

Well, as you all know, I recently changed my name from Tari to Mrs. Donut, in order to inspire myself to get closer to my dream. You know, the dream of owning a donut shop. To be exact, the dream of owning a donut shop called Ten-to-Ten Donuts; that's a donut shop that will be an all night donut shop, open from ten at night till ten in the morning.

And while I made some donuts a couple of months ago, I am searching for that perfect donut recipe. Of course, the recipe itself will just be a base. A foundation. I'll tweak it and perfect it until it has that just-right Ten-to-Ten flavor.

I'm looking specifically for a recipe for the old-fashioned glazed cake-type donuts. I couldn't find a specific picture of one on the web, but I think it would most like the swirly-looking ones in the picture above. Down here, they look like two donuts in one, with kind-of like a ridge around the middle of it. So cakey. So glazy. So yummy good. My favorite, favorite ones down here come from Victoria's, and they are maple flavored. Out-of-control, people.

But . . . I'll create a donut that will be even better than that one. If only I can find my base recipe.

Do you guys happen to know a recipe for one of those cakey, glazey, swirly, old-fashioned donuts? Or do you know where I can find one? Sock it to me. You'll get royalties, I assure you. Oh, and all the free donuts you can handle, once I open my shop. That's a promise.

Love to all my donut-eatin' pals!

Oy Vey!

I haven't been much with the updates lately, and here's a couple of reasons why:

Last week, I noticed that something was leaking from the bottom of our fridge. I brought it to the attention of my hubby, and upon inspection, we noticed that it was a leak from the freezer that had dripped its way down through the door of the fridge and onto the floor. The source of the leak was the thawing of all the food in our freezer. Our fridge had broken. Thankfully, we have outstanding landlords (the fridge belongs to the house, not to us), so they replaced it as soon as they could. Unfortunately, it wasn't before we had to throw out just about everything in our fridge and freezer. Talk about feeling ill, and I don't mean nausea due to the smell of the ruined food. I felt ill because we didn't catch it sooner, and because that was at least a week or more worth of suppers gone totally to waste. And any of you on a budget knows that's nothing to sneeze at. And anyone else can understand that food going to waste is just a sad thing to see. So, that was the end of last week.

Also last week, we got a call from our mortgage broker. Things aren't going along as well as we'd hoped with the home-buying. However, she is very nice, very honest, and very helpful. She gave us several tips to help increase our price range. She also advised us to wait about six months before we start looking again. That's disappointing, but . . . in the grand scheme of things, it's just a house. We've had to look on the bright side, put aside the frustration of getting our hopes up (really wanting to put in a bid, etc.), and trust the timing and the right house, neighborhood, etc. to God.

Saturday night, I went to bed with a headache. I woke up with a full-blown migraine that put me down for the whole day. I've been having headaches lately, about one a week or so, and I think it's due to some medication I've been on to help alleviate some other symptoms I've been having. No more headaches since Sunday, though, so that's good. But . . .

Tuesday night, Noodle woke up in the night screaming. She had a fever of about 101, so we gave her Motrin and put her back to bed. She was up a couple more times in the night. Being the mommy and all, I fretted all night and couldn't sleep, apart from being up with her anyway.

The next day, she was fine, but we stayed inside just to be sure.

Wednesday night, while I was at work, BW called me to tell me that Banana had a fever and had thrown up. So guess who didn't sleep Wednesday night? Yep, Banana and I didn't sleep! Poor Banana - his fever got up to just over 103, and he had the fever most all of the day yesterday. But thankfully, he has had no fever or symptoms all day today, and we even got to go out in the lovely weather to play.

I'm still working retail. I really, really like my co-workers, but I really, really don't like the world of retail. And that job I interviewed for, two weeks ago now, has still not contacted me. I have the advantage of BW knowing those in charge, and he said they've made a decision, but have to process it through the "powers that be" before they can make an offer. I'm anxious to know, anxious to get out of retail.

So, we threw away food, I've been sick, the kids have been sick, I've been a walking zombie, my house is a wreck, I still work nights (yuck!), we can't buy a house (yet), I'm exhausted, my kids have been watching way too much tv this week . . . how's all this for a fun family update!

But, (except for the lack of sleep), I think we've been amazingly at peace. Even so, there are still those days that I shed some tears and throw my hands up into the air and say, "Oy vey!"

Be a Christian - at least you won't go to hell!

Mmmm . . . if I may be so bold . . .

I tell you what, things change once you get down South. There's a lovely drawl, a drippy sweetness (in both behavior and food), and an institution of religion that's second to none.

This religious institution is most notable on all the church marquis that every church on every corner displays. At my church, it happens to be digital. Missions, schmissions. We need a dang digital marquis! But I digress . . .

While on my way to do my grocery shopping this morning, I passed a church (non-denominational) with a marquis that read:
"The wages of sin is death - quit before payday comes."

Now, as cynical as I've become, not much makes me react. But this sign did. Thankfully, we're in the South, however, and such messages draw little reaction from anyone else. Such messages are the benchmark of much of the religious education and discipleship that goes on in churches around here: "Get saved, so you won't go to hell!"

And while theologically, yes, I believe in the blood atonement of Christ and the acceptance of that free gift - - - and, I believe in eternal separation from God if Christ is not confessed - - - I do not believe in going around telling people that they're going to go to hell, much less, announcing it from a church marquis.

I can just see Margaret May driving to do her grocery shopping. Now this particular Margaret May has no relationship with Christ. She sees the marquis, stops the car in the middle of the street and says, "Holy Cow! I'd better quit sinning and get saved right away, or else I'll go to hell! I'm so glad I saw that marquis!"

Um . . . no.

When I think of telling someone about my relationship with Jesus, I think of this verse:

"The theif cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

I prefer the KJV on this verse because of that last word - abundantly. In looking for a definition of "abundant," I found this: "present in great quantity."

Wow. Lots of life, says Jesus. Life that He will give us. In great quantity, and all for the asking. So why not tell someone about that? Why not say that this life is hard, yes, but I know the source of Life. I know about a wonderful life, and abundant one.

And I don't believe that Jesus is just talking about eternal life here. I've learned that through walking with him since the age of ten. Even in dark times, in hardships, in sorrow, I've had joy. Not joy that comes through circumstances, but joy in knowing the Giver of that abundant Life.

Why not tell people about that?

I witnessed so many camp-type experiences, in which people would seem to have a genuine encounter with God, perhaps "get saved," or "rededicate their lives," and yet . . . it didn't stick. They quit going to church. They weren't committed to Christ. I believe it had so much to do with the emphasis on what happens after this life, not during it; as well as a lack of discipleship after such encounters or experiences.

I don't mean to pick on Southern evangelical Christians - hey, I'm one of them! I do mean to pick on some of their methods and priorities, and I can do this, because I've seen the practice of growing the Kingdom from other parts of the country. The perspectives are different, the strategies are different, and they work. The Gospel is the Gospel. In the hands of frail and finite humans, we do the best we can with it. But I have to think about it, not damage my witness, and give my hurting neighbor or coworker a message that has real hope.

"Well, Margaret, I'm sorry your husband left you. Are you saved? This life might be bad, but it's nothing compared to hell!"

Sorry . . . yeah, I'm being that bold.

Or, a response that Jesus might have had:

"I hurt with you. I want to share some hope with you . . . "

Of course we cannot sweep away the difficult theological truths, but those come in time, with growth and proper discipleship. I still haven't learned so many of them. It's hard sometimes, the balance. But I just think that maybe the marquis signs might need to come down all together.

Was that too bold?

Something New

Things in the Tasty Names household are moving along quite nicely. We've begun another year of school, got a new car, even had satellite TV installed. Crazy, I know. Buffalo Wings is enjoying his year of teaching so far, I'm still working retail, and the kids still rule the roost. We're eagerly anticipating what this year may hold for us, and next year as well. We're excited about our mission trip in one year to the Czech Republic, and what God might teach us as we prepare for the trip and as we go. We're getting ready to let our church know about our trip and invite members to join us. It's going to be exciting!

AND - I FINALLY start my teacher training in October! Just before our vacation, I applied for the ATC program through Region IV. As soon as we returned from vacation, we learned that I'd been accepted! I was afraid that I might have to make up for some required English credits, but I was accepted without them. I've been holding back on blogging about all this, because at first it didn't seem real. Then, as it began to seem real, I have started to be scared, uneasy, unsure, and anxious about it. What if I don't do well in the training? What if I can't find an internship? What if the kids don't like me? What if I am flat-out not a good teacher?

Well, I guess I'll be finding out!

We found a great lady to keep the kids in her home, so I feel good about that. BW suggested that I apply to be a substitute teacher, so that I can get my foot in the door in the district. That way, when it comes time for me to apply for my internship, my name will already be known and it might be easier. I also applied for a job as an aide at the high school where BW works! It's for a class called Focus, a special ed class with only autistic students. I got a call yesterday to come in for an interview for the Focus job! I go on Monday - please say prayers for me. I'm really excited about this opportunity; it would be great to work with this class as I complete my training. Besides, it sounds like something I'd really love doing.

Our long term plan is this: to have enough income so that I can finish my thirty hours left to complete my masters' degree. As we talked, prayed, and planned for the future, BW and I decided that this would be a good path to take to accomplish that goal.

I'm amazed that my Creator God, who has the hairs of all of your heads numbered, also has the hairs of my head numbered. He is interested and involved in every aspect of my life. As the book of James says, "Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights." I know that whatever happens, whatever success I gain on this earth, it will come directly from He who is my Father of Lights. At the end of all of this, I will return all glory to Him, and everyone will be able to say, "God has done this thing!"

Much love to all of you.

Family Pictures

While we were on vacation, we had family pictures. My BFF Elizabeth's husband, Johnny, does photography, so they came out to my parents' house and took all the pictures in the back yard. It was totally relaxed and lots of fun. Besides my mom, dad, and brother, and BW and our kids, my nephew got to be there, as well as my brother's girlfriend.

Some of the pics are posted on Johnny's website. If you go to the site, click on "Portraits." Then click on "Magby Family" to see some of the pictures.

I'm totally bragging, but I'm so happy with the pictures and I want all of you to see them!

This Is What A Third-Grader Looks Like:

At least, this is what our third-grader looks like. Only to me, she still doesn't look like a third-grader. For some reason, I'm really feeling like crying this morning! When did she get so big and third-grader-y? I tell her quite often that she used to be a tiny baby. And I'll tell you, it really wasn't that long ago. Eight years may seem like a long time in some respects, but when I look at my little third-grader, it seems like the blink of an eye.

Chicken Nugget appeared in my bedroom doorway this morning and announced: "Get up! It's time to get ready for school!" (Now, I do not expect these early-morning announcements to continue.) She dressed herself and popped out of her room, asking, "Well, how do I look?" with that sweet smile of hers.

I told her that she looked great! But inside my heart was breaking. Just like it is now.

She told me she'd feel a lot better if I walked her over to school and helped her get to her place in the gym. Before third grade, she just went to her classroom. But waiting in the gym is a whole new situation. I was happy to help her out, so we walked over to the school and found her teacher. We scouted out the line in which she was to wait until the bell rang. Chicken Nugget sat down quietly, cross-legged, all third-grader-looking, and she put on that same sweet smile. I could tell she was excited, anxious, a bit uncertain, but also ready. I waved to her, and she waved back, and there wasn't much fanfare; she just sat there, waiting to begin her first day as a third-grader, ready for mom to depart the building.

So I left, and now I'm here at home, working on chores, taking care of the little ones, trying to choke down the fact that the little girl who came into the world, all of 6 pounds and 11 and 3/4 ounces, is now a big ol' third-grader. And I'm afraid time's not going to slow down much from here on out.

Beautiful Bread!

I posted this a long time ago, indicating that I'd like to try baking some bread. Now, almost a year later, I've done it!

I used this recipe from Hey, Mikey Likey! It's very easy, the kids helped (and had a great time!), and the result is delicious!

The girls enjoyed the finished product. Banana wasn't very interested in it. Doesn't the finished product look great? To top it off, I got in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and found a recipe for sourdough bread starter, and I made some! I'm going bread crazy! I was so encouraged by my very first attempt at baking bread. I can't wait to let you all know how the sourdough turns out. You are all invited to come over and try some of my fresh-baked, homemade bread!

A New Addition to the Family

As we have been considering adoption for some time, we finally made the decision to go ahead with it!

Yesterday was the big day. I opted to stay home with the other kids while Buffalo Wings went to the center to pick up our new addition. He considered several from the group, but finally decided on the one pictured above - no, not the guy in the car! The car itself.

Yes, the Nissan Maxima turned out to be the right fit for our family. The sensitive and caring staff at CarMax were instrumental in helping with our decision, and they were helpful in making the paperwork painless and expedient. Having adopted from CarMax in the past (our very stylish 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan, adopted in Aug. of '05), we felt that we should keep it "all in the family," and return to them for a second time. We were sure happy that we did!

The kids were all a-flutter when BW arrived home with the new addition in tow! Chicken Nugget was especially excited to have someone her own age around for once! (It's a '99, just like her!) We already love our golden beauty - I'm sure the love will only increase over the years. We are overjoyed to share this news with you - please rejoice with us as we are now A TWO-CAR FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pictures!

Pictures! Yay! I figured out how to download from the new program! Wish we would have gotten a better pic with our digital of the M&J M family. We didn't take near enough pics with our digital. Oh, well.

The girls, participating in one of their favorite vaycay activities - watching TV in a hotel room.

Some interesting fish that we saw at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

The girls walking to the Metra train station. We rode the Metra into Chicago each day.

At Water Tower Place in Chicago, which is a great shopping mall! I wanted to get a pic of those cool fountains behind us, which shoot droplets of water up every now and then and it looks really neat. But we didn't get a great pic of it. But WE sure look great!

A fuzzy pic of us girls on the bus, riding around Chicago.

Banana, chillin' on the bus!

BW on the bus. Standing up and letting the ladies have the seats. What a gentleman.

View of Chicago from the Art Institute.

MY FAVORITE!!!!!!!!!!!

On Lake Michigan in Algoma, Wisconsin.

Getting used to the chilly water.

Noodle running from the chilly water!

Cute pic of Banana wading in the waves.

Friends on the beach - building the gigantic sand castle.

Hawaii Five-Oh, a bit out of place in Wisconsin.

Look! Lake Michigan!!!!!