FUNNY PICTURE

I just loved this picture of Margaret..such a funny expression!

...Trying New Things...

Margaret is movin' on in her adventures with food! The first picture is

of her enjoying some pineapple via the "teething feeder". Oh my gosh!

She loves that thing. That poor pineapple didn't have a chance!!!!!! The

other pictures are of Margaret eating avocado. Finger foods are such a

funny thing. Babies aren't use to feeding themselves...then we give them

the most slippery food known to man(or baby). That baby can eat!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

CHRISTMAS TIME WITH MARGARET!

...OUR NEW HOME...

WHAT??? Can't you see it?? Squint real hard!! I mean..close your eyes and picture a house there...cause that's the only way you're going to see anything!!! ha ha This is where our house is going to be built. We'll be on Pemberton Dr. They're actually suppose to start working on the house part in January...right now they're just preppin' the land and such. We're so excited! We'll start taking pictures weekly once they building begins. Can't wait to share with you!!!!!!

Sweet Sleep

...our smart girl...

Margaret hasn't had the big physical milestones that some of our friend's babies have had: her crawling still needs work & still no teeth after months of teething. However, see seems to be a smart cookie!! She's been saying hi, bye bye, mamma, and dada for a few months, but now she is connecting them. Shana walked into the room the other day and Margaret looked up and said, "Hi Mamma". I was changing her diaper the other morning after just waking her up and she looked at me and said, "Hi dada". She says bye to her pacie when she drops it, bye to her food when dinner is over, and hi to the milk in the morning. Last night she said ball when grandma was playing with her & a ball. I'm amazed every time she speaks! I know parents say "Just wait...you'll wish she couldn't talk soon enough!!"....but for now...I'm loving my chatty baby...she makes me smile!!

PACKING..BOXES..PACKING..BOXES..PACKING

For those of you asking for an update...sorry...but we have been busy as of late! All the necessary things that needed to happen have happened! We will be closing on our house Nov. 30th....the Monday after Thanksgiving. This is a major weight off our shoulders. However, we never found "our" dream house. We had an idea of what we wanted: ranch, single story, all brick, 1800 sq feet or more, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, and in the 150's. We just couldn't find it though. Instead, we'll be moving into Shana's parents' house......while our new home is being built. Our new house will not be a single story, will not be all brick, does not have 3 bedrooms, does not have 2 bath. It IS going to be a brick/stone front(3 sides siding), 2 story, 2 car garage, 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, almost 2400 sq ft, study(which will be my art studio), formal dining room, and a master closet that is bigger than our bedroom in our current house!!!!! Oh...and it is still in the 150's!!! God's dream house seems a bit more dreamy then ours after all!!! ha ha Crazy, eh!?!?!!? Now we'll be at Hotel Lankford until May....but it will be worth the wait. Shana is very excited because one of her life long bff's, Emily, lives in the same neighborhood!!!

Anyways..that is the update! Pray for us as we pack & prepare to move!!! Thanks!!

...while we've not been blogging...

Life is just busy/crazy right now. Our house is suppose to close on Nov. 30th (we're waiting for one more thing to come back before we can rest easy). We were going to move in with Shana's parents & build a house. Yesterday we found a house for auction that we really like (went and saw it last night...great place..except for the shag carpet!). So tomorrow I'm going to bid on this house..and hopefully..prayerfully get it!! If not...we will move in with Shana's parents and start the building process. It has been a struggle. Most of this is totally not in our control....and that's hard...cause I'm a control freak(Ted). Resting in God having the best for us is not my strong suit. I'm a total Martha!!!

Anyways...PRAY! We need it!!! :)

Eight Months Old Already!

The last eight months have flown by! I think back to those first few weeks of just staring at this beautiful baby girl who slept all the time. Now, she is bigger (15.2 pounds) and longer (27 inches) and sooooo much more active. Margie is very curious...she always wants to see what is going on, what does it feel like, what does sound does this make, what does it taste like is our favorite form of exploration. Little Miss Chatterbox has learned to say "mama," "hi," and "bye." But she is trying awfully hard to get other words out. No surprise that she is talking so early. While she doesn't seem to be any where near crawling, she can get where she wants to go. Margie stretches, turns, and rolls wherever she wants to go. We are also sleeping through the night much more successfully than before. Margie still doesn't like sleeping by herself but she is doing it. Around 5 am she wakes up fussing until I come get her but that's OK with me. I get to sleep the majority of the night without sharing my space but still get those sweet early morning cuddles. While some people would think that's a little crazy, a wise woman once told me that my baby wouldn't be a baby forever so I better enjoy every moment....and I am!

Oh and did I mention how much she LOVES leaves!

NO DADDY....MY SOCKS!!!!

We thought Margaret didn't like her socks. We just didn't realize how

she liked her socks!! IN HER MOUTH!!!! She doesn't want to share.

Margaret Meets Dr. P at BGSU

Mommy & Margaret looking at some of the student projects in the halls of the Art Building.
Dr. P getting to spend some quality time with Margaret.

Dr. P is a good friend, and one of my fav. profs from my undergrad.

Loving Fall

We're truly enjoying our time up north over fall break!!

Fall Break with the Ellis Family

We were blessed to spend a nice chunk of our break with the Ellis Family in PA. These

pictures were taken when we went to the pumpkin patch & hay ride. WHAT FUN!!!!

Jefferson has been one of my best friends since we were teenagers. He recently became

the pastor of Hanover Presbyterian in Clinton, PA(not far from Pittsburgh), and we were

able to make it up there in time for Sunday service(and I got to sing on their praise team

that day!!). Check out his sermons on line at http://hanoverchurch.net/ . It was great

to spend time with him, Lisa, and the kids!

They are much more than friends...they are family!

FOR THE LOVE OF APPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

While we were up north, we went on a hayride with the Ellis family. At one point, they allowed us to get out and pick an apple. I was enjoying my apple...and Shana wanted a bite of it. So when I handed the apple to Shana....we realized Margaret was eyeing it. So Shana allowed her to give the apple a lick. OH MY GOSH! I don't know if she just loved the juice, or the cold rough surface felt good on her gums(still no teeth?!?!)....but she went to town on that apple. We laughed so hard! She actually cried every time we tried to take the apple away from her.

Mommy's Little Helper

Margie "helped" me pack for our roadtrip! She is such a sweet girl!

Margie's First Words

Most babies don't talk until they are much older, but Margie seems to be advanced. Ok, so look at her parents... is it really a suprise that she is already babbling her first words. A month ago we noticed that she was saying "mamamama" every time she wanted me to come pick her up. It has been so sweet to come home to her "mamamama" every day, and watch her face light up with joy when I respond. "Mama" is a typical first word, but what came next I was not expecting. Sunday, I was in the nursery feeding Margie. One of the other mama's walked over to greet us. Margie said "hi" to her. I thought oh how cute she is mimicing her. A little while later, Ted was changing her before we left church. The changing table is by a window, and Margie was looking outside watching the birds. Someone walked by the window, Margie said "bye bye." Looks like our sweet girl is going to be one friendly baby!

Gentry's Farm

We celebrated fall by taking a trip to the pumpkin patch with the Krodels. Gentry's Farm has a pumpkin patch, corn maze, farm animals, nature walk, and a hayride around the farm. Margie loved her first experience in the pumpkin patch. She explored every pumpkin with in reach! She also got to meet Mr. Gentry who she was quite smitten with. We had a wonderful time!

HAPPY 7 MONTH MARGARET!!!

There you were a year ago...still an inny baby....waving to us! We knew you were going to be a people person even then!!!

Then the day you were born..we saw a smile..and we smiled..and have not stopped smiling!

You are a joy to us & to so many others! Your life matters so much, and we are glad you are here!!