I would love to post pictures of Matthew in his main Halloween costume, but I can't yet. We will be doing the majority of our trick-or-treating later this morning. He did have 2 costumes, so I will post some of his monkey costume!!!
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Today, I am thankful for...
Today, I am thankful for...
1. Passing my boards! It has been nothing but studying around here for the past week or so! I am so glad the test is behind me and I can focus on Matthew today. He has been such a good sport about being in his bouncy seat a lot of the time while I was studying. Thankfully he had a few breaks with trips to visit grandma and grandpa and playing with daddy! Today, we are having a playdate!
2. Digital cameras. I think I might have mentioned this before, but I love it that I can just click delete if the pictures did not turn out. I love snapping as many shots as I want without regard for how much film I might be wasting!
3. Alan's recovery. Our friend who I mentioned last week is recovering well from his stem cell transplant. They are hopeful he will get to come home on Friday. He has a long road ahead, but we are so grateful for this stepping stone in his journey toward remission!
4. Our new GREAT room. For those of you who have been in our house before, we flip flopped the dining room and family room. Now, the old dining/living room is a GREAT room! We have had dinner at the table for the past 3 nights and I LOVE IT! The best part is that there is no TV in the eating area anymore and we can sit down and eat as a family! Thanks to Kyle and Lindsey for all your help moving the heavy furniture!
5. A handy husband... Ryan is so handy around the house. He knows how to re-work things when I decide that I want something changed. I love it that I don't have to call Mr. Fixit... I am married to one!
Today, Jamie took her test to become a Nurse Practitioner. She has been studying like crazy lately, when Matthew lets her, that is. Anyway, she just called to let me know that . . . SHE PASSED!!! I am so proud of her and very happy for her also! She has worked very hard to get to where she is in her professional career. By passing her test, it also means she is done with any schooling or testing, which I know she is very grateful for!
We have some friends of ours that got Matthew some baseball shirts...one of their favorite teams (the Cubs) and one of Ryan's favorite teams (the Cardinals). Matthew is finally big enough to wear these shirts. Last night, he happily wore his Cardinals shirt to see Grandpa and Grandma Peppler. Grandpa Peppler was so happy because his favorite team is also the Cardinals. We didn't want the Cubs shirt to go to waste, so I tried to dress Matthew in the Cubs shirt this morning. Ummm.... As you can see from the difference in pictures, I think Matthew is a Cardinals fan. Yay for Daddy!!! Good try, John and Reisa! But I believe we've saved another Cardinals fan from the dark side!
Well, we have had a less than stellar day at the Peppler house! Matthew has been in a real funk and not his usual laid back self! Mommy and Daddy are both tired and certainly glad we get to try this parenting thing again tomorrow! Maybe we will be able to take some cute pictures tomorrow, today didn't have too many smiles from our little guy!
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praises to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross for you.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost if they turn to Him.
ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS STILL IN CONTROL?
Today, I am thankful for...
1. A great big hole in my parent's living/family room. They decided to knock a wall out to make a much larger great room at their house. This is going to be so nice as our family continues to expand!
2. Jan and Alan Boggs. Alan was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on April 1st of this year. He is currently undergoing a stem cell transplant at IU med center in Indy. They are pillars of our church and incredible people of faith. Please pray for them!
3. Matthew's doctor. I really like Dr. Sauer from Fort Wayne Pediatrics. Matthew had his 2 month appointment yesterday and the doctor said he looks great! Dr. Sauer is really laid back and easy to talk to... just what Mommy needs! Matthew also received his first set of shots this week and did great! Hardly fussy at all!
4. Smiles and coos from our little guy! Matthew has really started smiling and cooing a lot more! It is so much fun to interact with him when he offers some feedback!
5. Beautiful fall weather. The leaves are turning and the air is crisp and I just love it!
"I hope my new brother or sister isn't as loud as Matthew is! What are his parents thinking putting him in this dirty old pumpkin patch? Could I get some earplugs please?"
I have a friend who is just my size!
Why does my Daddy think this is so funny?
Saturday we went to pick out pumpkins at a farm. We decided on this "little pumpkin".
The boys picking their pumpkins. It seemed a little too warm to pick pumpkins, so we weren't there long. Hopefully we will get to go back soon.
Daddy loves baseball. Therefore, Matthew loves baseball! The quilt that Matthew is laying on was a gift from our friends at CAC. Thank you so much. We love it!
Daddy just told Matthew that the Cardinals did not make the postseason.
No words needed for this picture!!! Too cute!
Great News! We just found out last week that Matthew is going to be a BIG cousin next May! Abby and Jared are expecting a new baby and Jacob is going to be a BIG brother! We are so excited!
Today, I am thankful for...
1. Matthew only getting up one time last night!! For the past week or so he has been sleeping 4.5-5 hours the first stretch and then getting up every 2 hours thereafter for the rest of the night. Last night the little cutie slept 9p-2a and then didn't get up again until 6AM!!!! Hooray for sleeping!
2. Mom's Morning Out. This is a small group I am involved in on the first Thursday of every month. I have only gone 2 times to the group, but it is so nice to mingle with other moms and get to know some new people in the process! Thanks to Ryan's cousin Cara for inviting me!
3. Rachel and Adam. The count down is on until their wedding! We are so excited for them and are looking forward to being a part of their special day! Matthew is also excited to wear his first tuxedo! We love you guys!
4. Ryan. He has been super helpful this week. I am having a shower for Rachel this weekend, so I have needed to run errands in the evenings and work on a few things for the shower. It has been so nice to be able to hand Matthew to him when he gets home and be able to get some things done!
5. Clean laundry. Although our laundry has a hard time finding its way out of the laundry baskets once it is clean, I have been able to keep up with it over the past couple weeks. We are wearing clean clothes despite a few wrinkles!
Have a great weekend!
Oops! I puked again! GROSS!
Chillin' with my fave cuz, Jacob!
Where's Waldo... I mean, Matthew. All bundled up for church!
So happy!
Check out those baby pecks!!!
Well, we had a fantastic night at the Peppler house last night! Matthew went to bed around 9 PM and didn't wake up until 1:30 AM (which is a record in this house!). Then, he only got up one more time around 5 AM. Usually, he is ready to be awake by then, but this morning I laid him back down and he slept until 8 AM!!!!! Ryan and I were amazed and so thankful for some extra shut eye! I guess we won't rely on him as our alarm clock anymore! Hope everyone else had a great night too!
Well, Matthew and I are pretty sure that the Cardinals are done for the year, but we thought we would post a picture of him with his favorite team's blanket. Daddy won't be very happy with us if they are still playing and we didn't know it! Oh well, Go Cardinals!
Today, I am thankful for...
1. Rest. I hurt my back earlier this week and was pretty much out of commission for two days! That is not the best scenario with a baby and lots of housework to get done. I am feeling almost 100% this morning and thankful to have been able to spend most of Tuesday and Wednesday at my Mom and Dad's recuperating while they took care of Matthew.
2. Jacob... our little nephew. He is so cute and we love watching him play with Matthew. He tries to share with him and can hardly wait for Matthew to start interacting a little bit more!
3. Digital cameras. I am not sure how much film I might have wasted by now if I didn't have a digital camera. It is so nice to be able to capture precious moments and delete the not so precious ones! Matthew is great at looking away from the camera just as it takes the picture! I forgot the camera at my Mom and Dad's yesterday, so as soon as I get it back, we will post some more pics!
4. Fall! I LOVE fall weather and watching the leaves change. Will be getting Matthew's cute little sweaters out very soon!
5. A mini-van. Our new-to-us van has been so nice for travelling and running errands already. It is so easy to load and unload Matthew and we have plenty of room to cart along whatever we might need for him!
Sorry, one day late!
I'm thankful for...
1. My wife. Yesterday was our 4th anniversary. I love her more and more every day.
2. Being able to be home with Matthew in the evening. I love to spend time with the little guy every chance I get.
3. Strollers. I think we're gonna run the wheels right off the one we have. We've mentioned our walks before, I think!
4. A riding lawn mower. We were push mowing until a couple weeks ago. It cuts down on our mow time by almost half. Which gives me more time to do the things I enjoy. (See # 2 above)
5. Our church family. We have been blessed by having such nice friends and family at our church. Through low times and high, they have always been there.
Just a few random shots from last night. We went on another long walk last night, and as usual, Matthew loved it. He really loves being outside! Last night, we walked the river greenway in town and spent the rest of the evening indoors. The weather is so nice right now. We're just not sure how Matthew is going to like the winter considering we won't be able to go on walks. I offered to rig up some sort of device to strap the stroller to the treadmill, but Jamie wasn't having any of that! Oh, well. Hope everyone has a happy Wednesday!
1. A melancholy Thankful Thursday today. Jamie's Grandma Phegley passed away early Wednesday morning. We are so thankful to have known her while she was with us. She was a very special lady, and we all will miss her so much.
2. Hospice. For those of you that have experienced what they do, you know what I am talking about. Probably some of the most caring people you will ever meet.
3. Jamie's Mom. To take care of Noel's mother for 5 months was above the call of duty. She is a pretty special person for taking on that responsibility.
4. Sunny days. Fall is here! I think. Maybe not officially, but it seems like the weather is changing, and I love it. Both Jamie and I love the fall so much!
5. Good directions. Bluffton is having their street fair this week, which means that the main streets in town are shut down, making it just about impossible to find the funeral home and church. Thankfully, we had good directions and we were able to find everything all right. Some of our friends stopped at a gas station to ask for directions last night, and one person told them, "You can't get there from here." And another person told them, "Don't you know that you don't die during the street fair?" Thankfully, another person was able to direct them to the funeral home!
I hope you all have a great weekend.
Jacob is doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider in this picture. If you get a chance to see him do it, it is so cute! Matthew is doing his favorite activity: sleeping!
Jacob's first attempt at holding Matthew. He is in grandma's wheelchair. I am not sure if he is too sure about Matthew or not, but he did a good job holding him!
This is one of Matthew's new faces. I think this is the face he makes when he has gas! He seems to have a lot of gas lately, today he ripped one in church during the prayer time!
This is Friday night in the parking lot at Hobby Lobby. Daddy stayed in the van to feed Matthew while Mommy went in to get a few things. When I got back out to the van, Matthew had new clothes on and the windows in the van were completely fogged over. He apparently had a major accident while I shopped! Good thing there was a long line or I might have had to change that one!
Today, I am thankful for...
1. Hospice. We placed my grandma on hospice yesterday. She is still living with my parents and the hospice team is now coming several times per week to check on her. This is an incredible service and we are hoping they will help keep grandma comfortable as she approaches the end of this life.
2. Chris. She is our hospice case manager. She has been at my parent's home yesterday and today to check on grandma. She coordinates the care and sets up visits from other staff members as needed. They even have a massage therapist and a music therapist who will come for visits if desired.
3. Laura. She is a CNA who came today to give grandma a bath. She was wonderful and was so gentle and caring.
4. Terry. He is the guy who delivers all the needed supplies. He has brought us two different beds (the first one was not firm enough for grandma), a wheelchair, oxygen, a nebulizer... the list goes on. He is very friendly and most helpful in teaching my mom how everything works.
5. My mom! She has been a saint throughout this process. Grandma has been living with them for the past 5 months and mom has been her primary caregiver. I know grandma is very grateful for all she has done... it has been a long road for them both!
Well, Matthew seems to like to listen to music when he is upset, so last weekend we were playing Steven Curtis Chapman's "Live Out Loud" for him and he settled right down. We went out to dinner Saturday night and took the CD in the van in case we had a screaming fit and we broke the CD!!!! So, yesterday, I went to the closet where we keep CDs that we don't listen to very much anymore and grabbed the one off the top. I am a little embarrassed to say that it is Shania Twain. Well, Matthew loves it! In fact, it has been playing since we finished his bath this morning and he has been sitting in his bouncy seat, playing with his hands for about the last 40 minutes. I think I will try to find a different artist to play for him this afternoon!
There are a few things I didn't realize about motherhood before embarking on this journey. I typically like to think of myself as a well-informed, well educated woman, however, I am learning something new everyday. Here are a few of my latest life lessons...
1. Breast pumps leave little to the imagination. The first time I used this lovely device, I am pretty sure I looked like Bessie the Cow. I am certainly thankful to have this piece of machinery, but unfortunately modesty has gone by the wayside!
2. Little boys spray pee all over the place! I grew up with a sister, so we were way more into Barbies and dolls and had little knowledge about the anatomy of little boys! I have had to take cover on more than one occasion and have learned the hard way to make sure you point it south before diapering!
3. Puke comes in all forms. Our little guy is a "spitter" as they call it at the pediatrician's office. He has shown us a variety of different textures and forms of the nasty stuff. My favorite was last night when he soaked Ryan's shirt with the cottage-cheese like version!
I am sure there will be more life lessons along the way... hopefully not all of them contain a bodily fluid! Have a great day!
Here are a few shots of Matthew with his big cousin Jacob... it was quite an ordeal! I think Mommy and Aunt Abby had more fun with this than the boys did! As you can see, Matthew was pretty lively throughout the experience! Enjoy!
We have so much to be thankful for!
Matthew here...
After a brief hiatus, thankful Thursdays have returned. Today, I am thankful for:
1. Matthew. He is just precious!
2. Ryan. He has been so helpful and supportive over the last couple weeks while we try to adjust to parenthood and I try to get my emotions and hormones in check!
3. Beautiful weather. Matthew and I have been able to take walks around the neighborhood everyday! Getting out and enjoying the fresh air has been good for both of us!
4. Healing. I am feeling very good and have healed very nicely. It is amazing how the human body works!!! I am still a tad sore somedays, but for the most part I am feeling great!
5. A long weekend. Matthew and I are looking forward to having Daddy at home this weekend for an extra day! We are hoping for a quiet, restful weekend!
Happy Labor Day!
Well, Matthew's original due date has come and gone. He was originally supposed to be born on August 25th, but instead, he decided he liked the 12th better! Here's some random shots.
