a recap of the last couple of months

So, some of you are probably thinking it's about time for a blog. Did I drop off the face of the earth? Some days I wished I had :) It's been an absolutely crazy couple of months. I spent most of the end of October through the first 2 weeks of November, packing, purging a bunch of stuff and painting the new house before we moved in. We moved in just the nick of time. It snowed the day after we moved. Not really the best time of the year to move in Northern Indiana.

But we are all in our cozy little house. We are still trying to get used to all the quirks that come with being in a new house. (the house isn't new, it's just a new house for us) So the last two weeks of November have been spent unpacking and decorating for Christmas. I actually had a lot of fun decorating a new place. Christmas is one of my most favorite holidays and if I had enough money I would decorate every room in my house. We love to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour and we also get to celebrate my birthday and my oldest son's birthday (7 yrs old). December is a really busy month for us but we have a lot of fun!!

Below are some pictures from Kaleb's birthday:

The theme for this year was Spy. I didn't go all out like a did this year, but we did do a few fun spy games and everyone got something in there goody bags that a spy would use.















We actually had a lot planned around Christmas, but Zarek got really sick. So all our plans were postponed til after the New Year. We actually opened all our presents Christmas Eve because we were suppose to be out on Christmas. So Zarek was feeling his best then, but Christmas was spent on the couch watching lots of movies. It was actually really nice to relax and not be be traveling all over the place. After a visit to the doctor, we were told Zarek had strep (which is what I thought), but he also had scarlet fever. So he had to stay in the house for a week. He was back to himself the next day after getting some antibiotics. This year the boys got a ton of Legos and scooters. They will be very busy for a long time. Maeci got a toy kitchen and puzzles. I got a new digital camera and cell phone. I will be better at remembering to bring the camera and be able to take much better pictures.

Jerimae got a beard trimmer and new cell phone.

Kaleb lost a tooth on Christmas day and then a few days later lost the other.

New Years was not to exciting. We just spent it at home together watching Kung Fu Panda with the kids. Again, a nice relaxing holiday for the Yoders. We finally finished celebrating Christmas with all the grandparents Sunday, Jan. 4th. Christmas was really long for us this year.

So now were are trying to get all back to normal. Back to school and all the decorations are put away. We are still unpacking. We will probably be doing that for awhile. God had blessed us tremendously during 2008 and we are looking forward to what He will do in 2009. I know that no matter what circumstances that my come our way this year, we can be at peace because our hope is in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

The First Snow of the Year!

Well, last night it snowed. I honestly can't believe it is that time of year already. I have not fully recovered from last winter. I'm just not the biggest fan of snow. The kids, however, were really excited to see the snow. Maeci said, "Oh no! It's on the car." She was very concerned about the car. I hope that by moving, it might be a better winter. The house we are currently in, is located right in the snow belt. So moving just a bit south may make a difference in the amount of snow we will be shoveling this year.

Happy Birthday My Love!!!

Well, actually Jerimae's birthday was 2 days ago. I just don't have a lot of time right now to post anything. We are moving just one town over in 5 weeks and I have a lot of packing and purging. Also we are painting the other house...not easy to do with 3 kids.


Anyway, we did take a break on Tuesday to celebrate Jerimae's birthday. We went out as a family for dinner....Sushi. It's are new favorite food. Then we came back home for some cake and presents. I made him a Tiramisu cake (thanks for the recipe Marcie). It was soooooo good.













Then for his birthday I framed an 8x10 close up picture of Maeci and an 8x10 picture of the
boys with their hair all punked out and looking like rockers. Jerimae loved them.


















Jerimae is an incredible husband and father. He was chosen perfectly for me. Thank you Lord. I have grown more and more in love with him as the years have gone by and I look forward to growing old with him.

Road Trip to Minnesota!!

On October 21st we all packed into the van for a road trip to Minneapolis, MN. I had never been there before, so I was excited about going. Jerimae had a video shoot there so we decided to just go along for the ride. My sister, Laura, and her family live there also, so I was double excited about getting the chance to go over and hang out with her, her husband, Chris, and their beautiful girls, Madeline and Sylvia. The kids did awesome in the van. There is nothing better than the DVD player. I don't think we could have done without it...well maybe, but it made the trip easier. We stayed at a hotel that was across the street from The Mall of America. So, of course, one day I strolled over there with the kids. They loved it. Especially the area with the Legos. Later that day, daddy took the boys back over and rode a couple of the roller coasters.

We had an incredible time with Laura, Chris and the girls. We've never really had a chance to spend a lot of time with them. So it was really special for us to be able to hang out with them. The kids had a blast too. They played really well together, except for one instance when Zarek punched Sylvia (3yrs old) in the stomach....I guess to find out later she was kind of daring him, and Zarek won't pass up a dare. Sorry Sylvia!! However, a few moments later, they were close buds again. While we were in Minneapolis we also went to the zoo with my sister and her girls. Thanks again Laura, hope we will be able to do it again!!

After Minneapolis, we headed to Waterloo, IA. We visited Jerimae's best friend and musical soul mate (that's what I call him) Ben and his wife Carrie (who is pregnant with #3 and is due next week), and their two wonderful boys, Braden and Ethan. We were only there one night. But we had a really good time catching up, and Jerimae and Ben created music til wee hours in the night..or should I say morning. After our road trip Jerimae and I realized that it could be possible to take more road trips in the future as God provides the opportunities. It's just not fun to be away from Daddy.

I have some pictures from our trip, but I have to get them developed....I had to purchase a disposable, because I forgot the camera AGAIN!!! Now I did remember to bring it on the trip, I just left it in the van. So hopefully soon, I will add some pictures. I think maybe if I had a really, really good camera, I would enjoy taking pictures more and not forget the picture (hint, hint Jerimae)

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I welcome Fall!

I'm so glad Fall is peeping it's wonderful head out.

It feels like it got here so quickly though.

The signs of Fall have already approached....cooler days and nights, and leaves changing color. I love Fall. It's definitely my most favorite time of year. I think I could live in the season of Fall all year round. Fall brings yummy, scrumptious soups, bonfires, football, hikes in the woods, pumpkin bread, and the smell of pumpkin and spice candles.

We had a great, mild summer...thank you God. So prayfully winter will be mild also. Winter can take it's time getting here. Right now I'm going to enjoy every single day of Fall this year with my family.

Last Beach Trip

So many of you have reminded me that I need to update my blog. Since we've begun school, my life has been consumed with it. I have finally gotten a little time to add a blog or two. A couple of weeks ago, when Jerimae had a day off we decided to take advantage of our last week of freedom before school started. So we went to St. Joseph, MI to the Silver Beach. We had so much fun. The temperature was about 75, absolutely perfect. I'm already looking forward to next year.