Moving Adventures and two wonderful boys!

This week- especially these past two days- have been full of packing. Yesterday Jeremiah woke up with a bad cough, so we kept him home; today was the end of a quarter, so there was no school. So, Jer's been with me all day for my super packing days.
Today was an extra stressful day. I was packing all morning and feeling weak and exhausted. I had a few loads of laundry to put away, as well as a few to do and hang. I'd tried to carry Timmy in the carrier, but my back was aching and it was difficult to do any packing/moving. As a result, he was in his baby seat most of the day.
The plan for the day was to meet Daniel at work for lunch with a load of boxes in the car, then drive up to the house, unload, do some unpacking, etc. However, due to my tiredness/dizziness/not-thinking, etc. I locked the keys in the car. So, when Daniel had lunch break he borrowed a dirt bike, unlocked the vehicle, and I drove the car while he biked back up. As a result, we didn't end up eating lunch until 1:30, but Jeremiah never complained and was such a wonderful boy all morning! Timmy only fussed in his baby seat when he was hungry; as soon as he was fed and/or changed, he was content again.
After lunch I drove the car up to the house. Jeremiah was excited and immediately went to "his room." I had brought sheets and a pillow (and a box of books), and I put them on his new bunk bed, gave him the books, and left him for his quiet time. He happily complied and after about 1/2 an hour had fallen asleep. Meanwhile, I decided to take a break and relax, at which point Timmy started fussing. so I walked around the house (the outside, there's not much walking room inside) while holding him, enjoying the break of packing/unpacking while snuggling my sweet baby.
All in all, in spite of an exhausting day, the boys were amazingly wonderful, for which I am so very thankful!
More packing and moving tomorrow; we'll spend all Sunday and Sunday night there, and then Monday is the "big moving day" when the majority of our stuff will go. It's coming along and I can't wait to be all moved in!

Timmy Smiles, Monkey boys, and other random pictures

Timmy Smiles!

Jeremiah showing off his smile

Timmy smiling up at his big brother

Matching Monkey PJs

Timmy's new Moses basket

Bath time!

Jeremiah giving Timmy his book

Riding in a wagon with puppies- every little boy's dream :)

Jeremiah's bed

Urgent Prayer Request and Need: Please Read

Some friends of ours, Reuben and Amanda, have an urgent need. They live here in the Dominican Republic (she is American) and recently gave birth to a little boy (sometime in June or July) with what they believe is Holt-Oram syndrome (a syndrome that affects the hand/arms and often the heart). He has not been officially diagnosed because the doctors here "aren't too sure," but they have an appointment for him on December 9th in Erie, PN, to determine if he will qualify for a free surgery to fix his hands and arm. However, they have no money for the plane ticket or the costs of transportation in the States, fees for leaving/entering the country, etc.

So please pray:

-That the doctor's would be able to diagnose him and that he will qualify for the operation.
-That they will obtain his passport before they need to travel.
-That they will have sufficient funds to cover all the costs of travel, staying in the States, etc.
-That God would bring peace to Reuben and Amanda, as well as their 1 1/2 yr old daughter, especially as it is difficult to deal with medical issues in a developing county.

Please join us in praying for this sweet little boy! And if you have the desire and ability to help them out financially, please let me know and I'll send you their information. Thank you!

Menu Plan

So it was recently brought to my attention that I have failed to update my menu plan since, oh.... last New Years (yikes!). I'd like to blame it on being pregnant and having a baby.
Anyway, do not worry- we have been eating since then, even though I have not put up the menu until now. The latest new dish we've tried was gundules con coco (pigeon peas with coconut milk) over rice. It was super yummy! Jeremiah had seconds... and maybe even thirds.
Our new freezer is also full, which will be helpful while we're moving (2 more weeks) so I won't need to worry about cooking (but it will mean transporting a very heavy freezer).
My binder or recipes that are easy and frugal is growing! I print out the recipes and put them in plastic sleeves so they won't get icky while I'm cooking/baking. If you love homemade, frugal-minded recipes, check out these websites I use often:
Hillbilly Housewives
$5 Dinners

And, on the food note, in case any one was wondering, this is the last thing I ate before going into labor...

A waffle sundae made with chocolate waffles, bananas, vanilla ice-cream , chocolate chips, and home-made caramel sauce. No wonder Timmy didn't want to come out, he was enjoying the food inside!

Meet the Big Brother!

Jeremiah loves Timmy! He gives him kisses and "snuggles" before bed (and other times), tries to share things with him (stickers, juice- by attempting to pour it on him, and bread- mommy had to nix this one and the juice), and makes sure he has a blanket (we have to watch him so he doesn't put it on Timmy's head). Here are some pics of the big brother on duty. :)

Jeremiah brought his chair over by Timmy so he could look after his little brother

All smiles!

Taking care of Timmy

Other Random Pictures of the Boys:

Jeremiah is our "drink" boy; he has juice, milk, and water (he likes to put coasters out on the coffee table, line them up, and put his drinks on top. And of course everyone has to have a coaster for their drink and he insists on putting them all away before he goes to bed)

Dressed all in blue!

Here are some pics from Daniel's last day at JCS:


The staff had a surprise party for him. Here's the yummy cake:

Jeremiah enjoyed an icing flower (he didn't eat the wire)

One last pic in Daddy's office

And guess who slept through the whole thing?