Every Day's A Dream

Merry Christmas 2011!

2011-12-18T07:24:00.000-06:00

We are so thankful for God's blessings and can't help but feel undeserving of everything He does for us. We are especially thankful this time of year as we embrace and celebrate the biggest blessing and gift He has ever given...His Son Jesus. May you also be blessed knowing that Jesus came to earth as the greatest gift you'll ever receive. Whether you feel worthy or not, the gift is yours. Accept His gift and you'll be forever changed. May God's peace, love and joy fill your life this Christmas season and in the coming year.

The Latest House Renovations #3 & #4

2011-12-17T11:44:00.019-06:00

Okay, so it's been a while but, as you will see, we've been a wee bit busy with house renovations. The house is lookin' awesome and is now reflecting more of our personal style. Our most recent projects have been the Dining Room followed by the Master Bedroom. See the Big Reveals below...

Dining Room BEFORE:

Dining Room AFTER:

Master Bedroom BEFORE:

Master Bedroom AFTER:

Airplanes and Baseball

2011-08-20T11:55:00.006-05:00

Just like last year, Steve took Judah to the Quad City Air Show. They made sure to take ear plugs this time around!

Steve organized a family outing on Father's Day for the GO! Kids ministry at our church. We went to the Quad City River Bandits baseball game. The Bandits are the farm team for the St. Louis Cardinals. After the game, all the kids got to go out on the field where a helicopter had dropped tons of candy in the outfield. After the kids were running frantically to pick up as much candy as they could, the helicopter made a few more passes and dropped large and small marshmallows on top of the kids just for fun. After the candy chase, the kids could run the bases if they wanted to. Here is Judah chugging from first base to second.

This N That

2011-08-20T11:31:00.004-05:00

Here are a few miscellaneous pictures from things that were going on in our lives earlier this Summer.

Judah had strep throat 3 times in a several month period and he got to go to work with Steve one afternoon when Teri had to work. He wrote me a note (copied what Steve wrote) saying that he had missed me because he had strep. So cute!

Steve did a gravel road bike race near Kolona, IA in June. It was a very hot day. Afterward, we toured the back country roads and stopped in Muscatine for some dinner at the Old Button Factory and for Judah to play in the water spray fountain along the Mississippi River. Aside from TONS of shad flies that you constantly had to swat away along the river and Judah crashing full-force into a little girl and banging himself up pretty good in the fountain, it was a fun-filled day.

Here's Judah enjoying a "smoothie popsicle" that Steve made for him. He didn't make much of a dent in eating it but he sure had a good (and messy!) time trying.

We had our good friend, Dan, over for dinner one evening and he very graciously and patiently sat down with Judah to begin work on putting together Judah's new Lego Battleship. Needless to say, Dan was Judah's new BFF after that night. :)

Judah loves taking pictures and always wants to take photos of Cassidy. However, Cassidy doesn't stand still long enough so Judah usually asks me to hold Cassidy for him. As you can see, she's not too terribly thrilled with being made to stay put.

Dolphins and Peacocks and Bears, Oh My!

2011-08-19T16:11:00.004-05:00

In May we took a trip up to Chicago. All three of us got to choose one place that we wanted to go and we had to fit all three into our one day trip. Teri chose IKEA (what a surprise), Judah chose Brookfield Zoo and Steve chose REI (not a real shocker either). A two hour mad dash through IKEA really was just touching the tip of the iceberg but it was fun, regardless. We spent the most time at the zoo but still could have spent a couple more hours there to really get to see everything. Judah's favorite was the polar bears but Steve and I really enjoyed the grizzly bears as they swam in their pool. They would swim right up to the glass and float on their backs. So cute and cuddly...minus the really big teeth and sharp claws. The dolphin show was pretty fun to watch, too, and so were the gorillas chasing each other. Judah did great the whole time until...the giftshop. Whoever designed the layout of the zoo and made the giftshop the only way to exit the bears section of the zoo is obviously not a parent. If they were, they would take into account that most children are totally exhausted and on the verge of meltdown mode by the time they've trekked through the entire zoo. Poor Judah just couldn't make up his mind of what he wanted to buy (within the parameters we had set for him), the zoo was closing, mom and dad were more than ready to go...then it got ugly. You parents know what that looks like. I won't spoil the fun for those of you who aren't parents yet and haven't had the joy of dealing with a child in full meltdown mode yet. Anyway, he fell asleep on the short trip to REI and the cat nap seemed to put him in a better place once we arrived. We all wandered and drooled at all of the cool outdoorsy/active lifestyle stuff that is REI and wished we had gobs of money to spend on said stuff. When we'd had our fill, we all piled back in the Jeep for the 3 hour drive home. A long but fun family day.

The Cutest Chipmunk You Ever Saw

2011-08-18T11:32:00.008-05:00

This Spring, Judah and I found the cutest, sweetest little "orphaned" chipmunk you've ever seen. Judah named him "Chicky" and we took care of him one afternoon by giving him birdseed, water, lots of exercise and lots of affection. I'm pretty sure his mommy found him because I saw an adult in the same area we found him later that evening. Judah still thinks that every chipmunk we see (and we see LOTS of them around our house) is possibly Chicky...and he might just be right.

Where Did Spring Go?

2011-08-02T16:09:00.019-05:00

I swear it feels like I blogged not too terribly long ago but the date on my last post doesn't lie. May, hmmm. Guess I'd better get updating.

Steve and Judah decided to plant a small garden on the side of the house this spring. It started out pretty well and we were able to enjoy some fresh spinach for a while but, due to neglect and too much rain, then not enough rain and too hot...the garden didn't fair too well. It was a fun father/son activity anyway and Judah learned a thing or two about gardening. :)

Judah and I dyed the last 4 eggs we had in the house for Easter. Judah had never dyed eggs before so he really enjoyed watching the eggs take on the food coloring and change colors. He was disappointed though when he realized the inside of the eggs didn't change colors, too. He had a great time, as usual, doing the annual Easter Egg Hunt with his cousins at Grammy and Grandad's house. Here he is with cousin Will.

This Spring the Mighty Mississippi flooded much of the Downtown Davenport area. These pictures taken from the skywalk show just how far it came up over the river bank. The normal river bank is just to the left of all the lamposts to the far left in the first photo. It was pretty surreal.

And of course some of the other signs that Spring has arrived...

Flowers and the Farmer's Market. :)

Repainting Project #2--Living Room & Foyer

2011-05-22T12:23:00.005-05:00

After tackling our bathroom repainting project and loving how it turned out, I was motivated and inspired to repaint the foyer and living room. I LOVE how it turned out too!!! Next painting project...the kitchen! Here are some before and after pics of the foyer and living room.

Cassidy, the Dog with 9 Lives

2011-05-22T11:57:00.003-05:00

On Friday, Judah came running into the house frantic and upset. When I asked him what was wrong, he motioned me to come out on the deck and then, through his crying, told me that Cassidy had jumped over the side of the deck. For those of you who have never been to our house, you're probably thinking, "big deal" but our deck sits on top of our garage and is probably a good 15-20 feet off of the ground. Anyway, my heart sank and I prepared myself for the worst as I walked over to look over the side. I imagined a crumpled pile of broken yellow lab laying there in the grass. Instead, when I looked over the side, she wasn't there. I frantically looked over the other side thinking she had jumped on the driveway side (even worse) but, again, no Cassidy. Next thing I know she's coming up the steps with only a slight limp. After looking her over and giving her a big hug, I thanked God for this little miracle. After things calmed down a bit, I got the whole story from Judah. Apparently, a squirrel (Cassidy's arch enemy) decided to prance itself tauntingly along the ledge of the deck and Cassidy's natural hunting instincts kicked in. The squirrel jumped into the adjacent tree to safety while Cassidy--suddenly realizing she wasn't born with the same jumping and climbing abilities that her nemesis was--did a Superfly Snooka from the top rope (sorry, family joke). Thank you, God for protecting Cassidy from this fall...and from running into the sidecar of a motorcycle driving 40 mph...and from overeating to the point of stretching her stomach to 4x it's normal size...and...and...and. I'm beginning to think she'll outlive us all. We love you, Cassidy, our little furry girl.

We Have a "New" Bathroom!

2011-03-19T09:45:00.006-05:00

Steve and I finally tackled a partial-renovation of our one and only bathroom. It was quite a project that took way longer than we would have liked but I love my new bathroom!!! It's amazing what a little paint can do! Here are some before and after pics.

May The Force Be With You

2011-03-18T09:38:00.001-05:00

About a month ago, I decided that Judah was old enough to understand and "get into" the original Star Wars movies that Steve and I grew up with. We introduced the first one to Judah and let him watch it several times to get to know the characters, etc. before we let him watch the 2nd and 3rd ones. To say that Judah is now a Star Wars junkie is an understatement. :) He's all about light sabers (light savers as Judah says) and Imperial Walkers and Yoda now. Anyway, when he and I were sitting in the John Deere combine harvester simulator the other day at the Bettendorf Family Museum, Judah stood up on his seat and began flipping lots of switches and turning knobs. I said, "What are you doing, Judah?" and he said to me, "I've got to switch all of these so we can make the jump to light speed." Um, okay. :)

Judah Lost His First Tooth!!!

2011-03-17T09:25:00.001-05:00

Back in mid-December, Judah told me his front tooth felt "funny." I took a look and realized it was a bit loose. I told him not to wiggle it and that maybe it would tighten back up since I didn't think he was old enough to start losing teeth yet (he hadn't even turned 5 yet at that point!). After another week or so I realized it was still pretty loose so I called the dentist. They told me that, unless he had knocked into something (which he hadn't) or the gums around it were swollen and red, it might just be ready to come out. I chose not to share this information with Judah since that would give him license to start yanking on it, which I didn't think was a good idea just yet. Well....by mid-January, Judah had begun working on that tooth and on January 26th he excitedly called me upstairs. I went upstairs to see what he wanted and found him...sitting on the toilet having just done his business and smiling a big toothless grin. :) I asked him where the tooth was and he said he didn't know. Uh Oh!!! Could it have fallen in the toilet??? Thankfully, it had just fallen into his pants that were around his ankles. :) Of course he put it under his pillow that night and the Tooth Fairy came but, before he went to sleep, he told me that he was going to sleep close to the wall on the far edge of his pillow so the Tooth Fairy could reach under his pillow easier to get his tooth. Such a thoughtful little guy! Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of Judah will his new toothless grin (one of which includes Steve joining in the fun--with a mashed up chocolate chip over his tooth). Judah was, and still is, so proud that he was the first kid in his preschool class to lose any teeth.

Teri's "Officially" Working These Days

2011-03-16T08:45:00.003-05:00

Although I've been extremely blessed to primarily be a stay-at-home mom since Judah was born, I've also been blessed to have the opportunity to work part-time FROM HOME doing administrative and/or communication & graphic design stuff to help bring in a little extra cash. After lots of discussion and prayer (and, to be honest, even some tears on my part) Steve and I decided back in late October/early November that it was necessary for me to start looking for a part-time job to bring in a more consistent 2nd income. After MUCH searching for a job that fit my interests and skills as well as the hours that Judah was in pre-school and not finding anything that fit our needs, I decided to look into working at Judah's school at my wise mom's suggestion. I was blessed to be hired on to work one-on-one with a precious little boy named Aedan who has cerebral palsy. He "just so happens" to be in Judah's class in the afternoons, which is when I work, so I also get to spend time with my own precious little guy M-F from 2:30-5:30. Another bonus is that the school is close to home and meets our one-car-family's needs, too.

I began work on December 8th so have been there for three months so far. The name of the school is The Children's Village at Hoover and it is a wonderful early learning center for kids from Birth-5 years through the Davenport Community School District. Although I hadn't planned to work outside of the home until Judah was in Kindergarten, God had something better planned and I am so thankful that He cares about every detail of our lives and takes the time to work them all out so we don't have to.

Birthday Party #2

2011-02-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

After returning home from Elkhart, Teri's parents threw a birthday party for Judah at a local bouncehouse joint called Monkey Joe's with his cousins. Two hours of bouncing around went quickly and burnt a lot of energy so we headed over to Happy Joe's (Apparently, there are a lot of guys named Joe starting businesses around here.) for pizza, cake and ice cream. Judah got some fun gifts and had a GREAT time with his Grammy and Grandad, Aunt Becki & Uncle Matt, his cousins and, of course, his awesome Mom and Dad. Thanks Grammy & Grandad!

Judah Turns 5 @ Grandma & Poppy's House

2011-02-19T08:00:00.001-06:00

Our little Judah turned 5 on December 30th while we were in Elkhart, IN visiting with Steve's family. We were blessed to spend time with Steve's parents, his sister Lynette and her hubby Dave and Steve's sister Karla and her kids Lily and Jack who were visiting from Hawaii. Judah got some really awesome BIG dinosaurs from Grandma and Poppy and a cool cake with little dinosaurs on it. The big dinosaurs were ready with spoons in mouths to eat that de-lish cake! Judah also got to visit the Elkhart Train Museum with Mom, Dad and Poppy. What a great time we had with Steve's family and Judah had a very special birthday. He even shared some of his cake with his feathered cousin, Claude. :)

German Feast Anyone?

2011-02-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Steve had a hankerin' for German food one day so he and Judah made a German feast complete with HOMEMADE pretzels. Judah was a big help in making the actual pretzels and they turned out totally delicious. Nice work, guys!

Two Awesome Dudes

2011-02-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

I already love Steve and Judah TONS but when I see their humble servant hearts in ways like this, without being asked, I just love them all the more. Thanks, Steve, for teaching Judah by example how to be a loving servant to others. I love you guys!

Snowstorm #1

2011-02-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

We've been socked with a couple of snowstorms this winter here in eastern Iowa along with really cold temps. The first was over Christmas. Here are some pics of Judah and Steve shoveling the driveway, Steve coming home from an "epic" run in the fresh snow and Judah's trucks buried under a ton of snow on the deck railing.

Teri's Family

2011-02-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Teri's family got together over Thanksgiving and Christmas, which doesn't happen too terribly often. I think we have finally stopped adding grandkids to the mix--there are 11 total with 3 grandogs thrown in to keep things interesting...as if they weren't already. Due to the snowstorm on Christmas Eve, we weren't able to get together with extended family but my brother Dave and his family did manage to make it out to see my Grandma Bev with my Dad.

Christmas 2010 Eve and Morning

2011-02-14T15:01:00.006-06:00

Christmas Eve is traditionally spent out at Teri's Aunt & Uncle's house in Rio, IL with her Dad's side of the family. However, this year's snow storm prevented that from happening so we spent Christmas Eve at Teri's parents' house with Teri's immediate family (minus Steve who had to work 3 Christmas Eve services at church). We all had a great time together but ate waaaaaay too much junk--At least Teri did! Before we headed over to Teri's parents', Judah wanted to sprinkle his "reindeer food" on the front lawn so Santa's reindeer would have a snack while Santa made his special delivery to our house. Here's a video of Judah leaving their snack.

Christmas morning is spent opening gifts at our house and enjoying a yummy special breakfast. This year we had cinnamon rolls with orange icing and egg/cheese/prosciutto biscuits with a smear of apricot preserves. YUM-O!!!!

Okay, so I'm a "tad" bit behind in updating (ALREADY!)...Here's Christmas 2010

2011-02-14T14:29:00.005-06:00

The Meek family began it's Christmas preparations as we have the last several years...going to cut down our Christmas tree. The last two years have been at a local tree farm. Once home with our tree, we set the mood for an evening of decorating with a semi-junk food feast and lovely Christmas music. It's always a fun and festive day!

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-08T10:11:00.003-06:00

I can't believe another year has nearly past. The years really do fly by the older you get! Anyway, we hope this finds you well and enjoying the life you've been blessed with. We are so thankful to have you in our lives--even though most of you are far from us these days. We think of our family and friends often but particularly so at this time of year. We pray that you are blessed beyond belief and enjoying this beautiful time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. He loves you so much!

Our eco-friendly (read: ECOlogical and ECOnomical!) Christmas card is attached below.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With love from the Meek's...Steve, Teri, and Judah (and Cassidy, the dog)

It's been a while...

2010-12-07T14:24:00.013-06:00

For those of you who (at least USED TO) regularly check our blog to see what's going on in the Meek's lives, I sincerely apologize for being so long between posts this past year. It's been a busy year and I honestly don't know where it's gone so quickly. Anyway, here are a few photos from the past year so you can see how big Judah is getting and how old Steve and I are getting. Ha Ha

I promise I will do a better job of keeping up in 2011. Okay, there it is IN WRITING so now I HAVE to blog regularly. How's that for motivation and accountability?! :) Here are a few pictures taken throughout 2010.

Such A Profound Statement

2010-07-28T21:25:00.003-05:00

Tonight Steve and I were doing a family devotion with Judah. After watching the short Bible lesson on DVD, Steve started reading out of the discussion guide. Judah said he wanted to read so he took the discussion guide and began to "read" from it. The next words out of his mouth were so profound...

"The God of Israel came in words."

The lesson was all about ways that we can communicate with God and how He communicates information to us through the Bible...His Word. What a nice summary that Judah put together in that 4 year old brain of his.

My Amazing Hubby

2010-05-04T15:31:00.002-05:00

I just want to brag a little bit on how amazing a job my husband does as the Children's Pastor at Heritage Church's Bettendorf Campus. You can see some of the great work that he does by looking at his Kids Ministry Blog at http://www.hcbkids.com/. Amazing stuff! I'm so proud of you, Steve!!!! I love you!

That's My Boy!

2010-05-03T18:01:00.003-05:00

We've been anxiously awaiting May since that is when some of our favorite things open for the season. The other day, Judah says to me, "Boy, I can't wait for the zoo and the (farmers) market to open!" I LOVE that Judah loves the farmers market as much as we do!!! I had other commitments but Steve and Judah rode their bikes down to the opening day of the outdoor farmers market this past Saturday and had a great time! We plan to ride our bikes down there as a family this Saturday. Can't wait!

Crazy Hair

2010-03-24T15:04:00.002-05:00

As you know, Judah has some pretty curly hair and, some days, it can get to looking crazy and unruly. This morning as I was wetting his hair down and trying to corral the curls into some semblance of a style, this conversation took place...

TERI: Judah, you've got some craaaaaazy hair today. Those curls just don't want to lay down!

JUDAH: Maybe they aren't tired.

What a clever boy! Makes me smile. :)

How Was Your Day?

2010-03-13T12:55:00.003-06:00

Steve typically asks Judah how his day went once he gets home from work. The other day, as we ate dinner, Steve asked Judah about his day. Judah told him some stuff that he did throughout the day and then he said to Steve, "Can you tell us about your day, Daddy? What did you do today?"

He said it with such genuine interest and really wanted to hear about his daddy's day. Totally adorable. Made this mommy's heart so proud!

Pre-Reading

2010-02-28T12:46:00.002-06:00

Preschool has been really great for Judah. He is learning a ton and his social skills are getting better being around other kids more often. He has begun to recognize "his" letters from his name and points them out whenever he sees them in sentences and random places. The other day, he called Steve and I in to show us that he had written three of the letters from his name all by himself, without looking at anything to copy from. Wow! He's also "reading" books that he knows the story of already, which is so fun to watch and listen to. He'll be reading for real before we know it!

Sending "E-mails"

2010-02-27T11:47:00.002-06:00

Judah has shown an interest recently in wanting to send e-mails to his friends and to Word Girl and her sidekick Huggy Face. Of course we don't really let him use our e-mail to do this but we've been letting him type into Word and then we pretend to send the "e-mail" once he's done with it. It's so cute because he puts his fingers on the keyboard and tries to immitate the way we type. So cute!

The Turtle and the Mouse

2010-02-26T12:35:00.002-06:00

I took Judah to the Putnam Museum yesterday. We were playing with some cute hand puppets in a big treehouse they have. Judah's puppet was a turtle and I had a mouse. Judah's turtle was playing host to the mouse and offering him something to eat.

Turtle: Help yourself to some lunch. It's on the table.
Mouse: Oh, thank you. I'm so hungry!
Turtle: I promise I won't eat you.
Mouse: Well, I hope not! Turtles don't eat mice!
Turtle: Oh, sorry. That was just a turtle joke!

I was totally cracking up at how quickly his little mind came up with that. I grabbed him and hugged him as we both laughed hysterically.

Superhero for Hire

2010-02-26T11:34:00.005-06:00

Judah has been really into Word Girl lately. He watches episodes online at PBSKidsGo.org. He dreams up elaborate trips and adventures that they will take together fighting bad guys and mean robots. He's even invited me to join him on these trips, which I guess I should feel pretty flattered about considering that I'm his mom and I might cramp his style. Anyway, he saw Steve's Team Tri-Fit "calling cards" (business cards) the other day and said that he wanted some of his own for his Superhero work. So I set to work and quickly put together a superhero business card for Judah. I used some of the design elements from the Mr. Incredible Valentine card I had made for him to make the process go more quickly...since he was standing over my shoulder saying, "We're NEVER going to get these done!" Anyway, if you ever find yourself with a bad guy or mean robot hanging around wreaking havoc, don't fear...Super Judah is here!

Sorry For Being Temporarily Out Of Service

2010-02-26T10:04:00.025-06:00

Once again, I find myself playing catch-up on what's been happening in our lives. I guess that's good because that means I'm enjoying each moment but it leaves you out of the loop of what's been going on, especially with Judah. So I apologize for my absence.

A lot has happened over the last few months. Nothing earth shattering but we did celebrate Christmas and Judah's 4th birthday. Wow, my baby is getting so big! For Christmas we were able to give to Samaritan's Purse again and provide needy families with a couple of stocked fish ponds, 30 fruit trees and some honey bees. Thanks to Teri's parents and sister, Becki's family for contributing this year! We know that many of you give to those in need in ways that are meaningful to you so, thank you for giving, too! Judah received many wonderful gifts for Christmas and birthday but one in particular has been really exciting. Grandma and Poppy Meek got a neat wooden train set for Judah and we've all had fun setting it up and playing with it. It came with a train table but Judah seems to prefer to take the tracks apart and set them up everywhere BUT the table. He has lots of fun reconfiguring the track. I'm amazed at some of the cool ways he sets it up! There have been many days when I've heard him upstairs playing quietly except for the train sounds he's making. Woo Woo!

Judah celebrated his birthday at Grandma and Poppy Meek's and, while there, he also got to race Aunt Nettie's bird, Claude, up the stairs (see video).

While celebrating at Grammy and Grandad Barman's, Judah had his very own Vanna White (cousin Alex) to show off his gifts after he opened them. :)

Grandma and Poppy haven't been feeling well the last few months so we continue to pray for them and hope they feel better soon.

Despite the cold, snowy winter we've had, we try to get out with Judah to do things when our schedule allows. We've gone to John Deere to climb on the tractors, hiking at Scott County Park, playing in the bounce houses at Monkey Joe's with cousins Will & Maddie and Bald Eagle watching on the Mississippi. Besides that, Judah has been busy making lots of art projects at preschool. Steve has been keeping busy with his church responsibilities and the Triathlon Team. He even spoke to the kids at Judah's preschool this week about what he does as a pastor (they've been learning about community helpers at school). I've been keeping busy with Judah, keeping the household running smoothly and doing some design/copy writing work for Steve and a friend who's raising money to become a missionary in Poland. I also designed Judah's Valentine's cards for him. He wanted three kinds: The Incredibles, Lightning McQueen and Word Girl (from PBS). Life is busy but good! We are soooooooo ready for Spring!!

I didn't mean ME, I meant someone else...

2010-01-10T15:26:00.003-06:00

Those of you who have children know that sometimes God speaks to us very directly through our kids. That happened just the other day at breakfast...

STEVE: I'm going to thank God for our warm house (it's been sub-zero here for a while now). How about you, Judah, what do you want to pray for this morning?
JUDAH: I don't know.
TERI: Maybe you could pray for all the people who don't have a warm home and are living outside in the cold. Some boys and girls don't have a nice warm house to sleep in like you do.
JUDAH: Well maybe some kids could share their house with those boys and girls.
STEVE & TERI: That's a great idea, Judah. Should we let some people stay at our house who don't have a house of their own?
JUDAH: I didn't mean MY house. I meant that maybe some OTHER boys and girls could do that. If boys and girls stayed at our house they would mess my things all up and I don't want my things getting all messed up.

Wow, God really spoke to me in this conversation! This could very well have been a conversation I was having with God inside my own head. God, please forgive my selfishness and lack of compassion (love turned into action!) for people around me who are suffering. Help me to show your love to others in practical ways and to be your hands, feet and voice to a hurting world.

Stay Off The Roads--Judah's Driving!

2009-12-14T10:34:00.004-06:00

Judah's Poppy and Grandma bought him a remote control race car back when we lived in Reno. At the time, Judah was a bit too young to play with it. He's old enough now and he's having a blast! He's not the best driver, however, so you'd be wise to stay off the roads while Judah's driving!

SNOW!

2009-12-14T10:00:00.004-06:00

Winter has officially arrived here in Iowa, despite what the calendar says. We got blasted with our first snow storm last week and ended up with about 8 inches of snow. Judah's been having a great time in it though. He and Steve went sledding on our neighbor's hill (on the other side of our backyard fence) and on our little hill in the backyard. Judah also loves to bundle up and play with his diggers and dump trucks in the backyard and on the deck. He scoops up snow with the diggers and fills up his dump trucks with it. He comes in all rosey-cheeked, wet and cold--ready for a nice cup of hot chocolate, with marshmallows, of course. Cassidy loves the snow, too, and had a great time "sledding" with Steve and Judah.

A Bit Excessive

2009-12-14T09:49:00.004-06:00

Typically, Judah is only allowed to sleep with one or two of his fave toys. On this day, for some reason, he managed to persuade either Steve or I to let him sleep with all of his cars (his "friends") for nap time. A bit excessive to say the least! Notice, though, how he has all of them neatly lined up. I'm sorry, Judah, for passing my "everything has to be 'just so'" gene on to you!

Tree Cutting & Decorating Fun!

2009-12-07T14:37:00.018-06:00

We are so excited to celebrate our first Christmas in our new house. Although we can't quite top the adventure we had two years ago hiking into the Natl. Forest in Northern California to find and cut the perfect tree, we did find the next best thing here in Iowa. Last Friday we hopped in the Jeep and took a short drive to a cute little tree farm in LeClaire, IA named Trees and Traditions. Their barn is set up to look like a cabin on the inside, complete with woodburning fireplace and an antique sleigh. They also have an antique tractor, which Judah loved "driving." We found the most beautiful tree we've ever had and the price was really great, considering all of the amazing customer service they provided. We would highly recommend this place to anyone in the Quad Cities area.

After finding the perfect tree, we headed to downtown LeClaire, which is an adorable little strip of shops along the Mississippi River. We stopped for a coffee and snack at a cute little coffee shop named Lydia's and had a really great visit with the owner, Ken Bailey. A nice Christian man doing a little soul searching for the direction God wants to take him next. We left feeling refreshed and encouraged knowing that our new friend, Ken, is in God's perfect hands. We'll be praying for you, Ken!

That evening, we put on some classic Christmas tunes, cooked up a junk food feast (pizza rolls, onion rings, chips & guac, chicken wings and shrimp w/cocktail sauce). We sang along while eating and decorating the tree. What a fun tradition! However, I must add that we decided that adding some healthy food to the mix would probably be a good idea in the future...we all had stomachaches!

Thanks, God, for a perfect day spent as a family enjoying your beautiful creation, encouraging our brother in Christ, feasting on your generous provision and preparing to celebrate the birth of your Son, Jesus. It just doesn't get any better than that!

It Smells Like...

2009-12-06T20:57:00.003-06:00

The other day Steve, Judah and I were getting into the Jeep to run some errands. Steve and Judah had been working in the backyard (where Cassidy "does her business") earlier that morning so the first part of what came out of Judah's mouth as we got settled in the Jeep didn't surprise me.

Judah: It smells like poop.
Steve: WHAT does it smell like???
Judah: Poop. Little teeeeeeny tiny chickmunk (i.e. chipmunk) poop!

Needless to say, we both busted out laughing. Where in the world does he come up with these things???

The Treehouse

2009-11-09T14:50:00.007-06:00

Since we moved into our new house in July, we've been working on making the backyard a place where Judah and his friends can safely play. First was the fence--a necessity when you have a dog and an active young boy. Then came the walking path to keep the dirt and mud to a mininum. The latest project has been the foundation for a treehouse. Since our yard has such a big slope in it, we figured the best way to use that space would be to level it via a raised play area. Steve (with Judah's "help") has been working very hard on it over the last several weeks and Phase 1 is now complete. The actual treehouse will be completed in the spring. In the meantime, Judah can enjoy playing on the platform, climbing wall, etc. We'll keep you posted as Phase 2 begins in the Spring. BTW, there will be side railings installed so nobody takes a nosedive off the side.

Cowboy Up!

2009-11-09T14:30:00.004-06:00

Judah dressed as a cowboy for his preschool Fall party and for the Block Party Heritage Church had to wrap up its 1st Annual Pumpkin Patch. He was quite the cool dude! He's standing with his friend, Olivia, who was a cowgirl and also with his twin cousins, Will & Maddie, in the last two photos.

More Judah-isms

2009-11-09T14:18:00.003-06:00

The other day Judah kept coming up with some hilarious one-liners. He had me cracking up all day. Here are the top three.

#1
We walked into a coffee shop to get a snack for Judah while Steve was next door at the bike store. After getting a chocolate chip cookie, Judah went over to sit on a couch to eat. As he and I sat across from each other on opposite couches, he said to me (very matter-of-factly), "So, what do you have planned for tonight?"

#2
Judah and I were just about to go out to the Jeep. We were heading to the end-of-season party for Team Tri-Fit (Steve's triathlon team). Judah looks at me and says, "We'd better head out. We don't want to hit traffic."

#3
As we drove home from the Team Tri-Fit party, Judah says to me from the back seat..."Mom, let's talk about how much we love each other. I'll go first." "Mom, I love you all the way to the moon and back." (This line is from one of our all time favorite books, GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU.)

I love my little guy so much!

Who Is Turkey???

2009-11-04T16:07:00.003-06:00

For the first couple of months of preschool, Judah would occasionally come home and tell me that they went and saw "turkey" that day. I would try to ask him what/who he meant but I could never get a straight answer. Finally, one day Judah said they had gone to see "turkey" again and when I looked in his bring-home folder, I finally had my answer. Inside his folder was an invitation to Friendship Day (see previous post) at the church. It was signed by Pastor Gerke. :)

As a side note, when I shook the pastor's hand at Friendship Sunday, I ALMOST called him Pastor Turkey! Oops!

A Star Is Born!

2009-11-04T15:42:00.003-06:00

The church that Judah's preschool is affiliated with had Friendship Sunday a few weeks ago and Judah's class was invited to sing a few songs for the congregation. Out of the 12 kids in the class, only 3 showed up. Add to that the fact that those three all had stage fright and you get a pretty amusing show. Judah had some nice dance moves for all three songs. As soon as the music would start, he'd start dancing. When the music shut off, he stopped. Pretty funny.

Fun With Chalk

2009-11-01T14:35:00.009-06:00

Judah and I enjoyed a beautiful afternoon making some sidewalk chalk art one day last week. Nothing that will be auctioned off at Sotheby's for millions but fun stuff, nonetheless. Unlike in Reno where rain is a rarity, here in the Midwest, sidewalk chalk art doesn't last long. We got rain the next day and it all washed away. I guess beauty really is fleeting, as it says in Proverbs 31. It's also in the eye of the chalk-holder. Ha Ha

Supersize Me!

2009-11-01T14:22:00.003-06:00

Judah loves pancakes. Especially when they have M&M's or chocolate chips in them--who wouldn't?! The other day, Judah requested pancakes for breakfast and he wanted one as big as the skillet. So Steve not only made a huge pancake for Judah but he also put it on a huge plate (platter), gave him a huge (serving) fork and a huge mug full of hot chocolate. Now that's the kind of service you just don't get at the drive-through!

Another "Boofy" Day

2009-10-29T21:19:00.003-05:00

Today was a rainy, overcast, gloomy day. As Judah and I were driving home from playing in the play area at the mall, I heard Judah say from the back seat, "Thank you God for another boofy (beautiful) day." I giggled outloud and told Judah that he was cute.

Judah: Why did you say that, Mommy?
Teri: Because most people would not say that today is a beautiful day since it is rainy and the sun isn't shining.
Judah: But Mommy, the sun is shining. It's just behind the clouds.

What a great lesson Judah shared with me today. Even though things aren't always perfect and the way I want them to be, the SON is always shining behind the scenes. Thanks, Judah, for letting God use you to teach me a valuable lesson today. I needed that.

A Visit From Honolulu

2009-10-28T15:23:00.010-05:00

I wish I could say that we had the privilege of traveling to Honolulu to see Steve's sister, Karla, and her family but, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Maybe someday. However, Karla, her husband Don, and their beautiful kids Lily and Jack came to Steve's parents' in Indiana and we were blessed enough to spend a few days with them. Lily is 3 and Jack is 1 and Judah had a great time playing with both of them. Karla and Don look great, too, and it had been waaaaaay too long since we had last seen them. Hopefully, it won't be so long between visits next time.

Judah, Jack and Lily snuggling up in the wagon.

Karla and Jack, Mary Lou (Steve's Mom), Mary Lou's sister Ruth & Judah

Don and Lily

Judah holding a watermelon he helped Grandma and Poppy plant this Spring.

A Quick Stop In The Windy City

2009-10-22T15:31:00.005-05:00

We decided to spend half a day in Chicago--my (Teri's) old stompin' grounds--on our way over to visit Steve's family in northern indiana earlier this month. In the several years that I lived in and around Chicago, I never once visited Shedd Aquarium so now that Judah was old enough to enjoy it, we decided to check it out. A bonus was that the day we chose to go was FREE ADMISSION day!! Woo Hoo Thank you, God! We had a fun couple of hours at the aquarium and then headed to E. 57th St. for lunch at The Medici on 57th. The Medici is a restaurant that I used to work for when I lived in Chicago and the location of this particular Medici is where my apartment used to be. I lived in the upstairs while they gutted the downstairs to move the restaurant in. So the Medici has a special place in my heart and their food is delish, too. It is located in the heart of the University of Chicago campus--a little oasis surrounded by sketchville. At the Medici they encourage you to leave your mark anywhere you can find a spot. The photos show me and Judah doing just that. What a FUN day we had!

Maquoketa Caves

2009-10-22T15:05:00.004-05:00

I'm a little behind in posting (so what's new?), sorry. In September, we took a short roadtrip to Maquoketa Caves, which is just up the road in Maquoketa, Iowa. We were pleasantly surprised at the caves and rock formations that this little Iowa State Park has to offer. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit to this little park that's situated smack dab in the middle of Iowa farmland. By the way, Judah was FEARLESS and led the way--with his trusty flashlight--through the darkest of caves and walkways. He'd say, "Come on Mom and Dad, follow me!"

Group Hug!

2009-10-22T14:57:00.002-05:00

The other day, Steve and I were having what I would call a "lively" discussion. Judah came in the room and put his finger to his lips and started saying, "shhhh" every time one of us would try to say something. I assured Judah that Mommy and Daddy were NOT arguing and that everything was just fine. Immediately afterward, Judah said, "I have an idea, GROUP HUG!" We both cracked up and, yes, we did have a group hug. :)

Judah Starts Preschool!

2009-10-12T14:26:00.005-05:00

Judah began attending Noah's Ark Christian Preschool this fall and he loves it. He has two special friends there named Madison and Mackenzie. He calls them "My two girls." The school is just a 10 minute walk from our house so we have fun exploring on our way to and from school when the weather permits. Sometimes Cassidy even comes with us!

One of Our Favorite Things To Do

2009-09-27T14:37:00.004-05:00

One of our favorite things to do on Saturday mornings is go to the Farmer's Market in Downtown Davenport, Iowa. We often ride our bikes there, which takes us along the bike path on the Mississippi River. Beautiful! Below are some pictures from a couple of our visits to the Farmer's Market. The first two photos are on a glass walkway that crosses River Drive and looks out over the river. Judah loves to play on the playground at the Market as you can see. There is often a guy there who makes balloon "thingies" for the kids. Judah is sporting a "Britney Spears" mic and two sword-like shapes. I think one of them is actually supposed to be either a flower or a wand of some sort. I think he found those two on the ground. We don't let anything go to waste in the Meek family! :) Lastly, I wanted to share a short video of Judah enjoying some live music at the Market. The trio are playing Django Reinhardt, who is one of my favorites! Judah just plopped down in front of them--right in an area that people walk--and sat there listening quietly for a good 10 minutes. The funny thing is that, once Judah sat down and listened, lots of other people stopped what they were doing and stood there (and some even sat!) listening too. Judah's our little trend setter.

Making Our New House Our "Home"

2009-09-13T19:57:00.030-05:00

We are slowly working on making our new house our "home" and our first big undertaking was putting up a privacy fence in the back yard to keep our little rascals (Cassidy and Judah) contained. Steve's parents graciously took Judah for a whole week so Steve and I could put the fence up. I say Steve and I but really it was all Steve. I was merely the post-holder/leveler and I hammered a few nails. Steve was the mastermind and muscle behind the entire project. Might I add that, for a couple of amateurs (and for how steeply sloped our back yard is!), the fence turned out pretty well. Here are some before and after pictures.

Our next big project was creating a walkway at the bottom of our deck stairs that lead to the back yard (our deck is on top of our garage if you were wondering why it is so high off the ground). We decided to create the look of paving stones using colored concrete poured into a cobblestone-look mold. It turned out pretty well too. We will need to put some shade plants in the mulch alongside the walkway to complete the project but, for now, it serves its purpose of keeping the mud and dirt from coming inside. As you can see, Judah thinks its purpose is to serve as a road for his trucks and diggers. :)

The rest of the pictures are of the living room, dining room, office, Judah's room and foyer window seat. We still need to paint, replace all of the screens in the 3-season room, etc. etc. etc. but we're well on our way to feeling like this is home and we're meeting lots of our neighbors, which is great.

And We're Back!

2009-08-21T15:10:00.029-05:00

Okay, so we've moved, gotten settled and now we're back to catch you up! Unfortunately, in the move, our camera broke so we did miss capturing a few of our fun and memorable moments but we're back on track with that too. Woo Hoo!

SUMMER FUN!
Judah loves riding bikes. Whether it's a Big Wheel at one of his grandparents' house or his own "big boy" bike on the bike path. He is one FAST kid!

Whenever our schedules jive, we love getting together with my sister and her four kids to play. Here they are (with my Mom) at Longview Park in Rock Island.

NORTH CAROLINA COUSINS VISIT
Teri's sister, Debbie, and her family came for a nice long visit. Judah had lots of fun hanging out with all of his Barman-family cousins. We even got all of them together for a "Grandkids" photo shoot!

Getting Settled

2009-06-25T09:37:00.004-05:00

We have some exciting news to share with everyone. Steve has signed on full-time with Heritage Church as the Children's Pastor AND we are finally able to get settled in our own home. We found a house that we love in Davenport, IA, which is a 5 minute drive to the church. We close on June 30th and will be officially moving in on July 1st. Steve and I were talking this morning that we were officially "released" from serving at Coram Deo on July 1st 2008...ONE YEAR AGO to the day that we will finally move into our own home here in the Quad Cities. It's been a challenging year but one full of many lessons learned. Of course it's during the challenging times that God tends to teach us the most as He stretches and grows us in our walk with Him. We are thankful for those lessons but also thankful that we are able to begin moving forward in our new ministry (both at the church and in our day-to-day lives). You can take a closer look at the house by clicking this link: 2021 Elm St. Davenport, IA 52803. If you're in town, we'd love for you to stop by! We love to cook so we might even feed you!

Boys, You Gotta Love 'Em!

2009-06-19T07:48:00.005-05:00

Lately, Steve has been teaching Judah the fine art of spitting and, seemingly all on his own, Judah has discovered the joy of dropping trou' wherever he feels like it to enjoy the freedom of peeing outside. A couple weeks ago we were in the front yard of my parents' house saying goodbye to my sister and her kids when I turned around to see Judah with his pants around his ankles going pee right in the middle of the yard. As a side note, my parents live on a busy road with lots of traffic going by. A few days later, my mom looked up from the kitchen table to see Judah, once again with his pants around his ankles, peeing on the deck. I'm glad he has finally gotten the hang of potty training (see previous post) but I guess I was just hoping he would be a little more discreet about it. I guess I'm just too much of a girl!

A Milestone...

2009-06-17T08:04:00.003-05:00

As most first-time mom's probably do, I started Judah on potty training way too early. He wasn't ready and it led to much frustration for me. I look back and see that 18 months was just too young for Judah to fully grasp the concept of potty training. Moving cross-country from Reno, NV to Rock Island, IL and the many transitions that have taken place during the last 10 months really took its toll on our progress too. BUT, I am happy to announce that something just clicked with Judah a couple of weeks ago and now he is completely potty trained (even #2!), even staying dry most nights. He is very good about telling me when he has to go and even just getting up and going in to the bathroom by himself. I am very proud of my little guy! The photo is of Judah doing his best Nacho Libre impression. (That's for you, Dawson!) Ha Ha

A Free Gift!

2009-06-17T07:44:00.005-05:00

This morning, after breakfast, Steve asked Judah if he kept his pants (pull-up) dry all night. Judah told him that he had stayed dry so Steve excitedly told him, "For staying dry all night you get a mint!" As a side note, Judah is a total mint-junky so this was a pretty big treat for him. Judah took the mint and, as he began to open it said, "Let's see what's inside. Oh, a free gift!" We all just died laughing. He comes up with the funniest things.

MAY...A Recap

2009-06-04T15:09:00.037-05:00

I seriously can't believe May has come and gone already! Here is a recap of our May.

MAY DAY
Judah and his twin cousins, Will and Maddie, made May Baskets (with the help of Grammy & Grandad) and delivered them to a couple of neighbors.

VISITING GRANDMA & POPPY
Steve taught Judah how to fly a kite at Grandma & Poppy's (Steve's parents) house in Elkhart, IN. Judah did a great job and had a lot of fun flying his kite until it landed in the neighbor's tree. Oops!

I SPY
I guess Judah was bored in the car one day. He decided to use a Starbucks Double Shot can as a telescope to search for wolves as we drove through the countryside. He's developing quite the active imagination!

CONTEMPLATION
I'm still not sure exactly what Judah was doing but I looked out on the deck one day and noticed that he had pulled one of the kid-size lawn chairs up to the far edge of the deck and was looking out quietly over the backyard. I guess even three year olds need time to reflect on life.

MOTHER'S DAY
I am the luckiest Mom in the world. I know I'm biased but I think I have the best little boy EVER. Judah is so loving, thoughtful, considerate, polite, funny, adventurous and creative. It helps that he has a Daddy that models those characteristics and behaviors for him. Anyway, my Mother's Day was low-key but wonderful because I got to spend it with Judah and Steve. We went out for bagels and coffee for breakfast before church then went to Blackhawk State Park in Rock Island for a picnic and a hike.

ROAD TRIP
We took a road trip to our old stomping grounds, Bloomington, IN and had a blast! We checked out the new playground at Cascades Park and hiked back to the waterfall at the park. Steve and Judah even went BEHIND the waterfall! As usual though, Mommy was a slave to fashion and didn't have appropriate shoes to make the rocky and precarious hike over the creek this time, although she's been behind the waterfall other times. Of course no visit to Bloomington would be complete without a stop at Bruster's for ice cream. As you can see, this will probably be Judah's last time getting a free baby cone!

ROUGHING IT
Steve and Judah had a father-son day where they rented a boat to go fishing then camped out in the backyard at my parents' house. They grilled hotdogs and made s'mores on the gas grill and took the laptop, via a very long extension cord, out to the tent to watch a movie before bedtime.

YARD WORK
Judah has really taken a liking to helping Grammy & Grandad out in the yard. Here he is picking daisies and putting them in his wagon and dump truck. I came outside and saw him helping Grandad mow the yard and quickly ran to grab the camera for some video. Too cute!

BEST FRIENDS

I finally had the chance to get together with my best friend, Joanie, last week. We've been friends since college and it had been several years since we last saw each other. But, like all best friends, we jumped back in right where we left off as if we had just seen each other the day before. We had a BLAST! Let's not wait so long to get together next time though, Joanie! I love you, girlfriend!

Say It With Me

2009-05-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

Today, Judah and his cousin Will were playing with little dinosaur figures. My mom asked them if one of them was Tyrannosaurus Rex. The following is what happened next.

Judah: No, it's Stegosaurus

Grammy: Sagosaurus?

Judah: No, Stegosaurus!

Grammy: Segosaurus?

Judah: No, say it with me, Stegosaurus!

Good Job, Guys

2009-05-01T18:52:00.000-05:00

Judah was eating lunch with Grandma and Poppy on their roadtrip between Indiana and Illinois the other week. He wasn't making much progress on eating his food so they said, "Judah, Grandma and Poppy are all done with their food." Of course their tactic was to get Judah to start eating so he could be done too. Instead, Judah paused and said, "Good job, guys!"

The Knight & The Deer

2009-05-01T18:40:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my dad took Judah and his cousin, Alex, out for breakfast. On their way back home, dad pointed out a dead deer in the ditch to the kids. Deer cross in that area of the road all the time at night (I've personally almost hit a deer two different times on that same stretch) and I'm surprised there aren't more that actually get hit. Anyway, my dad must have mentioned something about the deer being killed at night because Judah came home and told me that a knight had killed the deer down the road. Judah has been learning about knights and their armor and what it means to put on the full armor of God so I guess when he heard the word "night" he thought Grandad meant "knight." :)

Can It Be MAY Already?!

2009-05-01T18:15:00.001-05:00

Well another month has flown by and I've not really documented much of anything for April so this will be a long one.

During the Easter season, Judah learned all about Jesus dying on the cross to take our punishment. He also had fun searching for eggs in the back yard at Grammy and Grandad's with his cousins.

Steve's parents came and picked Judah up to take him to their house for a few days. That was the longest Judah has been away from us and we weren't sure how he would do but he had a GREAT time with Grandma and Poppy and didn't seem to miss us at all. He seemed like such a big, mature boy when he came back home. I guess a little independence away from us was good for him. It sure was good for Steve and I to have some alone time together...lingering over a cup of coffee at the book store, uninterrupted talks, relaxing dinners... THANK YOU GRANDMA & POPPY for taking such good care of our little guy and giving us some time alone. Below are pictures of our visit to the John Deere Tractor Museum and The Machine Shed restaurant with Steve's parents.

Steve took Judah fishing the other day at Hennepin Canal off of the Rock River here in Rock Island, IL. Below are a couple of pictures of Judah's first fishing outing. They gathered worms together after an overnight rain and spent about an hour fishing. They didn't catch anything but Judah sure got dirty and had a blast. Notice that he is holding the pole with his left hand and crossing over the pole with his right hand to turn the reel.

Judah and I also went to the local zoo one day with my sister Becki and her 4 kids. It was a short visit right before they closed for the evening but we all had a great time. I forgot to take the camera so no pictures on that outing but my sister was prepared.

Judah's View on the Letter "T"

2009-04-17T09:48:00.000-05:00

The other day at the gym, Judah and I walked by the little "announcements" chalkboard that we walk by every day. This time, though, Judah noticed a lower-case "t" written in the message. When he saw it he said to me, "Mommy, that's what Jesus died on!" I guess to his little eyes, the "t" looked like a cross. As I looked more closely at it, he was right. I thank God that I sometimes have the opportunity to see the world around me through the eyes of a little child.

All Gone!

2009-04-11T07:04:00.000-05:00

This morning Judah noticed an empty microwave popcorn bag in the trash. He sadly exclaimed, "Nobody saved me any popcorn!" :( He paused and thought for a minute and then said, "But I didn't ask anyone to."

How cute is that?!

Mom, You Can't Do That!

2009-04-02T07:33:00.001-05:00

Lately, during our car rides around town, Judah and I have been talking about stoplights and what each light color tells us to do. Yesterday, on our way to the grocery store, I came to a red light, stopped to look for traffic coming from the left and proceeded to turn when I saw no one was coming. Immediately after I turned, Judah yelled from the back seat, "Mom, you can't go on a red light! A red light means STOP!" I then had to tell Judah that he was right but explain that it was okay to turn right on red when there weren't any cars coming from the other direction. A pretty deep concept for a 3 year old to grasp!

The Popsicle Stick Cross

2009-03-23T13:13:00.000-05:00

Judah has moved up to the Pre-school-Kindergarten class at church. Since he is at the low end of the age group, there are a lot of things taught in class that he doesn't fully grasp yet. Yesterday though, their lesson was on Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. Judah brought home a popsicle stick cross with a piece of paper glued to it. The paper said, "Jesus took my punishment." Last night when Steve and I were tucking Judah in to bed and praying with him, he asked for his cross. We gave it to him and talked about what that statement meant. We then prayed with Judah and thanked Jesus for loving us so much that He took our punishment. Today when I put Judah down for his nap, he asked to look at the cross again. I gave it to him and asked him if he remembered what it said. He told me word-for-word what it said and then began to tell me about Jesus going into the cave and then rolling the stone away and not being in the cave any longer. I was amazed that he was finally getting old enough to grasp the lessons that he is being taught (by us and at church). It touches my heart so deeply to know that Judah is starting to understand what Jesus did for him and that he realizes just how much Jesus loves him.

Better Late Than Never

2009-03-06T15:56:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I finally got around to taking Judah's 3 year pictures. I don't think they turned out quite as well as his 2 year pictures but I didn't have as much time for our photo shoot this time around. I hope you like them anyway. Judah's a pretty cute subject so how could I go wrong? :) I will be mailing "real" photos to grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. in a couple of days so be looking for your copy in the mail sometime next week.

Snack Time

2009-03-03T13:45:00.000-06:00

The other day, Judah and I were driving home from the gym. He was eating a snack. After a while, I noticed that he was sniffling a lot and sounding kind of stuffed up when he talked to me. I turned and asked him if he was feeling okay. This is the conversation that followed:

Teri: You sound kind of stuffed up, Judah. Are you feeling okay?
Judah: No, Mommy, I don't feel good. My nose hurts.
Teri: Your NOSE hurts?!

PAUSE...

Judah: Mommy, I put a peanut up my nose.
Teri: A PEANUT up your nose?!
Judah: Uh-huh
Teri: When we get home we'll try to get it out.
Judah: Okay, Mommy.

When we got home, we tried to blow it out into a kleenex with no luck. We waited a little longer and tried again and, voila!, 1/2 a peanut flew out! He's such a boy! :)

All In God's Timing

2009-02-02T15:19:00.001-06:00

Many of you have been praying for a job for Steve here in the Quad Cities. Thank you! Your prayers have been answered. Steve was hired at Heritage Church (Bettendorf, IA campus) as the Children's Ministry Coordinator. For now, the job is 30 hours a week but we are hopeful that the position will go full-time in May when the new budget year begins (if you want to keep praying for that one, please feel free!). Steve is LOVING his new position--it is what God has gifted him for and filled him with a passion for children and families. We are really blessed to be part of the Heritage family. God is really at work here! I think the latest # of salvation decisions is at 15 for 2009 or something like that. Awesome! Many people are being baptized as well. The Bettendorf campus is relatively new and every weekend we are breaking the record of highest attendance! People's lives are being transformed by Jesus and it is so exciting to see!!

We are holding off on buying a house at this point. We are hesitant to buy just yet since there is no guarantee of Steve's being hired on full-time in May. In the meantime, God is continuing to teach us to wait on Him. A great lesson to be learned! My gracious parents seem willing to put up with us for a bit longer so we're laying low at their place until God's timing is right. The plan is to buy a house in Bettendorf, Iowa when that time comes. We'll keep you posted!

Daddy-Son Adventures

2009-02-02T14:48:00.000-06:00

Steve is always so good about doing fun things with Judah. Here are a couple of examples...

The Making of a Snowman

You know The Crocodile Hunter...Now meet:
The Snake Hunter

Can it really be...that Judah is now 3?!

2009-02-02T13:45:00.000-06:00

On December 30th, Judah "got 3" as he calls turning 3. I can hardly believe that three years have passed since God brought Judah into our lives. As any parent will tell you, life is never the same after you have children. What I never knew though was how much richer my life could possibly be by adding this little guy to it.

As I watched Judah play in his bubble bath this morning, I had a flashback to the very first bath I gave him after bringing him home from the hospital. He was so tiny (and so slippery!) and I was terrified that I would drop him or somehow hurt him. I look at him today and he has grown so much in the last 3 years. He is so strong, intelligent, funny, animated, strong-willed, caring, thoughtful, curious, healthy...

Judah is a little boy that we are so very proud of. Three years ago I wouldn't have even been able to imagine what his personality would be like or what things he would like to play with, what would be his favorite foods, etc. Nor could I have ever imagined how deeply I love this little guy. Somehow it seems as if our very souls are intertwined. I am so very blessed to be your mommy, Judah. Thank you for the laughter, joy, lessons and hugs that you bring into my life each and every day. I pray that I never take one second that I get to spend with you for granted. I love you, Judah!

Here are a few pictures from Judah's birthday parties (one at each grandparents' house). Also a couple of pictures from Christmas since it was just a few days before his birthday. Judah and his cousins put on a Christmas play of the Nativity for us. The photo where they're dressed like sheep, etc. is from that play. I've also included a short video from his party at Grandma and Poppy Meek's house.

Happy Birthday, Poppy!

2009-01-26T20:10:00.000-06:00

Today is Steve's dad's birthday. Judah wanted to be sure to wish his "Poppy" a very happy birthday. We love you! Happy Birthday, Poppy!

3rd Person & Stuttering

2009-01-15T15:04:00.000-06:00

For a while now, Judah has been referring to himself solely in the 3rd person. Having no other kids of my own to compare this behavior to, I assumed this was a normal phase that every kid goes through. Recently though, several moms have noticed him referring to himself as "Judah" instead of me or I and have asked me if he always referred to himself this way. People seem to think it's pretty funny that he does that. One mom told me that her oldest (a daughter) had referred to herself in the 3rd person but neither of her boys had done it. I think it is pretty adorable. I'm sure he'll grow out of it soon enough and I'll miss it so I wanted to be sure to write it down so I wouldn't forget something unique that he did when he was 3.

Judah has also been going through a phase of pretty bad stuttering. It is definitely getting better but, for several weeks, I was beginning to get a bit worried that it was more than just a phase he was going through. I think that, as his vocabulary grows, his mouth just has a hard time keeping up with his brain. Anyway, the stuttering has vastly improved and he is definitely becoming quite the jabberbox. Just wind him up and watch him go!

Judah's Imagination

2009-01-15T14:56:00.001-06:00

Judah is now 3 (I'll post some birthday pics and video soon). He thinks he is a pretty big boy now that he "got 3." :) Along with being older, he has also become much more imaginative. He comes up with some pretty hilarious anecdotes these days. A recent exchange went something like this...

THE SCENE: Breakfast time and we are running late to go to the gym. Teri has been repeatedly urging Judah to finish eating his omelet.
Teri: Judah, come on and finish eating so we can go.
Judah: Mom, go away.
Teri: (a couple minutes later) Come on, Judah, finish up.
Judah: (picks up mushroom and holds it up) This a key, Mom.
Teri: A key?
Judah: Yes, a key. Judah lock you out!

I guess he really meant it when he said, "Mom, go away!". :)

Merry CHRISTmas!

2008-12-17T13:59:00.000-06:00

The year 2008 has been a year of change for the Meek's. As most of you know, in 2007 and 2008 we helped get Coram Deo church up and running in Reno, NV. Things were (and still are!) going great with Coram Deo and we LOVED being part of it and being in Reno but, by spring 2008, we began to feel God calling us away from Reno. Our giftings had been put to good use laying the foundational structure for the church to grow and we felt God telling us our time there was done. So, as of July, we began packing and preparing to leave Reno. As is always the case, when God closes one door, He opens another. We felt the door He was opening was Teri's hometown area of the Quad Cities in Iowa/Illinois. We made the long drive cross-country to Teri's parents' in Rock Island, IL and have been staying with our gracious hosts since early August. Steve began applying for LOTS of different jobs within the non-profit, higher education and secular realms but has not been contacted to set up even ONE interview! This is said not as a negative reflection of Steve because he has a pretty impressive resume but we just feel that God has been telling us that He has a bigger plan and we need to just trust in Him. We are waiting and trusting that the reason God brought us here to the QC's (aside from being closer to family) will be revealed to us in His perfect timing.

In the meantime, we have been attending Heritage Church's new Bettendorf, IA campus and have begun to really connect there. Steve has been volunteering 20-30 hours a week there as the Children's Ministry HUB (check-in/out, security, etc.) Coordinator while he waits on the job God is preparing for him. He is also working 20 hours a week as a lifeguard at a local fitness center.

Teri has been attending a women's study on Holiness at our church, working out at the fitness center where Steve works, spending time with family, volunteering in the Children's Ministry and, most importantly, being a stay-at-home mom for Judah.

Speaking of Judah, he will be 3 in just a couple of weeks! He is a very active, funny, smart, compassionate and caring little boy. He still loves his cars and has also grown to love trains, stickers, reading, playing with his cousins and helping daddy cook breakfast. He loves going to play with other kids at church and at the gym while mommy works out. He is our pride and joy and constantly makes us laugh. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to raise this precious gift from God.

Well, that about covers it for the Meek's and 2008. No matter what plans God has in store for us in 2009, we know that He loves and cares for us more than we could ever imagine. He cares so much for us that He brought you into our lives at some point in our journey and, for that, we are forever grateful. Don't ever doubt that God loves you infinitely more than you could ever imagine too. After all, He sent His Son to earth as a helpless child in order to bring you eternal peace and happiness in His presence. Today is the day to accept His gift of love and peace through His Son Jesus. After all, that's what CHRISTmas is all about.

Sharing God's Blessings...

2008-12-17T12:57:00.000-06:00

This year for Christmas, we decided (both sides of our family) to take some of the money we would normally spend on giving each other gifts and send "gifts" to other families around the world that have greater needs than we do. Even though Steve has been out of full-time work for several months now, we really have lacked for nothing. God is so good to us and we wanted to share some of His blessings. There are so many worthy charitable organizations out there to choose from but we chose Samaritan's Purse. They do tremendous amounts of work around the globe to meet people's basic needs and share the love of Jesus with those who may or may not already know Him. By pooling our money, we were able to purchase a brood of 24 chicks to bring a family food and a source of income, a dairy animal (most likely a goat) to give a family milk/cheese and a source of income and also a water filtration system for a family/community that wouldn't otherwise have safe drinking water. These are all things that we, personally, take for granted each and every day. Giving such small amounts of money to help sustain the health of a family or community is truly humbling and makes me realize how blessed I really am. Thank you, God, for your faithful provision! Merry CHRISTmas!

Thanks Grandma & Poppy

2008-12-15T15:02:00.000-06:00

We shot some video of Judah enjoying the musical Christmas card that Steve's parents sent him. Warning--you'll probably never want to listen to Frosty The Snowman ever again after hearing it in this video again and again and again. :)

Misc. Judah Stuff

2008-12-15T14:30:00.000-06:00

Over Thanksgiving, my sisters and their families came to visit my parents to celebrate an early Christmas (unfortunately, my brother's family wasn't able to come!). Judah had lots of fun with his cousins, aunts and uncles. Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving time.

1. Judah and some of his cousins are using Uncle Matt for a horse with a little help from Grammy.

2. Judah and Mommy went to the Thanksgiving parade in Davenport, IA. It was COLD!

3-5. Judah went to Panera with Daddy, Grandad, Uncle Brad and Uncle Matt for a guy's breakfast. He had a REALLY BIG hot chocolate and behaved really well according to Daddy.

6. Mommy, Daddy & partially hidden Judah typically eat at Happy Joe's Pizza on Sunday nights before we go help out at church. Judah told us after the picture was taken that he had hidden behind Mommy. :)

Judah-isms

2008-12-15T14:17:00.000-06:00

Judah has several things that he does regularly and I managed to snap a couple of pictures to share 2 of those Judah-isms with you. First of all, ever since Judah moved into his big boy bed, he has to have the 3 stuffed animals that he sleeps with in their proper places. Blackie and Pooh have to be in the top left corner and Hunny Bunny snuggles with Judah--typically on the right side of the pillow. Aside from each of them having their proper place, they all have to be laying FACE DOWN. They ARE sleeping after all! :)

Another thing that Judah has been doing since we've been staying at my parents' house is to load up one of the doll strollers with cars and push it around. My mom dubbed it "the boy stroller" since it is usually filled to overflowing with cars. Here is a picture of Judah with his boy stroller and a "trumpet" he fashioned out of a paper towel tube.

So long, Bob

2008-12-08T12:09:00.000-06:00

I am sad to say that this week we said goodbye to our dear friend, "Bob." Bob has been there through the thick and thin and he's always managed to protect Judah from everything that came his way. Yes, Judah has decided that he is too big a boy now and that he no longer needs Bob's services... For those of you who have never had the privilege of meeting Bob, I'm sorry. He will be missed.

Okay, enough silliness. Bob is Judah's long-sleeved full-coverage bib. When Judah first got this set of bibs, he couldn't say the word, Bib. Instead he called it Bob, and the name stuck. Bob is still around but Judah doesn't feel he needs to use Bob any more and I would have to say I agree with him. Judah's eating skills have much improved and he really doesn't make much of a mess any more. He also has decided that he doesn't need his booster chair anymore so I guess our little boy is growing up.

Hey, Girl!

2008-12-06T11:03:00.000-06:00

Last night I took Judah out to get a new winter coat (he never needed much more than a fleece pullover in Reno but the Midwest winter has officially hit and it's COLD!). After our purchase, I took him to Chik-Fil-A for a bite to eat and to play in the jungle gym area they have. After dinner, he ran into the play area and accidentally "grazed" into a little girl who was already playing in there. There was no harm done but I wanted to turn it into a teaching moment. So, as Judah ran back out to me, right after he bumped into the girl, I asked him if he told her sorry and asked if she was okay. He said, "It was an accident." I told him that I knew he didn't mean to run into her but that it's always nice to say you're sorry and to ask if the other person is alright. He said, "Okay." and then promptly ran into the play area to say he was sorry. Of course the little girl was oblivious to any of this and had started to climb back up the jungle gym. Judah was hot on her heels yelling, "Hey! Hey, girl! Sorry!" He made me proud and gave me (and the girl's parents) a good laugh as he chased after her to make things right.

Celebrating the Harvest

2008-11-12T15:06:00.000-06:00

Instead of celebrating Halloween, we have chosen to teach Judah about celebrating God's provision by recognizing and celebrating the Harvest. So on Halloween night, we threw a Harvest Party at Mom and Dad's house for Judah and his cousins. Dad shared a teaching from the Bible on how the Israelites came together for various festivals to praise God for His provision and how, in the New Testament, Jesus talked about the role that we, as Believers, have in the Harvest. The kids all sat very quietly and attentively for the teaching, which is amazing considering that the oldest is 6! After the lesson, we decorated pumpkins and had some pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting, carmel apples and hot apple cider. I think a fun time was had by all, including the adults.

PHOTOS: Here are the kids decorating their pumpkins, Judah getting creative with a pom-pom and showing off his masterpiece, Uncle Matt and Will getting creative with pipecleaners, the kids proudly displaying their decorated pumpkins and Steve apprently paying homage to Burning Man??? (Reno, NV may have Burning Man but Rock Island, IL has Pipecleaner Man!)

Playing Catch-up

2008-11-10T14:07:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of new stuff on the blog lately. Where do I begin? Life has been busy but pretty low-key if that makes sense. Steve has been volunteering at our new church helping them get their Children's Ministry check-in "HUB" up and running. He's also lifeguarding at a local fitness center. We are still waiting to see what God has in store for us for full-time work for Steve. He is faithful and we know He will continue to provide. My Mom and Dad have and continue to be very gracious and generous hosts to us as we wait on God's plan to unfold. Thanks a million, Mom & Dad! Judah and I are doing well too. We go to the fitness center four days a week so mommy can workout and Judah plays with other kids in their childcare center. He loves going to the gym and always asks if we're going to the gym anytime we leave the house. Mommy loves getting to workout without having to feel rushed and guilty too. :) It's good for the body and soul! We also go to a women's Bible study once a week at church and Judah enjoys playing with the other kids there too. Well, I will try to give you some highlights of our last month via photos, videos and commentary...

GENERAL STUFF

Here are a couple pictures of Judah. One is with his cousin Will on a playground slide. The other is Judah driving a "fengine" at the local Family Museum. Thirdly, you'll get a chuckle out of the video of Steve pulling Judah around my parents' back yard in a little wagon. That's Cassidy's cable/leash that he has around his waist pulling the wagon.

PLAYING "DONALDS"
One of the things Judah and his cousins like to play is McDonald's drive-through. It can be played just about anywhere but the place it works best is out on the deck. The kids ride the bigwheels around the patio swing and stop on one side to place their order then drive around to the other side to pick up their order. This video shows Judah and his twin cousins Will and Maddie playing "Donalds" (as Judah calls it).

DISHING THE DIRT WITH GRAMMY
Judah loves helping his Grammy and Grandad with projects around the house and outside. If there's dirt involved, he's even more excited about helping! Here he's dishing the dirt with Grammy in her flower garden.

Sure, I'd Love To

2008-10-14T13:32:00.000-05:00

One of Judah's latest things is to say, "I don't have to" when I ask him to do something. They DO grow out of these phases don't they?! The other day, I asked him to do something and he said, "No, I don't have to" to me. I told him that it wasn't nice for him to say that and what I'd really love to hear him say instead was, "Sure, I'd love to." Of course I was half joking when I said that to him but, deep down, every mom wants to hear that kind of cooperative response from their child. So, on Sunday we were walking across the parking lot to church and I was fumbling with my Bible and trying to put something away in my purse while holding Judah's hand. When we got to the sidewalk, I asked Judah if he could please hold my Bible for me so I could zip my purse. He responded with a very sincere, "Sure, I'd love to." He has said it several times since then and it warms my heart every time. Not bad for a 2-year old little guy!

Baking "Kookies" With Grammy

2008-10-12T20:59:00.000-05:00

Judah and Grammy baked some Halloween "kookies" (as Judah says) the other day to take to my parents' next door neighbors. He always wants to help his daddy cook breakfast so we may have a budding chef on our hands. :)

The Pumpkin Farm

2008-10-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Steve, Judah and I headed out to a farm/pumpkin patch about 20 minutes from my parents' house. It's located in Alpha, IL which is where my mom's parents used to live. I have some wonderful memories from my early childhood there. Anyway, we went out to search for some pumpkins to decorate and to let Judah experience some things from the farm. It was a beautiful crisp fall day and we all had a blast. We fed some animals in the petting zoo, found our way into and out of a corn maze, jumped in a bounce house, picked out some pumpkins and other "fall" things including some apple cider and pumpkin butter--YUM! We also rode on the Cow Train, which is this crazy contraption that looks like 10 cows all linked together and pulled by a Gator that is then driven through the pumpkin patch and woods by some lunatic with a crazy yellow wig. What a bumpy and fun trip that was! Judah wasn't really sure what to think of it at first but Mommy and Daddy were having so much fun that he eventually started to like it too. We rounded out the fun day with a stop at a local winery for some lunch. I love Fall in the midwest!

Biopsy Update on our Furry Girl

2008-09-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Praise the Lord, the biopsy on Cassidy's tumor was...not cancerous. She is recovering well but has been sportin' the cone once again due to some scratching. It's been quite sad (albeit humorous) watching her scrape her cone on the walls, catch it on everything, get stuck in small spaces, etc. but it will help her heal faster so it's for the best. We figure she MUST be feeling better because she's starting to "counter surf" again looking for food. Ahhhh, labs, they live and die by their stomachs! Gotta love 'em! :) Thanks for your prayers and concern.

Update on Cassidy

2008-09-24T19:51:00.001-05:00

Well Cassidy is home and recovering nicely from her "tumor" removal surgery. We won't have the biopsy results for several more days to know whether it is malignant or not but she is feeling much better. She really hasn't been bothering with her sutures so we're not making her wear her elizabethan collar but we did put it on her for a few hours after she got home to be sure she wouldn't tear the stitches out. She cried and whined so much that we took it off and have just kept an eye on her. Steve did manage to snap a couple of pictures of her though...for the ol' scrapbook. :)

A Little Excitement With Our Furry "Child"

2008-09-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

Friday evening, as we put Judah down for the night, we noticed that our yellow lab, Cassidy, was panting a lot and her stomach looked really bloated. Over the next couple of hours I kept a close eye on her and began to worry that it was something a bit more serious than a little "gas problem." I got online to read about bloating in dogs and quickly found out that bloat in dogs is pretty much lethal unless caught early enough. Basically, the stomach twists and blocks the entry and exit of food, water, gas, etc. So, after making a call to the emergency animal hospital, we loaded Cassidy into the Jeep and headed across the Mississippi to the vet. After a quick exam and some x-rays the vet came out to tell us that Cassidy had what they call "food bloat." Thankfully, food bloat is not lethal, just really uncomfortable. The x-rays showed us that Cassidy's stomach was 4-5 times its normal size due to an enormous amount of food! I guess she must have been feeling like most of us feel after Thanksgiving dinner! :) The vet gave Cassidy some medication that caused her to "expel" the contents of her stomach so that she would at least be more comfortable. We left the vet scratching our heads and wondering how in the world she could have ingested so much food since we give her controlled portions. After returning home to my parents house, Steve remembered that Cassidy had accidentally gotten left in the garage for a few minutes...where her tub of food is located. Suddenly, we had our answer. She had somehow managed to pop the lid of her food tub open and ate and ate and ate...
She probably would have kept eating if the tub had not been nearly empty when she began. Thank God for small miracles! Cassidy is doing fine but is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning to remove a rapidly-growing growth on her face. I know she's "just a dog" but please pray that the growth would be benign and/or not have spread if it is malignant. Thanks for your prayers!

Giving God the Glory

2008-09-19T11:58:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, we've been trying to get our Bloomington, IN house on the market for a couple of months now. However, as in most things in life, God's timing and plan was different than my own. Once our realtor got our house on the market (it is rented to IU students and we listed it as a residential investment property), it sold in less than a week! In this housing market, I truly believe that God's hand was involved in the quick sale of our house. The investor wanted a quick sale too so I'm sure we'll be closing on it in the next couple of weeks. God is so faithful!

Videos...As Promised

2008-09-06T13:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, here are a couple of videos for you. The first was actually shot before we left Reno (notice the scraped up nose from his wipeout at Emerald Bay that I mentioned in a previous post). Judah has begun to take up singing a bit so I captured a little ditty on film for your viewing pleasure. The second video is of Steve, Judah and Judah's cousins riding big wheels around my parents' deck.

Judah and His Cousins

2008-09-04T16:25:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Judah with some of his cousins during his first couple of weeks here in Illinois. He is having so much fun playing with them a couple of times each week. I've also included a photo of Judah and I on the train at the local zoo. Fun!

We're Baaaaaack!

2008-08-31T16:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, so we're back to blogging after a month-long "bloggus interruptus". We hope that you'll forgive our time off. It's been a crazy month of packing, moving from Reno to Illinois and trying to get a bit settled at our temporary home in Rock Island...Teri's wonderful and gracious parents' house.

Anyway, to get you up to speed...

For the last month before we actually left Reno, we tried to do as much fun stuff as we could before we left the mountains. One awesome day was spent driving around Lake Tahoe and spending some time at Emerald Bay. We'd never hiked down to the bay before so we were glad we had the opportunity to do so before we left. It is absolutely gorgeous! I've attached a couple of pictures for you. Steve was even able to don his wetsuit and swim out to the island in the bay (shhhh, the sign says no swimming!). Judah did get a bit zealous in running down one particularly steep section of the paved trail down to the bay and managed to do a face plant that scraped his nose and face up pretty good. Other than that, we had a great time and we thank God for creating a place as beautiful and majestic as Lake Tahoe for us to enjoy.

After a month of packing, saying many sad goodbyes and wrapping things up in Reno, we loaded up our Jeep with Judah and our dog Cassidy and hit the road for our looooong trip home to Illinois (via Oregon--a place we've both always wanted to see). The California and Oregon coastline is truly a sight to behold. We were in awe of our amazing Creator as we looked at the vastness of it all.

Our friend, Laura McCoid (a fellow midwesterner!), was our gracious host during our stay in Eugene, Oregon. We had so much fun hanging out with her again after not having seen her for more than 3 years. Steve was so excited to be able to get out on the U of O Track and Field running track. I've included a picture of Steve and Judah on the track and them in front of a picture of the legendary track star Steve Prefontaine. We wandered the U of O campus and ate at Tracktown Pizza, a local fave. On our drive home from pizza, Laura and I got to laughing and carrying on so Judah piped up from the backseat and told us to "Calm down!" Of course that made us laugh even harder so Judah then had to tell us, "That's 'nough!" He had us laughing so hard that I could hardly see the road through the tears in my eyes and I think I heard a snort or two from Laura. Good times! Cassidy also got to wrestle and chase squirrels with her old friend, Horton, so she had a great time in Eugene too. Thanks Laura and Horton!

Our trip home was long, fun (for the most part) and, thankfully, uneventful. We camped a couple of times along the way, stopped for ice cream occasionally and tried to take in every detail of our beautiful country. Judah and Cassidy were real troopers and are two of the best travelers we could ask for. Below are a few miscellaneous photos from our trip. Note: Don't be alarmed, Judah's arms didn't get stretched out. :) He was wearing daddy's shirt since all of his warm clothes got wet on the beach and he needed to stay warm while we camped. The shirt sleeves kept coming unrolled and he just looked adorable with those super long sleeves dragging the ground.

I'll post more soon, including some video but wanted to (FINALLY) get an update on our trip and some pictures up for everyone to check out. Sorry for the long hiatus!

A Big Day

2008-07-27T17:18:00.000-05:00

Today is a big day for us. It was our last day serving at our church, Coram Deo. For the last year and a half Steve has served as the Families Pastor and I have been the Communications Coordinator. It has been an amazing experience for both of us and we love our church family so much that it will leave a huge hole in our hearts when we finally pull out of Reno for good this week. These past three years in Reno have been an adventure of a lifetime for us. First at Outlook Christian Church then at Coram Deo. We hope that God has been able to use us in some small way to be a blessing to others and bring people closer to Him. In just a few short days Steve, Judah and I will pack all of our earthly belongings into a moving truck and drive away from here. We will take a part of Reno and all the people we've met with us. Thank you, God, for giving us such an amazing opportunity to serve You and the people of Reno. We are blessed!

Today is also my 40th birthday. I can hardly believe that both Steve and I are 40, which is an age that used to seem sooooooo OLD to me just a few short years ago. I don't feel old though. I feel like I am just beginning to hit my stride and I'm excited about the future. We're having the time of our lives, regardless of what age we are. I know God has lots of adventures still planned for us and I, for one, am ready for what lies ahead.

Feelin' Good

2008-07-24T08:58:00.000-05:00

Judah's language skills are getting better all of the time. Of course his word usage isn't always quite right but he keeps us laughing with some of the funny things he says. One of his latest phrases makes me smile every time he says it. An example of how he uses this phrase is below but he uses it in several other ways too.

Mommy: "Judah, are you hungry?"
Judah: "No thank you, me feel good."

He also uses this phrase in the negative to say that he doesn't feel good.

Judah: "No me tummy feel good."

A Shameless Plug...

2008-07-18T15:53:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow, Saturday July 19th from 7am-11am we are having a yard sale at our house with several other families. It will be huge! We're trying to downsize as much as we can before our big cross-country move so, if you're in the market for some furniture, home improvement items, kids stuff, clothes, lawn mower, dog house, grill, etc. please stop by our house tomorrow morning and check out what we've got. 1615 Cattlemen Ct. Reno

A Chip Off The Old Block

2008-07-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

Today Judah told Steve that he wanted to go to the coffee shop. That's our boy! We couldn't be more proud! :)

Saying Goodbye

2008-07-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

Our 3 years in Reno have been AMAZING! (as Judah would say) A big reason why is because God has placed such great friends in our lives. Many people stand out in our minds but we've had so much fun with three couples in particular (we've been friends for nearly the entire 3 years). We are very sad to say goodbye to our "South Gang" friends. They've watched Judah grow from a baby to a walkin', talkin', animated little boy and we've had some really great times with them. We'll miss getting to watch their new babies grow (Mikaela and Hanna are both expecting!). We had one last get together with the gang a couple weeks ago and we took a group photo to remember everyone by. We'll miss each of you so much! Thanks for the wonderful memories. LtoR: Steve, Teri, Heath, Mikaela, Judah, Dillon, Hanna, Michael, Christa