Isabelle-ism of the Day

Her and her dad were going to the library to get some books. She was walking ahead of him and turned around and yelled, "Come on, Old Timer." Where does she come up with these things??

Grace on the Down and Out

Our littlest one is sick...again. She has been coughing and coughing all night for the past week. This inevitably ends with her throwing up. Changes sheets, change baby, change daddy, bathe baby, put everyone back to bed. Repeat in three hours. These are long days here at the Michael house.

Grace did this for about three months this winter, but we thought we were in the clear. We are trying to get to the bottom of it with our pediatrician and he's currently trying some allergy medication for her...but it's not doing much, obviously. Pray for her. In spite of her lack of sleep and her not feeling so hot, she is still happy and pleasant. Thank you Jesus for this sweet baby! Love her!!

Baby Sitting Going

Isabelle and Grace’s new babysitter takes them on fieldtrips pretty much everyday they are there. I think I’ve mentioned this before. In the last couple of weeks they have added Chucky Cheese and World of Bounce to the list of activities. Isabelle has begged me for months to take her to Chucky Cheese, but we just haven’t gotten around to it. They go to music class and the local church play place (which is huge), the zoo, COSI, and even out for lunch and a little play place activity. And I love it because she sends me pictures at the end of the day! I thought I’d share some pictures with you.

Isabelle & her Pearly Whites

This week Isabelle had her first trip to the dentist. Fortunately (or unfortunately) she was banned from the television prior to her trip, so when she landed in the dentist chair, the hygienist put earphones on her and pointed her toward the flat screen TV on the ceiling playing Nick Jr, and it was smooth sailing.

She did great and she was all smiles (that pun was a shout out to any Stenner's in the reading audience today) when they gave her a new toothbrush, paste, floss, and a little prize. What treasure!



We all had dentist appointments, and I have to say that I have wonderful teeth. Everytime I go to the dentist, he asked me if I had braces as a child. And when I answer no, he says, "Well you have beautiful teeth!" Hey, I'll take 'beautiful' in any form I can get it! And thanks Dr. Johnson for years of good dental care!

Happy Birthday Mom

My mom’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I failed to mention it here, so I thought I’d recap. We went to Mon Ami’s for dinner and it was wonderful! It was nice to get together with the whole family and, as usual, the kids had a great time with Oma. I have to say, my mom has had a rough year, but through it all, she has emerged with much grace, beauty, and strength. All of which I hope I inherited! I’m not sure I know any other woman with the strength and integrity that she has, to be quite honest. So happy belated birthday, Mom. We love you and hope to have you around for another fifty or so years!

On a lighter note, she doesn’t look like she’s in her mid 50’s, does she? Her and her sisters age remarkably well! Good livin’, good genes…I hope I got that too!


These were the birthday cupcakes I made for my mom. I tried my hand at fondant, which actually bombed pretty badly. I put them in the fridge overnight and fondant got floppy. But oh were the cupcakes yummy!

Crafty Corner

My family is excited that we have another wedding on the horizon as my cousin Joe is marrying his beautiful fiancee' Tab. So, in preparation of this blessed occasion we have all been helping with the planning for a bridal shower for Tab. So, I found what I wanted, decided it was a little pricey, then found a pattern for sale on Etsy. So I decided to make them myself. I set up a little sweat shop at my house and found all of the componants at various stores to re-create the picture in my head...and these little purses turned out WAY cooler than I even pictured in my head! They are going to look awesome on the tables stuffed with favors! These babies actually are already packed with gifts!

How Do You Eat Your Oreos?