New Baby

Here's my new nephew Caleb! Is he the cutest little guy or what?!? Nice job Jim and Sarah! :)

If only I could hold him...

Sweet Autumn by Michelle Underwood, sequin from Watch Me Now by Michelle Underwood,

Word Art from Elegant Word Art by Bethany,

Font: My Own Topher

A few new layouts

Baby It's Cold Outside, Vintage Holiday Memories by Michelle Underwood (slightly recolored), Bad sewing machine stitches by Traci Reed, Fonts: Trajan Pro, Missed Your Exit

Baby It's Cold Outside by Michelle Underwood,

Fonts: Traveling Typewriter, Pea Stacy Tunibug, 28 Days Later, Guess What.

Baby It's Cold Outside by Michelle Underwood,

Font: You are Loved,

Template by Michelle Stone

If you give a mom a muffin...

There is a kids book called "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". I have read it probably once, but after what I stumbled across this morning, I will have to track it down. I found this on Pamela Donnis' blog this evening, and I LOVE IT!!! It's something that she also came across while blog hopping.

If You Give A Mom A Muffin
by Kathy Fictorie

If you give a mom a muffin,
She’ll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She’ll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She’ll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she’ll find dirty socks.
She’ll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She’ll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She’ll look for her cookbook (”101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger”).
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She’ll smell something funny.
She’ll change the two year old’s diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She’ll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are…
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Pamela made a very cute freebie to print out if you want, just click on the image below to go to her blog and download! :)

Such a bad blogger...

Hi, I'm back. I have tons of photos to post but I don't know when I will get around to it! Sorry. Sometime soon. For now, I just want to announce to the world that my little nephew Caleb James was born on December 5! He is a great looking newborn from the one photo I've gotten so far. Congrats Sarah and Jim! :) We're all excited about the new addition! :) The boys can't seem to remember his name, so they call him "baby cousin". I guess that works for now, until the next one comes along!

When I was browsing through photos, I came across this photo of my dad and the twins. I just love it! I had to scrap it. The quote is really cute, although I have a hard time thinking of my dad as "antique" just yet. You're not old, Dad!!! Very young at heart!

More to the story...

We had some friends come here from Prague for Thanksgiving! We had a great meal and lots of fun shopping at the BX and Commissary. Will post photos one of these days, sorry I've been so bad about updating this month!!! One of these days I will post about 100 photos at once to catch up (and blogger will crash, no doubt).

On Thanksgiving Day, Martin received another e-mail from the retired paramedic who saved his life when he was about two years old. If you would like to read the first post, you can find it here. Since so many people seemed interested in the story, we thought we'd share some more. Please note that I have changed names for privacy, but this is absolutely the truth of what he sent to us.

Here's most of what he sent:

My family would like to wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving... You said you were interested in hearing the rest of the story so I thought this might be an appropriate time to share it with you. It's going to sound a bit strange...probably a bit unbelievable, which is the reason I kind of held out. I told you that I wasn't your guardian angel but that your guardian angel was the one who put us together at the right time and place. You see I had planned to be at the park with my son that morning...not that afternoon, but I was delayed, or should I say I was delayed by someone or something.

My wife (name deleted) and I were separated at that time and in the process of going through a divorce. She had moved not far from the lake where we met and I had planned to take my son to the park when I got off work that morning to spend time with him. I had worked a 24 hours shift with Medic 1 and was off work at 8am that morning. That morning before I woke, I had a very disturbing dream or should I say nightmare. I dreamed that I had taken my son to the park to spend time with him. I parked the car where I usually parked, got a sleeping bag and laid it on the grass for Johnny (name changed) to play while I fished. I realized I was paying more attention to my fishing than I was to my son and saw he wasn't on the sleeping bag. I panicked and started looking around the park for him when I saw him in the water right in front of where I was standing. He was about 4-6 feet from the shore, laying face up, eyes open, arms and legs kind of spread open, under the surface of the water, kind of laying motionless on a bed of weeds. I woke with a start...can't tell how hard it is to write about this as I'll never forget the visual or the panic I felt....it was so real. Instead of leaving when the relief crew arrived, we sat around having coffee and talking.

After the dream I wasn't in a hurry to take Johnny to the park. Instead of picking up my son that morning, I stopped at my best friend's house and had more coffee...and we talked about the dream. It was just so real. I still planned to take my son to the park that morning but time kind of got away from me that morning so I called my wife and told her I would pick Johnny up after his afternoon nap. I believe I told her about the dream also...as you can tell..it was very disturbing to me. As I was leaving with Johnny (my son), my wife handed me his ball and asked if I wanted to take it with me and I told her no...I remember telling her I was worried he might follow it into the water.

When we arrived at the park I laid a sleeping bag out on the grass for Johnny to play on, sat him down on it, stood up to cast out my line...looked down at the water ...and there you were...just like in the dream...exactly as in the dream...except that it was you instead of my son...you and my son are the same age. You know what happened until the ambulance came. After the ambulance left to take you to the hospital, I started packing up to leave and remember seeing a ball floating in the water. I always wondered about that ball floating in the water...your part of the story filled that in for me.

Now I know the dream sounds very strange and probably unbelievable... and I do not claim to be psychic. but that dream was what kept me from being that park that morning as planned. In any case, your guardian angel did both of us well.

The Christmas after we met was very hard for me. I was divorced and my son had a new father. Martin, please let your mother know how much that card meant to me. It was such a nice thing for her to do. It may have only been a card but it really brightened my Christmas that year. Isn't it funny how even the little things can really impact another person without either even being aware of it. The one thing I do know...we both have much to be thankful for. You may not realize it but our meeting has given me as much as I have given you.

Happy Thanksgiving my friend.

Stay safe.

An old photo

My parents and my sisters will get a kick out of this.

Credits: Babushka Mini Kit and blog freebie Add-On by Amy Sumrall Font: My Own Topher

A really cool story

Martin's family has repeatedly told me a story about when he was a little child. I always thought the story was a very good one, perhaps a bit exaggerated, but powerful nonetheless...

When he was about 2 or 3, his family was at a picnic. Martin was playing ball by a small lake with one of his brothers. When it was time to go, his brother called him and threw the ball out in the water telling him he was done playing and walked away. Martin went after the ball and drowned. His family insisted that he had literally died. A doctor happened to be passing by and pulled Martin out of the water and saved his life. When Martin's mother tried to find the doctor at the hospital where he said he worked, she was told that no such doctor worked there. She sent a card thanking the person, but never received a response. The family believed that it was an angel who had saved Martin's life.

Martin's mother is visiting us here in Germany right now. Yesterday, it stunned us all when, out of the blue, Martin was contacted by that very angel who saved his life over 30 years ago. And through Facebook, nonetheless!!!

Here is the message trail:

The Martin Solano I'm looking for lived at xxxx xth St in

Chicago, Ill as a child. He would be around 34 yrs old. If

you aren't him, I would appreciate a response to let me

know. If you are him, I would like to hear from you. I'm a

retired paramedic who met you many many years ago

when you were a very young child and just wanted to

know if your gift of life has gone well. If you are the

Martin I'm looking for, I still have the Christmas card your

parents sent me many many years ago. Thank you.

Hello,
I am Martin Solano from that location. It is very coincidental

that you find me in this time because mom is visiting me

from the states. I am in the military currently stationed in

Germany. I have been in the military for fourteen years this

December. I have deployed four times in support of Iraqi

Freedom and am about to deploy again in February.

I was wondering where you knew me from, I remember my

parents talking about a doctor who pulled me out of the water

when I was a young child. Is this you? I would love it if you

wrote back and maybe told me a little bit of information from

where and how you know me.

Thank you,
Martin Solano

Martin,
My name is (deleted for blog post for privacy) and I now live

in Mesa AZ with my wife. I'm the person who pulled you from

the water as a young child but I wasn't a doctor, I was an off

duty paramedic. When we met you were laying face up

underwater, eyes open but unconscious. You weren't breathing

and didn't have a pulse but after a few minutes of CPR, you spit

up some chunks of watermelon and lake water, took a deep

breath and let out a loud cry and started breathing...much to

my relief. There's so much more to this story but not sure how

to tell it. I spent over an hour today writing it out in detail but

after I read it...I don't know, it just sounded so strange...

probably because it was. I'm talking about everything that led

up to me being there at the right time and place to help you.

Maybe another time if you're interested. I really can't believe

the blind luck in finding you ...well your mother had

a lot to do with it too. I've lost many things in my life but

have always been able to hold on to the Christmas card your

mother sent to me the Christmas after you and I met. I

worked many years as a paramedic but your mother is

the only person who ever sent me a card. Please tell her

how much that card ment to me. I've always believed that

things happen for a reason and I think you are living proof

of that. I have always wondered what happened to you and

your family...so, I thought, what the heck...I'll try facebook.

That Christmas card gave me a name and address, a little

guess work and a lot of luck and here we are. I can't imagine

4 tours in Iraq. My war was Viet Nam and thought it was bad...

until your war came to be. My prayers will be you on your

next deployment. So sorry they keep sending you back...

again and again...and again.

Just wondering, are you married, have a family? I hope your

mother is doing well.

He then went on to tell Martin a bit about himself, what he is doing now, and his family. He also expressed a desire to keep in contact. Is that not beautiful??? I love how he asked if Martin's "gift of life has gone well".

It's been amazing to hear Martin analyze his life in the hopes that he has used his gift of life well. He worked as a lifeguard and pulled over 20 children out of the water himself. He had a friend tell him that he was thinking of suicide but Martin helped him to regain hope. Martin has served in the military for almost 14 years. He has 3 beautiful boys and a smokin' hot wife. (Opps, did I write that?) It's an amazing and very humbling thought to know that, were it not for this "angel" being at that place at that time, I would not have the life I now have. And for that I am unmeasurably grateful.

Here's a scrap layout that we sent this newfound friend both as a thank you and also to introduce him to our family:

"Life has been so good to me for which I am truly grateful"

Credits: "Vintage Holiday Memories" by Michelle Underwood, White paper and word art from "Life is Good" kit by Gina Huff. Font: Bulky Refuse

Short post with no photos...

Just letting my family know, we are all sick, and the doctor diagnosed us all with H1N1 this morning. :( We'll be starting meds as soon as the Base Pharmacy is open. Yuck.

Martin's mom and aunt are coming in to visit for a couple weeks starting on Friday, so the house will obviously not be as clean as I had planned. But that's the way the cookie crumbles!

Just October happenings...

Not too much exciting has been going on. I started babysitting a couple of girls after they get done with school, so that's just a couple hours a day.

A story from a few days ago... Isaac wanted some of my hot cocoa, but I told him it was too hot for him and subsequently chugged it down. When he realized it was gone, he asked "Awww, Mommy? Why you didn't give me some?" I told him it's because I'm a mean mommy. He told me "No mommy. You're a nice mommy." What do you think I did? I ran straight to the kitchen and made him a cup all of his own!!! Oh boy, I sure am a sucker for flattery...

Here's what a typical evening at my house looks like...

Last week, we made fall cookies. The boys had fun with rolling dough, cutting cookie shapes and decorating!

He's concentrating REALLY hard, note the tongue...

Should've rotated this picture, but you get the idea:

OK, enough of that. On to more "manly" things. How 'bout some photos of the guys building stuff?
Isaac being silly...
Elijah is reaching way up to give thumbs up.

Boys looking at a worm.

I love this photo!!!

Guess what the boys were looking at:
A ladybug!
Some extreme close-ups. They are just a bit distorted from the camera lens...

Here are a few of my favorite photos that I've taken recently:

That's all for now! :) Have a lovely day.

Isaac's 5th birthday

Finally made some time to share some photos from Isaac's b-day and party, which was 2 days after his b-day.

Isaac woke up (at 5:30, yuck! haha) to a bunch of balloons in his room!
After he found some pants, he dashed downstairs to discover birthday presents! Yay! He was SOOOO excited!
Then he ran back upstairs to get his brothers so he could open the gifts. Elijah and Aziel gave him excited b-day hugs!
A gift from Auntie Anna! All the kids love it by the way. Thanks! :D

Playing with some of his presents:

We had birthday cupcakes and pancakes for supper. Isaac's choice. :)

Two days later was Isaac's party. He invited several children from his German kindergarten. We ended up with 15 kids in attendance, including our own. Wow. You should have heard the noise level! In English AND in German! :)

Here's a photo of Isaac's cake:
Decorating for the party!

BUSTED! Good thing I took that other photo beforehand... Nice going Eli.

Some candids from the party.

Pinata time! Everybody got a turn.



And cake time. Nobody even noticed the "Eli nibbles" on the side. :)

After all the kids were gone, we hung out with our good friends the Koutrases for awhile. Here's Meike and I. :)

And the twins and Zoi, still in party mode:

There was one gift in particular that got played with a LOT. It was a Whoopie Cushion. Perfect for a 5 yr old. Isaac is demonstrating here:

Isaac had a blast and really enjoyed it all. I, for one, am glad that he will not be having another birthday for 355 more days however. ;) Exhausted but happy!