A Song That Says It All....

It seems as if there's so much going on that needs prayer right now.

1) CORA (See "The Macs" blog on the left side of this blog if you don't already know about the intense need for prayer for little Cora).

2) Job Losses: So many people right now in the country have lost their jobs due to the economy. It's starting to hit Wichita now. "Cessna" (where Marc works) is in the process of announcing layoffs. Not only do Cessna layoffs potentially affect Marc but also one other guy from our small group as well as several other guys we know from Sunday School.

3) On a much lesser note, I've been having a bit of a time lately getting myself organized and adjusted to everything I need to get accomplished despite staying home part-time. At this point in time, I'm almost feeling more stressed than when I was working full-time.

Today, I was rocking Luke before his nap. All of a sudden, a wonderful song popped into my head that I learned as a child in Sunday School. I know many of you know it. Doesn't it just speak the truth? So Simple, Yet So Powerful....Here it is....

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty.
There's nothing my God cannot do (Clap Clap)

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty.
There's nothing my God cannot do (Clap Clap)

The mountains are His.
The valleys are His.
The stars in the sky are His too (Clap Clap).

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty.
There's nothing my God cannot do (Clap Clap).

When I sang it to Luke, he just looked at me and grinned. Someday, he'll probably do the motions with me. Oh, how cute that will be.....

On a completely other note -- today in the mail was a "Happy Mail Day" for me. I received my second necklace with a photo of Luke.

I recently met a woman at work who makes these necklaces. She takes photos from you of your child (or children) and puts them in glass for a pendant. I ordered one back in November. I just ordered another one.

This photo doesn't do them any justice, but they are wonderful to wear around -- especially if you're not with your child. It's a great reminder to always pray for your child or children as well as a simple way to show them off :)

She also does glass magnets. One of these magnets is Luke. The other is a magnet for the upcoming holiday of Valentine's Day.

If you'd like one, give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. I'll let you know how to get a hold of Dana -- the woman who does these.

Because We Always Get Asked....

Marc and I very frequently get asked Luke's height and weight. It could be simply because he's a nice big boy. It also could be because that's a common question to ask parents about their babies (I know I've asked that question to several parents).

Yesterday, I took Luke in for his six-month well-baby check. Here are the latest stats....

Height: 27 1/2" (84th percentile)

Weight: 19 lb. 10 oz. (81st percentile)

Head Circumference: 18" (92nd percentile)

So, there you go...

Cute Photos....

Well, Luke has the perfect person to watch him when I work 15 hours/week -- Andrea! Not only do I know he's well cared for and loved, but for those of you who may not know this, Andrea takes EXCELLENT photos. In fact, she has her own photography business...

www.andreasphotography.net

Anyways, here are some photos that she took the other day -- some six month photos. Andrea said he wasn't in the most cooperative mood; however, she still was able to get some excellent photos. I would've never known that he wasn't being cooperative -- that little stinker!

First, Marc's favorite....

I actually have several favorites, and this one below is one of them.

So, if you need some photos taken, call Andrea.....

What a Week....

What a week it's been....



1) My grandfather, Havey Koehn, passed away on Monday (see earlier post).



2) Marc's uncle, Ted Friesen, passed away the same day.



3) A man whom Marc and I don't feel should be running this country was inaugurated into office on Tuesday -- and then reinaugurated on Wednesday :) On Friday, this new President of our's signed an executive order to allow federal funding to go towards abortions abroad. It makes me sick to my stomach that our tax dollars are going towards abortions.



4) Our good friends from church, Joel and Jess, have a little girl named Cora (10 months old) who was diagnosed with cancer. This started on Thursday. By Friday afternoon, she was in surgery.



Here's a photo of little Miss Cora....PLEASE PRAY for her and her family.



The good news....



**I never knew where my grandfather was spiritually. According to his obituary, he did confess his faith in Jesus Christ on February 5, 1938. That means I'll see him again in heaven someday.



**Marc's Uncle Ted had been suffering for quite some time. His suffering is over, and he is now enjoying heaven.



**Even though we don't think we have a qualified person as President of the USA, we are thankful that we live in a country where we do get to vote for our leaders. We don't live under a dictator. We also know that Mr. Obama does have an extremely difficult job. We will definitely be praying for him as our leader.



**Little Miss Cora came out of surgery safely. Chemo will begin on Monday. We're thankful that we have a healthcare system that allows for "things" to move this quickly. I'm sure her cancer is fast growing. The sooner the chemo gets inside her little body, the sooner the cancer can hopefully go away.



Please pray with us for all of these things.



Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-17

Half a Year....

Today is Luke's 1/2 birthday. Can you believe it -- six months already? We did our usual photo shoot in the chair.

Just a recap...

At one month (in August)....

At three months (in October)....

And this morning, at six months....He wasn't wanting to hold a smile for very long. So, we merely just have the mouth hanging open.

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Luke!!!!! We LOVE you a whole bunch.

**As a side note, the top he is wearing is a onesie from "Gymboree." Here's the kicker, though. It's a 12-18 month size. Now, we know Luke is a little big for his age, but he's not that big. Most of his things he wears are 6-month size. Do any of the rest of you have Gymboree clothes that are way smaller than the "claimed" size? The onesie is actually from "Goodwill." Andrea and I did a bunch of second-hand shopping for our kids last Saturday -- and ourselves as well :) We found some pretty good deals.

90 Years....

My grandfather, Harvey Koehn, passed away this morning. He had just turned 90 years old last month. In fact, on December 14, Marc, Luke, and I were even at his 90th birthday party.

He had been in the hospital during the Christmas season for an infection. From there, it was discovered that he had probably suffered from a stroke. At 90 years old, one just doesn't recover from a stroke well.

He's been home for a couple of weeks under Hospice care until he passed this morning.

The funeral will be this Thursday morning at 10:30.

His wife, Liz, is now my only surviving grandparent. Harvey & Liz had been married for 67 years. WOW!

This photo of my grandfather was from Christmas, 2005. I took the photo from my sister-in-law's blog (I hope you don't mind, Amber).

Also, today, Marc's uncle Ted Friesen passed away. He was 88 years old. He too had a stroke and had not been well for quite awhile. We're not yet sure when that funeral will take place.

We are wondering if the visitations will be on the same evening. If they are, it will take some creative scheduling on our part -- especially with Luke because Luke LOVES to be on his schedule (doesn't like to veer off of it).

New Blinds and New Skill....

This isn't quite as exciting as a new dishwasher in my opinion, but Marc has been REALLY excited about these....new blinds in our family room.

If you've ever been in our house, you know that it's an early 1970s ranch-style house. In other words, it's not really that open, and the windows are small.

We've had these older blinds on our three small windows in our family room since we've lived here. Well, over time, they've started to break. It's taken a "trick" to get them opened to let light in. In fact, one time, my mom was over here watching Luke. She tried to open one, and she had a bit of a problem. She thought she had broken one when in fact, she had not. It was just the bad blinds.

Here's a photo of one of the old blinds. They don't necessarily look bad and you can't tell from the photo, but they are broken.

And Voila -- the new blinds (actually on all three windows)....Oh, they're certainly nice. PLUS, they open easily. So Mom -- next time you're over here, you'll be able to control the blinds yourself.

On a Luke note -- he has, in the last week or so, figured out how to better hold his bottle by himself. He generally only does it when he chooses to (so not all of the time). But, the frequency of him doing it is increasing. Plus, he's still a little uncoordinated with it. Sometimes, he bumps the nipple on the bottle into his chin. Then, he can't figure out what to do from there.

Oh, it's so amazing what babies have to learn -- every little thing about living.

In this photo, he's even holding it with only one hand...Wow!

Grocery Bags and Medal Mania....

Do any of you have a drawer, shelf, or cubby hole that perhaps looks like this?

You know, full of plastic grocery bags?

Well, I got tired of it. Even though both Wal-Mart and our local grocery store recycle them, we still had too many.

So, I purchased a bunch of these. Yep, the reuseable bags.

Then, I had my drawer looking like this....Much better! We still need a few bags to use for small trash can liners in our home, but we certainly didn't need as many as we had.

So, I stored them in the trunk of our car so I'd have them whenever I went to the store.

Then, last week, I went to Wal-Mart. I had a VERY LARGE list of things needed. In Wal-Mart, about 1/2 way through my shopping list, I realized I left them all in the car.

Well, I was all by myself. It was VERY cold outside that day. I didn't really feel like parking my cart with the front door attendant to run out and get my bags. So, I just bit the bullet and took home many more plastic grocery bags.

I'm slowly working on reusing all of the plastic grocery bags to one day have a semi-empty drawer again.

Fortunately, since then, I have always remembered to take in the reuseable grocery bags with me to the store.

Now, Marc and I certainly are not "swayed" by the big Green Movement (and I know some of you may disagree with us on that one). In fact, we laugh when we hear about the "Green Movement." We feel it's a big hoax. HOWEVER, we do think that we could all be better stewards of the resources on this Earth that God has provided to us. We don't want to be wasteful. But no, the world will not come to an end if we don't recycle once -- as sometimes people try to make us believe on TV.

That's our other reason (and most important reason) for using the reuseable shopping bags -- the fact that we could be better stewards of what has been provided to us by God.

**I was trying to find a good Bible verse illustrating what I am trying to say, but I didn't have much luck finding one. Do any of you have any suggestions? I know there's a good one somewhere in the Great Book.

On to another topic -- Most of you know that Marc has done and continues to do a great deal of running. Well, when we were cleaning out our house recently (see a previous post on this blog), Marc gathered all of his medals in one location -- that location would be on the second level of our outbuilding (what we also refer to as the "Servants' Quarters).

He's working on getting some shelving for them, but here's a photo in the meantime.

Pretty amazing, isn't it? My athleticism isn't quite where Marc's is. Therefore, my medal collection is MUCH smaller.

A New Feeling....

That new feeling is a feeling in Luke's mouth. We actually first noticed Luke's two bottom teeth in Home Depot (when we were buying our new dishwasher -- see a previous post) on December 30. However, each and every time I tried to take a photo of them, he closed his mouth.

Finally, yesterday, after about five more tries, I was able to snap a great photo of his teeth :)

Many times since then, we've noticed him rubbing his tongue across them. Ah...the feeling of teeth.

Whoa...Too Much Stuff and Luke's Hair....

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

Those verses are from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount." They represent a bit of the last three weeks at our home. Marc and decided we have way too much stuff. But, here are the kickers.

-- We've only been married 4 1/2 years.

-- Since being married, we've participated in three, yep three, garage sales. So, we've already gotten rid of some stuff.

-- Since being married, we've also taken two different, and full, carloads to the Etc. shop.

So, why did we get on a real kick to get rid of "stuff?" Is it because we've doing a financial study in our Community Life Group, and in all of our discussions with other couples, realized that we have to much stuff? Or, is it because in my Thursday morning young moms' Bible Study, we're studying the book of Daniel, and we're all learning about our current "Babylonian" culture -- again, too many choices and things? OR, is it because we have Luke now and we don't want to someday subject him to have to clean out "stuff" from our home once we're old and can't do it ourselves.

I believe it's simply, "We don't need to store up our treasures here on earth" -- just as Jesus preached about. Now, do we still have treasures in our house? Yes, we do. But at least we're striving to be more Christ-like, each and every day.

So, here's a photo of our pile of stuff....Ladies -- do we want to have a garage sale again this summer (the fourth one)? I've talked to a few of you, and the answer so far has been a resounding YES! So, sometime in June, we'll be having one.

On a Luke note....Luke frequently, especially in the mornings after a bath the night before, has what we deem "Messy Boy Hair." You know, you see those little boys running around with messy hair. You know that their mothers have tried their best to get it down, but it just won't stay down. Well, that's our little boy.

Luke will be the little boy at the church Christmas program, standing on the back row, with messy boy hair. Know that his mother has tried to get it combed down, but it just won't happen.

Luke has very interesting hair growth. His hair is short and thin on the front of his head and on the back. However, in the center of his head (as this photo shows), his hair is long.

If you ever see his Grandpa Friesen's hair growth, you'll know that genetics have played a key role in his hair growth.

A little different, but we feel it's cute. It's what makes Luke simply "Luke."

Ah....The Thought of Warmer Weather....

This is a bit of a "flashback" post -- to use Amanda's words from her blog.

January, in my opinion, is always a difficult month -- the holidays are over so we're back to the ol' routine, it's cold outside generally, it gets dark early, etc.

This past week was very memorable and somewhat difficult for us as we were thinking back to a year ago and three years ago.

As most of you know, we REALLY enjoy traveling. We've been very fortunate in the almost six years we've known each other to travel quite a bit.

One year ago this past week, we were down in the Florida Keys with our good friends Tammy, Reynold, and their son, Caleb. It was such a relaxing trip. It was one of those trips where we didn't do too much. We hung out in our condo, visited some local shops, touristy areas, etc. We hardly showered the entire week because we were in the pool each day (the pool was our bath). Plus, the real treat was getting to catch up with friends while we fixed meals in the condo, played games in the evening, etc.

Here's a photo of the five of us -- technically, Luke was with us (in utero). I was around 11 weeks pregnant during that trip.

Though we didn't stay in Key West, we did drive down there one day. I'm not sure what the real attraction was with this photo, but we can say we did go to the southernmost point of the 48 states. Woo Hoo!

Three years ago this past week and into next week, Marc and I were down in Hawaii. My job originally took me there, and then, Marc joined me for another 10 days. It was a FABULOUS vacation -- again, especially in January.

Here's a photo of us at the USS Arizona Memorial (Pearl Harbor). It was a very moving memorial as on December 7, 1941, over 2,000 of our men were killed during the Japanese Attack.

Here's a photo of Marc in the distance -- jumping in the ocean waves -- you know, something we don't get to do here in Kansas.

I have many Hawaii photos I could post, but I won't subject you to them all. Here's just a neat photo of Akaka Falls on the big island of Hawaii.

We hope to be able to take a January vacation again someday -- hopefully someday before Luke's in school. January vacations typically won't be happening then.

In the meantime, we have some great memories and many more great memories to look forward to.

You Know You're an Adult When....

You get excited about having a new appliance. Yep, today I got a new dishwasher, and I couldn't be happier. Here's a photo of its last load. I proudly unloaded it this morning in preparation for it to be hauled away after the new one came.

Here's a last photo of the old one.

Here's the story. Our old one actually worked just fine. It's old, however. We think it was installed when the house was built -- in the 1970s. The main problem with it was that it was one of those that you definitely had to have dishes rinsed off before loading. Also, it had a knob that turned on the front. Children would come over to our house and immediately head for that knob. Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't care if a child turned that knob. However, on that old dishwasher, it messed up the soap dispenser (I know, strange, but it happened).

So, I've been saying since we bought this house (nearly five years ago) that I would like to have a new one. I shouldn't complain, though. Many of you don't have dishwashers and would probably really like to have one.

How I got this one, though....is another story. When I left my job at International Dairy Queen at the end of October, I had been there 10 years (Yep, a whole decade). With that 10-year anniversary came a nice prize. I had the opportunity to choose a gift card from a couple of different choices. Well, I chose "Home Depot" -- specifically for a new dishwasher. So, that's what 10 years does for us :)

And, here it is...or should I say, "Voila."

The MOST beautiful part of the whole dishwasher experience is that this dishwasher has buttons on the top of the door. In other words, not TOUCHABLE by toddlers. So, sorry Little Luker....no playing with dishwasher buttons at your own home. For all of you other wonderful children who come over here, we do have some toys for you to play with. We welcome you anytime!

One last thing I feel I must share -- today was a full day. I went to my "Young Moms" Bible study this morning. After I returned, Luke went down for his nap shortly. He slept very well today. Not only did he sleep while the delivery drivers were here installing the new dishwasher, but he also slept when a lab technician was here drawing my blood and taking my health history for a new life insurance policy. Good Job Luke! My, how I like it when things turn out like that.

Soreness and Stuff....

Monday evening, I was here...

Yep, it's "Ultimate Martial Arts" -- in the outlet mall here in town. I was there not for Taekwondo, but for cardio kickboxing. Almost two years ago, my good friend Abby and I started doing kickboxing several mornings a week. Abby eventually started working at "Curves," and so, she decided not to come to early morning kickboxing anymore.

Well, I kept going with it -- that is until I got pregnant with Luke.

Luke's nearly six months old now, and so, with new year, I decided it was definitely past time for me to be going again. I'm not going to the morning class, however, because Marc runs in the morning. Therefore, I'm home with Luke (we're both in bed when Marc's running, though). So, I will be going Mondays and Thursdays, in the evening.

It's an extremely difficult class --especially this week since I've gotten SO VERY OUT OF SHAPE! Oh my -- a pregnancy combined with not exercising will do that to you.

I thought for sure that, on Tuesday, I'd be sore, sore, and more sore. Nope, I was wrong. Tuesday was fine. Today (Wednesday), however, was another story.

It'll get better. I need the exercise. Did I mention that one of my goals for 2009 is to complete a marathon (yep, the entire 26.2 miles). Marc, Luke, and I are planning on going to Washington, D.C. in late October for Marc and me to run the "Marine Corps" Marathon. My parents are planning to go along. They will watch Luke while we run. Keep me in your prayers. I'm a little nervous about it.

So, in addition to kickboxing, I will be doing some running.

And, speaking of taekwondo, Marc has had me recently sew some patches on his uniform -- not just one, but two. Here they are.

Now, many of you are probably thinking, "Why is Sarah showing these patches?" Well, the answer is one my mother can appreciate.

I DO NOT SEW AT ALL! That's the answer.

Anything "homey" or "crafty" is just not me. My mother tried to work with me on sewing, but I really wasn't interested.

Sure, I can figure the Cost of Goods Sold for a Dairy Queen. I can work in the big bad corporate world for 10 years. I developed a non-fear of standing up to Dairy Queen owners when they challenge me. I've traveled to many big cities by myself and done just fine -- without fear.

BUT, SEWING is another story. It's just not a gift God chose to give me.

So, sewing those patches is something I must show off. I still have one more uniform to go with two more patches.

Does This Face Look Sad?

Today, we did what many of you either did as well or already have done. We took down our Christmas tree and all of our Christmas decorations -- including all of the cards, photos, and letters we've received this year. It was very sad as you can tell from Marc's face.

Here's a photo of our empty tree just before Marc hauled if off.

Marc and I had a discussion the other night that is definitely "food for thought." Perhaps you've thought of this as well.

We have so much build-up to Christmas -- the parties, the food, the buying, the wrapping, the excitement, the caroling, etc.....You get my point.

Then, it's all done in one day. It's funny because when Jesus was born, the celebrating began -- it didn't end. Biblical scholars think that the Wisemen didn't get to the Baby Jesus until He was two years old -- a toddler at that point. That's when they celebrated, most likely.

We hopefully do celebrate the birth (and ultimately his resurrection after death) each and every day.

Here's another discussion that Marc and I have had recently -- especially since we have an infant in our house.

Jesus would've have been the perfect baby, right? No fussing, no needed disciplining, etc. Mary and Joseph had other children after Jesus. Would Mary and Joseph have been shocked parents when their other children didn't behave and act as perfect as Jesus? Wouldn't that have been difficult?

Customer Appreciation Day....

So, while many of you spent New Year's Day at home, watching football, catching up on sleep, etc., I had the opportunity to work on New Year's Day. I mustn't complain, though. The whole reason I worked was my idea. Fortunately, the wonderful husband that I have agreed to spend New Year's Day at home with Luke without me.

The DQ I work at in Wichita had a Customer Appreciation Day. This day has taken place in the past at this restaurant, but this was the first time it's been on New Year's Day (that part was my idea). I figured it would be an excellent way to get customers in the door on an otherwise slow day.

Customer Appreciation Day means that everything (and I mean everything) is 50% off. So, cakes were 50% off, Dilly Bars were 50% off, hamburgers were 50% off....Get my drift?

We'd been promoting it for several weeks -- notice the readerboard underneath the sign.

We opened at 10:30 in the morning. A few people trickled in within a few minutes -- mostly to stock up on DQ cakes -- several at a time.

After noon, however, folks must have climbed out of bed. Then, we became a little busier. Here's one photo of a crowd.

Lewis is an employee at this DQ. He did an EXCELLENT job greeting customers, restocking the cake freezer all of the time, and keeping the dining room clean. He also was very good at answering customer questions.

This whole family came in for lunch -- at their Grandma's treat (Grandma declined to be in this photo). I ended up talking with Grandma for awhile. She and her husband used to own a DQ in South Wichita years ago -- from 1950 to 1967. I had a very interesting conversation with her seeing how DQ obviously cannot exit my blood.

I was out in the dining room at one point in time with my camera. This very outgoing little boy (I would guess around 6 or 7 years old) said "Hi" to me. He proceeded to tell me all about the two teeth he lost the day before. Then, he told me all about the tooth fairy. All in all, it was a very enlightening conversation with a child (I love those conversations with children). Throughout the entire conversation, however, he continued to eat his cone to avoid melting. When I asked him if I could take his photo, he was more than happy to pose. I LOVE seeing children enjoy a DQ cone. That makes my job fun.

All in all, it was a fairly successful promotion, though I was truly hoping for some more customers. Hmmm....perhaps next year I'll have to really brainstorm up great ideas to get more people to come in. Or, it just needs time to "kick off." People will just have to learn about this DQ's New Year's Day promotion.

Our New Year's Eve....

In the past, New Year's Eve to us has always meant bringing in the New Year with friends. Several of our friends had babies this year (like us), and many of our friends already have kids. That makes New Year's party planning a bit more challenging.

There was no formal New Year's Eve party with our Sunday School class this year (this sunday school class is very fertile). We did get invited over to Collin, Andrea, and Ava's house for a small gathering. However, Luke's been in a bit of a "funk" over the last week or so (teething). Between a little bit of crabbiness, diarrhea, and sporadic, unexplained vomiting, we decided to just hang out at home.

However, since I was in Wichita during the day on New Year's Eve, Marc suggested I stop at this place and pick up dinner for us....Are you jealous Joel McClenahan?

I arrived home with the food. I was hungry as I really hadn't eaten much lunch. Marc initially claimed he was full and was going to wait to eat. Then, I made the spread across our counter. Marc, all of a sudden, showed up in the kitchen and grabbed a plate. I guess he was hungry after all.

So, we had our dinner and then contended with a crabby baby. We gave him a bath, fed him, and read him a story from the "Family Bible Stories" book we gave him for Christmas -- we read about Stephen from the book of Acts. We said a family prayer and put Luke to bed at his normal 7:30. He went right to sleep. Then, for us, it was going to be to watch some episodes of "Seinfeld" on DVD.

I was making hot chocolate (preparing for the DVDs), and all of a sudden, our doorbell rings. It was friends Russell and Camille, in town visiting family all the way from OREGON! What a great visit! (I forgot to take a photo of them).

So, it really ended up being a nice evening after all despite our lack of "going out."

And yep, we were asleep at midnight -- on the couch! That's O.K. I have to work today. I needed some sleep.

And now, to 2009. Is God challenging you to do something for Him in 2009? What will you make of 2009? Marc and I typically make goals for the new year (not resolutions, but defined goals). We're working on those goals currently. I'll post at least some of them when they're better defined.

Until then, enjoy New Year's Day!