Silly babies

So... I think we missed a very critical step in the bath taking routine today... clothes off FIRST! Ben was definitely ready for bath time before mommy was ready to place him in the tub!

And another picture of my two lovies:Benjamin Caleb (2) and Noah Asher (2 months!)

These silly, happy children are precious gifts from the Lord. We are so thankful for them!

Hey Baby Noah

One picture of my sweet fuzzy little Noah. These are the type of looks I imagine he will give all of the girls when he is postadolescent. I am concerned that he will be what they call a "chick magnet". As you can see from the picture, that face is simply irresistible.

Day 3

Day 3 of Love Dare is going not as great as I'd like. Day One: Don't say anything negative. Okay. I got that one in the bag. All you have to do is follow the creed "if you don't have anything nice to say..." But day two: Do something special and unexpected. Well, does cleaning the house count as unexpected? Does writing him a note and forgetting to give it to him count? I'm failing a little here. Day three: Purchase something today to let him know you're thinking of him. Well, does the fact that I haven't left the house all day give you any clue as to how this is going... Thankfully each day is a new dare, and it's *almost* as good as starting fresh.


I'll leave you here with a few fun pictures of the kiddos

You'd think, "Oh, there's Noah, enjoying his tummy time


Apparently Noah loves tummy time so much, he falls asleep to it!
Noah and his fun cuz Cameron
Cameron eating his cousin
Ben with his favorite person in the world
And we can't forget Grace!

Doing the Love Dare

Okay, before I get started on this, I want to just announce that our little 9 weeker Noah is currently 14lbs, 8oz! He just had his 2 month checkup (that I took all 3 to, which was the craziest thing I've done as of yet), and is the first child I've ever had that weighed in at the 98th percentile! My other two ranged between 30 and 50th percentile throughout infancy, so this is truly a sweet deal!

On to the reason for this post. In my email yesterday, I received a random forward from an old friend from college. If you're a frequent forwarder to me, please don't be offended, but I just don't read everything that's been sent to me in my email. I'll read the things directed specifically for me and then a little bit here and there, so it was no small thing for me to even open the email. It was a challenge from family life.
If you're familiar with Family Life, you'll know that they are a fantastic organization that have blessed thousands (or more) of marriages across the country with their conferences, websites, books, and programs. I have found myself frequenting familylife.org whenever an issue or concern arises, and I'm often very encouraged and better equipped spiritually and emotionally to handle whatever situation it is. Family Life is not just built for counseling families with issues, but it has a Biblical framework. They try to have a wholistic view of typical issues, and for that, I am very thankful.
So, I opened this challenge from Family Life, and it's called a "Love Dare"

Starting this month, FamilyLife® is challenging couples to "love like you mean it" by joining our 40-day Love Dare challenge. Based on the Love Dare book from the movie Fireproof, the challenge is a practical way for you to practice unconditional love and transform your marriage by applying simple, biblical principles to your everyday life.

Every day from January 5th to February 13th, we’ll give you a Love Dare for the day for you to put into practice and show love to your spouse. Then, at the end of the challenge, we encourage you to celebrate your spouse with a special Valentine’s Day date.

So, I decided I need to do this, and I signed up. Today, I received an email that told me my first dare:

Love Dare - Day 1
Resolve to say nothing negative about your spouse today.

So here's to Love Dare, Day One. I will report back tomorrow how it went, and I'm leaving you with a picture of my sweet man.Today he is working hard, trying to take care of his family. I am so thankful for him! And that gotee of his, he shaved it because it was hurting his wife. How thoughtful of him!

Noah smiles

What precious smiles come from fresh life. Enjoy. Noah Asher. 7 weeks old.

Brief and Disjointed

2008 closed with a bang for the Wandell family. Since Christmas day we've traveled from Nashville to Atlanta to Talladega, Alabama, spending time with family, eating very delicious food, and exchanging gifts here and there. We left for a 4 hour long trip to Nashville on New Year's Eve with just enough time to pick up the van from the mechanic, throw a load in the wash at home, pick up some McDonalds, and head over to bring in the new year with more family in Nashville. Then, after bringing in the new year, we still had to return the rental car (yes, this involved changing 3 child filled car seats). The children handled it as well as could be expected.

As far as resolutions go, I usually don't make them unless there is clearly something I need to pursue. This year, it was very clear that we needed to all work on our health. Our bodies are not our own. They belong to the Lord and should be healthy and able to do whatever work the Lord requires. My body is not ready and willing to do very much these days, so we're working on that! Nathan and I are already on week 2 of a competition to get fit. I'll just toot my horn (because I know he's reading this) and say that I've won both weeks and am waiting for hubby (yes, you) to bring it on. In the midst of this competition so far, we were out of town for one week (although he was able to make it to the gym, I was unable to due to the children), and another week, the van broke down twice, so he was able to make it to the gym much more than I, and I still beat him both of those weeks. At the end of the competition, one of us will earn a BIG prize. And mine will be a new couch for us! I should add pictures and show you our current less than appealing couch that is being held up by pots and pans. It is a lovely thing to behold. I must admit that I might be just as excited about having a new couch as I am about getting healthier and stronger. This old couch represents a very difficult season in our lives, and I would be so thrilled if it were out of our home!

I realize this entry today is rather disjointed and probably has many gramatical errors in it, but that just feels right for some reason, like it is an appropriate reflection of life right now.

Now that we are home from the holidays, I am working on getting Noah on a normal sleeping/eating/ playing schedule. This will be VERY helpful for me actually getting things done around here and allowing me to give Grace and Ben more of my energy.

If anyone who reads has any need for stuffed animals, please let me know. I am getting rid of an extremely large cedar chest full of stuffed animals in order to make room for all of the new toys Ben and Grace acquired over the holidays.

I will add more about Christmas and the New Year soon in an entry. For now, this is all my poor brain can muster!