Nate, Sarah, and Mina...mostly Mina

It's been almost a year!

2011-04-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am truly terrible at keeping up with a blog! It's been nearly a year, and I haven't even indicated that I have had a second child, and the third is on the way! I guess a lot can happen in a year! Hopefully I'll get around to putting out some pictures of said child #2, and maybe some preggo pictures of me, but knowing myself, it could be a while.

Can you tell I got a new camera (phone)?

2010-04-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Haha...I look back on my posts, and the April set definitely shows what the effect of having a new camera phone is....a ridiculous amount of pictures!!! Well, I'm all caught up now with the Mina pictoral history from Dec. 2009 to now. WHEW. I hope I do a better job at keeping up with monthly posts now! (We'll see..I may have spoiled myself with the past several months of not bothering with blog pictures with the excuse of not having a camera to take pictures).

A gazillion pictures: April 2010

2010-04-30T19:48:00.001-07:00

A gazillion pictures: March 2010

2010-04-30T19:30:00.001-07:00

A gazillion pictures: February 2010

2010-04-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

A gazillion pictures: January 2010

2010-04-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

A gazillion pictures: December 2009

2010-04-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

New pictures coming soon!

2010-04-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

It's finally April...and that means...NEW CAMERA PHONE! Well, actually, it's Nate's old one...but I'll be taking lots of pictures with it (I already have done this, just need to upload them now!)

Yay!

Words of Fall

2009-12-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Well, since I no longer own a camera phone (don't know if you know the story...but I accidentally washed it.), I am counting on my husband to take the pictures for me now. Needless to say, he's not around Mina as often as myself, so he has fewer opportunities...so it's just a small handful of pictures to represent our fall days. Here's a quick worded update:

-Mina had her first real haircut. She had so much hair she was able to donate it! I'm impressed, she's only 2!

-She got into the baby powder without my knowledge one day. Her room was Narnia under the White Witch's rule!

-We went to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at the VanCleves, some cousins of Nate's. It was fantastic. :)

-The Moldenhauers moved nearby. I'm so VERY happy!

-I'm preggo again, nausea and all. Due July 22.

-We still have Badger. We still like him.

-Nate and I have become rather obsessed about Heroes. We watch 1-2 episodes every night online after putting Mina to bed.

-I play Halo with Nate sometimes after Mina's bedtime, too.

-We just had our first major winter storm...14 inches!!

That's all I can think of for now. In April, I should be better at keeping up the blog. My phone update is due then. :)

Love!

Whoops, it's been a long, long time since updates happened...again...

2009-12-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

A worded account of summer '09

2009-09-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

HI everyone who follows our blog! All...10 of you? :) So, it's been a fantastic summer of traveling (again), gardening, and chasing after a beautiful daughter. We've managed to make some new friends (the LaBarges, fantastic photographers!), and have been spending significant time with them...including their 1 1/2 year old, Devin (who seems so close in age to Mina, I frequently think of him as a 2 year old anyway.) We had a camping trip with them in their hometown of Wisconsin Rapids, which is a lovely place, by the way! Previous to this camping excursion, we spent some time in Michigan on the annual Reichle retreat, which was a blast as always, a week at Camp Luther which was the best summer yet-thanks to the superb staff (especially Tom and Jen), and a weekend with MY family at a reunion at the really quite awesome resort called Heartwood (Heather and Dan, it's VERY close to you guys, and you should see it...it's AWESOME!), and a week at Lutheran Island for Aug. Family week, which was more awesome than ever, since Nate came with Mina and I this time! Good grief, what a busy summer...but FUN!

SO about Mina....she is now 2 years old! She is indeed getting big, as you probably already gathered. She has the long limbs and taller stature of a young girl...emerging from the round, short-limbed, dimply and adorable baby girl of just one year ago. I can't believe it, just can't. I still have about a zillion (rough estimation) of baby pictures plastering the walls, and so I have the daily reminder of how much she's changed. Sigh. I love it, and I am afraid of it....so many more responsibilities on my end that can shape her whole life at this point! Potty training, reading, disciplining, scheduling, etc... AND...next year is preschool! It's downright shocking! I still adore my little girl, and we just have so much fun together. We go on lots of "adventures" (I say:"Mina, want to go on an adventure?" Mina: head for the door, and wait for mommy!), which usually involve a bike ride/walk somewhere. Yay, Mina! She is speaking more and more, and showing understanding of the potty (even though she's not really that interested in using it yet), and her hair! It's so long, it's nearly down to her bottom by now. And yet, I still have reservations on cutting it...it's so lovely! I do cut her bangs, though.

Well, that's a quick update! How about that? It's now September, and soon summer will be technically over...it already feels over, except for the heat! Back to work! Love you all!

A few more!

2009-09-12T07:34:00.001-07:00

WOW it's been FIVE MONTHS!

2009-09-12T06:42:00.001-07:00

More pictures! Iphoto is being silly.

2009-04-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

It's about time new pictures

2009-04-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Very cute baby

2009-02-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

Tub time videos

2009-02-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

Two more videos

2009-02-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

THIS IS JUST DARN FUNNY!!

2009-02-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

I laughed so hard at this....I hope you do, too!!

new videos

2009-01-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

woah, that's a lot to look at

2009-01-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

So, yeah, that's a lot of pictures. I'll explain a few so that they aren't so confusing.

There are quite a few Christmas and Advent pictures in there....those are obvious, really. Then, there are the whirly-pop pictures. The hilarity is that she was given the sucker and was extremely upset to have it taken away again....kicking and screaming I've never seen in such a sweet girl! Then there are the pictures from our "vacation"...we did a huge round trip from Lutheran Island camp, to South Dakota (SO fun!), to Iowa, to Cambridge, then back home. Guh, that was a lot of driving! So...lots of pictures from the big trip. I also have a few videos to download.

If anyone wants more info on the pictures, let me know!

PS...the pictures of Mina with my grandpa Warren...she is extremely interested in his ear hair.

A whole mess of pictures

2009-01-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

Some random summer pictures I found.

2008-11-30T08:15:00.001-08:00

Four mina videos

2008-11-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

Videos on YouTube

2008-11-20T06:59:00.000-08:00

Hey all. I heard that uploading video onto YouTube is faster than on blogger. Which is true...but how in the WORLD do you get the YouTube onto the blog? I tried every way I could think of!!! Allison, how is it done? Anyone? Anyway, if you want to see some cute Mina videos, check out YouTube.com, and type in the search thingee: Minavideo47. There are four (or is it five?) of them. CUTE!

more pics-nate's camera

2008-11-18T09:59:00.001-08:00

Some October/November pictures

2008-11-18T09:52:00.001-08:00

Another try at video: Mina walking!

2008-11-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here's the old college try. Mina crawling!

2008-11-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello.

Yes, Mina was a kitty for Halloween. Old Navy had a sale, and I got it for 5 bucks! I was very excited. It was adorable, as you have seen for yourself.

And more exciting news...Mina has taken her first steps! Just two days ago, we were at a friend's house, and Mina was in their kitchen, and I happened to look up, and there she went! Just a couple, and very wobbly, but steps all the same! She was so excited that now she wants to try it all of the time! She gets so excited about it, clapping her hands and squealing with delight. I do have some of it on a video, but I still have to figure out how to get it onto the blog. Oy.

Hope all had a happy and safe Halloween!

Halloween pictures!

2008-11-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

No shaken baby

2008-10-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, just had to write to tell you that Nate is not shaking Mina in the one picture. He is tossing her in the air, and the camera on my phone does not do motion shots very well.

About Mina...she has six teeth now, four up top, two on bottom. She is doing very well. She is lovely. She is not walking yet, but she could be. She has actually taken some steps without realizing it, and then when she did, she plopped down. WAIT...I think I said this already on a previous post...oh well. Her hair is getting very long, past the shoulder blades already! It is still curly, but a little less curly as it grows longer. She is heartbreakingly cute with pigtails in. Most people pass out at the sight of her in pigtails. OF COURSE, this isn't true. But they do get weak in the knees.

All is well in the Reichle household. I finished the chair I was recovering, and it looks extremely like a chair that was recovered by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. It looks ok though. Perhaps I'll put on a picture. We recently acquired about 300 books from a school that closed recently...anyone out there need the chronicles of narnia? We have two sets now. It was an incredible opportunity, and we are thankful, even though the school closing was a very sad situation. Nate is pastoring it up big-time. Badger is doing ok, but recently got into some trouble when he destroyed two of Mina's sippy cups. He also gained some weight and we are told by his doc that we need to decrease his food to compensate for the treats he gets from Mina. Bill is hardly ever seen, as usual. He still enjoys a good brush-down. His hair also has grown back from the time we cut off all the icky matted parts. He looks pretty happy.

Hope all is well out there!

Blessings

October pictures

2008-10-28T21:05:00.001-07:00

Mina is fifteen and a half months old!

2008-10-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Sorry for the lack of explanation on the photos. As I've said before, I snatch some moments here and there to upload pictures, and usually that's all I have time for. Especially lately, when I've been so enthralled with facebook.

Anyway. Mina. She has four teeth now! Two uppers and two lowers. The lowers came in a while back (in August), and the two uppers have just broken through. She also crawls like a fiend, faster than you can shake your fist in the air! She will be walking anytime now, on her own. She has actually taken her first few steps, but without realizing it (I was supporting her around her tummy, and let go for a second, and she kept going...then when she noticed the lack of support, she plopped right on down). She adores her walker, most of the time. I say most of the time because it has its limitations, and she doesn't like them. She wants to get at everything, all the time. I get to pick up books from lower bookshelves, paper from the paper shredder basket, sheet music from a low shelf, and pots and pans from the dishwasher nearly every day. She loves taking things out of other things. I have a tin bucket type thing that is full of playing cards, and it is one of her favorite toys...she just pulls the cards out one by one, and throws them behind her as she does so. It's quite hilarious. Oh, and I think I can officially say she said her first word: uh-oh. Only, it sounds more like uh-uh. It definitely has the right inflections of the "uh-oh"...there is no mistaking that she is saying uh-oh.

Life is good! I can't complain. I have two very small jobs now, outside of home-caretaking and baby-rearing. I enjoy them both, and they bring in a very small income, which is nice. Nate is doing his pastor thing, and really getting into it. His sermons lately have been quite amazing! Badger is doing fine, same as always (ALWAYS remember to put your shoes out of reach when visiting!), and Bill is doing well, too. The whole gang is smiling and well-fed. God truly knows our needs and daily and richly provides...above and beyond our needs! We are thankful.

More September pictures.

2008-10-04T20:15:00.001-07:00

Super Aug/Sept pictures

2008-09-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

August pictures, just in time!

2008-08-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

OK...Only two pictures for now, but we do have LOTS more, so look forward those, ok? August was a VERY busy month, after all!

PS...Mina loves pickles!

Pictures from July.

2008-07-27T18:13:00.001-07:00

Camp Luther pictures, among others.

2008-06-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

Explaining the house pictures

2008-05-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hi!

So...the house pictures are in no particular order, pictures of the living room, master bedroom, kitchen and dining room. I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure out which is which (hint: we don't keep our bed in the kitchen). ALTHOUGH...there are some pictures that need explanation. I recently finished a mural in our bedroom, so there are before/after pictures. They are not in order, so you'll just have to search them out. Also, we added curtains to the bed. As you probably guessed from looking, we rather like old-timey decor in our home, something like elegant 1930s decor, or so we think. Our house was built in the thirties, so it was built for this style! Sorry there are no pictures of the "tavern." We'll get some in there sometime.

Oh, and one more thing...the picture of the purple lupines mural is in Mina's bedroom. It is not even close to being finished, but some have been asking for pictures, so there you go. I've really been enjoying painting again.

Blessings!

Reichles

Our anniversary trip pictures-Keweenah Peninsula

2008-05-28T08:40:00.001-07:00

Whoops.

Got some doubles, and can't take them off.

Oh well.

Our House pictures

2008-05-28T08:32:00.001-07:00

Mina in cute orange jumper/diaper pictures

2008-05-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Explaining the May Pictures in words

2008-05-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So, it's May...Mina is now 11 months old, and soon to be a year! It's pretty unbelievable. So, there were some pictures in the May pictures bunch that I wanted to explain...and they are the pictures of Mina's mouth. We are simply showing off the fact that she still doesn't have any teeth. I am told to be thankful, and that the later they come, the better they feel about it. Mothers out there, is this true? Anyway...she is also not crawling yet. I doubt that she will, as she still doesn't like to be on her tummy, and flops over as soon as she gets onto it. She could crawl if she wanted to...she CAN hold herself up off the floor, I've seen her do it. Oh, well. She probably will start walking soon, though. She can stand up on her own, with support of furniture or mom. This means that we will have to babyproof the house now...

Ok, it is spring outside, it is BEAUTIFUL, sunny, warm...I can't bear not being out there in it! Have a lovely day!

May Pictures

2008-05-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

More New Pictures!

2008-05-02T07:49:00.001-07:00

New Pictures!

2008-05-02T07:37:00.001-07:00

I TAKE IT BACK!!!

2008-04-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

Naughty Winter! You tricked us! You pretended to go away, but you DIDN'T! It has been snowing/raining off and on for the past few days, and the average temp has been about 30 degrees. Sigh...still, it could be worse! Ever read the "Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Still...I don't think we have it as bad as the Moldenhauers (the snow is all melted, and we never did get more than a few inches at a time).

Anyhow, here are some amusing pictures...to amuse you. I have some Mina pictures, but they need to come off the camera, and I don't have the motivation to do that at the moment.

(NOTE: the baby ISN'T Mina. It is Nate. Any camp person shouldn't be surprised!)

SPRING!

2008-04-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

So so so so so so so SO happy to report that it seems that spring is REALLY here now! It was 70 degrees yesterday...SEVENTY!!!!! We cleaned out and organized the garage, and wore shortsleeves, and did NOT feel even REMOTELY cold! It sure does lift the spirits to have this weather!

Mina is doing great! She is rolling over now, later than some people would have liked, but we aren't in a hurry for these things, so the timing's just fine. She is also able to stand upright with support, and she LOVES her johnny jump-up. She is getting more personality all the time...she is downright HILARIOUS when being fed...it's a real event, with head-bopping, gabbling, and arm-waving. I (Sarah) am able to see it all happen, being a stay at home mum. I am so grateful that we are able to do it.

Well, speaking of the little lady, she is in need of some attention (when isn't she?). So, I bid you farewell, and ENJOY THE NICE WEATHER! If you're getting it!

Love, the Reichles

nakie, baba, and dadoo pictures

2008-03-04T15:25:00.001-08:00

more pics

2008-02-13T18:41:00.001-08:00

um, more pictures.

2008-02-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

A 2 month hiatus...pictures!

2008-02-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

I'm not very consistent

2008-02-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

Those of you who Really know me know this is soooo true. So...I;ve got a zillion pictures of Mina-girl to put on the blog, but the camera where they are currently hiding is...well...not here. So sorry. I plan on putting them up on Wednesday, so look for us then!

Cheerio!

I love tea

2007-12-20T18:10:00.001-08:00

It's so darn delicious!

Dusty, Al, & Veronika pics

2007-12-20T18:10:00.000-08:00

I should have taken more pics....sorry for the lack of Al pics, esp. as there were so many great photo-ops! He's so photogenic...

thank you for visiting! Come again anytime!!!

Chopping down the tree pics

2007-12-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

more pics

2007-12-17T18:17:00.001-08:00

it's been a while! pictures!!

2007-12-17T16:42:00.001-08:00

HI you lovely people!

Things are getting CRAZY here! Hey, did you notice that my kitchen cupboards have doors again? YES, I finished my project! Christmas is next week? WOAH! Did you see the tiny bit of a plastic hamburger in the corner of Badger's picture? He LITERALLY ate half of it less than five minutes after we gave it to him.

SO, the mix of crazy subjects in that last paragraph is a bit of a representation of how CRAZY everything is in the Reichle household! So, it's more than a month since the last blog. Sorry about that, but hey, that's how the cookie crumbles.

About Mina, she's six months old now! She can pretty much sit up by herself, for a few seconds anyway. She blows a pretty awesome raspberry, lots of spittle. She is eating rice cereal and 1st foods, like sweet potates, squash and peas. She is a real big fan of the squash. NOT a fan of green beans. She's still my portly princess. She now weighs nearly 17 pounds. I like to call her my chunker munker. Isn't that PRECIOUS? People ask me all of the time: "What's she keeping in those cheeks?" I say "She keeps all her chub there." She is so beautiful and perfect! She's the best baby! NO use trying to tell me yours is better.

OK...I do have to part company now, but hey, have a super fantastic Christmas! And a splendid New Year!

Love, The Reichles

CHRIST IS BORN!!! Well, actually, it's been a few thousand years now...but amazing how exciting it STILL is, isn't it?

Words...Mina is five months old!

2007-11-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

Hello, hello, hello!

Hey...does anyone out there know whether or not I can send in pictures from a file on our computer to a place like shutterfly and get hard copies? Just think about that one for a while.

YESSS...Mina is FIVE MONTHS OLD! Hooray! Here are some things she is doing now that prove she is developing properly...

1. She grabs. Sometimes quickly, and with no warning. Sometimes this hurts Mommy, especially when nails aren't trimmed.
2. She is NEARLY sitting up on her own.
3. She will put her weight on her feet when you hold her up.
4. She holds her head up when pulled to a sitting position.
5. She jabbers all of the time.

SHe is not quite rolling over yet, though...I think that's my fault, as I am not so diligent with the tummy time (she still pretty much hates it. I call it "tummy torture.") She does kind of do this scooty-thing when she is on her tummy and is able to hold her head up. So that's exciting.

More to come at six months...

Love, Sarah and Mina, who is currently sitting on my lap and rubbing her eyes in her cute little sleepy-Mina way.

Mina in IA pictures

2007-11-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

Pictures from MN and NC

2007-10-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Words...Mina is four months old!

2007-10-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hello! I wish I had brought the camera with me...but I didn't, so you'll just have to wait for pictures.

Mina is indeed four months old...and a week, and one day. She is getting VERY big! She is now in the 60th percentile for weight...for those of you who don't get the percentile thing, this means that she weighs more than 6 out of 10 babies the same age that she is. She is a portly, beautiful baby girl, and we just can't put her down! She is doing four month old things, too...grabbing things, "talking," holding her head up solidly, ALMOST sitting on her own, laughing, smiling, and everything else they are supposed to do. Her hair is not nearly as thick and dark as it was, but it is much longer, so we are able to take the thatch in the middle of her forehead and curl it around a bit, which is cuter than the dickens. You think you'll never do such awful stuff to your baby as dress them up in lacy, frilly, pink stuff and style their hair...but it just sort of happens, and you can't help it.

On a different subject, that includes Mina...we recently got back from a weeklong trip to North Carolina. We all went in a big van with two dear friends, Nala (Trisha) and Willie. It was a LOOOOOONG trip, and much of it through the Appalachian mountains. It was BEAUTIFUL, but Mina was not a big fan of those mountains. I personally think it was the atmosphere changes making her ears pop. I remember HATING that as a little person. I'm a little bit terrified for Mina's ears, actually...as I had TONS of ear infections as a child, and have had multiple surgeries to make it better. I'm always SUPER careful not to get water in her ears at bathtime, etc... but here I am digressing....back to the trip...We saw our dear friend Tim (Sprinkles) marry a very sweet "southern belle" whose name is Valentine (Val-en-TEEN). They are in Jamacia right now, lucky ducks. Mina helped Nate do his ushering duty from the baby Bjorn that he had her strapped to (would you like my arm, or the baby's hand?). She was a real trooper, actually. SUCH a long trip. She slept most of the time, but when awake, she mostly just ate and ate. We couldn't take her out of her carseat, which must have been awful for her.

Mina is so lovely, and I (Sarah) am loving being her mom full time. I do enjoy staying at home...though I do sometimes miss working, especially the paycheck...but we are actually living very well on Nate's. Someday I'll probably work part time again...but in the meantime, I love being at home with Mina.

So...life is good...it's fall (my favorite season!), and it is a gorgeous one, so far. The leaves are beautiful colors, and the temperature outside is cool but not COLD, so I am going to take Mina outside as much as I can before that happens. We go for a long walk every day. I hardly ever drive anywhere...we walk to the grocery store, the library, and we just wander around with no goal in mind whatsoever some days. Life is good. I'm very lucky!

Well, hope everyone out there is well...God bless!

Love, Sarah (and Mina, and Nate)

pastors conference mina pictures

2007-10-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

More Mina Pictures...and some words

2007-09-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hello!

News about Mina...she's "talking" a lot more now...mostly "aah" and "gurgle." She is adorable, even when she cries. That is why I included the picture. She is holding her head up on her own pretty well...but she has very very weak upper body muscles. She can't hold herself up on her own arms yet. But we can sit her upright in her "bumbo" seat. She is getting interested in toys, finally. She especially likes moving toys.

This is the NEWS about Mina. Nate and Sarah are doing well, too. When Mina's happy, we're happy.

Enjoy the pictures!

Recent pictures: home and camp luther

2007-09-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

Words...the life story of Mina

2007-09-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Here is the words page! You are actually reading them! Good for you...

So, here's the scoop on Mina...she was born June 13th, at 11:23 am, she weighed 5 lbs, 12 oz, she was 17 1/2 inches, and she was a month early. My water broke before 4:00 am on June 12 and so Nate and I called the hospital, asking...do you think we should come in, or can we wait at home till "real" labor starts? They said..."GET OVER HERE NOW." We were still skeptical (we just had the birthing class, and they said we could wait...plus, we only lived about 3 blocks from the hospital!), so we walked there. I was in no pain at that point. 20-some hours later, I was in MUCHO pain. I am somewhat sorry, but not very, to say that I had an epidural. It was "easy street" after that...sort of. So, enough of the birthing story.

SO...after birth, I had her tossed onto my chest (there is a picture of this), for about 10 seconds, before they whisked her away to the NICU...she was not breathing well due to underdeveloped lungs. She was then transferred to another hospital with a better NICU and was watched by drill-sargeant-like nurses for 9 days. I got to hold her only a few times at first, more towards the end. She had to eat through a tube in her nose at first, as well...when she ate from a bottle I cried for joy. Now, she is being nursed...which was REALLY challenging at first...but now, three months later, we finally get it.

MINA...is SUCH A GREAT BABY! She doesn't sleep much during the day, but she sleeps WELL at night...8-10 hours. I can't tell anyone how "I did it," because I didn't really do anything. She just did it on her own. A few things that we do at night with her do seem to make a big difference, though...we swaddle her tight, and strap her into a cradle swing for the whole night. We tried one night without it, and she only slept 5 hours straight. SO, perhaps you might try that if you're desperate. I HIGHLY recommend the book by Harvey Karp: "The Happiest Baby on the Block." It helped a LOT...and even more so, the video. It was recommended by the hospital and some other moms. She is now 12 lbs, and four days away from being officially 3 months old. She is holding up her head now, talking a lot more, smiling, laughing (OH how awesome when she smiles and laughs!), and getting lots of comments. The most common one is "Look at the HAIR!" She is a hairy baby. Not as much now as she was...at birth, she had a hairy back, hairy arms and legs, and even hair on her ears! That was due to her being early...they say most babies shed the hair in utero before birth. Interesting, huh? And no, I didn't have bad heartburn during pregnancy (old wive's tale). She is adorable, wonderful, and hard to take the eyes off of. I love being her mom.

I am not going to work (much) this year. I'll be doing some volunteer stuff here and there, and getting involved more at church, but mostly, I plan to stay at home with Mina. I am working on some projects to keep me from going bonkers from cabin-fever...jazzing up the kitchen cupboards is the big one, then I have a bedroom vanity that I will refinish, and I'll be painting a mural in the master bedroom. I really enjoy doing those sorts of things...sort of a new art medium for me is home decorating.

Alrighty now...that's all I can think of! Badger the wiener dog is doing great...and so is Bill the Cat. You all can come by any time to visit the whole family!

Thanks for reading, and God bless!

Sarah
(and Nate, and Mina)

Three months pictures

2007-09-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Beautiful girl...

Ok. More Mina pictures...at two months

2007-09-09T12:26:00.001-07:00

The one picture Elly Reichle dedication page

2007-09-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is one fantastic lady...she came not only for the birth of Mina, she came and stayed a week after she came home, too! She was up in the wee hours of the morning right along with us, and took care of her when we were on vacation in Michigan with her. What a great woman! Thank you, Elly.

Wilhelmina is home pictures

2007-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

more mina in hospital pictures

2007-09-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

Pictures of myself and Mina at the hospital.

2007-09-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

2007-09-07T16:24:00.001-07:00

Oh, well...can't rotate the picture, but at least you can see...here I am, mere hours from giving birth. You can't see it, but I am in MUCHO pain here. This is what you would call a "forced smile." I had an epidural after about 20 hours of labor. All in all, the labor lasted about 31 hours, from the beginning of the hospital stay to the end. OH...and to backstep a bit...I gave birth to Mina a month early. My water broke on the morning (EARLY morning) of the 12th of June.