He's Here!

Henry Julian Coghlin arrived on December 11, 2008 at 1:26 pm. He was 6 lbs 7 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. We are all in love with him and are enjoying having a newborn in the house very much. I am puffy with IV Fluids but other than that I am doing well.

Celebrating Baby

My dear friend Carey threw me a baby shower to be remembered. And look at the beautiful diaper cake that another dear friend, Kalyndra, managed to make me (with a 6 week old babe of her own!) The diaper cake is so cute- I am going to have trouble unduing this artistry it to use the diapers (and bottles and pacifiers- hich are also inside the cake). What a blast the party was. I am very blessed to receive a baby shower for my fifth baby. How special for our little guy to get brand new things of his very own.

Children of the Living God

I was listening to Fernando Ortega on Pandora radio and heard Alison Krauss's unmistakable vocals and violin in the background of Children of The Living God. They have two collaberations on the 1998 album In This Bright Hour. Why didn't anybody tell me about this great song? Here is the link to the song on You Tube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPjljSC_1XE

Tricking and Treating and Reformation Partying

We had a long night-

But they got lots of candy and had a blast at the reformation party.

Carmel Apples

This is what we did tonight. It was very easy, but I didn't plan ahead well to make room for 25 carmel apples in my fridge!

Caramel Apples from realsimple.com

2 pounds lady apples or tart apples, such as Macouns or Winesaps

1 pound caramel squares

10 wooden sticks

Wash and completely dry the apples. Insert a wooden stick into thetop end of each. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the caramels with 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water. Cook until smooth, stirring occassionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.While the caramel is hot, dip the apples in, swirling to coat evenly. Let the excess caramel drip off and place the apples on the lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator to harden, about 1 hour. Yield: Makes 10 apples

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 216.67(16% from fat); FAT 3.82g (sat 3.01g); CHOLESTEROL 3.18mg; CALCIUM 67.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.45g; SODIUM 111.96mg; PROTEIN 2.3mg; FIBER 2.55g; IRON 0.16mg

http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1116630

Not Cool: Obama's Pro-abortion Stance, and Christians enabling him

With the election quickly coming upon us, I want to share an intellegent blog about the subject.

Thanks, Dolly for this blog link.

http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2008/10/not-cool-obamas-pro-abortion-stance.html

Our Fall Break- Makin' Smores

So, last night we built, ahem, David built a fire in our big backyard (we live in the country, don't worry) specifically so that we could roast marshmallows and make smores for the kids. As you can see in the first picture, it got a little hairy when the wind changed directions every so often and blew smoke and cinders at our faces. Here is poor Kelly shielding his eyes.

And here is Spencer, partaking of his gooey treat.

And Adria, getting ready to roast "just one more" marshmallow. And yes, I am pregnant so I had to eat smores for 2. It was very yummy. And I don't think I have tasted a smore in years. Made it all the better.

And this picture of Wil eating is smore kind of looks like I caught him off gaurd, doesn't it? My poor kids, mommy is definately not winning any awards for photography. It makes for very interesting scrapbooking, though.

Did I mention that I love fall? It is so nice being pregnant minus the humid summer.

A Startlingly Accurate Portrait

Handmade Baby Carrier Contest

Win a Uppy Me Mama Contoured Mei Tai Baby Carrier with a one year warranty.

Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

If you have or know someone with a little girl- you should enter this contest- way cute. Thanks for the link, Stephanie:)

The Hungry Little Coonapillar

After attending the Caterpillar/Butterfly themed Story Hour at the Library this week, Wil said, "Mommy, I am a caterpillar. I came out of my racoon and turned into a butterfly." Poor racoon. Maybe we should try to learn the word pupa. It might clear some things up for him :)

Wil's Birthday

Wil is now 4- even though he is only around 3 feet tall! I love my little guy. His birthday was actually on August 9th, but better late than never, right? He had a Thomas The Tank Engine birthday party this year, and I even made him a Thomas cake (it was a little rough around the edges, but Wil still loved it, anyway). I have to say that he anticipated this birthday for months as his older siblings talked it up big time all summer. He liked his presents, but his favorite thing was definitely the cake.

Kelly the Superhero

Kelly, age 9, has a secret superpower- speed. Not only is he the fastest dresser that I have ever witnessed (which we have known for a couple of years), but tonight I found out that he can take a shower, get dressed, and put away his dirty clothes all during a commercial break. Zowie!

An Announcement

We are expecting again! I am not feeling well, but we are very excited about the arrival of a new little one (We are due at the end of December).

The Egg Hunt(s)

Our good friends, the Kvales, had us along on Saturday. Wow, can those Kvales hunt for eggs. Wil didn't quite get into the competitive spirit, he examined each egg carefully, and in the end, he preferred the blue colored eggs to the rest. The girls enjoyed the tea cup ride at the fun center's egg hunt (were we egg hunted for free rides), and a good time was had by all, even Heather and I who imposed a "Mommy tax" on some of the chocolate. Okay, so I can't complain about it when my pants get tooo tight again.

Cuddling the Easter Bunny at The Egg Hunt

So Wil really likes Kitties and bunnies and puppies as 3 year olds normally do. But apparently he also likes ginormous Easter bunny costumes as well. Here he is pictured rubbing his cheek on the bunny's soft "fur" .

The Haircut

David buzzed all of Wil's hair off. Yes, I mean all of it. In the first stage, he resembled Dr. Phil ( like toddler male-pattern baldness). I was somewhat taken aback by the sudden change, but it is much easier to style his head now :) Plus, he was not screaming during the entire haircut like he usually does, so that was worth the sacrifice.

My Socks

This post is for Jonesey. I made this with an empty Oxygen Cleaner Bucket and some scrapbooking supplies. This is one of my "new year" organizational babysteps. The February Good Housekeeping recommended 3 glass jars for the laundry room- one for socks, one for loose items found in pockets and one for used dryer sheets( I am not motivated at all to save the dryer sheets).

Pray for Haiti

"There is a beauty to the good use of a life, and to the acknowledgment that everything you have and do has a Kingdom purpose. " Sara Groves

A friend of mine, Margaret Davis, recently went to Haiti with an aid group. She helped give the impoverished people in Haiti much needed dental care. While she was there, she was deeply moved by the extreme poverty and all the reality that comes from the poverty. Like the heaps of trash everywhere, even in front of a hospital. When the trash pile buids up, they just burn it all.

Please pray for the poor and needy in Haiti, and that God will use his children to bless all those in need in third world countries around the world.

Happy Birthday!

I can't believe that he is already nine. In nine more years, he'll be an adult. But he is still my baby :)