8 months ago today we welcomed our baby boy, Silas into our home. I am so thankful for this pudgy little guy.
At 8 months Silas,
crawls, backward
scoots forward
sits up
says, "mama" and "dada"
LOVES to bounce
eating some solids
hasn't shown dislike to any foods thus far
still nurses 4-5 times a day
has 2 teeth
has had his first haircut
LOVES his big sister Macy 
Dear Snow,
I love you. I love sitting in a cozy chair with a warm mug of whatever and watching you fall from the sky. I love watching my children squeal with pure delight as they run and throw and roll around in you. I love the comfortable feeling my warm home extends when you greet us with your presence. I love being "stuck" at home with my family. But, snow, I do not love you when you mess with my heat! I don't love it when you take away my ability to cook. Its quite mean of you when you steal my hot water so I can't enjoy a warm mug of whatever or even a shower. Snow, maybe this relationship isn't going to work.
Ha Ha! I know, I'm a dork. :) Seriously though, when we had the recent power outage, due to the wind storm, our power, was out for 3 days. Somehow, Josh and I managed to have NO CLUE it was supposed to snow or even be as bad as it was. The letter above definately describes my feelings at the time. I really do love snow but funny how quickly my love for the snow vanished when my personal comfort was disturbed. Hard to keep your flesh in check when its FREEZING COLD and you have a splitting headache from your addiction to caffeine. I know we weren't experiencing suffering or anguish but I did realize how we take for granted the "little" things. I am sooo thankful for electricity to warm my home. I'm thankful for friends who came and rescued us from our cold, dark cave too. They even brought us Starbucks! Here are some photos of our "black out" festivities. By the way, I still love snow.
Wanted to include this photo of Silas' pudgy little hand.
Well, don't I feel silly. My mom emailed me with the same subject line as the title of this blog post. Turns out my dad did NOT trap and catch an alpaca. That may be illegal, I dunno. I don't even know if there are alpaca's in Missouri. :) He DID however catch an emu. Yes, I know...one's a bird, one's not. How did I get them mixed up? I don't know. Anyhow, it must've been an emu escaped from someone's farm or something and I will mention he did NO HARM to it. None, whatsoever. I think he just saw it day after day in the same area on his drive home from work and wondered if he COULD catch it. So, he did! Then he let it loose again. There. That's that.
My mom and niece Miranda recently flew in for a visit. This was the first time for them to meet Silas. The last time I saw my mom, Macy was 4 months. So it was good to see her again. 
She flew out a week later. As they were standing at baggage claim in St. Louis my mom got a phone call saying my grandpa Ray passed away. He was 100 years old! Would have been 101 on December 31. Grandpa Ray and his siblings grew up on a farm and pretty muched lived off the land. I credit this to his very long life. So, unexpectedly, Silas and I got a flight on Monday and flew to Missouri for my grandpa's funeral.
At the funeral with my sister, Christy and 2 brothers, Chad and Greg. I'm the baby. :)
Silas at the funeral with his cousin Taylor.
Silas also got to meet his Papa B. (my dad)
Some pics I took while in Missouri...
My parents have 4 pear trees in their yard. Yummy!
My dad is a big time hunter. He has even trapped and caught an alpaca! Here are some photos of the inside of my parent's house.
I was able to go back to my home church on Sunday. It was good to see some familiar faces and see how the Lord has worked in that church. The town of Fulton is in desperate need of the Gospel.
One of my bestest buds in the world, Kate.
My two football playing nephews, Clayton and Colton.
Silas with my brother Chad.
Here we go again...
1.) I did NOT "mop" my floor with baby wipes today due to time constraints...NO, NOT ME!
2.) I did NOT serve poptarts for breakfast...NO, NOT ME!
3.) I did NOT have a bit of irritation in my voice when a certain creditor wouldn't let me authorize a payment over the phone...NO, NOT ME!
4.) I did NOT buy a shirt at Goodwill with a hole in it...NO, NOT ME! (Note to self: inspect all clothing carefully before purchasing.)
5.) I did NOT make nasty Chicken Helper for lunch today because I bought several boxes on sale...NO, NOT ME! For the record, I don't like processed foods (with the exception of Mac and Cheese) and rarely buy them. I have a strong dislike of Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, Chicken Helper and whatever other meat they can think of Helper.
6.) I did NOT make a special trip to the store tonight for Brownies...NO, NOT ME!
"Dear Jesus, God made the mountains. He made the sun and the moon. Thank you for Silas not to throw up on mommy. Thank you for Sam not to pee on the ground. Thank you for the food. In Jesus name, Amen."
-Myah Casaus
I love this little girl sooooo much!!
