Snow Day: Mauney Family Style!

In our area, we got 4-5 inches of snow on Friday night. Saturday was a great snow day for our family! We had yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then we went out to play in the snow for a little bit. Since it was lightly sleeting when we went out, we didn't stay for long. Steven and Isaac did stay long enough, though, to have some fun on the sled! Elise slept during our time outside, probably because she was bundled up with three layers of clothes and buntings! The rest of the day was great, too! We had two homemade meals - vegetable soup for lunch and delicious melt-in-your-mouth chicken pie for dinner. During Isaac's naptime, Steven and I watched "True Lies", which is one of our favorite 90's movies. After nap, it was back to family time - playing together until bedtime. What a great day! It's fun to be cooped up when you're cooped up with people as cool as my husband and kids! :)

Here are some pictures of our snowy adventures:







We love snow days!

Daddy and his babes...

Isaac - 26 months
Elise - 3 months

Monty's feeding session

Remember the monkey named "Monty" that Isaac got for Christmas? Well, Monty has to be fed, and that's Isaac's job! Here he is, feeding his little pal:

Elise on the playmat

Elise is such a sweet girl! She smiles and coos all the time, and her bronchiolitis seems to be getting much better. She's also getting stronger and able to hold her head up by herself better these days. Here she is, enjoying some tummy time on her playmat: (see that drool? yes, we think she's teething already!)

A book and a kiss before bedtime...

Isaac is still sleeping in his crib, but he likes to read in his "big bed" before going to sleep each night. Here he is, reading to Daddy:


And giving Daddy a kiss:


So sweet!

Pray for the people of Haiti and give generously to help the relief efforts!

I urge my readers to help support the earthquake relief efforts that are going on right now in the country of Haiti. The lives of the people on this little island have been devastated in the past week. Please pray for the families there, as well as the relief workers. Also, please give generously to the faith-based and humanitarian organizations that are providing relief.

Our friend, Brian Duggan, is in Haiti right now, leading a crisis response effort. You can follow his journey on his blog here. Please pray for his team as they are working day and night to provide crucial assistance to the people impacted by the earthquake. Please also pray for Brian's wife Cathi and his four children (the two youngest are in Costa Rica with Cathi, and the two oldest are at college in the US.) If you are considering going to Haiti or helping in other ways, please visit Cathi's blog and leave a comment with your contact information.

You can give directly to the support of Brian and his team's efforts here (scroll down and click "give now").

Thank you for your prayers and support for these people who are in desperate need right now.

Homemaker Raves: My new compost container!

I am so excited about using my new compost container! My mom found one of these at World Market for herself months ago and has been using it since. I've been admiring it, so she offered to pick one up for me while she was out. I LOVE this little thing! I'll be keeping it on my kitchen counter, near my sink, and adding food scraps to it as we accumulate them (which we do all the time!) Then, once the container is full I plan to use my hand-me-down Vita Mix blender to mix up the food scraps and make instant compost that I can pour on my garden. Instant compost? Yes, you can turn food scraps into instant compost that can immediately be poured on your garden soil by putting food scraps into your blender (be sure that you have a separate blender container that is only used for composting), covering the scraps with water, and then adding about a quarter cup of cottonseed meal (For you locals, this is carried at Bud's Nursery). I found the recipe for instant composting here. Although I haven't tried this yet, I'm looking forward to it and will most certainly blog about it!

YAY for new ways to conserve and accumulate less waste while ensuring that our garden will ROCK this coming year!

Isaac and the remote control Monster Truck...

During our Christmas visit to Steven's sister Michelle's house, Isaac fell in love with his cousin BJ's remote control Monster truck! BJ showed him how to use the remote control, and then Isaac went to town with the thing! He was driving and flipping it all over the kitchen floor! What fun!

Big brother and little sis...

Isaac is slowly warming up to the idea of holding Elise. He's still not too comfortable with supporting her head with his arms, so we use the sofa instead. They're going to be great playmates very soon!


Isaac: 25 months
Elise: 3 months

Isaac's first geography lesson...

What better way to teach our children about the 50 states than with one of our family's favorite foods??

(Yes, this was originally Steven's personal-sized round pizza that turned into a map of the United States after only a few bites!)

We love this face!

(Elise at 13.5 weeks old)

Isaac, our little singer.

Isaac has just recently started to imitate Steven and me when we sing. He can carry a tune pretty well!

Here's a little video of him singing some with us last week:

Isaac fingerpaints!

Last week, we introduced Isaac to fingerpainting. We used the Color Wonder fingerpaints that my mom and dad gave Isaac for Christmas. I LOVE these because the paint only works on the Color Wonder paper, so there's no "accidents" on the table, floor, couch, clothes, or on whatever else those little hands might touch. These are perfect for Isaac's age and skill level. He did great and painted two lovely pictures. One is hanging in our dining room on the wall, and the other is waiting to be framed for Steven's office. Here's some pictures of Isaac's first adventure with fingerpaints:




So, obviously, Isaac is an artist just like his Daddy!

This is what Steven's getting for Christmas next year...

A Magna-Doodle!!



And my favorite:


Yes, I am indeed married to an artist, through and through. ;)

Mommy's little sidekick...

I love taking this little precious thing everywhere I go!

Update on sweet Elise...

Elise went back to the doctor on Friday, and she still has bronchiolitis. She's also still coughing, wheezing and sniffling intermittently. The doctor said that since she seemed generally content and happy, we'd hold off on the oral steroids for now. She also said that when babies this young contract bronchiolitis (or, rather, the virus that causes it, RSV) they can cough and wheeze for months! Please pray for Elise's little body to fight this and get better soon! Although she has a very happy disposition, I know she's tired of the coughing and runny nose. And maybe I'm just a little tired of using a nasal aspirator fifteen times a day for the past six weeks! (well, maybe that's a wee bit exaggerated, but you Mommas out there know what I mean!!)

Isaac finally says it!

Finally, after over 25 months of saying it to him, Isaac finally said "I love you" back to us! It sounds like "I luh-doo"! So far, he's said it to Steven, Elise, me, Gramps and Nana...

So cute!

Today's adventures with Elise...

Our little girl got a cold over a month ago, and we took her to the doctor to be checked out in early December. Most of her cold symptoms seemed to get better over the next few weeks and she slowly became less stuffy in her nose, but unfortunately her congested-sounding cough has persisted.

I took her to the doctor again today so that the doc could listen to her breathing and determine if anything else was going on. She still heard some intermittent wheezing, so we gave her another breathing treatment with albuterol in a nebulizer. Dr Colyer decided to check Elise's white blood cell count to see if it was elevated. If so, that could indicate that pneumonia is present. This involved taking several drops of blood from Elise's heel (not fun for anyone involved). Although the results were in the "normal" range, the doc felt that they were elevated enough to order a chest x-ray. So, we were sent to the local Urgent Care Center for a chest x-ray on our little one. It took three people (I was one of them) to hold Elise down so that she was still enough for the x-ray picture to be clear. She did great, though! She wasn't fussy at all; she was just a wiggle worm!

Before we'd left the doctor's office, we were given a nebulizer to bring home and ordered to give Elise breathing treatments every 4-6 hours for the next few days and to return on Friday for a follow-up.

This afternoon the doctor called and said that Elise's x-ray came back clear and her lungs look perfect! Thank you Jesus!!! So, after a whirlwind day of tests, x-rays, and breathing treatments, my little girl still has the same diagnosis as before - bronchiolitis - and it just seems to be taking it's good ole' time leaving her body. If she's still coughing like this on Friday, the doctor mentioned that she might prescribe a steroid medication to help. We are praying that this won't be necessary and that Elise will start feeling much better very soon. Please join us in praying for our precious tiny one!

Isaac gives jumping a try!

This past weekend, Isaac accomplished a new feat: jumping up with both feet in the air at the same time. He's been trying to do this for a few weeks, but he gained more success just this past Saturday. I didn't have the camera out when he was doing the majority of his jumping, but I did manage to get some footage of his attempts (and his falls!) Here it is:

Elise talking and singing!

Elise has been "talking" more and more lately! She's even started to laugh in the past couple days. Steven and I had a conversation with her a few days ago and caught some of it on camera:

Christmas 2009!

Our family had a wonderful Christmas, full of family time, laughter, singing, hugs and, of course, delicious food!

On Christmas Eve morning, the kids and I went to our annual Christmas Eve celebration at my Granny and Pawpaw's house. As always, we had yummy, homemade biscuits and chicken gravy. My Dad's side of the family gathered there, and we had lots of fun watching the littlest cousins run around together while the adults caught up with each other. I didn't take my camera (gasp!), so I'll hopefully post some pictures from my Dad's camera later. Steven was hard at work while we were enjoying the festivities, and we missed him very much!

On Christmas Eve night, our family drove to Denver, NC to see Steven's parents. We were glad to see them, and they sent Isaac home with a new friend - a FurReal Friends Cuddle Chimp. Isaac has named him Monty and loves to feed, burp, and hug him.


On Christmas morning, we had a quiet family time where we told Isaac more about Jesus, ate a breakfast of sausage balls and oranges, and opened gifts with each other. It was a wonderful time with our little family.

Steven and Isaac playing with his new krinkle blocks:


Elise slept most of the morning in my arms (I loved that!!):


For lunch on Christmas day, we went to my parents' house to spend time with them, my sister and her husband, my Granny and Pawpaw, and my Great Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Leon. We ate yummy soup, sang Christmas carols as Steven played the piano, and shared in exchanging gifts. A great time!!

Isaac and Elise at Gramps and Nana's:


Our family Christmas shot:


Isaac enjoyed being in the middle of the family:


Pawpaw helped Isaac with his new hammer and peg toy:


In the afternoon, we headed back up to Denver to visit with Steven's sister, Michelle, our neice Carly, and our nephew BJ. We had a wonderful time watching the children open their gifts and catching up. Michelle cooked a delicious meal for us, and we had lots of great fellowship. Isaac enjoyed spending time with his cousins very much!

BJ, Elise, Isaac and Carly:


BJ and Uncle Steve:


Isaac loves Carly!


Little Bro and Big Sis:



It was a very blessed Christmas for us, and we are thankful for all the wonderful time with our family!

Reflecting on 2009..

At the start of 2009, I knew it would be a great and wonderful year, but I wasn't sure why. I just knew special things would happen and I was so excited to see what they'd be. Here are some highlights of 2009 that reveal what those gifts from heaven were:

~ The birth of our friends the Worley's baby, Matthew Thomas, in January 2009.

~ The birth of our friends the Barker's baby, Margo Ashlee, also in January.

~ I had the opportunity to speak to a local home school support group. Specifically it was the SALT (Seeking and Learning Truth) group: one that my mom helped to start over 15 years ago. I was also able to speak to the SALT high school students and answer their questions from my own home school experiences. Additionally, my pastor's wife and I went to Winston-Salem in May for the huge North Carolinians for Home Education conference and book fair. All of this fueled an excitement about homeschooling my own children, starting even now as we foster a 24/7 learning atmosphere in our home.

~ I went to the iPrincess Conference with my sister and friends Lauren and Kalpana in February. It was in Marietta, GA and Kathie Walters and Shampa Rice were ministering. We had an incredible time in the presence of God and experiencing His encouragement in our spirits.

~ Also in February, we met with an allergist to learn more about Isaac's allergies and also to determine that he is allergic not only to peanuts, but to cashews, pistachios, egg yolks, egg whites, cats and dogs. We'll be meeting with the allergist again in February to see if he has yet grown out of some of his allergies. Please join us in praying for complete healing from these allergies!

~ We learned we were pregnant with our darling daughter in March and she was born in September. Precious Elise Jeannette has to be the most awesome gift from the Lord this year! We are SO thankful for her and can't believe we are now a family of four.

~ We witnessed my sister graduate from college. She got her bachelor's degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Japanese. Shortly thereafter we were able to share in the joy of her marriage to Ray. They are a sweet couple who are very much in love and we were so blessed to celebrate their wedding in June.

~ Steven, Isaac, and I took our last week-long vacation as a family of three when we went to Ocean Isle Beach in May.

~ Steven and I took our second Babymoon in Blowing Rock for a long weekend in July. We had a wonderful time on our first trip away from Isaac and our last trip as parents of only one little one.

~ Our church hosted Guy and Ilke Peh in July. We experienced intense training in the Word of God and also experienced a wonderful time in the presence of the Father.

~ We reunited with our friends from high school, Mark and Erin Goettsch through the Internet. We also shared some family time with them at the zoo with their son Nathan while Erin and I were carrying our little girls. Their daughter Anneliese was born a couple weeks after Elise, and we were able to share in the joy of her birth, thanks again to the net.

~ Steven and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary, as well as the eleven year anniversary of our first date. Six wonderful years of dating and five incredible years of wedded bliss. Seriously. We're best friends and soulmates and can't thank God enough for giving us to each other. Thank you Father; you are so good!

~ Thanks to the goodness of the Lord, Steven had a successful year at work and that enabled us to move closer to our goals of a home recording studio and also creating a CD of Steven's songs. We believe the Lord has given Steven songs that will encourage and bless many people, so we want to be obedient and follow the Lord's directive to get them recorded and distributed. We believe 2010 will be the year of learning how to record/mix/master, and also to get the majority of Steven's first CD recorded. Please join us in praying for additional resources to make this happen in God's timing! Specifically please pray for Steven to increase in knowledge of the software and recording tools so that he can effectively complete this task for the Kingdom of God!

~ We watched Isaac transition from a baby to a toddler and move closer to a "preschooler". We celebrated his second birthday in November, and we've watched him learn so much more this year than we ever imagined. Our love for this boy is also more incredible than we ever imagined. He brings us so much joy! Thank you Lord for the gift of our beautiful son's life!

~ Steven experienced the power of God working through him to perform miraculous healings in the lives of many people around us. We believe this is just the start of a healing ministry for our family. "And He [Jesus] said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues...they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.' " (from the gospel of Mark, chapter 16)

~ We celebrated the holidays as a family of four. What a special year this was - watching Isaac experience the joys of Christmas (post is coming...) and having Elise in tow for her first Christmas here with us!

What an incredible year! We are looking forward to even more blessings and awesomeness in 2010! We're expecting great things and believe God is going to do many miracles this year. Our family can't wait to see what He has in store and what He's going to do in and through us!