I have been meaning to post this for awhile...

This was the house warming present that Noah and Lauren got us way back in october at a truck stop on their way into town....

This is how Malachy felt about it...

I'm feeling alittle better...Kim just told me I need a shower....hmmmmm...I guess I better go get on that!

I'm so sad right now I may actually vomit

Things I learned in NY....

when going to NY in Feb. bring wool sock and boots! Military men wear their hats extremely tight. Turkeys and porcupines can climb trees. In case of nerve gas exposure you can pee on your socks and cover your nose and mouth with it....

Our new Hats!

Malachy and I got cool Army hats with our names on the back just like Uncle Noah! Malchy LOVES his!! I keep putting it on his head and he gets all excited and touches it! It's sooo cute!

More fun NY pictures....

Noah "helped" me with my pancakes at the Golden Unicorn. We snuggled with the puppies! Played some games, tried on Army gear and had a great time!

Good times at Ft. Drum

We had a great time in NY with Noah and Lauren!! We did many fun things...we went to the Golden Unicorn where we experienced some hometown flavor!! They have a huge pancake meal where if you finish it you get a t-shirt!! I tried-ish but there was no way. Noah has done it in the past!

Lauren made us tons of yummy food! My favorite was the lasagna and the bannana bread!! Lauren is an awsome cook!

We went bowling! Mon almost beat Noah! I did the worst of course.

Here is the family portrait Lauren took for us before she drove us to the train station in a blizzard!!

Amtrak delayed

Ok so apparently there is a BIG storm in NY and Boston further East then we are....so our train has been delayed 3 hours and counting. Also we were informed that the train will be full. We experienced a full train when we came to NY this past summer and it sucked!! Think of crying children on mothers laps, overflowing toilets with NO toilet paper! And being squished like sardines into a tin can. So needless to say I'm not looking forward to this ride home!

I can't wait to see Malachy and Mark too!! That is what will get me through this.

I really miss Malachy!! I just called Mark to talk to him but he's sleeping. Mark must be playing video games because he wasn't interested in talking to me at all....oh well. It's nice visiting with Noah we have had a really good time.

I am going to New York...upstate

Sooo...In a few hours Kim, Mom, Dad, and I are going to NY to see Noah and Lauren! Noah is stationed there currently and will be shipped out to Afghanistan for over a year within the next month. Noah only gets 24 hours of notice before he leaves so we couldn't really go and send him off. This is the best we could too because this weekend is his 2nd to last "for sure" weekend here in the states! Please pray for us as we travel 13 hour train ride there and another 13 hours home...yikes!

Also pray for Mark who will be a single parent thru Tuesday! Not only does he have Malachy but he is also responsible for Kim's 3 cats and 1 of Moms!! And I have no idea why but he agreed to serve at Impact this Sunday with a 6:30 am call time and he is taking Malachy!! He is nuts!

Laurens sister Meg is watching Malachy Saturday so Mark can work then too!! Thank goodness for Meg! Poor Malachy is going to have a tough couple days though please pray that he will feel safe, secure and loved!

Talk to you when I get back! Steph

Nice weekend!

I forgot to check the box where it tells the pictures to be centered...opps! Anyways, other then the random pic of Noah and Malachy (that I just had to share) these pictures are from the Promiseland Production Super Bowl Party. Where I was forced by Kevin to spend more then I was budgeted of the churches money on cheap pizza!! It was a good time. Malachy has so much fun! It was in Blue Sky 2 (the 3 year old Promiseland room) so there were many toys to entertain Malachy! (thats not to say Mark and I didn't do our fair share of chasing after him) It was a real busy weekend but a good one at that. Today we slept in and ran some errands. Also the heating guy came and checked the furnace and water heater. He informed us that both were "OK" but already had out lived their life expectancy and where pretty old...great! Houses are fun! Tomorrow we go to the Little Gym and I start on my huge task of things to get done around the house so I'm ready to go to NY! By the way... thanks you to Lauren and Crystal who sent me encouraging e-mails after my last post. I really appreciate both of your friendships!
This first one is of Noah and Malachy from when Noah was last home.



















This next one is of Malachy eating pizza all by himself like a big boy!



















Here I am cuddling with Arnez and Katherines daughter Noe...
they have the 2 cutest kids who I adore!














This is my programer Sandy and her man Alan who is my super volunteer. Mark and I really enjoy them and wish we had more time outside of work to hang out with them!














This is Malachy and Noe in one of the many toys we got out.

I found this quote on a blog Kim linked to recently...

"History will have to recall that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but the appalling silence and indifference of the good people. Our generation will have to repent not only for words and actions of the children of darkness, but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light." --Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was surfing blogs yesterday and came across some women's blogs who were bashing celebrities for dif. Things they have said and done and I just thought... who cares. Why do you feel so defensive and angry about that? Why can't people get angry and vocal about the millions of starving and under- educated children. Why can't we use our passion to make ourselves heard on the things that matter. Why are we so insecure that we let little quotes from celebrities throw us into heated rants. Why can't we find our identity and confidence in Christ alone and live out of that amazing grace?

another powerful quote I heard yesterday that made me think was:
You can know how much of a servants heart you have by how you respond to being treated like one.

20 Random things about Mark:

I was tagged by Sara to do this a while back and I'm just getting to it now....Crystal also did one on her blog...

1. Mark loves his job and I think he is doing a great job and learning so much, I'm really proud of him.
2. Mark can speak "communicative" Russian and lived in Moscow for 2 years.
3. Mark feels he is often attributed motives that just aren't there(mostly by Kim and I) ...he's a pretty simple guy.
4. Mark went to private school the majority of his life.
5. Mark has need new glasses for almost 2 years now and keeps allowing me to put it off and spend our money on other things.
6. Mark has been to Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungry, Romania, Austria, Latvia, and Russia. ( I have never been out of the country)
7. Mark is the most sound sleeper I have ever met, and he is very slow when he first wakes up.
8. Mark has to tuck in his undershirt otherwise his belt pulls on his tummy hairs...he hates that.
9. Mark gets really mad when I talk while I'm yawning
10. Often times when I ask Mark if he just farted his response is, "I don't know" and he's serious.
11. Mark took 2 years to edit his best friend Todd's wedding video...one year to finish ours.
12. Mark is often eager to help people (especially at work) and never feels resentful or burdened by it.
13. Mark really likes beef villa and his favorite fast food meal is a bacon cheesburger.
14. Mark spent the first 2 years of our relationship trying to convince me that Des Moines, IA is bigger then Schaumburg. (apparently he was right)
15. Mark really misses playing Basketball and hopes to get a bike and a camcorder this summer (or sooner)
16. Marks favorite video games are sports ones and not the shot 'em up type...but he also likes his world domination computer game called civilization.
17. Mark is really good at geography and all that other stuff we were suppose to memorize in school but I never did.
18. Mark's favorite family vacation would be camping and hiking somewhere out west like Colorado or Montana. (I like beaches and Malls)
19. Mark can't wait to play tee ball with Malachy.
20. Mark pretends like he dosen't like Kim's cats but you can tell he is pretty attatched to Piper. He does however, want to get Malachy a dog sometime soon.

Poor Malachy!

Soooo....my poor little guy is sick AGAIN! He has a had a light fever for several days and last night it got pretty bad going up to 103 and he has been having chills and shaking! The strangest part is he has been on antibiotics for over a week now!?? So he shouldn't be able to have a fever! He also seems really uncomfortable and won't eat. So I'm going back to the doctor again today at 3.

In other news 24 was soooo good on Monday night. Then Gilmore Girls was a re-run, made me bad! At least I had American Idol to hold me over! Tonight is an all new LOST! We have no food! Wll no esy to pop in the microwave food that is and I'm feeling lazy! Can't wait till payday!Mom, Dad, Kim, and I bought train tickets to go see Noah in Feb. We will get there on a Saturday morning and leave on a Sunday night, so it's a short visit. But Noah is working that Monday and that is how the train schedule runs. I'm so glad Mom and Dad are coming. I think Noah will be glad they got to see where he has lived this past year. This week is a real busy one at work. We have the big Casa concert with Maria Del Sol. Alright thats it. Pray for Malachy please!

blah!

Bad day at work...I mean everyones nice and all I just feel like a failure. It's not really my fault it's more like the VCR's fault but if stuff goes wrong and I'm the one in charge and I can't fix it then I'm the failure...yuck...I'm stressed and tired I need to go to bed!

oh man!

So it looks and more tragicly feels like we got almost a ft. of snow here last night! If my batteries were not dead in the camera you would all be shocked and horrified. Mark and I spent the better half of the morning trying to come up with $500 and a pal with a van to get us to Sears to purchase a snow blower. After we realized that wasn't going to happen we set out shoveling. Poor husband is still out there. I had to quit becase I'm in so much pain. The worst part is we were both pretty sick going into this morning and now we feel even more crapy with a full weekend ahead of us! I hope I make it! Tear down tomorrow is going to suck!

Dad

Hey Dad, I was trying to get ahold of you last night but you must have been out with Lou or something! I hope you are enjoying your week. Can you give me a call or leave a comment so I don't worry about you! Love ya, Steph

I love my I-pod!

This is one of my all time favorite songs! Every time I hear it I want to cry. I adore Mark Knopfler! (Sailing to Philidelphia is another one of my favorites! Kim likes calling Elvis and the one about the Mc Donalds guy)

Romeo and Juliet

A lovestruck Romeo sings a streetsuss serenade

Laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made

Finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade

Says something like you and me babe how about it?

Juliet says hey it's Romeo you nearly gimme a heart attack

He's underneath the window she's singing hey la my boyfriend's back

You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that

Anyway what you gonna do about it?

Juliet the dice were loaded from the start

And I bet and you exploded in my heart

And I forget I forget the movie song

When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong Juliet?

Come up on different streets they both were streets of shame

Both dirty both mean yes and the dream was just the same

And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real

How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?

When you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold

You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold

You promised me everything you promised me thick and thin

Now you just say oh Romeo yeah you know I used to have a scene with him

Juliet when we made love you used to cry

You said I love you like the stars above I'll love you till I die

There's a place for us you know the movie song

When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong?

I can't do the talk like they talk on TV

And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be

I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you

I can't do anything except be in love with you

And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be

All I do is keep the beat and bad company

All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme

Julie I'd do the stars with you any time

Juliet when we made love you used to cry

You said I love you like the stars above I'll love you till I die

And there's a place for us you know the movie song

When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong Juliet?

A lovestruck Romeo sings a streetsuss serenade

Laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made

Finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade

Says something like you and me babe how about it?

This song was on the can't hardly wait soundtrack and to me it was right there with "in your eyes" from Say Anything. (which is one of my favorite movies)

This explains ALOT

"Has your toddler started hurting other children? It's not surprising — many toddlers act out in this way. The good news is that he doesn't mean to inflict pain on his playmates. When he pulls another child's hair, he's either fascinated by the reaction it provokes or copying an older sibling's behavior. Making another child yell or cry seems like great fun at this age.

Experts call this phenomenon experimenting with cause and effect — when I do X, Y happens — and it's the underlying reason for many of your most trying behavior problems now. Try not to overreact when your child's attention-getting tricks get out of hand — just gently but firmly stop the hurtful behavior and try to redirect his attention elsewhere. The more he gets a rise out of you, the more likely he is to repeat the behavior. Be sure he's getting plenty of positive attention, and you may find yourself getting a break."

This was my e-mail from the Baby Center this week on my childs progress.

Sorry I haven't posted lately!

So I have been pretty busy lately! We have implemented a schedule for taking care of Malachy so that Kim can have more of a life. And it's definietly a good thing because Malachy is mine and Marks baby and Kim deserves to have a life and be able to work on her paintings. The only problem is Mark keeps taking on additional things at work when he is suppose to have Malachy which means I have to cover for him. Then when I don't have Malachy and Mark does I have to try and keep up with all the house work (dishes, laundry, vacume...) The only down time I get is 9-11 after Malachy goes to bed. Which is usally spent watching whatever TV shows I taped that day. (24, lost, Gikmore Girls!) And I also get to go to small group on Thursdays. And thats about it! So needless to say there isn't much time for me to blog or leave comments but I still read everyones blog regularly!

Yesterday Mark and I were trying to find him glasses for under a $1oo...didn't happen...but he did find a place called The Little Gym and we sighned Malachy up for classes!! I couldn't be more excited! We start next tuesday morning it is once a week for 45 mins and both Mark and I are going to go and join Malachy. It cost more then we probably should have commited too but we have talked about doing something likes this for a long time and we just never did it so we thought lets just bite the bullet and do it! I think Malachy will really enjoy it....I was doing cart wheels the other day and he thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen!


Other then that not much going on. I couldn't be more excited about 24!! It has been soooo good! (some of the writting is a little unbelievible like the Jack I know would never let a bad guy get away so he could have a little cuddle time with his girlfriends son) but I have grace because it is a kick butt show!

24 and baby drama

Oh my goodness...I can't believe it is almost here!! Every time I see the preview I start to tear up...Im that excited!! Man this is when you REALLY want a babysitter...so you can stay home and watch Jack uninterrupted. Maybe I will have to try that Draphamine everyone always suggest!! (Just Kidding...Don't worry I won't drug my kid so I can watch tv...I promise!)

FYI...I think Gilmore Girls was good...I couldn't really pay attention. Malachy threw himself into the pillows on my bed but missed and hit his head on the wall causing blood to come out of his mouth and then he rolled off the bed onto the floor...after shaking all the contents of his bottle onto my comforter. So I was more then alittle distracted.

On the subject of Malachy...He has had a pretty nasty cold for about 12 days now. He has been getting low grade fevers on and off and today and yesterday he would only eat half of what he normally eats!!! Plus he has had diarrhea the last 2 days!! He went to the doctor last week to get his shots and I asked the doctor about the cold. Doc said he was fine and that was that. BUT I think 12 days is long enough. I have a full work week ahead of me but I think Thursday will have to be a half day because I need to take him back to the doctors! I will have to break out the credit card for the co-pay. I hid it so I wouldn't feel easily tempted and I have no idea where it is...doh!

Arrrggghhhh!

I hate money! Because of Christmas, traveling to Iowa, and an increase in bills...Mark and I have found ourselves in a bit of financial trouble. We are currently overdrawn abour $120 on both accounts and don't get paid till Friday! This is when you have to get creative about meals and how to conserve gas!! After we will get paid we should be fine but poor Mark will have to put off getting new glasses for another month! (it's already been over a year...he's been a troopper!) And we will need to go without some things seeing as with overdraft fees will be starting the pay period with 300 dollars less then normal...bummer! WE have been doing ok with balancing the new house and all but it's only been a few months so far...I hope we will get better disciplined about heat, water, and food consumption! I'm a sucker for turning the heat up and Kim likes to take 2 baths a day to help her muscles relax. We all like to eat! =) Mark however is the best at saving money, I must give him that. His weakness is going out to lunch at work...it is hard to say no to that!

Here's hoping for a frugle January!

really sad

Sometimes I wander around from blog to blog of friend's half acquaintences I might have seen in the halls of Willow once. Mostly like the kids who were in Impact when I was a leader and the people who worked with Noah. (They are all connected on each other's blogs.) Most of these people fall in the age range of about 19-24. It just breaks my heart to read their blogs. I know that is a strange age because I was there not too long ago....

You have finaly won independence from your parents but you don't know what to do with it now that you have it. You end up making a lot of painful mistakes but are often too proud to learn from them at first. You wonder if the life you are living was your choice or came out of some effort to fit in, conform, be good.... You think you are more wise than you are. You think you are an adult and you can handle anything. Although you aren't aware of it ( or won't admit it), you think everything is about you. Everything is bigger in your head then it is in reality. You don't know who you are or who you want to be and you are scared.

A lot of these kids are in some sort of self obsessed depression and they are hurting themselves and each other. I'm not saying their problems aren't real...they are!! But they are magnified by their inability to offer themselves and each other grace. They all feel judged - whether they have held on to their faith or lost it they are feeling judged and angry. It's really depressing.

I'm NOT at all saying ALL people in that age range fall into the catagorey I am describing - I DO NOT believe that. I know some incredibly mature, amazing people in that age range and some incredibly immature people much older than that! I have just come accross an alarming number of people in the blogging community that do fall into that catagorey and my heart breaks for them!

Dad's Notre Dame Party!

Here are some pictures from the big game! (ND lost, we were all sad) The first pic is Mark, Kim, Noah, and Lauren with the Becker Boys!! I thought Sara would be shocked to see how old they are! Phil will be a Freshman next year!! Crazy how time flys!! Hope you are all having a great 06! I would type more but I'm scared of waking up Malachy!! For a more colorful discription of the party visit Marks blog!

By the way...

Dad has a Blog!! What fun!

Happy New Year

So the other night Mark was wishing farewell to 2005 and I commented," what was so special about 05 anyways" (somewhat joking) in which he responded,"well, Malachy turned 1, I got a promotion and you started a new job you love, we took a fun family vacation to Mass. and New York, then we toped it all off by buying a new home." So I thought ...he has got a point there. It's been a pretty eventful and good year!

There have certainly been some challenges. Early last spring it seems like everyone in my family made a trip to the hospital for one reason or another. I had to have surgery (again) and family members have had on-going and physicaly painful health struggles. Dad lost a job he had started to enjoy. Mark and I struggled financially after the birth of Malachy. More recently the loss of Tibor and Meg has been especially hard on Mom and Dad, we have all felt it.

While these struggles were all painful I'm very proud of how my family has carried each other. Mom and Dad have tried their hardest to be supportive while mourning with their friends. Our whole family has taken turns helping each other out financially when we could and we have taken care of each other through the medical challenges.

I think this year has been one in which we have all grown a great deal and I will not forget the lessons I learned anytime soon! Thanks to my family and friends who have supported, encouraged, and prayed for us this year. Mark and I are confident God has answered many prayers.

My hopes for 2006:
That we would continue to surrender to Christ
That I would grow in Self-control. (Work harder, Gossip less, be more patient and generous)
Have more babies =)

Merry Christmas!

Mark and I will be in Iowa for the next 5 days, so don't expect much blogging form me! Mark, Malachy, and I have had a wonderful Christmas this far. We really enjoyed Christmas service at Willow on Friday. It was great to have the family over for lunch today. Kim cooked us all a great meal and Malachy is becoming very attatched to Uncle Noah! Joey and Malachy had fun palying together and it was so nice for us all to be together. Later on Mark, Malachy, Dad and I were able to visit with the Traynor clan at my Aunt Marys and that was super fun too! We are looking forward to seeing Grandma Stanger and all the rest tomorrow! Enjoy the rest of your Holiday. Best wishes...Steph
(if this post is confusing to read it's because it is late and I have 1000 thoughts in my head right now but I wanted to make sure I said Merry Christmas before we leave for Iowa)

Just a little Christmas fun- above: Malachy and Joey play Santa with Jason.

Below: The Stanger clan at Christmas services...yes Malachy is sticking out his tounge =)

I couldn't be more proud...

I'm at church and I was just walking throughout the halls back to my office to pack off and I couldn't help reflect on the past week. Putting up with all the judgement over being closed on Christmas, all the work people put into preparing for this week (like running dmx and power to every strand of garland in the massive auditorium) it was all worth it!! The halls and offices are empty but the auditorium is full of attentive hearts, the atrium has families gathered around tables, and "volunteer central" is buzzing with people who are so excited about being able to serve God, share in community as well as eat GREAT food! And I couldn't be more proud of being apart of this church.

Those of you who are tech people know how hard it can be to let God touch you in a service. We are easily caught up in the details behind the service that we often miss the big picture. But this service has moved me and brought me tears every time I've seen it. ( which was more then once) It is a masterpiece!! It couldn't have been done any better. Even watching it an overflow I was in awe of what God has done through this team of incredibly blessed people I have the honor to work with. I feel as if the "tech" was as big a "communicator" in this service as any person on stage (if not more). The lights were so beautiful that they brought you into a feeling of unearthly radiance where all things really were possible with God. The sound was vibrant and dynamic it did justice to the awe inspiring vocals and compositions!! And video...Wow!!! What an incredible tool we have found and really used to the best of our ability!! The video team really did an unbelievable job! Their creativity and skill is really inspirational. Every thing they put on those LED screens captured me and stirred emotions with in me. I could relate to the videos and I felt like they were speaking into my heart! Well done!

I know this all sounds very sappy and such but when something is right it's right and you just have to acknowledge it and give Glory to God.

I wasn't playing hokey Malachy really was sick!

Random picture of my Promiseland team for your viewing pleasure

( I thought this post needed some visual support but I didn't have any new pictures in my laptop )

Took the little guy to the doctor today and Malachy has Roseola. Which doesn't seem to be a big deal at this point other then the unsightly red spots covering his entire body! We have been told he is no longer contagious...The 3 days of 104 fever was the contagious stage. Unfortunately the rash will move onto his face and leave us special Christmas memories in all my photos!! I bought him the cutest outfit for Christmas from Gymboree! (and an additional Santa outfit from Target!)

Just an FYI the ABC world news tonight piece about churches being closed on Christmas looks like it will air tomorrow night (Thursday) at 5:30...However this is the 3rd night in a row it was suppose to air so we will see!! It is up on their website as a teaser for tomorrow so I'm feeling pretty confident.

My very special friend Crystal has had a challenging week. Her mother has had some health scares so please keep Crystal and her family in your prayers! Crystal and her entire family are very close to me and have been a blessing to my entire family we love them deeply!!

If you want to follow the story...

Here is an e-mail we received from Cally with the info for the upcoming news stories on closed for Christmas. She sent the e-mail yesterday so we beleive these shows will be on tonight! WE checked the ABC website and it did not look like the segment aired last night.

The "Closed for Christmas Day" issue continues to capture media attention. If you saw cameras here on Saturday, that was ABC World News Tonight. On Sunday we hosted NBC Nightly News. Here's what's happening:
ABC World News Tonight -- Willow Creek and a Gene Appel interview will be featured in a segment, probably tonight. The producer just called me and said right now we're on the schedule, but he'll bump us to Tuesday if there's so much news they would have to edit the segment. So probably tonight -- if not, tomorrow.
NBC Nightly News -- barring big "breaking" news, Willow Creek and a Gene Appel interview will be featured on the Tuesday news program, along with Fellowship Church and Pastor Ed Young.
Fox News "Hannity and Colmes" -- this is a national news discussion program that draws a large secular audience. Mark Ashton will be interviewed for 6-7 minutes on the Tuesday program @ 8PM.
CBN (Christian Broadcast Network) -- Mark Ashton will be interviewed for 3-4 minutes by Lee Webb on the CBN Newswatch show Tuesday @ 2:30 our time.
If something else major comes up, I'll let you know. Hopefully a week from now, this issue will be behind us -- and God will use all the uproar to inspire great kingdom gains!

Malachy Sleeps!!

OK, so after last weeks rant on every one giving me parenting advice Marks cousin (who I adore) Polly visited. Not knowing that I was fed up with all the judgements she informed me that her and her Mom (Marks aunt) had been talking about how hard it must be for us having to get up with Malachy all the time she told me they all feel so sorry for me...argghhh!! she continued to give me all the advice that everyone has already given me about how we should be putting Malachy to sleep.

They were here well after his bed time and I was feeling judged and akward...So in an act of desperation I left Malachy all alone in his crib! =( and he cried for over an hour!!! Not a little whining cry but full out screaming, snot running down his face, chocking on his tears cried!! When he finally fell asleep it was only out of sheer exhaution from the screaming and he woke up every hour and cried some more. I felt like the saddest Mommy ever! I couldn't sleep a wink, I just wanted to go hug him and tell him, "I'm still here...I still love you!" Soooo sad! Night 2, was alittle better...it was not 1 hours of consistent crying just 2 hours of on and off crying ( I think he had learned to save his energy and pro-long my suffering!) However I did feel somewhat better because he had survived night one. Last night was night 3. He only cried on and off for about 45 mins and although I was alittle sad I was too tired to care too much. Tonight, night 4 I put him down with a bottle and havent heard a peep out of him yet!!

Yea! Mission accomplished! I do feel much better and I will say you were all right!! I had already known that you were...I read all the books too! But it's alot easier said then done...especially with your first little baby and when you suffer from sever anxiety like I do! But I'm glad that part of the parenting adventure is over. Just pray for me that I don't have to start all over after our trip to Iowa later this month.

In reference to my previous post about parenting...I just want to say that I appreciate the various encouragement, apologies and explanations I had received from many of you. You are ALL my dear friends and I know everything that was said was said with the best of intentions. I honestly wasn't angry with any one person. I was just angry with the situation and was feeling judged by the people who's opinons matter most too me. Wether it be friends, family, or fellow Mommys...I value your friendships a great deal and encourage you to challange me when you feel so called. Just be warned I may freak out occasionaly! Thanks for your love and support =)

LOOK..we can all get along!

I took this from Kims blog because it was already edited so nicely! This was in the Sun Time this morning:

Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington may be closed on Dec. 25, but the megachurch's pastor has decided to preach on Christmas morning anyway.Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek, the largest predominantly white church in the Chicago area, will share preaching duties with the Rev. James Meeks in the pulpit of his Salem Baptist Church, the area's largest predominantly black congregation...

For several years now, Meeks and Hybels have been getting to know each other as colleagues and friends. But they would like their congregations to know one another better as well, to build a bridge between the often segregated white and black evangelical Christian communities. Toward that end, in June, 50 church members -- half from Willow, half from Salem -- spent a week riding a bus through the Deep South visiting historical civil rights-era sites. They called it a "Justice Journey."This Christmas morning, as Meeks and Hybels share a pulpit for the first time, will be another step on that journey toward racial reconciliation in the evangelical church, Meeks said."To see us come together," Meeks said, "I think it speaks volumes...

On Friday afternoon, Hybels, who was at O'Hare Airport waiting for a flight bound for Zambia in Africa, where he will spend this week at an AIDS clinic filming a pre-holiday sermon that will be beamed back to Willow next weekend -- they call it "Christmas on Location" -- e-mailed Meeks at the airport in Washington to say he'd be at Salem Christmas morning, with bells on, as it were.

and the drama continues...

This is from Time Magazine

Christian blogs are full of unseasonably vitriolic postings, full of Scriptural references, theological arguments and appeals to common sense. Evangelicals are attacking other Evangelicals in the media. And the debate within the Evangelical community is giving the rest of America a rare look at the divisions that do exist, usually quietly and below the surface, of the 65-million-strong Evangelical community. It is a reminder that this group, so often labeled the "religious right", is diverse both in theology and methodology. The church is in fact many churches, this bloc is no monolith, and this argument, says Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, "shows we're still all very human."...

Others worry that the fight may be more damaging than any impact from what they're fighting about. ""The central point is not what hour of what day the congregation gathers corporately to celebrate the birth of Christ," says Willow Creek's Hybels, "but rather that in our hearts and lives we allow the coming of Christ to transform us." On his blog, Louie Marsh, pastor of a small church in rural Arizona, quoted the Apostle Paul from the Book of Romans, who wrote, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant?" "I do know [that] this isn't something we should be fighting about," Marsh blogged. "Let's just focus on serving God the best we can."

I have only posted the parts that I agreed with the most so feel free to check out the full story if you are curious.

Willow will be closed on Christmas and I will be home with Malachy...

Here is what lead pastor Gene has to say about the apparently extremely controversial discion for willow to close on Christmas: (Kim had this on her blog and it came from an article in the tribune, I think Gene explained it best!)

"At first glance it does sound contrarian," said Rev. Gene Appel, senior pastor of Willow Creek. "We don't see it as not having church on Christmas. We see it as decentralizing the church on Christmas--hundreds of thousands of experiences going on around Christmas trees. The best way to honor the birth of Jesus is for families to have a more personal experience on that day."It's not that the church does not value Christmas, the day set aside to commemorate the incarnation of God on Earth. Willow Creek is organizing almost a week of worship ending Christmas Eve, and total attendance at the services is expected to top 50,000. The church has also produced a short DVD designed to reinforce the theme of the Christmas services and help viewers process spiritual questions that may cross their minds during the holidays.And Appel argues that family has always been at the heart of the Christmas story: the tale of a mother and father celebrating the birth of a babe in a manger.

I have seen the video and I think it will be a very powerfull tool!! I'm really excited about the opportunity it will present for familys close and far from God to focus on Christ Christmas morning.

I'm angry and stressed!

Most people won't read this because it is sooo long, which is probably good becuase it's not Steph at her best it's Steph fed up!

I feel really frustrated! There are many things adding to my frustration...lack of sleep, depression, not enough big macs but I think the biggest thing freaking me out right now is the judgemental nature of people regarding my parenting! I just want to scream back off! This past week alone I have been told that I'm afraid of my own child, I don't spend enough time with my own child, I should apply to be on Super Nanny, Mothers were intended to stay at home and not work, I'm not feeding him right, putting him to bed right, I'm spoiling him...you name it...I have done it. Apparently I'm the WORST mother in the universe!! And the worst part is...it's not strangers saying this to me...it's my family, friends, and co-workers..all of you who know me best...so it must be true.

I was watching Desperate Housewives last night (more evidence of my flawed character I'm sure) and I could totally relate to Lynette. She was trying to get Day Care started at the office so she could see her children more. The problem was they needed 15 children to be enrolled. The boss's wife was a stay at home mom but if she would bring her child in occasionaly it would be enough for them to get the day care. Lynette called this woman to ask her if she woud bring her child in to the day care. The women responded with an obscene amount of judgement and ridicule towards Lynette for working. She even said to Lynette I don't know why women bother having children if they are going to work. In which Lynette responded;"I'm a good mother." and the woman said;" you see that's the difference between you and I ...I want to be a great mother." I could have screamed because that is sooo real. That is totally how people treat you! Even if they don't say it that boldly they imply it. I have heard several times from Stay at Home mothers something like;" I would rather live in a card board box with my children then get a job. Mom's who work do so to support a lifestyle they choose." Give me a freaking break! For one thing you would NOT want your children living in poverty if you had the power to change it, so that is just insulting. And we are not just talking about the lifestyle of an occasional dinner out and clothe from Old Navy instead of the thrift store, we are talking about health insurance, dance or music lessons, proper meals, the list goes on. So please, if your husband is making more then 40k and you can afford to stay at home,while owning a home, 2 cars, nice clothe and so on do not presume to judge the rest of us who need to work for our ever so lush lifestyles we are "choosing".

People are way to judgemental and they often excuse theur judgement as some holy calling or righteousness. Especially in the Christian community. I remember being at Mark's fathers funeral and this man from their home church. (who I have never met before) Starts asking me what my plans are for Malachy's education. (I was only like 6 months pregnant!) Then he goes on to tell me the only correct way to do it is to home school Malachy and be home with him and he doesn't understand these women who...blah blah blah...I was like I don't even know you (or my son at this point) so how in the world can we know what's best for him yet!? I remember last year watching Dr. Phil and it was stay at home moms and working moms just tearing eachother apart and I couldn't believe it!

I always hear the TRUE statement: being a stay at home mom is like having 2 full time jobs with no days off...but let's remember working Moms STILL come home to their children! It's not like I come home and put my feet up. There are diapers to change, dinners to make, baths to give, tears to wipe the whole spectrum and we don't get vacation days from our children either. We also have 2 full time jobs. It's not a competition why can't we all just help eachother out!?!

I'm aware of my failings as a parent. My child won't listen to me, he hits me, he doesn't sleep...the list goes on. He does behave better for Kim and he is only a child. So yes, I'm aware that his behavior is a direct result of my failure to train him better and NOT beause he is a bad child. However I must say I do try. I try to be consistent. I try to discipline him and I do love him very much. So please cut me some slack it's hard enough without feeling like the whole world is against me.

DISCLAIMER: This "rant" is in NO way directed at my best friend in the whole world Crystal, she is an amazing Mom who I respect greatly and has been an encouragement and inspiration to me. Also this "rant" is not directed at Jami. Although I'm aware some of the things I'm adressing are opinions she holds and recently wrote about in her blog. Jami is another great Mom and her recent blogginig isn't what got me upset. I have been hearing stuff from people all week and I'm frustrated, upset, tierd and looking for a place to vent. I respect that most Moms are just doing what they think is best for their children.

Snow, Santa, and Garland...it's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

Malachy is wide eyed at the idea of meeting Santa. (who he calls Nana)
Here is Malaachy with the Jolly fellow now...I'm not sure if he even noticed whos lap he was on!
We had to put some Christmas lights up for our first Christmas in a "real" house!
It has been snowing all afternoon...and I hear there is more to come in the next few days!
This is my (indoor) garland I bought...I hope the snow doesn't ruin it!

I'm so excited about the Holidays!! I can't wait till we put the tree up, we have been holding off in fear of Malachy destroying it! (or eating it) I can't wait to spend some quality time with my family and friends! Especially Noah, Lauren, and their new son Jack the beagle mix!

Thanks Giving pictures!

Here our some of our Thanks Giving Day photos!
Kim and Mom prepared our Turkey diner with all the fixings! While Mark, Malachy and Dad watched what ever game they could find on TV. I took pictures and played with Malachy when he got bored of the TV! It was a real fun day! It felt like home to ALL of us, which made it extra special. Mom and I even got to do some scrap booking! Mom was really good at it.
This is our newly painted (and carpeted) living room and dinning room! Thanks giving reminded me of all I'm thankful for! Of course God's amazing grace and goodness was at the top of the list...not to sound all churchy...but God has been soo Good to me this year!
I'm thankful for:
Family and Friends!
Mark and I having jobs we really enjoy
Kim watching Malachy
Our new home
Our new Ipod
Our new computer
Lessons learned
Marriage
Scrapbooking
Promiseland
and so much more!

OK I was supposed to do this along time ago!

20 random things about me!
1. I over think EVERYTHING!
2. I only like red meat if it is cooked at a restraunt.
3. I still bite off my toe nails.
4. It is REALLY important to me to feel close to people.
5. I want to know God better
6. My baby's first word was eye.
7. I worship mediocrity.
8. I don't think I would survive in this world without my family.
9. Including my pregnancy in the past 2 years I gained 60lbs lost 85 and then gained 25 back and no I'm NOT pregnant so stop asking!
10. I LOVE the Office...I laugh the whole time! (favorite shows: Gilmore Girls, Lost, and 24!)
11. At work I feel like I talk more then I work, but the talking usually includes something or someone work related. =)
12. I use to drink the dill pickle juice
13. I find myself praying for Noah more then anything else...like ALL the stinking time!
14. The friends I feel the most close to are all people I have know since highschool.
15. My favorite foods are Spaghetti and Pumpkin Pie!
16. People give me crap about naming my son Malachy. His birthday cards had about 10 dif. spellings. =)
17. My Husband I just got an Ipod to share....we love it!
18. My dads 5th grade photo looks like me with a buzz cut!
19. I'm STILL scared of the dark.
20. I think my kid is the cutest!

Here they are...don't boycott!

Some of the long awaited House pictures!! This is the kitchen. With one of Kim's Kittys! We haven't started any work on the kitchen yet and will wait a while before we tackle the wall paper in here! When we do eventually get to it the goal is to paint it a earthy red and have a coffee house cozy feel! Below is the house from the front with little Malachy! Malachy is wearing his coat from Meghan!!



Above is the bedroom and too the left is more of the kitchen. The livng roon/dinning room is finaly done!! I will get pictures of those up soon!! Along with Malachys room.

Our New House!

OK I have tried twice to upload pictures and Blogger is being STUPID!! I'm way tooo annoyed to keep trying...so maybe tomorrow!

Mom and Dad's new apartment

I thought I would post some pictures of Mom and Dads new apartment (mostly for Noah and Lauren) It's a beautiful building right in the middle of historic Elgin! Many of the buildings near them date from around 1880-1900! The building has beautiful stained glass windows and great arches and molding! They are 1 block from a park and about 3-5 blocks from downtown. I'm looking forward to walking around downtown in the summer, Mom and Dad have already found a cute coffee shop! I'm so glad they found a place they enjoy so much! Congrats on the new place Mom and Dad!

Home again!

Soo...Mark and I went to Iowa this weekend and althougth we missed coming home down the big hill on 72 and seeing all the pretty trees in the river valley, we did enjoy driving up the driveway to our own home!

We had a great time in Iowa, especially Malachy, who had a 3rd Birthday party and got to play with his cousins! Now I'm home, beat, and ready for some TV! Next week I seriously have to do whatever it takes to get my living room DONE, it sucks having no comfy place to watch my shows and let the kid play! I have no trips next weekend so I can pull an all nighter and do what I gots to do! I'm soooo looking forward to having my house done and being able to invite people over!

I have missed being able to post pictures and keep up on everyones blogs!! I hope to have more time for blogging this week!

it's over!!

OK soooo...the worst day ever actually got worse!! I won't go into the details because it was pretty overwhelming and I don't want to relive it. But the good news is it is finally done! Mark and I are now home owners! We are pretty excited but still recovering from the emotional and physical exhaustion of last week.

There is a lot of work we need to do in the living/dinning room area as well as some other repairs outside on the steps and such. So those are our next projects to tackle! Luckley we had and continue to have some amazing help from our co-workers and the Kunzes!

I will post some fun pictures later but I'm currently at work and need to get some stuff done I just thought I should update you all!