Ikea therapy

I feel like such a slacker with my posting. I have been very busy with radio work lately and keeping up with Naomi's messes. I am so very excited that two of our talented friends were selected to play in the Big Ticket Tour and possibly be selected to play on the Indie stage at the Big Ticket Festival in June. Joey Brady and his band My Syndicate will be performing with the tour in Grand Rapids this Saturday at Resurrection Life Church in Lansing and Michael Maher will be with the tour in Highland on 3/21 at Cornerstone Church. I have one other friend who should be on the tour but he didn't submit his work. I won't mention names cuz he knows who it is and I'm sure his wife will read this and rib him about it!
Mike still has a job despite the recent announcements - Praise God! Brooke is on break this week from Oakland University but was scheduled to work most of the week. Hopefully we will get to see her this weekend. Jo-Jo regained her freedom after a week of being grounded for denying her responsibilities and seems to be back on track. She got to get her Grandma Judy fix and spent the night with her on Saturday. We have an extra long "stomp" practice here at the house this friday because half the team was absent last week and the talent show try-outs are coming up fast. Naomi's schedule is still whacked and some days I can't get her to take a nap for nothin'. She has figured out how to get her shoes and socks off and so you will most likely find her barefoot these days, which just confirms my earlier observation regarding her being part hillbilly. I have been battling with the little voices coming from the Girl Scout cookies in the cupboard calling me to eat them. I am extremely thrilled to have a dozen matching drinking glasses and a new light for the front doorway from Ikea. Now I just have to find the time to hang it. OOOOhhh I can't wait to see it up!

Wearing a bathing suit in the snow???

I would post pics of our weekend in Elk Rapids with the Taylors at the home of Danna's wonderful parents, Carol & Dan Sinclair but I was having so much fun I forgot to take them! Hopefully Danna will share some of hers with me so I can post them. We went to Avalanche Bay Waterpark for a day. It was nice of them to jack up the prices for President's weekend. It was odd to look out the window of the 84 degree waterpark and see people coming down the slopes of Boyne Mountain. The "toilet bowl" ride was a favorite. Naomi is a water lover like her sister JoJo. We are hoping to camp up there this summer. There is a campground right across the lake from the Sinclair's home.
I'm heading into a busy time of the year with a slew of events coming up with the radio station. I get to see one of my favorites this weekend. Jeremy Horn is back in Michigan for 2 concerts in Ashley (near Saginaw) and then 1 in Flint.
Brooke is on break from school next week but I'm not sure how much we'll get to see her since she has a "huge" paper to write. We didn't get to visit with her this week either. JoJo has been pretty busy with homework too.
Mike is still employed and seems to feel that he's in a pretty good place right now. We just keep the faith that God will keep us covered.
It seems that the enemy has been attacking in huge ways these days but it always ends with God coming out on top. Keep praying for the safe return of our friend Diana Anderson's sister, Randa Jawhari that went missing 2/10 and for another testimony to God's greatness.

Baked Donuts

Have you tried these yet? Oh my! The recipe was on the side of the biscuit package. Can you say yum? All you do is cut holes in the middle of the biscuits, dip them in melted butter, roll them in sugar and bake. They warm up good the next day too. I'm wearing one or two on each bun.

Naomi update

Naomi has decided that she would much rather ride in her doll stroller than push her babies in it. She is beginning to use "her words" these days. Thank You is her most commonly used word which sounds more like Tahank yewh. She is very fond of Cheez-its and her preference to go barefoot proves there must be Chinese hillbillies too.

Let them eat cake

The Fellabaums were honored to celebrate Magen Taylor's 22nd birthday with her. Pizza and birthday cake were part of the festivities. We got her a bike helmet to wear when she rides her new bike that was ordered for her. I even personalized it with her name.

The Snob Hill Gang

Nancy Draves Mandy LaFreniere
Laura Nelson Laura Faricy
Holly Draves Bill Nelson
Beth Draves Ben Brandt
Arthur Brandt
Naomi has decided to take the terrible twos for a trial run. Not that she could ever be Terrible but she just hasn't been her normal cheery self this past week. Her schedule has been completely out of whack, she's thinking naps are optional, the grunting and whining has been perpetual and just when I could really use a break from her for a bit, she has decided to freak out if I walk out of the room. So pray for patience for us. She is obviously going through "something" in her mind so we must just reassure her that we will be here for her.
Mike and Jo have been busy with Upward basketball, I've been busy making Valentine cards for the Women's Ministry Love Sale this Sunday and Brooke has been busy with school, exams and work but still making time to visit us (rather Naomi) once in awhile. I had fun discovering a bunch of my old neighbors from "Snob Hill" on facebook and touching base with them. It amazes me how the internet has changed things. If not for facebook I would probably go to my grave never knowing where and what all my homies were up to. I guess I could easily do that but it makes me smile to know that I didn't have to. Besides all the folks I found pics for here, There was also Barry LaFreniere and Kirsten Nelson without pics.

Naomi update

She can empty a cupboard at lightning speed, suck down your cola before you notice it's missing and stop elderly women in their tracks at the mall with her cuteness.
That's Naomi.
Still leery of strangers, starting to warm up to familiar faces and very vocal at home.
Her vocabulary consists of dada, momma, ni-night, more, bye-bye, hi, lovey (her blanket),jo-jo & down.