11/30/07 – 12/1/2007 Growing Our Family to NINE!! Tim and I thought we’d better try one night with 7 kids before we start telling people we’d like 10 of our own. Note: The end of the previous statement is 100%, pure joking! We actually had a fantastic time, and it wasn’t near as challenging as I had imagined. Tim and I slept on the pull-out bed in the living room, and the kids snuggled in their sleeping bags around us. They were very well behaved, and we enjoyed a lazy morning of sleeping in, cuddling in bed, and reading books! The outside temperature was frigid and there was a thick layer of ice on our car that morning. When we got to Burger King for lunch, we realized the two youngest children didn’t have coats or gloves!!!!! I guess we’re not quite ready for 10 children of our own! More Photos

11/30/07 Christmas Potluck Jason and Natalie hosted an Italian, December potluck at their place of business. They are partners in a physical therapy practice, so the guys really enjoyed messing around with the equipment after (and before J) the meal. We had a fantastic smorgasbord of food and a great evening of conversation. Thanks for a great party, J and Nat! More Photos

11/28/2007 Baking for Church Lunch My mom was going to be out of town when I served lunch for church, so she helped me with an entire day of team-baking. It was a lot of fun, and we laughed a lot! Have I mentioned it’s wonderful to have my mom close by????? More Photos

11/27/2007 Picture Time We recently had some family pictures taken by Tim’s cousin, Cara, who works at VGallery in Morton. She did a fantastic job! If you’d like to check them out, visit www.collages.net, username: Lehman, password: 13724. On the left hand column, click portraits to view the pictures.

11/24/2007 Christmas in November! There’s something so special about TRADITION!! Ever since I was a little girl, the Heimers have gotten together to celebrate Thanksgiving/Christmas. Although my grandparents have been gone for many years, the traditions still continue! I can always count on delicious rolls, Aunt Barb’s chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, trap shooting in the afternoon, family pictures, reading of the Christmas story, singing of Silent Night, and a gift exchange to finish the evening! More Photos

11/21/2007 – 11/24/2007 A Time To Give Thanks We were blessed to be able to host Tim’s family at the cabin for Thanksgiving!! The light snow and cold weather made it a perfect weekend to build a fire and spend time with family! As we went around the dinner table and shared “thanksgivings” from the past year, there seemed to be a common theme: salvation in Christ, a wonderful marriage, and a blessed family. Mom summed it all up when she reminded us of our godly heritage, the faithfulness of our grandparents and great-grandparents, which has allowed us to know Christ and find a fulfilled life in Him!! Picture Note: Tim's dad isn't scowling . . . he's just helping Jackson smile by saying Purple Peanut Butter!! More Photos

11/20/2007 My Little Load of Wash I needed to take Cade’s wash downstairs and didn’t have another arm to carry him . . . so he caught a ride in the basket!

11/19/2007 Bring On the Holidays!! Tim, Cade and I enjoyed a wonderful evening of getting our home ready for Christmas. It was so fun to pull out all the holiday decorations, and it was fun to see Cade “discover” the lights and sparkle of the season! More Photos

11/16/2007 – 11/18/2007 High Brow Meets His End Another weekend at “deer camp” and one buck down! Dad, Darin and Jacob track the deer on our farm using motion-activated cameras. They know the deer so well they have them named and can identify each buck upon sight!!! Each buck is left to grow until it’s antlers are big enough to score at least 150 when measured. Then . . . the deer is available for harvest! Well, High Brow had no clue he had been watched for years, and moments after Darin saw him in the woods . . . he became wall decoration! More Photos

11/13/2007 Life With Four Kids I got the privilege of watching Hattie, Abe and Lena for a few hours, and it gave me a taste of how a mom of four might feel. It was actually pretty fun, but I can only imagine the energy it would take to do that on a daily basis, 365 days a year!!!!!!! Let me just say, I was glad I set up our snack time on the tile floor in the kitchen! More Photos

11/9/1007 – 11/11/2007 Missouri’s Unofficial Holiday If you’re not from Missouri, or don’t have close friends from Missouri, I’d better explain myself. Opening day of deer season is one of the biggest events of the year!!!!!! Bow season has been open for quite a while, but when men get to carry a rifle, the testosterone starts to flow! They might as well cancel school for those 10 days because ½ of the students won’t be there anyway. We had a great weekend at “deer camp”- the guys out hunting and us ladies getting food ready for our hungry men. No one came home with a big buck, but they say the anticipation of what could happen is enough to get you back out to the stand the next day! More Photos

11/7/2007 A Fun, Fall Day! The weather is beautiful here, although it’s pretty cold, so Cade and I bundled up to get some fresh air. It’s so fun to watch him experience new things, and I praise God that I am able to be home with him! More Photos

11/3/2007 – 11/4/2007 To Mackinaw We Go We had previously attempted to get together with Mike and Carmen, but the flu put a hold on our plans. We had a wonderful weekend together, and it was so nice to be able to relax and catch up! Their daughter, Kate, is about 15 months old, and it was fun to watch her interact with Cade. She’s going to be a big sister in February, so it was good practice for her! More Photos

11/2/2007- 11/3/2007 Cade’s 6 Month Birthday . . . A Little Late We stopped by to see Jay and Jackie, and they surprised us with a few gifts for Cade! Jackie works part-time at a children’s boutique, and it’s hard for her to pass up things Cade “needs” Thanks for the hospitality, and thanks for the gifts! More Photos

11/2/2007 Please Pray for Salena! When it comes to spiritual gifts, I admit prayer is not very high on my list . . . but I know there are those who can be classified as prayer warriors!! I leave you with a request. My mom’s brother, Bruce, has a daughter named Salena. She is married to Herman and has a daughter, McKenzie. Salena was on bed rest the last month of her pregnancy because of high blood pressure, and her doctor finally took the baby 5 weeks early. She gave birth to a son, Karsen. After Salena went home, she began to have a great amount of swelling. She had to take her son back to the hospital, Sunday, for a blood test, and mentioned that she was having trouble breathing. The ER doctor did not contact Salena’s physician and began treating her for anemia and panic attacks with blood transfusions and IV fluids. The exact opposite of what she should have received!!! This caused her blood pressure to rise further, and she died. They were able to revive her, but not before she went quite a while without oxygen. She was flown to another hospital and given a 50/50 chance to live. The physicians said if she “woke up” she had a great possibility for extensive brain damage. She has continued to improve, much to the doctors’ amazement and is now able to blink her eyes and move her big toe. She is getting a tracheotomy and feeding tube today. Her town of Hayti, MO is being updated via this website: www.topix.com/forum/city/hayti-mo (Pray for Salena) Please pray that God will bring comfort to her family and healing to her body, if this is how He can best be glorified!

10/28/2007 – 10/31/2007 International Baby!! Tim had to fly home from Phoenix to work, but Cade and I took the opportunity to travel to Magdalena, Mexico to visit my former college roommate, Amy. She was a Spanish education major, and she now takes care of the girls at our church’s children’s home. The kids liked having a “fat, white” baby around, and Cade did a great job being passed from person to person! I had been to Magdalena on a work team, but it I really enjoyed being able to see “normal, everyday life” on the compound. Cade and I were able to go with Amy to take the kids to school, get shoes exchanged, and eat lunch out . . . and it was good for me to, once again, see poverty. Each time I travel outside of the United States, I am reminded that people can have nothing and still be happier than most people here. I was able to come home with a fresh perspective on life and “stuff”. Amy recently got engaged, so we had plenty of things to talk about when the kids were asleep for the night!! She will be moving back to Indiana in December, and you can pray that God will help her make a smooth transition back into American culture and find a new ministry with her fiancé, Jon! More Photos

10/26/2007 – 10/28/2007 From Cold Weather to Hot Tim, Cade and I flew to Phoenix for the weekend to visit Tim’s sister, Kristen, and her family. She is married to Gabe and they have a son, Christian, and a daughter, Kayl. Christian has grown into a fine young man, and Kayl is getting a fun personality of her own. They were wonderful hosts, and it was fun to catch up! Gabe and Kristen are also fabulous cooks, and we got to enjoy a wonderful meal of shrimp cocktail, steak, creamed spinach and macaroni!!!! We look forward to having you in the Midwest over Christmas! More Photos

10/22/2007 Shopping Trip A group of ladies from our church get together once a month for birthdays, and then enjoy a shopping trip together in the fall. It was a blessing to spend an entire day with my sisters in Christ, and we all agreed the fellowship was better than the shopping! Malls tend to overwhelm me, so Tim and I generally go power-shopping once or twice a year. This trip provided the perfect opportunity to get a lot done in a short amount of time! If we don’t have too much wash, I generally throw all the clothes together in one load so I don’t waste water. Without thinking, I put all of our new clothes in the washing machine . . . and forgot all about new clothes (i.e. hot pink shirt) bleeding!!! You guessed it . . . I managed to stain 4 new shirts! I guess we learn best from experience! More Photos

10/19/2007 – 10/21/2007 Anniversary Camping Trip Yes . . . our anniversary is in July, but we really didn’t want to camp in 100 degree heat! We decided to postpone our trip to Pere Marquette State Park until fall and picked the third weekend in October when the trees were supposed to be at their peak color. Well, because of the high heat through the summer the trees were nothing close to spectacular . . . but that did not keep us from having a fantastic time! Tim and I love to tent camp, hike, bike and explore little towns, and we got to do all of these on our trip. God provided perfect weather and wonderful grandparents to watch Cade so we could have a weekend alone! I am generally a pretty careful packer, but this time I was attempting to keep a six month old content while trying to remember all we needed for camping. In my haste I forgot a few essential items: 1- pillows, 2- Tim’s tennis shoes, 3- something to light the fire, and 4- bike helmets. Thankfully, Mom had given us a couple of pillow cases, and we filled them with blankets and sweats. Kind of lumpy, but they worked. Thankfully, Tim hadn’t worn his shiny black shoes to work and was able to use his casual work shoes through the weekend. Thankfully, we were able to borrow matches from some “neighbors.” Thankfully, we didn’t crash on our bike trip. I had remembered to bring our helmets along, but we just forgot to put them on! Thankfully, I have a very flexible husband who just laughed at my forgetfulness and didn’t complain! Just in case you are interested in leaf color, I have copied the following paragraph from the State Park website: Weather conditions, both before and during the autumn season, will affect the amount and brilliance of the colors that develop, with temperature and moisture conditions being the main influences. Warm, sunny days encourage the manufacture of the anthocyanins that produce the red and purple hues. The yellow, gold and orange colors created by carotenoid are always present in leaves, and the amount does not change in response to weather. A severe frost will kill the leaves, turning them brown and causing them to drop early. The amount of rain in a year also affects the magnitude of autumn leaf color. Drought conditions can delay the arrival of autumn colors and a warm, wet period during the color season will diminish the intensity of the colors. The best color show occurs when there's been a warm, wet spring, a summer that's not too hot or dry, and a fall with plenty of warm sunny days and cool nights. More Photos

10/16/2007 Babysitting David and Jen’s mom had to be out of town for the day, so Cade and I had a great time babysitting! After school work in the morning, we headed to town, got some ice cream, and then headed back to our house for some play time. David and Jen kept Cade entertained all day, and I now realize the potential benefit of a second child!! My daily play time has been centered around a 6 month old, so it was fun to see David and Jen’s creativity and imagination expressed through play! More Photos

10/13/07 – 10/14/07 Fun Weekend with Ben! We always enjoy spending time with Ben, so the young group invite was the perfect excuse to get him back!!!! We went to the concert Friday night, had breakfast with Jason and Natalie Saturday morning, visited the pharmacy where I work (Ben is also a pharmacist and we wanted to make sure he knew there was a job opening here!), spent time at the invite, and then hung out at the farm Sunday afternoon. Tim and I feel incredibly comfortable with Ben, and he is an inspiration to us. Despite his handicap, you will never hear him complain. In fact, he says it’s actually not that big of deal!! God has blessed him with a great attitude, fun personality, and strong arms, and there are very few places he can’t go with his wheelchair. He can even go down a few stairs by himself (while still in the wheelchair!). Ben, we love having you visit . . . but we would really love having you around permanently!

10/13/07 – 10/14/07 Young Group Invite Once every fall the high school and college students from our church invite kids from all over to join them for a fun weekend. This year, around 150 extra people came, including many Tim and I got to know during our years in college and Lafayette. They spent the afternoon playing games, but we met up with the group at supper time. Later that evening, around the campfire, Dad had a Bible study on the weekend’s theme, There’s a Storm a Comin’ . . . and there really was! At first there were just a few raindrops, but in the end the rain cut his talk short and everyone crammed into Jim and Kris’ garage for some singing. Before the rain hit, Dad invited Jim and Ben to come to the front. These two men face a storm every day of their life- Jim has lived for years with horrible arthritis that leaves him in tremendous pain every day, and Ben was paralyzed in a snowmobile accident in high school. It was encouraging to hear their testimony of God’s faithfulness, but it also gave me renewed thanks for the health of me and my family! Storms are sure to come in my life, but I pray I will be able to see them through God’s eyes and with my temporal vision!!!

10/12/07 Booth Brothers Concert My parents graciously took a group out to eat and then to a southern gospel concert. It was a fun evening of fellowship, and I enjoyed the AMAZING harmony of the Booth Brothers!!!!!!!! Last year they were named the southern gospel Group of the Year . . . and now I know why! Dad and Mom, thanks for a great evening!

10/12/07 Lunch Date with Daddy Friday was one of those days I didn’t really feel like making lunch, so Cade and I gave Tim a call and met him for lunch. Tina, a lady from our church, has a quaint restaurant downtown, and it is always fun to grab a bite to eat and check out the items in her gift shop!

10/10/07 Cade's 6 Month Pictures Cade did a great job smiling for his pictures! He was able to sit up on his own, but when we tried to get a stomach shot he kept rolling over!! Grandma was too good of a teacher! More Photos

10/7/07 Sunday School Fall Picnic We had a beautiful fall afternoon to enjoy our annual Sunday School Cookout. Not mach has changed in 20 years, except that now I am on the planning end!! It brought back many fun memories of time spent with my Sunday School classmates. Kenny and Phyllis and their son Kevin were kind to host the cookout at their farm!! More Photos

10/5/07 - 10/7/07 Tim's Classmates visit Cherry Valley Tim decided to invite some of his classmates (Sunday School through college) to the farm for the weekend so they could catch up and relive memories. They now each have a family, and it was funny to hear them talk about cruising around in high school!! They have come a long way since then and are all wonderful, godly men! More Photos

10/4/07 Cade's 6 Month Doctor's Visit Mom joined us for Cade’s doctor appointment. He now weighs 15 pounds, 10 ounces and is 25 and ½ inches long. He stayed right at the 25th percentile. When I asked the doctor why Cade was sleeping through the night and suddenly went back to getting up a few times, he replied, “Welcome to parenting!”

10/2/07 Great Baby Seat! I needed a place to put Cade while I finished getting ready in the bathroom, and the sink worked great! He was able to keep me in view and enjoyed playing with the shiny faucet!!