1/23/2008 Scarletina During Cade's bath on Monday, I noticed a little bit of a rash on his tummy . . . but nothing to worry about. He spent the day at Mom's yesterday, and when I changed his diaper last night my mouth dropped open! The rash had gotten much worse. I called Cade's doctor in this morning, and he told me to wait and see if it cleared up on its own by Friday. Well, when Cade woke up from his morning nap . . . the rash had spread to his face. My mother-heart didn't feel right, so I took him to urgent care. Sure enough, he had scarletina which is basically an advanced form of strep throat. Cade and I then traveled to the pharmacy where I work, but this time as patients! He will still be contagious until tomorrow afternoon, so let's hope Mom doesn't catch it from him!! Tim and I are completely healed from our month-long colds, but Mom's is still hanging around. We pray she feels better SOON!

1/20/2008 Happy Birthday Natalie!! Dad and Mom Lehman left Kansas after church and arrived in time to join us for supper and a birthday party for Natalie. The kids really enjoyed the evening with their grandparents, and it was nice for the adults to be able to "catch up". Dad and Mom, thanks for making the quick evening trip! We love you! More Photos

1/19/2008 Cousin Fun Jason took Natalie out for her birthday, so we had a fun evening with Cade and Sage!!! Cade LOVED having a playmate, it it was great to hear him giggle as he chased Sage around our kitchen. I've got a feeling these two will be good buddies for many years to come! More Photos

1/18/2008 An Entertaining Friday Night!!! Shannon and Susan dropped their girls off for the evening, so we called Jason and Natalie and decided to make it a play date. The outfits in our dress-up box continued to be a big hit, and we enjoyed performances of singing, dancing, and musical instruments. Needless to say, the adults received a full evening of free entertainment!!! More Photos

1/16/2008 Dinner with our Neighbors The meal I was preparing looked like way too much food for Tim and I, so I ran across the street and invited our new neighbors for supper. Liz's husband was out of town for work, so it worked out great for she and her girls to join us. We had a wonderful time getting to know Liz, Clarice and Elaine (she wanted to make sure we knew the "i" and "e" were slient- can you tell she's in 1st grade?) . . . and Cade had fun with his new playmates! More Photos

1/14/2008 Bath Time Photo Shoot I'm not certain, but I got the feeling Cade would rather I play with him than play paparazzi!!! More Photos

1/14/07 New Camera!! I have had my eye on a new camera for a few years . . . and I finally saved enough "gift money" to allow the purchase! When the UPS man arrived Friday I was extremely excited . . . only to find the memory card would not arrive until today. It was definitely delayed gratification!!!! Like it or not, Tim and Cade have had to be the main subject for my first pictures.  J  More Photos

1/12/08 - 1/13/08 Blessed are the Flexible . . . Cade and I were enjoying a nice, quiet Saturday afternoon together when the phone rang.  "Am, it's Mom.  Would you be interested in being a HUGE help to me?"  Note: There is only one possible reply to that kind of request!  "We went out of our house to get in the vehicle to head to town for supper . . . and remembered that our keys to the vehicle were in the house.  We went to get them, but realized we had locked the door behind us.  We tried to get the hide-a-key . . . but it was missing.  So . . . we are sitting in a cold vehicle with our weekend company (John and Marsha L. had come to town to help Dad with the Memorandum) and need you to bring us a house key."  WOW!  I bundled Cade up, headed to Dad and Mom's, and prayed the unmarked key on my keychain was the coveted key to their house!  When I arrived, they were all pretty chilled but still in good spirits.  Mom and Marsha whipped up an amazing pot of soup, grilled up some toasted cheese sandwiches . . . and we had a fabulous meal!  There was a lot of laughter that evening, and it was a perfect moment to remember on of my mom's favorite quotes: Blessed are the flexible . . . for they shall not be bent out of shape!  We're just thankful it didn't take too much to please John and Marsha!!!   Tim, Cade and I ended up spending the night at Dad and Mom's and enjoyed breakfast with their company.  Scott and Shana M. were in town for an interview and joined us for breakfast.  Our town is one of four locations they are considering upon Shana's completion of her medical fellowship (yes . . . she's spent as much time in college as she did in primary school!!!).  Although we would love to have another young couple in town, we are confident God will direct them to the place where He can BEST use them!

1/12/2008 Who wants the sick bug next? Since the beginning of December our family has been passing around the sick bug!! As "life-altering" as a month-long cold can seem, God keeps reminding me that it is nothing permanent or life-threatening. So many face true, daily battles with illness, and I am definitely not in that category! Cade had a 24 hour flu complete with high fever and vomiting, but thankfully he pulled through it . . . and came out with pink eye . . . which he passed to me . . . and Mom! A week of draining, sore, matted, swollen, red eyes has been . . . interesting. It's the time of year where every other person at church seems to say, "Excuse me. I'm getting over _________," when you meet them. Lord, thank you for the reminder that it all comes . . . to PASS!

1/11/2008 Work Updates Tim works as an international tax accountant for a large, publicly traded company, so the first six weeks of the year are always pretty busy as they pull numbers together for Wall Street. For Tim, this usually means late nights and Saturday work. Over the last year he's done a great job trying to automate the process as much as possible. It's been fun to see how quickly he's pushed through the work this past week!! As of yesterday he had 40% of the work completed, and it looks like he'll only have to work longer hours through next week. Great job baby! I am so proud of you!!! With our shortened hours at the pharmacy, I now work 7:30-6:30 on Tu/Th and 8:30-3:30 every other Sat. Susie covers M/W/F and the other Saturdays. We've actually been having record numbers, despite the shortened schedule. I love the ministry opportunities at work, but I find myself longing for my old schedule so I can spend more time with Cade!! This morning, in his prayer, Tim prayed that I would be able to find contentment in this phase of life and understand that God has a purpose in EVERYTHING. It was so good for me to be reminded that God doesn't make mistakes!! He is always trying to mold us more into His image, even if it takes less than ideal circumstances. My heart has become closely knit with my co-workers, and I plead with God to help me show His love to them! When I'm at the pharmacy, it's easy for me to get in a zone and focus on all the work. I pray I can see work for what it is - WORK . . . and my coworkers and customers for what they are - SOULS!! Wasn't it the wisest man who ever lived that said "There is a purpose to EVERY season"?

1/7/2008 Date Night!!!!! With Tim's busy season heading into full-swing, we wanted to have a night alone! Dad and Mom were gracious enough to keep Cade overnight so we could fully enjoy our evening. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to spend a long, leisurely hour and a half at our favorite restaurant!!!!!! We got to talk about the holiday season, life with Cade, work, family, etc. and set a few goals for the new year. We got to catch the first half of the College Football National Championship game with Jason and Natalie and then were able to spend a quiet rest of the evening at home. How refreshing!!!!!

1/7/2008 Man in the Mirror It was so funny to watch Cade find himself in his bathroom mirror! I was laughing so hard I had to run grab my camera! More Photos

1/5/2008 - 1/6/2008 Wedding Weekend It was a pretty special weekend for us, as we got to see 2 people from our church, Joe & Lindsey, commit to a life-long union in marriage! It will be great to have another young couple join our potluck group! The wedding message held great reminders for me, and the reception was absolutely beautiful!!! Dad and Mom took Cade home from the reception, so Tim and I were able to catch up with a lot of people. The prior night, we were blessed to host Ryan, Amber and their daughter, Ava, at our home.  With both of the men being accountants, both of us having children the same age, and both of us having growing Christian marriages . . . we had plenty about which to talk!!!  Thanks for joining us for the evening, Ryan and Amber!  We had a fantastic time!!!! More Photos

1/4/2008 Annual Coon Hunt We had a big crowd at the farm for the annual coon hunt!!! The guys (and Danni) headed out for an evening of fun, while Mom and I got to spend time preparing a 9:00 p.m. chili supper. After all the stomachs were full, it was back to the races. Unfortunately, the dogs kept treeing coons in den trees (ones with holes where the coons can hide) so the final "coon count" was quite a bit lower than last year. All in all, they had a great time and will be ready to go again next year! More Photos

12/28/2007 - 1/1/2008 Relaxing Time Off!!!!!! The company where Tim works closes it's doors from Christmas Eve to New Years Day, so we were able to have a wonderful, relaxing week as a family . . . in our own home! As much as we tried to fight against it, this past summer and fall became quite busy. It was so nice to have time off to sleep in (as much as you can with a 9 month old) and just hang out as a family!!!

12/27/2007 Surprise Christmas When I pulled around the corner to our garage after work Thursday night, I noticed the grill was in use. Hmmmmm, I thought. What could this be? Tim has just spent the whole day babysitting Cade. Did he really have time to fix supper? Well . . . he hadn’t fixed supper . . . he had made a surprise Christmas feast!!! I was so impressed! He had fixed steak, red potatoes, peas, applesauce and rolls! He even continued his “mom” duties, feeding Cade and doing the dishes. I was able to enjoy a fantastic, hot meal that I hadn’t even cooked! Thanks for the wonderful Christmas gift, baby!!!!

12/21/2007 – 12/26/2007 Christmas in Kansas All of Tim’s sisters, including Kristen from Phoenix, were able to be home for Christmas! This made for a fun-filled . . . very noisy holiday weekend. The quiet, Christmas dinner where we enjoy adult conversation and reminisce of times past and goals for the future . . . became a distant memory of long, long ago! If Tim’s family continues to be blessed with more grandchildren, I imagine we’ll always look back at the previous Christmas as being quieter and calmer than the present! Oh, but the joy the kids have brought to our family. What fun to sit back and watch the chaos of flying wrapping paper! More Photos

12/16/2007 Heimer (Cade’s) Christmas For quite a while our family has had a “no gift” policy at Christmas. Well . . . Cade sure changed things up! Tim and I showed up to find a pile of gifts in Dad and Mom’s living room. One was for my brother’s girlfriend . . . and the rest were for Cade!!!!!! WOW! Enough said! More Photos

12/16/2007 Pharmacy Christmas Party Major family miscommunication!!!!! Mom and I live 20 minutes from each other, but somehow she forgot to inform me of our family Christmas plans! So . . . I had already planned to host our pharmacy Christmas party that same evening. It’s a good thing my mom’s motto is: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape! We moved the pharmacy party to Sunday afternoon, had a fantastic time, and then rushed over to Dad and Mom’s. Too funny! Quick pharmacy update: Susie and I are still the only pharmacists at our store, and we finally had to cut back our store hours so the two of us could lead “normal” lives again. The pharmacist who was dismissed (my brother-in-law, Jay, liked that soft word), had been writing illegal prescriptions . . . so it has been an interesting few weeks of detective work for Susie and I!! Never did I imagine I would be in the center of such a mess. I pray God will bring resolution, and a few new pharmacists, in His time!

12/15/2007 Getting Hitched We left Darin’s graduation ceremony at noon, drove 3 hours through the snow, and were only 15 minutes late for my cousin, Seth’s, wedding! Nothing like trying to pack two major events in a short period of time. I’m sorry I didn’t get any great pictures . . . but they are happily married, and in Seth’s words, “This has been the happiest day of my life!” More Photos

12/15/2007 Congratulations Darin!!!!!!! Put the books away . . . it’s time for a real job! Darin successfully completed the program to receive his bachelor’s degree in construction management, and it was an honor to attend his graduation. I am so proud of his hard work!! Darin plans to complete an internship at a steel plant next semester and then join my dad’s construction company. It will be great to have him “home” again! Congratulations, Darin, on a job well done!!! More Photos

12/14/2007 S-C-O-T-T My mom’s brother, Scott, is a great guy to hang around! He will call you beautiful (or handsome) and smart, open doors for you, do your dishes and even sweep your floor if you give him a vacuum. Uncle Scott has always had a special place in Mom’s family! He might be soft-spoken, but he understands everything you say and has such a servant heart. Mom, Jackie, Cade and I joined Scott for Parent’s Day at his “job”. It was such a treat to spend the afternoon with a group of people who are so excited to do whatever task you give them! Most of us would be grumbling after only a few hours of the remedial work. If you need a good laugh, the Hallmark movie, The Boys Next Door, is a perfect depiction of Scott’s living situation. God created this special group of people to bring joy to our lives and teach us about His unconditional love! More Photos

12/12/2007 Pharmacy Update One of the pharmacists I work with was dismissed, so that leaves me and our pharmacy manager to cover the shifts! She is in her first trimester of pregnancy and feeling quite sick, and I usually only work one day a week . . . so together we make quite the pair. Mom has been a tremendous help by watching Cade, and Tim has helped pick up some of the slack at home! Needless to say, the website has dropped on the priority list, hence my slow update time. I have enjoyed spending more time with the girls at work, and continue to pray that God will bring resolution to the short-staffed situation in His time. Just in case anyone who reads this website is a pharmacist . . . you have now officially been offered a full-time job. Just think . . . you’d get the pleasure of working with me!

12/11/2007 Bible Study Reunion Keith and Tami hosted a fun evening of appetizers, desserts and fellowship with our Crown Financial Bible Study group. It was great to get together again!

12/11/2007 Drip, Drip, Drop December Showers Cade was crying in the night . . . again. “Why won’t you just be quiet,” I was screaming in my head. Then, between his sniffles, I heard it . . . drip . . . drip . . . drip. It sounded too rhythmic to be rain hitting our window, so I decided to crawl out of my warm bed to investigate. When I rounded the corner to our laundry room, I could hear water hitting our tile. I didn’t want to turn on the light. “Tim, we’ve got a problem!” Ice from the previous day’s storm had gathered in the valley of our roof line and was causing water to back up into our house. Needless to say, Tim was my knight in shining armor as he climbed up the ladder to our roof (on a freezing night, in the rain) and spent about an hour and a half chipping ice! I am so thankful God invented husbands!!!! Around 4:30 a.m. the water had quit leaking into our home, and we snuggled close in bed to regain our warmth. “God,” I thought, “Thank you for waking Cade up!” More Photos

12/7/2007 – 12/9/2007 Chicago Time! Bekah and I have been working to coordinate a weekend for Tim and I to visit her and Aaron in Chicago, and the time finally arrived. Tim, Cade and I boarded the train Friday evening and had a wonderful trip. It was so relaxing to not have to worry about weather or traffic! Tim and I were able to enjoy conversation and spend time playing with Cade. He loved not having to be strapped in his car seat for five hours! We took a local train once we arrived in Chicago, and Aaron and Bekah’s apartment was only blocks from our final stop. Aaron was on call Friday night, so the rest of us enjoyed a Saturday morning of sleeping in (sorry Aaron!!!). We had breakfast out at a quaint little restaurant – not much to look at, but fantastic food. After an afternoon nap (I know, stressful day), we headed downtown and enjoyed a fun evening in the city. It was so fun to be bundled up, walking with masses of people enjoying the Christmas festivities!!!!!! We seemed to run into a lot of very friendly people throughout our evening. Tim thoroughly enjoyed using public transportation throughout the weekend, and found it fascinating that we only used our car to go to church! We might have to take a trip to Chicago every few months just so he can get his fill of subways and trains! We seem to get along very well with Aaron and Bekah, and we enjoyed our conversation, whether it was serious or funny! Thanks for your great hospitality, Aaron and Bekah!! More Photos

12/2/2007 Sutter Christmas We finished off a busy weekend with a relaxing family evening. I am second cousins with the Sutter clan, so we got to enjoy a fantastic potluck meal and an evening of games. Thanks to Charlene’s family for hosting a fun party! More Photos

12/1/2007 Bible Class Christmas Party Tim helps Keith teach the high school aged kids at church, and so we all got together for an evening of food and games. We had a great meal at Applebee’s and then came back to our house for dessert and skit bags. The kids were very creative with their skits, and we enjoyed spending the evening together! Here Tyler, a.k.a Abel (notice the long, hairy wig), gets ready to kill his supper by hitting it with a football! Tyler, I don't think the long-haired look is "you"!!! More Photos