Paxon's 5 Birthday

Paxon celebrated his birthday with preschool/church friends. Although, his birthday was in January, mom was too busy with college classes to plan a party, so I promised Paxon we would celebrate later. Everyone helped make it a success, we kept things moving, keeping excitement rolling for 4 and 5 year old boys. There was a lot of extra energy in this house. I would do it all over, even with all the extra work. It was an anticipated day for little Paxon, and it will be a special memory for him. He has so many wonderful friends from preschool and church.

Swept Away

Paxon and Jessa are the only one of my kids that still think helping mom is fun. Paxon proudly swept the dirt together for me in the dinning room. Can you believe how Paxon grew this winter? Keep watching we are getting ready to host about 10 boys for his birthday this Saturday. We have party favors and games ready to roll.

Gold Medals

Logan performed a trumpet solo, trumpet trio, and played triangles in a percussion ensemble, at
Elkhart Memorial High school area competition. He received a gold medal in each performance. Logan tries to tell old fashioned mom that playing and practicing is so nerdy, but it obviously payed off. He was really quite proud of his accomplishments. Mrs. Gray, teacher at our middle school teaches students incredible music and self confidence.

Dinner is in the freezer

What do you get when you purchase twelve pounds of hamburger, an arm roast, chicken breasts, and a ham bone will prepare a month of meals for the freezer. In a couple hours on Friday I prepared many delicious meals that include: tator tot casserole, vegetable beef soup, chili soup, chicken burritos, beef burritos, lasagna,ham and bean soup, meat loaf, and chicken broccoli rice casserole. This makes life a whole lot easier while I am busy studying.

She's a Sip Short of a Slurp

Jessa went to church with her pants on backward, luckily it was jersey night and it covered her bottom. She told her dad that her pants felt tight as they ran out the door. I took one look at her when they got home and just lost it laughing at my ditsy daughter. Believe me the rear view was priceless too with a zipper running down her crack. It was another life lesson--"hey kids the tag always goes in the back."

What To Do On A Snowy Day

Jessa, the craft queen, drew silly pictures on our dry erase board. The picture frame says, " I am a grandp and I am in florida". yes, the spelling errors are just like she wrote them. No time for winter boredom here.


















Halle and Jessa dressed up Oscar as a true princess.


















The boys dressed up as conducter cheerleader-Paxon; fairy old mother-Tanner; and caveman-Randy

Brown Mackie College

I am attending college classes to receive a degree in Physical Therapy. The past six months have been a drastic change from staying at home with little ones, to running out the door with the kids to get to school. My classes challenge me, and the ability to complete each assignment usually renders much discipline. My family along with my mom, Steve, and Karen help out around here a lot and also with taking care of Paxon. Once I receive my degree I will write their names beside mine on the certificate, of course with an invisible pen. That's what I have been doing for those of you who have lost touch with the Kauffman family. Gotta run --I should be researching for my compare and contrast research paper due next week.

No Stitches,No Broken Teeth, No Concussion

Today after school the kids thought that sledding on our driveway would be fun. Usually they get a running start, drop their sled, and sailing down a mogul they've created. Unfortunately, Logan kissed the driveway; He doesn't remember what happened. H e must have blacked out from hitting the icy driveway. No stitches, broken teeth, and no concussion; wow, protecting angels live here.
BTW, Logan was home from school last week for three days with strep throat.

JoAnna--Amish Chic

I am dressed
in grandma's
Amish shawl,
bonnet, and
glasses. JD
thinks I'm the
cutes Amish
chic he ever saw.

Doris the Amish fdau

After working in the milk house for her morning chores. She went in to her dear family to prepare them a hot breakfast. Husband, "Chonie" (Cliff) was ready to head to the back forty to plow the field with his team of Shauf gaul. Oh it was going to be another day of lots of work. Raising a family of 12 meant there was a lot of mouths to feed and lots of work to be done. They were hosting church next Sunday. All of the children would do their part, but then she took off her bonnet and plugged in her lap top and sold Lonbaberger to all her faithful customers.

Karen

Cee vet
un goota
mun. Vash
du voh ess
ana goota
gdea kent?

Dori and Tom

An unusual
combination,
Amish gf
and Asian bf.

The Williams

Trying not to crack a smile, Kurt and Katie anticipate appearing on the front cover of the Young Companion. lol

Jenna brings out her wild side

Jenna and her dad, Glenn pose for a picture.

Brooke- Rumspringa

Brooke makes a quick call to her boyfriend on her "secular" phone. Brooke is my brother,Phil's daughter.

mom dressed as grandma Slabough

Christmas at my mom's house.

Gingerbread house

Jessa belongs to the American Girl Club at the library. Last night they made their gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, candy and lots of yummy frosting. Here she is posing for us in front of our kids' craft Christmas tree ( my favorite tree in the whole house,and it always will be my favorite). Here is the kicker-- tonight they ate all the candy off of the house. Then Randy with Jessa's permission gave that house a kung fu chop and the house went Splat! It was so funny--even with all the broken graham crackers all over the table and floor.

Brutus

Logan's room has an Ohio State theme. My cousin, Branden Hochstetler painted Brutus on his wall today. Siam Sun is where you will find more amazing art work. If you would like to have your own personal art work painted onto your walls contact him by email: bintibet74@gmail.com For all my fellow buckeye fans, that is a Michigan helmet.
Go Bucks--O H I O

Thanksgiving Day

We started our day with a brunch with the rest of the bunch. The Mullet family, Karen, Steve, and my mom were here at our house. Quiche, homemade cinnamon rolls, fruit slush, raspberry yogurt, and lots of coffee. Oh yeah--that's the way to get the day rolling.
Late this afternoon, Thanksgiving fixings were set on the table in the most desirable dishes. Roasted Turkey, dressing, mashed potato, Carmel sweet potato, tempted our mouths as we sat around the table praying our blessing. My mom made the most awesome pumpkin pie to end the delicious meal. It destroyed my diet--but it was worth every bite.

Mr. Turkey

Who is that little turkey? R had a turkey decorating contest for thanksgiving. That was some tough competition. We used leaves and hot glue gun to decorate our gobbler. R was so proud of his project. Some of the other turkeys on display were Colts fans, turkey dressed as Santa clause, Amish turkey, turkeys decorated with candy wrappers. The competition really was incredible and oh yes, it was a family project. I don't think we won; Obama didn't call me.

update--(nov 27) we won 2nd place! way to go Randy.

Mrs. Sarber

A sad day for the first grade students at Nappanee Elementary. Our favorite teacher, Mrs. Sarber retired and is moving to Georgia to take care of her mother. God bless our dear teacher.

No Fist Fights

A rare moment indeed. L&R actually look like they get along.

Williams Wedding

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

J was Katie's flower girl for the wedding.

Cleveland Indians Game

Cleveland Indians vs Padres game. We got 3 hours of rain delay, lots of junk food, A whole bunch of good memories, 2 home run balls, and some great fireworks after the game. Did I mention that it was 1:30 AM when we left the ball park. whew!!! We were tired when we got to grandma's house and the next morning was not much better. The ballgame was the highlight of the week end along with great family time with JD's family.

Ballet Recital

J had her ballet recital on Sunday night. We came home from our weekend in Ohio and then went to her performance. She did such a great job. J danced to the Coconut song. JD told me later he was so proud of her that he could have just cried. Now that makes me want to cry.
We took Uncle Steve, grandma, and grandma Wessie(grandma's neighbor) We took L along so he could see all his girlfriends dance.
Next year J wants to join tap class along with ballet. I have her all signed up for next year.

Bomb Threat

As I was preparing for my morning run, I decided I would like to add to my 5 mile run an extra mile or so. So to know how far I was running extra I used my kitchen timer and stuck it to my metal mailbox and went running. Then I could compare my normal 5 mile run to what I ran this morning by comparing time. I figured with the price of gas why drive around to measure I will just time compare. You know me always frugal and right now it is all about saving gas. As I rounded Paddlebrook by the pond, opposite side of our house I saw that a car had just pulled away from the driveway. Didn't think anything of it. I knew L was at home and that J and P were sleeping.
Then I asked L who dropped off something. "oh it was just the post office coming out to check on our mailbox and to tell us our mail did not get delivered because our mailbox looked suspicious." lol
As a side note today is the alternate carriers day to deliver mail and she was early. my mail carrier usually does not come for another hour. I thought about the timer on the mailbox but thought I will be back anyway before mail gets delivered.
Next time I expect the terrorist, drug sniffing dogs, and the Nappanee SWAT team will be here to check out my mailbox.

Happy Birthday to Me

When one turns 40 we celebrate in STYLE. To make this a memorable day I went out and ran 5 miles in the morning. Now I had never done 5 miles before, I only ran up to 4 miles last summer. I work out 5-6 times a week so I wanted to see if I can do it. This was something I did to celebrate my day, the day I turned 40 THE NEW ME! It brings me to tears of joy as I reflect on what I have worked so hard to accomplishing this past year.
JD and I went out to one of our favorite restaurants, NOA NOA, He enjoyed his steak and I enjoyed my sushi. For dessert it was key lime pie. Followed by a lovely walk in the park. Then back to grandma's house to pick up the kids.
Then we PARTIED on the week end. JD had planned a girlfriend time with my friends. We left Saturday morning to go to Jefferson Point in Ft Wayne, In. We shopped most of the forenoon looking for cheep prices in expensive stores. Notice the new Brighton sunglasses in the picture. My friends surprised me with a makeover. It was an amazing experience and also very pampering. As the girls watched me get my makeover they decided that they would benefit if they would get one for themselves. So we all had one done. It was so much fun. We all learned and spent much! The rest of the weekend included dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant. While we ate dinner we watched as the prom girls and guys were parading past our table. Yes, we critiqued each one. It was a great side show to add to our own interesting conversation. Later that evening we spent time in the hot tub at the motel. Sunday morning we slept in and then went to do an hour work out. We painted toe nails. Dina combed my hair for me that morning. I have not used a brush since just like she told me. She told me I need to let my natural curls be curly instead of straitening them. She fixed my hair so pretty, I haven't used a flat iron since.
We tried to duplicate our makeovers from the day before. We all looked great, packed our bags, went out to lunch one last time and then home to see our families. What a great way to spend the week end with my best friends.
Thanks JD for planning such a wonderful time. I love you!

First Pedicure

I got a pampering this morning. I had my first pedicure, what a treat! I feel like a fashionable woman today. JD gave me a gift certificate at valentine and so I saved it for a special day. It feels great to make an ordinary day extraordinary just because we take care of ourselves. God made us special as women and we always give to others may it be our own little family or community. When we take care of ourselves better we can help others better.

CELEBRATE!!!!

I year ago I started a weight loss program called First Place. This has been a lifestyle change more so then a diet. Last night as we met to celebrate another session completed as a group I met my healthy weight goal and also an absolute milestone was achieved as I accomplished the goal of now having lost 45#. We meet as a group every Wednesday evening and weigh in and reflect on the Bible study we have completed for the week. We need to include in our lifestyle: exercise, prayer journal, Bible reading, memory verse, encourage someone, and writing on a commitment record of the food we have consumed for each day.
I say all this as an accomplishment, but it was defiantly not the easiest thing I have ever done. Probably the most difficult but also the most rewarding thing I have ever done for myself. This has been what has opened my life to all kinds of possibilities. As I seek new challenges, new goals, and new adventures I will reflect on them in a different mind set. What I once considered impossible can be accomplished if I set my mind to it and also if I trust God for the strength in each area of my life.

We Cut the Baby in 1/2

"We cut the baby in half just like Solomon!" these are the words I heard from my Paxon and Jessa as they were playing together. Poor dolly, named Anabelle (Jessa's favorite doll) was under the sword of brother Paxon and his Saber sword. He of course was Solomon as in the Bible. The day before I had told them the story of Solomon and I was explaining to them about telling the truth. I think they missed the part where the baby didn't actually get cut in half because the real mommy told Solomon to not hurt the baby.
This is one of those moment where I as a mom will probably always remember those word coming running to me and telling me "we cut the baby in half" To the non churched people it might sound like I have baby murders in my house. To me it makes my tummy jiggle like jello as I laugh at the joy my kids bring to this family. I love these little ones so much.

mary's Pastries

On December 15, 2007 we were coming home from a week end in Ohio with the Kauffman's for Christmas. we celebrated over the weekend an early Christmas. When we traveled home to Indiana on Sunday afternoon we encountered a very bad snow storm. we looked at each other wondering if it would be better to turn around and go back to Ohio or trudge home. We would be about the same distance for being now about half way home. I told JD as we were driving that for some reason we are getting home. " I don't know why" I told him,but we kept going and found that the toll road was not to bad and made it home after all.
We walked into our home at 9:00pm and began the wonderful job of unpacking all the luggage and Christmas gifts. I was in the house about 10 minutes and my phone rang with one of my MOPS friends calling me. I hung up after a short conversation because her husband is on the fire department for Nappanee and they just got a call that the bakery might be on fire. I hung up and call Steve on his cell phone. He knew nothing and he was out to the bakery as soon as the first truck got there. JD stopped what he was doing and went to join Steve at the bakery. Steve called me once he got to the bakery and told me the bakery is totally on fire and that flames are coming through the roof. I told him JD is out there somewhere to look for him. I called Karen and Dori to let them know. They were all in bed, sleeping. No answers for both of them so i left frantic messages on both of there cell phones. Logan called our friend and neighbor to come stay with the children so I could join my family at the bakery and I also needed to go and tell my mom who was already in bed sleeping. It was very cold that night of the fire, about the coldest we had yet in December.
As I drove to Mom's house to tell her the dreadful news it was all I could do to remember the night of when I got a call late at night telling me my dad was not going to make it. (1998) Now I had to tell my mom what she had worked for all her life is now up in flames. As I walked into the house I talked to her so she wouldn't be scarred. My mom said all she could think of was that something had happened to one of my little family beings we were traveling in bad weather to get home. In my shock I thought my mom was never going to move out of that bed she just could not get moving. I believe she was in shock. I helped her get dressed and in warm clothes. I knew the weather was so cold outside I didn't know how mom was going to be able to take the rigid temperature. I am so glad we all have cell phones and we kept calling each other. We drove out to the bakery. The police man let us park at the bank and then Steve drove over with his truck and we got in and could watch from the back of the property inside the truck. There was nothing to do but watch, nothing to salvage, stay out of the way so the firefighters could work on the flames. We got calls from our family in Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania they are all wondering what it looks like. we told them and we comforted each other as best we could. We thought of the huge box of caramels that Doris and I had made for the Christmas orders. We thought about the cookie trays that we had planned on make for the next day. When you prepare for bakery baked goods we mix and put it into the freezers and then when you are in need of things we take them out and bake as needed. This way everything is fresh when it is sold. There we sat watching thousands of dollars worth of retail and Christmas orders that we had prepared and now would not be happening in the next week after all -- going up in flames. What a disappointment of the fire happening a week before Christmas. Steve told us later he was so sick to his stomach he could have just Puked. Yet the evening of the fire he was very quite and didn't say much. We left at 2:00am and tried to go home to get some sleep. During the night the fire department was called out again because the fire rekindled. At 5:00am the girls from work (mostly amish) started to arrive and didn't realize that the bakery had burned. They hugged and gave words of encouragement to the family. The next couple days found us walking around in the freezers and coolers etc .. throwing things in the dumpster and counting inventory as we went. We salvaged as much as we were allowed and gave many things away. We washed over a thousand pounds of cheese in soapy water and gave it away. We gave away butterhorns, pie filling, and pie crusts from the freezer that was outside the bakery and was not affected by the fire. We couldn't sell it but we could give it away. The weeks that followed had us putting all the inventory on paper and then documenting it onto a computer spread sheet and then verifying everything with prices and sales receipts. As of almost 2 months later we are still waiting on insurance to get there end of the job done. It takes for ever and lots of paper work. We are in the process of looking for a future location to start up again. We would like to take the opportunity to move up town and leave the farm property for mom so that when she ever decides to sell the Nappanee farm she would have a more valuable piece of property to offer with frontage now since the bakery will get demolished. At the time when the bakery was built eighteen years ago it made sense to build on the property. Now everything is industrialized out by the bakery. Look for us to stay in Nappanee though.

Mr. and Mrs. Amish Snowman

Today as I was driving past my amish neighbors house I chuckled to myself as a saw this adorable little couple in the front yard. Do you think they are married or just going steady? I think they are married because there seems to be a little bit of room between the Mr. and Mrs. Although they might only be dating since there are no little snowballs running around yet. You could also conclude that they are published to be married since Mr. snowman has no facial hair. Maybe they are mammy and dauddy.