Quiet time.

Finally. After a loooong day, it's almost 10:00pm, and the house is quiet. I just savor this. It's one of God's blessings to have this time to ponder, renew my mind, and rest. Addie is in to EVERYTHING! She is relentless - she can always find something to get into. I can't believe she'll be 9 months this month. She's crawling like mad, pulling up on everything, and working on walking. Wow.

Joshua is becoming such a character! He turned two a few months ago. He's the clown, the show-off, the attention hog. But then, sometimes, when he's ready for a break, he's back to the sweet, reserved little one he's always been. His energy is exhaustive; he is full of mischief and hilarity, so it makes life in our little house very unpredictable and fun. Today, he decided that the only way to eat Goldfish crackers is by sticking them in between your toes... THEN you pop them in your mouth.

Curtis has a new job - a Sales Rep for Veritas Merchandising Solutions. He can print anything on anything. Business cards, letterheads, envelopes, t-shirts, etc. He has really hit the ground running with it. What is even cooler is that he gets to learn to the screenprinting biz - something he's been interested in for years!

Blessings to all!
<3 Renee

Wowza! Sorry for the long moment of silence here!

I can't believe it's been almost 6 months since I updated this! So sorry to the few people that may have checked this blog and thought that I've completely abandoned it forever.

I haven't!! We're still here!!

Life is pretty good, all around we can't complain. We are all healthy. We bought a cute little house in November. Joshua will be turning 2 on the 27th - I can't believe it. And Addison will be 6 months old. She is already trying to crawl, and can stand up against the furniture for a few minutes at a time. You can see her very clearly watch Joshua and desire to do the things he does. I know it won't be long now until she's completely mobile.

Tonight the kids and I all cuddled and wrestled around on the couches. It made great memories. I was singing "My Girl" to Addie, and Joshua chimed in! "My giiiiiiirl....." he sings, "I talkin bout me giiiirl!". Addie was just tickled that we were singing together to her. She would laugh her throaty, grunty laugh. Oh my, I wish every moment was that beautiful.

Of course I have recent pictures. What kind of momma would I be without them?

Welcome, Addison Renee!

Addison Renee Bichel was born on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 8:04 a.m. She weighed 8 lb 0 oz, and was 22 inches long.

Here are the pictures! We are so thankful for such a precious blessing from our God...

Of Pregnancy Pillows and Cocoa Puffs

Here we are, 35 weeks pregnant! Okay, so really I'M 35 weeks pregnant, 1 1/2 weeks away from being full-term! I'm very ready to have this baby. Hoping it comes early... I've found out that when you actually gain weight during a pregnancy (unlike my experience with Joshua), you really do feel it! I feel enormous... clumsy....awkward... even sleeping is a struggle. Luckily, a generous friend let me borrow her pregnancy pillow, which has done wonders for my sleep. It doesn't look too impressive - it's shaped like a candy cane and about the size of another person - but WOW does it help me get comfy. Poor Curtis has to share his bed with my belly AND a gigantic pillow. Heh, but he is a sweetheart about it :)

I was craving Cocoa Puffs today. Just got done with two bowls full. I very much wish sugary cereal were better for me than it actually is. It was SO GOOD...

Okay, here is what everyone really wants. Pictures of Joshua. He's 17 months now. Finally getting some hair! Very blonde hair, in fact.

July ... Already?!

Can you believe it's already mid-July?! Well, I can't. Only 2 months left before Baby Bichel the Second arrives... and it's driving me crazy not knowing if we'll have a boy or a girl! Any guesses? You have a 50% chance of being right...

Joshua is a full-fledged toddler now. It's kinda like it happened overnight. Like he woke up one day and decided he wasn't a baby anymore. I know this is supposed to happen - we want our children to grow, learn, mature - but it doesn't make it easy! Already our snuggle times are getting few and far-between. He's good buddies with "Dad-Tee"... it's funny how young boys start to emulate their fathers. I was surprised at how quickly he's picked up to the fact that he is a boy like his Daddy, and needs to learn everything he can about being a boy.

Curtis and I have been enjoying the time we have this summer before the new baby. We have 2 wedding trips in the next month - Curtis is best man in one of the weddings and a groomsman in the other. Joshua will stay with Grandparents while we travel those weekends... so we'll treasure the time together.

Joshua Douglas - 16 mo. - July 2009

Car Drama.

Hey! So I thought it was about time to update... can you believe it is already May? We're already half-way done with this pregnancy! Woot!

Okay, so things have been going pretty well for us - Curtis' shoulder seems to be healing after his few weeks of physical therapy. Joshua got hit with his first illness (looked like the flu), and recovered better than we could ever have anticipated. I had the pleasure of judging at a nearby NCFCA qualifying tournament, which was a blast from the past and a very rewarding experience.

One thing we have had in the past few months is car problems. When I say "car problems", you probably are thinking that we needed to get a car repair. This is true, but it is also the understatement of the year. For two months straight now, every time we finally get the money to fix one of our cars (both are in need of repair), it runs for less than 24 hours and then brakes down on us AGAIN! It's crazy! So please pray for this situation, it has brought unending amounts of stress into our life. We have been incredibly blessed through it (family help, encouragement, etc.), but it would sure be nice to get at least one of our cars running reliably! 

I'll post some new pics of Joshua soon!

Blessings!

-Renee

He's WALKING!

In addition to turning 1 this last month (March), Joshua also learned to walk all by himself!! It's been a long time coming, so it's quite an accomplishment for him! I'll post some pictures of his First Birthday Party, but before doing so, I feel compelled to share some bad news with you. Curtis got injured on the job at the youth home. While he was restraining one of the kids, he broke a finger and hurt his shoulder (which was previously injured in a game of Rugby). The docs are thinking he needs an MRI and maybe even surgery (if it is the AC joint or a rotater cuff). So keep that situation in your prayers, please!!

As for the good stuff....