Our Precious Children!

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. This is our prayer for our little ones. As we use God's Word as the basis for teaching and reproving our children, we know what His word will not return void. We are having the time of our lives as we raise Josiah and Elliana... hope you enjoy watching the process unfold!!

Best Buds!

We are watching Chris' mom and dad's dog, Max, while they are on vacation. He is so good to put up with Elliana... she loves him - to death!! If I were a dog, I don't think I could be quite as compliant as Max!

Old-Fashioned Popcorn Making

We had a fun time making and eating popcorn. Usually we just throw a bag in the microwave, but this was much more fun. Chris is quite the popcorn expert - almost every kernel popped! It's really yummy sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar!!

Playing in the Leaves!

Ellie found Mimi's big leaf pile and had a blast playing in it! Thanks to my mom for grabbing my camera and snapping some good shots!

Cool Whip Painting

This is a nice alternative to real paint... it doesn't stain, and she can eat it as much as she wants!! After we did this though, she kept getting in the fridge to find her "creamed butter"... I have no idea why she started calling it that. This will be a fun thing to do again with leftover cool whip next time we have it!

Precious Little Flowergirl

We are so excited that my sister, Lora, is getting married in May!! Ellie will be the flower girl and looked so sweet in her dress. I couldn't post the good pictures of her because Lora was in them and it showed her dress (which is gorgeous as well!)

Ellie's Creations...

We had so much fun making homemade playdough. Definitely an activity we'll want to do again. Our pastor's wife at church gave us the recipe and so we call it, "Mrs. Hall's Playdough!"


I came upstairs from switching a load of laundry to find this... All the paper/plastic cups, plates, bowls... all lined up for a "Birthday Party for Josiah!" She had a spot for everyone... it was hilarious!! Pretty creative if you ask me!!

Sweet boy!

Josiah - three weeks old. What a sweet little guy he is. He is such a cuddly, lovable baby and has truly been a blessing to our home. It's amazing to me how a new child can jusy "fit" into your home and life so perfectly... but then, we have an amazing God who has designed it that way!

Nature Walk

Josiah's going to be quite the little adventureous one... he's been hiking many times already in his short little life!! We enjoyed this little nature hike, and Elliana came home with a pocket full of shells, rocks, and acorns. We found them all in her bed after she woke up from her nap!!

"Look at all these ducks, Mama!!"

These are the funniest ducks we have ever seen!! You would think they were starving the way they acted!

Raindrop, Plop!!

One rainy afternoon Ellie git dressed up in her raincoat and boots and we headed to the deck to play in the rain... well, it was just a little bit sprinkly at this point but she loved it. "Rain baby" (she is wearing boots and a coat, too!) also came with us, and we read the book "Raindrop, Plop". This was definitely the highlight of the day - it really doesn't take much to entertain us around here!

Delightful Autumn Weather

My favorite season is Autumn, and it has been so nice to get out and enjoy it with Elliana and Josiah. We have a favorite park near the library and play there often. This particular day we brought along Ellie's tricycle to ride...


I wasn't sure how long she would last, but she really surprised me... She kept going...

And going...

And going.

Josiah slept the whole way!!

First Sunday at Church

We went to church for the first time as a family of four, when Josiah was twelve days old. It was such a blessing to have him there for everyone to see!

Sister and Brother... What a Joy!

Big feet, little feet...


Holding hands...

Hiking at Signal Point

We ventured out for a hike... Josiah was only 5 days old!! It was such a fun time - although a little more of a hike than we bargained for with a two-year-old and a five-day-old. The people we passed along the way were quite impressed!! The view is incredible and it was such a clear day. You should check it out sometime!

Josiah Daniel Phelps

We are pleased to announce the birth of our little boy Josiah Daniel Phelps! He was born Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 8:02pm. He weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. We are so thankful to the Lord for this wonderful gift of new life!

Many people have asked where in the world we found this name! Josiah means "God Supports" and Daniel means "God is my judge." We chose Daniel as the middle name because it is also Chris' middle name as well as his Dad and Grandfather's first name. We wanted his first name to be after a strong leader because it is our prayer that Josiah would be a strong leader in his generation for the Lord. We found the name in the story of King Josiah in the Old Testament. 2 Kings 23:25 says: “And like unto him (Josiah) was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might… neither after him arose there any like him.” You will have to get your Bible out and read the story of Josiah in 2 Kings! Pray with us that baby Josiah will grow to be a man of God like King Josiah of old.

Elliana absolutely loves her "cute baby brother Josiah!" She has been such a great big sister and we are very proud of her. The highlight of her first evening home with baby brother was decorating his clothes with stickers!! She woke up this morning to him crying and was very protective of him and didn't like it that her baby was upset. Having this little guy has shown us just how grown up and mature Elliana is becoming. We are excited to watch these two grow up together and pray they will build a strong bond to one another.

We will be adding lots of posts in the next few weeks of Josiah's first adventures in this world!! Come back and check them out!!

Summer Reading Program Finale!

Ellie's been reading lots of books from the library this Summer and has been involved in the Reading Program that they have. They had a Grand Finale for the kids, and Granna and Papaw took Ellie for us. We've had a crazy week around here... too many things to even mention!! We were thankful for a little bit of time to catch up on things. Despite the heat and the hundreds of people there, I think they had a fun time. Here are some pictures that Dan took of the event.

Yummy Blueberries!

We were so excited to take Ellie on her first berry picking adventure! Her Uncle Tim and Aunt Leslie have oodles and oodles of blueberries on their property and invited us to pick some! Ellie didn't quite manage to get any into the basket to take home - she probably ate a quart while we were picking!

Phelps Family Reunion 2008

What a blast we had at the 2008 Phelps Family Reunion. Unlike many family reunions, we spent more than just one afternoon together! Chris' Dad and his three brothers (and all the children and grandchildren that go along with them) had a special get together before the extended Phelps Reunion on Sunday afternoon. We had a huge cabin and spent Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday together and did so many fun things! Lots of really yummy food, continuous playmates for Ellie, chatting and catching up from the year, and enjoying a wonderful mountain view. Ellie enjoyed swimming in the hot tub (it was actually cool though!), playing with all her cousins, a fun hike to a waterfall, swimming at the "beach" (actually the creek, but she thinks it's the beach!), a trip through the Forbidden Caverns, mining for Gems in Pigeon Forge, hearing the Tee-de-Tah song (which she is still singing!) and so many other fun memories!! We look forward to next year already! Here are a bunch of pictures from out trip.