I Just Love This Picture

Mackenzie Lately Months 5-6 :o)

My sweet baby girl is 6 months old!! I can't believe how fast time has just been flying by!! I am learning so much as a mommy, and I am loving every minute of it.  I remember back at the times before I had Mackenzie and quite frankly, I don't miss it! :o)

Some updates on Mackenzie.....
-still working on the concept of rolling over, but occasionally we get a roll or two. 
-loves sitting up and playing with the toys that are placed in front of her
-talks like crazy....and I think she begins to realize that she is the center of the attention :o)

-LOVES bath time....starts splish splashing as she is sitting in her little duck tub.

-we are feeding solids along with a bottle now.....her faces are priceless when feeding the vegetables
-quite the little mover in her bed....I have found her in all sorts of positions in the morning

-the morning is my favorite, as I love hearing her talk in the morning as she doesn't even cry right away. so content I guess

-well she is quite the little cat napper....I get lucky if she sleeps longer than 30-35 mins

-sleeps (and has been sleeping) through the night a good 10-11 1/2 hours (which could be why she doesn't nap so much during the day)

 Well that pretty much sums it up so far....she is so much more interactive now, and I can't wait to get outside with her.  Went on a jog for the first time with her (since we are having 50 degree weather in the winter), and boy am I out of shape.  Pretty sure she was laughing at me huffing and puffing.  :o) Here are some new pics!

Crock Pot Ranch Potatoes

I think I'll try to keep individuals updated on new things I am trying....especially since many of these ideas come from Pinterest. 

I got this recipe (from Pinterest), and I really liked it.  I have decided that you could also add chicken, other veggies in addition to the potatoes, which will be what I will do the next time I make them.  To help with the mess, I used those crock pot liners so I didn't have to worry about the mess on side or the potatoes sticking. 

Crock Pot Ranch Potatoes

Ingredients:

2-3 large red potatoes, diced (about 1 inch or 1/2 sizes)

1 pkg. ranch dress mix

3/4 c. sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Spray crock pot with cooking spray, this will help a lot. Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a large bowl and stir well. Add potatoes and stir til the potatoes are completely coated. Pour in crock pot, cook on low for 4-5 hours or til potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally as cream and potatoes start to stick to the sides. You may need to add a little salt and pepper but taste first before you add any.

Enjoy!

31 Ways to Pray For Your Children

Found this on Pinterest.....Loved how it incorporated the scripture.

01 Salvation:

“Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).

02 Growth in grace:

“I pray that they may ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’” (2 Peter 3:18).

03 LOVE :

“Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to ‘live a life of love,’ through the Spirit who dwells in them” (Ephesians 5:2; Galatians 5:22).

04 Honesty and integrity:

“May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Psalm 25:21).

05 Self-control:

“Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do”(1 Thessalonians 5:6).

06 Love for God’s Word:

“May my children grow to find your Word more precious than gold, than much pure gold, and sweeter than honey from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).

07 Justice:

“God, help my children to love justice as You do and to ‘act justly’ in all they do” (Psalm 11:7; Micah 6:8).

08 Mercy:

“May my children always ‘be merciful,as [their] Father is merciful’” (Luke 6:36).

09 Respect (for self, others, authority):

“Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands” (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 Strong, biblical self-esteem:

“Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are ‘God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus’” (Ephesians 2:10).

11 Faithfulness:

“Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts” (Proverbs 3:3).

12 Courage:

“May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 Purity:

“Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions” (Psalm 51:10).

14 Kindness:

 “Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else’” (Ephesians 4:32).

15 Generosity:

“Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, laying up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for eternity” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 Peace:

“Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace’” (Romans 14:19).

17 Joy:

“May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 Perseverance:

“Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run their race with perseverance” (Hebrews 12:1).

19 Humility:

“God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all” (Titus 3:2).

20 Compassion:

“Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion” (Colossians 3:12).

21 Responsibility:

“Grant that my children may learn responsibility, ‘for each one should carry his own load’” (Galatians 6:5).

22 Contentment:

“Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 Faith:

“I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has  been promised to them” (Luke 17:5-6;Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 A servant’s heart:

“God, please help my children develop a servant’s heart, that they may serve wholeheartedly, ‘as to the Lord, and not to men’” (Ephesians 6:7).

25 Hope:

“May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

26 Willingness and ability to work hard:

“Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, as they are working for the Lord, not for men’” (Colossians 3:23).

27 Passion for God:

“Lord, please instill in my children a soul that follows hard after You; a heart that clings passionately to You” (Psalm 63:8).

28 Self-discipline:

“Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may live a disciplined life, doing what is right and just and fair’” (Proverbs 1:3; 1Corinthians 9:27).

29 Prayerfulness:

“Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit’” (Ephesians 6:18).

30 Gratitude:

“Help my children to live lives that overflow with thankfulness, giving  thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Colossians2:7; Ephesians 5:20).

31 Heart for missions:

“Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3).

Mackenzie Lately: Month 4

Mackenzie got to experience her first Christmas!! It was quite the experience for all of us.  What is difficult it being away from family so we unfortunately have to travel.  Luckily, it is two hours in north to my folks, and two hours south to Zach's.  It could be worse.  Mackenzie has become such a great little traveler as she usually takes a nice long snooze in the car.

What She Has Been Up To Lately:
- laughs like crazy!! those baby giggles just are music to my ears!
- still trying to grasp the concept of rolling
- she still has baby blue eyes...not sure if she will be keeping those or not
- recognizing faces now ... hopefully won't have the "stranger danger" too much
- she is quite the cat napper, although I can't complain since she sleeps through the night
- no sign of teeth yet
- tried rice cereal for the first time....let's just say it was an adventure! :o)
- experience her first time out in the snow...(I didn't have a picture to post with this update), pretty sure she had no idea what to do.  Next year I know she will have so much fun. 

Here are a few pics :o)


one of my favorite pic of her...she's so beautiful





1st snowsuit!



Happy 2012

Well 2012 is here and I haven't written in over a month!  Days are going by so fast but here's a few pics to commemorate Christmas time for the Schaeffer family!

Merry Christmas From The Schaeffers

Christmas 2011 : The Year in Quick Review

What a great year.  So much has happened in this past year, but the biggest event was the birth of our daughter, Mackenzie.  But let's work up to that...

Well in the beginning of January, it was all so new on finding out I was withchild.  Our minds began to wonder what to do, how to prepare, what kind of things we wanted to enforce with our children, etc.  We had baby names way before we got pregnant, but at this time it was a matter of "I wonder if we will have a boy or girl!?!".  We had kept this news hush for this month except for our immedate family.  Our families were pretty excited to hear about the big news.  In February -- The news was out to all our families -- aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.; told the church, and the IHSA so the excitement has truly begun. Moving on to April -- This was a big month.  We found out we were going to have a sweet baby girl.  So the girl name we had picked out is Mackenzie Kay (Kay -- my middle name).  Very exciting time for us as this was also the halfway point of the pregnancy.  It was now preparation for a little girl! From then on, it was all about the preparation for the arrival of our little girl - from preparing the nursery, the numerous doctor appts, several baby showers, to the day she finally arrived.  August 26th will be a day (among many) I will remember forever. 

Among other things, Zach had a youth winter retreat up at Camp Timber-lee in February.  I hadn't been up there since my senior year of high school (I used to go to that camp every summer since 8th grade).  Never had been there in the winter time, but needless to say, it was nice to be back again.  I wasn't able to do a lot of the activities (tubing, sledding, broomball) with me being so early in my pregnancy, but made it fun anyways.  Really got to develop relationships with the girls in the youth, and had a great experience. He had a mission trip up in Chicago, and from what I heard, had a great learning experience -- both him and the kids that went.  It was a different kind of experience as when one thinks of a mission trip, most will think out of the country, but there are indeed many places throughout the United States, and even narrower, in Illinois, that need to be served, loved, and hear the Word of God.  In November, Zach had the Illinois State Youth Convention (held in Peoria), which he was one of the planners for the event.  What a big success that was.  So many came back and were changed.  Our church had the largest in representation, which gives a testament to our growing youth group.  The youth group has been growing immensely, and with some of the credit to the kids bringing their friends to youth group. 



Christmas 2011



Now that this year is coming to a close, looking back, it has been such a journey.  Each day Zach and I are growing as parents, and could only do so with the love of Christ, and having Him at the center of all that we do.  We are so thankful for our families for countless times of helping us out in times of need, and the amount of love we receive from them is overwhelming.  We are so grateful!! Look forward to the new year, as well as seeing Mackenzie grow up into a beautiful woman of God. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!



Is this the cutest baby or what?? :o)