Operation Christmas Child

You can make a difference for a child in need this Christmas. Operation Christmas Child brings gifts and hope to children in need throughout the world every Christmas season. All you have to do is fill a shoebox with gifts, and make a small donation of $7, and you can bring joy and hope to a child who needs it this Christmas.

Angie and I have participated in this for the last couple of years. It is not a big financial burden (a trip to Dollar Tree or Big Lots should take care of it), and it makes you feel good to help out. As Noah gets older, we want to include him in the process, so he can see the value of giving. If you have children, this is a good thing to do with them, as they can learn to have compassion for others.

Our country has been in a recession for a while, and yet we are still doing much better than most other nations. Even in our struggles, we can help out.

The gifts will be collected this coming week (November 16-23) all over the country. To find out more, you can visit their website by clicking here. There, you will find information of what you can buy, where to drop it off, and how you can give online and see where your package ends up this Christmas. Merry Christmas, and God Bless.

Noah's First Halloween and More

Noah just had his first Halloween, where he was dressed as a frog. We began the evening with Angie's family, followed by some trick-or-treating in the lovely Village of Warrensburg. Sherry made some amazing chili, and Noah got to spend time with his cousins, one of whom was dressed as a blind referee for Halloween.

We then made it over to my parents' house, where there was more Halloween fun. He got some nice goodies from both families. One of the underrated perks of having an eight-month-old is that he can't have candy yet, so his Halloween candy becomes your Halloween candy. We only get one year to do that, so I'm taking full advantage!

Thanks to both families for making this a fun holiday for all of us.

In other Noah news, he is now eight months old. Along with the Halloween fun, we made a trip to Arthur to check out the Central Illinois Bragging Rights BBQ Competition. That was followed by a stop at Beachy's Bulk Foods, where we purchased copious amounts of good foods (cookies, dip mix, cheese, syrup, cinnamon rolls, and other good foods that I may have forgotten). It was a bit chilly outside, but we all enjoyed a nice fall country day in Amish country.

Later on in the month, Angie and Noah went to Okaw Valley Orchard in Sullivan, along with a few other women and kids from the church. It was a beautiful fall day, and Noah especially enjoyed playing in the leaves and hay.

Near the end of the month, we had a family reunion, where Noah got to see several people for the first time, including Bea, David, Barry, Jim, and Chris.

On the child development front, Noah is developing much more of a personality. He is moving around more. He is not crawling yet, but we're not sure if he will crawl; he is much more interested in standing and walking. In fact, there are times when he is sitting down when he reaches out his arms and wants to pick himself off the ground and start going. When he is on his back, he wants to roll in every direction, as often as possible. When you pick up Noah, he starts to kick his feet in the air.

There are many more foods that he is trying. Most of Noah's meals now consist of "real" foods, and he enjoyed eating generous amounts of food. Honestly, there are times when he just can't stop. He also is becoming more independent at meals, even to the point of sometimes getting upset when he is being spoon-fed.

Noah's noises are funny. His favorites right now are "da-da-da-da-da-da..." and "muh-muh-muh-muh..." and often his noises go up an octave after a few sounds.

Yes, there is much going on, and we look forward to his nine-month birthday and his first Thanksgiving.