Happy #3 Hayden!!

Hayden Michael Chenevey hit the big #3 on December 17 (yes, no dull moments around here!). He was quite proud of himself, sitting in front of his "kachow" birthday cake (aka: Cars). He was sooooo excited to see his "cool" cake. And, it was a treat to spend his third birthday with extended family for the first time!! My mom, Jeff's parents and my brother, Rick and wife, Christina, and kids, Meredith and Morgan, all bought Hayden "Cars" gifts without knowing his "theme." Pretty cool! My friend, Jodi Clements and her husband and son came as well. We had a house full of eating, laughing, and talking. Hayden was a bit shy, though, when it came time to sing "Happy Birthday."

We are so glad you were born, Hayden!! We all LOVE you!!

39 and holding...

December 13, 2008, I turned 39. It was a birthday blessed with being with family and hanging out, as well as a little laser tag on Saturday night. With the code name of Cinderella, I just barely beat "Cowboy" Jeff. I placed 6 out of 10, and most of our opponents were teenagers who really know what they're doing. We ended our fun night at Friendly's (my choice, since they don't exist in Alabama).
Birthdays provide a good reminder of what lies ahead and where we've come from...it's a good time to thank the Lord for His blessings in our lives. So, this year I am thankful for GRACE. It's the very thing that empowers us when we really don't think we can go on. It's the very thing that gives us hope for the future and fills us for each new task He lays before us. I need to remember His grace this new year, and trust that He knows what is best!!

Cutting Down a Live Treeeeeeee!!!!

Every year we like to cut down a tree. Jeff does the honors of cutting it down...and here you can see he had to lay down on the snow to get to the trunk. We had a really dull saw, so it was quite a herculian feat!!:) It's a beautiful, blue spruce. Unfortunately, it was bitter, bitter cold that day. Last year we barely had to wear coats in Alabama when we cut down our tree, and drinking hot chocolate was out of the question!!

Jeff is seen above pretty worn out from the whole experience. Luke had a chance to see a reindeer up close and personal, and poor Hayden, although quite bundled, is pretty cold. We weathered the cold only a bit and ran into the "tree house" for some hot chocolate and warmth!

Later that night our beautiful, blue spruce took a tumble all over our dining room table. At 3 a.m. we heard a CRASHHHHHHHH!! Jeff and I ran out of our bedroom to find the tree at an angle on our dining room light and table. Ornaments crashed to the floor, and we spent the next 20 minutes cleaning it up. Wow...never a dull moment.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Blake!!

Blake Daniel Chenevey hit age 6 on November 20. 2008. A huge snow storm hit that night so by the time we got home, it was bed time, but we still had to celebrate with some gluten-free cupcakes (actually they were really good! I made them!). For his party, Blake is amazed by the sparkler #6 that I put on his cake. We won a party at the Amazone in Medina. He had a great time!!

In Memory of Grannie (Alma) Cripe

On November 17, 2008, Grannie Cripe, Jeff's dear Grannie, went home to be with the Lord. The amazing part of it all, is that she was able to meet Hayden for the first time only weeks before in October. We truly believe she held out to meet him!
And, the Lord also allowed Jeff to see her the day she died because he was already flying to Kansas City, MO, for work. Amazing how much the Lord cares. No coincidences. We will miss Grannie very much. I'm glad I was able to know her as well. Her life, spunk, joy, sense of humor, love, and laughter will be greatly missed. God bless you, Grannie!!

Let it Snow...Let it Snow!! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Brrrrrrr!! It's cold here in Ohio! Our Alabama blood is not used to this, but we are making the most of it. We awoke this morning to a very cold house....57 degrees!! We had to wait for the "furnace guy" to come and fix it, so we missed church although I was all ready to go!

So, in the waiting the boys were told to start shoveling the driveway, and then Daddy came out to enjoy our sledding hill in the backyard!! This picture above is taken from our kitchen sliding door and looking down toward our walkout basement. It's a decent hill for now, and we have all enjoyed making snow our friend this way. Here's to all of you who are staying warm...I do appreciate the time we had

away from the cold!! But, we are enjoying the cozy, snuggly feeling of curling up together on snowy, cold days and nights!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

For my Mom's birthday(11/15), Jeff and I took her out to

dinner at the Blue Canyon Lodge in Twinsburg, OH. It was really nice to be together again for a
birthday celebration. We enjoyed a time of
good conversation and lots of laughs.

Godiva Chocolate

Can I say I LOVE Godiva chocolate!! Jeff just brought home a box of Godiva truffles. Yumm! I had to run with them. The boys wanted to eat them. So, my thought on this is simple...take time to enjoy the simple things in life today, and thank God for them, really. I know many of my days are consumed with serving everyone else, so this was a nice gift from Jeff to slow down and savor the flavor!!

Wow...that was easy.  Okay, now, I'm trusting God to help me figure this out.  I will hopefully post some pics soon, but for now I'm getting to know the blog world.

Blessings to all who happen upon this blog and may the Lord God who knows your tomorrows, bless you!!

Renee