Pyper Katrina Merfeld

I have a moment while Pyper is taking a nap to post on the blog. Saturday March 21 at 2:23am Pyper was born weighing 9lbs 1oz and 21 1/2" long. It was a long labor but worth every minute. Everyone is doing great and are enjoying every minute. Enjoy some pictures:)

Laugh of the Day!

I am pretty sure my purpose here on earth is to bring smiles and laughter to everybody's lives I touch. So here's my contribution to your smile today!

The story starts like this... it's a typical Tuesday out running errands. I have many stops with the final stop being some grocery shopping at Walmart. Due to inclement weather and an extensive list of things to get, I opted not to walk this time... although maybe I should have... more on that in a minute.

Upon finishing my shopping (and no shopping trip to Walmart would be complete without visiting all 4 corners of that ginormous store) ☺ I check out, and pushed my shopping cart to the car to load my groceries. I unlocked the car, threw my purse in the front seat and loaded my plethora of items and bags into the back seat. Oh, I'm so excited, I bought myself a new pillow... the first in at least 5 if not 10 years... can't wait to get home to take a nap... Oh yeah!

I know, hurry along Aesop... But this is where my fable gets good...

I push my cart into the cart rack, walk back to my car, open my door, set my purse on the floor and proceed to get in the car and shut the door.... on the PASSENGER side. I look over waiting for Chris to get in the drivers side... but alas, he didn't come with me. Boy do I look goofy sitting in my own car awaiting my driver...

Now that you are probably rolling on the floor laughing, there's one final chuckle in this whole exciting ordeal... that's the 2nd time I've done that in the last year. Last time I actually got in the back seat closed the door and thought I was going to get home that way.

Hope your day is a bit more ummmm, less confusing than mine! Lots of Love to all!

Have a splendiforous afternoon!

Dawn... officially proof... it really is all downhill after 27

Hello this is Beth i wanted to let you all know about Casey. She was in a major car accident but is doing real good. She is all done with all the surgerys hopefully. Her vehichle hit a tree and caught on fire. There was a very good semaritan that saved her life and pulled her from her vehichle. God was looking over her. She is in OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. 5666 E.State St. Rockford Illinois 61108. Room 392. She will be there for probably two more weeks. She loves you all. She can not talk right now she has a trake in right now but that should be out in a couple of days.

Koda; Joey's BEST Friend :)

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to give you an update on Koda. (a.k.a my best friend.) First of all, he has dug 4 holes in our backyard. I'm not kidding, it looks like if he dug a little more, we could go to China! Also, he has grown much larger than he used to be. He's got muscle EVERYWHERE! He weighs about 50lbs. He loves to give us smiles when he's in his kennel. He pushes his nose up against the metal and then his lips push up and you see his teeth. He is such a fun and energetic dog to have around. I will always love my dog!

In other news... I smashed my thumb in the car door. Not a fun experience. I know my mom already told you this story so I won't waste you're time telling you again. In other, other news... My Destination ImagiNation tournament went well. First of all I'll explain to you what DI is. You plan a basic skit that you have planned and ready. After you practice for so long, it comes the tournament that everyone gets to go to. There, you go to a small room called StuDIo Time. You are in that room for 30 minutes. In that room, your team coach will be in there with you, but he/she cannot talk. And then there is a person in StuDIo who is our timekeeper. She keeps track of our 30 minutes. There, we get 3 film genres, a sleuth, and a superstition. That's when you have to improvise. You have to plan your skit, which has to have all the stuff they gave you.

And then you go to a room where your family gets to watch. There they give you a surprise, and you then have one minute to incorporate that in the skit. We got 3rd place, and only 1st and 2nd make it to state. But I was still happy.

Love,

~Joey~

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Greetings everyone:)

I just wanted to wish a VERY Happy 24th Anniversary to the best husband I've ever had....VINCE!!! And of course, in true Reindl fashion, the day is nothing but extraordinary. Oh sure, at first it started out all calm and nice...and soon the afternoon rolled in and along with that, the excitement of Joey slamming his thumb in the car door! His spring concert is tonight and he has been excited for TWO WHOLE MONTHS about getting to sing to his parents for the concert. Ironically, his solo part (and I am NOT lying about this) goes like this: "On my way to school, heading out the door, heard my kid sister let out a roar! Hollered at me, said I was dumb, I closed the door right on her thumb! Hey, hey, come what may...I'm not gonna let that ruin my day. No sir, no way, I'm not gonna let that ruin my day!"

Gosh, how could you even try to write that story!!! Needless to say, he is not in any shape for the school concert tonight.

And now, I am waiting for my wonderful husband to come home...right after Josh gets into Madison to help him get his car started! That's right! He left the car lights on and the car died at work. THEN, someone was helping him jump the car and as soon as there was enough juice in it, the automatic lock decided to work and locked the car doors...with Vince's keys in the ignition!!

So, join with me here..."Hey, hey, come what may...I'm not gonna let that ruin my day. No sir, no way, I've had 24 years of excitement that's all I can say :) "

love to you all, ~kelly :)

Spring time

On a day like to day you can not help but feel that spring has arrived. On Friday our first bull calf was born that is always a sign of spring on the farm. We are still waiting for Pyper to make her arrival and will keep everyone posted as to when she decides to do that:)

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼!!!!!

Did you get your daily dose of Vitamin D today? I couldn't resist... cabin fever has truly set in!

I didn't care how chilly it was, the sun was out and I was determined to enjoy it today. So between WIAA State Girl's Basketball games, I walked down to Walmart to get a few groceries and walked home.

Chris thought I was crazy (and I'm sure some of you do too)... but that's nothing new. ☺ You should have seen how many people gave me the most bizarre looks. People just don't walk anymore! So I stroll into Wally World, rosy cheeked and all... pick up my coffee filters, my cereal, don't forget the tartar sauce (it's Friday and we're having fish sticks & french fries for dinner), and then crazy me get's tempted by a pint of blueberries, a tub o' cottage cheese... and I almost picked up a quart of creamer when I remember... you goof, you walked here. You have to carry that back!

So I didn't get the creamer... but the blueberries & cottage cheese did give me my workout coming home! Of course, the whole way home the breeze was in my face, and I was climbing a hill... but it was glorious! The sunshine was beautiful and I felt lucky to be able to walk that far!

Hope your journeys today were bright and beautiful!

Love to all,
Dawn

P.S... and just to prove it really is Friday the 13th for the second time this year... I did accidentally step in what I thought was frozen ground and it ended up being mud... squoosh... bummer. So one of my steps was not so sunny~ :(
Love you!

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, JOSH

Greetings everyone! One of my favorite sons turns 20 today...20 years old!! My creative drummer, guitar and piano playing kid who has more interests than I can count! To all of us, he STILL is somewhere between two and four years of age and as happy go lucky now as he was then :) Josh, you have given your family so much happiness just by being you and I want you to promise me that you'll slow down and not grow up so fast, okay?

And Carissa, for whatever it's worth, Josh was my ONLY baby born EXACTLY on his due date so maybe it's a March baby thing? Just to warn you, though, honey...that's the ONLY time he has been on time for anything :)

lots of love to you, Josh...
~mom (and family)

News from the Merfelds

A word from the belly :) Pyper: I have decided that I am not ready to come out and meet the world yet. However her mother disagrees and says that it is time.
Anyhow as we wait and see when she will grace us with her presence, Her Daddy went back to work on Monday and will be there until the 2nd week in May when John Deere pretty much shuts down until August which works out great with planting and baling seasons.
We are planning on going 4wheeling around the farm this weekend and see if we can get labor started:) other then that there is no new news here at the Merfelds. Jesse will be taking our lap top to the hospital with us so we will post soon after she is born.

Lots of love to everyone

Carissa

Update on our basement

No photos, but I will try to describe what we are doing. I finally finished pulling electric, CAT 5, and coax cable. I didn't think it could get worse, then I started working with the insulation. We had the HVAC guy stop in and put in a gas line from our furnance to the fireplace location. Since he was already here I also used him to fix the heating vents.

I had Menards deliver 16 sheets (I only needed 15) of 12' 5/8" inch drywall and a couple of 2x10's. A buddy, Pete came over that day (a Sunday) and we hauled the drywall from my driverway down the stair and into the family room. That stuff is heavy, we had to take beer brakes every 4 sheets.

The next day the fireplace was installed (the day we went to the Kalahari for a conference.) I received the instructions on how to run it and immediately left. Rita, Noah and his friend Joe joined me around 4:30 pm.

That Friday we had the drywall installed in our ceiling. This was really starting to look like we are accomplishing something. The next week the mudding and painting occured and this last weekend Rita started painting. She painted all day Saturday and Sunday.

Personally, I hate painting, so I helped by leaving on Saturday and went to a bowling tournament (I bowled a 300 game!! Should I mention it was an 8-pin tap tourny? 8 pins down on the first ball equals a strike. It was still hard to get that 300!)

I helped Rita on Sunday with taping the ceiling. She said she didn't rip the tape down and re-do it. She must have been really tired at that point.

We have ordered the rock for the front of the fireplace and are going to Brooklyn Friday evening to pick out our mantel.

If you are still reading, I will stop here. Sorry for any duplication from previous posts. Hope everyone is doing great. I am watchin the news as I type and I am seeing 50 degree days coming up this week. I love spring!

Scott

Bun in the Oven...

Made you all do a double take didn't I! Not my oven of course... I just wanted to give a shout out to Carissa & Jesse! ♥

How's the bun in your oven coming dear? ☺ Should be getting that wonderful baby pink, powdery finish and be ready to come out any day now! How are you feeling Carissa? Hopefully your back, feet & ankles are holding up... and that's not my personal experience knowledge speaking... I can only go from hear-say of other expectant mothers!

Can't wait to hear your good news... Jesse, I know you'll be a calming influence in the delivery room. Hold her hand, breathe deep, and let us all know when your cute little princess has arrived!

Then before you know it, spring will be here and your flowers will be blooming! ☼ Yeah!

Love you all! ♥ ♥
Dawn

The Shack

   So I realized recently that I am kind of a nerd.  I already knew I was weird but when my mama posted the blog about books I noticed that I am always reading something.  I never thought about how much I really love to read before.  So I decided that I would make a list of all the books I wanted to read this year. I didn't count the twilight books that I already read in a week(I made the list after so I didn't think that was fair).  So the first one on my list was called "The Shack".  It's a great book and seeing that most of us, I believe, have a relationship with our Lord Jesus. I thought you all might like to read it and know what it's about.  I think it was a fantastic book that really paints a picture on how I view God and it's not very long at all.  I'm use to ready like 700 page books so this is a breeze with only 246 pages.  What is it about? Here you go.  Mackenzie Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, had been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in a abandoned shack deep within the wilderness. Four years later, in the mist of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack for a weekend. Against his better judgement he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant THE SHACK wrestles with the timeless question "Where is God in a world filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You will want everyone you know to read this book

So here is a little bit from Chapter 8- This about half way through the book.

 "And now," Sarayu(holy spirit) interjected,"we have come full circle, back to one of my initial statements: you humans are so lost and damaged that to you it is almost incomprehensible that relationship could exist apart from hierarchy. So you think that God must relate inside a hierarchy like you do. But we do not." 

"But how could we ever change that? People will just use us."

"They most likely will but we aren't asking you to do it with others, Mack.  We are asking you to do it with us.  That's the only place it can start. We won't use you."

"Mack" Papa(God) said with an intensity that caused him to listen very cafefully, "we want to share with you the love and joy and light and freedom that we already know within ourself. We created you, the human, to be in a face-to-face relationship with us, to join our circle of love. As difficult as it will be for you to understand, everything that has taken place is occurring exactly according to this purpose, without violating choice or will." 

"How can you say that with all the pain in this world, all the wars and disasters that destroy thousands?" Mack's voice quieted to a whisper. "And what is the value in a little girl be murdered by some twisted deviant?" There is was again, the question that lay burning in his soul. " You may not cause those things, but you certainly don't stop them."

"Mackenzie" Papa answered tenderly, seemingly not offended in the least by his accusation, "there are millions of reason to allow pain and hurt and suffering rather than to eradicate it them, but most of those reasons can only be understood within each person's story. I am not evil. You are the ones who embrace fear and pain and power and rights stronger than my purposes, and I will use every choice you make for the ultimate good and most loving outcome."

"One last comment," Mackenzie added, turning back. "I just can't imagine any final outcome that would justify all this."

"Mackenzie," Papa rose out of her chair and walked around the table to give him a big squeeze. "We're not justifying it. We are redeeming it."