There were recently two recalls on some toy jewelry sold at Big Lots and Kmart (click on each store name to see details about the recalls). The items were recalled for containing high levels of lead. A while back we had a kids’ fishing pole that was recalled for containing lead. We were sent a replacement. I’m not sure why companies continue to use materials containing lead in products for children. Surely they know that they will have to recall these products if the lead content is discovered. I’m not an alarmist, but it does make me wonder how many things have lead in them that just isn’t discovered. So, if you happen to have any of these recalled products, get them away from your kids and call the numbers given on the websites. And remember, don’t chew on your pencils.

There was snow today and there was even more snow (and lots of ice) 4 years ago when he was born. He now has a little sister and lives in a different place, but he’s still Jacob…talkative, inquisitive, playful, and lovable. He asked for a lion cake for his birthday this year, so of course I attempted to oblige. I am quite an amateur at cake decorating, though my friends Sandy and Ashley did manage to teach me a lot in one morning a couple of years ago. I have the Wilton Animal Crackers pan, and I used the cat pattern, then added a mane. I am not very artistic, and was a little worried about how it would turn out. As I was decorating it this morning, Jacob came up just as I was getting ready to do the mane. I told him that I was not sure how it would look because I had never done this before. He said, “That’s OK Mommy. Just do the best you can, and it will be just fine.” So that’s what I did.

We went to CiCi’s for lunch after church, which is one of his favorite places. The people there sang a birthday song to him and gave him a balloon, a plate of brownies with icing on them, and $2.00 to use in the gameroom. He kindly shared his iced brownies and his gameroom money (to which I added some) with his friend Alisha, and they had fun playing games. He also played a game of air hockey with Daddy.

When he got up from his nap, I had his cake and wrapped presents on the table. We sang happy birthday, he opened presents, and we ate cake. He has already gotten some presents from family we visited last week, and I think there are more to come. All in all it was a fun day for all of us. We are truly thankful for our son, and love experiencing life with him.

Well, if you are reading this post I guess you haven’t given up on me! We have been out of town for several days, and just got back yesterday. We had a long but enjoyable trip. We were able to visit friends and family in quite a few different places, which is always so nice.

Our main destination was the Florida College Lectures in Temple Terrace, Florida. We planned our route so that we could do some visiting along the way. We went to Loudon, Tennessee, which is where I grew up, and Kristin preached for the church there on Sunday morning. They have supported his work in WV for several years. That afternoon we drove to Auburn, Alabama, where we lived from 1995-1999. The church there is now supporting Krisin, too, and we were so happy to visit with our friends there again. In Loudon and in Auburn we stayed with dear Christian friends. Then Monday we were off to Tampa. My aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins live in Tampa, so we stayed with them while we were in town for the lectures at FC. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece were also in town, as well as my parents. My dad spoke on Wednesday morning, and yes, we made it, even though it was a 9:00 lecture! We saw several friends while there, and even met some new ones. We left Friday morning, and took a little detour over to the Gulf Coast at Hudson, FL, so the kids could see the ocean. Then we drove to Dothan, AL where we spent the night before going on up to my parents’ house. We spent the next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday doing some work on Mom’s website and visiting with our family there. Thursday we started home, stopping in Bowling Green, KY, to visit with Kristin’s brother and sister-in-law. And finally, we arrived home about 7:45 last evening.

We like travelling and visiting, but it is always good to get home and see our friends here, too!

I will also mention that the Lindsey, the baby who was in the NICU, was able to go home last week…we are so thankful.