As some of you know, we have been out of town for the past week. Kristin preached a gospel meeting in Belleville, West Virginia. We had a very good week, and returned home last night after services. The meeting went well, and there were visitors every night. It was very encouraging to be with the members of the church in Belleville, and to see some other Christian friends who came to visit. We enjoyed staying with the McPhersons, and being in the homes of other good people, as well. Everyone was so kind. We are glad to be home, though, and look forward to seeing our friends in Huntington tomorrow!

A huge Mattel toy recall has just been announced. It affects over 9 million pieces. Some of the products are playsets that have a magnet hazard, including Barbie Doll and Tanner, Polly Pocket, Batman Magna, Doggie Daycare, and Shonen Jump’s one piece playsets. Small magnets that are inside the toys can come loose, and potentially be swallowed by small children. The biggest concern is that if more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attract each other and cause intestinal perforation or blockage.

There is also a Pixar Cars Sarge lead paint hazard recall.

Mattel’s website will help you determine if any of the toys you have are affected by this recall. Mattel will provide a voucher for a replacement toy up to the value of the returned product.

We just celebrated Skylar’s 2nd birthday! We had a fun party with friends and family, hot dogs, cake and ice cream, and, of course, lots of presents.

Skylar is a joy and a delight, brightening our lives everyday. She makes us laugh and charms us with her beautiful smile. Even though she does not talk very much yet, she is developing a sense of humor and a very distinct personality all her own. We cherish her, and continually pray that we will teach and train her to be a servant of God one day, which is our privilege and our duty. Happy birthday, Skylar!

We have had trouble managing our toys and having a place to keep everything. Toys were just getting piled up on the shelves and in the closet, and the kids couldn’t find what they wanted. Then we would spend time straightening it all up, just to have it cluttered again by the next day. There is just not a lot of space in the bedrooms by the time we work around the beds, chest of drawers, and book shelf. So, I decided to try the toy rotation method. We packed up a box of toys and put it up in the top of the closet. Then we were able to get everything else put away in the closet, on the toy shelves, or under the bed. The plan is to get the stored box back out in a few weeks/months, and swap out the toys. Then the kids get to play with a different set of toys for a while, and we can keep the toys organized enough to be able to actually see what is there! Just packing up one box significantly helped our space problem without having to get rid of toys and without having a mess all the time.

Fisher-Price has issued a recall on some toys due to a lead paint hazard. The toys are Nickolodeon and Sesame Street characters. If you have bought any of these toys since May 2007, you may want to check out the recall details. If you click on the first option, it will show you a specific list of each product involved in the recall with pictures, and help you determine if your particular toy is included.