Time for a New Post

Well, as Drama Queen put it - it is time for a new post! I love the holiday season, but it seems that things often get busy and with having family here, the blog got put aside for a bit. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jeremy's family here! What a joy and blessing to be able to celebrate together and have Anna and Allie together! I think between three cameras and two new babies we had a total of over 600 pictures in just 4 days! Yea for digital cameras!!!!!!!!!!

Allie is growing so fast and brings us such joy and smiles each day! She is a happy little girl! At her 2 month appointment (wow - that is hard to believe!) she was 10 lb. 8 oz. and was 22 inches. She has captured our hearts - especially her Daddy's! It is such fun to watch her smile! She has started checking out her hands and will sit and stare at it - what fun to watch her discover the world around her.

We are counting the days until Christmas. Jeremy and I both are so looking forward to introducing Allie to the family. We will be flying on Christmas day and then spend some time with family and friends in Missouri. It will be sweet to have Allie meet her aunts, uncles, cousins, great-grandparents, other family and friends! Just think what we can do with so many cameras for over a week! I am also hoping that there might be a little snow when we are there - I know it sounds crazy but I miss it!

Enjoy the new pictures of Allie!

So Much to Be Thankful For!

I wanted to post some recent pictures of Allie Grace! She is changing everyday - - and time goes way toooooo fast! She is so much fun and we are enjoying the smiles, coos, and all the cute sounds she makes! Allie is getting so alert and it is so much fun! She has also started sleeping through the night - most nights - yea!!!!!!!!! That is such a blessing - - - I didn't realize how nice consecutive hours of sleep were :):)

We have so much to be thankful for! We are excited to spend Thanksgiving this year with Jeremy's family. His mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and niece will be here! What a joy - we are so thankful God is giving us this opportunity! With Jeremy's parents on the mission field, his brother and family headed to the mission field and us in ministry in CA, time together is a precious thing! Can't wait to post pictures of Allison and her cousin Anna together! God is so good!

My Little Sweet Pea

Allison made her debut as a "Pea Pod" on "Reformation Day" so I thought I would post a few pics. We took her out to a few houses and had lots of fun! Isn't she a "sweet pea!" She is such fun and it is amazing how she grows and changes everyday! She is becoming so alert and we are catching some great smiles which makes the heart happy :) Each day with her is a definite reminder of God's grace, blessings and love for us! We are so thankful!



My First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch



Ready for Church with Mom



I am 1 Month Old Today - Mom says time is flying tooooooooooooo fast!

Big Smile for Mom!!!

Monday Allie smiled at me (what I count as a "real" smile) and we have gotten several smiles since then. She is becoming so much more alert - checking out the world and making such cute sounds. Everyday is such a blessing and joy!!!!!!!! She brings many smiles to our faces!

Three Weeks Old and loving time with Grandma and Grandpa!!

Allie is 3 weeks old today! There just aren't words to describe how blessed we feel - God is so good and we are loving having Allie with us! She brings us such joy each day!!!!!!!!! She had her doctors appointment and was doing well! She has gained weight and is 8 lbs. 13 oz. He said she was looking super and growing well! We are enjoying having Grandma and Grandpa Love here this week and they are loving spending time with Allie! My mom has been a huge help in getting Allie's room organized and finished up - it is a cozy place where we love to be and rock - special times! I have posted some pics of our week and will post more later when there is time - - - right now I am off to go enjoy time with my sweet little Allie Grace and her grandma :):) Special times!


My New Room


My room with my picture painted by my cousin Laura


Enjoying outside with Grandma


My first trip to the park with Grandma and Grandpa

Time Flies - I am Two Weeks Old!!

It is so hard to believe, but Allie is now two weeks old. She is doing really well and just bringing smile after smile to our faces! She makes the cutest faces! When we are so tired at 2:00 a.m., the nice part is those cute little faces you get that make it better! Thought I would post a couple of pictures of her yesterday - two weeks old! God is so good :):)


"I love my Dad!"


"I am a happy girl!"


"Love my time with Mom!"

One Week Old

Wow - it is hard to believe, but Allison is one week old! It is such a joy to have her in our lives!!!! Amazing how in an instant they capture your heart and your life is never the same! While life may not be the same, it is better! Yes, we are tired, but as I said before, that is overshadowed by the joy of having her here! (I was tired when I was pregnant - - so in some respects that has not changed - at least now there is a real reason to be up at night!) We are doing well and she is such a sweet baby! She made her first trip out today and met the ladies in the church office, school office and some others along the way - she did GREAT! She even made her first trip through the drive-thru of McDonalds! Thanks for your continued prayers!!!!

My Sweet Little Allie Grace

Well, we are home and getting adjusted to life with Allie - and yes, it is tiring - but the joy it brings overrides those feelings! Speaking of tired though - that I am today - but wanted to post a few pictures of my little Allie Grace to share! I can't wait for our friends and family to meet her!



"Talk to the Hand!"


"Beautiful Feet!" (Finally mom can see them!!!)


"Rest time in my comfy bouncer"


"Rest time - mom better nap quick!"

Allison Grace Writebol is HERE!!!!!!!!!!

It is with GREAT excitement (and a tired self - ha ha!!) that I am posting to announce the arrival of our beautiful little girl, Allison Grace Writebol!!!!!! She surprised mom and came a week early - yea!!!!!!!!!!! She was born on October 3, 2007 at 4:25 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and was 21 in. long. Labor began around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2. Everything went great and we are all doing well! We are home and ready to adjust to life with little Allie! We are so excited! The whole is experience is something that can't be summed up into words - those who are parents understand this the best! It was amazing and we feel so blessed to be recipients of such Grace and love that God has given us! It is a miracle!!!!! She is a joy and blessing!!! We can't wait for you all to meet her!

Thank you for your prayers for the pregnancy and delivery! God was so good! Please continue to pray for us as we learn to be godly parents and grow as a family!

39 Weeks!

Well, we have made it to 39 weeks and officially into October! For those who are wondering, I was really hoping Allison would be here in October (I just love fall) - so she can come anytime now :) While the last week has been uncomfortable, I can say that the past 39 weeks have flown!

We still need to put a few things on the walls - but we did get the bedding for the room and so I have posted some pictures below of her room. There is also a super cute picture I can't wait to frame and put up in her room that my cousin Laura painted for Allie! I love it! Once we have things on the walls, we will be mostly finished. I just want to find a small lamp for the dresser.

I am enjoying maternity leave and being able to rest when I want. It is a joy to take a nap whenever the need hits! I will try to get a picture of me up in the next week or two - I do want one picture for sure before we go to have her.

Again, thanks to each of you for your words of encouragement and prayers! Keep praying! We will keep you all posted!

Officially On Maternity Leave!

I awoke this morning to the realization that I am officially on maternity leave. This was an odd realization but an exciting one too!!!! It was so nice to not have to get up and get going so early and be able to relax! I am ready for that - following everyone's instructions to rest now because life is soon going to change.

Things are going well - we had our 38 week appointment and everything looks great! Measurements are right on track and the doctor says we are making progress. Her words, "Now we are just playing a waiting game for her to arrive." My blood pressure again was good which has been a great answer to prayer throughout the whole pregnancy.

So what to do now???? Wait for Allison to make her appearance into the world. Until then, I can rest and finish up some things I want to do in her room. I will post some more pics of her room soon - we did get our bedding and have a few more things to hang on the walls. Look for some more pictures to come!

We would appreciate your prayers as we continue this journey - - bags are packed and ready. Thanks again to all of you who have been such a source of encouragement! You are a blessing to us!

The Mystery of the Basket

So I know that my blog doesn't have a huge number of readers, but I am calling on the help of anyone who might be able to solve "the mystery of the basket." We have been very blessed with gifts for our new little baby. Recently (2 weeks ago) we received a package in the mail from JCPenney. It was an adorable toy basket for the baby room. It had come off our registry and we were very excited to get it. The mystery is that there was no name attached as to who it was from. I would love to be able to thank the person who sent us this cute addition to the baby room. You can see the basket in the picture below. It has all the toys in it and is by the rocker. So there you have it - "the mystery of the basket" - we love it and thank whoever sent it!

By the way - only 2 weeks to go - time is going so fast!!!!! Thanks to all of you who are praying, calling, giving me encouragement, and even helping me paint my toe nails so they look great (thanks Michelle). Hearing from friends means more than you know!

Getting Ready! Let the Countdown Begin!

As I sit to write this post, I can't even tell you how in awe I am that we are 3 weeks from the due date of our little baby! I can honestly say time has flown - when we found out (and it was early) I thought that it would be an eternity! It has went by so fast though! Of course everyone says the next 3 weeks will be an eternity - we will see!

We are working on getting things organized and ready for the arrival of this little girl. I have posted some pics of her room which is still in progress and will post more as we get more things done. Jeremy did a great job painting the room and has put up with my "nesting" the past few months. We are working on getting some things up on the walls and lamps in the next week. We just got the rocker Saturday and it is very comfortable! For the most part, I have my bag organized and packed thanks to my sister-in-law, Esther, who gave me a great list of what I needed for the hospital. We have the diaper bag ready too, complete with a cute pink dress for coming home and pictures! Now for those who are still wondering, "Could they be wrong, could it be a boy?" Well, last Tuesday we had another ultrasound to make sure the baby was in the correct position (which she was) and it was confirmed again - she is a girl.

It is all a little surreal right now - hard to believe that in approximately 3 weeks we will be a family of three - that she will be here with us! It has been an amazing time and I am reminded daily of God's grace in my life and how awesome He is! I would appreciate your prayers as we anticipate her arrival and prepare for the birth. We can't wait to meet her and can't wait to begin our life with her!

And for those who have asked, I did post one profile picture of me - not the greatest picture - but does satisfy those who wanted a profile picture! That picture was taken at 36 weeks.

Thanks for your prayers! Can't wait to let you all know she when she arrives!

Fun Times being Aunt and Uncle!

Last week I was able to babysit Anna and it was such a joy and so much fun! With Brian, Esther and Anna moving soon, Jeremy and I take as much time with them all as we can get! She was so good and it was fun to spend time with her! She is growing fast! We are so excited for Brian, Esther and Anna, but at the same time sad to see them leave. It has been a HUGE joy and blessing to be with family over the last 7 months! We are thankful for the time God has given us all together!

A Proud Aunt and Uncle

We just couldn't pass up the chance to say how excited we are to be Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Jeremy again! We are rejoicing that Anna Joy Writebol has joined the family and we are thankful that Anna, Esther and Brian are all doing well! Check out Brian and Esther's blog for a link of more pictures of Anna Joy! She is a definite blessing and joy to our family! Aunt Stephanie can't wait to hold her again soon :)

Summer Steph Enjoying Summer

Ramsey enjoying time with Grandpa!

Ramsey at almost age 1!!

Yea - it is officially here - - - summer vacation! I am so excited I can't tell you! It feels great to be out of school and get to do some fun things with friends and family now! I am eagerly anticipating my trip back to Missouri to see family and friends next week. It will be nice to get to catch up with them and spend some time enjoying summer with them! Yes, there will be Missouri heat, but at least they all have AC! Speaking of AC, the Santa Rosa heat finally won out this week and Jeremy and I were able to get an AC unit for the house - a portable unit - so at least when it is miserable, we can get some cool air and sleep! While in Missouri I will be able to celebrate my nephew's first birthday - hard to believe he will very soon be a year old! I am ready to get some Aunt Stephanie time with him! Jeremy and I are also eagerly anticipating the birth of Brian and Esther's baby! We are excited to meet him or her and get to be Aunt and Uncle here too!!!!!!

Many fun activities await us this summer! We have camps (can't wait for Family Camp!), college group activities, family coming to visit in CA, and much more! We are praying that now that our schedule has calmed down slightly we can spend more time with friends and family here in Santa Rosa too!

Countdowns and Changes

Now that I am starting to feel better, I feel like I can actually sit down and write a post. Yes, there is a definite countdown for me right now and that is ONLY 6 1/2 days until I am going to be Summer Steph - and I can't wait. The school year has been a great one and I have really enjoyed my job - but having some flexibility and extra time will be super nice! I am quite excited! Only a few more lesson plans and a few more early mornings :):)

Jeremy and I are also experiencing some exciting changes in our lives - yes, the baby will be a big one that we are very excited about! Finding out it is a girl and having the summer to prepare for her arrival is a lot of fun! We are also moving into a new season of ministry. Jeremy is going to be now serving as the Young Adult Ministries Pastor at SRBC. We will be working with the college and singles groups. We are very excited about this and look forward to developing relationships with these young adults and getting to minister to them. I would appreciate your prayers as we embark on this journey. I am going to miss the Jr. High kiddos and am so thankful God has provided a wonderful couple to take over as their pastor! That makes this easier! Those students were such a blessing to me and I am going to look forward to having them in a few years when they head to college. It is funny to think that next year we will have in the college group the group Jeremy started with at SRBC! Fun times ahead!

God is good and that is an update on what is going on with the Writebols. I plan on being a much better blogger when I return from Santa Fe - I am enjoying a four day break with my aunt - fun times - sleeping in, shopping, site-seeing, eating great food - - - a much needed vacation!

News at the Writebol House

Today was our 20 week ultrasound and what a fun appointment it was! We were blessed to find out we are having a girl (yes, we know that there is a chance they are wrong - but from what we saw and the confidence of the tech, we feel pretty sure it is accurate - we just won't take tags off anything) and we were also thankful to find out that she is growing and developing quite well. To see the baby, watch that little heart beating, hands moving, well, there just are not words to describe the joy and awe we have for how God has blessed us! We would appreciate your prayers as we continue on the 2nd half of pregnancy and that the baby continues to grow strong and healthy. There aren't words for how excited we are and Jeremy will just have to teach her to throw a baseball and love camping! God is so good! Thank you for your continued prayers!

What the summer holds for Summer Steph?

Yes, summer is not that far away and neither is Summer Steph! What does summer hold for me this summer? Definintely not swim suits and for sure the need for air conditioning! Why you might ask, well, the Writebol's are excited to announce that at the end of summer, beginning of fall, a new little Writebol will be joining our family! We are expecting our first baby towards the end of September/beginning of October. We feel so blessed and excited about all God has in store for us! After the first doctor's appointment and seeing that new little life, well, there are just not words to express our joy and excitement! We would appreciate your prayers as we embark on the adventure of pregnancy and being new parents! God is good and we are continually reminded of His love, care and provision! Below is a picture of the little one - - more pictures to follow in May!

The Real Summer Steph Not Far Away!

I had an amazing discovery today - as I looked at the calendar I realized that it is only 11 1/2 teaching weeks until I get to be the real summer steph again! I am so excited - this just made my day!!!!!! It means many things - first being that it means that nicer weather is on its way - yea!!!!!!! It also means being able to do more with my girlfriends and not worrying about things like lesson plans, etc. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my job - but it is about this time every year when that summer break is VERY appealing!!!!!!! It also means wearing sandals - - - - yea!!!!!!!!! Time flies - I can't believe this school year is almost over - it has been a fun year!!!!! Just wanted to share my discovery and let everyone know that the real Summer Steph - the one who has more free time is not far away (should mean I can blog more too!!!!)

Update on Fantasy Nascar

Well, it has been a while since I have posted (even though I want Jenylu to be aware that I have been posting on the "food" blog) and two weeks since Nascar season started. We officially have our fantasy teams up and going. I think the delay in posting has been from the sadness I have felt the first two races. Yes, I can say (but not proudly) that I am in last place - yikes!!!!!!!!!!! Daytona was a tough race for most of us. There were big crashes - lots of crazy things happening - a Daytona unlike any other. Then I thought going into last weeks race that I had a strong team and things would "look-up." Not a chance - two of my team members had engines blow (can't count on that one), two did "ok" and one - he should have probably just stayed home. It was just awful!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know it is a bad day at the track when on about lap 90 or so - you see one of your drivers trucks leaving - no hope of getting back on the track. Soooooooooooooo all this to say - I am glad we get a Sunday off this week (no race this week) and some time for me to do some rethinking of my team. I will try to be ready for Vegas next Sunday - how fitting because with my team it is always a gamble.

Gentlemen Start Your Engines!

As most of you know, last year, I became quite the Nascar fan. It was about mid-way through the season when I really "got into" the sport of Nascar. I was sad when the season came to a close, but am now counting the days until it starts again - and that is not far away! Only 11 days - yes, 11 days until we begin the 2007 Nascar season. The Daytona 500 will kick-off the season on February 18. I am in the process of picking my fantasy team and we have added new competitors this year. My dad will be competiting, along with my husband, but joining this season is JCrew, his wife, HappyHouseWife, and her father. I can hardly wait until February 18! I want to hear those famous words, "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, lets go racin boys!" If you want to see a great race and want some company, come watch Daytona with us!

How Many of "You" are There?

I was recently sent this link and it was a fun thing to do - see how many "Stephanie Love's" and "Stephanie Writebol's" there were in the U. S. According to the information I got, there are 599,937 "Stephanie's" in the U. S. and only one "Stephanie Writebol." Now, as for the number of "Stephanie Love's" (my maiden name), there are 210 of us in the U. S. Check it out and see how many of you there are in the U. S. The link is "How Many of Me". It would be fun to have you post your information here - so we can all see "how many of you" there are in the U. S. Happy Saturday!

New Blog on the Block

Do you love food? Do you like to share new recipes? Then check out the new blog, "For the Love of Food," found on the link list to the right. I hear great things are cooking there!

Making Jam with Mom

Each trip back to Missouri is a good time with friends and family. During my last two trips back (July and December), with the help of my mom, I have become quite the "Betty Crocker" and learned to do some canning. When I went back in July, she taught me how to do homemade apple butter and also peach jam. Both turned out really good and I was excited to know how to make these two delicious treats. The apple butter was grandma's recipe so it meant a lot to learn to make it. This past December, we took on a new challenge, making the Cranberry Banana jam that my aunt typically makes, but wasn't able to do this year. While this may not sound like the best jam, it is absolutely wonderful - on top of hot biscuits it is a GREAT treat. We were so excited that it turned out well! We had a fun time making it and spending time together. I love learning those things from mom and knowing that I can do it. I am looking forward to making more and think I have made the decision to have the jam be my first entry in the Sonoma County Fair this summer. I have not decided if it will be the apple butter, peach jam or cranberry banana - but one of those will be the entry that gets me my free ticket :)

Great memories, great times and great jam! Thanks mom!

Finally Caught Up!

With a day off work (for MLK Day), a couple of weeks of being back from Missouri, and back in our normal routine (if that is possible - who knows what normal is???) I finally felt like I was caught up with things and could sit down to write a blog - not that I have incredible things to say, but wanted to update my few readers on how we were doing.

Our visit back to Missouri was really a great time! We were able to celebrate the holidays with our families and spend some time with friends. We were able to spend Christmas day with my parents and extended family as well as Jeremy's grandparents and brother and sister-in-law. We were blessed to find out we were going to be Aunt Steph and Uncle Jeremy again - with Brian and Esther expecting in June. That was a fun Christmas surprise! I have to admit that probably one of my greatest joys over the holidays was spending time with my nephew Ramsey, who is now 6 months old and he is adorable - of course I am a little partial, but it was such fun playing with him and seeing him smile! He is a great little guy!!!!! It was fun being Aunt Steph!

Another highlight of being in Missouri was going to look at Christmas lights with my family and eating at our traditional place, "Porky's!" For all you pork lovers - it is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can tell from the picture, JCrew and others will be proud to see we are getting Ramsey hooked on the "pork" products at a young age :) This is a time I always look forward to - traditions and making memories with the family - what a joy!!!!!!!!

We are glad to be back and getting into a normal routine - it is hard to believe that it is already (as we are calling it with the Jr. High kids) 007!!!! I am eager to see all God has planned for this year. We are excited and blessed to have Jeremy's brother and sister-in-law here with us and are so thankful for the time God is giving us with them. We are looking forward to visits from family and friends! Mission trips, field trips, camps, the birth of our new nephew/niece, celebrating our 2nd anniversary and much more await us in 007 - - - - God is so good and no matter what comes, we must remember that He is always with us and we must seek him first. As we were talking with the Jr. High kids - we are truly on a mission for Christ and may 007 be one exciting mission for Him!!!!!!