September Fun

Owen is now five months and he has been having a blast! Both Grandpas came into town to play in a golf tournament for Youth For Christ. They all had a good time and they golf club even let Owen and I drive around in a cart for a while with them! Here are all the boys.

Owen and I got to go to Kansas City to go to my cousin Kelsey's wedding reception. We had so much fun seeing everyone and I remembered to take a picture of our newest little cousin - Zack. We also had fun hanging out with Grandma Tickles and Aunt Sandy.

We continue to have a good time hanging out with some of the mama's and their kiddos. This is a picture of Noah. He is now seven months old and the sweetest boy ever!

It was chilly last weekend and so I was so excited Owen FINALLY got to wear the first article of clothing I ever bought him! It is this adorable sweatshirt with bear ears. He was such a charmer in it!

Jon has been playing intramural football at Grand View and one day Owen and I went to watch the game with a few of the girls. He was looking like such a balla with his hat backwards!

eating machine

Owen is quite the eating machine. Whenever we give him a bottle he excitedly waves his arms back and forth in anticipation for food. Sometimes he even makes noises! He is also starting to recognize what it means when Jon or I are at the kitchen sink making a bottle. He watches intently like if he stops watching he won't get the bottle. We've attempted to give him rice cereal some these past few weeks, but for some reason he hasn't seem that interested. However, yesterday, we tried giving him sweet potatoes and after a few minutes he LOVED it! He started grabbing the spoon and then also he started making grunting noises before each bite as the spoon came his way. It was hilarious! And so here is the video of our little eating machine. well... I was going to post a video but it wasn't working. So, I'll have to try again later. Sorry Aunt Mandy!

we bought a house!

On Saturday, a bid Jon and I put on a house was accepted!  We are so excited and, to be honest, a little surprised.  We thought it would be a while longer before we were able to have a house but God changed our circumstances and it's possible now.  As I sit here in my apartment, I can't help but be so grateful for what God has given us so far.  The apartment we have been in has been such a blessing and has felt so much like home.  It will be nice to be in a house soon so Owen doesn't have to share a room with us anymore and so we can have more people over.  

The amazing thing about all of this is God answered every prayer I had for a house - even meeting a desire I had for a porch, even though that wasn't a necessity.  Before going house shopping, I made a list of prayer requests.  Things that were important to us was location between Grand View and Windsor Heights and easy access to the highway since Jon will be back and forth to many spots in Des Moines.  The one we put a bid on wasn't even on the list the day we went looking but we drove by it and called to see if we could get a showing that day.  The location is awesome.  I don't know what the neighborhood is called but it's at 35th and Iola (2 blocks south of Kingman).  So kind of the drake neighborhood, kind of the woodland neighborhood.  I don't really know.  But it's easy to get to and I feel safe in it for little Owie and I.  I've loved seeing God's hand directing us in it.  One thing that is awesome about prayer is that it takes away any need to be nervous.  Jon and I put this house in God's hands and so we can trust that this was the right decision.  Finally, I want to put a word in for our awesome realtor, Jason Rude.  He did a great job with everything and even made a sheet with a clip board for me to take notes on!  I loved it!

Here are some pictures.

Do you have any of these items??

Since we're moving to a bigger place, there are some things that would be nice to have to fill the space.  I've started searching on craigs list and hope to go to garage sales.  My cousin had a great idea to mention on the blog of any items on searching for.  Then if any of you are trying to get rid of something or would want to sell it to us you can let us know.  A few of these things we may want to buy new anyway but it doesn't hurt to ask!  Here is what I know of so far:

washer and dryer

patio furniture

a grill

a curtain rod long enough to go above french doors

standard window size curtain rods

a large area rug for the living room

couches, love seats, chairs, etc. 

end tables

2-4 dining table chairs

sturdy bookshelves

a stool

Hello, Goodbye; Beginning and Ending

The theme of the last few weeks in the lives in the Schreiner household has been new things beginning a few things ending. Some are pretty trivial and others have had a large impact on our lives.

BEGINNING

Jon is now doing ministry full-time! We are extremely thankful for the opportunity God has given him to be able to serves the students better and with more flexibility. A few months ago he began working for Campus Fellowship at Drake while continuing his work with students at Grand View University. We are excited to see what God is going to do on both campuses this year!

ENDING

With Jon doing ministry full-time it means he left his job at Nationwide. He was employed there for just under three years. We were very thankful for Nationwide and how God used it to provide for us.

BEGINNING

This month we went to two weddings. Our friends Derek and Robin got married August 13th; Bo and Tim tied the knot on August 27th. I love witnessing our friends get married! Below are pictures from the Laehn wedding. Isn't Bo a beautiful bride?

HELLO

This month we got to meet two new babies! Charlotte Crummy is the daughter of Matt and Allie (some friends from church) and she was born on August 12th. With the birth of Charlotte, I realized that all the girls that I lived with my junior year of college all had babies within one year of each other. Carla had Kaisa, Colleen had Payton, I had Owen and Allie had Charlotte. Here is a picture of us when we were roommates.

Also, here is a picture of Owen and Kaisa trying to figure each other out.

While we were in Kansas City last week, we got to meet my newest second cousin Zack Dinkel, born on August 17th! After I left and realized I forgot to take pictures... I was so mad at myself!

BEGINNING

On August 12th, we got to witness Samanthya get adopted by Terry and Susan Amann. Sam is one of the students involved in CF at Grand View and Terry is a pastor at our church. It has been a good example to me of God's love for his children. In Galatians 4:4-5 says: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." Which basically means that when the right time came He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to fulfill the plan that He had since the beginning of time. In response to our sin which caused us to be separated from God, He had Jesus live on earth as a man and had Him die on the cross to pay the penalty for us. When we choose to accept this free gift, God gives us eternal life and we become His sons and daughters. I love seeing that Terry and Susan are unconditionally accepting Sam into their family, along with her wonderful traits and her not so wonderful traits. She is theirs and they are hers. The same is true with God. When someone chooses to believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him with their lives, God then welcomes them to become His child and an heir of eternal life. Below are some pictures at the court hearing for the adoption.

ENDING

Owen is no longer an itty bitty newborn. Okay, maybe he never was itty bitty. But, O is growing up! This past month he stopped needing to be rocked to sleep, began rolling over, sitting up and today I put his 3-6 month clothes in a bag because he will never wear them again. It's so funny how the mind works - I already forget how bad labor was, I already forget how hard it is with a newborn and all I remember is how cute and cuddly he was. Now, at night or right before/after naps Owen will cuddle with us and I just soak it all in. But along with his being itty bitty ending you get to see all the cute pictures of what he can do now!

BEGINNING

I know I've mentioned it before... but my baby sister Sandy is now a freshman at KU! Just to see how crazy this is below is a picture of her the summer after my freshman year. I can't believe it!

Speaking of KU - Owen went to his first KU athletic event this past trip to Kansas! Sorry Gophers, the Jayhawks will have Owen's allegiance.

Also with the Tickles family, Mandy began her new job at the beginning of August and my parents became empty nesters.

Since we're speaking about family and new beginnings we want to say we are so thrilled that Jon's sister Anne is pregnant and we can't wait to find out if Owen's newest cousin will be a boy or a girl. We also are so excited for Melanie getting a new job! We are praying it'll go well for her!

ENDING

Summer is ending. I'm mostly sad because I love being outside. But it was also nice to take Owen for a walk and not worry if it was too hot for him. Look at him modeling off his fall clothes!

GOODBYE

Sadly, this month I had to say goodbye to my cousin and friend Jessica Roark. For the past few years, she has battled and fought hard against a rare cancer. In the midst of all of this, she was able to receive two very challenging degrees. She also studied abroad or did internships all around the world. She was quite the go-getter. I love you Jess and will miss you. Below is a picture of Jess and I when she came down to visit me at Drake.

One thing it has made me think about a lot is how short our time on earth can be. None of us really know when our last day will be. As you read this, my question for you is do you know what will happen to you when you die. I believe this is the most important question anyone can ask. If you would like to know how you can be certain you are going to heaven follow this link or contact me and I would love to talk with you about what the Bible says.

GOODNIGHT

I thought you might want to see how cute Owen is before he goes to bed.