Rachel's Second Birthday

Rachel turned two years old! Her Mommy and Daddy threw her a small birthday party with a few friends, pink and white decorations, and Gluten Free Chocolate cake. Yum! Enjoy the pictures!

Before the party, Joshua and Rachel toot some party favors:


The Birthday Girl:


As friends arrived we had some fun in the snow...

Joel and Rachel take the first run.


Big Josh and Claire:

Mary and Anna:



Anna takes another ride:


After a craft (making party hats) and a small lunch, Rachel opened presents:



Then it was time for cake!




Meet some of Rachel's friends! Here is Claire, daughter of Joshua and Stephanie:


Here is sweet Anna and Joshua (good friends):


And, Amelia, who said "cheese" whenever the camera came out! :)


All the kids had candles in their heart-shaped cupcakes. As the parents sang "Happy Birthday" the kids had big grins on their faces. There was such joy in sharing in the moment with Rachel as they all blew out their own candles, not just celebrating Rachel's life but all the children's lives as well.

Good News!

So we got something from the clinic yesterday. It was the test results from Joel and Joshua's blood tests to see if they also have Celiac Disease.

The tests were NEGATIVE!!! hurrah!

(If you're wondering why I (Renee) did not get tested, it's because Celiac, which is hereditary, is on Joel's side of the family.)

Baby Name Ideas

Renee is looking for some ideas for baby names...
boy or girl...

Do YOU have any ideas??

What Joel's thankful for in this gluten-free experience...

My very first attempt at a gluten free meal last week, a vegetable noodle soup, found success with the Critic. As Rachel dug into her third helping she said "Thank-you" - a relatively new word for her. She took a big bite and nodded at me as though to say, "Yep - this hits the spot." She then proceeded to finish off another helping, plus the rest of Joshua's!
Rachel, I believe, is a lot happier. We are not totally gluten-free, but mostly. God is giving Renee great grace and great friends to get this rolling, but it doesn't happen overnight. Tonight she's looking for a good replacement to Nature's Seasoning. But Rachel is full of energy like we haven't seen in a long time. We joked that the lethargic nature was easier to deal with than this wound up toddler full of vim and vigor! Ah well, its fun and feels good to see her laughing and running around again. Thank-you Lord.

News Report (sort of)

Just a quick news report:

1. Joel and Renee will be seeing the Celiac Disease Specialist on the morning of Wednesday February 11.

2. Renee will be receiving an ultrasound in the afternoon of Wed. Feb 11. Hopefully, with the higher grade equipment, the docs will be able to see Grape Nut more clearly. (Boy or girl???, yes I know, there are more important things than that to look for...)

3. Both Joel and Joshua are being tested for Celiac Disease this week. Results should come back in about a week.

4. Gluten Free muffins did not flop last night! Though they are a bit dry today...