Dixon's Blog

December 2009

2010-01-11T20:37:00.013-05:00

December was a very busy, fun month for us! We started out with Kris' Grandad's birthday party. Here is Josiah with Gran and Grandad with a cake Tonya made for him.

We got away for a couple nights to a cabin we stayed at last year, near Kentucky lake. It was so nice to finally get out of the house, away from farm work, and spend time as a family. It was very cold, but we did have fun indoors, like eating smores , going shopping at the mall in Paducah, and eating at Patti's, a very popular one of a kind restaurant!

Josiah and Micah loved their smores, even if they weren't made over a fire! Microwaves have to do in the winter!

Josiah sang in the preschool choir program for the first time this Christmas. He was very good and also brave since he had to sing in front of several hundred people! We were very proud of him.

Josiah smiling at us from the bleachers.

Nathanael has become quite the ham. He loves to respond to peoples voices and give a big grin!

Every night Kris would hold Nathanael after coming in from work so Tonya could clean up the house for the night and get things situated so everyone could go to bed. Often, they would both fall asleep together!

We had the opportunity to get together with friends to make Christmas cookies at our house this year. It was lots of fun, but quite a mess! Josiah and Micah enjoyed spending time with other kids and Tonya enjoyed the time with their mom!

The boys with their friends and their finished products!

We had a big time making eight different Christmas goodies this year for friends, teachers, and relatives. Josiah and Micah had a part in making all of them and got help package and label each box for Christmas gifts.

All three boys made handprint stepping stones to give to their grandmothers this year. Josiah and Micah got to paint theirs as well, and really enjoyed it!

Micah really enjoying his painting experience too!

Tonya got to participate in our church's Christmas choir presentation this year. It was such a privilege to be a part of a 95 voice choir and sing in front of over a thousand people!

Nathanael was baby Jesus this year in not only the preschool choir's concert but the adult one as well. He behaved very well and there weren't many dry eyes during the song he preformed in!

A picture of the choir from the entrance into the sanctuary

A close up view of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus (our little man!)

Nathanael was also dedicated to the Lord this month. It was a proud time for us as parents to present him to the church and vow to train him up in the admonition of the Lord.

Nathanael smiling in his swing after breakfast. He is definatly a morning baby!

On the 23rd we opened gifts with Kris' parents and then at our home. It was a very busy day of packing and visiting since we left the next day for a two month trip to see family and then Canada. Here is Josiah giving Micah a hug after opening his Christmas present Micah worked to buy for him: a fire truck!

Josiah worked to buy gifts for everyone in the family, including Nathanael. Here he is showing Nathanael his Christmas present from him- a truck of course!

We gave Nathanael a play place for babies to take with us on our travels, since we didn't have one for the other boys. It was worth every penny, because he loves to play in it!

Merry Christmas! On Christmas morning we woke up in South Carolina, after a long trip on Christmas Eve from Kentucky. Nathanael is smiling in greeting after his first meal of the day!

Grandpa reading with Josiah

Grandpa with Nathanael, feeding him his daily bottle at night.

Nathanael wearing the Dixon boy traditional "My very first Christmas" hat and bib! He's the third one to wear them!

On the 26th we went to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia with Tonya's parents. Josiah had been to a zoo in Nepal as a baby, but didn't remember it of course, so this was an exciting time.

Grandma and Grandpa with the bigger boys in front of the monkeys

Josiah feeding a girraffe.

Micah with Grandpa feeding a girraffe. What fun!

Riding an elephant statue

watching the gorillas eat.

Our family in front of the flamingoes. Nathanael slept the whole time under a blanket, strapped in an infant carrier to Kris.

Looking at fish in the aquarium

The night of the 26th we opened gifts and had a meal with all of Tonya's immediate family. Nathanael got to meet his cousins Sydney and Alex and Aunt Cathy, Uncle Myron, and Uncle Randy for the first time. He immediately took to Sydney and smiled a lot at her!

Uncle Randy holding Nathanael

The VanKampen Grandkids. It was a long night with several hours of gift opening, so some of the boys weren't exactly game for picture taking!

Aunt Cathy holding Nathanael.

Grandma and Nathanael

Grandpa with Josiah and Micah, goofing around

The kids playing at Great Grandma VanKampen's house. Lots of toys for everyone!

Grandma with Nathanael at the Breuker Christmas party

The Breuker great-grandkids, minus Cooper, who was born early in December

Going sledding outside Great Grandma and Grandpa Breuker's condo in Michigan.

Grandpa with the big boys, fixing to go down a hill

Micah and Josiah love the snow and don't mind the cold at all.

Josiah trying to find packed snow to make a snowman

At Great Grandma VanKampen's Christmas party, Josiah ate everything on his plate, so was rewarded with a Daddy sized piece of chocolate cake! Life is good!

This was Sydney and Josiah's last night playing together for another year. It was sad to see them say bye. They make good buddies!

Josiah and Great Grandpa Breuker doing a puzzle together, just like Tonya used to do when she was his age!

Great Grandma Breuker and Nathanael. She loved holding him and made him promise to not let Mommy and Daddy cut his hair for a long time!

Great Grandma VanKampen and Nathanael

Great Grandma VanKampen with all of our boys

Josiah and Micah napping on Great Grandma VanKampen's bed. They adapted everywhere we went and learned to sleep in a bed together.

Playing Chutes and Ladders with Great Grandpa, Josiah and Kris.

Great Grandpa and Grandma Breuker with the boys. We had a memorable, fun time in Michigan before leaving for Canada on Jan. 2nd. Stories and pictures are soon to come!

November 2009

2009-12-03T20:50:00.005-05:00

What a month we've had! Nathanael's first month has been sweet, challenging, and exhausting, and we've made many memories along the way! Here are the 4 Dixon men in our home, all rocking together in the living room.

It is amazing how quickly our boys grow. These are Josiah's and Nathanael's feet next to eachother.

Halloween was a fun time for us! Josiah was a lion and Micah a bumblebee. Nathanael, being only 8 days old, stayed home with Tonya while Kris took the bigger boys to church for a children's carnival. Here they are in our front yard with our pumpkin and scarecrow display.

Nathanael celebrated Halloween at home, sporting his Halloween onesie! Next year he'll be sure to get in on the candy collection!

This is the first picture taken of Kris' parents with Nathanael.

Our "Little Man" with Tonya. This is his favorite position to rest, since he often gets gas/tummy troubles at dinner time and fusses until around 10 pm.

When Nathanael was about 10 days old, it was warm enough to go outside in the back yard while the other boys played. He didn't like the sun in his face, but slept while Tonya did some yardwork.

Nathanael's first combine ride! Just like Micah, he slept through the whole thing!

"Little Man's" regular spot to hang out in the mornings is on the couch. He looks around at the curtains and his favorite colorful toys, then after about 15 minutes gets bored and cries. We hope this attention span will get longer as he gets older!

Kris' Grandmother Mathis met Nathanael when he was 4 weeks old, on a short visit to our home. All the boys wanted to get on the picture shoot, so are posing with her!

Josiah made his singing deput at church in the preschool choir this month! He looked at us and smiled most of the time and did a great job singing and doing the motions. We were very proud of him, especially since he was singing in front of hundreds of people!

Nathanael looking at his favorite toy.

At 5 weeks we started giving Nathanael a bottle of pumped milk near his bedtime, partially to allow Tonya to go to choir practice without taking him along, and partly to get him used to a bottle for supplements when he is older before he decides to reject it. He of course gobbled it all up and Kris really enjoyed the experience! We are happy to say that he sleeps from 10pm to at least 4 or 5 am every night, and after feeding, sleeps again until 8 am. He even slept through the night once!

Nathanael's first Thanksgiving wasn't a happy one for him. He is really fussy in the mornings and evenings and at the get together with Kris' family cried most of the time. He still looked cute in his outfit though!

It's Christmas time! Josiah and Micah were so excited about decorating this year! It is so much fun to see them understand more and more about this special holiday with each passing year. Josiah has started the tradition of putting the star on the tree this year, and next year it will be Micah's turn! He was so proud!

This is Nathanael's room. Nothing changed since Micah moved out in July except the name on the wall! He is taking naps in here these days, and will soon be sleeping here at night. We just have to get him used to sleeping flat and not in his car seat first!

Our first GOOD picture of Nathanael smiling!

Josiah in front of the tree

Micah in front of the tree! We'll be using these pictures in our Christmas cards this year!

October 2009

2009-10-28T12:32:00.006-05:00

October has been a big month for us, that is why we have 3 postings! The month started out with Kris and Tonya's 6th anniversary. We celebrated about 10 days early because there was rain and Kris could get off in time to take Tonya out for dinner. At 36 weeks pregnant, it was a little hard to pack in a great meal, but we still enjoyed our time together eating at a nice restaurant in Paducah and going for a walk in the mall.

Josiah is growing up too quickly. Not only is he taking seriously his quickly approaching new responsibilites as being a big brother again, he is also wanting to get ready by himself! He is combing his own hair down, brushes his own teeth, and gets himself dressed with a little fashion advice from Mommy about what is appropriate to wear each day :-)

Since life is fixing to be really busy soon, Tonya took time the last couple weeks before baby arrived to spend special time with Josiah and Micah. We went to a railroad museum in the area and they boys loved it! They got to watch several large model train sets, and met Thomas the train :-)

The railroad museum is run by retired conducters and engineers who love to talk about their work. This is an old control panel from a train that Josiah got to operate.

Micah loved climbing all over the control panel more than operating it, but did like following the model trains around as the men showed them to us.

Josiah loves getting his picture taken!

Another night earlier this month we took the boys to "Ya Ya's Island", and play place for young children. Josiah is admiring the aquarium with small sharks and sea stars.

Micah loves to climb and slide, so wore himself out on the indoor playground!

Tonya couldn't get on the inflatable equipment being very pregnant, but Kris joined in all the fun while she took pictures.

This was Josiah's favorite place to play: a huge slide at the end of a rope ladder!

Our Sunday School class threw Tonya a baby shower this month as well. We didn't need much since this is our third boy, but diapers and other baby necesities were generously given to help us keep the nursery stocked!

Tonya opening gifts, with the help of a couple of our classmates' daughters!

A picture of those who threw the shower for us. Many couldn't make it because of illness in the family or fall break activities, but we had a great time!

Kris' mom was also able to attend, making the shower more special.

The boys were as excited about seeing the baby gifts as they were about getting their own presents! Here is the "loot" from the shower. Now all we need is a baby!

Nathanael Elliot is born!

2009-10-28T12:20:00.003-05:00

The day has finally come! Tonya didn't go into labor on her own, so we made it to the scheduled c-section date: October 23. We left for the hospital at 7:00 full of anticipation and anxiety, ready to meet our new little man!

Here is Kris ready to go into the OR to be with Tonya.

The surgery went smoother than with the other boys, with no complications. When Nathanael was pulled out, Kris' first reaction was "Wow, he has a head full of hair!". Tonya saw him and was amazed at how tiny he was! His chord was wrapped around his neck twice, so while he was getting untangled he cried loudly, letting us know he was very healthy! Apgar scores were 9 and 9, the best of all of our boys!

Nathanael getting checked out in the nursery. He weighed 7 lb 1 oz, and is 22 inches long! His hands and feet are big and bony, and he definately has his daddy's thin legs! He is the smallest and longest of all of our boys, destined to be a basketball player!

We chose the name Nathanael because of its meaning "A gift of God" and its Biblical significance in John 1. His middle name is Elliot after Jim Elliot, a missionary to the Indians of Equador, who was martyred bringing the Gospel to them.

Nathanael Elliot's first days

2009-10-27T21:52:00.012-05:00

Nathanael's first week has been an exciting and exhausting one! Here is Kris with all the boys together, watching TV before bedtime.

This is the first picture of Nathanael with his eyes opened!

Josiah's first picture with his baby brother. He was so proud to get to hold him and his face shows it all!

The first picture of our family of 5! Micah was pretty unsure about this little baby mommy showed him, but after we got home he really warmed up to him and doesn't seem jealous.

"Grammy" Dixon holding Nathanael for the first time.

Cousin Kinzie holding Nathanael. He calls him "Josiah's baby"!

Aunt Leah holding Nathanael in the hospital.

Kris' Gran and Grandad Dixon with Nathanael.

Kris' Dad and Gran Dixon. Nathanael's "Big Daddy" as he likes to be called, doesn't feel comfortable holding his grandchildren when they are this small, but will be sure to give him lots of rides in the tractor and combine when he gets bigger!

Nathanael at one day old, looking around in his "box". At one day he was already turning his head to Kris and Tonya's voices when we were nearby. He is very alert for a newborn!

Nathanael loves to cuddle and be rolled up in a little ball. He is so small he can fit in one arm!

Josiah holding his new baby brother. He fits the role perfectly!

Nathanael taking a nap on Daddy's chest.

A first picture of his little gassy grins he often gives!

Dr. Christenson delivered Nathanael and was very attentive to Tonya throughout the pregnancy. He has been a blessing to us!

Time to go home! Josiah wore this same outfit, but it fit him a little better!

Getting ready to take baby home.

Micah and "Baby Nate" as he calls him. They stared at eachother for minutes!

Kris' mom is helping out with the older boys during the day, but gets to steal a few minutes of cuddling with Nathanael when she can!

The boys got to recieve a "big brother" gift when we came home. Kris' aunt and uncle offered us a gator that their grandchildren had outgrown, so we decided to let them have it when Nathanael came home so they felt special too. Josiah is a great driver, and Micah gladly sits in the passenger seat!

Nathanael at three days old, in his swing. He sleeps here during the day in the living room so everyone can watch him. He sleeps very well during the day, waking up every 2-3 hours to eat, but at night it's a different story! He has gas, despite taking Mylicon, so gets rocked and comforted until he's so tired he falls asleep between 2 and 4 am. Fortunately he sleeps for several hours in the morning so Tonya can sleep too!

September 2009

2009-09-27T13:30:00.014-05:00

September has been a month for exhaustion! Corn harvest began in the second week, but was halted in the last week due to rain. The boys have had their fill of outdoor time, as it has been beautiful weather, and rainy days are full of energy and indoor activities. Josiah was asked to pick up his toys in the toy room in order for Mommy to vaccuum, but he didn't exactly pick them up...he moved them out to the kitchen instead!

We love brownies! The boys often help Tonya bake. Micah's favorite word is "Watch!" when Tonya breaks out the recipe and ingredients. Josiah has to be involved in stirring, slicing, peeling, and of course, tasting when it is a dessert!

Micah is already learning to share with his little brother! He wanted the baby to have some of his apple, so placed it on Tonya's tummy.

Tonya's good friend from seminary, Linda Sue, came to visit us for a weekend. She is home from overseas for several months, and spoke at our church while she was here. The boys took to her immediately like they had known her all their lives!

One of Linda Sue's gifts to the boys were Daytona Beach t-shirts from her home town.

Josiah had to give "Sue Sue" a lesson on harvesting corn, showing her how the combine works.

Going on her first combine ride, Linda Sue is ready for adventure!

We took "Sue Sue" to Columbus State Park on the Mississippi River while she visited. The boys hadn't been in well over a year, so really enjoyed running around and playing on everything they found.

Tonya and the boys overlooking the river. It's a little hard to hold on to them with a big belly!

Micah enjoying watching the barges go by.

The boys loved climbing on the cannons in the park

Josiah really wanted to fire this cannon!

Trying to climb up an anchor that was used to hold a chain to stop boats from going down the river during the Civil War.

Of course a trip to the park isn't complete without playing on the playground!

Micah is learning to pose for pictures now, after a phase of camera shyness. He is using more 2 word phrases now, and loves to help around the house.

Josiah is doing his new favorite puzzle on the island. It's a great quiet activity that both boys get into!

Tonya is now less than a month until baby's arrival. The c-section is scheduled for October 23rd. but he could come a week or two earlier than that if he wanted to. Either way, we are ready! Our next post will be Dixon boy #3's birth!

August 2009

2009-08-24T10:13:00.005-05:00

August has been an unusually cool, yet busy month! While all the activity has been going on, baby Dixon has been growing in leaps and bounds. Tonya is 29 weeks in this picture, and beginning to feel really weighed down! Growing pains, sore legs, back pain, headaches, and trouble sleeping top the list, but at least he is healthy and we only lack less than two months until his arrival!

Tonya's parents came for a short visit this month and we had a great time together. We went to the county fair one night and the boys loved this ferris wheel! They also were crazy about a kid's roller coaster- looks like they'll take after their adventurous parents!

Josiah and Grandpa on the merry go round

Micah with Kris on the merry go round

Tonya's parents brought Micah's birthday presents with them. One was a soccar goal and ball, since Micah loves to play with balls. Josiah obviously enjoys it too!

"Whoa!"- opening presents from Grandma and Grandpa

We went to a local indoor pool one day with the boys, since Tonya can't normally go since handling two toddlers in the water is tough! Josiah can now swim several feet with swimmies on and both can jump to us from the side of the pool and hold their breathe under water! Looks like Josiah will get swimming lessons next year!

Micah is getting ready to jump to Grandma

Micah and Grandma having a big time!

Micah with Grandpa. He was quite the stinker, getting in Grandpa's lap when it was time to go to bed, and asking to be rocked :-).

Josiah and Micah not only enjoyed Grandma and Grandpa's visit, they also enjoyed their shoes!

Josiah got a big John Deere floor puzzle from Tonya's parents too, and after a couple tries, can do it by himself! He is already doing 60 piece puzzles on his own.

Earlier this month, we had a yard sale to clean out uneeded "stuff" from our move last fall. Kris' mom and sister in law also cleaned out stuff so our driveway pad was filled with things for sale. It is so nice to have an empty garage now! While we sold things, all the kids were running around outside. At one point we played them a movie, but it didn't last long....

July 2009

2009-07-30T15:04:00.008-05:00

What a fun July it's been! We got to celebrate the 4th of July in a fun way this year- Chuckie Cheese and fireworks! The boys loved playing on the rides and then we watched fireworks at a local elementary school until bedtime. It was a fun outing!

Micah wanted to ride Clifford first. He just loves doggies!

The boys didn't leave out the playground in Chuckie Cheese either. Up and down the slides they went!

This month the boys got to become new roommates! We got them bunk beds and were amazed at how quickly they adjusted. They love sharing a room and sleep so well, having the same schedules now. Here they are with Kris, reading a book before going to bed.

Micah also got to be promoted from his high chair and is now eating on a bar stool with the rest of us for meals. That takes away time from Tonya, since she can't let him sit for half an hour watching us quietly, since now he has to be reminded to sit back down to finish, since he's very active!

Here is Tonya at 24 weeks. Baby is growing quickly, and she is still feeling the toll he is taking on her back every day. Lots of kicks and squirms can be felt every day, and the boys love talking to him and trying to get him to respond to them!

We have had several dinner guests this month, since Kris is not in the field and is usually around at dinner time to visit with friends. Patrick Lewis, Kris' good friend from college, and his wife Tara, came with their son Lincoln for an afternoon visit while in the area. Lincoln is only a couple weeks younger than Micah, so they had a fun time together.

Micah had a great 2nd Birthday this month. We had 18 of Kris' family members over for a meal and cake on the 18th and had a "big" time! The party theme was dogs since Micah loves dogs right now, and never goes anywhere without his stuffed doggy.

Here are the boys before the party, getting excited on their bunk beds. No jumping guys!

Josiah helped Tonya decorate party favors the day before the party: dog bone cookies!

Here is Micah in his seat of honor with balloons at his party.

Opening presents was fun until he got some really cool presents he didn't want to leave to finish opening what was left!

Our family with Micah's Doggie cake

Kris with his Grandmother Mathis and Gran Dixon

Micah got to go to McDonalds for ice cream on his actual birthday, since he loves eating it so much!

Getting ready to blow out the candles. Let's eat, Daddy!

Blowing candles together- it's a tough job!

Micah out on his bubble blowing lawnmower he got as a birthday gift. He now makes rounds just like Mommy and does a great job!

After cake and ice cream, the kids went outside with the dads and got dirty! Micah came back in briefly to play with balloons. This is so much fun!

On his birthday Micah opened presents from Kris and Tonya. He loved getting his own John Deere fleece blanket that Tonya put together for him

This month was bean and corn harvest in our garden! Josiah loved going to the garden by himself with a bucket and filling it up for Tonya, since her back couldn't handle lots of picking at a time. Here he is with his Grammy picking beans for her to cook for guests.

We went to a pool party thrown by friends in our Sunday School class this month as well. Josiah absolutely loved the water, and learned some basics in swimming! This was Micah's first time in an outdoor pool, and Josiah's first since we lived in Nepal and he was an infant. Micah wasn't as fond of the cool water since it was cloudy and in the 70's that night.

Micah did love playing in the backyard and eating with his friends. Parties are fun!

Before we left, all the kids of the three couples left decided to watch cartoons as we continued to talk into the night.

Look Mommy, more beans! Josiah loves gardening. Next year Tonya's planning on hiring him to do all the work for her!

June 2009

2009-06-29T16:14:00.010-05:00

June has been yet another busy month on the farm. Wheat harvest and bean planting are now finished, so we are waiting for the crops to grow. Josiah and Micah are posing with Kris in their safety goggles they use when playing with their tools.
We also found out some special news this month! Baby #3 is a boy! He will arrive in late October as planned, and is healthy and growing well. Tonya has daily back pain which sometimes makes it difficult to do house and yard work, but otherwise is having a healthy pregnancy.

We have made a new discovery in our backyard in the bird house: a nest of baby blue birds! Josiah checks on them every day by standing on a riding toy and peeking inside. Micah has to be picked up to look, but loves watching them.

Even in temperatures of 100 degrees, our boys love going to play outside. On hot humid days, Tonya can't take the heat, so watches from the sunroom and offers juice on a regular basis! Josiah is playing in the dirt here, one of his favorite outdoor activities. At least it isn't mud anymore! The ground is now dry!

Micah is Josiah's shadow when outdoors. He loves to dig just as much too!

Kris' Grandparents celebrated their 59thth anniversary this month. The entire extended family ate at the family's favorite local restaurant and had cake at their house. These are all of their great-grandchildren.

Here is Tonya with Josiah, Micah, and Kinzie eating cake and ice cream.

Josiah and Micah are always partners in crime. One finds out where the snacks are stashed and secretly shares with the other one. This time they found Tonya's box of cookies while she was on the phone and had eaten quite a few before being caught!

New flowers are growing all the time in our yard. Here by a drainage ditch (where the compound's homes' washers drain out) Tonya has planted many wildflowers to add to some that were already there, and put out our windmill.

Tonya's first rose bushes (in the U.S.) are so much fun to watch bloom, and smell incredible!

In June we also had VBS at our church. Josiah sang with the 3 and 4 year old class on Family night. We didn't know he was going to be doing this in front of hundreds of people, and he wasn't prepared for his first preformance of his life! He cried after seeing Tonya taking this picture and tried to sneak off the stage, but was dragged back by a 4 yr. old!

Tonya was the missions teacher for the elementary classes this year. She loved sharing about different countries, and dressed in an outfit from a different country each day, making the kids guess where it was from. It was such a joy to share her love of missions with so many children who soaked up every lesson!

Behind the kids are some items from different countries Tonya had on display in her room. The kids loved asking what they were and where they were from. They girls are holding prayer cards of missionaries they chose to pray for on the last day of VBS. Many said they would write them so they could get to know their country and how to pray for them better.

Micah is getting ready to turn 2 next month. He is showing more and more personality this spring, but amazes people at his easy going, quiet character when around others.

Our family on Father's Day at church. Tonya got to make Kris a steak lunch before he rushed off to work in the field again for the rest of the day.

Our silly boys, before going to church one Sunday morning.

Josiah decided one morning that he was going to brush Micah's teeth instead of Tonya. He took off the high chair tray, got Micah's toothpaste and tooth brush, and proceded to try to put it in Micah's mouth. Micah yelled "Don't" and shook his head, not letting Josiah do it. I guess there are some things that a big brother isn't supposed to do for you!

May 2009

2009-06-01T11:04:00.005-05:00

May has been a month of rain, planting and growing! Because of continuous rains this spring, much of the corn had to be replanted. As for growing, Tonya is experiencing that in a big way! This picture was taken at 17 weeks. Still no weight gain, but baby is doing well and she is feeling better!

Josiah and Micah have enjoyed this time of the year very much! Not only do they get to play outside to their heart's content, but they often got to ride with Kris on the tractor while he was in the field. Here Josiah is going into the track tractor to help Kris replant some corn.

Micah has definately found a new love: sand! He plays in the sand box about half the time he's outside each day. It requires a lot of clean up when he comes in, but is worth it for the time Tonya doesn't have to watch him running all over the yard!

Josiah is VERY curious about his new baby brother or sister. He pats Tonya's tummy every day and talks to "sopapilla" (the nickname we gave him/her). He asks questions like "When you take a shower, does the baby get wet?" and "Does the baby pee pee and poo poo inside you?". He can explain how the umbilical chord works and understands about growth and development very well for his age too!

Micah is our little "stinker". He loves to get into trouble and then gives us a smile as if to say "I'm too cute to punish!" Here he has climbed on top his chair and is balancing with one hand on the wall while holding his beloved "doggie" with the other!

Tonya hosted a Mother's Day breakfast at her house on Mother's Day morning. Kris' grandparents, parents, and brother and sister in-law came to eat with us.

This is what the table looked like on Mother's Day. Tonya loves to host people, it's just not a regular occurence because of Kris' busy schedule.

Micah is falling in love with books, especially those he can sing or make noises to! He loves to copy sounds of animals and expressions characters make, and is always bringing us his favorites to read to him.

I think Micah looks a lot like Kris here! Kris made this type of expression in childhood pictures fairly often!

Josiah has Tonya' childhood smile here! People often tell us that he looks just like her. Here he is helping sweep the kitchen floor, a favorite chore. Micah comes behind with the dust pan to help sweep it up. It's great team work!

We had a Sunday School class cookout after church on the last Sunday of the month. It was so much fun to be around other families like ours and watch our kids play together while eating great food. Tonya is so excited about finally making lasting friendships with women after living in KY for 2 1/2 years!

April 2009

2009-04-29T13:13:00.007-05:00

Spring is in full swing on the farm! This month we have been sharing our latest big news: we are expecting our third child! Tonya is doing well and in her 14th week. She is due in late Oct/early November. We will be finding out the sex in June, and will let you know then!

April has been a "dirty" month! We have had lots of rain, which means lots of mud on clothing and shoes every time the boys go out. Micah loves to make messes even when he's inside! Ravioli is a favorite to wear all over him.

There isn't a problem with these boys' appetites! With warmer weather comes more activity and lots more to eat!

The boys got in on the Easter festivities this year. At a friend's birthday party, they had an egg hunt, Micah's first! Micah did a great job putting his eggs in his basket.

Josiah was very proud of his finds too! He hunted the eggs all by himself and had to learn not to be greedy!

The Dixon grandsons had an egg decorating party at Grammy's house as well. After painting their eggs they got to hide and look for them outside. The best part was getting goodie bags to take home when it was finished!

Our family on Easter morning. It was a bit chilly, high in the 60's and windy, but we managed to huddle together for a quick picture before going to church!

Micah got to meet the latest pigs in our friend's pig barns this month. He was followed around by the piglets and loved the fun!

The end of April started strawberry season in our area! We have strawberry pie every week! The boys were willing to share some with their cousin Kinzie one night at the end of a play date at our house

Tonya is working hard to maintain her flower beds this spring. It gets difficult when there are two little boys and four large dogs running around in our yard, but keeps her hopping. We just started planting our garden for the spring as well, in the back yard. It will be fun to get the boys involved in planting and harvesting now that they are a little older.

March 2009

2009-03-31T08:56:00.007-05:00

Upon returning to Kentucky, we once again were followed by snow! We had about 6 inches, which melted in a couple of days.

March is an exciting month for Josiah, because his birthday is on the 14th! For his birthday this year, we bought him a cat from the local animal shelter. Her name is Mayo, and she is a very friendly, tolerant adult cat! We can't believe how much she puts up with from our boys! Josiah loves her, but also loves to tease her too.

Early March included lots of tree work in our yard. As of the 30th, we still have about 8 more trees to cut down, but several large ones between our house and Kyle's (Kris' brother) got pushed down by the farm's new track hoe on a Saturday. The January ice storm damage is still very evident everywhere we look in Western KY.

Josiah's birthday party was a big success! We had Kris' immediate family over for dinner and later had cake and ice cream. This birthday's theme was Bob the Builder. Josiah was more excited about his cake than anything else!

Here is Josiah's cake, made by Tonya (recipe on the internet!)

Josiah's biggest gifts for his birthday (other than Mayo the cat) was Thomas the Train tracks and buildings for his trains. He and Micah still love playing with the tracks every day!

Micah loves to play with Mayo too. She's not too crazy about his being rough with her, but still comes around to play often.

This month we had lots of tree work, (and still do!), but also had lots of landscaping work. Transplanting bulbs, planting new flowers, laying down mulch, weeding, putting out new edgers, and lots of TLC were needed for the several flower beds around the yard. Tonya's back is hurting often, but it's worth the sacrifice to see the results!

Josiah and Micah are always willing to lend a hand with the yard work. When the mulch arrived, they started filling up buckets so Tonya could dump them out!

Another big project this month has been the boys' new play yard! Kris and Tonya worked on it every night for over a week after the boys went to bed and we are pleased with the outcome. We had just placed it in its spot when the boys jumped on the ladder, ready to try it out!

Resting after a hard day's work. The boys love to fight over Tonya or Kris' laps at night. They are such good cuddlers! We know it won't always be this way, so treasure each moment. A week after Josiah's birthday, he potty trained himself in a matter of a few days! He demands we don't go in the bathroom with him and does all the clean-up by himself. We still have about one accident a day, but we are very proud of his progress!

Here is the play yard, almost finished (we still need to fix the edgers!). Note the track hoe still in the back yard!

February 2009: Winter in Canada III

2009-03-03T16:58:00.006-05:00

The last couple weeks in Canada were some of the busiest! We had people to visit, places to go, and ministry to tie up. Bruce is here with Micah in the basement where we stayed. Micah was calling him by name by the time we left.

Here is LeeAnn with our family in the basement. She loves our kids and we love her!

Josiah loved play with "Mister Boos"!

A picture of LeeAnn with the boys the night before we left. We will miss her!

The last big snow before we left was wet with big flakes! This is a pic of the front of the Verbeek's house.

Here is Kris posing during the snow. He was "helping" Josiah shovel at the time.

Our busy boy shovelling away. He always wanted to shovel instead of play with snow balls, sleds, or make snow angels! All work and no play for this guy.

Tonya led the youth in a Bible Study on Wednesday nights about defending your faith. Here she is with the girls in the group: Jessica, Kelly, Sarah, and Christy.

Kris and the boys by Lake Ontario on a "warm" winter day. It was so windy Micah cried the entire time we took pictures.

We took a half day trip to Niagara Falls on a day when we had free time. It was very windy there as well, so our picture taking time was limited!

We went to downtown Toronto one day to eat at a Brazilian Churrasqueria, which is a restaurant that serves freshly grilled meats of every kind. This is the owner. Unfortunately, he is a Jehovah's Witness and was not interested in what we had to share with him.

Here are two of Kris's friends from UTM, Peter and Johny. Neither are Christians, but they are interested in learning more about Jesus.

Rico and his girlfriend MaKayla are both exchange students from China. Both are skeptical about a God who they can't see.

Fox is a friend from China who Kris met last year. They enjoyed playing basketball together.

These two Chinese guys were alot of fun! Many of the friends Kris met were from China which gave him a chance to brush up on his Chinese. Unfortunately he has still forgotten more than he remembers!

Here is Kris with one of his closest friends in Canada, Kevin.

On the way back from Canada we took a 1 1/2 day, 2 night vacation in Chicago. Unfortunately, we don't have pictures to share because our camera was stolen while at Shedd Aquarium. Despite that dissapointment, it was a wonderful memory making time for us and the boys. The day after we got back to Kentucky we were dumped with a big snow storm! It still feels like Canada despite being in the south again. The snow is so beautiful, but we are anxious for warm weather....especially the boys!

January/February 2009: Canada Trip, cont.

2009-02-09T15:00:00.006-05:00

We are now well into our two month mission trip to Canada. Micah is getting used to his new temporary home, and is as much or more of a ham as he was before! He makes fish faces on command and even posed when the camera came out!

We had one Saturday that was completely free in January, so took the boys to an indoor amusement park in Toronto since it was in the teens that day and we couldn't do anything outdoors. For a low price we got a family pass to ride the attractions until the boys had to go home for naps. We had a blast!

This picture was taken when Micah was going on fumes. He looked asleep, but with his eyes open! He still seemed amused by his first ride on a carousel.

Josiah loved his carousel ride and was neighing like a horse the entire time!

Josiah got to ride more rides because he was tall enough, including a bumper car ride that he had the time of his life on!

Micah loved action rides too, especially the hot air balloon ride that we spun around in. Tonya almost got sick, but the boys couldn't get enough of it!

Josiah also had fun in bumper boats!

These brothers really love eachother (or maybe they are just cold because we live in a basement?).

We had dinner one evening with the Ramirez family, who go to the Sanctuary Church. Lorena made us authentic Guatamalan food and beverages which were very tasty, especially the tres leches (three milks) cake for dessert!

Lorena and Oto (and friend) giving Josiah a good tickling. They loved having the boys in their house since their daughters are grown.

Kris and a friend from Korea who he has been sharing with. He has had numerous opportunities to share with students from several countries and religious backgrounds, and we are excited to see what happens with the seeds that have been planted so far.

We take the boys to a reading hour at the local library and get to meet families from around the world.

Josiah and Micah, intently "reading" their books they picked out at the library.

Liz and Erik with their daughter Sarina, another family at the Sanctuary Church.

Josiah and Micah coloring on Josiah's bed. As they grow older, they are able to do almost every type of activity together.

A church worship service at the school gymnasium where we meet every Sunday morning. This Sunday we had around 50 in attendance, double of what it was a year ago!

Darcy and Aubrey, leading worship.

Lester and Kelly, working sound and power point every week.

Aubrey and Nishika, newly arrived from India. Aubrey returned to India last year to get married and brought her back with him just a week ago. We have enjoyed getting to know them.

Janet Verbeek with "her boys". She is a natural with kids!

When the weather is near or just above freezing, we get excited because it is warm enough to play outside! It has been in the 30's and will be in the 40's this week so we plan to have lots of play time!

Josiah on a slide, going down head first.

Our sweet boys.

Early January 2009: first 2 weeks in Canada

2009-01-17T15:14:00.005-05:00

On New Year's Day, we arrived in Mississauga, Ontario. The trip went very well and quite fast since it was only 6 hours compared to the 10 and 16 hour trips we had made in the last week! We are so happy to be here. This is a view of Toronto from the office that Janet Verbeek works in. Toronto is about 20 minutes by train from Oakville, a small city of around 150,000 where the Verbeeks live.

Another view from Janet's office. The popular sky tower can be seen from the window.

Our first Sunday in Missisauga was a fun one for Tonya. After attending The Sanctuary Church (the new church plant we are helping this winter) Tonya went with LeeAnn and Janet to see a live production of Dirty Dancing, a very popular movie from the 80's. It was a fun show, but we had even more fun hanging out together as girls.

Bruce Verbeek is Dutch, so the family has wooden shoes in their home. Micah loves to put them on and try to walk around in them. Maybe he wants to be a klompin dancer in Holland, MI one day like his relatives!

This is the kitchen/dining room of our basement apartment at the Verbeeks house. We highly appreciate a dish washer back in KY now, as we have to wash everything by hand this winter!

This is the living room, which is used for Micah and Josiah to sleep in as well. Micah sleeps in a pack and play while Josiah sleeps in a pull out sofa in the back of the room. To the right of his bed is an opening in the room behind a curtain where Tonya and Kris sleep.

The local library is a fun place for the boys to go during the week, especially on Saturdays when many other children and their parents are reading as well. We have had opportunities to share with parents we meet, so look forward to every trip.

The Sanctuary Church meets in an elementary school gymnasium. Last year, they only met one Sunday a month and met in a home the other Sundays, but this year, the church has doubled in size and they are able to meet here every Sunday. We have enjoyed reaquainting ourselves with old friends from last winter and making new friends with newer members as well.

The little girl here is Cayce. She is trying to learn English and likes to hang out with the youth girls at the church.

Josiah and Micah have loved playing in the snow on warmer days (when it is in the upper 20's!). Josiah's favorite thing to do is shovel snow in the driveway. He has his own small shovel to use.

Here are the three guys working on a snow fort. They have also built a 7 foot snow man that Josiah named Frosty!

We are borrowing a toboggan from a neighbor and get Kris to pull us! Micah likes sled rides more than anything else, since he gets frustrated trying to walk in deep snow in the yard.

After a 2 hour play time outside, Micah doesn't even make it through lunch! Poor little guy.

Our Christmas Festivities 2008

2009-01-05T15:15:00.008-05:00

It's Christmas time! Once we were somewhat settled into our new home, it was time to get geared up for Christmas. The boys were excited about daily advent ornaments to put on their tiny bedroom trees, we had nightly Christmas stories about baby Jesus to read, and there was an excitement in the air about all the travelling, guests, baking, and present buying and wrapping to be done. Micah is riding around in his tractor wearing his new found, much envied John Deere house shoes which he grew into (and Josiah grew out of) this year.

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus! We had a birthday party for Jesus and Kris' parent's house. The boys made birthday cakes and decorated them, then sang a song to Jesus. Micah didn't get far before he decided the icing was too tasty to put on the cake. It needed to go right into his mouth!

Josiah was very proud of his work. He did a great job and enjoyed the fruit of his labors!

Next on the Christmas festivities list was making cookies for Sunday School teachers, then a few days later we made even more for relatives. Josiah took his job of rolling and cutting out the shapes very seriously. His favorite icing color was green and he insisted on putting colored sprinkles on every cookie he decorated.

Micah got to take over the decorating while Josiah still napped. He didn't exactly put them ON the cookies though, just his mouth and clothes!

On December 21'st Micah was dedicated at our new church. There were 5 other babies dedicated and it was a special time we had to publicly commit to train Him up in the way God's Word teaches us to do.

We had an exiting evening one night as we had two families from our new church over for dinner, with their combined 5 children who were from 18 months to 5 years old! The boys in the group had a big time roughing it out in the living room while the adults chatted in the dining room.

Josiah is giving Micah a taste of the cake he helped Tonya bake one day. What a considerate brother!

Kris was sick one morning this month and Micah decided to comfort him with "love".

We had a marathon of opening presents for about a week! On Christmas Eve the boys started their fun and got tool sets from their Gran and Grandad Dixon. Micah loves his new goggles!

On Christmas morning we had the joy of watching the boys open their gifts from us. Micah liked his new tractor a lot.

Josiah got a Thomas the Train tent and was very excited too!

On Christmas Day it was off to South Carolina for 3 nights and two full days. Micah and his cousin Alex are riding side by side here. They are close to the same height, but Alex is quite heavier since Micah is so thin for his age.

Josiah and Sydney had some play time too, but he is getting to the age where he notices that girls are kind of different! They give way too many hugs and kisses!

Micah was clingy for many of our big parties. We went on to Michigan for two more family gatherings after going to SC, and he was worn out. However, he kept his cute smile throughout it all!

Our family loves to play cards with Tonya's Grandma and Grandpa Breuker. Hand and Foot is always in demand when the kids are asleep!

These are Grandma and Grandpa Breuker's great grandkids. Micah and Josiah are in the middle.

These are the 25 great grandkids of my Grandma VanKampen. Every one of them was present for our family Christmas party. Josiah and Micah are on the front row in green.

Micah grew fond of Grandpa Breuker when he gave him some yogurt covered raisins. He decided to even share a few!

Josiah loved the snow in Michigan and he and Micah got to play in it on New Year's Eve, our last day there. Kris was freezing after half and hour but they still cried when they were taken inside!

This was the first year since 2001 that Randy, Tonya's brother, made it to Michigan for the family get togethers. We enjoyed hanging out together again, and our grandparents especially loved seeing him for the first time in over 5 years.

Our next post is coming soon: first days back in Canada!

Before and After: our new home's renovations

2008-12-06T15:44:00.010-05:00

Welcome to our new home! We moved in on November 19th, just in time for the Holidays. We hope you enjoy this tour to see what we've been up to since July!

This is the view from the road, Dixon Road that is. Kris was born and raised here, as well as his brother, who lives behind us, and his Dad, who lives with his Mom in a new house behind us as well. His Grandparents live next to us along the road, just across the driveway. This spring we did new landscaping to give the front yard a cleaner look, and cut down some large dying trees to add some sunlight to the yard and remove safety hazards for our kids.

The foyer is the brightest room in the house, and is rarely seen since no one uses the front door in the country (except Jehovah's Witnesses we say). This room is a memorial to Kris and Tonya's wedding day, complete with the bouquet Tonya carried (not pictured) and a copy of our vows on the table in the picture. When Kris' parents lived here, this room was a pale green, and used to be closed all the time to keep the kids out, and held precious antique furniture!

This is the newest room in the house, a sunroom built about 4 years ago. We kept it green, but painted it a shade darker to match Tonya's dishes. We decided to make it our formal dining area, and use the previous dining room for a classroom for the kids. Our Christmas tree is also kept here, so we can lock Micah out during the day! We have a sitting area in the back to relax in as well when the weather is nice.

This is what the dining room used to look like.

Another view of the dining room. It was open to the living room and kitchen area of the house. Below is the former dining room-classroom. We enclosed part of the wall and installed french doors. That way when Tonya begins home schooling, we can have some privacy from the rest of the house. The kids love playing in here now, as they are close to where most of the "living" is done during the day.

This is the kitchen before renovation. It had all the original cabinets, countertops and lighting from over 30 years ago when the house was built.

Below is the house now. Kris did most of the work himself, a project that took months of hard work and sleep deprived nights!

This is the living room before. The wood paneling was dated and made the rooms look dark, so Tonya filled the cracks between the panels with spackeling compound, sanded, and put several coats of paint over it to make it appear like sheetrock. It took over a week of work, but was well worth the investment!

Another picture of the kitchen, looking on from the living room.

This is the mud room bathroom, which was previously a dog-themed room with wallpaper. This picture was taken before the sink and toilet were replaced and it was finished out.

The mud room bath now, in UK theme, as Kris wanted!

Below is pictures of the old master bedroom, with lots of wallpaper. Kris and Tonya love dark colors for their bedroom, so painted it chocolate! It has one wall that is striped with different sheans of chocolate to give a visual effect.

This is the master bathroom. It had to have the original shower gutted out due to a long standing leak underneath. We also replaced the lighting, flooring, faucet, and toilet, as well as added beadboard and new paint to give it a complementary look for the master bedroom. The hall bathroom, which is bigger, is not finished yet, so we don't have pictures right now!

This is Micah's bedroom! It used to be an office area since Kris' brother moved out several years ago. We took down border, and repainted.

Josiah's bedroom was a guest bedroom. Old wallpaper and border was torn down and a John Deere border put up with new paint. Josiah loves his new room!

Halloween to Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-04T10:53:00.017-05:00

What a time we've had these last two months! Sorry for the delay in posting...our computer crashed within a day of our moving to a new home! But we're up and running again.
Halloween was a fun time for all of us. Josiah was a bumblebee, buzzing around and threatening all with a sting!

Micah had a blast as a "tigger" from Winnie the Pooh. He didn't care for whiskers painted on his cheeks though! His favorite part of the night was riding horses. We went to a harvest fest at our church and he and Josiah had their first horse rides, hay rides, train rides, and tour of a fire truck!

Josiah loved the bunnies at the harvest fest. We had a lot of fun running all over the parking lot to get on rides and games!

While Tonya was busy packing, the boys didn't slow down a bit. Micah is addicted to tractors, something he was destined for :-). It is not uncommon to hear tractor sounds coming from both boys as they work together or against eachother, depending on who is playing with whose toy.

While packing, we discovered an old wooden train from Thailand that Josiah had in his closet! It became the big hit of the week.

One weekend in November, to celebrate 5 years of marriage, Kris and Tonya took a weekend retreat to the lake, one hour away. The first night the boys came with us, and the second night we had the place to ourselves. We took the boys to Chucky Cheese for the first time before they went back to Fulton. Micah enjoyed the show more, Josiah the games. But the pizza was Kris' favorite!

"Man, Mommy, this doesn't go nearly as fast as the Gator on the farm!".

Tonya is exhausted after about 6 months of working on our new home. Over the past 2 months, she has lost 10 lbs, making her thinner than she was on her wedding day!

We rented a log cabin with a lake view for the weekend. It was recently renovated and was so comfortable and relaxing. We will be back again next year!

Josiah loved the cabin too. We had lots of fun watching movies and eating in the first night with the boys, then stayed out to shop and eat out the next day after they went home!

Micah loves his Daddy. He doesn't see Kris as much as the rest of us because he still takes two naps a day and goes to bed early. We look forward to seeing Kris more this winter, as we'll be leaving on Christmas Day to travel to South Carolina and Michigan to celebrate with Tonya's family, then on to Canada on New Year's Day to spend two months working with missionaries there!

The boys now have their own dining area in our new home. We sat it in the kitchen and they can eat together and share (or steal) eachothers food!

Our family on Thanksgiving Day, at Kris' aunt and uncle's house. We'll be putting up a post before Christmas of before and after pictures of our house. We are still working on some things, so aren't ready to post them yet!

October 2008

2008-10-14T07:49:00.009-05:00

Yeah, we finally have good pictures this month! Josiah poses in the bathtub one night while playing with Micah. The boys always look forward to playing in the bubbles and squeezing water out of the squeeky toys!

When I see this picture I think of the pull-up commercial "Mommy, Wow..!" Micah isn't near potty training, of course, but loves to step on Josiah's potty to reach the sink. He finds everything climbable in the house and yard and gets as high as he can before he gets caught!

This month, since the weather is cooling off, we have started going to the local park about 9 miles away. Micah is big enough to climb the steps and go down the slides with a little guidance, and Josiah can play on anything by himself except the monkey bars! They love being active and playing until they are exhausted.

"Mommy, here I come!". Here's Josiah crawling through a tunnel in his favorite play yard in the park.

Swinging is easy with the boys now. They both get in and Tonya can push both at the same time!

Here are the four generations of first born Dixon men (plus Micah) in front of the new track tractor purchased this year.

Since Micah still takes around four hours of naps in the day time and sleeps 11 hours at night, he doesn't get to see much of Kris these days. This year corn harvest ended and bean harvest began immediately. Kris took him in the combine one night after dinner, since the field being harvested was behind our house, and they had some good bonding time! Micah is starting to really miss his daddy during the day and often pretends to talk to him on the phone!

Kris and Tonya celebrated five years of marriage this month! We got to see the movie Fireproof, go to a nice restaurant, and do a little shopping at Lowes for some materials for remodeling our "new" home. It was a very welcome time to spend together alone!

September 2008

2008-09-26T13:13:00.010-05:00

How quickly September has flown by! The entire month has been taken up by corn harvest and working on two houses: Kris' parent's new home and old home. This hasn't slowed down Josiah and Micah though. Micah is running this month! He is into every and anything, leaving a trail wherever he goes. This picture was taken before bath time, when he was trying to get into the toilet and/or trash can when he got caught. He also likes to start the bath himself, a big "no no!".

We now have one room in our "new" home complete: the dining room! It is currently a sun room with an extra dining set in it, but we plan to have all our meals in it when we move in, probably in early November.

Since Mommy has been very busy, along with the rest of the Dixons this month, the boys have been getting down time at the TV. We watch Baby Einstein and John Deere movies over and over. Micah doesn't sit long, but when he does, they enjoy clapping and laughing to the movies together while Tonya gets cooking or cleaning done.

Here I come! Micah is tearing through the house with toys in hand. He chases Josiah everywhere, and when Josiah isn't around, he has even more fun because no one is fighting for the best toy! Doggie goes everywhere with him. He can't hold him when pushing a tractor, so he goes in the mouth instead!

Kris' parents had an Amish carpenter make their cabinets for their house. To install them, he had to come in his buggy for 1 1/2 hours (a trip for us would be 15 minutes!). Since taking pictures is against their policy, we just have a picture of Kris' mom talking to two of his young sons still sitting in the buggy who had come to watch.

Micah loves the outdoors, now that he can't scrape his knees crawling on the ground. He takes off in an instant towards anything that looks interesting, keeping Tonya on her toes. Josiah finds something to do and stays put, but not Micah!

We're sorry there aren't more photos to post this month! Things have been so busy, Tonya has forgotten to take pictures of the boys. We promise there will be more next month!

August 2008

2008-08-18T16:19:00.016-05:00

"Look Mom, no hands!" We finally got a picture of Micah walking, a couple of weeks after he started.

One-hundred percent boy. Josiah and Micah are dirt magnets, always wanting to find a way to get messy. In this case, Josiah got the water hose and "watered" the tree so he and Micah could have a big time!

August has been yet another busy month. In June, construction began on Kris' parents new home. They are downsizing to a one bedroom house, built on to a garage building in the back yard of their old house. We are planning on moving in to their old home after they move out in late September, after we make a few changes to it!

The first of the changes to our "new" home is scraping off all the wallpaper in the house. We have 10 rooms to do, and as of mid-August, have done five. Josiah loves to help, getting a putty knife to scrape wallpaper off that Tonya has sprayed. He's quite the worker!

We have been enjoying watching the Olympics every night. Josiah likes to cuddle on the couch to watch them with us, when he finds it interesting.

Here are our partners in crime. Some wallpaper border arrived in the mail, and the boys had a hay day squishing the styrofoam peanuts that came in the box.

Tonya's parents came for a visit this month, and we got to celebrate Micah's birthday with them a month late. Micah got a rocking chair just for him, so now he and Josiah won't have to fight over his little recliner! He loves having it to sit in so he can be just like his brother.

While Tonya's parents were visiting, we went to see some attractions at Land Between the Lakes State Park, an hour away. Josiah took a liking to the critters in the Nature Center, especially the snakes.

Micah liked touching fox firs and watching turtles swim in an aquarium.

Micah was slow to warm up to Tonya's parents since he didn't remember them from Christmas last year, but after a couple days he liked the attention and fun time they had together. Here Tonya's mom is playing horsey with Micah, always a big hit.

Micah and Josiah got sand toys from Tonya's parents, so they spent a long time one afternoon playing in the sand box together. We have so many toys now we need a bigger sand box to store them in!

Micah also got a belated birthday party thrown by Tonya's parents. He had "Happy Birthday Micah" written on cupcakes, but the "y" in Happy fell on the ground! He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into them so wasn't too happy he had to wait for us to sing to him before we let him!

Here we are with Tonya's parents at church Sunday night.

After Micah got used to his Grandpa, he enjoyed walking around with him pointing to everything, so Grandpa would take him to see it. He started saying new words while they were here: "key, this, Josiah, and down" They come out "tee, dee, iah, and dah"! He already has learned the words tractor, bye bye, mama, dada, and Hi !

July 2008- Micah Jay's First Birthday

2008-07-25T09:54:00.010-05:00

July has been a hot but fun month for us. Micah celebrated his first birthday on the 20th. We had a small party that afternoon with family members who could attend. Tonya attempted making a cake that both boys enjoyed: a choo choo train! Josiah only ate the candy off of it, and Micah tried everything he could het his hands on.

Here is the cake. It was suprisingly easy to make! Tonya got the recipe off of the Family Fun website. We had strawberry cake for the adults since no one wanted teeth the color of the icing or lots of candy pieces to pick off if they didn't want to eat them.

Here are the boys with their Grammy and "Big Daddy" Dixon. Grammy is holding their cousin Kinzie, who turned one on May 31st.

Micah devoured his cake! We called him a little smurf because he was so blue after he was finished!

Micah was very good for the entire party, but wasn't very interested in opening presents. Josiah, being the good big brother he is, stepped in and opened them for Micah so he could play with other toys!

"Hey, it's not bathtime!" Micah got a duck towel but didn't want to try it on. He had much more important activities to engage in, like playing with his bows!

Here are all of Micah's birthday presents he has recieved so far. Since our entire family loves reading, he got more books than anything else!

Josiah is a regular kitchen hand these days. He pulls up a chair, and with permission, helps Tonya with the cooking. He always wants to see what's going on and loves washing dishes in the sink for her.

We saved the most exciting news of the month for last! Micah is starting to walk this month! He took his first step(s) a couple weeks before his birthday, and now takes about five at a time. He is getting braver by the day, trying different ways to walk between people or objects. We are very proud of him.

June 2007

2008-06-18T12:33:00.007-05:00

June is a great month to get dirty! Well, at least the boys in our family feel that way. Josiah is ready to go with Kris to the field after breakfast. Now that he is older, he can go for longer stretches and Tonya gets more peace in the house! His shirt says "Dirt Magnet" by the way. "Bear" comes with him everywhere; they are best friends.

Micah's personality is coming out more and more this month. He loves to laugh and wants to be just like all of us. He keeps slimming down- his check-up this last month showed him in the 75% for height and 25% for weight!

This year our church did the theme "Outrigger Island" for Vacation Bible School. Tonya taught 3-4 grade kids and Josiah got to go to the nursery for his first VBS. We had a great time and the kids learned lots of truths from God's Word. Several made professions of faith and we are following up with them this month.

For our VBS kickoff there was a cookout and rented inflatable toys for the kids in our church parking lot. Josiah proved himself very agile for his age, climbing up ladders and going down big slides all by himself. He cried when they had to pack it up because the kickoff was over!

Micah has a fascination with all toys that have wheels. He loves riding push toys around the house as long as Josiah isn't trying to knock him off out of jealousy!

The boys are TRYING to learn how to share. One minute they love playing together and the next Micah makes a move for something he wants and Josiah screams "NOOO!" and body slams him.

Here is our sweet baby boy. He loves baths now, especially when he can play in running water. Micah says "mama, dada, and bye bye" and indicates by certain grunts and sounds when he wants to eat, get a cup, or take a nap.

Josiah had his first big accident this month, when he fell off the couch and his teeth went through his lip. We took him to the ER where he was very still for the doctor and got a liquid bandage applied. He cried "Mommy....!" through the whole procedure which made Tonya cry more than him. He got a fat lip and lots of spoiling following the trip, and is recovering quickly!

May 2008

2008-05-23T15:54:00.016-05:00

May was a month of blooming flowers, growing crops and celebration! The boys and Kris made Tonya feel very special on Mother's Day. It was a windy cool day (as you can see by the trees and Tonya's hair!) but she really enjoyed feeling loved. Kris made a video of pictures of the boys growing up played to the song "You're changing the world one little heartbeat at a time" by Stephen Curtis Chapman.

Josiah loves to show and get affection. He asks for kisses on a regular basis! This is the first picture we have of him giving a "sweet kiss" as he calls it: right on the lips!

Kids can never be too young to start doing housework! Micah loves playing with Josiah's broom and will look all over the house for it. Then he goes to work!

Josiah's first ride in a boy-sized Gator. We had a cook out with Kris' Sunday School class after church one Sunday at a member's home who has an almost 3 year old. He showed Josiah the ropes and gave him a more than half hour lesson on driving. Josiah thinks he's ready now, but we're not!

This month Tonya headed up a painting project at church. The Children's Church classroom despirately needed repainting! As you can see, the room was painted by youth over 5 years ago and no one wanted to touch the project of repainting it. Tonya couldn't stand it and asked for help from church members.

This is the classroom after painting. We also painted Tonya's children's Sunday School classroom, which was peeling white paint before and is now blue, yellow and cream. The kids love it, and it is ready in time for VBS this summer!

Micah is growing up so quickly. He loves looking out windows and discovering new sights and sounds all the time.

May is strawberry picking month in Kentucky! The first day Tonya picked she got about 30 lbs, weighed after the boys probably ate half a pound between the two of them! Micah is our messy eater this year. Tonya even found squished berries stashed in his diaper! In one week Tonya and Kris picked over 120 lbs of berries! They get chopped and frozen so we have a year's supply to meet Kris' daily strawberries and vanilla ice cream habit!

Josiah continues to be an avid outdoorsman. He loves to water flowers, pick them, and all to often, walk through them.

No, we haven't adopted an Asian baby! We had an old family friend of Kris over and her 2 month old baby girl for dinner while she was in town visiting her parents. Kris refused most of the night to hold her, but finally gave in. He said "I may get the fever again". After walking her to sleep and rocking her he said "No, not yet..." Tonya agreed! Maybe next year....

April 2008

2008-04-23T09:57:00.005-05:00

April has been a very busy month for our family. Not only is the weather beautiful enough to go outside and work in the yard, play with the boys, and plant a garden, but Kris has been very busy in the field. Tonya celebrated her birthday on the 14th as well. Kris went early in the morning to Walmart to buy the mix, made a cake at his mom's house, then decorated it when he came in for lunch! Josiah helped decorate and consume the results too!

Josiah has loved planting season. He asks daily "Ride big tractor?" He sits patiently in the buddy seat with Kris and loves to "help" Daddy work. Micah gets turns as well, but wears out quickly and wants to go home for naps.

Speaking of worn out, Micah is always falling asleep on rides to the field to deliver Kris meals! You can tell we are a John Deere family: the boys wear their caps and Micah only chews on John Deere corn!

Micah is 9 months now, and is finding new things to do all the time. He pulls up and explores lots of toys and books. When he puts things in his mouth that he shouldn't, Josiah comes to him saying "No No Micah Jay" and pulls it away. Micah has an obsession with balls. His whole body wiggles with excitement when he sees someone playing with one. He loves basketball hoops too!

Micah loves being big! He plays in his Johnny Jump Up but with lots of supervision since Josiah wants to jump with him!

"I love cameras!" Micah is so photogenic at this age. Just turn on the camera and he strikes a pose!

Josiah is very active as usual! He loves to play in his sandbox and go down his slide when outdoors. He yells "eight, nine, ten!" and slides down.

The tulips, pansies, irises and azaleas are in full bloom in our yard. Both boys love to pick (and in Micah's case eat) whatever they can get their hands on!

Tonya's good friend Kim came for a surprise visit for Tonya's birthday! She spent the weekend and we had lots of fun doing "girl stuff". It was great to have an old friend and other girl around for a couple days!

March 2008

2008-03-24T13:56:00.009-05:00

March started out cold upon returning from Canada. The snow followed us all the way home! We got 6" of snow one day and the boys, along with their cousin Kinzie, got to ride a plastic sled pulled behind the Gator. They had a big time!

Micah is ready to go outside!

We took this picture of Micah with his Great-Grandma VanKampen on our way back from Canada. We visited two nights and one day in Michigan and got to visit Tonya's Grandparents and some other family members.

Here is Josiah with his Great Grandpa Breuker. We enjoyed spending time with him and Grandma Breuker. Josiah loved getting spoiled with candy and treats from all his Great Grandparents.

Micah is now 8 months old. He loves playing with toys and is beginning to crawl, but it is backwards right now! He is most interested in toys with wheels, especially the green and yellow ones (I wonder why?)

Josiah celebrated his 2nd birthday on March 14th. Tonya made him a barn cake with barnyard cupcakes to enjoy. He loved tasting the frosting, but more so the candy decorations on the cupcakes! His big presents this year were a slide, toy combine, and a sandbox. This month he has gotten into drawing with crayons. Artwork is all over the house (it's a good thing they are washable). He is talking in sentances now too, saying things every day that make us
laugh.

Micah has enjoyed exploring the great outdoors on warm days this month. He enjoys the grass too much though. Every time he gets a hold of it he eats it!

Kris celebrated his 30th birthday on March 15th. He wasn't too happy about becoming "old" but said it wasn't so bad when he got his favorite kind of cake and some new "toys" for his presents.

The boys are getting to play together more and more as they get older. Kris took them on a wagon ride down the road on a warm evening and they loved it!

Micah Jay, looking as cute as a button. He continues to be easy going and fun-natured. The only thing he doesn't tolerate is when Josiah takes his toys away or is too rough playing with him! We cherish every memory we make with our boys. They are growing up so fast!

Winter 2008 in Mississauga, Canada (3)

2008-02-17T17:04:00.013-05:00

Anyone for a dip in the lake? We had to see Lake Ontario at least once while we were here in Mississauga. It was about 23 degrees F. but sunny when we visited a park just down the road from out apartment. Josiah was amazed more by the ice built up on the shore than by the large body of water behind it! Micah just stared out with his mouth gaping open, speachless.

Josiah got to make his first snowman before we left, with a little help from Kris!

Josiah asked us often to go outside in the "no" to "pay". He had fun with the dust pan and mop bucket from the apartment one day when the weather was nice.

Micah has enjoyed trying some solid foods this past week. He now has two teeth and wants to nibble on everything!

Now that Micah can sit up on his own, he and Josiah can play a little rougher, especially when it comes to Mommy! One day they got on top of Tonya and pulled hair, grabbed skin, and ganged up on her while screaming in glee.

We got to attend our first Chinese birthday party a week ago. A Chinese neighbor's daughter was turning 7 and invited us to come. We were about the only North Americans there, but enjoyed it a lot. Josiah loved running around after the other children and got lots of snacks.

We have made lots of lasting friendships with both Christians and non-Christians while here. This is Sara and Lee, both new Christians who have an awesome testimony of how Christ has transformed their lives. They are a part of the Sanctuary church that we are working with, and have been an encouragement to us!

Kris has made many friends with guys from the University of Toronto at Mississauga. This is Mike, a friend who is investigating what it means to be a Christ follower. He has visited the Sanctuary church with us and plans to continue visiting after we leave. Please pray with us that he will soon accept Jesus as his Saviour and Lord!

Dave and Ruth are other friends from the Sanctuary Church. They, like other families in the church, have been reaching their city with the Gospel and want so badly to see individuals and families reached. We will miss them!

Brett and Katheryn are the North American Mission Board Church Planters that we originally contacted before coming to Canada. We have treasured their friendship and have really enjoyed working with them in the short time we had here. Their children have also been a joy to spend time with and get along well with our boys. We look forward to seeing them again next year (Lord willing) so we can continue working with them to reach Mississauga for Christ!

Winter 2008 in Mississauga, Canada (2)

2008-02-04T13:59:00.001-05:00

We are now in the dead of the winter in Canada. We got dumped with snow the weekend of two different ministry events, but were still able to have them thanks to quick snow removal. The snow was very beautiful to look out at from our apartment window.

Before the end of January, we got away for a day to drive 1 1/2 hours to Niagra Falls, New York to do some errands and see the falls. Unfortunately, it was about 18 degrees outside and snowing! We still enjoyed seeing the falls, albeit very quickly on part of the boys getting cold, but still enjoyed our trip.

Superbowl Sunday was a blast at our building! We hosted a Superbowl Party and invited men from the Sanctuary Church plant, friends made in our building, and guys Kris had met at the University of Toronto at Mississauga. There wasn't a huge turnout but some relationships were started and new contacts were made. Josiah got to learn how to tackle too!

Here are some of the guys watching the game via projector on "big screen".

This is Mark, one of the members of The Sanctuary Church. He claimed Micah was a Packers fan, since he smiled when this hat was placed on him. Kris routed for the Gians, though, and was glad he did!

On February 2, the Sanctuary Church ladies hosted "I'll Bring the Chocolate", a woman's seminar about food, friendship, and faith. Our speaker is the author of the book that takes the title of the day, and was excellent! We had about 35 women in attendance. Several volunteers from Texas were not able to fly in due to the snow storm the day before, so they had to improvise and create new things to do without them. All went well and the day was a blessing to many! We hope some of the unbelieving women who came will desire to learn more about Christ after this event.

Tonya led the praise and worship time of the seminar, a first for her!

Josiah is continuing to make new friends here, most of whom are from different countries. This Chinese girl played in the snow with him one day when it was warm enough to get out.

Once a month the Sanctuary meets in a school for its services. Leanne, a college student, loves to play with the boys, and they love her too!

Micah is continuing to change rapidly. He cut his first tooth on Feb 3rd, to all of our relief! He is laughing and babbling more too, showing his happy-go-lucky laid back personality even more.

Micah's main frustration these days is wanting to be mobile. He sees things he wants to play with and tries despirately to reach them by wiggling, rolling and straining to get to them. His legs kick wildly, trying to get him across the floor! We think he may crawl sooner than Josiah did since he wants so badly to keep up with him.

Josiah has been relishing the free time he gets with Kris. Kris helps teach kids at a Christ-centered basketball league on Saturday afternoons. Josiah gets to watch practice and play some himself after it's over!

Kris continues to see interest in Christ at the University he visits daily during the week. Through playing basketball and hanging out with students in the gym, he gets many opportunities to build relationships with guys and share the Gospel. He is trying to start a seekers Bible study during the last 3 weeks we are here, so that he can get more in depth with friends who are desiring to know God.

January 2008: First weeks in Mississauga, Canada

2008-01-22T20:56:00.001-05:00

Wow, Mommy, Canada is really white! On January 10th, when we arrived, all the white we saw was evidence of an 18 inch snowfall on New Year's Day: piles in parking lots. But within a few days of our arrival, the snow fell! We haven't had huge amounts of snow as of yet, but it's pretty enough for us. Josiah loves looking at snow falling out of the window from our 14th floor apartment we are renting for the 6-7 weeks we are here. We have a beautiful view of a park, school, and other skyscrapers in the city.

"Uh, Oh... you caught me!" Josiah snuck Micah a Cheetoe so he could have a taste of what "real" food is like. Micah wasn't happy to have it taken away. Sorry, but you'll have to wait a few more months, Micah.

"The Sanctuary", a new church plant in the city of Mississauga, consists of about six families. One Sunday a month they meet in a school gymnasium, and on the others they meet in a home for worship together. Before we start we eat bagels and bread with coffee or juice and fellowship before meeting in the living room.

This is the room where we meet for worship. Chairs are lined up and we comfortably fit for an hour of singing, prayer, and Bible study. On Thursday nights we meet in another home for prayer and Bible study.

Kids have a blast during fellowship time! There are several children and teenagers who attend with their parents, but Josiah and Micah are the youngest. Josiah tries to keep up with the bigger kids, like when they started "bumping" down the staircase!

The first dinner guest to our apartment was our next door neighbor Queenie, from Hong Kong. Her English wasn't very good, so she and Kris talked back and forth in Chinese and English to communicate during our meal and afterwards. She loves playing with Micah! Kris shared some of the Gospel with her through his testimony, but she was not interested in learning more about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We will continue to befriend her, though, and pray the Holy Spirit will work on her heart.

Micah is changing a lot again this month. He is now sitting up by himself and loves to play with toys. He rolls around so much we have to be careful he doesn't land on something that hurts! He is also teething, a not so pleasant milestone!

While Kris spends his afternoons meeting students and sharing at the nearby University, Josiah and Micah stay behind with Tonya to take naps and play. We have an area set up off of the living room where Micah can roll safely and look out the window. Josiah often joins him and hands him toys. We still have to watch out that he doesn't get too rough, since he thinks Micah is as tough as him! Both boys have adjusted well to their new temporary environment, and as long as we get out daily where they can move around and interact with others, they are very happy!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-04T13:11:00.000-05:00

Christmas is here! Josiah was amazed at the beauty of the Christmas season. He first noticed the "big tee!" (tree) going up in our living room and "helped" Kris assemble it. Next were the lights and ornaments that had to be touched and held. He learned about Nativity scenes displayed in homes and church and could tell us baby Jesus' name by the end of December! Here he is getting his first Christmas card from his Grandma and Grandpa VanKampen in SC

Micah may have been amazed by Christmas tree lights, but this month he was more excited about baby food! New tastes excite him when he likes them, especially when he first tried carrots, in this picture!

Our boys got spoiled rotten with presents this Christmas. The festivities started on Christmas Eve and finished on the 30th. Josiah woke up excited on Christmas morning as we got him up to show him his presents!

Micah was also excited about Christmas! He woke up happy and couldn't wait to sink his gums into some wrapping paper! Toys were interesting, but the paper was more tasty!

Here are the three guys in our family with their Christmas presents.

After opening presents at our house, we went to Kris' parents. It was a John Deere Christmas for Josiah and Micah of course! Lots of tractors, tractor books, and even John Deere clothes awaited them.

After another Christmas party with Kris' Grandparents, we went on to Michigan, arriving at 2:30 AM on the 26th. Micah met many more relatives for the first time. Here he is with his aunt Cathy.

Micah's Great Grandma VanKampen loved holding and cuddling with him. He was the 21st Great Grandchild born, and two more have been born since him!

Micah enjoyed seeing his Great Grandpa Breuker again too.

Micah with Great Grandma Breuker

Josiah got his first taste of playing in the snow. He caught on to making snow balls very quickly and laughed as he threw them at mommy and daddy!

Here are the boys with their two cousins on Tonya's side: Sydney (2) and Alex (4 months)

Here are the five Great-Grandchildren (all boys!) born on the VanKampen side this year. Micah was #3 and his cousin Alex was #5!

This is a picture of all 23 Great Grandchildren of Grandma VanKampen. The family keeps growing every year!

After 3 days in Michigan we drove to South Carolina to spend 3 more days with Tonya's parents and sister. Josiah and Micah loved the attention and grew attached to their Grandma and Grandpa VanKampen.

Sydney and Josiah also got along very well. They became partners in crime though, having screaming contests, playing in places where they shouldn't be, and making lots of mess with toys! Josiah got a four-wheeler from his Uncle Randy and let Sydney ride along for a while.

Tonya's brother Randy got to meet Micah for the first time too. They share the same middle name since they were both named after Grandpa Breuker. Randy only got to visit for a few hours before going home but we all enjoyed the time we got to spend with him.

Sydney wants to be a helper when it comes to babies. Here brother Alex isn't on cereal yet, but she did a great job feeding her cousin Micah when given the chance! On New Years day, after a visit to Cathy and her family, we returned to Kentucky for a week of preparation for our mission trip to Toronto,Canada! Our next posting will be about the first weeks of our trip. We are so excited to see what God will do!

November/December 2007

2007-12-12T11:35:00.000-05:00

The Christmas season is in full swing! We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with Kris' Dad's family and Micah got to wear the Thanksgiving outfit Josiah wore a year ago! A year ago this week we found out we were pregnant with him. How quickly a year flies by! We have so much to be thankful for.

Josiah had a few days to play in the leaves in our front yard before the rains came to bring in cold weather.

Micah was 25 3/4" and 13 lb 14 oz at his 4 month checkup. His height is great but according to his doctor he is a couple pounds behind what his weight should be. So we started cereal and he loved it! He eats 4 good sized feedings a day besides his normal milk feedings. We can already see he's getting chunkier after a couple of weeks!

Josiah has developed a love of hats. Wherever we go, he insists on wearing every hat he can find in the house, including Santa hats, Kris or Tonya's hats, ect. He is very proud of himself that he can put them on alone too!

Kris' Grandmother Mathis came for a visit to his Mom's house and got some pictures with Micah. Micah is showing himself to be shy, a complete opposite of Josiah! He will smile and laugh for Kris or Tonya, but is almost too bashful to smile much for people he doesn't know well. At least he isn't crying when they hold him!

Josiah is getting along better with Micah as he gets to play with him more. On a cold night he decided Micah needed lots of blankets, clothes, and burp clothes, so took all of them out of his dresser and put them on top of him! Micah didn't know what to think about it but Josiah was pleased with his work!

Micah is starting to discover he has feet! He loves to play games with wiggles, kisses, and tickles.

Josiah has found a new way to pass time in the house: coloring! He draws on his paper when Mommy is watching, but tries to sneak in some art work on walls and tables when no one is looking too!

Micah is now able to entertain himself for periods of time with toys. He will put anything into his mouth that is handed to him!

Josiah's favorite creative activity is with blocks. He has made towers taller than himself out of jumbo lego-type blocks and always wants Mommy or Daddy to join in the fun. Here he is playing at his Grandmother Dixon's house with brissle blocks, which belonged to Kris when he
was little.

Micah and Kinzie, his cousin, are fascinated with eachother when we visit. We are already prediciting that Micah will be the easy-going follower and Josiah and Kinzie will decide what they will do when they are bigger and play together!

This is a favorite picture of Micah and Kris' mom. We look forward to having a great first memorable Christmas with him this year!

November 2007

2007-11-19T14:03:00.000-05:00

Fall has fallen in Western Kentucky! Leaves are up to Josiah's knees under some of the big maple trees at the farm. It's hard to believe that last year he was just learning to crawl when he played in them!

Josiah and Micah are getting "closer" all the time! Josiah likes to share everything with Micah, which is good in some ways and bad in others! When he hands him a rattle or talks to him to keep him company, it is good, but when he decides to throw him a toy car or jump on top of him to play, it is bad!

Halloween was fun for all of us this year! Tonya, Josiah and Micah went with Kris' mom, sister-in law Leah, and her son Kinzie to First Baptist Church in Fulton to have fun with games and fellowship. Josiah enjoyed all the games, and especially the "Canny!" (candy), but didn't know what to think about the strange looking costumes of other children and adults. Micah took in all the sights without a complaint, strapped onto Tonya.

Micah was able to fit into Josiah's pumpkin outfit from last Halloween.

Josiah was a farmer this year, complete with overalls and a John Deere cap (which he didn't like wearing!)

All the excitement wore Micah out! He is still sleeping very well these days, with three good naps during the day and 10 hours of sleep at night! We couldn't ask for anything better!

Josiah loves flowers lately. We are keeping a Hybiscus plant in the mud room for the winter, so he gets to pick flowers and bring them to Micah so he can sniff them too.

Micah is learning to use his hands this month. He plays with toys, puts things in his mouth, and loves sucking on his fingers (instead of pacifiers!). He is rolling from his tummy to his back too!

Josiah with his favorite playing buddy, Anna. They have become the famous duo at the church nursery. This picture reminds me of the photo "Been farming long?"

September to October 2007

2007-10-24T13:21:00.001-05:00

This has been another busy month in Kentucky! October 4th we celebrated our 4th anniversary at the Rosewood Inn Bed and Breakfast in Paducah, KY. We stayed in the same room we were in last year and enjoyed it just as much! After breakfast it was back home and to work for both of us though.

Micah keeps growing and changing. He bats at objects with his hands now and sucks on his fingers. He will hold a rattle and play with it when it is handed to him too. At three months he is talking up a storm, but usually doesn't do it unless we are singing to him or is playing with a toy!

Kris' mom still comes to our house when we are in a pinch, to help watch the boys and/or help Tonya when she needs to do heavy cleaning or yard work. They love the attention and she loves the freedom to get things done!

Josiah is in a "kissy" mood this month! Here he is kissing his brother, something he does several times a day. At 19 months he is learning new words every day. He is awful possesive of his little brother, though. At the church nursery he stands between Micah and other children and says "My Mock"! (Mock is his name for Micah)

Josiah is wanting to be just like Mommy and Daddy too. He tries on our shoes in the house, saying "mine!" and tries to sweep, mow, vaccuum, ect. just like us.

Micah is learning to love bathtime. He smiles big while he gets dried off and dressed in his pajamas. We think he has it figured out: after baths come milk!

Micah gets more and more playful all the time too. He loves watching his mobile and carseat toy and talks to them more than to us!

Tonya's Grandma and Grandpa Breuker came from Michigan for a visit from Oct 19-22. We really enjoyed having them, and they seemed pretty happy playing with 2 of their 5 great-grandchildren too!

Great-Grandpa (Jay) Breuker has something special in common with Micah! Micah Jay is his namesake! We know that Micah will treasure these photos as he gets older.

Here is our family before going to church on Sunday morning.

This is another special photo. Josiah's middle name is Davis, a family name started by Great-Grandad Dixon's father, Davis Dixon. This may be the only photo that will have Josiah and Micah sitting together with the Great-Grandfathers they share names with!

Micah's second month (August 21-Sept 16)

2007-09-17T14:28:00.000-05:00

Micah waves hello to all his online friends and family! He has grown in leaps and bounds this month, moving into 3-6 month clothes and a bigger cloth diaper size too! His smiles usually greet us after a feeding or good nap.

The nursery now has a new resident, and Josiah has moved into his "big boy" bedroom that has lots of tractors in it! Josiah adjusted quickly to the transition, to our relief! It is nice having our boys in their rooms and having our bedroom to ourselves again! Micah sleeps very well at night now, getting up just once, and lately sleeping until 6:45 or 7:00!

We had a cookout for the Sunday School class Kris is now teaching, consisting of single and married young adults. Two of the women have sons who had lots of fun with Josiah in the yard. Josiah was especially excited about the bubble blowing toys they brought with them!

When Micah was 7 weeks old, we applied for his passport, since we plan to take another mission trip over the winter this coming year. We ended up using a picture taken at Wallgreens instead of this one though!

When Micah was about 5 weeks old we took him on his first combine ride. He slept through most of it though.

Here is Kris with Micah after his exciting ride!

Josiah is growing more and more attached to his little brother. He tries to play with him by putting toys in his crib or carseat, or in this picture, rolling his toy tractors over his head! Micah didn't appreciate it too much so Tonya had to stop the game.

This month Micah has become more curious about the world around him. He watches us when we pass by and loves staring at anything bright or colorful. He smiles when we play with his toes too!

Our friends from North Carolina, Chris and Maria Worner, came for a visit over Labor Day weekend. Chloe, their 5 yr. old daughter, got along amazingly well with Josiah and we laughed as we watched him follow her around like a little brother. Here she is "reading" him a book.

Here is the whole family. They are expecting a baby boy in December too!

After work, Kris gets to come home to our "funny farm" full of noise and excitement. After putting Josiah to bed at 9:00, he spends an hour with Micah until his last feeding before bedtime so Tonya can pick up the house and take a shower.

Tonya doesn't get to be in many pictures since she is always the one taking them! Micah loves cuddling especially after feedings. We treasure these brief moments of time alone since Josiah is usually waiting to play afterwards!

Sometimes we have to make room for two boys on our laps, as in this case one night when Josiah missed playing with daddy while Micah was sitting with him.

We can't neglect Josiah this month! He is not growing fast anymore, but lately has learned many new words! Today he said "Ma baby Mock" (My baby Micah) as he patted him. Here he is eating his most messy, but tasty, meal: ravioli!

Micah's first month (July 27 to August 20)

2007-08-20T14:31:00.000-05:00

This has been a fun first month for Micah Jay. Josiah has gotten used to having a little "intruder" around and depending on his mood, will either love on his brother or try to hit him! Each boy needs lots of love and attention at this stage in their lives.

Micah's favorite place to be is cuddling with other people, but he is overall very content to stare around and lie where he is placed. He has been such a good baby!

Josiah is also growing up quickly this month. He has learned how to help Daddy wash the car and contributes by rinsing with the hose, although he likes to spray other people more than the vehicle for fun!

When Micah was 3 weeks old, Tonya's parents came for a weekend visit and we all had a great time! Josiah especially loved the spoiling and always had a volunteer to read to him his favorite books.

A picture taken of Grandma and Grandpa VanKampen before they returned to South Carolina.

Micah has already caught up in size to his cousin Kinzie, who is 7 weeks older than him. Kinzie is on the right and Micah is on the left. We look forward to having these cousins grow up and play together.

Tonya has been able to return to teach Sunday School. These are 4 of about 8 regular attending children in her class: Left to right- Lee Paul, Devon, Shae Le, and Brittany. They are a joy to teach!

Josiah gets a little jealous when Micah is with Kris. Here he tried to share Kris' chest while they were taking a nap together.

Micah started smiling back when he was just 2 weeks old! He is already getting chubby and outgrowing a few 0-3 month clothes at one month old!

Micah's first week

2007-07-25T14:24:00.000-05:00

Here is Micah Jay while we were still in the hospital. On the 22nd we were discharged, since Tonya and he were doing well. He still sleeps most of the time and rarely cries. We do manage to get a picture or two in when he wakes up though!

Micah's uncle Kyle and aunt Leah with his cousin Kinzie, born just 7 weeks ago in the same hospital!

Kris is very proud to have a second son. He can't wait to have two boys to rough around with soon!

A picture taken shortly before leaving the hospital. Micah slept all the way home and seemed to like his car seat.

Here we are leaving the hospital. We recieved great treatment from all the staff and enjoyed getting to know the nurses.

Micah sleeping in the pack and play in our bedroom. He will stay here until he sleeps better through the night. Then Josiah will get to move to our "John Deere" (spare) bedroom and Micah will move into the nursery.

Kris' Gran Dixon holding Micah on our porch during a visit the day after we came home.

Micah in his swing. He hasn't needed it much at all since he sleeps so well! At 5 days old, he is finally staying awake after some daytime feedings to interact with others. Josiah offered him his favorite bear blanky yesterday and brought him a burp cloth this morning. He always asks to see the "beba" when he wakes up in the morning and after naps. We are so blessed to have two happy healthy little boys!

Micah Jay's birthday!

2007-07-21T16:06:00.000-05:00

July 20, 2007 will be a day we will never forget: Micah Jay's birthday! After reaching 39 weeks of pregnancy, Tonya's doctor recommended scheduling a c-section since he could tell that Micah was as stubborn about coming out naturally as his big brother was! This time we were able to prepare and go into the birth without lack of sleep or lots of stress!

Micah Jay weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long. He is much chubbier looking than his big brother was at birth and has auburn hair. Kris got the joy of cutting the umbilical chord and a nurse took the picture. Doesn't he look professional about it?

Tonya was not able to hold Micah until after she got out of recovery, but did get a couple moments to touch him shortly after birth.

Micah is a very good sleeper! He has to be woken up to feed most of the time and rarely fusses. Mom and Dad have gotten needed rest because of it!

Here's a very happy Mommy with a precious bundle of blessing! Micah nurses very well, although he needs to be stripped down to his diaper to stay awake sometimes!

Kris' parents were the first to hold Micah after Kris and Tonya. They brought Josiah with them to meet his new brother too.

Kris' Grandmother Mathis was one of the few to enjoy seeing Micah awake on his birthday.

Kris' Grandad Dixon holding Micah, the 5th Great-Grandson for the Dixon family.

Here is our happy family of four! Josiah was very curious about the "beba" he saw with Mommy, but did not get upset. We had to hold him back from exploring in his own way how babies react to head thumps and grabbing hands. Josiah got his own special treatment though: lots of little presents from visiting family members!

June 2007

2007-06-29T14:42:00.000-05:00

This month we are waiting out the last weeks of Tonya's pregnancy with L.B.! When asked to "love the baby brother" Josiah will stroke Tonya's tummy or put his head on it like a pillow. He has no idea what is coming up in a couple weeks!

Kris is enjoying rough housing with Josiah as he gets bigger. He often climbs on Kris' back while he does his push-ups and rides him like a horse! It gives Kris a tougher workout, and Josiah loves the game!

At the beginning of June, Josiah finally started walking on his own! Within a couple days he went from crawling or walking with help to exclusive walking. We were very proud!

June was a busy month of wheat harvest and planting beans. Josiah got lots of rides with his Grandaddy Dixon, Daddy, and Uncle Kyle (pictured here) during this time. He rarely wanted to get out of the tractor or combine and was content to sit in the "buddy seat" next to the driver and focus on the work at hand. He knows more of the buttons and switches now that Tonya!

This is the view from one side of our backyard. Since we've gotten several inches of rain over two weeks, the corn and beans are no longer critically dry! The fields all around our house look beautiful and green now. God has been so good to bless with rain at just the right time.

Kris loved having Josiah ride with him in the field and Josiah cried whenever the ride was over. He loves spending time with Daddy, especially when it's outside and in a tractor or combine!

We spent a Saturday afternoon at Columbus State Park which is on the Mississippi River. Josiah loves the slides and wide open spaces to play to his heart's content!

Father's Day was a special day for all of us, but especially Kris. Josiah gave him a John Deere Father's Day card which he loved, and Tonya cooked him his favorite meals for breakfast and lunch.

Tonya is now full term in her pregnancy, and waiting for L.B.'s arrival. Kris took her out to dinner for a last date before baby makes his debut soon. Very soon our lives will be much busier, but we still can't wait! At her last Dr's visit, both baby and mommy are still healthy, but because of Tonya's history with a rough labor ending up with a c-section with Josiah, her doctor has recommended a C-section one week before her due date (which is July 25) if she doesn't show signs of impending labor by then.

"One, two, three ducks!" Josiah's new game in the bathtub is one of counting his rubber duckies over and over again. He never grows tired of it!

This if a view of the front yard this month. The grass is once again green due to the rain and the flowers are flourishing again! Tonya has really enjoyed growing many types of flowers and watching them beautify our yard. Josiah has learned how to smell flowers, but likes to pick them even more!

Ready to mow! Josiah loves rides on the lawnmower almost as much as the tractors! He can sit alone in the lawnmower for long stretches and pretend to drive it while Tonya works nearby in the yard.

We got the opportunity to meet the new chicks at our neighbor's chicken farm this month. We were tickled as Josiah chased the chicks around and tried to pick them up by their heads! Tonya had to rescue several from certain death! Being gentle with animals is something we are still working on with him!

May 2007

2007-05-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

"It's a boy!" This month we made public the news that Josiah is going to have a little brother! We are excited that there will soon be lots of little boys running around on the farm in the Dixon extended family. Tonya is in her 29th week in this picture and feeling great!

Josiah (aka "little stinker") is as mischevious as ever this month. He keeps finding new things to get into, like playing in the toilet, finding chords in outlets to pull on, taking books off of book shelves, and grabbing anything off of tables or shelves that he can reach or climb to! He took his first steps on May 4th but is still too stubborn to walk much more than a few steps at a time!

"I want" or "I do" are two of Josiah's favorite things to say. In mid-May he went from saying only a few words to trying constantly to communicate with us! He likes to play pretend and dress himself with his baby brother's clothes or mommy's apron and do fashion shows for all of us. Here he climbed into his brother's clothes drawer and is sorting through what he would like to wear next!

Mother's Day this year was a blast! Josiah is much bigger than he was last year and could participate in making Tonya feel special. When asked to "give love" he gives hugs and snuggles to family members and friends!

Here Josiah is picking out a flower for Mommy from a bouquet at church made for the mothers. Believe it or not, Tonya got the "youngest mother present" award at church!

Kris' family threw a baby shower for "L.B." since they were not able to with Josiah. It was called a "bare essentials" shower and she got lots of needed basic baby items that are needed for #2! We played several fun games and had delicious food!

These are all the gifts L.B. got at the shower. What a blessing!

Daddy's little helper is going at it! We are preparing the nursery to get a revision in decor. A border of the "leap frog" theme will be put half way up the wall and the bottom half will have pale yellow stripes painted on it. Josiah is pictured here helping make sure the tape marked off for painting is level. "Looks good Dad!"

Tonya got the joy of teaching a class in Vacation Bible School at church this year. She was prepared to teach a Hispanic class in Spanish, but unfortunately no Hispanics attended despite publicity in the area. Instead, she got 6 energetic 4th grade boys! They were a challenge, but much worth the investment in time and energy! Some of the kids who attended are doing the "Game Day Central" theme song with motions for their parents here.

April 2007

2007-04-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Spring has sprung this month! Josiah started out April wearing winter clothes due to a surprise cold snap, but after a season of cabin fever finally got to play outside again! This month he discovered Kris' rocking chair he recieved his first Christmas, and likes to rock himself and feel big!

Friends of the family have recently started raising pigs, and invited us to come over the day they got their first 1000 piglets! Josiah was very curious and liked petting those who were brave enough to come near him!

Josiah recieved his second hair cut just before Easter. Kris' cousin Ashley did a great job moving with our little "squirmy worm" as he investigated what was buzzing behind his ears!

Easter Day was also Kris' mom's birthday! We had a double celebration after church. Josiah never minds the spoiling he gets from the whole family when we all get together.

Two expectant families! Kris and Kyle have a lot of wife to take care of these days, but are doing a great job jumping in and helping when we need it. Tonya is almost into her 3rd trimester, and Leah is only 8 weeks away from her due date! Both baby cousins are doing great!

Josiah has recently become obsessed with tractors, trucks, and riding lawnmowers! He grunts, cries, points, and screams until he can get a ride with Daddy. We have decided he definitely has Dixon farm blood in his veins!

When Kris plants or runs fertilizer in the fields, he sometimes takes Josiah with him until his next nap time. Josiah has never complained about being stuck in a car seat for one or two hours at a time!

Here is our happy boy playing with the camera. He loves to be a ham and immitates noises and expressions we make, and tickles back when we play with him. He still isn't walking on his own yet, but it won't be long!

"I LOVE strawberries!" Josiah loves strawberries almost as much as his mommy and daddy! Tonya got to pick over 10 lbs on the first day of the berry picking season, and Josiah is enjoying the fruits of her labor!

"I love driving!" "Once I can figure out how to reach the accelerator, I"ll be taking over Daddy's job!"

Time to mow! Great-Grandad Dixon couldn't resist giving in to Josiah's request for a ride on the lawnmower. This is going to be a great Spring!

March 2007

2007-03-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

What a fun month for Josiah! When we returned from Paraguay, a swing was waiting for him in Grandmother and Grandaddy Dixon's back yard. He had never been swung before, and loved the thrill!

Josiah turned 1 on March 14th. He got to try his first cupcake at lunch! After realizing he was supposed to eat it (at first he just played with it) he gobbled the whole thing down, a regular sweet tooth!

He wasn't selfish on his birthday either. He wanted to share some of his icing with others, including Grandaddy Dixon while we took this picture!

Kris celebrated his 29th birthday on the 15th. Tonya made him his favorite kind of cake, yellow with chocolate icing, and he ate good all day!

We threw Josiah a birthday party at our house on the 18th and invited lots of family to the occasion. Tonya made him a tractor cake and we decorated with yellow and green. His favorite part was eating another yummy cupcake!

We have spent a lot of time this month working on the landscaping for our house. The renters who lived there before did not take care of the grounds, so we had our work cut out for us. This month we have enjoyed daffodills, tulips, grape hyacinths, crocuses, and lilly of the valley shoot up around our house. We got to plant some trees and shrubs too, which we will enjoy as they grow.

Josiah is now 23 lbs, a "chunk" as some people exclaim as they pick him up! He doesn't lack an appetite either. He loves to wear his food as he eats it, especially ravioli!

Leah, Tonya's sister-in law is going to have a baby shower on the 30th. Here is Tonya frosting 50 duck cookies for the big event. She loves to bake!

Early February in Paraguay

2007-03-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

February-What an exciting month! This was an adventure packed, hot and rainy time to be in Paraguay. Josiah loved meeting Ronald McDonald at a McDonald's in an Asuncion mall. He didn't even protest when Josiah pocked his eyes! What a nice guy!

We got to participate in a second mobile clinic this month as well, in a neighborhood that has a new Baptist church. This clinic was exclusively for children. Tonya did consultations and was challenged with which diagnosis to give, especially those that she had never seen before! God blessed and we saw many children treated for illnesses from parasites to skin infections. Each family had the opportunity to hear the Gospel as well and contacts were made with the local church there. Dr. Kent, a missionary to Paraguay, heads the mobile clinic ministry with his wife Judy.

At the clinic Tonya also mustered up the courage to teach a song in Guarani, the heart language of many Paraguayans. The children loved it and soon formed a masive excited mob that could barely be controlled!

Josiah got his first haircut this month! He behaved well but was always curious about what the barber was doing with his head!

Lila, the household helper for our apartment and the Starkey's house, loved playing with Josiah.

We have been keeping a secret for a few months and can't keep it "hidden" much longer! Tonya is almost 5 months pregnant now and both Mommy and baby are doing well. The baby is due July 25th! This picture was taken on Valentine's Day. Kris let Tonya go get pampered at a local salon as his gift to her.

Big brother Josiah is loving the water! He looks forward to daily baths and will play in the tub as long as he is allowed. His favorite game in this tub is pulling off the drain, watching the water swirl, then putting it back on again!

We had the blessing of seeing Ann and Jo, two missionaries to Paraguay who have both served over 30 years. They treated us to a lazagna meal which the entire family loved!

Late February In Paraguay

2007-03-03T14:05:00.000-05:00

The last week spent in Paraguay was one of much travel! We started out our trip with a day at the Argentina side of Iguazu Falls, located just past the Paraguayan/Brazilian/Argentine border (all three countries meet near these water falls, which are some of the largest in the world!)

Josiah had a blast at the falls, even though it was over 100 degrees. He enjoyed playing with the many butterflies flying around the park, but was very facinated by the waterfalls. He got upset when we wouldn't let him lean over the rail to play in the water!

While at the park, we bought some handmade goods from Guarani Mby'a Indians, of the same tribe that Tonya worked with while she served in Paraguay. Currently there is no Christian worker working among them. Please pray that God will privide someone soon to continue teaching those who were seeking to know Christ.

After spending two days in Ciudad Del Este, Paraguay (and visiting the falls), we spent two nights and a day in the Hohenau area, where Tonya used to live. Our first stop was to visit the Wanderer family, a German-Paraguayan family who worked with Tonya in her ministry. Jonathan, who is now 17, loved meeting Josiah and introduced him to Lucy, who used to be Tonya's dog! They were instant friends.

Here is the Wanderer family with the Dixons.

On Sunday we visited the Baptist Church in Hohenau, where Tonya usually attended. Due to a rain storm that lasted all morning, only 4 other families attended, one of which Tonya knew well and the others who were newer families. It was good fellowship, but also dissapointing since she didn't get to see old friends.

Sunday afternoon we travelled to Jesus, a town
Tonya worked in as well. Fidelina, a woman Tonya was friends with and her family were home and caught us up on the local news and needs of the church there. It was an encouraging visit!

The volunteers from Holland Ave. Baptist, Tonya's home church while growing up, constructed this large room while on a missions trip in 2003. The room is now fully functioning as a children's ministry room. Fidelina heads up the ministry and reported 85 children attended last week!

Here is Tonya with Josiah and Fidelina in front of her house.

Our last visit was to Ramona and Ramon, a couple who have been married and baptized since Tonya left Paraguay. Ramona was a new believer who Tonya discipled and worked with to start a church in Trinidad where they live. Ramon accepted Christ shortly after Tonya left and their family became the first regular attenders of the church plant. Unfortunately, the church closed its doors last year due to the leadership leaving (two families went to Spain to work and a missionary family moved to a different area in Paraguay). This is a sad story of many people who are believers and have no church to attend. Please pray God will provide and inspire the existing families in this town to meet on their own for worship and fellowship.

Here is a picture of the Dixons with the Starkey family. Tonya is almost half way through her pregnancy now!

January in Paraguay

2007-02-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

Hey ya´ll! Guess where I am now!

Bienvenidos a Paraguay! We arrived on the 17th of January and quickly began to settle in. Kris started Spanish lessons a few days after arriving so he could begin communicating with Paraguayans in the community. Here he is with Claudio, an instant friend, Claudio´s brother, and another guard who works at the end of the block. They are almost always working in front of the Starkey´s home where we stayed the first week and visit almost daily. Please pray for their salvation!

A couple of weeks after arriving, we got our first opportunity to work in a mobile clinic which targets smaller country Baptist churches which need help with outreach. Tonya served as the triage nurse and took all the patients´blood pressures and took blood sugars of those who were at risk for diabetes. We saw about 80 people come in over about 5 hours and everyone recieved the opportunity to hear the gospel.

Josiah enjoys spending time with the Starkey children, Caleb, 5 and Lucas, 3, but sometimes gets a little worn out by their activity! Here he is playing in the pantry in their kitchen with Caleb.

We found that the hotter the weather, the more fun Josiah has in the pool! He didn´t want to get out of the refreshing water when we went for a swim in the kiddie pool in the Starkey´s back yard one day.

Temperatures often climb into the triple digits, so cool water is a welcome treat! Josiah definitely agreed this day!

Let´s go! This is our transportation in Asuncion. We walk and Josiah rides! When we go a long distance, we wait for a bus and pray that it will take us in the right direction! One of our projects while here is to map the bus routes in the city to help future volunteers or newcomers find their way around if they don´t have a car to use.

Ivan, the grandaughter of the Starkey´s household employee, loves to play with Josiah. She often kept him entertained while Tonya got other things done. Too bad summer break is over and she had to go back to school!

Josiah´s Grandmother and Grandaddy Dixon got a last photo with him when we were dropped off at the airport on the 16th. They will see him again in just a few weeks though!