Duke the Wonderpup

Before leaving for our Colorado trip, we had the joy of puppysitting Duke, the newest addition to the Stoever family. The kids loved having him around...

Eliana discovered that the puppy napped often... so in order to get some extra puppy time, she joined in on his naps.

Danny thought this high-energy pup was a bit of a handful, until he uncovered the secret to bonding with Duke.

And Mikey and Duke became the best of pals, though capturing both of these speedy lil' guys in the same photo was the most challenging task of the week!

Piper in Sacramento

John Piper will be the featured speaker at this regional conference in Sacramento October 12-13. The theme will be the "Pleasures of God." The conference cost is $30, but for the price of admission you'll get a "free bag of Desiring God resources."

If you want to go, I'd suggest registering soon, because once the word gets out this conference will likely fill up fast.

Get $10 Cash Back at Ebates

From now through September 15, Ebates is offering a $10 "double bonus offer." Use a link in this post to sign-up for Ebates, make at least one purchase, and you'll receive a $10 bonus in addition to the regular cash back you get by making purchases through Ebates. (We'll also get a matching $10 bonus if you use one of the links in this post.) This is a great deal! It effectively means you can buy something for $10 online and get all of your money back.

Ebates is one of several "share the wealth" web sites that have sprung up on the web recently. Here's how it works: Let's say you're going to make a purchase at Target.com. Before you actually make your purchase, go to the Ebates web site, register or log in and click on the Target.com link. Once you do this, you'll get 4% cash back on any purchase you make at Target.com on that visit.

No, this isn't a scam. Ebates is simply sharing a percentage of the kick-back it receives for referring you to an online merchant's web site. Most other web sites keep it all for themselves.

Other great cash back sites include:

BondRewards: Instead of giving you cash, Bond Rewards lets you collect points redeemable for U.S. Savings Bonds. To find the true "cash value" of the bond points you receives at Bond Rewards, simply divide them by two (since a $50 series EE savings bond costs $25 to purchase.) If you're interested in signing up for BondRewards, let me know so I can send you a referral e-mail.

FatWallet: This site is a lot like Ebates but it includes some different online retailers and offers higher cash back percentages at times.

Jellyfish.com: In addition to providing cash back on certain retailers, Jellyfish.com offers a unique reverse auction live shopping show called "Smack Shopping." Christina and I have used Smack shopping to get great deals on quite a few products, including an iPod and a KitchenAid. (Use the referral link on this post when you sign up and I'll get credit.)

Although none of these web sites provides cash back on Amazon.com purchases, you should always feel free to use the Amazon.com link on this blog to help out your favorite diaper fund. We receive cash back on any purchases you make when you use our Amazon.com link, which is always readily available in the list of links on the sidebar of our blog (under "Other").

Diapers for Four?

Mommy is hard at work this week, with help from Auntie Laura, attempting to convince Eliana that, yes, she really does want to go "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" in her Winnie the Pooh potty seat.

Eliana, who turns three this month, has a mind of her own about these sorts of things. Although she'll happily sit on the potty seat, she seems particularly resolute in her efforts to ensure that nothing comes out, despite tempting offers of cookies and M&Ms as a reward for any small success.

As you may have guessed, the stakes for this blog, Diapers for Three, are high. If Eliana isn't potty trained by the time #4 arrives in January, we'll have four kids in diapers, making our current blog name and web address obsolete (at least temporarily so).

But to ensure that you, our dear faithful reader, do not lose sleep over this dreadful prospect, I've secured the blog address www.diapers4four.blogspot.com. Should Eliana's heroic resistance continue into 2008, we'll always have the option of moving our posts over there for whatever time is necessary.

Big Broods on the Rise?

According to NPR's weekend edition, the "newest status symbol for the nation's most affluent families is fast becoming a big brood of kids."

Of course, NPR seems to think that a "big brood" is three or four kids. This Arkansas mom might disagree. She just gave birth to baby #17 and isn't opposed to having more.

Amy and Lila Report on Colorado Trip

The following are firsthand reports by Amy and Lila, who accompanied us on our recent trip to Colorado.

Amy:

On July 20th, 2007, [David, Christina, Eliana, Michael, Daniel], Lila, and I left for Colorado. We were going to be gone for a week and were super excited! The first day of the trip we drove 10 hours, from California to Salt Lake City, then stopped at the Courtyard Marriott for the night. It was a very nice hotel. The next day we drove 7 hours to Montrose, Colorado. I have to tell you it was beautiful!

The next few days were wonderful! We went to various places including the Black Canyon, Ouray, and Box Cañon Falls, which were all wonderful because we were out in God's creation. I was very sad to have to leave Montrose but very grateful for the time we had there! This trip was one of the most wonderful trips I've been on and ever will be!

Lila:

Well, as everyone knows, Amy and I went to Colorado! It was supposed to be a surprise for Laura but her mom ruined it. That was very funny.

The day we left was a very long day. Nevada was very dull. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott (aka, Cockroach Inn) which was very nice and the next morning we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Yum!

The day we got to Colorado, we received a very warm welcoming from [Christina's parents] and a wonderful dinner. Then we went to Charity’s house. Oh my goodness, it is soooooooo beautiful! We stayed in her bonus room, which has a pool table.

On Sunday we went to [Christina's parents'] house and had a BBQ for Charity’s home coming. (She had just returned from Hong Kong). That was very fun.

Monday was very relaxing. We just stayed home and watched movies and hung out. And Laura had a doctor’s appointment for her boil behind her ear.

Tuesday was awesome. We went to the Black Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world. It was AMAZING. Then we went to a going away party for one of Laura’s friends who is moving to Texas.

On Wednesday we went to Box Canyon Falls, where [David] proposed to [Christina]. It was so pretty! And we had some yummy ice cream in a little town called Ouray. That was one of the best days.

Then on Thursday, sadly we left. BUT! Laura came back with us!! Yippee!! We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott again, and Laura, Amy, and I got our own room! It was so much fun. We stayed up late, swam, and ate junk food.

Friday was very long because my nose started to plug up so I couldn’t sleep very well in the car. But it was fun anyway. We stopped at 5 McDonald’s on the way! I have to say it was one of the best trips in the world!! Every day was completely wonderful. I can’t wait to go again.

In case you missed them, photos of the Colorado trip are available here.

Piper on Minnesota Bridge Collapse

Minneapolis-based Pastor John Piper responds to the collapse of the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River.

Colorado Trip Photos

Special thanks to Lila and Amy, who accompanied us on our recent trip to Colorado and took most of these photos.

Colorado Trip (67 photos)

Thank you, God!

*Please note: This post contains a wee bit of sappiness and much rambling. If such things cause you nausea, repulsion, or disgust, please feel free to discontinue reading.*

David worked late last night, with the Assembly in session to pass the state budget. I had fallen asleep before he got home, but woke up when he walked in the front door. After chatting with him about the evening and our upcoming trip, he fell asleep...But I was unable to follow suit, excited about our plans to see my family this week and thinking about what needed to be done, and then, reminiscing...

Five years ago this night I was also pretty excited and sleepless. I couldn't stay in bed for the joy and anticipation of what I was going to face the next day -- my wedding to my beloved. I couldn't believe that God had brought David into my life...that a man like him even existed, much more that I would love him so, and he would choose me as the one with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

(On a side note, 7 years, 3 months ago tonight was also a pretty sleepless night for me...Thinking about this boy I had been getting to know was just too much to allow me to rest...That sleeplessness, and a dear roommate's encouragement, prompted me to get out of bed and write him an email, asking David out on our first date!)

Now, (at least before I snuck out of bed to write this post), I lay beside this man, my husband of the last five years, my hand resting on my stomach where our fourth child grows, and truly, I am amazed and awed by the One who gives such good, sweet gifts.

I am also amazed at how God has changed David and I in the last five years. He has taken two young, in-love, but independent beings and melded them into one...I think of all the ways our hearts and thoughts have changed during this time. It truly is a work of God...and yet He is in no way finished with us yet...

I think of David - amazing five years ago - absolutely inspiring today. He loves so fully, so self-lessly, so consistently and persistently. This man is a product of the day-by-day grace of God working in his life. He strives to love as God loves...a truly humbling and inspiring gift in a husband.

And with this all, I eagerly anticipate tomorrow, next year, the next 50 years, if God so chooses to keep us on this earth for that long. Seeing the faithfulness of God over these last years, and throughout history, gives me such hope and joy in what He will accomplish in the future. Though it may contain difficulties, pain, trial and tribulations of any sort, I look forward to what God has in store for us on this earth...and even more so, an eternity with this awesome God.

And, I look forward to seeing how God continues to change David and I...to mold us into the children, the spouses, the parents, the friends and family that He wants us to be. I pray that we will grow in His love and faithfulness...and that we would care more about the lost and dying world around us, that we might more fully and eagerly reflect and point them to the One that created them.

I expect our Danny to be waking up soon, so I'll leave my ramblings here and sneak back into bed...Actually, I hear him now...

Joyfully and thankfully,
Christina

Photos from Tahoe

Weekend at Tahoe (15 photos)

Nearly Five Years...

Can you believe Christina and I have been married for nearly five years? Although our anniversary isn't until July 20, we'll be heading up to Tahoe this weekend to celebrate a few days early.

As we look back over the last five years, we are thankful to God for his abundant grace in bringing us together and blessing us with a great marriage (and cute kids). I'm especially thankful for the tremendous gift of Christina, who is an awesome wife, mother, and friend. It gets harder and harder each year to imagine life without her. And, last but not least, we're thankful for all your support, love, and friendship.

For all of you nostalgic types, here's a slideshow of our wedding photos. More photos from before and after our wedding ceremony are available here.

Online Shopping Tip #1: Research, Research, Research

When the mercury hits triple digits and you have three kids in diapers with naptimes and bedtimes to think about, online shopping becomes a very attractive alternative to traditional shopping venues. Even if you don't have kids, online shopping can be much more pleasant and often less expensive than driving from store to store in search of a certain product at a certain price.

Over the past few years, we've (hopefully) become a bit more savvy at finding deals online. In this upcoming series of posts, we'll share with you a few tidbits of our acquired wisdom in hopes that it might aid you in your shopping endeavors.

Tip #1: Research, Research, Research

Before you buy anything whether online or in a store, take a few minutes to make sure you're not buying junk. The following are a few resources you might want to consult:

Amazon.com: Regardless of whether you ultimately make your purchase on Amazon, the Amazon customer reviews are a great resource. Look for products that have 4 or 5 star ratings, but also skim the actual reviews for further guidance. (Hint: Try sorting the product category results to see which items are bestselling or have the best customer ratings.)

Consumer Reports: For $26/year you can have online access to all of Consumer Reports' great product reviews. If you've never consulted this resource before, you may be surprised how often spending will get you an inferior product rather than a better one. (I have a subscription, so if you're ever planning a major purchase and want to see an article, just let me know.)

Epinions: Another good resource. You won't find a review for every product at Epinions, but when you do they are typically very thorough and informative.

Google: Try searching Google for the particular product and model number you are interested in and add the word "review" to your search. Typically Amazon and Epinions reviews will turn up in the search results, but you'll often find other reviews as well.

Do you have a research tip you'd like to share? If so, feel free to leave a comment.