Best of - Sepia Tones

What an amazing week!

I wanted to thank you all for your prayers the last few months for my health and Addison's as well. We could not have made it to 39 weeks without the help of our family! Pete and I feel so blessed that we were given such gifts of love and time away from husbands/work/etc.

Addison is just a picture of health and we could not be happier that our family is finally together after much anticipation. Alaina is adjusting to her new role as "big sister" very well, and likes to tell everyone which things around the house belong to Addy.

A big "thank you" to Emily and Paul for supplying lots of Nana time since Thanksgiving. Also, to Tracy who was "sick" enough to come visit for the birth and to take beautiful pictures to capture the moments together. It is always nice to have Aunt CC around--Alaina gets so excited.

My mom is staying with us this week while Pete gets back to work. The week following my sister is bringing up her computer and will work from our house so that I have help with Alaina. The last week of January, Pete will stay home from work again to give me one more week of healing before I have to try this by myself.

I am feeling better everyday regarding the pain, but still get tired very easily. I'm doing my best to help out with Addison and interact with Alaina without picking her up. That's been difficult on both of us since she doesn't understand why I can't lift her and I want desperately to be active in her day.

Please pray for continued healing, that we continue to have showings on the house, and that we are able to convey to everyone just how grateful we are for the amazing love they show us everyday. Sometimes in families such as ours, where the bonds are so strong, we forget that not everyone is so blessed.

Thank you to everyone again.
Love you all dearly.
Emily Ann

Thank you

Well, it has been a great week for Faith and I getting back to work and school! We do so much better on a schedule. It has been snowing here for 8-9 days and today is the first day without snow! Yesterday Faith and i visited GG and had a wonderful visit. I helped her take down her christmas decorations and get ready for Valentines day. Faith was a great helper and GG loved to watch Faith hang the window clings in the windows.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has posted pictures of Addison and Alaina on the blog i think i can say this for everyone that we ALL enjoy it and it feel a little closer like we are there right along with you. Congrats and gods blessing to you and your family!

It doesn't have to be thanksgiving for me to think about all i am thankful for.....
Faith
My Family
My Friends
Good Health
The smile Faith brings to my face
Listening to Faith sing when she is playing and doesn't know that i can hear her

Have a great week!

The Girls' Tosies

double click to enlarge

Take hold of my right hand

Before Emily Ann went in for surgery I felt compelled to share this verse with her.  I wrote it on a little piece of paper for her to take with her to the hospital.  A few days later my friend Mary Grace posted the same verse on her facebook page the day she went in to be induced.  She delivered a healthy baby boy.  Then, we prayed this verse for one of our clients who is losing her house to foreclosure, has 2 small children and a disabled mother.  Anyhow, with the verse "coming up" so often - I thought it might be an encouragement to you too!

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

Lots going on

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for all of the wonderful comments on the pictures.  Aren't the girls beautiful?  I have lots more photos but I am going to only post a few each evening.  I'll be visiting Pete and Emily mid-January so I'll be able to shoot a new batch then!

I hope to write a longer post in the very near future about another something exciting!  My church has moved into its "new to us" permanent location in downtown Royal Oak.  It has been very exciting and I can't wait to fill you in on all the details - they are extraordinary in my opinion.  That will be for another post though.  Also, I will be recording one new song on our church's next cd in just a couple of weeks.  I was hoping to record two songs but I just wasn't able to finish all the details yet on a song from Ezekiel 37.   If you haven't read this passage I would encourage you to do so - it has become one of my favorites.  The song I am recording is titled Cry Out Of Romans.  I think this might be one of the best songs that I have written yet.  My friend Jonathan is playing the guitar and Carol will be adding in piano.  I'll be posting about the process as we move toward January 29th.

On a totally separate note, we had our first decent snow here in Detroit and I was thrilled to use my yooper scooper.  I was able to clear the entire drive without breaking a sweat in about 10 minutes.  I love my scooper.  Even better, a neighbor down the street hooked up a plow to the front of his ATV and plowed the sidewalks up and down our entire block - it was such a gift to come home to after a long day at work!  Oh and my Dad was telling me today that there might be snow in Atlanta tomorrow.  Since there "might" be snow accumulation up to 1 inch they have cancelled school - of course, he said, there are all of about 10 snow plows in the entire state of Georgia.  He he he - Ha ha ha!  My students are dying for a snow day but I have assured them - we will have school tomorrow!

Softie

Addison is so soft

Dad, You Woke Me Up!

It has been such a pleasure to watch my younger brother grow up to be a dad.  Pete was always a bit on the wild side - he loves adventure.  As a kid if Pete was given the choice between safety and adventure he would always choose adventure.  Now that he has a family I know he makes the best decisions for his wonderful wife and perfectly precious girls.  However, he still doesn't mind the adventure of waking up his girls in the middle of a siesta.  Here's a picture to show you how Addison already feels about this!
Double click on this photo to see it up close!

The First Time I Ever Saw Your Eyes

Shining Star Close-Ups

Beauties

Emily Ann was really amazing.  By the end of the evening she was up for short spurts moving around.  Alaina was able to lay next to her on her bed for a little snuggle time and a round of "Row Row Row your boat"!  Everytime Alaina saw a picture of her Mama she would say "I love you"! 

Emily looks stunning even post surgery.  With her permission I am posting this picture!  Believe me, there are many more very beautiful pictures of Em and Addy!

Sisters

Sweet Cheeks

Addison is a picture of health. Her chubby cheeks are so cute. I was known for my cheeks - someone told me to never get rid of my cheeks.

She's a sweet bundle of joy. I am sure her sister will love her and her parents are bursting with joy.

Hope to see you this summer.

Love,
GiGi

Mom, Dad, and Addy's First Pictures

Straight from Pete's cell phone.

Aren't these two ladies lovely?

Good thing Pete has two pinkies!

Alaina has one and Addison has the other!

Our Shooting Star is Here - Addison Jane

AJ's daddy has already
sent us her first picture!

She's 9lbs 3oz, 20.5 inches
and has beautiful blue eyes!

It's Time - 0 DAYS TO GO

We've been waiting to see this for a long time. 

Emily Ann and Pete are off to the hospital so they can meet Addison.

A New Little Star

Just think - tomorrow at this time Addison will be born. It will be a great day for the Nadeau family. I think Dad will be handing us a new little star. What a wonderful way to begin the new year.

Link to the SparkTeam

Here's the link to the family Spark Team.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individual.asp?gid=38661&gcode=XC6Y9G44UU

When you make your personal spark page, you can choose to only share information with your friends. That way you can keep things as private as you'd like. Let me know if you need help setting things up.

Love you all. Thanks!
Emily Ann

Our nativity scene

I made this nativity scene for our family when Ryan and Sara were very young. My friend Beth, from church, and I each made one together and it was so much fun. It has had a lot of love over the years. All the characters are stuffed and weighted down on the bottom so they stand up easily. Little kids, and big ones too, love to arrange and rearrange the people and animals. (They are not all in the picture.) This won a blue ribbon at the Marathon County Fair when we lived in Wausau. An interesting story about this was how we got the hay for the manger the first year. We were riding along the streets of Wausau looking at Christmas lights one evening, when the kids said that we should have real hay for Baby Jesus in his manger. I said,"Let's pray about it', and we said the prayer out loud right then and there. Ken turned the corner on our street and there in the middle of the city street was a pile of hay. I am still awed by this event. Talk about a quick and complete answer to a child's simple and expectant prayer. It was unforgetable.

New Year's Wishes

We got together today and made some New Year wishes for each other. Can you see the sparkle in Isaac and Adam's eyes? We had lots of fun together today. Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year!

Well, its 12:04 Jan. 1st 2010 and im excited to put my first post on the blog and to have the first blog of the new year! I want to wish everyone a blessed new year and say thank you for visiting this christmas. It is just expected for everyone to come here for the holidays and i know how busy the holidays are already, so its time to say THANK YOU! It just wouldn't seem like christmas without you!

This year christmas was a little unusual for me being so under the weather. Thanks to all my family for helping out with Faith during such a busy time! I also want to say thanks to all for the wonderful gifts and thoughtful things for Faith!

This year i have decided not to make a resolution and just take the time to do things i have wanted to do instead of just pushing it aside saying i dont have the time. Try to do it too, it might be fun. I think everyone thinks of things of oh i should do that, or wouldn't that be nice to help out doing this.
This year i do plan on.....
1. getting back on track with my healthy eating and going back to the gym but this is a life style and not a fad.
2.doing some community service of some kind maybe habitat for humanity??
3. Donate blood, why not, i have it dont need it all and it can save a life!
4.being the best mom i can be
5.keep on doing crafts throughout the year
6. Going camping with all of the family :)
7. Planting a garden
8. Enjoying everything i have in my life to the fullest!
So thats whats on the agenda for me this year!! I think it would be fun for everyone to post what they are thinking or planning on doing for the year.

I love and miss you all! It was wonderful seeing those who were here and we really did miss you pete and emily!
( i hope that i did this right and sorry if there is any spelling mistakes it is really late at night he he)

Enter This Temple

This song was the first to start up on my i-pod shuffle today at the gym. I just love the words and I LOVE the message. This is my hope for 2010.

Verse 1
We are saved in a world that's lost;
all our hope rests in Your cross.
God of strength, our weakness shows,
we need You, we need You

Chorus
Father, enter this temple,
come touch Your people
we need to be where You are.
And children, living as their Father,
washed in pure water,
we need to be like You are.

Verse
We are searching for Your presence.
We are knocking on Your door.
Let Your wings cover us with promise
for communion, for communion

Chorus
Father, enter this temple,
come touch Your people
we need to be where You are.
And children, living as their Father,
washed in pure water,
we need to be like You are.

Bridge
To be like You are, to be where You are,
And Father, come touch Your people
To be like You are, to be where You are,
And Father, come touch Your people

Written by Leeland Mooring & Jack Mooring
Performed by Leeland on the Opposite Way Album

Happy New Year!

Well, it's going to be a wonderful start to the new year for us for obvious reasons. Addison will join us Tuesday at 10am. I am so excited to finally meet her and to start introducing her to our wonderful family!

It has really hit me that the last few years have been very busy, (very blessed, but very busy) and I have let my health slip through the cracks. So...I had an idea for a family project. I was thinking that anyone who would be willing to help support me--or join themselves--could get onto Spark People and start a healthy living team.

Spark People's website lets you choose whether you'd like to do a weight loss program or a healthy living program (no weight loss tracking). You get points for logging on, tracking the amount of water you drink, tracking your exercise minutes, etc. It's really a great way to encourage friends and family for making great life changes and to lift each other up when you make bad choices (like chocolate binges...hehe) or hit a plateau.

I have to wait for 6 weeks to be cleared by my OB after surgery to exercise, but I will be starting my healthy eating changes as soon as I come home from the hospital. I'd appreciate some company, since I do better when I'm accountable to other people :) If you're interested, let me know and I will set up a team.

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope 2010 is full of good health and happy memories.

Emily Ann

Hello! I made it to the blog!

Hi everyone,
So glad I figured out how to make a post. I have been following the blog for a while and glad to be a part of it. I will post more pics soon, but I thought I'd share this funny one that reminded me all of the knitting going on in our family!
Love, Sara

The 12 Days of Christmas - Hysterical

She was all dressed up

for Christmas.

Blog Updates

Hi Everyone -

I placed a link to the Christmas Exchange List in the Right Side Bar. Keep scrolling down - you'll find it right above the link to The Outlook.

I have added the Special Days Section in the Right Side Bar as well. Would you please check it over? I know that I am missing several people's special dates such as Pete's Birthday and lots of folks' anniversaries. Would you update me in the comment section or send me an e-mail if that is easier?

Lastly, I will be updating the look of the blog for the new year. I would like your input for the tagline. Nadeau Family Blog - "_____________________" The tagline should describe something about us.

For instance:

Nadeau Family Blog - May we all be as marvelous as Marv

Nadeau Family Blog - Tales from Above and Below the Bridge

Nadeau Family Blog - We live in a climate of love (from Grandma's poem)

I think you could all come up with some pretty crafty/witty ideas.

The picture that will be featured until spring will most likely be this one:

Please make some comments and give me your best taglines!
Tracy

Christmas Portraits

Question for Tracy

Tracy, Could you somehow put the Christmas list on the blog so that it is easy to access any month of the year? I know you are some kind of a computer guru. Thanks, Carol

Memories!

Reading Debbie's post about past Christmas pizza party pictures made me wonder what pictures I had on my computer ... here are some fun pictures from Christmas '06. The boys were 8 and 6 and Faith was about 6 months.

Pete and the boys: ) I think they just got done wrestling in the middle of the pizza party!
Playing a video game

The boys loved Faith from the first time they met her! Look at those cute cheeks!

Bowling with "their uncles" as the boys called Tim and Pete

Memories ... there was a lot of love packed into that room!

Wishing we would have remembered to take a family picture this year!

She's a woman of mystery . . .

She's Cousin Sara . . .
She lives in the far off land of Wyoming.
She appeared on the cover of a magazine.
She likes fruits and vegetables.
She is a lover of the outdoors and is an environmentalist.
She loves her two dogs.
She loves to sing and perform.
She is a talented model and she was in the latest Title Nine Catalog.

Cousin Sara . . . glad to see you over Christmas break. Can't wait to find out what exciting adventure is next for you.
Love, Tracy
(p.s. you left your phone charger in Grandma's upstairs bedroom & I'm so sorry you had to look at that awful 8.5x11 senior picture of mine - I hope it didn't give you nightmares)

News from Debbie

Hi All,

It was great seeing everybody! We missed you Peter and Emily but thanks for sharing Alaina with us. She is a very happy girl! We can't wait to meet Addison.

I still have not found my camera so I don't have any pictures to show. So I hope you all share your pictures.

Paul had the idea that next year we should try to collect all the pictures from Pizza parties past. So if you have pictures from the past bring them with next year. I wonder how many years it has been going on?

Here is the new Christmas Exchange List for 2010.

CHRISTMAS 2010
Paul buys for Isaac
Emily Marie.....Susie
Tracy..... Ken
Tim.... Bob
Peter N...... Paul P.
Emily Ann.... Ryan
Alaina .....Debbie
Addison..... Sara
Carol ......Peter C.
Ken ......Faith
Sara .....Alaina
Ryan..... Addy
Joy..... Winter
Isaac .....Lindsey
Adam..... Peter N.
Linda .....Tim
Bob..... Addison
Debbie .....Tracy
Peter C. .....Joy
Winter..... Aunt Emily
Lindsey .....Emily Ann
Addy .....Linda
Faith ..... Carol
Paul P...... Paul N.
Susie .....Adam


Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Debbie

Nativities

I have several beautiful nativities. I love them all.

• My childhood nativity - it's made from wood and has lost a few parts - but Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus are still in tact. I have just been placing pinecones in the holes for the missing folks.


• My glass nativity from my friend Deedee. It is made out of frosted glass pieces and sits on a 4x4 inch mirror. It is really beautifull; especially when I place white lights next to it.


• My newest nativity is from Mom and Dad. It is a single piece of olive wood that is cut out into Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. I think it is REALLY beautiful.


• My African nativity set which I just adore. It was handcrafted in Africa out of banana leaves. I think it is hands down my favorite purchase (souvenier) that I have brought back from Africa.

Call me crazy . . .

Well Actually - Please don't call me that.

I would like to break the number of posts that we had last year of 115. Right now we have just a few days left and 102 posts made this year. The next year I would like to increase the number to at least 150. There is so much to share!

Anyhow - Here are a few of the posts that I would like to make before the end of the year:

• Portraits
• Cousin Sara
• This Year's Bread Pudding
• Favorite Gifts
• My Nativity
• Tim's Nutcrackers
• Mackinac Dressed Up For Christmas
• The 12 Days of Christmas Video

That's 8 posts that I would like to make. Now for the rest of you :) What are you going to post? Linda is all set to make some posts and Addy and Sara should be able to too! Someone urge them on - we want to hear from them!!!!

Michigan Christmas

Our family had such a wonderful time in Michigan. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family! Here are some of my favorite pictures...

Having Alaina with us was a wonderful gift from Pete and Emily! Thank you Paul, Emily, Tracy and Tim for bringing her!Thank you Tim for your gift of music! Singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with the family was so much fun! Bring the guitar next year!

Carol gets a turn playing with the girls : )

I'm glad Ryan grabbed the camera for this one!
I think they're having fun together! It's easy to see they're family!
Isaac sharing his favorite new toy with Faith.
Adam loves his cousins!

Missing everyone!!! (and also waiting for news of the newest addition to our family!)

Love, Joy

Family Favorites

We had a lot of fun visiting today. There was lots and lots of chatter about this and that. We exchanged smiles, hugs, and gifts. Here a few of my "top pics" from today! There are more, of course, that I will be sharing in the future. Grandma (a.k.a. Evelyn, Mom, GiGi) was all smiles when she received this beautiful painting from Emily Marie. Emily Marie picked the perfect shades of red to make Grandma smile!

Cousins Joy and Alaina watched out the window as next-door-neighbor Lori shoveling her roof. The natural light through the window was just stunning on these ladies. Look at how their beautiful eyes are all aglow! Two beautiful babes if you ask me!!

After church we took some pictures of Grandma and all of her children (left to right: Susie, Carol, Evelyn, Debbie, Linda, Paul, and Bob). What a legacy of lives Grandma has. Later, at Debbie's house, we sang Grandma and Grandpa's favorite song, "White Christmas." There were several tears shed as we reminisced about Grandpa - our Marvelous Marv.

Oh I just loved how sweet cousins Faith and Alaina were. Faith was such a good "older" cousin to Alaina - always looking out for her. She colored with Alaina during church, ran around the halls of church with her, played in the snow (faith held Alaina up in the orange sled and giggled with great delight), shared her crayons, and just had a lot of fun! My favorite moment though was when Faith wrapped her arm around Alaina like they were sisters.