Alyce the Amazing Hand-Eater

Having recently discovered her hands, Alyce now seems determined to fit her entire fist into her mouth - and I'm starting to think she may succeed!

Wanna see me do a trick?

Just an ordinary hand . . .


We start with the thumb . . .


Open wide . . .

and start shoving in the fist!

I'll get it one of these days - and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise!

Kelli Puts Away Her Laundry

Now that I finally put the second rod in Kelli's closet she can reach her shirts all by herself. This really came in handy today as she demonstrated that she can put her clothes away by herself ("Big Girl").

Opening the closet door took some effort . . .


but it was smooth sailing after that: Make a space

Put the shirt on the rod

TA-DAA!

Kelli also demonstrated that she can carry two shirts at the same time because she "has two hands." ;)

Laundy Buddies

Today when I was sorting and folding clothes, I sat Alyce in the basket so she could watch. She was a little unsure about it at first . . .


But soon warmed to the idea
Kelli decided this looked like fun and asked to get in too - and hold Alyce. This let me get some adorable shots of the two of them.
After I got these two shots, Alyce started to fall over a little.

So Kelli - the ever-helpful big sister - helped steady her.


Then we tried a slightly different hold.Kelli really loves her little sister - and posing for the camera!




Alyce started fussing at the end of the shoot, so Kelli - who was enjoying posing for the camera and hates hearing Alyce cry - tried to soothe her.

Mommy and Daddy fix Alyce this way - I'm sure if I concentrate I can do it too.

Look Mommy - it's working!

Alyce meets the Nursery

Today Alyce went to the nursery alone for the first time while I (Amy) was at Bible Study. Kelli stayed home this morning 'cause she was up too late last night, so Alyce had to go alone. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous leaving her - even though it was only for about an hour since I had to leave the study early. However, she did just fine - and seemed quite content when I picked her up (well, until I woke her up by putting her in her carseat, that is).

What I found when I came to pick her up: Alyce sound asleep, apparently completely oblivious to all the kids playing around her.

Why would I miss Mommy? This nice lady seems happy to hold me :).

Kelli In Training

Kelli's current favorite episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is "Goofy In Training," in which Goofy runs an obstacle course - so after she watched it today we went outside so she could run an obstacle course of her own.


Proper construction is essential to every obstacle course.

Fashionable Fitness

Just because you're running an obstacle course is no reason to let fashion - or appearances - suffer:

Finally Running The Course

After a few adjustments (aka location change), practice time was over and she was ready to run for the medal . . .

despite a rather large distraction . . .

Talent Show!

We went to a highschool talent show last night. Don was working it, so we went early and Kelli had a blast playing with her friend (whose Dad was also working). Kelli also picked up some new dance moves from the performers ;). This may be my favorite - a Michael Jackson impersonator performed - need I say more?


The Kelli Has Landed!

Fasting

So today Amy an I started this Fast, to coincide with what our church is doing in preparation for Easter. I will keep you posted on how it is going. Its going to be tough, but I believe it will be healthy for both my body and my spirit. A fast is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect you with God. You can follow my progress as well as read my daily devotions over at my church blog.

New Content

Hey All,

Quick note to say there are new pictures on the new pictures page, as well as a new video on the video page.

Also check out my other blog; Through The Looking Glass.

Don

P.S. for those to lazy to click over to the video!

Two Years Ago...

we lost someone very special to us.

we began to hurt more than we ever have.

we struggled to stay afloat.

we felt lost.

Jesus held us close.

Today..

we miss someone very special to us.

we continue to heal, the process is slow.

we live life to the fullest.

Jesus still holds us close.

We Miss You Curtis!

Going to Macworld

Little in this world makes me so excited that I can't sleep. I remember when I was a kid the first day of school was one such event. The not knowing what was going to happen, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, these things made me giddy inside. Yes I said Giddy. One that still gets me tossing and turning is going to Disneyland. Disneyland holds the record for the place where I need the littlest amount of sleep. however as time has gone by i do need more and more sleep there, something about getting older. Last night was such a night for me, you would think I was a school kid getting ready to go to school in Disneyland with professor Mickey Mouse.

Macworld is by far the best tradeshow there is, and the conference i look forward to the most every year. Go ahead call me a fanboy, you would be right. But for those that know the Macworld buzz, you will understand. I am about to go pick up Scott Holtog an make the trek up to Macworld 2008. We are about to head to the mecca for the fanboys. I will let you know how it goes.

Christmas is coming!!!! ACK!

It's an interesting thing working for a church. We plan and plan and plan for the big outreach event, which this year took place on the 15th and 16th of December. Than as soon as it is over we as a staff crash, and feel like the holidays are over. This year I was feeling that way and along came my christmas present, Alyce Kathleen Joel, and boy did my mind forget we were 8 days from the birth of Jesus. I remember when I was a kid the magic of the season, the music on the radio, the log on channel 20.

Well today I took Kelli to the store to get cookies and milk for santa, right after we went looking at the houses on Crippsmas Court, a section of fremont completely decorated. This wide-eyed wonder made me realize what day it was and the magic came flooding back to me.

Merry Christmas
Don

P.S. Check out the new tab The Joel Monitor (on the left hand side of the page). Here you will be able to track everything going on with Alyce and Kelli. Just click on it and you will see.

P.P.S. A picture I just adore.

Alyce Kathleen Joel

Hey All,

Well our family has officially grown by 1, with the addition of Alyce Kathleen Joel. She was born 12/17/07 @ 11:03 pm. Weighing in at 9 lbs 1 oz, measuring 20 inches. Amy and Alyce are doing great and are at Kaiser Hayward in room 209B. Kelli and I are on our way to the Hospital. Kelli is excited to meet her baby sister.

Long time no post!

Well I hope this picture makes up for the long hiatus I have had with the blog. Kelli's first picture with Santa , during her third Christmas. Time sure flies. If you haven't noticed we are in the final week of baby waiting. Well official baby waiting that is. If Alyce is anything like her big sister, then we have two weeks to wait. I am beginning to Amy and I may be spending Christmas in the Delivery room.

Everything is going great on this end I will post more tomorrow.

See ya soon

New Arrival On Schedule!

I thought I would let you all know that we had our 4d ultrasound. Things are going swimmingly, and we are still set for a mid-December birth. Also we have decided on a name, well almost 98% sure we have decided on a name. Oh I guess I should tell you that the baby is indeed a baby girl. I am officially out-numbered. I plan on seeing the bathroom again sometime in 2016. Just kidding.

Oh yeah about the name, Alyce Kathleen Joel

Kelli is already calling the baby her sister and "Alyce with a y."

Keep you informed.

New Video Player

Hey Everyone

I just wanted to let you know that I put up a new video player. This will have all my You Tube videos. To find a video you can use the thumbnails at the bottom of the video window.

Thanks

Some New videos

Singing on the 4th of July


Gymnastics at Demeray's: The Johnson Family told us about this gym, Kelli Loves it.


Swimming Fun

Important News

Will Update More Later!!!

A Long Delay

Okay so that short delay got to be a little bit long, but hey I am back. There are new pictures up on the latest pics page. More of those images are in the process of being uploaded to Smugmug, along with a few other new galleries.

So as for the latest news here it goes.

Amy is hosting a Candlelight party this Friday evening. So if you want anything candle related then you better give us a call or email. Call us for all your candle needs. :-)

Kelli is loving all her presents she receievd for her birthday, especially a digital camera her Auntie Kelli got her. She loves to tell people to say cheese. The pictures are the best, but hey she's two.

As for me I just built "Tiki Room North" I converted our patio into the ultimate Tiki getaway. When ever you are in town you must stop by and take in the island feel. I will post a picture later for those out-of-towners.

If you do plan on stopping by We will be closed next week, as we will be on vacation to that great place known as Disneyland. The JoElquists are at it again, when we plan on painting the mouse red and having a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time.

Till later

Keep Moving Forward.

Don

By the way if you get a chance to see "Meet The Robinsons" in 3-d take it. You will love the movie.

A Short Delay

Hey All,

Sorry for the short delay in getting Kelli's B-day pictures up on the website. We couldn't find our camera cable, and now I am at a Weekend retreat. Check back on Monday to see everything that happened at the San Francisco Zoo. Okay maybe not everything, I will leave out the boring parts. :-)

Happy Birthday Kelli!

Oh My Gosh!!!! It has been two years since Marcia, Amy and Myself waited up all night for the stork to bring Kelli Sierra Joel. I can't believe how time flies by. I have been truly blessed to have such a wonderful wife and daughter. Last weekend Kelli and Amy flew down to L.A. to visit Grandma and Grandpa Starcher, and for Amy to go to a Curves Conference. Both tasks were very successful. I on the other hand also ha a successful weekend at Jr. High Snow Camp. It was tough to be away from Amy and Kelli for another weekend, but we have been making up for it the last couple of nights by going out and doing stuff. Monday night we went to Bounce-a-Rama, pics available in the New Pictures section, and Tuesday night we went to the Great Mall.

Last week we took new pictures of Kelli and Kiddie Kandids, they did a great job. You can see the pictures at the Smugmug site, under Kidde Kandids 2007. If you forgot how to access it, go to the Photo Gallery and if prompted enter Disneyland as the password. You can also find the more of the latest Bounce-a-Rama pictures, in Bounce-A-Rama II.

Kelli's having a B-day party this weekend at the zoo so remember to check back for some pictures.

Don

Mommy See Mommy Do

Kelli Dancing

White & nerdy

Kellidini

The Great Escape Artist

Setting Up Our New Website

Well it has been awhile since I last posted to our family blog. Even though there are many reason why this is the case, I will not bore you with the details. Just know that I am working at getting better at making this a very active family blog.

Kelli is turning 2 on March 21st, which we are very excited about, and scared out of our shoes as well. She is growing up every single day. If you haven't ben to our photo site in while you should check it out. I will be uploading new pictures this weekend, plus you will want to see all the pictures from our past excursions. The site is hosted at SmugMug, open the link and if you need the password it is Disneyland.

I am about to start High School Youth Group, so I will write more later. just wanted to get a quick note up about the new site and stuff.
Don

P.S. Here is a pic of Kelli

The Unforsaking Christ

My legs hurt

Well I finally walked through the pain of my pulled calf muscle, but now my knee is starting to hurt. I really think my body is trying to tell me something. To bad I don't want to listen to it. I will walk the 20 miles that is my goal and focus for the next few months. Well that and to have a lot of fun doing it.

The walking is getting easier, I am now trying to walk to work or home from work on scheduled walking days. I get Wednesday, Fridays, and Sundays off, for now. That's three miles a day 4 days a week. I know in a couple of weeks I will have to add at least one day a week of going both ways, but I will jump that shark when I get to it.

Still the hardest part for me is this fundraising effort. I am at $175 so far, and I thank my In-Laws for their support. If you want to track my pledges you can do so by clicking here.

in other news, Kelli turns one year old in 7 days. That's coming up so quick. We took Kelli for her one year old check up today, a little early but who's counting. Here are her stats: 30.25 inches tall, and 24lbs 9.1 oz. She is doing great according to her doctor. I will put pictures up on the smugmug site later tonight.

Talk to you all later.

Don

Pac Man Fever

The Simpsons - live?!?

I love the simpsons, and when i saw this i just knew i had to post it on the blog.

I want to be a Curler

This is an amazing shot made in the fifth end of the Gold medal game. Canada Won the medal deservedly so. USA took the Bronze, first ever USA medal in Curling. Go Curlers!!

News for you

Well training moved into week two, the mileage now begins to go upwards. Last week we were suppose to walk a total of 6 miles. This week we will walk about 7 miles. I walked 8 miles last week, and probably will do about the same. I pulled a muscle in my cafe or at least strained it, but it is not enough to keep me from keeping my walk training up-to-date.

This last Sunday I was the fill-in speaker, since Pastor Bruce is on vacation. I thought I did a pretty good job, and I got a lot of great comments. The best one to me was, "every time you speak, you get better." Anyway if you want to listen to the message you can go to Sermon Central, a place where we post all TABC Sunday morning messages.

Kelli is almost 1 year old, and her birthday party is coming up soon. I can't believe that I have been a dad for almost one year. It is amazing to be a dad, and I am so glad that God has gifted me with such a wonderful wife and daughter.

Talk to you later.

Funny Video

This is a video I stumbled upon this evening.

Pretty Amazing.



Workout News
Kelli and I went to the gym for about 40 minutes tonight. It was the toughest night yet. I think mainly because there was no specified requirement for the night. I will post the schedule when i get a chance.

Training Day 2

Okay so today was the first 2 mile day. I walked home from dinner after our 2x2 meeting. It was nice to walk outside, it made it seem easier, but the only problem was it was bit cold to walk in shorts and a t-shirt.

I sent out my fundraising letters this morning, now I play the waiting game. I will keep you informed of the progress.

I get tomorrow off from walking, but I have to do some sort of cross training. I will probably head to the gym, and do the elliptical trainer.

On Kelli news:

Today is her 11month birthday. Only one month till the birthday party. Today she used a pillow as a stool and climbed up onto the couch all by herself. She is growing up so fast. I will try to put pictures on smugmug later.

Training Day 1

Well I am glad that we had the day off. It took most of the day to get moving enough to get my behind to the gym. It didn't help that I had four youth kids over last night to watch movies til just before Amy got up to go to work. They crashed about 5 am, to be honest I crashed a bit before that about a movie and half before that.

Anyway I went to the gym and today was an "easy" day plus strength training. "Easy" days are at a mild pace, "Moderate" days are "Out of Breath days, and "Long" days are, let's just say I am glad we have are first one ten weeks from now.

I walked my first mile in 22 minutes and 16 secs, not bad for not going to the gym in forever. At that rate it will only take me about 7 hours to walk the 20 miles.

In other news: Amy and I are planning our first family vacation with another family. The Elquists(my buddy Darin from Camp) and the Joels will be invading ... you guessed it... Disneyland the last week of April.

We are also in the planning stages of Kelli's First Birthday Party. It should be a blast and a well attended affair. Nothing to over the top I mean she's only one and all, not like she is going to remember. My only requirement is to have a special cake just for her to eat with her hands.

Well talk to you soon.

Out of the Darkness

On July 22, 2006, I am participating in a unique event that is very important to me. It’s called Out of the Darkness Overnight and it is a 20-mile walk through the night from dusk until dawn to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Their goal is to erase the stigma surrounding suicide and its causes, to encourage those suffering from mental illness to seek treatment and to show support for the families and friends of the over 30,000 Americans who die by suicide each and every year.

As you may already know I am currently the Youth and Media Pastor at Thornton Avenue Baptist Church. I have served at this church for over 5 years. What you may not know is that on January 25, 2006 one of our youth committed suicide. His name was Curtis and he was only 15 years old. He was a wonderful musician whose songs read like poetry. He was a caring and fun young man. He was a friend, brother, twin, son, nephew, and grandson. His smile, laughter, and wonderful personality will be deeply missed. By participating in this event, I hope to raise awareness of the serious threat that depression can pose and the treatment options that can help people overcome it. If only one person can be saved by my efforts to raise money and walk 20 miles, then it’s all been worth it.

Please think about how much you can give to this cause, and click this link to donate at my support page. My goal is to raise at least $1,000 for this cause. All donations are fully tax-deductible.

I will be blogging here to keep you informed on my progress and training.

Please keep Curtis' family, friends, and all of us in your prayers.

Don

Happy New Year

Greetings Everyone,

I am sitting here listening to Pastor Rob Bell, and I realized that God is with us even when we think he is not. It is usually those times that we feel God isn't with us that we need to stop and have a have a rest in God, because it usually means we are too busy to see the work God is doing. It's during those times we need to ask God the hard questions, and rely on him to answer. God knows our needs and we need to be real with Him. The Joels this year are praying to achieve more of this kind of authentic spirituality.

Well 2005 was such a crazy fast year, with a tons of ups and downs, but over all it was the best year of my life. It was the year Kelli Sierra Joel was born. The year the Joels became a family. If you haven't checked out the smugmug site in a while you will be pleasantly surprised that there has been a major update. Tons more pictures. I will post one here later to give you all a glimpse.

As far as major news everything is going well. I am currently going through some work stuff, but God has already begun the healing process. Amy has switched to a new schedule, she is now working form 6:15 to about 10:45 in the morning.

Kelli had her 9 month old check up last month and everything is super. She is still basically in the 95 percentile across the board. She now has her four front teeth, and is ready to stand up on her own anytime now.

Week of 8/22

Well okay so I just wanted to start my weekly updates finally.

Amy - Well Amy is back to work now. After nearly two months "off", the new owner of Curves decided that it would be a good idea to hire her back. We both are very happy that Amy is back at Curves. The members have been telling her that they missed her a lot and our glad she is back.
This however means that I am now Mr. Mom for 5 hours a day. Amy works 10 - 2 everyday, but with travel time it works out to me watching Kelli from 9:30 to 2:30 daily. The three of us are adjusting to this new situation.

Kelli - Kelli is growing leaps and bounds as she turned 5 months old on Sunday. We took 5 month old pictures which you can see at our pictures site.
Kelli is about to venture into a whole new world of food choices. In about a week or so we will begin to add rice cereal to her diet. I am excited for this new stage, and look forward to feeding her new foods every other week or so. We will keep you informed on what she likes and doesn't like.

Me(Don) - The summer is quickly coming to an end and I have been feverishly planning the school year out for the youth group. Trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a row for the events as well as the extra things we will be doing this year. Keep the youth ministry in your prayers as we go forward.
I am also in the process of enrolling into NEGST, The Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. But don't worry we are not moving to Kenya. I am going to be taking an online course taught by Amy's Dad. I am looking forward to getting my feet wet again in the world of Academia.

This week in Joel History
It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Amy and I went to our first baby doctor appointment, but it has. We went on August 19, 2004. Boy time flies.

Well It sure has been a long time.

Okay I know that's the first thing you thought when you noticed a new post, and I agree with you. In fact I think it has been way too long. There is so much going on right now which is the main reason why I haven't written in so long. So let's see where do I begin.?!?

Well Amy had a wonderful time in Arizona at Sharon's wedding. The pictures of the wedding are going up on Smugmug as I type this. I take no credit for any of the pictures quality, since they left me behind at camp.

Speaking of Camp. This summer marked my third year at Sierra Pines. It was once again the most stressful and delightful 2 weeks of my whole year. Well with the exception of the week Kelli was born. I met a bunch of new kids and got to have the honor of assisting in one of my youth group kids baptisms. All the pictures of camp are available online. If you don't know the password, just email me to ask for it.

Well I finally did it I took the Plunge into Audio blogging, or as it is better known Podcasting. One of my friends and former youth group members Scott Holtog and I are hosting a weekly show called "Through The Looking Glass."

Join us each week for a discussion about pop culture, and God. If you have any questions email us at ttlgzone@gmail.com .

Kelli went to the doctors and got her second round of shots. She also got measured and all that great stuff. So for those out there keeping score, she is 26 inches long, and weighs 16 lbs 12 oz.
She is tin the top 95% of babies her age. She is doing wonderful in other words.

I better be heading off, I will be back next week. This time I promise.

Important News

Okay so I was thinking that there are a few crazy people out there in the world that may not always have your best interest at heart. So in order to view the pictures at Smugmug, you will now need a password. The password is pretty simple. It is the place I would go to everyday if I could. The word will have a Capital "D".

If you have any problems with the password email me @ neodiem@comcast.net

Okay talk to you soon.

Hey All

Well I hope everyone is doing great. Some of you may have had a chance to listen to my first test of the audio blog. This is a new feature of our family blog, which will allow me to let people know whats going even when I can't get to a computer. It should come in handy when we are up at camp. If you are looking for the beta audio, its gone now. Keep your ears open for the next installment.

Speaking of camp, Amy, Kelli and I just returned from a few days at Lake Nacimento, okay by just returned I mean on tuesday. You can see the pictures on our smugmug website. The picture here is just a sampling of the great pictures you will find there.

Our next camping adventure will be Junior and Senior high camps at Sierra Pines. We will be gone for two weeks. Amy and Kelli will be flying down to Arizona to be in Amy's friends wedding. I wish I could go to, but I will have to stay at camp and hang out with all the great teens.

In other news, I had a wonderful first fathers day. Amy got me a second Tivo for my first Fathers day. It will come in handy when trying to watch all the shows the networks decided to put on the same nights. Also Amy and I got new cell phones, the whole new every two program from Verizon is great. I got a $150 dollar phone for free, and Amy got a $100 phone for free as well. The best part is now that we have Text and Pic In, Amy can send me pictures of the baby whenever something cute happens.

Okay tune in next time.
Same Bat Channel
Same Bat Time

Oh yeah go see Batman Begins: I give it two thumbs way up!

The new photo Gallery

Okay,

Here is what you have been waiting for, our new photo gallery. This gallery is easy to use so new pictures will appear quickly. The website will still get updated occasionally, and I promise to get this blog going better. To access this new gallery go to thejoels.smugmug.com.

Well on the news front, please be in prayer as Amy begins the process of searching for a new job. Her boss sold the company while Amy was on maternity leave, and when she was about to return to work the new boss decided that she wasn't needed. Oh well, I am sure God has bigger and better things planned for Amy.

kelli is doing great, she has started to sleep through the night. Well for a good solid 7 - 8 hours. It is pretty nice, but at first it was kinda wierd not having to get up or atleast hear the baby in the middle of the night. She has also made the migration to the crib. She still gets to come into our bed for the early morning feeding, and occasional naps.

Well talk to yo all soon.

Don

Pictures, and some news

Hey all,

Well below if you haven't already seen them are a bunch of pictures. I am currently working on the website trying to get more pictures up there.

Okay big news, and its kinda short notice, but if anyone is available on Mother's day, we will be dedicating Kelli at our church. The service begins at 9:30 am. Its a special Mother's day Service, so you will also get to see a video I made. The dedication is not a baptism since we believe a baptism is a personal decision, but a time when we as Kelli's parents commit ourselves to raising her in the way according to God.

Well if you can not make it I will be posting pictures on here and on the website.

Talk to you soon.

Don

Daddy gives Kelli a massage at Gymboree.

Kelli helping mommy get something ready for Grandpa Rich

She got a bit tired.

Kelli loves to play!

looking at herself in the mirror

Just kickin back

4 Weeks Old!

Well This time four weeks ago we were sitting in the Labor and Delivery room waiting for Kelli to arrive on the scene. It wasn't unitl 5:08 the next morning that she made her debut.

Life has changed tremendously for us. First off we get sleep, its just that sleep comes in smaller increments then it used too. Secondly, we have to think of Kelli when we make any plans, however few plans we have currently.

The thing is I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my daughter and my wife, and I thank God daily for both of them.

Let's see what News I have to report. Kelli is doing great, she is picking her head up more and more, and love to look at the lights(which I hear is a common thing).

I am starting to go back to the office a bit more and more as of late, it is hard but there are things I need to get done in the office. I get to spend a hour every friday with Kelli at Gymboree, so it gives me something to look forward too.

My sister, Kelli's namesake, is going to be here the first weekend in May. That is so exciting. It will be the first time I have seen her in over four years, and the first for Amy and Kelli. I will be sure to post pictures.

Speaking of pictures Iwill post some a little later.

Hope all is well.

Don

HAPPY EASTER!

One Week Old!!!!

It is officially Kelli's one week birthday today!

Okay so you think it would be easier to stay up on my blogging now that Kelli is home and I am up at all hours of the night. Well its not. Most of the time I am too interested n just looking at this new creation. I finally watched a little TV with her last night while Amy slept, and now I am here.

Okay so Kelli is sleeping pretty good, but has decided that between 12-3 she needs to be wide awake, even if she eats at that time.

We went to Kelli's two day check-up and everything is fine. She lost very minimal weight and everything seems to be on track for a healthy baby.

Yesterday was Easter, and Kelli made it to church. I will post a picture of her in her Easter dress in a little bit.

Kelli and the Grandma's

Amy prior to Labor

Amy and Kelli

Hey Everyone!

Kelli was born at 5:08 am on 3/21/05. She weighed in at 9lbs 2.1oz, at a height of 22.5 inches.

We thank God that she and Amy are both happy and healthy.

Kelli has Arrived!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!

Well Amy and I just got home from Skipolini's Pizza, home of the Prego Pizza. Which is said to induce labor. After that we went geocaching and walked a little bit.

There is nothing new yet on the labor front, well she is having a few contractions, but they are still infrequent.

Oh in case you wanted to know, Amy's mucus plug is out, which is a good sign that the baby is on the way in the next week or so. :-)

Today is suppose to be the day!

But all signs are pointing to later.

Amy's mom arrived last night, and is now in waiting mode with Amy and I.

We went to the our hopefully last pre-natal visit yesterday. Everythign is going perfectly, but slowly. Amy is 70+% effaced, and Kelli has dropped a little bit more. Obviously we are going to be a few days late, hoepfully not more. However, we have our next doctors appointment next monday for some tests, and if Amy still hasnt gone into labor at that point we will schedule a day to be induced.

Well I will let you know more when I find out.

Greetings from Soon-To-Be-Parentland.

Okay so we are now officially a week away from the expected due date. We are beginning to get a bit more nervous every day. Not scared nervous, but more excited nervous, the kind of nervous that you experience the night before you go to Disneyland.

We picked up our mini van today, in drives like a dream, and will be perfect for the family, and for youth group.

I will try to switch to daily updates on here to keep everyone informed of what is happening. Amy has begun to get some false labor pains, They provide us with a great opportunity to practice some of our lamaze materials.

Here are a few pictures that we took.

See you tomorrow.

Donnie

The Joel Family: Aren't we just so cute!!! :-)

The Joel Family: Amy likes this one because it's called the Princess pose.

Bought a new(used) car for Kelli

Well okay truthfully we bought a car so that we will be able to fit the whole family in a vehicle, including a car seat. We were able to work with our current loan company to basically work it out that we own the 1998 Ford Ranger and have the New 2003 Ford Windstar the only car loan we have.

We will be receiving our new car on March 7th. So expect to see a picture shortly after that.

In other news we have 20 days until Kelli is expected to arrive. I can't wait till she gets here. Things are going pretty much as expected, as far as Amy's pregnancy is concerned. There is a shower this weekend at Amy's work, there are about 20 members signed up to attend. It made Amy feel good to know she is supported like that.

I have started working out on a regular basis. I bought this game called Yourself! Fitness. It is so amazing. It's like having a personal trainer, that customizes everything for me. I will keep you informed on the progress.

Kelli already has a name, but...

I just ran across this java app. I really dig it. Give it a try.

Name Voyager

I will post some new news later this week.

Donnie

Speaking of names, many people have asked me why i switched over to using Donnie instead of Don. Well simply I was tired of fighting it, and it rhymes with Amy, and Kelli. :-)

She also likes to sleep, I hope that continues.

She likes to pray

Kelli at Minus 8 weeks old.

The Joel News

Today in Joel History: January 18th, 2003
Amy after telling Donnie they would just be friends, changed her mind and the rest is "Joel History."

Last Saturday was our first "Childbirth preparation Class" at the Hayward Kaiser, where we will be delivering the baby. So far we learned a massage technique to help Amy through tougher contractions.

Tomorrow We make the trek back up to the 4d fetal imaging place and get our second set of pictures of Kelli. Speaking of Kelli, if you haven't heard Her name is officially Kelli Sierra Joel. She is named after my sister.

Lastly my church is throwing a baby shower for Amy on February 12th, at 2 pm. If you want to come and haven't received an invitation please let me know by emailing here. I will forward the info to the coordinators. And we are register at BabiesRus and Walmart.

The Official Got a New Camera Update!!!

Okay I know you all have been wishing for some new Joel family pictures. So here you go from our new camera.

Below are a few pictures we have taken since we got the camera up and running.

I will be updating the website soon with an all new Photo Gallery.

So I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I want to wish you al la happy New Year. I also hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas, and that you do remember is about giving not receiving.

Amy got me a TiVo for Christmas. I can't remember how I lived without it. It makes life so much easier and I am not tied to the television schedule anymore.

Kelli is doing great. We had a bit of a small worry a few weeks ago. Amy took a screening test for gestational diabetes, and it looked as if she may have had it. But after further testing she has been given a clean bill of health.

Well I will talk to you all later bye for now.

Don

Stefie and Santa Mickey

Alice in Disneyland

Disney Christmas Parade

Christmas Eve

Baby Kelli's Room

The Newest News

Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote, but things have gotten a little crazy around here with Christmas coming and all.

Let's see first off Amy and I are going on Vacation next week. We are going of course to the Merriest Place on Earth, you guessed it, Disneyland. This will be Amy's first time seeing it decorated for the holidays. If you get the chance you really should see it, Disneyland is simply amazing during Christmas time. Also watch the Disney Christmas special on Christmas Morning, I happen to be there when they were filmming last month, so I may be in the parade shots.

Keep Amy and our baby in your prayers as we are now in the home stretch (Third Trimester). We are going in for some tests this weekend and will let you know of the outcome. The Doctors have said things are progressing along normally, which is wonderful.

Well I am off to the office, so I will talk to you more later. Enjoy a couple of pictures we took last night with our new digital camera, since my old one was stolen.

Here is Amy!

Merry Christmas

This day in Joel history!

Hey everybody,

Today was an amazing day, Amy and I went to our 4d Fetal imaging appointment! One of the pictures is below, but there are more at our baby website, there you can also learn more info about the baby, and hear from Amy.


Here I am world!

In other news we are settling into our new place and I promise pictures will be available soon. I will post them on the webste, and ofcourse put one on here.

Oh yeah I just got back from Disneyland. I took 8 teens and 4 leaders to the Merriest place on earth for a little bonding time. It was simply amazing!

Have a happy Thanksgiving
Don

FRIDAY!!!!

Okay So the computer is set up, The tv and cable are ready to go. You are asking what I am talking about. Well today Friday November 12th 2004 we moved into a two bedroom apartment. We are still living it the same complex so all the mailing info is the same except for the Apartment number which is now 62.

It is a nice place with a Jacuzzi(sp) tub. Anyway I had 6 of the best teenage movers I could ask for. As soon as we get a new camera I will take pictures for you.

Well I am going to get back to work. Talk to you later.

Don