Group Pictures...Then & Now

I absolutely love our playgroup! Today we met at Kara & Tanner's & let the boys play, play & PLAY! They were fascinated with the baby gate & loved when Brittney made bubbles. We, of course, tried our best to get a pic of the ones who were there (We missed you Hudson!). I was laughing at the mommies as we tried to get them to sit still when 4 of the 5 are walking & they are scooting ALL over the place. Here is what the group picture looked like back in November...it was quite a different story.

Reid, Hudson, Chapman & Tanner (missing Quinn & Porter)















And here are the boys today...

Reid, Porter, Tanner, Chapman & Quinn (missing Hudson)















So much fun...what blessings they are!! What a difference a few months can make!

Click here for a few more pictures from the day.

Week-end in Austin

The Penuels traveled to Austin this past week-end to celebrate David's dad's birthday. We ate at fun restaurants like PF Chang's & Hula Hut, and Chapman enjoyed his first swim!! He wasn't sure of the water at first, but he warmed up pretty quickly & played in his floatie.

He was such a good traveler & had fun getting to see Hoosier!


Click here for some pictures.

Where's my Cheerio?? I JUST had it!!

New Patio!

The Penuels enjoyed a fun Memorial Day weekend working around the house. It all started with an eternal trip to Home Depot to get the supplies to build a patio in our backyard. We had bought some cute red chairs & found cushions at Target, but we wanted a spot where we could sit & enjoy being outside. While we were at the Depot, I wandered around the garden center trying to decide what flowers I should plant in my front yard. I would love your thoughts??

David went to work & laid stones to make the perfect place for us to relax in the evenings. It was really hard work, but he was a champ! It turned out to be just what we wanted...you will notice in our pictures that Chapman's Exersaucer makes a wonderful centerpiece!

In the evenings, we enjoyed a few nights of grilling out w/friends, playing Wii, & watching the 1st 2 Indiana Jones movies (which I, Alli, had never seen!) in preparation for the new one.

All in all, such a great weekend with my family!! I also threw in one fun picture of my small group girls - love them!

Click here for some pictures.

Victory & Death

It was such a weird night last night at our house.

Alli and I had some friends over for the American Idol finale and we were genuinely surprised and so happy for David Cook when he was announced the winner. David shared his victorious experience with his family and it was obvious that the joy they felt was even more pronounced because of the sadness they also share with David's brother Adam who is suffering from cancer. I jumped right on the emotional roller coaster with them.



Next, we turned on the Nintendo Wii and started enjoying some games of Mario Kart with our friends. In the midst of our relaxed, playful fun I received a few messages relaying the news of the tragedy that hit the Chapman family. Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest adoptive daughter, Maria, died in an accident at the family's home around 5pm on Wednesday evening. I have great respect and admiration for Steven and his family. I've been so influenced by his life and music that I actually named my first son Chapman. I was greatly saddened by the news and my heart feels for his family right now.

After quickly reading the article online about what happened, I kicked back into "host" mode and the games continued on the Nintendo Wii. Isn't that odd how we ride these roller coasters of emotions? How life is going on all around us and every moment sees some experiencing the greatest joy of their life while others experience the greatest sadness?



To deal with the mixed emotions I'm feeling, I did the only thing I know how to do in moments like this. I opened up the word.

1 Corinthians 15:53-56
53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a necessary reminder for me to dwell on what God says true victory is. David Cook's triumph on stage doesn't hold a candle to the victory that little Maria is experiencing through Jesus Christ. What happened to her must happen to all of us and, for those who trust in Christ, our death will be swallowed up in victory.

Click her to meet & remember Maria Chapman.

Mother's Day Weekend

The Penuels had a busy Mother's Day weekend that kicked off Friday night with the Watermark Volunteer Appreciation Night. It was such a fun night filled with good food, fun people, the staff dance number, a really funny comedian & yummy desserts. I was really blown away by how many people are serving as volunteers in our church in countless ways!

Saturday we headed to Jack's 8th birthday SPORTS PARTY at the park. The boys played hockey, football, soccer, etc. Chapman chilled on a blanket attempting to stay cool.

On Mother's Day, I got a sweet card & gift from my boys in the morning before church. We got to enjoy lunch with Grammy & dinner with Marmi. I am so thankful for moms & I sure love being one to Chapman!!


Click here for more pictures.

Crawling! Swinging! Hat Wearing!

This weekend was a fun one for the Penuels. Chapman has become a bit more adventurous with his crawling...exploring the kitchen, under the table, etc. We loved watching him scoot around. Pretty soon, I feel like we will be chasing him all over the house!

We also bought a swing to put in our backyard. Chapman loved being outside in the beautiful weather & so did we!

Click here to see some more pictures.

Birthdays & Playgroup

We celebrated David's birthday last week-end with the Penuel family tradition of waking up the birthday boy wearing "crazy" hats! The three of us had a blast eating breakfast in bed, then moving into the kitchen for more presents. We sure love Daddy!!

Other events over the past week include a shower for our friends Patrick(Bode) & Ashley, Chapman learning to "army crawl" across the floor, cousin Jack's baseball game, and Chapman's fun playgroup coming to our house. Chapman loves having his little buddies over to play!!

Click here for more pictures.

My Favorite Things (1st post by Alli)

OK, so this is embarrassing. The entire time we have had our blog, I (Alli) have not done a post by myself. David usually handles the technical stuff in the family & I just sit next to him saying "That looks good." , "Add that picture." , etc, etc. Needless to say, my husband is the best!!

I am attempting my first post by listing some of my favorite things (idea stolen from Brittney). So here it goes...

1. Anthropologie



This is my absolute favorite store! The home section has a really cool style & is the perfect place to find gifts. The clothes are really fun (esp. the sale closet). I don't get to buy too often, but the things I have from there are some of my favorites!!

2. Watermark Community Church



I love my church! The people who I have met there are some of the most amazing, authentic people I have ever met. David's time on staff there has been such a blessing to our family. Come visit anytime...www.watermark.org

3. Pajama Pants



I own WAY too many pairs of pj pants, but I don't care!

4. Viva Papertowels



I know. This is a random one. But these papertowels are so soft & when wet, they are perfect for wiping baby food off of sweet little mouths! (I give the credit to my sister...she started me on them)

5. Scrabble



David & I love to play regular Scrabble, but "Rapid Scrabble" or "Fast Scrabble" is a favorite of my family & friends. No board necessary.

6. Gilmore Girls



My sister & I used to get together every Tuesday night for the newest episode of Gilmore Girls. Now, we just go through the DVDs (that's right, we own them all!)

7. Chips & Queso



I think I am ALWAYS in the mood for chips & queso. In Dallas, a few of my favorite quesos are at Chuy's, Mattito's & Tin Star.

8. Flavored Coffee Creamer



I have never been much of a coffee drinker, but if you drown the coffee in Cinnamon Vanilla Cream Creamer, how can you not LOVE it?? At Christmas, we stock up on the Peppermint Mocha flavor.

9. Northpark



Northpark is one of my favorite places. David & I love to go there, eat at the food court, & go see a movie. I also love taking Chapman in the stroller & just walking some laps :) Lots of fun stores & good food.

10. My Boys



David & Chapman are 2 of my favorite people in the entire world...aren't they handsome??

11. "Mark of the Lion" Series



Francine Rivers is an amazing author who wrote the "Mark of the Lion" Series. It consists of 3 books, and if you give them a try, you will be hooked! The first is called A Voice in the Wind.

12. Painting



I used to paint wooden letters for my kindergarten students at the end of each year. Painting is such a relaxing & fun thing for me to do.

13. Blogs



I love reading family blogs...gaining ideas for creative things to do with your kids, reading hilarious stories, keeping up with old friends, & seeing some precious pictures.

Puppy Party!

Chapman's friend Wyatt Smith celebrated his first birthday today with a puppy themed party at the park. All of the guests loved wearing their doggie ears and noses. Chapman had fun hanging out with his friends Cade and Grace (pictured above) even though he was a little sleepy the whole time (that's why we couldn't seem to snap a picture of him smiling). We sure love our little "pup".

Click here for a slideshow of pictures

Chapman's First Haircut!

Last week, we enjoyed another Penuel family first...a professional haircut for Chapman! We headed over to "Cool Cuts" where Chapman sat in a taxi and watched Baby Einstein while the professionals set to work at taming the beast that had grown up on his head. Check out the pictures and we think you'll agree that they did a pretty good job!

Click here for a slideshow of pictures.

Easter Sunday, The Play Group Boys, & Family

The Penuels were back in Dallas for Easter Sunday (pictures) and we attended the 11am service at Watermark. For lack of a better word, the "theme" of the morning was "It Ain't Over Even When It's Over." There were three phenomenal videos shown and two of them can be viewed below.



We especially love the clip above because it features a handful of vocalists from Watermark (Shout outs to Cary Pierce, Sarah Stehlik, Sasha Thomas, Kyle Richardson, Linda Martin, and Charly Thomas)



This past Monday, Alli & Chapman headed off to Play Group in Allen (pictures) where our friend Amy hosted an Easter-themed photo shoot that didn't go off as hoped. For some additional incredible pictures from the shoot, click the picture below...


(L to R) Quinn, Hudson, Chapman, Tanner, Porter, and Reid

Finally, Chapman got a chance last weekend to hang out with his "Great Gran" and great "Aunt Sidney" (pictures) when they came to Dallas for a visit. We spent Saturday evening with them and then they joined us for a great morning at Watermark and an excellent lunch at Cantina Laredo.

Philadelphia & Easter

The Penuels had a fun spring break as we headed off to Philadelphia, PA to visit our friends Saleem & Becca Zafar. Chapman did great on his first plane trip smiling at all of the other passengers and sleeping soundly most of the way. We were a little worried because he was on the mend, recovering from some sort of baby asthma characterized by snot and wheezing and a pretty nice hacking cough. Baby inhalers are not fun for babies.

Philly is a pretty cool tourist spot and we soaked up all the touristy things like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, the "Rocky Steps", and of course, Philly Cheesesteaks! Chapman slept through most of his first taxi cab ride but was awake when we passed Lauren Graham (of Gilmore Girls fame) on the sidewalk.

After Philly, we road tripped it to Wichita Falls for some family time with the Lams. Grammy & Poppi got Chapman a new jumper which he loved bouncing in while his cousins made him laugh. One thing Chapman didn't love in the Falls was sleeping through the night. Despite the sleep deprivation, Chapman enjoyed meeting baby Maggie Ketner and playing with his little buddy Reese Wilcox.

We're back in Dallas now, excited about Easter at Watermark and getting back into our "normal" routine.

Click here to view a slideshow of pictures.

February 2008

February was a fun month for the Penuels! Chapman took this month's "cousins picture" for Grammy, enjoyed his wide array of play groups, mastered the art of sitting up, got sucked into American Idol, and ventured to Tyler, TX to hang with the Siscos and meet his "Old Uncle P-Rob" (pictured above - David's freshmen year pot-luck roommate).

Click here to view a slideshow of pictures.

Guitar Hero, Bath Time, and More!

There are several pictures in this bunch that will make you smile and a few that might make you laugh out loud. We took Chapman to Jeff Parker's "Guitar Hero" themed 30th birthday party. Chapman was a generic punk with a killer mohawk, Alli was Hannah Montana, and David was Fake Joe Jonas (from the Fake Jonas Brothers). It's been a little chilly lately so Chapman's been rocking his cool striped hat. He also likes to have his mouth on everything...but who doesn't?

Click here for a slideshow of pictures.

Birthdays, American Girl & Playgroup

February 4th was a celebration of Maddie & Jeff's shared birthday. The next day Maddie and the girls (and Chapman) spent the day doing girlie things at the American Girl store. Next, we hosted Playgroup at our house and Chapman loved having his friends Reid, Quinn, Hudson, and Porter over to play. We missed Tanner though.

You might notice in the pictures that Chapman is working quite a nice combover these days. He's lost a lot of hair on the side and back but the stuff on top is still growing strong. Today was the first day it kind of got in his eyes...how rebellious!

Click here for a slideshow of the latest pictures.

January 2008

This month, Alli helped host a shower for Rebecca Anderson (Now Rebecca Jackson) on Thursday before her wedding. David got a stomach bug on the Friday after that and Alli got it during the wedding on Saturday and had to bow out early. Two weeks, later we're fully recovered. Chapman is as cute as ever and is possibly teething since his streak of sleeping through the night has abruptly ended. Our late night wake up calls may also be due to the fact that Chapman has learned to roll over onto his back but is not yet able to return to his tummy.

Click here for a slideshow of pictures from January 2008

Play Group & Catalina

Chapman has become quite the explorer! He's started reaching for everything and is out to discover all the wonderful things this great big world has to offer. Today, he discovered Catalina dressing, who knows what tomorrow will hold. Oh, and also...he hasn't pooped since Monday.

Click here for a slideshow of pictures from Tuesday's Play Group and the discovery of salad dressing.

Happy New Year!

2008 has already welcomed several firsts for the Penuel family. Chapman suffered his first in-grown toenail, he tried his first taste of rice cereal, and he and Alli spent 5 nights with David away on his first Ski Trip away from the family.

Click here for a short slideshow of pictures from our first few weeks of the New Year.

Christmas Season Pictures

We finally got around to uploading some of the pictures from our Christmas celebrations. We've been all over the place since Christmas! Alli & Chapman had a great time in Wichita Falls last week while David was in Crested Butte on the Watermark Senior High Ski Trip. We're all glad to be back together in Dallas and are excited about the start of a New Year. Happy 2008 everyone!

Click here for a slideshow of pictures.