Robert, where did you find such a beautiful name and what does it mean? “Sauntina was a name that Mama and Papa Kowalchuck had wanted to name one of their children however the Lord only gave 4 children and were not able to use this name. Both Kendalyn and I loved the name and the musical ring that it had. Sonata is a musical term and Sonantina is a short Sonata. Kendalyn’s Grandmother gave her oldest daughter the middle name La Verle because of the kindness of a little girl with that name. Mama gave that middle name to Kendalyn and so Kendalyn passed that middle name on to her first born daughter. Verle means truth and LaVerle is the femine form of that. So to us “LaVerle” is a blend of truth and kindness and a reminder to us to speak the truth in love.”

Kendalyn, How long were you in labor? Would you do a water birth again? Did you have everything you needed to welcome and care for such an early baby?

“I was in labor for about 6.5 hours and yes, I would do a water birth again!  We had almost everything we needed…save a hose to fill the tub and an air pump to inflate the tub.    Thankfully, our neighbor had the needed supplies and everything was ready when the time came!  My other jobs, such as meals, finishing thank you cards, finishing up the baby’s room, and other misc tasks on my to-do list were quickly prioritized as non-important.” 

Kendalyn, How are your feeling now?

“I am so happy! I just lay there looking at Sauntina, marveling at how tiny she was and that she was ours to keep for as long as the Lord allowed.”

Kendalyn, What is your favorite part about being a mom so far?

“I love holding her, seeing her stretch her little arms out, and watch her open her eyes and look around at her new home.”

Grandpa Staddon, How would you put into words your feelings about holding your first grandchild? “To put my feelings into words I would say, ‘precious.’ What a precious gift from the Lord of life. What a precious memory of holding such bundles in the past. What a precious potential for the glory of our Heavenly Father and the advancement of His kingdom.’

Grandma Staddon, how does it feel to be a grandmother? ‘”It is very exciting to know that she was able to deliver at home and didn’t have to go through the hospital experience! I’m so happy Sauntina is born into such a wonderful family. Kendalyn and Robert are going to be very loving, caring parents and they will have lots of support from both friends and family!”

Mama K, where were you when the baby was born? I was at 35,000 feet in the air on route from Calgary, Alberta to Chicago. I discovered my flight was cancelled because United Airlines said they lost my plane! So I sent a text to Robert to let him know I would be later than expected. Robert replied saying Kendalyn was in a lot of pain and he was wondering if the baby was on the way. So I called Robert to see what he meant and heard Kendalyn in the background. At that point I asked Robert to hold the phone up to Kendalyn’s ear because I wanted to hear if she could speak to me. She couldn’t. At that point I told Robert, ‘Yes, your wife is in labor and she is not very far from transition.’ The time was 12:40. I encouraged him to be strong and told him I would be there as soon as possible. I also told him that I would be praying that God would deliver the baby in a short time frame. And at 1:11pm the baby arrived!”

Mama K, how do you feel about the baby’s name? “Honored beyond words! The realization hit me the next morning during my devotions with the privilege of seeing the face of Sauntina 30 years after God gave Kendall and I the name!”

Uncle Dan, when did you first see your little niece? “I was one of the few that was privileged to be in Chicago at the time of the birth. I was on my way back from getting ice-cream with Mr. Crouse and some of the HQ staff in honor of Sauntina’s birth. Robert called and invited me over to see the baby that same night. As soon as we walked in Robert came down the steps and said ‘Well hey guys! Hang on, we’ve had a little explosion up here!’ Once the diaper was changed, we all walked into the bedroom. They let me hold the baby first. I had so little experience and felt inadequate. I saw her eyes peek open and admired her perfectly formed little features. Her fingernails were so cute! Her long fingers promise the potential of a great pianist! Having a niece is so much fun! I can hardly wait for the Lord to bring more in the future!”

Praise the Lord for a safe and healthy birth! We love you, Sauntina! Welcome to the family! For more info visit robertloveskendalyn.com

We chose a baking theme for Grandpa’s birthday party because he is such an outstanding cook! We have great memories growing up of walking into Grandpa and Grandma’s house smelling the glorious stew ready and waiting to welcome us to West Virginia. Grandpa is the one who taught us how to make rhubarb jelly which has been a staple in our house ever since we moved here and planted divisions of his rhubarb plants. His most recent doing in the kitchen was a big batch of sauerkraut! Grandpa encourages us to eat healthy and have our own garden and we treasure his advice! Thank you, Grandpa! We had fun celebrating your birthday with you!

We are so blessed to have a virtuous mother! Her dedicated love, hard work, and God-honoring life style are a testimony to all! What a joy to honor her on her special day. In fact, there was more than one celebration of her birthday this year! The first was at the Neely’s with the most beautiful, delicious cakes you could ask for! The second was a a party for her and Grandpa at Manard’s Spaghetti Inn where Uncle Tim took us all out to eat! Last of all we celebrated with a Hawaiian theme and went to a piano concert in Clarksburg. We love you, Mom and thank God for who you are!

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Here are a couple things America’s founding fathers had to say about families:

“Good government generally begins in the family, and if the moral character of a people once degenerate, their political character must soon follow.” – Elias Boudinot (Founder and President of the American Bible Society.)

“Religion in a family is at once its brightest ornament and its best security.” – Samuel Adams (Said to T. Wells, his daughter’s fiance)

More details and pictures can be found on the Neelys’, Wilkeses’, and FEW blogs!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Lord for His mercy and guidance through the years of my life and thank my family for making the celebration of this so special! Looking back to the fun birthdays in the past and scary birthdays in the past, reassure me that the Lord is in control and has a plan and purpose for my life. It is so fulfilling it to live for Him!

The theme for Michael’s birthday was cowboys! When Michael came in early in the morning and saw the decorations he said he had just been thinking about how the Israelites told the Egyptians that they considered themselves cowboys! Gen. 46:34 “Thy servants’ trade had been about cattle from our youth even until now.” It was extra fun to have Grandpa and Grandma join the party in their cowboy hats. We thank the Lord for Michael and are encouraged by his example of following the Lord and loving His ways. His birthday card read: “Wherever you may range, may the Lord bless you to be what He would be and to do what He would do. Happy Trails.”

The Lord really blessed our parents time as they planned with Mr. and Mrs. Neely. God has great things in store and we are all really looking forward to the 2012 FEW Conferences!

The locations and dates for the FEW this year are going to be:

Andrews, North Carolina – March 9-10
Salem, West Virginia – July 6-7
Culpeper, Virginia – August 10-11
Lyndeborough, New Hampshire – September 7-8

Caroling:

Concerts:

Christmas Lights:

Float in the Salem parade:

Christmas in the Mountains at Fort New Salem:

Jonathan’s birthday:

Decorating Christmas cookies:

Christmas day!

May the joy of the Christmas season continue throughout the year in remembrance of our Lord and  Savior!