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The birth of Jonas Archer Niednagel
August 12, 2016
We have an announcement to make!!!
Yes, the Niednagels welcomed another little boy 3 weeks ago! The birth went extremely well, and we are so thankful for another healthy child! Now, as always, a little history behind the name.
ABOUT HIS NAME
JONAS
First off, we just liked the name. So there! Second, it actually goes back in Melissa's family history, where there was a Jonas Guillaume Thomas, born in 1818. The Hebrew version of the name means Dove. From this it is assumed that the name Jonas means a peaceful being. As a variation of Jonah, it can be considered to mean 'accomplishing', and a 'gift from God'.
ARCHER
You'd have to pretty dumb not to figure this one out. So far we have a William Locksley, a Philip Huntington, and a Maid Marian, so take a wild guess where 'Archer' came from!? Anyone who knows me knows that I've loved the legend of Robin Hood ever since I was a boy. It's been my very identity. So, it was a no-brainer! Sorry to steal such an awesome, cool name from you! Ha ha!
All right, well on with the blog! Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Video Blog - June, 2016
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And here we go ...
Pa and Ma are here for a visit! Pa brought his revolutionary rifles and gave the boys a bit of a history lesson.
"Ok, maybe we'll wait till your 21."
*sniff* "Who can I shoot, Pa?"
I would have been one of those cool militia swamp
guys.
We may be an untrained, unfit, and unlearned, but we are not uncomely.
Apples! I bragged about our William's Pride apple tree last year, and this year was even better! All those living in the midwest need to plant these hardy trees!
Funny how kids have played or used actual guns for the last 500 years but it's only been in the 20th and 21st century that they've had problems in schools and public places. Sorry to make such a cute picture so political!
The Thomas boys are here! Time to eat all of Jeremy's food!
It's all of our cute faces again!
Happy Birthday, Keoni! Every birthday is a test for the children in managing jealousy.
It may have not been the most eventful 4th of July, but the Thomas boys brought some killer fireworks that were so fun to watch.
Ka-boom!
lol, look at Marian.
It's cousin Paul and his family from Taiwan! So wonderful having you guys over again!
So this is Charissa, my cousin's daughter. Does that make them 2nd cousins? I can't remember.
My Uncle David.
One last picture together.
It's Ma, Melissa, Melanie, and Terralyn going to a wedding shower! Man you all look fat.
Hannah Branigar's shower. I wasn't there, but they played our "Agony" film as a surprise at the end. We heard it was a hit. :-)
Man, ladies, watch the carbs.
One blurry photo during Melissa's labor. She was a true warrior, and labored for only about 5 1/2 hours. We are so thankful!
"Wow, that was ... weird."
Welcome to the world, Jonas Archer!
He weighed 10 pounds and was nearly 23 inches long! Holy cow! Thank you so much again, Mary!
Aww ... he's mellow, and still has blue eyes after a month. Could he be an INFP like daddy? We'll wait and see!
Nothing like overnight births. Every child so far.
Time to play baby hot-potato.
Abby's turn. Thanks so much for your help!
Philip's turn. He calls him, "Jonas the Frog."
And oldest brother's turn.
Got to get a patented lamby shot. How cool is his arrow blanket?
And grandma stops by the next day to meet him.
Aunty Danielle.
Of all our kids, he looks most like Philip's baby pictures.
Terralyn sleeps with Jonas. So cute.
You look so cute, hon! You could pass for 18.
The Brain Doc stops by for a check-up. "Yep, the kid's got a brain."
Cousin Kalea. It was only yesterday when she was that little.
And the boys stop through again to meet the little man! Nothing like dirty, working hands to give the baby some natural antibodies!
Marscel's 6-foot arms are natural selfy sticks.
Just another typical morning with Micaiah and the Thomas boys.
Terralyn made this ice-cream cake for Matthew's birthday. OH MY WORD!!!
A quick jaunt down to the creek to spend some time together.
Nothing like bringing pancakes and syrup to the creek! Awkward but delicious!
Arranging sleeping quarters for the baby.
I have been blessed with a man cub!!!
I risked getting there via a rocky road, and paid the price. One flat tire! Thankfully, the hole was small enough where we were able to fill it back up with air and get home before it deflated again.
Philip is my clone, and the king frog catcher. I did this all the time as a kid.
A common scene for 3 weeks. Thank you, Aunt Melanie, for all your incredible help!
This was another common scene. Will kicks back with a Calvin and Hobbes and gets a foot massage. That little punk.
We were at the mall and all the ladies were trying on natural cosmetics. Nothing else to do but take some selfies.
I can't remember exactly when this was taken, but I like it. A rare treat to have ice-cream with Grandma.
Whoa, where am I? So Nathan texts me with a ... "I know you'll probably say no, but would you like to fly out here to California and drive my car back with me to Missouri for my wedding?" He was right. My my first thought was, "No way." Then I realized my best bud was about to get hitched, and life would never, ever be the same again. And so, with the approval of my wife, I flew out to CA!
Hello cookie-cutter California!
We only had one day before departure, and Nathan was frantically trying to get everything done ... including gather "unity sand" for the wedding. More like "cigarette butt sand" to me.
I jumped in the water really quick. How I've missed you, Pacific Ocean!
And we're off!
So many beautiful areas, including here in Arizona.
I was disappointed! I wanted authentic Indian food!
Nathan finds a cryptic message inside our hotel room.
Jordan, fresh from getting out of the shower, finds another cryptic message on the bathroom sink.
And after 2 days, we're almost home! What a trip! So awesome having one last 'hurrah' together, Nathan, and thanks for being such a great friend all these years! We look pretty studly together, but Hannah's so much prettier than I am! Lord bless you both!
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure not leave too many comments! You may break my comment board! Lord bless you all!
