Life, Love & the Meaning of...

Sick Days

2012-01-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

The girls and I don’t get sick very often…even from colds. I’m not sure why, but I’m thankful. On Friday afternoon Nadia started to have a cough. By Friday night she had a mild fever and was very sleepy. She slept about 14 hours that night. Saturday she was up feeling mostly better, but still had the cough and a clear runny nose. Sunday morning I decided to leave her home from church because I wasn’t sure how everyone in the nursery felt about kids coming with colds. She slept from 9am when I left, and was still asleep at noon when I got home. Sunday was spent watching football and getting Jonathan ready to leave for his new job training the next morning.

Early Monday morning we left for Cheyenne to drop Jonathan off at the airport. Nadia still had a cough and her runny nose was now green. Liberty started to get a cough, too. After we dropped Jonathan off we stopped in Laramie to go to a Walmart and then headed home. We were wiped out and spent the rest of the day lounging. Leila started to get a deep cough that afternoon/evening. The next morning, Tuesday, all 3 girls had fevers and I was out of Ibuprofen. Leila’s cough sounded like a seal bark and I was concerned about her having croup. Nadia and Liberty seemed pretty good by the afternoon…just normal cold stuff. Leila just kept getting worse. She was lethargic, tired, and miserable looking. Her fever kept getting higher and I tried all the home remedies I could think of, but they were not bringing down her fever. She was burning up. I had no ibuprofen and I had also run out of toilet paper. A friend bought us chicken noodle soup for dinner. Super thankful for that.

Not long after that, another sweet friend came over with children’s advil, toilet paper, sprite and cookies. When she found out we don’t have a humidifier she left to get one of those for us and some puffs. I cannot tell you how blessed I felt in that moment. I was exhausted and worried about Leila. I couldn’t get her to drink anything and couldn’t get her fever to go down. It just felt good to know I had some support while my husband is away. So so thankful.

I had Leila sleep with me because of her high fever and labored breathing. We spent some time in the steamy bathroom, I gave her some advil, and loved on her. We fought that darn fever all night…this morning it had finally come down to 99.7, the lowest it had been in about 20 hours (most of the evening/night it was in the 103’s). This afternoon, it is slowly rising again…so we are fighting that some more. Her breathing is better so I’m thankful for that. I just feel so bad for my baby girl…I want to take away her pain and sickness.

So…we’re exhausted here. Thankful for dear friends who were the hands and feet of Jesus to us…and praying for health to return. Hope you’re all doing well!

I miss him…

2012-01-06T10:43:00.001-07:00

I am really missing my Dad right now. Well, I miss him every day, but I’m missing him even more right now. Probably because the holidays just passed, a friend of mine just lost her dad, and my dad’s birthday is this month. I’m also feeling kind of sad that I’m having this new baby and he isn’t around for me to share it with.

He used to call me just about every day…even when we lived in the same town. He used to stay on the phone for a very long time…sometimes talking, sometimes watching TV or dozing off. He loved when I told him stories about the girls…everything they did just tickled him. It was always hard for me to end the phone call, so I usually waited for him to do it (unless I absolutely had to). He used to off-key, made up songs to his grandchildren. His legs/knees gave him a lot of pain, but he would give rides to my girls and my nephews on his legs over and over and over. I have no idea how he could stand it, but almost never told them no when they wanted a leg ride.

When my sister and I were little, he would play all kinds of things with us. He would build snowmen in the winter. He took us on bike rides. He let us play with his hair when it was a little longer…we would put all kinds of pony tails and barrettes in it…I have a picture that I will share below. He wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t always easy to be around, I didn’t always like him…but I sure loved him. He was a great Dad. I will always love him.

I will always miss him.

this is a pic of my sister and my dad from Mackinac Island…I think in 1997…they are both goofy :)

Ashlee, Dad, Me (also Mackinac Island in 97)

After Ashlee and I fixed Dad’s hair…hahaha! From some time in the late 80’s.

The front view. We had a lot of fun.

My Dad, Mom and I…

I’ve shared this one before…it’s the last picture I took of my Dad with all 3 of my girls…November 2009.

Another one I’ve shared. The last pic I have of my Dad and I. This was on my birthday in 2010…right before we moved and 2 months before my dad died. I’m so thankful I tend to take a lot of pictures…

Finished and Unfinished…

2011-12-21T21:52:00.001-07:00

Well…I finished make the dolls for the girls (from the Michael Miller panel). However, I haven’t even started the dresses and I don’t intend to this week. They will get the dolls for Christmas and I will make the dresses a little later. I’m sure they will be ok with that. I’m just too tired to sew up 9 little doll dresses before Sunday. Ha!

Liberty’s, Leila’s, Nadia’s… (and please ignore my not so great seamstress abilities…)

this is the blanket I made for my sister-in-law’s baby…she doesn’t know it yet, though, and I’m pretty certain she doesn’t read this blog, haha. The blanket is in the mail, so she’ll soon know.

this is the yarn I’m using to make our baby (a BOY!), Jethro. I’m never good at photographing my yarn and showing the color just right…it’s Knit Pick’s Swish Worsted yarn in “Dublin.”

And I’ll add a few pics of the girls just for fun. I love them so much!

all dressed up for the Christmas play (Leila, Nadia, Liberty)

Libbs & Leila doing some schoolwork

snuggling on the couch to watch a movie before bed (Nadia, Liberty, Leila)

Hope you all of a Merry Christmas! Blessings!

It’s a BOY!

2011-12-20T15:01:00.001-07:00

Our baby boy!!

Can you tell it’s a boy?

here’s another look…

I am still in shock that this baby is a boy. What an exciting change for our family.

Our son’s name is Jethro Allen. The name has a lot of meaning for us. Jethro means “abundant” and is also a character on our favorite show that my dad got us hooked on (NCIS), and Allen means “little rock” or “precious,” and was my dad’s middle name. Lots of great meaning for us.

A little crafting…

2011-12-10T14:22:00.001-07:00

I am making my girls’ Christmas gifts this year. Liberty has been begging me to make her a purple cape with a pink L for at least a year…so, I made one for Christmas. Of course I couldn’t leave out Leila & Nadia, so they are getting pink capes with a purple L and N, respectively.

Next on the list are fabric dolls from a Michael Miller panel. The panel has 3 dolls, perfect for my girls. And I plan to make each doll 3 dresses (oh I hope that goes well…no pattern for the dresses, gotta’ figure it out myself!).

I’m also working on a baby gift for my sister-in-law…she’s just a few weeks ahead of me in pregnancy.

And a few pics of my girlies just for fun…

my precious girlies playing in cowboy boots

snuggles with my Nada (nope not mis-typed…it’s a nickname :)

Libbs giving Daddy a massage…such a sweetie

Nadia & Libbs playing in the snow

Daddy dancing with Leila & Nadia

Oh yeah…ultrasound date is December 20th…any guesses???

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 30

2011-11-30T23:05:00.001-07:00

-Ladies Bible study…and the God knows just what I need to hear…

-Prayer

-Hugs

-Chocolate

-Smiles

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 29

2011-11-29T19:33:00.001-07:00

-Hubby

-Liberty

-Leila

-Nadia

-Baby

-Jesus

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 28

2011-11-28T21:41:00.001-07:00

-Grace

-Listening

-Prayer

-God’s Word

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 27

2011-11-27T19:47:00.001-07:00

-prayer

-a hubby who has been helpful around the house when I’m oh so exhausted

-Nadia’s precious little fingers wrapped around an apple tonight…

-Liberty’s story telling abilities (this girl has quite the imagination!)

-Leila’s sweet heart

-Hallmark movies

-Dee Henderson books

-being heard

-Jesus

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 26

2011-11-26T19:53:00.001-07:00

-grace

-hugs from my girls and hubby

-playing hide and seek as a family

-being doctored again by Liberty

-Liberty’s fascination with the pregnancy (16 weeks today!)

-feeling baby move every now and then. Libbs is anxious to feel it as well…

-ice cream

-Jesus

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 25

2011-11-25T21:23:00.001-07:00

-Naps

-Playing with my girls

-Blankets

-Leftover turkey

-Psalm 119:114

-Holding hands with Leila

-Libbs reading to her sisters

-Having a break from school

-Snuggles from Nadia

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 23 & 24

2011-11-24T20:33:00.001-07:00

-A good night’s sleep

-A turkey dinner

-Crafty little girls

-Fresh from the pumpkin pie

-Water

-Sunshine

-Knitting

-Finally getting to hear our baby’s heartbeat long enough to get a heart rate (155, for those wondering)

-Almost 16 weeks of pregnancy

-3 more weeks until our ultrasound

-A hubby who is willing to take over stinky diapers/underwear (it’s just too much for my stomach)

-Thanksgiving dinner with friends (they don’t have family here, either, so it was nice to have them over)

-Deviled eggs…and my sweet friend who made them last minute for me when she found out I was craving them today

-Lots of laughter and screaming and giggling and running and imagining with 7 kiddos in the house (our friends have 4 kids)

-Hugs

-Smiles

-Jesus

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 22

2011-11-22T19:05:00.001-07:00

-The first feelings of this precious babe moving around inside of me (my fave!)

-Seeing a few friends at Mommy Matters today

-Libbs doing pretty good getting her school work done today

-NCIS

-Water

-Long baths with a good book

-A short nap

-Knitting

-Baby appointment in the morning

-Finding out if we are getting another niece or nephew tomorrow (my sis-in-law is pregnant….just a few weeks ahead of me)

-Sleep

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 21

2011-11-21T21:06:00.001-07:00

-homemade brownies…finally a recipe I actually like

-nfl football…it makes my hubby happy

-playing on the floor with my girls and a ball

-milk

-cameras

-Liberty reading to us…I’m still amazed

-Leila’s hugs and “I love you” s

-Nadia’s smiles and silly antics

-interview for hubby

-bedtime (for the kids)

-Thanksgiving plans

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 20

2011-11-20T20:50:00.001-07:00

-A lazy day (even if it did mean I was feeling under the weather)

-Little girls who can be so sweet to each other

-Leila’s silliness

-Liberty’s inquisitiveness

-Nadia’s thumb-sucking cuteness

-A hubby who is cooking dinner again

-Dutch Blitz (yes, again…we love this game!)

-Hallmark movies

-30 little fingers and 30 little toes…they’re just so precious

-Extra sleep (naps…and 10 hours last night)

-Fabric

-My sewing machine (extra special because my Gram gave it to me…love her!)

-A hubby who will go out at night to find me a sweet treat :)

-Snuggling with my girls and watching a movie

-Watching football with my hubby (Go Lions!)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 18 & 19

2011-11-19T17:47:00.001-07:00

-The sweet and funny things my girls say

-Liberty “nursing” me (or pretending to be my doctor)

-A hubby home

-Beverly Lewis books

-Hot baths

-Pears

-Words with Friends

-Family

-Quiet

-Dutch Blitz

-Pumpkin Pie ice cream

-Hubby cooking dinner

-Snuggles with each of my girls

-Sort of catching up on laundry ;)

-A warm house on a snowy day

-Mandarin oranges

-Encouraging friends

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 17

2011-11-17T20:29:00.001-07:00

-Libbs not taking hours to finish her workbook pages

-The girls’ delight with the new sitter they had last night

-Nadia playing in the corner by the vacuum cleaner so quietly for a long while this morning

-A phone call from my sister

-A day to not go anywhere

-A sweet friend blessing us in a thoughtful, tangible way

-Libbs said to me tonight, “Mom, I made you a special Christmas present. It’s a kiss.” Then she gave me a big kiss. So sweet

-The way my girls love me…unconditionally, all the time, so sweetly…so very undeserved on my part…but treasured…

-Libbs and her “nursing.” She was pretending to take care of the baby and I…doctoring us up…so thoughtful and sweet

-Laying on the extra bed with the girls and tickling them…hearing their loud giggles and how they asked me to do it over and over again…joyful

-Prayer

-Hubby coming home tonight

-Snuggles with Leila after some discipline

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 16

2011-11-17T00:52:00.001-07:00

-Washable paint

-Turkey handprints

-A (mostly) clean house

-Sunshine

-Garbage pick up

-A fantastic time making pies with about 13 other ladies

-Baking and eating our pies with a friend when we got home (we didn’t have time to bake them there as I had to relieve the baby sitter

-Prayer

-Getting more needed housework done

-John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 15

2011-11-15T17:49:00.001-07:00

-Mommy Matters group and the yummy pumpkin creations we got to try today…can’t wait to make some of my own!

-Waking up

-Surviving the grocery store with a screaming child (yes, Nadia screamed and cried the entire time…)

-Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese (comfort food…)

-Beautiful friends who worked out a baby sitter for my girls so I can go to our ladies Bible study/pie-making party tomorrow night

-Knitting (I’ve been saying this a lot, but it’s helping to keep me sane lately…)

-NCIS…a show my Dad got me hooked on

-My little domestic helper, Leila. Seriously, this girl loves to help me with anything domestic…precious. Today she helped me mop the dining room (on our hands and knees)…takes a little longer, but it’s worth it :)

-Little girls giggling and playing so nicely in the bath

-Having enough energy to get some major house work done…still a lot more to go, but feeling good about what I was able to do…and now I’m wiped out!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 14

2011-11-14T20:38:00.001-07:00

-Jonathan’s safe arrival to this week’s destination

-Reading with my girls on the couch before bed

-The movie “The Magic of Ordinary Days”

-Cleansing tears

-Hugs from my girls

-Knitting

-Naps

-Prayer warrior friends

-Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

-Tonight after I tucked the girls into bed, Liberty came out for some chapstick (poor girl has a split lip, her lips are so dry) and she said to me, “you’re the only Mama I love.” She’s so precious (and at such a tough age/stage right now…I’m thankful for the sweet times).

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 13

2011-11-13T18:16:00.001-07:00

-homemade apple pie

-giggling girls playing pillow fight with daddy

-fellowship at church

-hugs

-leila’s help and chatter while I made the apple pie today

-the voices of my precious girls

-having hubby home for the weekend

-hubby doing lots of dishes while he was home and helping with the laundry

-knitting

-warm blankets and heat inside while the wind and snow blows around outside

-the Bible

-prayer

-yesterday while libbs was rubbing my belly, she said to me, “this is magnificent, mom!” I just love the things that girl comes up with…

-love

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 12

2011-11-12T18:26:00.001-07:00

-14 weeks of pregnancy

-A hubby who made me a delicious breakfast this morning (poor guy has to deal with my “I’m starving” whines all day long)

-A day to relax with my family

-10 hours of sleep last night and a 2 hour nap this afternoon

-Chocolate covered pretzels

-The smell of dinner cooking in the crock pot (roast)

-The way Liberty and Nadia ate everything on their plates and then some tonight

-Hallmark movies

-God’s Word

-Shauna Niequist’s book “Cold Tangerines”

-Knitting

-The fabric I ordered to make some Christmas gifts for the girls…can’t wait until it gets here!

-Snuggles with each of my girls today

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

2011-11-11T19:38:00.001-07:00

-For the Veterans and those currently serving in the military

-Clearer Vision

-Hubby home for the weekend

-Grocery shopping alone

-Frozen lemonade (like Italian Ice…but softer)…my craving for today

-The very stubborn babe growing inside of me. My doula came over today so we could try to hear the heartbeat again…but we only got to hear it for about 4 seconds (baby kept moving and doula said it was almost like my placenta was too loud for the baby’s heart beat to come through)

-The funny looks I keep getting from my girls with my new glasses on…they are not sure what to think

-Quiet

-Grace

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 10

2011-11-10T18:22:00.001-07:00

-precious little fingers wrapped around a cup of milk. I can’t get over how precious they are. And I’m extra thankful because shortly after Nadia was born, her doctor thought she had this (weird named) condition in which she would eventually lose her arm (a thought that was possible for a few heartbreaking days)…so thankful she did not have that condition and I can see her precious fingers from BOTH hands wrapped around that cup.

-sunshine

-a hubby who comes home today (or rather, late tonight)

-hearing my girls say “I love you” to each other, unprompted

-leftover taco soup for lunch

-play dates with friends

-homemade cream of broccoli cheese soup…yum!!

-a quiet evening with content kiddos

-Jesus

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 9

2011-11-09T15:09:00.001-07:00

-Ultrasound date set up (December 16th)…lets hope baby cooperates!

-How quickly kids make friends. Took the girls to McDonald’s for lunch and to play in the playland (to wear them out), and I just find it so neat that 2 minutes after meeting another kid, my girls tell me they are playing with their friend.

-Hearing Liberty read to me…wow!

-Leila’s sensitive spirit…may it always be so toward the Lord.

-Nadia’s smiles. My Dad always said Nadia had a thousand different beautiful smiles…I agree.

-Sunshine.

-Coupons for free ice cream cones…and the delight of my girls when they got to “pay” for their cones on their own (thanks Memaw!).

-Editing papers (may sound weird, but I really enjoy it…thanks for letting me, Aunt Karen!).

-Quiet time.

-Prayer.

-Psalm 31:7-8 “I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, Because You have seen my affliction; You have know the troubles of my soul, And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place.” (NASB) Not always easy to believe this is true…but it’s right there in God’s Word and it’s such a comforting promise.

-Hubby having a good day.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 8

2011-11-08T22:04:00.001-07:00

-Skype

-birthday parties and friends

-Matthew West’s song More

-hugs

-holding hands with my girls

-the unconditional love of my daughters

-friends who have daughters older than mine who are so loving with my girls and great examples to them

-blankets

-quiet

-reminders

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 7

2011-11-07T19:22:00.001-07:00

-Hubby made it to his destination safely

-Took Leila to have her eyes checked…all is well!

-Lunch with friends (the same friend who blessed me by watching Libbs & Nadia so Leila & I could get our eyes checked today)

-pears

-Friends

-The sweet time Leila & I had together going to the eye doc…we don’t often get time alone and it was nice

-Smiles

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 6

2011-11-06T18:55:00.001-07:00

-fellowship

-snuggles with Nadia

-chatting with Leila while she drew on her magnadoodle…she’s so precious and loving!

-liberty wanting to take care of me when I’m tired and just need to lie down

-spending the past week/weekend with hubby/daddy before he leaves on his first week of work (new job)…we sure will miss him!

-the way Jonathan can make the girls laugh and laugh and laugh

-salad

-good books

-naps (for mama)

-hugs

-3 little girls giggling in the tub

-the Psalms

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 5

2011-11-05T15:49:00.001-06:00

-food

-long baths

-milk

-laughter

-quiet

-family

-friends

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 4

2011-11-04T20:51:00.001-06:00

-dinner cooked by my hubby…steak fajitas…yum!

-snuggles with Nadia

-library book sales

-sunshine

-hugs

-kisses from Liberty

-Leila’s smiles

-grace

-yarn

-phone call from my sister

-little girls with glue sticks and craft projects at library story time

-prayer

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 2 & 3

2011-11-03T19:35:00.001-06:00

Yikes! I’m already getting behind on this! But for the record, we went out of town yesterday and again today…busy!

-a 4wd vehicle (which is why we went out of town…to purchase said vehicle)

-the sound of Nadia playing with her dolls…super cute!

-the sweetness of Leila

-watching Liberty learning new things and then make connections in the outside world

-broccoli and veggie dip (yes, this is a current pregnancy craving)

-almost 13 weeks of pregnancy…learning this babe has developed fingerprints…amazing!

-snow covered mountains against a blue sky…there’s just something so peaceful about that

-knowing I will see my Dad again some day…I’m missing him so much lately

-girls who were troopers riding in the car so so much the last two days

-grace

-kisses from precious little girls

-a clean (for the moment) house

-a husband who is less stressed

-cloth diapers…they look so cute on those little bottoms and they save money!

-heat

-music

-watching the girls play in the snow (don’t worry…we were only going out to the van in this pic…I really do bundle them up when they go out to really play, like this morning).

-Jesus

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 1

2011-11-01T23:24:00.001-06:00

I’ve seen this going around and thought I’d jump in…

Today I am thankful for…

-a great visit with a sweet friend today

-safety on our drive home on nasty roads

-3 precious girls who keep me laughing

-a husband who kept me calm when my van couldn’t get up any hills to get home tonight

-the beautiful abundance of snow on the ground

-taking a week off of school just for fun (& because this mama is tired and we are ahead)

-raw broccoli with veggie dip

-the precious baby growing inside of me…12 weeks along now!

-girls playing in cowboy boots

-hugs

-old hymns

-Jesus

Psalm 139

2011-10-25T21:32:00.001-06:00

Try reading this out loud to yourself and really let the words sink in…I cannot do it without crying…I cannot grasp that kind of amazing love…

Like verse 3…it says the Lord is intimately acquainted with all our ways…

And verse 5… “You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.”

And verse 7…how we can never be away from the Lord’s presence…

And verses 11 & 12…how even when we think the darkness is overwhelming and everything is dark, nothing is dark to the Lord (can you imagine?!)…

And verses 13 & 14…how He formed us in the womb…each one of us…how we are fearfully and wonderfully made…wow!

And verse 16…how the Lord knows the number of our days even before we are born…

And so on…it’s an amazing Psalm to let your heart and mind dwell on…

4

2011-10-03T20:12:00.001-06:00

I still can hardly believe baby #4 is rapidly growing in my womb. (Really, this is precious babe #5, as we miscarried a baby between Leila & Nadia). Feeling so blessed. This new baby will be a change for us…the first baby born away from both sides of the family. There is the biggest gap in ages between our children with this baby. Libbs & Leila are 17 months apart, Leila & Nadia 16 months apart…and now this baby will be a whopping 3 years younger than Nadia! I wonder what that will be like : ).

And the biggest change will be the birth plan. We are planning a home birth this time around. I have been wanting to try a water birth ever since I had Liberty…and now I am getting my chance. We are feeling confident about our decision at this point. I am 8 1/2 weeks pregnant right now and we met with our midwives and doula for the first time today. They are great. My doula is a friend of mine here…she’s an OB nurse at the hospital as well and she just had her first baby (at home) in July. One of the midwives is my doula’s mother. Both midwives live about 2 hours from us…but that doesn’t really worry me because my friend & doula lives just minutes from us and she has delivered babies before. I am looking forward to attempting a water birth. And I’m excited about the opportunity to give birth in my own comfortable environment. (Lest you be worried about complications…which so far I haven’t had any complicated pregnancies or deliveries…the hospital is RIGHT behind our house!!). I also have another good friend here who had a home birth in August (a vbac, actually). Anyway…I’m really excited about this opportunity. Another plus…a home birth is wayyyy less expensive than a hospital birth AND our insurance will cover a big part of it. Woo hoo!

So far I am feeling pretty good. I am super super tired…but that’s probably not surprising since I have 3 little ones to care for and we are homeschooling…and there’s a baby growing inside of me. I feel nauseous on and off, but haven’t actually gotten sick yet. I especially feel nauseous after eating. Haven’t had a ton of cravings, but I have been craving salads…but not with lettuce…just fresh spinach. Yum! This is weird for me b/c with the girls I always craved junk, junk and more junk. I hope this keeps up. I have a hard time cooking dinner lately b/c nothing sounds good, haha! I want to try to start putting my dinners together before lunch…b/c after that I am wiped out.

The girls are really excited…especially Liberty. She’s really hoping for a brother. She loves to look at the pregnancy sections of the human body books we have and she tells everyone she can about the baby in mommy’s belly. Official due date from the midwives: May 12, 2012. Weird fact about that…all of my pregnancies have gone 7 or 8 days past my due date. 7 days past my current due date is May 19, 2012…the day my dad passed away in 2010. Mixed feelings there.

Anyway…here are a few pics of the girlies…

Libbs. This girl is growing so much. She is learning to read now and doing well (what?!).

Leila-bear. This cutie is going to be 4 (FOUR?!) on Saturday.

Nonners (Nadia). Full of life and snuggles.

These girls play so well together (most of the time). I love them dearly.

There isn’t a lot of fall color changes out here like there is in the midwest/east. I miss that…

And a verse that has really been sticking with me lately…so much comfort and peace in this…speaking of Christ…

“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:17 (NASB)

Visitors

2011-09-22T21:02:00.001-06:00

Jonathan’s parents came to visit. They arrived last Tuesday and left this morning. We had a really nice time and the girls were loving all the extra attention. They cooked meals, cleaned the kitchen, and hung out with us. Jonathan and his dad fixed our kitchen sink (hurray for being able to use both sides of the sink!) and took stuff to the dump. We went to Kaycee, WY on Tuesday to see the Chris LeDoux memorial park and sculpture…that was really neat. LeDoux is one of Jonathan’s favorite singers. Then we went to Casper and did some shopping and ate at Applebees. It was sad to see them go, but we’re thankful for the time they were here.

Libbs & Poppy watching Astroboy

Libbs loved that Gree would watch her play her computer games.

Jonathan & dad fixing the sink.

Gree & Libbs

Poppy “scaring” the girls

Gree “scaring” Leila

Poppy all dressed up by the girls. He is such a good sport and so patient!

Gree in the playhouse :)

Nadia & Poppy talking

Leila & Poppy

3 little princesses

Our family at the Chris LeDoux statue

Chris LeDoux Memorial statue

Jonathan and the LeDoux statue…he has been wanting to see this for so long! yea!

Our little cuties…growing so fast.

I think I have some more pictures…but not downloaded yet. We had fun and look forward to another visit next year. Another good thing about the visit…Libbs zipped right through her schoolwork with no issues whatsoever! And of course today she was back to her normal self not wanting to finish her workbook :). She’s really doing quite well with school so far…It’s fun to watch her learn.

That’s about all for now. Thankful for our visit with family and getting back into the swing of things.

It’s true…

2011-09-05T14:49:00.002-06:00

we’re expecting!!

due date: May 10, 2012

The First Week

2011-09-01T21:51:00.001-06:00

Our first week of homeschooling as gone pretty well, I’d say. The Lesson plans are for 4 days, so Fridays will be for practicing reading, practicing using scissors, and other such things. At least for the first 12 weeks of school…after that we will be adding more subjects. Anyway…this week Liberty learned the 3 different sounds A makes and she practiced writing and some other things. She did pretty good. She is an antsy child, so it’s hard to get her to sit still…plus she isn’t used to having to do school. Today we reviewed the previous lessons and she took a little test. She did great!

This evening we went to our first meeting for the local homeschool group. That went well, too. Each family takes a month to plan a field trip. I got January…so I’ll be thinking about something to plan…ideas anyone? (Keep in mind we live in a small, fairly isolated town).

this is Libbs practicing her big and little A’s with a dry erase marker on a mirror…just to make it a little more fun.

And here’s a verse I read the other morning…

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation.” ~Psalm 68:19

Reading

2011-08-27T15:05:00.001-06:00

Last night Liberty read her first book to me. It was one of those BOB books for beginning readers. She just pulled one out and started sounding out the words on her own. You should have seen the look on her face when she realized she was reading words…like a light when on for her. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. After she read the book to me, she read it to Daddy. Then she had to Skype with Memaw and read it to her. We are so very proud of our girl. Now I wonder…how did that tiny new baby turn into a 5 1/2 year old who is figuring out how to read?!

Here is a pic of her reading the book to Daddy:

We are planning to start school with Libbs on Monday. She and Leila have been begging to be able to start their school work (we got Leila a preschool workbook), so we moved our start date up a week.

And just for fun, I’ll add a couple of pictures of some socks I just knit for a sweet friend’s birthday.

Gosh I love knitting!! I’m also finally starting to pull my sewing machine out again now that I have found a friend here who likes to sew. I had her and her kids over last week and our kids played while we each worked on our own projects. I cut out the squares for a rag quilt for Nadia.

That’s all for now. Blessings to you!

Soon…

2011-08-23T21:07:00.002-06:00

…I will be a homeschooling mama! Well, I guess I already am, but we’ll officially be starting on September 5 (yes, I know that is Labor Day, but we aren’t doing anything for the weekend so why not start?). I can hardly believe that my first baby girl will be learning to read soon...wow!

So, why did we choose to homeschool? Several reasons…I will list a few:

1. Because we can incorporate God and Scripture into everything we do, all day long. I think that is so important…to give our kids a strong spiritual foundation…the most important thing, really.

2. So we can choose our own curriculum and choose NOT to do certain topics if we so choose.

3. To keep our girls under our care a majority of the time. (I don’t know about any of you, but I can hardly stand the thought of someone else taking care of my kids for the majority of the day). To be able to monitor the influences around them in a much better way.

4. The schools here haven’t done very well on their state testing in recent years.

5. Most importantly, we have prayed about this and know God has led us in this direction (I know this isn’t for everyone, but it is for us!).

6. We can work at our own pace.

I am actually pretty excited about getting started. And just today Liberty and Leila were both asking if we could start tomorrow! They are excited, too. (I ordered Leila an awesome preschool workbook because I know she will want to do school work when Liberty does).

We are starting out Liberty with ABC’s with ACE and Christi. The first part of the year we will do that and Word Building Paces to work on reading. I found the instructor manuals on ebay for a steal and then ordered the paces from the Christian Book Distributor website. I love how the program and the paces include a Bible story and verse every day. Everything points back to God and you just cannot get that in public school.

For the second half of the year I plan to get the English, Science and Social Studies paces from ACE. I will also do Math with her, but I haven’t yet decided if I will use Saxon or Math Mammoth.

I have some good friends here who also homeschool, and I have gotten lots of great advice from them. And we will also be a part of a local Christian homeschool group that does field trips, holiday parties, science fairs, and even year books. Our first meeting for that is September 1. There is a lot of support here, and for that I am thankful.

For those who are concerned about the socialization of my kids (and really, that isn’t the most important matter, I don’t think), if you know me, you know we are involved in things here and have made a lot of friends. We do story time at the library every week, along with a group called Mommy Matters. We are involved in a local church. And we have play dates with our friends often. I think my kids get plenty of socialization : ).

Anyway…I am so excited about all of this, but I am also really nervous and would so appreciate your prayers as we embark on this endeavor.

And here are a few recent pics of the kiddos just for fun:

Libbs with her new haircut (she decided to cut her own hair, so I had to chop off a bunch to fix it up).

Leila, playing in the rain.

Nadia and Leila with painted nails.

Leila and Libbs. The girls love to play on this window seat!

Blessings to you!

of elephants and bears and puppets and keyboards…

2011-08-12T15:52:00.001-06:00

Yesterday my mom called to say she hit the motherload of polly pockets at a yard sale. Lots of polly’s, lots of clothes, even a big ship for polly with all the pieces…all for around $5! Of course my girls are elated! They cannot wait until their new toys from Memaw come in the mail. This morning I told the girls they should go through their toys and pick some to get rid of to make room for the new ones. Libbs got right to it (she’s the most excited, as she just loves polly pocket). She made me a pile just like I asked. This is where the hard part comes in. I have to be able to let them get rid of toys they choose…even if I like those toys. Which was fine until I saw 4 things…

1. The bear I made for Nadia’s 2nd birthday. I told Liberty that even if they don’t play with their bears I’ve made for them…they are special and can just sit in their beds. I hand made those bears, for goodness sake!

2. A puppy puppet that was mine when I was a baby. Liberty got upset with me when I said I didn’t want to get rid of that…I explained why it meant something to me and said I would keep it in my own room.

3. The last tw0 I will combine into this one…those are the elephant and the keyboard (and yes, I have blogged about the keyboard before). These two things were gifts from my dad. The elephant was a Christmas gift for Leila when she was a baby. The keyboard was a birthday gift for Nadia when she turned one. I know that things are just things…but for some reason it feels like getting rid of those things is throwing out my dad. I know in my head that is not true…but my heart isn’t agreeing. It’s such a silly thing, really. (If you don’t know, my dad passed away suddenly in May 2010). Thankfully Leila came to save the elephant…but the keyboard…well, all the kids want to throw it out because it doesn’t work anymore. I completely understand their thinking…it makes total sense. Even though I have the memories, getting rid of the stuff is harder than I thought…

I miss my daddio so very much.

Found this pic of my dad and I recently in an album I was looking through. I’m not sure exactly when this was…maybe the summer after my freshman year of college? We were going to Mackinac Island for a school board conference (my mom was on the school board at the time).

Random

2011-08-08T23:39:00.001-06:00

I read this quote about friendship today:

“Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” ~Cicero

Isn’t that so true and beautiful?! I’m so incredibly thankful for the friendships in my life…each one is a gift from God and truly brings more joy into my life (and help bear the hardships). Thank you, Lord, for the gift of friends!

On another note, I’ve been teaching the high school Sunday school class at church for a friend for the last two weeks (and will be again this coming week). I’ve been using a study on Jacob & Egypt by John MacArthur about the sovereignty of God. It’s really a very good study. The teens seem to be enjoying it as well. Studying those chapters in Genesis about Jacob really does show God’s sovereignty. Have you ever thought about how dysfunctional Jacob’s family was? Jacob was tricked into marrying the sister (Leah) of the woman he really wanted, then was later able to marry the one he wanted. Jacob favored his children from Rachel, the woman he truly loved…which caused major jealously issues with Leah’s children…so much anger and jealousy that Leah’s children conspired to kill their younger brother Joseph. That was not a part of God’s plan so Joseph ended up being sold into slavery instead (see how God’s sovereignty intervened?? If God hadn’t put a stop to Joseph’s death, his family would not have survived the famine later on, and God’s plan would not have been fulfilled…amazing really). And many other things happened with the children of this family as well…go ahead and look it up in Genesis!

Anyway…what a dysfunctional family! And yet, despite the dysfunction, God used that family for a greater good (don’t you just love that?! it gives me so much more hope that God can and will use me despite of myself). Even when everything seemed to be going wrong and some of those family members were doing wrong, and it didn’t seem like God’s hand was in this at all, IT WAS!! When you read later on in Genesis, you see God’s plan coming together. God is always faithful and He can use the dysfunctions of this world (the dysfunctions in you & i) for good…just like it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all tings to work together for good to those who love god, to those who are called according to His purpose.” That is not always easy to remember or trust, but aren’t you so glad it’s TRUE?!

The lessons have also talked about suffering and hardships and reminded us that as followers of Christ, we will be called to suffer…and suffer greatly sometimes. But remember, no suffering (or evil) is permitted in our lives unless God allows it…and when he allows it, there is a reason (like strengthening us, or purifying us, or so we can help someone else through a similar time, or to bring the wrongdoer or others to Christ, or to make us more like Christ). It’s all to bring glory to His name.

Those lessons are not always easy to remember or to follow…but aren’t they worth it? Isn’t following Christ worth it all?!

I am so enjoying this study and learning so much. There are a lot of other things I am still “chewing on,” so to speak…thankful God is growing me and teaching me new things…even when it is hard.

Artifical Red Dye, etc…

2011-08-05T23:10:00.001-06:00

I’ve been hearing and reading articles about how Red Dye #40 (and other artificial ingredients) can affect a child’s behavior. I heard about it a while back and just tucked it away in the back of my mind. For whatever reason I have been thinking more about lately and today I came across this article. This really has me thinking about Liberty in particular. She is so sweet and loving and good and fun…but sometimes she is so out of control (emotional, aggressive, wild) for no apparent reason. And I wonder…could it be partly due to this Red Dye #40 (which I read is PETROLEUM based…WHAT?!)? I know for sure she gets wound up and such after eating some things with that dye in it…so I think it’s a real possibility.

Has anyone else heard or read about this issue? I’m thinking about trying to cut Red Dye #40 out of our diets. Any thoughts?

Never say never…

2011-08-04T15:29:00.001-06:00

Since I’ve been married, I have told everyone we will NEVER have pets. Jonathan and I were in agreement on this from day one. Then a few months or so ago Jonathan started bringing up possibly getting a dog…which of course got talked about even more once we bought our house with a nice fenced in yard. He wanted a dog, I still didn’t.

While we were in Michigan, Jonathan found a mini-pinscher for free and picked him up. Not the kind of dog I wanted. I had been telling Jonathan that IF he could talk me into getting a dog, it had to be a basset hound (because they are lazy and laid back and good family dogs). But Gunther (mini pinscher), being free, was a shoe-in, I guess. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for me), the dog kept running away and finally never came back. The girls got to see Gunther on skype…but he wasn’t there when we returned home. Of course they were disappointed and Daddy promised to find them a better dog soon.

This is how we came to find Butch. We are fostering him with the intention of adopting from the Wyoming Basset Hound Rescue. They think Butch is between 18 month and 2 years old. He will be getting fixed and having shots at the vet tomorrow, so they will give us a better estimate on his age maybe. I let myself get a little excited about getting Butch (which is weird for me)…but of course now that he is here, I’m not a super fan of him or anything. He’s cute. He’s ok. The girls and Jonathan, however, are in love! And he is really good with the kids so far. He needs some training to not beg for food, to not jump on people, not not jump on furniture. And to listen better. Other than that he is good. He has not gone to the bathroom in our house yet. He obeys the commands “sit” and “stay.” Oh…and he keeps trying to play with the girls’ toys. Need to find him one of his own!

Anyway…all this to say…never say never!!

*this dog in my yard must show just how much I love my husband and daughters!!

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

2011-07-30T21:31:00.001-06:00

While I was in Michigan, I picked up Selah’s CD “You Deliver Me.” If you haven’t heard them, check them out! I’ve been a fan of their music for years now and have never been disappointed by an album. They sing a lot of hymns and such. One song on this particular album that has been sticking out to me (I’ve listened to to it over and over and over), is “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.” I think Selah’s version is the most beautiful I've heard of this hymn. And the lyrics…oh my. I’ve sung this song growing up in church, but haven’t really ever soaked in the lyrics. I cannot even accurately describe how this song makes me feel. I thought I would share the lyrics here. I tried to include the video in the blog, but I’m not tech savvy enough to figure out how to do it. Instead, here’s the link to the youtube video! Please listen to the song…you won’t regret it!

Lyrics:

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my barking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
(repeat)

I’m thankful for…

2011-07-28T22:34:00.001-06:00

…sunny days

…friends

…playing at the park

…my girls

…visiting a new baby

…music in the park

…God’s incredible, indescribable love

…my house

…how random liberty is when she talks…keeps things interesting!

…leila’s love of all things domestic

…nadia’s big, bright smile

…hugs from my husband

…a good visit to michigan

…being home again

…mountains all around us

…a deck in my back yard

…yarn, knitting needles, knitting

…God’s timing

…good memories of my daddio

…water

…family

…girls who played hard today

…love

…laughter

…a quiet night

…sleeping in my own bed

…God’s Word

…and so much more…what about you?

Is it weird…

2011-07-09T06:37:00.001-06:00

…that I took a few pictures of my dad’s grave? It’s been over a year since I’ve been able to go there and when I was last there his stone wasn’t there yet. I really like the cemetery where he was buried…it’s really beautiful (is that weird, too?) and peaceful. I think he would like it. It’s called Great Lakes National Cemetery. I miss my dad…it’s still really hard for me to believe he’s gone. I miss seeing him with my girls…especially right now since we are in Michigan.

On Tuesday my sister and I and all our kiddos went to see our grandma (my dad’s mom). It was a nice visit.

my “grandma-grandma” (as my sister and I called her growing up) with the 5 kiddos.

Yesterday my mom, sister and all the kiddos went to see my gram & gramps…my mom’s mom & stepdad. It was a nice visit as well. The girls and I are planning to spend a night with them in about a week.

Great Gram Leila, and little Leila

The kiddos would not cooperate!

My girls on a big rock that my sister and I used to have our pic taken on (in Gram & Gramps’ front yard).

My sister’s boys Sidney & Daniel

Today is a day with no real big plans…which is nice. It’s been pretty busy. The girls are enjoying their time here as well. Only real problem with them is they are not going to bed well at night. I think it’s the time change…they fall asleep finally after 10 (which is 8 our time). Also, Nadia has become really contrary and obstinate. She voices that she doesn’t want to do whatever it is anyone says (no, I don’t want to go to bed. no, I don’t want candy. no, I don’t want to take a picture. etc.).

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

Michigan

2011-07-04T21:17:00.001-06:00

the girls and I are in michigan for a couple weeks. my mom flew out last week and got to see our house and the town we live in. it was so so nice. we had a nice time. then she drove back to michigan with the girls and i. it was a long drive, but we made it safely. we got in saturday afternoon. got to see my sister and nephews that evening. we were so tired! sunday morning the girls and I went to the church I grew up going to. it was really nice to see everyone. it was really hard not seeing my dad there, sitting in his regular spot.

after church I left my girls with memaw (my mom), and headed out to the other side of the state for a dear college friend’s wedding. I’m so thankful I was able to go. it was so so great to see her (& meet her husband), and see some other dear friends from college. what a blessing! the wedding was beautiful and so sarah & joey. I never cry at weddings, but I did at this one.

a few pics…

joey & sarah’s first dance as mr. & mrs. frey

father/daughter dance. I have to say I have a special place in my heart for mr. & mrs. mcnew. they have such a special love for each other that clearly shows…through good and bad times. they have a beautiful family that is so close. I love them!

love these gals so much. and the others that weren’t able to make it. it still astounds me how close you become to strangers when you are in college…everlasting friendships formed there!

lots more planned for our time here, too. today we spent the day at my sister’s house having a cookout and swimming. it was a good time. the kids were so worn out!

we’re enjoying our time so far and look forward to seeing more family and friends.

2 Samuel 22

2011-06-20T23:12:00.001-06:00

I’ve been following a reading plan to read the entire Bible in a year. I’m really enjoying it and getting a lot of out. I’m reading things in God’s Word I have never read before…or that I have read but is speaking to me differently. I love how alive and relevant God’s Word is! I’ve gotten a little behind in my readings due to moving and then helping with Vacation Bible School. I don’t think it’s anything to fret about, though, as long as I am staying in the Word, etc. Anyway…

I have really enjoyed the 22nd chapter of 2 Samuel (read it…I promise you will not regret it!). It’s a Psalm of deliverance by David. I think it’s so beautiful.

One verse in particular has stuck out to me…

“For You are my lamp, O Lord; And the Lord illumines my darkness.” (vs. 29).

You see, I have been in a bit of a dark place the last year and a half or so. A place of depression and sadness and anxiety and confusion…and reading this verse is so comforting to me. (If you’ve been there or are there, I sure hope this verse brings comfort to you as well!). In the midst of dark moments/days/times, the Lord illumines my darkness. Oh I am so glad I have the Lord in this life. I treasure this verse…and I pray that I will remember it when life seems dark. And I hope & pray the same for you!

Thank you, Lord, for your Living Word!!

this and that…

2011-05-27T15:53:00.001-06:00

it seems I can never keep up with this thing, haha. we are all moved into our new house…although certainly not all unpacked! we are really enjoying the house so much. the girls are loving the back yard…mama & daddy are loving the deck. everything is all on one floor, so we are all “together” all day long and it’s so nice. the girls seem to be sleeping well (although the have had a hard time getting to sleep), and so am i! the neighborhood is really nice and quiet.

we feel so blessed to have our very first home.

~earlier in the week a dear friend came over for a few hours on 2 different days to help me decorate. it was fun. she has a good eye for decorating, and I certainly do not. we’ve had fun coming up with ideas for different rooms. some stuff we’ve done, some will take a little while…but it’s been fun starting to make this house our home. here are a few sneak peek pics of the family room (although more has been done):

above the rope/knots picture is one of my dad’s army medals.

on the left top is a doll cradle my gram made for me when I was a little girl. inside the cradle are a pair of jonathan’s baby shoes. on the right top is my bodhran (irish drum) I got while in ireland. my flute is on the wall, too. I never would have thought to use all of that for décor!

I know the top left pic is sideways, but I am waiting for a new family pic print to come in the mail to replace that one :).

~jonathan has been working hard around here, too. he put together our new kitchen table & chairs, changed the locks on the doors, and hooked up the washer and dryer (among other things). he had a little help with the kitchen table.

there are two more chairs to go with the table.

~the other day we finally had some warm, sunny weather so the girls and I had lunch on the deck. it was so enjoyable! and after the girls went to quiet hour, I was able to enjoy some Bible study time out on the deck…bliss!

~I looked out our backdoor a couple days ago in the evening, and the sun was shining on the mountains…it seriously looked like the mountains were illuminated while everything else around looked normal. I took a couple of pictures, but of course they don’t do the real thing justice…I’m not even sure it really looks like that in the photos…oh well, I tried. Our God is so majestic, isn’t HE?!

~the Lord has really been blessing me/answering my prayers for friends here…and I am so so thankful. one new friend even has a little girl who is liberty’s age (I was praying for a friend for libbs, as well)…those 2 girls are the best of friends already. and that same friend watched the girls for me more than once last week while we were moving. another friend’s husband came over to help jonathan & our neighbor move our furniture, etc to our new house…what a blessing! and I have met the sweetest women in a ladies Bible study I have been attending. Thank you, Lord, for this answer to prayer!

~and I want to leave you with a beautiful and exciting verse from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse 11:

“HE has made everything beautiful in its time. HE has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

it’s a great reminder that God will make all things beautiful in HIS time…and that we are not truly meant for the here & now…we were made for eternity…and it is set in our hearts. like when we look around and wonder if this is all there is…or think there must be more to this life…that is the sense of eternity that God placed in our hearts. isn’t it so great to know that this isn’t all there is when we have the Lord?! I don’t know about you, but I am longing for that eternity with our Lord!

blessings to you, friends!

Official First Time Homeowners

2011-05-17T20:03:00.001-06:00

it’s official…we bought our first house! we signed papers today and got our key…so exciting. jonathan even carried me over the threshold; isn’t that sweet?! we took a couple pictures when we went to the house to the first time. our realtor (who was amazing and more like a friend) gave us a sweet housewarming gift of a keychain, a picture frame, and candy for the girls.

this is going to be one busy week. we have to be out of our rental by friday. it is my hope to move all the boxes/small stuff by thursday evening. jonathan & at least one other guy will move the furniture on thursday night. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with how much we have to get done. and I know jonathan has this plus a really busy week at work. that being said, we are incredibly thankful that God has blessed us with a home.

crying over a keyboard

2011-04-29T08:20:00.001-06:00

When cleaning out the girls' toy box over the weekend, I came across a small toy keyboard my dad bought for Nadia for her 1st birthday. I remember he was all excited to give it to her because he knew she loved noisy things. And he ordered it on the computer ahead of time. He even had batteries to go with it. We got it all set up after she opened it, and she loved it, of course. All the kids there sat in a circle playing with this keyboard (sometimes fighting over it a little bit) and having a good time. My dad was so happy. He took a ton of pictures (not kidding!). He laughed. When Nadia had her cake, he took such delight in her hesitation to dig right in (thinking she would have, but she didn't right away)...and snapped tons of pictures as she investigated and then finally dug in. He delighted so much in each of his grandchildren.

Anyway. I sat there holding this keyboard that no longer works. We recently put new batteries in it and it died a couple days later. And I cried. I kept thinking I should just toss it because it is broken, but I couldn't make myself do it. Jonathan told me to just keep it...it wasn't a big deal. I couldn't stop crying. I kept the keyboard. For now.

Matching Dresses

2011-04-25T08:31:00.001-06:00

I made the girls matching dresses for Easter. I cut out all the pieces last week…and then when I started sewing Liberty’s dress I realized it was too small for Nadia, let alone Liberty!! After talking to my friend who gave me the dress pattern, I found out she made the same mistake…the directions weren’t quite clear. Thankfully I had just enough material left over to make the girls’ dresses. I think they turned out really cute…and I think it’s so fun to put them all in matching clothes. The girls were really excited about the dresses as well.

The dresses (they tie in the back):

Liberty (who is turning 5 on Sunday!!):

Leila (3 1/2):

Nadia (2):

All 3 of my girlies:

I hope everyone had a blessed Resurrection Day! It’s absolutely amazing to me that Jesus would sacrifice Himself like that for ME! I’m so thankful for His love. At the very end of Luke it talks about Jesus’ ascension…it says, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshipping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.” (Luke 24:50-53). May we also praise God continually!!

7 years & 3 kids later…

2011-04-12T08:45:00.001-06:00

…we are attempting to purchase our very first house. we put in an offer, the offer was accepted. we had an inspection and went over it yesterday with the realtor. we made a small list of things we are requesting the seller take care of and are now waiting for the seller to get back to us. craziness!!

the house is in a nice, quiet neighborhood. just beyond the fence of the back yard, there is a park. the house is just over 1200 sq feet, has 3 bedrooms, and needs no major work. and it has a big fenced in back yard. and it’s all one level (i’m not a fan of stairs anymore after living in a few places with them, haha).

thought i would share some pictures of the house i took yesterday:

the front

from the front door

from the front door…those window things look down into a family room

the family room (this used to be a garage, apparently).

from the window in the family room.

the small kitchen. it as decent counter space, so i think i can deal. plus it won’t cost much to remodel eventually :). i want to build a pantry in that corner at the right of the picture.

half bath/laundry room (right off the dining room).

another view of the kitchen

bathroom, obviously…

linen closet just outside of bathroom

smallest bedroom from doorway

smallest bedroom from inside

biggest bedroom from doorway

biggest bedroom from inside

middle bedroom from doorway

middle bedroom from inside

dining area

from dining area (original living room).

yard from deck

yard from other side of deck

back of house from back yard. there is a storm cellar on the right of the deck.

building behind trees is the hospital (i told jonathan if we have another baby, i could just walk to the hospital when i’m in labor, haha).

back of the park from the yard (this is going to be so handy with nice weather!).

i have much to catch up on here on the blog…the kiddos, crafts, things God has been teaching me/reminding me of, my almost 5 year old (sniff!)…but that will have to wait for another day. we are getting ready to go to a playdate with some new friends (a little girl liberty’s age!).

i will share this verse i read yesterday. Psa. 94:19

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”

blessings to you!

smiles & life

2011-03-08T08:24:00.001-07:00

it’s about time i posted something new, i guess. this past weekend we started heavily potty training both leila & nadia. leila knows all she needs to know…she’s just lazy, i guess. you can ask her all day long if she needs to go potty, and she will tell you no just about every time (& you know she needs to at some point!). and she almost never tells you if she has to go…so we are working on being more strict with her. last week nadia started telling us she needed a change as soon as she went potty in her diaper, so we decided we might as well work on her, too. it took two whole days, but we finally got nadia to pee in the potty for the first time yesterday…hooray! exciting times here, eh? ;)

well, on to some smiles going on here…

1. this morning liberty was giggling & giggling out of the blue…she walked up to me and said, “mom, my thinking is sooo funny!” love that girl…she definitely keeps us laughing. :)

2. nadia is now sleeping in a “big girl” bed (meaning we took the rail off her crib). this is bittersweet…she is no longer a baby (but of course will always be my baby ;). she does fine at nap time, but at night when her sisters are also in the room, she has a hard time settling down for sleep (she keeps getting up and climbing into her sisters beds).

3. jonathan & i are going away for the weekend. we are really looking forward to some time with each other & no kiddos around (although we will miss them..this will be the first time we have been away from them overnight together). we have a wonderful friend here who will be watching the girls…so thankful to have someone we know we can trust with our precious girls. also, it’s my birthday over the weekend…so it makes our little getaway extra special.

4. finger painting with libbs & leila over the weekend. liberty’s masterpieces are hanging on the left, leila’s on the right, and mine is in the middle, haha!

5. making cookies with the girls (using a recipe from a murder mystery novel, haha!).

6. one morning when we had to wake the girls up, jonathan found this in nadia’s crib:

7. daddy & girls chilling on the couch one evening before bed.

8. i am chugging along on my shalom cardigan. it seems to look a little small for me…but only time will tell. i’m not very good at altering knitting patterns…but i sure hope this fits me because i really like it & if it doesn’t i will have to make another one. :)

9. we recently got the girls a set of wooden pots & pans…and one set of wooden play food with some leftover Christmas money…they love it!

10. messes (w/shaving cream) in the bathtub. i can smile about it now, haha.

11. sweet hugs. leila & nadia seem to have a special bond…

12. special valentine’s gifts from memaw & gpa kevin.

13. another teaser spring day in which the girls were able to use some bubbles from their great aunt & uncle back in crescent city. it’s so fun to watch them…liberty is fairly decent at blowing the bubbles. leila puts her mouth right on the wand and tries so hard, but cannot seem to make bubbles…and nadia will watch her sisters and try whatever they are doing :).

14. nadia’s pretty birthday dress from poppy & gree…and a bday outfit from memaw & gpa kevin.

15. this little pouty face that reminds me so much of my sister:

16. headstands.

17. this book. so good. here’s a quote that struck me recently while reading: “When I realize that it is not God who is in my debt but I who am in His great debt, then doesn’t all become gift? For He might not have.” (ann voskamp)

18. this verse: “But godliness is actually a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.” 1Timothy 6:6

lots of smiles (& pics, too!)

2011-02-16T11:09:00.001-07:00

1. God’s Word. especially loving this today: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” -James 4:7-8

doesn’t it bring such a peace & comfort to know that when you draw near to God, he also draws near to you?! and i don’t know about you, but i love that it says, “resist the devil and he WILL flee from you.” not he might, but he WILL. so thankful i have the Lord on my side to help me resist the enemy!!

2. this cutie patootie who decided on her own that it would be fun to hang a spoon on her nose :)

3. dominoes fun!

4. this cute letter my 5 year old nephew daniel wrote to liberty a couple weeks ago…precious!

5. you can never have enough sleeping pictures of your kiddos…and i know i have tons of leila b/c she is always falling asleep in the most random places (notice the piece of cereal in her mouth when wearing the purple & pink shirt??). the last pic is nadia.

6. i finished knitting the cabled fingerless gloves. they turned out to be too big for me, so i sent them to my mom for her birthday :)

7. valentine’s puppies from great grandma (my dad’s mom)

8. liberty fixing her own hair…and dressing herself (and yes, we did go out in public like that :)

9. celebrating 7 years of marriage to my hubby :)

10. celebrating 2 years of our precious, spunky girl nadia

11. reading this quote from bebo norman’s webpage, “But as I struggle to feel adequate enough to even approach Him, in some miraculous way I’m reminded that the God of the universe thinks my prayers are nothing less than stunning—simply because I am His.” great reminder!!

12. friends.

13. bones…and the body. liberty has been obsessed with bones and learning about the body lately. she tells everyone she sees all she knows about bones and the body. we got this book about the body from the library and she reads it every day.

14. new yarn for new projects! the pink yarn is for another pair of cabled fingerless gloves for myself :). the brown yarn is for a cardigan for myself (as long as it fits me…i am following some size modifications and using a smaller needle and hoping it turns out ok!).

15. a pointy elf hat for liberty

16. making chocolate heart-shaped cookies for valentine’s day (leila was the only one who wanted to help!)

17. heart-shaped sandwiches for valentine’s day lunch

18. weather warm enough to play outside in :)

19. wyoming winters…they may be cold and windy, but they are mostly sunny…and we all know sunny days help you get through the winter and being stuck inside so much!!

20. the view from my backyard…beautiful!

21. doggie doors…hahaha!

22. a couple more verses that have touched me recently:

“I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, becasue You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul, and You have have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have sent my feet in a large place.” Psa. 31:7-8

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Psa. 37:23-24

so so thankful for God and his presence in my life…thankful for His Word…thankful for His blessings…and even trying to be thankful for the trials in life :)

two

2011-02-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

somehow this tiny babe (born 2-10-09)

is now 2 years old!!!

i’m always amazed at how much more quickly time passes with each child you have.

so…what is this 2 year old nadia like? well, i think she is a good combination of her older sisters. she has lots of energy and spunk (daddy likes to call her spunky), but can be laid back and cuddly. she talks a lot…she spews out these little sentences that constantly surprise us. she loves her big sisters. she knows what she wants and she will do everything in her power to get it, much to the chagrin of her sisters! she’s a busy little girl, but she still needs some “hold me” time every day. she likes to be held in the mornings for a while before she’s off & running. i adore this time. she loves babies…dolls or real ones! she’s such a good little “mama” to her babies. she likes to watch “dora” (much to mama’s chagrin…i find that show annoying!). she’s a thumb-sucker, which i find so cute! she’s the best sleeper out of all 3 girls. she smiles a lot. she loves shoes. she likes getting dressed. she’s generally not super shy (once at story time at the library, she got up on the stage in the room and hid behind the curtain and jumped out over and over yelling “surprise!”). she’s still quite clingy to me…i like to call her my little cling-on. she still will sometimes hold her breath until she can’t catch it when she’s upset or gets hurt, causing her to pass out. she’s always happy in the mornings when she gets up…telling us “good morning” when we walk into the room. she still sleeps in a crib (if she’s not in the crib, she just won’t let herself go to sleep)…why ruin a good thing?! she’s so sweet and loving. she can have quite the temper at times. she’s sitting right next time right now as i type, sharing my blanket and leaning her little head on my arm…sucking away on her thumb. oh how i love this little girl! we love her dearly and are so happy and thankful for her life!

nadia & i with the bear i made for her birthday

she got mrs. potato head from her sisters…she loves wearing the little glasses, haha!!

prayer for miranda & the cole family

2011-02-08T12:38:00.002-07:00

***update***

precious miranda passed away last night. what an inspiration this family's faith is!! they have a long road ahead...please remember to keep them, especially chad, in your prayers!!

chad's blog

this is miranda:

she is in great need of our prayers today…as is her family. you can read more about it here.

i went to school with miranda’s uncle…this family is heavy on my heart right now. please pray!

answered prayer

2011-01-20T13:29:00.001-07:00

since we are living in a place where we don’t know anyone, i have been praying and praying to make some connections and friends. i have been claiming psalm 66:19-20 (“But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be god, Who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.”), knowing God does hear my prayers…and this week i am seeing a ray of hope in this area!

i’ve been going to a local church here that i’ve really been enjoying. the people are so embracing the teachings so great. i met one particular lady who has to be one of the kindest, sweetest and most positive persons i have ever met, and she invited me to a ladies Bible study this week. i went last night and was so so blessed. i’m so thankful God heard & answered my prayer by connecting me with these ladies. i cannot wait to get to know them better and study more with them. i cannot express to you just how much this has lifted my spirits.

i also wanted to share a quote from charles spurgeon that i recently read in a beth moore book. it really spoke to me and maybe it will you as well.

“Oh, dear heart, what is your condition? Are you torn with anguish? Are you sorely distressed? Are you lonely? Are you pushed aside? Then cry to God. No one else can help you. He is your only hope. Wonderful hope! Cry to Him, for He can help you. I tell you, in that cry of yours will be the pure and true worship that god desires. He desires a sincere cry far more than the slaughter of ten thousand rams or the pouring out of rivers of oil (Mic 6:7). . . . See then, poor, weeping, and distracted ones, that it is not ritualism, it is not the performance of pompous ceremonies, it is not bowing and struggling, it is not using sacred words, but it is crying to God in the hour of trouble that is the most acceptable sacrifice your spirit can bring before the throne of God.” -Charles Spurgeon; Prayer & Spiritual Warfare

hair cuts & other randoms…

2011-01-15T20:07:00.001-07:00

warning: this post contains lots of pictures!!

i hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and new year’s! we enjoyed our Christmas this year with just the 5 of us. of course we missed all of our family and friends, but it was also nice to have time with just our little family. liberty was so much fun Christmas morning because she was thrilled with every single gift she opened from toys to clothes to toothbrushes.

for Christmas we got the girls bunk beds. they were so excited!!

i made my girls and my nephews all pillows out of my dad’s favorite t-shirts. i hope they are something the grandkids can treasure for a long time.

on new year’s eve we went to casper for the day (about an hour and a half to two hour driver). we got to eat out, walk around the mall, and go to wal-mart :).

we’ve had some hair cutting incidences around here recently. apparently liberty sees herself as a hair stylist, haha! last thursday i found that she had cut leila’s hair…and she did quite a job with it! i had to cut it to leila’s chin to get it all evened up. then this past week libbs got to nadia’s hair, which also had to be cut chin-length. (i forgot to get before pics of nadia’s hair!)jonathan and i decided we should cut liberty’s hair as a consequence. i did that tonight. unfortunately she was actually happy to have her hair cut. :) she really did need a good chunk cut off anyway because it was ratting up so easy.

leila:

nadia:

libbs:

i found this book for the girls…and it’s one of my new favorites to read to them:

making pizza with leila tonight (don’t you just love her face in the last pic?!):

the silly faces of libbs & leila:

craft projects:

just starting a new project for myself…trying to do different and a little more complicated things so i can learn more!

more baby bonnets for precious babes of special friends.

pointed hats for our nieces for Christmas

capes for our nephews for Christmas

other random pics from the last couple of weeks:

bunk bed forts

3 beauties in the tub

fun cardboard house i scored for $5!

love the flannel shirts on the girls!

snuggles from a teething baby

new year’s day nap

this girl LOVES the magnadoodle!

jonathan’s friend bryce came to visit for a night, but then his semi broke down and he ended up staying 4 nights :).

i’ve made it a goal this year to read through the entire Bible. so far so good, and i’m really enjoying it.

blessings to you!

Smiles

2010-12-20T13:40:00.001-07:00

some smiles from the past week:

1. nadia’s crazy hair after nap time one day.

2. finishing leila’s scarf (she was super happy about it :)

3. nadia hugging on the puppy puppet that was mine when i was a baby.

4. girls who want their picture taken (and how can i resist the cuteness?!)

5. homemade peppermint bark…YUM!!! recipe found here.

6. two little girls enjoying said peppermint bark :)

7. one little girl who still likes to hang out in cupboards :)

8. finishing a little project for myself with the yummy purple yarn i posted about last week. it was my first time using a lace weight yarn. and i love this scarf so much i want to make it in multiple colors!

9. making Christmas cookies with my girls. this sugar cookie recipe came from my great grandma. growing up, my sister and i always made and decorated these cookies with our parents every year. i want it to be a tradition with my girls, too.

10. and of course enjoying the fruits of their labor…eating a cookie and the rest of the frosting!!

11. my girls saying sweet things to me out of the blue (like, “you’re my favorite mom.”)

12. “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psa. 27:14

13. “But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.” Psa. 66:19-20

is everyone ready for Christmas? what are your plans?

looking at the positives

2010-12-13T15:49:00.001-07:00

i need to post some smiles…it keeps me looking at the positives…helps me not to focus on the negative…so here are some smiles from our house…

1. over 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time today. i cannot tell you how refreshing it was…what a blessing it was. during that time i read my Bible and prayed…it was so nice. and i came across this verse, which i found so comforting and beautiful.

Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”

2. making gingerbread cookies with the girls today.

3. going to “a night in bethlehem” with liberty and leila on saturday. i didn’t get any pictures during our tour, but took a few of us afterward :)

4. painted nails

5. sweet sisters

6. making “gingerbread” houses with libbs & leila. we used graham crackers, frosting and all kinds of goodies… liberty made a gingerbread candy town, lol!

7. the girls occupying themselves while mama cooks…

8. liberty’s imagination. she built herself a telescope :)

9. finishing all of my niece/nephew christmas gifts…and planning to mail them off today…woo hoo!! pics to come later!

10. the girls building their own princess kingdom with blankets

11. delicious new yarn for a new project…

12. starting a scarf for leila…who has been begging for one every since i made one for liberty.

13. pumpkin bread…made with fresh pumpkin.

14. finishing liberty’s scarf

15. this nativity countdown wall hanging my gram made and sent to us…it has little people and animals and buildings and such to hang on it each day of december until Christmas. the girls are loving it!

16. decoration for christmas. this is our first tree for the girls, so that was a lot of fun! they are doing great with not touching it!!

17. these ornaments make me smile. the first one was a gift from my kindergarten teacher…i loved him! and the second is one i made when i was in kindergarten :).

18. skype. connecting with family faraway.

19. grace…i’m so thankful for the Lord’s grace and His patience with me.

20. precious friends who pray for, support, encourage and love me.

21. JESUS!!!

some smiles

2010-11-24T14:11:00.001-07:00

hard to believe it’s thanksgiving tomorrow…we’re on our own this year, but i still plan to make a big, delicious meal. not a ton going on here.

1. a fresh pumpkin pie. i made a pumpkin pie today for tomorrow’s dessert…from scratch (as in from the actual pumpkin). it smells really good.

2. also today, i made playdoh for the girls. purple for liberty, pink for leila. it turned out great. i think it’s better than store-bought. unfortunately, liberty decided to play with her water and dumped it all over her playdoh. now it’s ruined (which makes for an unhappy mama after all that work…plus the attitude from libbs isn’t helping).

3. the girls tried to put on a music show for me this morning. i wanted to get video of it, but realized my camera doesn’t take video. lame. each of the girls tried out my flute, but got frustrated when they couldn’t make sounds come from it. they also tried out my irish whistle (that i got in ireland!).

4. lately if leila is “missing,” you can often find her in her toy box chattering away with the toys :).

5. liberty’s hair. she keeps trying to do her own hair to make herself look stylish (her own words)…check out one of her creations:

6. hand print turkeys….always fun!

7. soaking feet. after jonathan runs (for work) he sometimes soaks his feet…this particular time the girls wanted to try it out too. cuteness!

8. playing in the snow!!! the girls actually stayed out for an hour that day!

9. and of course there has to be hot cocoa when the snow fun is done!

10. finishing my winter scarf. i really like how it turned out. i have more projects on my needles now :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!

6 months

2010-11-19T13:01:00.001-07:00

today it has been six months since my dad passed away. i’m always amazed at how quickly time passes these days. i miss him immensely. he was far from perfect…but then so are we all. over all, he was a great dad. he was a fun dad. he used to play out in the snow with my sister and i, helping us build a snowman and make snow angels. he used to take us on bike rides and have water gun fights with us. my dad was always the one who took care of us if we were sick. he would get up in the middle of the night to clean up our messes get us settled again. if we couldn’t sleep, we could almost always find our dad in the living room watching one movie or another…and he would let us stay out there with him until we fell asleep. he was very opinionated…and once he had an opinion or idea about something, you better not argue with him. i got in many an argument with my dad when i was growing up b/c we were both so stubborn. he always let me know he was proud of me…always supported any decision i made.

he was the best poppo (grandpa) to my girls (& my sister’s boys). he loved those kids with all his might. and they adored him. i always knew he would be a good grandfather…and he truly was. it makes my heart ache to know he can’t see them grow up and get older…and especially that they don’t get to have him around anymore. they are so young…i’m so afraid they will forget him. i know liberty will probably have some memories…but leila and nadia? oh how sad it makes me. when we lived in michigan, the girls spent a lot of time with him. he would have them over to spend the night often (well, not nadia). they could do no wrong in his eyes. he was always laughing at their crazy antics or naughty behavior. to this day, when leila sees a package of oreos, she smiles and says, “poppo’s cookies!” when we lived away, my dad called all the time…at least every other day. we would talk on the phone for hours some times (i remember getting annoyed by how long the conversations would last sometimes)…and of course he would talk to each of the girls. he used to sing them made up songs…he had a horrible voice, but the love and joy when he sang shone through. this last time we moved away we both had skype accounts. boy did my dad love to get on skype and talk to his grandgirls. and the girls loved it, too.

after his heart attack when he was on the hospital, he was always trying to make sure i wasn’t worried about him. he always talked cheerfully and reassured me that everything was fine. i still cannot believe he is gone. i miss him calling all the time (he did that even when we lived in michigan). the girls miss him.

i wanted to share some pictures of my dad, but couldn’t get my scanner to work. i do have a few pics on my computer already, so i will post those.

my grandma & my dad

my dad holding me as a baby

doesn’t nadia look a lot like me? do you see it??

my dad & my girls nov 2009…that’s the last one i got of him with all 3 of the girls.

this is the last picture i have with my dad. it was taken on my birthday this year a couple days before we moved to california. my dad took everyone out to dinner to celebrate (and by everyone, i mean my family, my sister’s family, my mom & her now husband & his brother, and my aunt). he was always generous like that. i’ll always be thankful i made sure to get a picture with my dad that day. i love you daddio!

8 smiles

2010-11-17T08:29:00.001-07:00

a few smiles from the week…

1. gear for the winter. the girls now have everything they need for playing out in the snow…or just going out in the cold. just got their mittens and liberty’s boots in the mail this past week. they were so happy. now we’re just waiting for some snow to pile up :).

2. new boots for mama! it’s been a while since i’ve had a new pair of shoes…and this pair of boots was needed since they only shoes i had that would be ok out in the cold and snow were my running shoes. these boots are so warm and comfy! oh, and then there’s leila wearing my boots…can you get any cuter?!

3. getting our christmas cards ordered…already! i found a great deal and saved 50% on my order!

4. this pic of the girls and i. they were vying to sit on my lap that evening, so i had to have jonathan take a pic of my girls and i :). i look really tired, but the girls look adorable!

5. liberty has been very into getting her picture taken…especially those self-portrait ones…so here are a couple of the two of us :)

6. two more projects off my needles. a baby bonnet (knit in less than two hours…seriously!) and a new hat for nadia. it’s a little big on her, but the last one i made her is too small. now all three girls have matching hats in different colors. next on my needles is a winter scarf for myself. liberty has requested a purple scarf. and once i get the yarn and needles i need to furiously knit on some christmas gifts!

7. my human yarn swift & ball winders. i needed to wind the yarn for my scarf into a ball so i could knit with it, so jonathan became my human yarn swift, and i did the ball winding. :) some day i’ll get a real yarn swift and ball winder!!

8. new soup recipes. i made a delicious beef stew in the crockpot this week…yum!!! and yesterday i made a creamy chicken & vegetable soup that was scrumptious (not in the crockpot)!! only got a pic of the beef stew, though.

and now i’m off to clean house, do laundry, get a workout in, and maybe some knitting (and of course playing with the girlies!).

14 smiles

2010-11-08T20:14:00.001-07:00

there’s a stomach bug going around here. jonathan got it…then puny, and today liberty had it. i felt sick all day yesterday, but never actually got sick. hoping and praying it stays that way.

we got the girls some preschool workbooks recently, so today i sat down with libbs and leila while nadia was napping and we did a little bit of “school.” both girls were excited and they did pretty good. afterward liberty declared that school wasn’t fun (i think it’s because she didn’t like following the directions, haha).

anyway…on to a few smiles from the week…

1. story time at the library. we’re enjoying meeting new people, hearing new stories, and doing crafts. fun times!

2. so far nadia and i haven’t gotten sick…

3. workout dvd’s. i ordered a few so that i have something to do indoors now that the winter weather is beginning to hit. i tried one out today…whew!

4. enjoying some time in the sunshine. we had a few really nice and sunny days this week, so the girls and i enjoyed some time playing outside in the back yard.

5. purple. liberty’s favorite color is purple, and when we were outside playing she wanted me to take a pic of her with all her purple (purple hat, purple shirt & pants, purple flip flops, purple bucket & purple shovel).

6. this is nadia experiencing a taste of dirt. she was eating it by the shovel-full…and she did it more than once…crazy kid!

7. another project off the needles…a dish rag (although in the photo it’s not finished yet). and another one started…a new winter hat for nadia to match her sisters (pattern matches, not color).

8. our little doctors…libbs & leila taking care of a sick daddy.

9. family movie night :)

10. a silly libbs…check out what she was using to eat her mac & cheese the other day…

11. being prepared for the snow…and becoming a pro online shopper, haha! this town doesn’t have a lot, so there are lots of things i have been ordering online (or we’ll get when we are able to go out of town). i got leila some snow pants for $7 including shipping. now we are waiting on boots for libbs & i, and mittens for all 3 girls. it feels good to know that now we are ready for the crazy wyoming winter.

12. the 3 girlies playing together…

13. i’m thankful for encouraging friends.

14. 1 Peter 5:7 “cast all your cares upon HIM, for HE cares for you.” i am so incredibly thankful for a God who cares about me and my needs…big and little. it’s very comforting. sometimes i don’t remember to do this…and i’m thankful for the reminder.

Smiles

2010-11-03T07:48:00.001-06:00

here are a few things i’m smiling about…

kids playing together nicely….gotta’ love that! every once in a while when they are a little stir-crazy, i’ll pull out the couch bed for them to play on….they love it (and it really helps mama get dinner started, haha)!

~liberty is pooping on the potty. seriously…this is a HUGE smile and relief to us. she started going regularly just after we moved here…and we couldn’t be happier or more proud. i just hope leila and nadia won’t wait until they are 4 1/2 to start pooping on the potty all the time!!

nadia playing with the doll that was my favorite when i was a kid. my sister and i found this in my dad’s attic when we were cleaning out his house…along with a bunch of other old toys.

leila is still falling asleep in the most random places and positions. here she is at the bottom of the stairs, using a stair as a pillow of sorts. my neck was starting to hurt just looking at her!!

a project off my needles. i love the pattern…and how soft the yarn is :).

a visit from one of jonathan’s good friends, bryce (& his dog carson). bryce is a truck driver from billings, montana. he was driving through the area so he stopped in on monday to watch the football game and have dinner with us. liberty kept him quite entertained…she had him wrapped around her little finger. in this pic they are doing a puzzle.

if you can ignore the fact that puny is in her underroos (potty training, remember!!)…i thought this was so cute. in the first pic she is helping nadia get back up….in the second they are holding hands and dancing on the couch bed. precious!

and here is what happens when you let your kids color with markers and then leave the room for a few minutes. thankfully they were washable markers (and when bath time came, the girls were so excited because the marker made the bath water change colors, lol).

last night after i put liberty to bed (she had to go down early for misbehaving), i came out to find this. nadia was half asleep on her daddy. she is fighting a cold right now (along with daddy and liberty). so sweet.

~story time at the library. this makes me smile because the girls and i get to get out of the house and see other people. hopefully at least some of those people will become friends. one of the other moms there invited us to a mommy matters group that meets at the library on thursday mornings, so we are starting to go to that as well. we are so anxious to meet some friends. it gets a little old talking to little ones all day….i need some adult interaction. and my girls need some playmates.

~dear friends who call or send messages of encouragment. friends who i know are praying for and with me. oh i am so thankful for those special people in my life.

~playing games with the girls. libbs and i have been teaching leila how to play “memory.” and the other day jonathan and i taught libbs how to play “go fish.” we all enjoy playing games. any good kid game suggestions would be welcomed!! :)

on (& almost on) my needles

2010-10-29T13:00:00.001-06:00

here are a few projects i have on my knitting needles…plus a couple i plan to cast-on soon.

blanket

this blanket i started for liberty back in the beginning of the year….some day i’ll finish it.

this is the very beginning of what i hope will turn out to be a barbie dress. the pattern came with some needles i bought and i thought i would try to make a couple for the girls for Christmas.

this is yarn for a new hat for nadia for the winter.

and this is for dishrags.

and just for fun, a pic of a craft the girls did at the library story time today. liberty’s is on the left, and leila’s is on the right. found out today that leila is really into gluing things :). (these are supposed to be scary monsters).

have a great weekend!!

scarf

2010-10-25T15:34:00.001-06:00

i finished jonathan’s scarf. just in time for very cold and snowy weather here. now i need a scarf for myself. and nadia needs a new hat. the list never ends :).

here is jonathan trying on his scarf:

and a few pics of the scarf while i was blocking it:

smiles

2010-10-20T14:14:00.001-06:00

thought it was about time i posted some new pictures. what better pics to see than the cute faces of my precious daughters ;).

these next pics are of liberty…she told us she is building a memory machine (taken from her current favorite movie, “meet the robinson’s). she’s so creative…i love her imagination.

i spent a lot of time in the kitchen this past weekend trying out some new yummy recipes. chocolate waffles. pretzels like those you get in the mall. yum! and others as well.

these sweet pictures of jonathan and nadia…i love watching daddy & his girls.

my favorite room in our new place so far…the living room:

i made the girls matching skirts recently. i bought the fabric before we moved and i finally put them together. i really like the pattern…it’s very easy. you can find it here. liberty loves to be a little model these days…i love the pic of her by herself on the day i finished the skirts…hilarious!

that’s about all for now. jonathan’s training is going ok. keep praying please! we tried out a church here…the first week was a little weird, but the second week was better. still looking to make some friends. i know that can take a while…but the girls and i are so ready!

a friend reminded me of eph 6:10, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his Might.” so i thought i’d share it with you. it’s a reminder i have needed lately.

also…yesterday it was 5 months since my dad passed away. i cannot figure out how that much time as passed…seriously. i miss him more every day. this is a picture of him and the girls back in november 2009. i love this! he adored his grandchildren!

Thoughts???

2010-10-18T11:31:00.000-06:00

all moved

2010-10-11T19:09:00.001-06:00

well, we made it to wyoming and are probably about 80% unpacked. the trip took 2 days. we didn’t get nearly as far as planned on the first day (mon. the 4th). when we stopped to gas up in winnemucca, we realized the moving truck’s tail lights weren’t working. it took a couple of hours for a guy to come fix it, and then some time to fix it….at that point we were exhausted, so we decided to spend the night there. i think the best part of the first day of traveling was stopping to have lunch (in the reno area) with a friend from college. we hadn’t seen each other in years, so it was nice to catch up in person. unfortunately, i forgot to get a picture with her. and we didn’t get to meet her little boy because he was napping at the time. next time!

the second day (tues the 5th) of traveling was pretty uneventful. we were exhausted and ready to be at our new home, so we tried to make as few stops as possible. we got in to rawlins around 7pm. we met our landlord at the townhouse and got the tour and chatted a bit. then jonathan and i started unloading the truck. we got the majority of it unloaded besides the big furniture and decided we better find some dinner and get some sleep. it was dark and we did not know our way around town, so we got back on the freeway to find a fast food place. we drove around for a while trying to figure things out and finally found a place to eat. the next day we realized a lot of the food places are less than a mile away from our place, haha!

the town is pretty small…about 9,000 people. it’s actually bigger than crescent city (where we moved from), but there’s a lot less here. there’s no wal-mart or any type of national chain stores. there’s only one grocery store…it’s owned by kroger, i guess. the closest wal-mart is 100 miles away. it’s going to take some getting used to, that’s for sure. the people seem pretty nice so far. we haven’t really met very many people, though. there isn’t much in the way of crafts here…so i guess i will have to stock up whenever we go out of town.

jonathan’s first day of work was on thursday (the 7th). it was mainly filling out paperwork and getting his uniform…fun stuff. his benefits for the whole family are fantastic. we’ve never had any so good. we’re super excited about that. he got paid for a full day that day, and also paid for friday even though he didn’t have to go in. today is his first day of training.

i hurt my back yesterday, so now i’m under orders to take it easy :). the girls are doing good. libbs and leila have had a few issues which i’m sure are related to the changes with the move, but over all they are adjusting well. liberty especially is really wanting to meet friends. we are definitely missing our friends back in cc (and michigan, too). we celebrated leila’s birthday on friday (the 8th). hard to believe she’s 3. we didn’t do much since we already had her party back in california. she requested spaghetti for dinner, and i made brownies for dessert. i used boxed brownies, and they turned out kind of funny (but the tasted ok). turns out i need to follow the directions for a higher altitude…that’s something to get used to (i think we’re about 6,000 feet up).

we’re liking our new place. it’s very spacious. the set up is different…the main floor has such a basement feel to it. there is the garage, a living area, bathroom w/ shower, bedroom and laundry room on the main level. the 2nd floor has another living area (with a fire place!!), two bedrooms, full bathroom, kitchen and dining area. there’s a small fenced yard in the back as well.

i guess that’s all for now. we should be getting our internet hooked up this week on thursday (a week earlier than planned!!). i’m sure we have a lot of catching up to do. oh, i did post pics of the new place (empty) on facebook last week.

celebrating leila

2010-09-30T22:26:00.001-06:00

we’ve been working hard this week packing away all of our belongings…trying to make do with just a little bit of this and that for the week. on monday 5 girls came over to help me pack…we got a ton accomplished. i’m so thankful for their help.

we are celebrated leila’s birthday a little early. originally that was planned so jonathan would be here for the party…but now we’re glad for the early celebration b/c we got to spend that time with family & friends.

leila at three: she’s quiet and sweet. and yet has the highest pitched screams and squeals of all the girls. she’s so innocent…and yet she has quite the naughty side at times. she talks quite a bit…but it’s hard to understand her because she talks so quiet and fast. she adores her sisters. she loves to copy liberty and mama-hen nadia. she loves baby dolls. she has a great imagination and will pretend all kinds of things are the mama and the child (i.e. a fork and a spoon). she’s eager to please. she’s very shy. we jokingly call her our “anti-social” girl at times b/c when we’re around big groups of people, she keeps to herself. she loves to help me clean house, do laundry, and cook. she loves to go to the park. she’s still wearing 2T clothing. she’s a cuddle bug. she likes to pray. she has the sweetest smile. we adore her!

her party…it was fun…but chaotic. here are a few pics:

the apron i made for her

birthday girl

granny (jonathan’s grandma) with the girls

leila’s best buddy evie

hiding while we were singing to her

why yes, we are…

2010-09-25T17:36:00.001-06:00

…moving to wyoming, that is. and not only are we moving to wyoming, but we’re leaving in just over a week! that was not in the plans originally. we knew we were moving to wyoming, but the original plan was for jonathan go to before us for his 10 week training, and then we would join him. but yesterday that all changed…God had other plans. now we are all leaving together…which means we have to pack up our place and leave on the 4th (yep, a week from monday!). it came about so quickly, but we can definitely see God’s had in it all. despite that, though, i’m still having a bit of a hard time wrapping my mind around it. all this time i knew i had 10 more weeks here to organize & pack, and spend time with a few close friends here…and now i don’t have that. it makes me sad. but i’m so thankful we can all go together as a family and not have to be separated. we even have a rental lined up and everything. we were worried a couple days ago about several things, and then yesterday everything was cleared up for us. we’re amazed and thankful.

oh yeah….we’re moving to a town called rawlins. it’s near the bottom center of wyoming off I-80. population of about 8-9 thousand. from what we hear it is pretty self-contained. there’s not even a wal-mart there…closet one is about an hour and a half away. it’ll be an adjustment. be praying for us. we are really excited. and i’m nervous, too. pray that i find some women to connect with…and friends for the girls. and for jonathan’s training and new job. thank you, friends!

and of course i can’t post a blog w/out pics…

gree & leila

another knitting project, a scarf for jonathan

this silly little girl will be 3 very soon. we’re celebrating a little early on thursday this week :)

i sure love these precious girls of mine…

checking out a caterpillar they caught

hard work paying off

2010-09-15T09:25:00.001-06:00

i mentioned in my last blog that i started running in july. i didn’t start to lose weight…i started to run off stress. and i wanted to start being more heart healthy on account of my dad. now i’m enjoying my runs and i am working hard to lose all that baby weight i’ve gained over the last 5 years…and i am finally seeing a difference! i can finally fit into a pair of jeans i haven’t been able to put on since before i got pregnant with leila…so about 4 years ago. i figured out the numbers the other day and since may, i have lost 19lbs!! (10 of those pounds i lost right after my dad passed away…the rest i have lost since july…and i’ve been working really hard at it!). so, here are a couple pics of me in my jeans that finally fit again!

and just because i think my girls are so cute…here are a few pics of them…

nadia trying on shows…and looking so much like i did at that age (besides the light hair)…she’s even wearing my sweater :).

a current favorite picture of mine…it makes me smile. they wanted me to take pictures of them pretending to be asleep. aren’t they precious?!

and here they are checking out an atlas…which they love to do!

i’ve been doing lots of crafting recently…loving that. sewing, knitting…all kind of goodies. will share when i can. here’s a rag quilt i made recently:

blessed

2010-09-09T12:23:00.001-06:00

it has been so long since i’ve really blogged. i keep meaning to sit down and write something up, but some how time just slips away from me. or when i do have time, i can’t think of words to write. here’s a little update on us…

nadia finally got the cast off of her leg last week. her bone is healing quite nicely. the cut her leg with the saw a little bit, so she was pretty unhappy about that, but it seems to be healing well. she still walks around like she has a cast on her leg :).

nadia is 18 months old now. she’s looking more and more like a toddler/little girl (rather than a baby, sniff!) every day. and she’s talking up a storm. she does say quite a few words and some sentences. it amazes me. she mimics her sisters a ton.

liberty is doing good, too. she’s very interested in learning more about reading and words and all of that. i think i’ll be ordering her hooked on phonics here soon. she’s full of energy and life and is our social butterfly. this girl would go out and do something all day every day if she could. i’m still having trouble getting her to poop in the potty. i’ve tried all kinds of things, and nothing gets her to do it. seriously! i know she knows how, because she’s done it before. i’m at my wits end with this one!

leila will be 3 next month…i cannot believe that. for some reason my mind cannot fathom her being 3. she could be my little 2-year-old forever!! she’s so sweet and caring and quiet…and yet if something isn’t going quite her way, you will know it!!

i started running in early july. i started because i needed a way to get rid of some stress, and i’m really enjoying it now. i started out small and am working my way into longer runs. i’m proud of myself for working on getting in better shape and trying to live a healthier lifestyle. and i enjoy getting out and having a little time to myself to pray and think and just be.

i finished a quilt in time for the local quilt show. i started in late april/early may…and had it done in time for the quilt show in mid-august. it’s a king-sized log cabin quilt…barn raising pattern. i didn’t win anything, but i’m sure proud of myself for getting it done so quickly. it’s on our bed now….looking huge b/c we only have a full-sized bed, haha!

i’m feeling incredibly blessed by an amazing group of friends who have been a huge support to me…near or far! they’ve listened, prayed, encouraged…just been there for me. i’ve gotten date nights with my hubby, my girls have been loved on…i’m just so thankful for great friends!! i’m especially thankful that i have friends who lift me up in Christ!

i recently started selling Scentsy. Click on the word to check out my website and discover what scentsy is all about. it’s just a little way for me to make some extra money and meet new people. i love it!

we recently went hiking in the redwoods with jonathan’s sister sarah and her family. they also have 3 daughters, and all 6 of our girls get along quite well. it was such a fun day. those redwood trees are absolutely amazing!

about those last two pictures…the first is liberty & zoe…aren’t they so cute?! after i snapped this, zoe spit on liberty and then said, “i just saved your life. there was a mosquito on you!” it was so funny! the second pic is sarah & mark (sarah is jonathan’s sister)…they are some of my favorite people to be around. love them!

let’s see…i guess that is about all for now…just some tidbits of my life. maybe i can keep up a little more often now!

saw this on another blog...so true...

2010-08-07T20:52:00.001-06:00

fractured

2010-07-22T23:33:00.001-06:00

we had our first er visit (& broken bone) for one of the kids this past week. libbs was rough-housing with nadia on friday evening and nadia hurt her leg. she wouldn’t walk on it and cried if we moved it. we decided to keep an eye on her for a while because we weren’t sure if it was something serious or not. by bed time she still wasn’t walking on her leg. we put her to bed and about an hour later she woke up screaming and crying and her leg was so sensitive. i took her to the er. we were there for 5 hours. she had x-rays. they found nothing and sent her home with “leg pain.” the doctor there told me to take her to her doctor in about a week if she wasn’t better.

i decided to make her an appointment first thing monday morning…they got her in that evening. it was the first time we ever saw that doctor, and i thought he was great. he was good with nadia, very thorough, and very caring. he found that her leg was quite sensitive and saw that she wouldn’t bear weight on that leg…but wasn’t sure what was wrong. he was concerned because she wouldn’t use her leg. he thought maybe she had a sprain, but seemed like maybe it was something more. he sent us home and told us to come back in a week to see if it was any better. the next morning (tuesday), nadia’s doctor called. he said he had been thinking about nadia all night and he had the radiologist look over her x-rays and they did find a fracture on her tibia.

for the next two days the doctor was trying to find someone to cast her leg (we live in a small town with limited healthcare at times). i did lots of calling, too. but we finally got someone who could splint her leg today. she’s got a splint that goes up above her knee. that will be on for at least 10 days, then we’ll go in to get it checked and see if it can be replaced with one that goes below her knee for 2-3 weeks. should be interesting!

it seems like nadia is more comfortable now that her leg is being protected, but she is getting frustrated with not being able to get around even by crawling. poor thing!! here are a few pictures of our little trooper cutie pie:

an afternoon of libbs and knitting

2010-07-13T20:29:00.001-06:00

while leila and nadia were napping, liberty begged to play outside…and for me to come out, too. so i threw a sheet on the ground and enjoyed some time with my oldest daughter. and i got to knit…bonus! i took a few pics…liberty took a few pics…and here’s what we got:

miss libbs enjoying a freeze pop

can you believe how big she is getting??

libbs took this one…sun was in my eyes big time, hence the weird face

love this one of libbs and i

libbs took this…i like how it turned out

my knitting project

libbs took this, too

i never win anything…

2010-07-05T21:25:00.001-06:00

and then i did! i was super excited a couple months ago when i found out i won amanda soule's books “the creative family” and “handmade home.” i just love her blog and simple way of living. i won the books from a drawing on the petite purl blog. woo hoo! i’ve entered so many different drawings and contests and just never win…so this was extra exciting for me. i got the books in the mail the other day…they are even autographed :).

i know it’s been a while since i’ve blogged. just haven’t been able to sit down and write. it’s been a rough couple of months. still trying to wrap my mind around everything. one of these days i’ll write a little post in memory for my dad. for now, i’ll share a pic of him walking me down the aisle on my wedding day (february 7, 2004). i miss him more than words can say.

i don't know

2010-05-21T23:13:00.001-06:00

my dad passed away. less than a week from when he was sent home from the hospital, he is gone. i just can't believe it. i don't know what i am going to do without my daddio around. i miss him so much. wednesday morning my mom called to tell me he had been found dead at his house. heart attack. i flew out to michigan the very next day. these last couple of days have been packed full with planning his service with my sister. i never thought i'd be in charge of something like that at such a young age. it seems unreal. and explaining all of this to my girls...oh my. jonathan and the girls had to stay back in cali...we couldn't afford for all of us to come out. it's very hard. one of these days i will write a little post in memory of my dad. he and i were close. my heart is breaking.

the service for my dad is on monday. i'm here for a week and a half after that so my sister and i can take care of his estate. i think i'm rambling a bit.

everyone keeps asking how i'm doing...the answer: i don't know.

heart catheter results

2010-05-13T16:04:00.000-06:00

my dad had the heart catheter procedure done yesterday to check out what is going on in is arteries. the news was not great. there are just 3 arteries going into your heart. the one at the bottom of his heart was 100% blocked and there was scarring (deadened heart tissue). they are unable to do anything about that artery b/c of the scarring. the aorta (the biggest and main artery) was 60% blocked. they didn't do anything with this artery either because i guess it has to be 70% or more blocked before they will put a stent in. the plan is for him to see the cardiologist twice a year and keep a close eye on the aorta. he will also have a stress test done in july. and he has to implement a new diet. he's still at a very high risk for another heart attack. it stinks to be so far away right now. i want to be there to help my dad out with whatever he needs. thanks for your continued prayers!

Dad Update

2010-05-09T21:02:00.001-06:00

hi there! a little update on my dad...he does have pneumonia in both lungs. he's been in isolation yesterday and today...hopefully will get into a regular room tomorrow as long as some tests come back ok. he hasn't had the catheter done yet because he is still coughing up some blood (from the pneumonia). when the blood stops, then they can do the catheter and check out what kind of damage was done to his heart. i talked to him a few times today and he sounds much better today than yesterday. he's pretty bummed about everything going on. thanks so much for your prayers!!

on another note...HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all you mamas out there!! :)

My Daddy

2010-05-08T08:21:00.001-06:00

this is my dad and i right before we moved back to california. i wanted to ask that you please remember him in your prayers. last night i got a call that he had a mild heart attack and possibly has pneumonia. they are putting in a catheter some time today to see why there was a lack of oxygen to his heart. it’s so hard to be so far away right now.

thank you so much for your prayers!

smiling is fun!!

2010-04-21T17:14:00.001-06:00

some smiles from this past week…

1. jonathan’s new position. he took a position with another company doing the same kind of work (sales), except now he works for a couple of great travel magazines. and he’ll be home more often…yea!!

2. getting my dream vehicle…a mini van!! jonathan decided to sell his truck (it was just too expensive to upkeep and we wanted a family friendly vehicle)…and we got a used pontiac montana. we’re really enjoying our new ride.

3. a hike in the redwoods…lots of fun!

4. liberty’s first swim lesson…she is just loving it! she got right in the water and did everything her teacher asked of her. she even went all the way under the water. we’re so proud of her!

5. an overnight girls trip. a group of us mama’s were able to get away for the night to medford. it was so much fun to hang out with the just the girls…no kiddos to be found. thanks so much to my hubby for staying with our girlies at home so i could have a night away :).

6. a few days of sunshine. gotta’ love that vitamin D :).

7. 3 nights in a row that all 3 girls (this pertains mostly to leila) have slept well for just about the entire night. bliss, i tell you!

8. birthday money. jonathan’s parents gave me money for my birthday…but they waited to give it to me until right before my girls night trip, that way i could get some fun stuff in medford. i got a new dress, new shoes, a book, a necklace and a fun sign to hang in our house.

9. knitting. i’m still knitting away on liberty’s blanket. i guarantee it will not be finished by her birthday…so i’ll have to save it for christmas, i think…but it’s coming along.

10. to go along with the previous smile…i am teaching my sister-in-law sarah how to knit now…so that is fun. we were able to knit together on the way to medford :).

11. a soon-to-happen date night with my hubby. it’s been a while since we’ve had a real date…and i think it’s going to happen within a few days…so that’s definitely something worth smiling about!!

my poor forgotten blog…

2010-04-13T20:27:00.001-06:00

well…i haven’t really forgotten about my blog…i just haven’t made the time to sit down and write anything. the girls keep me busy…especially when jonathan is away. when they go to bed at night i try to catch up on a little housework and knitting. i’m working on knitting a blanket for liberty for her birthday (which is just around the corner on may 1!). it doesn’t look like i’m going to finish it in time…so maybe it will have to be saved for her birthday…we’ll see. liberty has requested an incredibles cake for her birthday. do you know how hard it is to find anything from “the incredibles” anymore?! i finally found some little figurines on ebay. i’m going to put them on her cake…and then we’ll clean them off and she can play with them. i cannot wait until she sees them!! and since we are talking about liberty’s birthday…i cannot believe she is going to be 4! wow!

we are doing alright here. mostly settled into our new place…although i do still have some boxes to go through. and our bedroom is nowhere near set up the way i want it…but that room always comes last :). the girls have adjusted really well. we all miss everyone in michigan very much. we’re so thankful for skype…we talk to my dad, mom, sister and nephews on skype quite a bit. so nice to be able to see our loved ones while talking!

the girls are good. liberty is her normal busy self. she says the funniest things. take today, for example. she asked daddy for a drink of his soda and he obliged. she then said (i kid you not), “i’ve been dying to get my lips on that soda!” where does she come up with this stuff?! she’s also doing a lot of boundary testing. she seems to really like pushing our buttons! she is so ready to start school stuff these days. she’s so interested in so many things…always asking questions. she’s been playing some great learning games on a website called starfall. she loves it!

leila is coming out of her shy shell more and more. she’s still a quiet little sweet girl, but she’s also got quite the temper and she’ll let you know when she’s upset. she’s full of smiles and still loves playing with her babies. she’s aquired an attitude of late…what fun! she’s 2 1/2 now…i don’t know how that happened.

nadia is doing good. she’s walking well. she’s saying a few words…her favorite being “hi.” she says it to us all day long…and she’ll say “hi” over and over whenever we are out and about. she’s generally very smiley and happy. she’s been teething lately, so she’s had a nasty rash and a nasty disposition…i’m ready for that to be done…i want my happy baby back. she has weaned from nursing…i miss it. we also decided a few weeks back that it was time to toss the binky…and in lieu of that, she decided to suck her thumb. perhaps it isn’t the greatest thing, but i think it’s just adorable. she mostly does that when she’s tired/going to sleep. she’s also what we like to call our little bully. if she wants something, she’ll go right up to her sisters and take it…and then hold onto it for dear life when they try to take it back. libbs and leila will come crying to me when this happens…seriously…nadia has a bit of a mean streak that we are trying to tame!

ok…i’ll share a few (or a lot of) pics now… shirts from poppo & memaw that say “i’d rather bee in michigan”

daddy/daughter talk puny

libbs nadi sucking a sandy thumb

sis-n-law sarah and i jonathan and i

my little stinker baking bread w/ the girls. we’re trying to do this every week so we don’t have to buy bread.

nadia with great granny girls on easter this coat was worn by my mom & her sisters and other family members as well…so fun!

me, sarah, bekah (jonathan’s sisters)

a rainbow on easter

nadia’s first pigtails…so cute!!

pacific ocean she literally took a nose-dive love this one (no, that’s not poo) precious my made up pizza concoction (before baking)

leila

took the kids to the pool. found leila and nadia asleep after they ate their dinner…yes…asleep just like this!!