Our Beautiful Blessings!

Homeschool Really Works!!!

2012-02-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

At the dinner table one night Owen started singing a number song we had sung at school....three times! I was so proud of him that he picked it up so fast. In fact I was so proud I had him call Miss Kim and sing it to her over the phone. It's so fun to actually see and hear the fruits of our labor. Going into school Owen already knew his ABC's and there sounds, but in regards to numbers he didn't really know how to count past 15. Now he can count by himself all the way to 30 and since he knows this song it's only a matter of time before he'll be able to count all the way to 100. It's so wonderful seeing him grasp and learn new things.

New Glasses!

2012-02-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas I got a horrible headache while watching Avatar at my parents house. I figured it had something to do with the new surround sound and it being so loud, but the headache came back the next day. Then I thought maybe it was caffeine withdrawal since I wasn't drinking tea while I was at their house. Nope, that wasn't it. So after having this horrible headache for almost 2 weeks I decided to go to the eye doctor to see if it might be my eyes. Thankfully my eyes were healthy and my prescription didn't change much at all so I knew it couldn't be that. So I decided to go up for prayer that Sunday, put a prayer request in at MOPS on Monday and Tuesday and then asked for prayer again on Wednesday at my Bible Study and by that afternoon the headaches were gone. The best part...I haven't had another headache since! YAHOO!

I did go ahead and order new glasses since the ones I was wearing were almost 2 years old. The name of these are brown twinkle. They have a little bling on the sides. I actually didn't even see these specific glasses when I ordered them. They only had them in black at the eye doctors, but they looked in the catalog and found this style name, but there wasn't a picture. I knew that I would like brown better than black so I just went for it and I really like them. My nose and ears are still getting use to them because they fit me a little differently. The only thing I need to do now is find new clip on sunglasses. The eye doctor didn't have any that would fit this style, but I'm sure I can find some at Costco or Wal-Mart.

Ella's Shaky Dance!

2012-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ella can shake it with the best of 'em. I love her sweet and sassy personality!

Ella's Outdoor Adventures!

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Since we've had a few nice days in a row we have been trying to take advantage of it. The kids have spent quite a lot of time outside and that includes Ella. I've been letting her go in the front yard by herself for ages, but the backyard is a different story. First off there is the staircase going down to the backyard that is 17 steps high and then the yard isn't fences plus a few other things just added up to me not feeling comfortable letting her go down there without me. Recently that has changed! She wants to be like her big brothers so bad and since she is more stable now since her surgery I feel more comfortable letting her go.

This was Ella's first time on the slide since her infamous fall that led to us find her Hydrocephalus. She is seriously a pro when it comes to climbing up the ladder now. No hesitation and she just climbs right up. It still amazes me the changes that have happened since September.

This is her saying, "No pictures Mama!"

The boys are really good about keeping track of Ella when she's outside and she doesn't really want to be anywhere without them. However they are faster than she is so when it comes to going up the stairs they normally beat her. The other day I was in the kitchen and I see Owen and then Jack, but no Ella. Jack was the last one in and I ask him where Sissy Girl is and he says outside. That's when I went to go get her and he had shut the sliding door on her and locked it. Silly brother!!!

This is the north side of property the only unfinished section. Of course the kids LOVE IT! It's lovingly called 'The Canyon'. The boys have been so sweet helping Ella climb up the steep bank. They really do want her to feel included.

Another thing I feel more comfortable about letting her do is swinging on the tire swing. Before I couldn't trust that she would keep holding on. She's let go before when the tire swing was out over the highest part and it freaked me out. This time around she did really good....of course I still don't swing her as high as I do when it's just the boys.

Additions To Ella's Apron!

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

After finishing Ella's apron I started thinking about what I could do to make it even more cool. Since I cut the dish towel in half for Ella's apron I had a whole other half to work with. So I decided to attach a pocket to her apron and make a pot holder.

First off I cut out the two piece of fabric I would need.

Then I folded over the edges of the pocket and sewed them up.

Then I attached the pocket to the apron. I decided to only make one pocket because I didn't want to cover up the cute chick on the other side.

I used the second piece of fabric to sew a pot holder for her. The top actually opens so she can put her hand in the pot holder. Although....Jack couldn't fit his hand in it so I might have sewed it too small. Oh well...she can just use it like a normal pot holder.

2 Year Pictures!

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Even though Ella doesn't technically turn 2 until the 16th we decided to have her birthday pictures taken at the same time we did Owen's. She was sick that day so I was sure she wasn't going to cooperate at all. In the beginning she didn't, but the photographer just kept giving us ideas on how to get her to warm up. Finally after playing on the 3 step staircase she got into it. Seriously, I'm amazed that the pictures turned out as great at they did!

My cute little 2 year old!

One thing I was worried about was that you would be able to tell she had been crying prior to this...I'm so happy you can't. Love her milky white skin and the fact that you can still see her angel kiss on her forehead.

Playing Peek-A-Boo!

To check out Ella's 1st Birthday pictures click here.

5 Year Pictures!!

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time again....seriously I'm in shock that we have a 5 year old. Where did the time go???

I love going and getting the kids birthday pictures taken at Sears. Owen was so excited to get his picture taken with the big 5! He really feels like a BIG guy now!

He is so easy to photograph too. He will do anything and loves to cheese it up for the camera.

Love how this one looks just like a traditional school picture.

Those are my handsome boys!!!

Check out Owen's 4th, 3rd, 2nd & 1st Birthday pictures by clicking on the numbers.

Ella's Apron!

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I found this tutorial on Pinterest for a kids apron and I knew I wanted to try and make one for Ella for her birthday. First thing was finding the supplies....dish towel and a pot holder.

I was wanting to find a Valentine's pattern, but by the time I got to the store it was slim pickings in the Valentine's section. So she's gonna get a cute bunny apron instead.

First thing I did was cut the dish towel in half.

Then I folded the cut seam over, pinned it and then pinned in three pleats. Seriously I AM NOT a seamstress so I have no idea if I actually did the pleats correctly or not, but it worked for me.

Then I added the ribbon for the belt and then the pot holder for the chest portion of the apron.

Last was the ribbon around the neck and there it is. It turned out super cute and I'm really happy...don't look to close to the stitches though they are hideous. Thankfully 2 year olds aren't too picky!

MOPS Crafts!

2012-02-05T07:00:00.001-08:00

I'm horrible at updating about the crafts we do at MOPS, but more than that I'm horrible at taking pictures while the ladies are making the crafts. Sheesh you'd think I wasn't a blogger at all! Anyways the first two crafts are ones we did last year.

Clothespin Magnets!

We used cheapo clothespins from Wal-Mart.....50 for less than a $1! Gotta love that. I had punched out a bunch of paper flowers and we had some felt ones too. A little hot glue for the flowers and the magnet on the back and TA DA...clip magnet for the frig!

Paper Baskets!

They are super easy to make. The one in the picture is a big one (12 X 12 piece of paper). The ones we made at MOPS were smaller (6 X 6) in size. They were so cute...perfect for little party favors! I found the tutorial for these online ages ago, but I can't find it anymore....I just know how to make them from memory. If you are interested in having the instructions let me know.

Napkin Rings!

Our most recent craft was making napkin rings using toilet paper rolls. At first we were going to use old plastic film canisters, but we couldn't figure out how to cut them without endangering someones fingers so I came up with using toilet paper rolls. I had been saving them for another craft that isn't going to happen now because it's just too involved, but they came in handy anyways. At first I was grossed out by using them since they are going to be on the table and all, but I'm not a germ freak so I got over it. I use my friend Kim's Big Shot die cutting machine again and cut out a bunch of felt flowers in all different colors and we had buttons to go in the middle. Break out the hot glue gun and you have yourself a cute homemade napkin ring!

Draw!

2012-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Our normal bedtime routine includes...

Having the boys go to the bathroom to pee and get a drink of water.

Giving Owen his tummy medicine.

Sitting on the floor in the boys room reading the kids devotional, practicing their Scripture verses and taking turns praying.

Hugs, kisses, snuggles, songs and tucking in for the boys.

Going into Ella's room and snuggling, praying and tucking her in.

This is where we found her one night while we were tucking the boys in bed and Michael had told her to go wait in her room....

In her words..."I draw!"

She knows how to turn on the Leapster and get to the coloring section all by herself.

This is her knowing she's a ham and eating up the attention!

Because....

2012-02-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

eating Nutella right out of the jar is SO GOOD!!!

Also if you haven't tried eating a banana and spreading Nutella on it yet you better march yourself right to the nearest store and buy some because it is hands down the best snack you'll ever have!!

Bird Feeder!

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

A few months back I finally jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and ever since I've been finding tons of cools things to make or do and surprisingly I've actually done some of them.

I found this particular craft for a natural bird feeder the other day and thought it would be fun to have the boys help me make it. Owen got to scrap the peanut butter out and Jack got to put in the oatmeal and raisins.

Of course once I started mixing it up that is about the time they bailed on me. My kids' attention span is about a nanosecond.

I pretty much finished up the rest of the project on my own. Ella, Logan and Jack watched during this part.

Then we took them outside and hung them on the tree. Now we just need to wait and see if the birds like our offering for them. Of course about 10 minutes after we hung them up I heard Owen screaming from the backyard so I went out to see what was going on. "There's a bird Mama!" That's when the conversation about 'not yelling at the birds because they won't come eat the food when you do that' started.

Cutie Patooties!

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

After months of trying to talk Jack into joining Owen for Taekwondo I finally just pulled out the tough Mom card and made him go in. Surprise, surprise the kid LOVES it. I knew he would! He was terrified of the adults and the kids and thought I was going to leave him. Not sure why since he had sat with me and watched Owen every time we took him and I have never left. Who knows how a 3 year olds brain works, but alas he's finally going.

It took a couple weeks for his uniform to come in due to a mess up in the shipping and then the holidays, but it finally got here and he looks so cute! At first Jack was stuck to Owen like glue, but he is getting more and more confident being out there and showing his stuff. I'm so proud of both of my boys!

Countertop Cuties!!

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

If I'm in the kitchen...which being a Mom is most of the time...the girls usually want to be right there with me.

Of course their arms outstretch and they start asking to be up on the countertop...

together!!!

How We Weathered THE Storm!

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is what our tree normally looks like. The lower branches are over 6ft off the ground...Michael can walk under it without having to duck.

This is what it looked like when the snow froze into ice. I was sure some of those branches were going to snap, but they held on tight.

The neighbors tree across the street wasn't so lucky.

It was fun seeing how the icicles were hanging off everything.

It's was really quite beautiful!

Ella and I even broke off some icicles to eat.

After the snow froze we pretty much stayed inside. We visited the ER enough last year so I really didn't want to start this year off making a trip there.

After the snow and ice melted Michael had to take care of the aftermath.

These three trees that were on the side of our driveway all snapped.

They weren't healthy and Michael was wanting to chop them down anyways.

Since they are the kind of trees that have shoots that come up he left the trunks thinking maybe they will eventually fill in again. We'll see! If they don't start filling in we are just going to rip them out. I think this area would make some nice garden space.

Can you say summer campfires!!!

Baby Update - 20 Weeks!!

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

The halfway mark is here!

Part of me feels that it's gone fast, but most of me feels like it's taken forever to get to this point. Don't get me wrong I don't want to rush this since it is my last pregnancy. I really enjoy being pregnant normally, but I have to tell you this pregnancy above all the others has had me so worried. I've tried and tried to not freak out and I think I've done a good job, but I still couldn't ever get that tight feeling in my chest to completely go away.

I'm at the best part though...I CAN FINALLY FEEL THE BABY MOVING!!!

This above all is what I've been waiting for. To feel those flips and kicks are so absolutely reassuring to me. I love it!!! This baby is a bit crazy too. There are big gaps in time between the kicks, but when Baby Z is awake and moving I know it.

In regards to my body my back is starting to bother me some. Our insurance covers massage therapy so I have my first appointment on Friday. I'm really looking forward to that and hoping it will help some. I figured since it was my 6th pregnancy I deserved a little professional pampering!

Michael and I still don't have any definite ideas as to the gender...I just can't wait to snuggle and nurse a baby. Doesn't matter to me if it's a boy or a girl. Jack on the other hand is SO convinced it's a girl. In fact he's told Ga-Ga that she's wrong because she thinks it's a boy. I asked him the other day if he would be mad if Baby Z was a boy and he said, "Yeah...it's a girl!" Oh my goodness! Owen also thinks it's a girl, but he's not quite so adamant about it. I think Ella thinks it's a girl because about a week ago I asked her to say hi to the baby and she said, "Hi..." and used the girl name we have picked out. It will be interesting to find out in 20 short weeks!

My Dreams!

2012-01-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to write down all the things I dream about having or doing right now. Not that I'm not happy with life right now, but because I think it will be fun to look back in a few years and see which ones have actually come true.

- I dream of remodeling our kitchen and playroom into one big kitchen / homework station for the kids.

- I dream of taking the kids to either Disneyland or Disneyworld and seeing the look of wonder in their eyes.

- I dream of getting a bouncy house for the kids so they can bounce, jump and fall as much as they want.

- I dream of going to New York with Michael to see the 9/11 Memorial when it's finished.

- I dream of a day when my kids are all grown and I have hours and hours on end to do nothing, but get crafty!!! Just keepin' it real!

- I dream of remodeling our basement into a studio apartment...first to be used as a school house for the kids and then one day to be used as a place for either set of our parents to live.

- I dream of one day having a house or a cabin on a lake.

- I dream of my children going to college, getting married and making me a grandma one day.

- I dream of growing a vegetable garden so big we can sustain ourselves.

- I dream of having an awesome emergency kit so we'll prepared if the BIG ONE hits.

Okay those are a few of my dreams....what do you dream about?

Fiesty!

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

This cute almost 2 year old has been throwing me for a loop recently. She is so strong willed and her favorite words are "Mine" and "No". She's also started the hitting phase. My biggest challenges with her are diaper changes, changing her clothes and brushing her teeth. She is fine when Daddy or Ga-Ga change her and she's an absolute terror when I change her. I honestly dread changing her...it's such a battle. I try being lighthearted about it and have fun, but sometimes we just need to get going or I have dinner cooking and I just need to change her poopy diaper now and not mess around.

Yesterday I tried giving her choices that still got the same outcome and that seemed to help. Such as saying, "Ella it's time to change your diaper do you want to lay down on your own or do you want Mama to lay you down?" She did seem to respond better to that. My friend Kim suggested that I read The Strong Willed Child...I thought I had that book, but I think I just borrowed it from the church library and gave it back because it's was an old edition. Currently I'm reading Bringing Up Girls so I think I'll finish that one first and then check out The Strong Willed Child from the library. What I don't want to do is make her feel like she can't be her own person. I want her to have her own opinions and be a strong independent person, but she also needs to understand who the authority figures are in her life and respect them.

New Camera!

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday my Dad and I went shopping for my new camera. I had done a ton of research online prior to going to the store. I was pretty sure I wanted this one camera, but I just needed to get my hands on it. I'm not really an Internet shopper I'm an Internet researcher. When it comes to actually making a purchase I love being able to go to the store, buy it and bring it home. I'm not good with waiting for shipping either!

Anyway online the camera I wanted was on a screamin' sale...I'm talking $110 off the original price. Of course at the store it was the normal price. I was bummed, but figured I'd order it online. Then I asked one of the workers and he was happy to check online and give us that price. YAY!!!

Here's my new beauty! So far from playing around with it I love it. It's got all sorts of features and fun settings. It has a really good rating 4.8 out of 5 stars and I can see why. The zoom is amazing! The manual is pretty basic, but it comes with a DVD I can watch to get more information...this was one of the things that someone complained about. I'm so happy to have a good camera to take pictures with again. I'm lost without a camera! In the words of my Dad, "Let's hope this camera doesn't get "Jacked" anytime soon!" I'm going to do my best make sure of it!

Thanks Dad!!!

Crusin'!

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

This boy loves his new bike. He's been riding it around and around the house ever since his birthday. We don't really have that big of a house, but he can fit around tight corners and he takes them pretty fast. Hopefully by the time this posts the weather will have cleared up enough for him to take it for a ride outside!

Side Note: My camera is dead...kaput! Jack dropped it the other day and it would cost almost the same amount as a new camera does to send it in and get it repaired. Right now I'm using my moms camera, but for some reason it has a really hard time taking a picture without it being blurry...note the picture above. But my boys aren't the only ones to have the coolest Dad...mine offered to buy me a new camera!!! Soon I'll be back to my crystal clear picture taking ways!

Crazy Dancers!

2012-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

I was dancing the other day for some reason and Ella started to dance too so I thought I would get it on tape. A few days before this we saw a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode that had this crazy dance that Donald does that involves shaking his tush....Owen loves to shake his tush so it was right up his alley. So happy I got this on tape!

Fun With Friends!

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

The other day we had our neighbors Lance & Rachael over for dinner with their two girls. Kendra and Ella have known each other since they were 5 & 3 months old. It's been so much seeing them grow up together. Kendra actually taught Ella how to jump on the couch so I taped them jumping together. They are such cute girls!

Group Hug!

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Totally, spontaneous, absolutely, adorable show of affection!

They Have The Coolest Dad!

2012-01-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

After working almost a full day what does he come home and do for his boys? Why build them an igloo of course!!!

There is an episode of Curious George that the boys have seen over and over where George builds an igloo with a friend. Ever since seeing it they've wanted to build one. The snow was perfect packing snow so Michael used one of his old 5 gallon paint buckets and got started.

These boys loved being outside with their Daddy playing and helping.

That's one big igloo!

Here it is after Daddy rounded out some of the edges and filled in all the cracks with snow. Michael said that it was actually starting to get quite warm inside while he was working. In fact when he was inside I was calling his name and he couldn't even hear me....now that's insulation! Now I just hope the rain holds off long enough so the boys can play in it tomorrow!

White Elephant Gift!

2012-01-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

Last week our MOPS Leadership Team had our annual Christmas/White Elephant Gift Party. We always have it in January after all the busyness slows down. This year I didn't really have a funny gift on hand since I did that all decluttering last summer. So I decided to get creative and make something I had seen at a White Elephant Gift Party a few years ago. Say hello to....

A Candle Lite Dinner In A Box!

Dollar Tree Craft Project!

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

For a long time I've wanted one of those hanging wire fruit basket, but I didn't want to spend the money on one. What I had in mind was something similar to this...

The other day I was at The Dollar Tree and I happened to notice these baskets.

I bought 3 of them and started figuring out how I was going to turn them into what I envisioned. At first I used black zip ties, but that looked homemade to me and I didn't like it so I started over.

This time I removed two of the handles and then threaded them through the bottom of two of the baskets. Once they were threaded through I rehooked them to the basket portion. I didn't want them to look to perfect so I alternated the handles so they weren't all going the same direction.

I think it turned out good, but to get the full effect I need to get some fruit in it.

Ta Da!! I was going to hang it over by my kitchen sink, but I actually really like it hanging off the end of the pot rack. It's accessible for the kids and I can reach up into the highest basket easily. So for $3 I think it turned out really awesome!

We're Not Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf AKA Owen's 5th Birthday Party!

2012-01-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

This years theme for Owen's party was The 3 Little Pigs & The Big Bad Wolf. I was having a hard time figuring out what theme to go with a couple months back and then I read my old book to him for the first time and he fell in love with it...so I ran with the idea.

My old co-workers from Safeco should find this funny. I didn't get rid of ALL my pigs so I used 3 of them for the centerpiece at the food table.

After eating our pigs in a blanket (little smokies in crescent rolls) and wolves in a blanket (roast beef in crescent rolls) it was time to read the storybook. I was worried the kids would be having so much fun playing with toys they don't normally play with that they wouldn't be into this, but they all sat and listened very carefully. It helped that the book is a bit exciting!

After the book it was time for the first game based on the saying, "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin" in the book. Except the pigs don't have hair on their chin so I thought it would be fun for the kids to try to stick hair on the pigs chin.

Jack giving it a shot. I love how even though Andrew and Kendra are fighting over Evil Dr Porkchop they both took time to stop and watch Jack! Kids are hilarious!!!

The end results were...no chin hair, but Kendra got the closest with getting it in his ear. Her prize was a piggy back she can paint.

Sorry the picture quality stinks. My camera is down for the count so I was borrowing my mom's and I didn't have the setting right. All the other pictures are courtesy of my Dad.

The next game was what I named "The Huff & Puff"! The kids got to be the big bad wolf and try to blow the pigs house down. Michael cut a hole in a Solo cup and put Hamm from Toy Story in it. Then the kids had to get on their tummies and blow his "house" down. We would put tape on the floor to mark off who blew their house the furthest. Camryn won this game and she got a periscope just like the one that the wolf used in the book to spy on the pigs.

Partygoers!!!

Ga-Ga with Ella Bean!

Kim with Josiah!

Rachael with Lilyann!

Aunt Stephie, Pa & Aunt Becky!

Uncle Ry, Daddy & Mr. Micah!

The birthday boy himself! Sadly he wasn't feeling very good most of the day...hence the lack of pictures of him. He did brighten up for the book, games and cake...although he didn't really eat anything. His cake is the strong brick house that the third little pig built that couldn't be blown down by the big bad wolf. I made it with ice cream sandwiches, crushed Oreos and Cool Whip. It was the easiest and most tasty cake I've ever made!!!

Happy 5th Birthday Buddy!!!

Singing to the birthday boy!

Making his wish!

Present time...Owen was opening his present from Jack here. I took Jack to The Dollar Tree and let him pick out a present for Owen all on his own. He picked out a shark that grows in water and a flashlight that Owen can clip on his clothes.

Owen seeing his BIG present from Ga-Ga & Pa.

Cars big boy bike! He's been riding it around the house all day. He's really good too...I don't think those training wheels will be on for long.

Group shot! I love love love how Ella and Kendra (front row in pink) have identical cheeser faces!

Owen playing with his new Leapster 2 from Uncle Ry & Aunt Stephie....the one we got him last year for his birthday bit the dust a few months back. He is loving being able to play it again!

Thank you to all our family and friends that were able to celebrate Owen's 5th Birthday with us!

Happy Birthday To My First Born!!!

2012-01-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

5 years ago today Owen Michael came into this world and forever changed mine! He is my strongly opinionated, fiercely driven, overly independent, lover of snuggles, super silly 5 year old!

Best memories of the day so far have to be snuggling in bed with him and singing Happy Birthday first thing this morning. Also when we got out of bed I went over to the window and then said, "Owen what did God give you on your birthday?" Then I opened the blinds really wide and this HUGE smile came across his face when he the snow. He has been praying and praying for at least a month for snow. In the mornings he would look outside and say, "God didn't answer my prayer...I just have to wait" I told him that some times we have to wait a long time to have our prayers answered just like when we prayed for him we had to wait 6 years! To have God answer my sweet little 5 year old's prayer ON HIS BIRTHDAY....now that is super cool!!!

Grateful For Trials!

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Over the last 2+ years we have gone through SO much in our lives and of course we are still currently going through trials, but I can honestly say that I am truly grateful for the trials that were brought our way. Over two years ago I remember Michael coming home and tell me that he was unemployed. At that moment I couldn't even deal with our new reality! I actually told Michael I couldn't talk about it right then and then I took the kids to IKEA and met a friend. I just needed to get away and digest everything. Just for my records I want to list things out as they happened and how God worked things out for good.

November 2009 - Michael becomes unemployed. We go from a one income family to bringing in no money. Michael feels strongly that this is God's way of opening a new chapter in our lives. I'm 6 months pregnant with Ella and we discover she has an irregular heartbeat. Praise God it wasn't anything that would require surgery and it just fixed itself in the womb!

December 2009 - Michael starts receiving unemployment and I start the process of applying for state assistance. God uses this to humble me and help me understand people in the same situation and have more compassion for them. Michael applies for numerous jobs daily and obtains a job with a Life Insurance Company. It's a self employment/commission based job so Michael continues to receive unemployment while he's learning the ropes and not actually earning income.

January 2010 - Michael is gone on numerous business trips learning the ropes. I hold down the fort at home. When Michael is home he only sees the boys for about a half an hour a day because of his odd working hours.

Feburary 2010 - After praying and talking about what is best for our family, Michael makes the decision to leave the Life Insurance job. Since the job was a self employment job and he really never made any money, Michael never lost his unemployment income. A week and a half later Ella is born via C-Section. Due to our financial situation we receive a 100% grant from Swedish to cover Ella's birth.

Thankfully during the previous summer of 2009 Michael had quite a few painting jobs for his own business so our nest egg had been built up. Looking back I know that was God preparing us for this time of financial strain. From the beginning we knew that even though Michael being unemployed wasn't ideal we also knew that it was also a gift. How many fathers get to stay home and really be with their kids during these early years? Boys need their Daddy and we knew that this time in their lives was crucial for their development. We in no way took for granted this family time!

March & April 2010 - Michael continued to look for work and put his resume out there. During this time we were just adjusting to our new normal as a family of 5.

May 2010 - I go through a mini breakdown and end up taking Ella with me down to my parents house to have a break.

Summer 2010 - With little advertizing God provides painting jobs for Michael during the summer. During the weeks he works he doesn't apply for unemployment. This ends up making his possible pay for unemployment stretch out longer than it normally would. When Michael wasn't painting he was working on finishing our backyard remodel. We weren't sure if God would call us to sell our house, but we knew that we would need to finish the backyard before we would be able to list it if it came to that. Thankfully God provided for our needs for that as well in the form of a friend being able to provide us with free dirt to fill in the backyard.

August 2010 - Michael has an interview and is hired to do the maintanance work at an elderly care facility in Federal Way. His first day on the job he discovers that the hiring manger lied to him about everything the job entailed. He came home from lunch feeling defeated and we decided it wasn't worth it for our family. Thankfully Michael was booked for the entire month of August with painting work. Michael mentions that it might be worth it for me to start putting my resume out there.

September 2010 - I go to an interview for a job in Bellevue. I ace it and know I've got the job the moment I walk out. I sit in my car and sob! I do not want to leave my babies...especially my nursing 7 month old. After officially receiving the job offer, Michael and I go back and forth over the decision of me going back to work. The only reason Michael wanted me to go back to work was to put him through school furthering his chance of getting a job. In the end Michael discovers that the college classes he was hoping to take online while I was working aren't available online and are only offered during daytime hours. I do not accept the job!

November 2010 - God really shows me first hand how much he has humbled me in regards to accepting state assistance. Michael has been laid off for a year.

Winter 2010-2011 - During this time Michael and I really start to feel like we are stuck in limbo. We aren't going anywhere and unemployment has almost run out. Thankfully God has provided for our financial needs during this time. Not only with our bills, but with anonymous cards filled with gift cards to numerous businesses and blessings from my MOPS family. I beginning to believe the lies that the enemy is telling me about failures from our past...praise God I have wonderful friends that lift me up during this time and speak words of truth to me instead of lies. I start feeling like God wants to add to our family, but feel hindered in regards to our situation. I feel like people will judge us for getting pregnant while Michael is unemployed, but I also don't want it to dictate our family size and the timing of it as well. Michael and I make the decision that he will enlist in The National Guard come April if he hasn't found a job.

January 2011 - In order to help out with our finances I start watching Logan 3 days a week. This really helps ease the strain. Ella has a crazy day that consists of visits to two hospital ER's and an ambulance ride. Michael has a job interview at a job we had long given up on being a possibility.

Feburary 2011 - Michael is offered and accepts the job at the King County Water District #20. Three days later we find out we are expecting our 4th child.

March 2011 - Owen has his own crazy day spent at two different hospital emergency rooms. I start seeing my old therapist to work on a few things as a mom, wife and person.

April 2011 - At 13 weeks pregnant we find out that our baby has died. Even during this time I feel God's presence in my life and know that he is working things out for good.

May 2011 - I have my second D&C. I have quite a few emotional ups and downs during this time. I decide that I might need more than just therapy so I make a doctor's appointment and get put on anti-depressants. The meds work and I actually start having fun with my kids.

Summer 2011 - Still going through the ups and down of losing a baby.

August 2011 - Ella's has a traumatic fall in the front yard that results in another visit to the ER.

September 2011 - Due to Ella's fall, we discover that she has Hydrocephlus and has to have brain surgery. We absolutely feel that the fall was God's way of having us discover her condition before any major damage was done. After talking about what would be best for our family we decided to start trying again to get pregnant. A week and half after I ovulate we know without even taking a test that I'm pregnant. It's confirmed a week later with a pregnancy test.

October 2011 - I'm dealing with the emotions of my due date with Kyan coming up and worrying about my latest pregnancy.

November 2011 - Michael gets his first raise at his job. Every week we continue to get good news in regards to the growth of our baby.

Winter 2011 - During our big ultrasound we find out that the baby is developing wonderfully. We continue to feel God's hands on our family in regards to the safety of our children.

As you can see even though we endured many trials during the last 2+ years there were also blessings as well. The main thing that didn't change was God's presence in our lives. He was ALWAYS there...meeting our needs and lifting us up. I love that God used this time and these situations to strengthen our faith and our testimony to His faithfullness!

Ahoy Matey!

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things that Owen had been asking for for Christmas was a pirate ship. I searched online for a couple nights reading reviews and found that the one from Playmobil was rated the best. Ga-Ga & Pa got this as Owen's big present. As you can see he was pretty stoked about it!

One cool thing we didn't know about it...or I didn't remember was that it actually floats. In fact you can go online and order a motor for it as well. We aren't going to get that crazy, but it's still pretty cool.

Owen had been asking for a long time to take it in the tub. I didn't really want to go there with it since I didn't want the stickers to come off from getting wet or deal with water getting in all the nooks and crannies and possibly getting moldy, but I finally gave in and told Owen that he could ask Daddy when he came home. Michael was fine with it and I told him it was his deal. The boys spent forever in the tub with it. They did learn early on that you can't turn the ships cargo hold into a swimming pool for the pirates or the boat will roll over, but after they figured that out they were good to go.

In His Hands!

2012-01-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Remember back in December when I rearranged the kids rooms around? Well here is what Ella's room looks like now. See that baseboard heater behind the rocking horse? Ella's bed used to face the other way so part of her bed was by the heater. We never really thought anything of it until the other day when I was changing her sheets.

That's when I noticed this discoloration on her bed and...

the burn marks on her mattress!

Seriously I felt like my stomach came up in my throat when I saw this. I immediately called Michael in to have a second opinion on what I was seeing. One of the first things he said was, "Praise God He was looking out for her!" I couldn't have said it better. God was absolutely looking out for our baby girl!!

Obi Wan Kenobi Would Be Proud!

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Similarities!

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last night Michael and I were looking at the latest ultrasound of our newest babe. I have all the kids ultrasound pictures on my mirror in the closet. I noticed there were some definite similarities between Baby Z...

Baby Z 18 weeks 1 day

And Baby Jack.

Baby Jack 17 weeks

I see it the most in their cute noses and chins. When I had my ultrasound with Ella Michael and I noticed that she had similarities to Owen and they do actually look a lot alike. I wonder if Baby Z will end up looking like Jack.

18 Weeks 1 Day

2012-01-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

We did it...we made it through the appointment without caving and asking what the gender was. After the appointment I asked myself if I felt deflated since we didn't know and I can honestly say I don't feel that way at all. I was just SO SO SO thankful to see a healthy baby moving all around in there. Baby Z is definitely a wiggler. One second the baby's head was on the right side of my body and then it's feet were. Crazy baby! I did find out that the placenta is on the front of my uterus so that's probably why haven't been feeling the baby move much. The placenta is taking all the blows!

During the appointment the tech took all kinds of measurements. We got some great views of the heart and mouth. She said those can be tough to get sometimes. While she was measuring the legs she had us look away since Baby Z was so wiggly she didn't what us getting a view of something we didn't want to see.

The kids were with us at the appointment and they thought it was all pretty cool...for about the first 10 minutes! Poor Ella Bean was fine when we left the house, but then she threw up once in the waiting room and once in the exam room. She took a nice long nap when we got home, woke up, ate lunch and is now doing just fine. Let's hope it stays that way for her and us!

This is a shot of the baby sucking it's thumb. It was so cute to see the little hand move right up to the mouth. I wonder if this one will be a thumb sucker like Ella. Right after getting the wonderful news that everything looked great we all headed over to my OBGYN's office for my normal appointment with her. She went ahead and penciled in May 31st as the day of my C-Section. We can't officially schedule anything with the hospital until one month before. And so the countdown begins! :)

Today Is The Day....

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

We WON'T find out the gender of the baby! :)

I'm still sticking to my guns and don't want to find out. I really want to be surprised this time around. We have FINALLY settled on names though! Such a relief!

I'm gonna be a stinker and not tell the names. A few people know the names we've chosen so it's not a complete secret, but I think it would be fun to announce the name when the baby is born.

I will say that both names we've chosen start with the letter 'Z' so we are referring to the baby as Baby Z. We did that with Owen...he was Baby O since he was either going to be an Owen or an Olivia.

I also find that it's quite fitting to use the last letter of the alphabet since this is our last baby. We've reached the end people!

I Don't Know About You...

2012-01-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

but I can absolutely see a resemblance between my Auntie Donna in the picture below...

And my sweet Ella Bean!

Christmas @ Ga-Ga & Pa's!

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

For the last two years we've gone to my parents house on Christmas afternoon and then spent the night so we can have a second Christmas morning with them. We had Christmas dinner with family and friends on Christmas night.

Pretty girl in a pretty dress!

Sweet cheeser!

Fake cheeser!

Even though Ella had a nice nap at home she was a bit exhausted from the activities the night before. She spent a bunch of time snuggling with Uncle Ry and Ga-Ga.

Christmas Tree Picture!

The next morning we got up and it was time for presents.

The kids got tons of gifts from Ga-Ga & Pa and Uncle Ry & Aunt Stephie. This one was their Grow To Pro pitching machine. Super cool!

They got Ella her pots and pans for her kitchen. They are identical to my real pots and pans...she LOVES them!

Ga-Ga just had to give Ella her very first Cabbage Patch Kid since she got me mine when I was little girl. I still have Mildred Patricia. Ella's CPK's name is Harley Kaylie.

This is Jack's Toy Story present that he was sure had a Big Buzz in it and he was right!!

He was so happy to have a big Buzz. He's been saying for months that he wants a big Buzz!

Owen got the pirate ship he wanted to badly!

Pa surprised him with a radio control car.

Here the boys are waiting with their eyes closed for their last present from Uncle Ry & Aunt Stephie...Hometown Hero's fire station/police station. It's huge! It's 4 stories tall and has an elevator.

Ella also got her very own luggage so now when she goes to Ga-Ga & Pa's she won't have to use Jack's Buzz Lightyear backpack anymore.

The Great G-Kids with GG! She got to come up from Denver and spend Christmas with us this year.

Later on in the day Ga-Ga found out that Ella likes Eggnog spritzers. There is nothing that girl doesn't like!

Owen playing with his car.

Jack with his Buzz! Don't let his face fool you...he LOVES his Buzz he was just completely and utterly exhausted at this point.

The whole family!

This is what happens when Ella is the only one that takes a nap! I have a feeling that he kids are going to be exhausted for a few days.

Christmas Morning!

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time Is HERE!

The kids went to bed at 10:30 on Christmas Eve so they slept in until 8. I got up at 7:30 and was able to go downstairs and get music turned on and candles lite.

Coming down the stairs!

Here's a video of the kids finding their Christmas presents from Santa.

Ella and her baby in her highchair.

Jack and his Evil Dr Porkchop!

Owen got the rocket that he asked for.

Jack and his Toy Story Garbage truck...see a theme here?

Ella got some appliances for her kitchen.

Owen was so excited about his rocket he wanted to go outside and shoot it off right away. It really is the coolest toy and it wasn't expensive at all. When I started looking online for them I found a couple that required fuel and looked really complicated. I wanted something Owen could do on his own over and over. This is just Styrofoam rockets that you place on a base and stomp on a peddle. The air shoots the rocket up. Hours of fun!

I think Daddy is going to have as much if not more fun with the race track than the boys.

The kiddos got movies in their stockings and I think I'm more excited about this than they are...finally something NEW to watch!

Ella got panties in her stocking...come March we are going to try potty training her.

She also got a cute pink flip phone....she has been "talking" on it nonstop. It's the cutest thing...she actually went up into her bedroom, laid on her tummy on her bed and I heard her saying, "Um yeah...ha ha ha ha!" She's already a teenager!

Enjoying her cash register.

Owen playing with his other request....garbage truck with robotic arms and Jack playing with his Toy Story Tri-County Landfill. Again...hours of fun!

Ella decided it was HER turn for a spin around the track.

The boys were so happy that we got to put the last star on the tree.

Christmas Eve!

2011-12-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was at our house this year. Becky was hoping they would be in their new house in time for Christmas, but it just didn't work out. I love a house full of people...especially family so it didn't bother me any!

Becky just recently had lap band surgery so she's on a liquid diet right now. She still wanted to help cook though.

Kids table...crazy how big they are all getting!

Adult table...I'm actually surprised that their is only one person on an electronic device in this pictures.

After dinner Ella thought she should help clean up a bit.

So excited to open presents!

Shana and James...James was so excited to play with all of our toys he almost wouldn't sit still to open his present. He was pretty bummed when it was time to go home.

This year we did something different, we took turns opening presents so everyone got to see what everyone else got. It was nice and not such pandemonium! Jack got a Leapfrog Count & Draw which Ella quickly latched onto and spent almost the whole night walking around with it clutched in her arms saying, "MINE!"

Ella got a bunch of food for her kitchen and a cute white puppy...she loved it!

We got our nephew Stevie a gift card to Best Buy...it's hard to believe he's only a couple year away from being an adult!

Owen got a Leapfrog Scribble and Write.

We didn't get to see Paige on her actual birthday so I gave her the purse I made for her. I also had time to make her a couple flower hair clips and she loved them.

Christmas Tree Pictures 2011

Me, Ella, Jack, Michael and Owen in front.

Rick, Michelle, Avery, Cooper & Paige

During the end of the night while we were trying to get all the family members together for pictures Owen decided to retreat under the coffee table and eat some candy.

Mom and Dad AKA Grandma & Papa Martin

Ella Bean was up WAY past her bedtime and was almost asleep in this chair until she heard me say I was going to take a picture of her so she woke up a bit and decided to cheese for me.

James, Steve, Stevie & Shana

Becky, Samantha, Jon & Camryn in front

Santa's Been Here!

2011-12-24T23:30:00.000-08:00

He's eaten his cookies!

And left some toys!

Christmas is HERE!!

Christmas Crafts!

2011-12-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we did our last Christmas craft by making our own Christmas Trees and decorating them with goodies!

I had lots of leftover Halloween candy and then threw in a bunch of baking decorations so the kids had lots of options. Thankfully we had the kids eat lunch BEFORE doing the craft so they didn't have a lunch of pure sugar.

Prior to starting the craft I hot glued the cones onto paper plates so they wouldn't move around everywhere.

I went ahead and made the frosting using powdered sugar, but I didn't realize I had so little. Kim had some frosting left over that she brought with her so we mixed that in. Unfortunately the frosting I started out with was runny because of my lack of powdered sugar. So I ended up adding a little corn starch and a ton of flour to thicken it up. You would think this would discourage the kids from eating the frosting, but it didn't. Which furthers my suspicion that young children really don't have taste buds!

Jack was a pro at spreading the frosting since he made a candy house earlier this month.

Andrew cheesin' for the camera!

I was going to put Ella down for her nap, but then figured I should let her have some fun too. She really enjoyed it...of course she ate more candy than she put on her tree. She must have really tuckered herself out though because she took a super nap that afternoon!

It was funny how the kids would cover one side with frosting and then say they were done not realizing there was a whole other side to the cone.

Us Mom's helped the kids get there cones completely covered in frosting so they could get to the fun part....candy!

Such pretty decorations!

The nice thing about my homemade frosting was it started to harden pretty fast so the ornaments weren't going anywhere.

Josiah didn't decorate a tree, but he had fun "taking pictures" of the festivities!

More Craft Projects!

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

My nieces aren't on FB yet and don't check my blog so I think I'm safe posting this. Since I made Camryn a purse for her birthday I asked my SIL if Paige, one of my other nieces would like a purse for birthday and she said she would.

The only specification she gave was that Paige doesn't really like bold colors so the red was out. I found this nice lighter blue at The Dollar Tree instead. Also this time around I used my friend Kim's die cut machine again and cut out these flowers using felt and secured them to the purse using an antique brad. I think it's gorgeous...I hope she likes it!

We draw names at Christmas time for Michael's side of the family. The adults draw names and the kids draw names. This year one of my kids drew Camryn's name. I bought her a bunch of hair accessories, but I wanted to add my own flare to them so I used some more of the felt flowers to make these attachments to her plain headbands. They are even removable so she can use them if she wants to or not!

Christmas Newsletter!

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

In lieu of cards again I just made a Christmas Newsletter (Click on the picture to see it in full) with a synopsis of our year. I must say it was really hard to just write one page! This was certainly a wonderful, crazy, FULL year!

Anxiety!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

My last doctors appt was at the beginning of December and my next appt wasn't supposed to be until January 5th, but the more time past the more anxious I found myself getting. This Sunday I started really getting nervous. Nothing had changed in regards to my body to make me be nervous it was just me. On Monday I called to see if my doctor or the PA was in so I could just come in and hear the heartbeat. They were both out this week...surprise surprise, but they told me I could come in and see one of the nurses instead.

I think the main reasons I was starting to get nervous is because I'm at that awkward stage where I'm showing, but I'm still not really feeling the baby move yet. I know it's still early...I'm 16 weeks now, but I also know that once I start feeling the baby I'm going to get that reassurance on a more regular basis. I've also been concerned not only because of my past miscarriage history, but I have two other friends that lost their babies around this time in their pregnancy and it just freaks me out. When I was pregnant with Kyan he died around 10 weeks, but we didn't find out until I was supposed to be 13 weeks pregnant. During that time we celebrated Easter and had family pictures taken when we were at church....nothing professional, but still it was nice family pictures with my parents. When we found out that Kyan had died it made it so hard to look at those pictures knowing that at that moment I didn't know that my baby was already dead inside me. With Christmas coming up I really didn't want the chance of that sort of thing happening again so off to the doctors I went.

The staff are so nice at my OBGYN's and they completely understood my concerns and wanted to help calm my anxiety. The nurse took me back to the exam room and put the Doppler thing on my belly and then turned it on and right away we heard LOUD and clear...bump bump bump bump bump! She even said, "That was easy!" and then she checked my pulse to make sure it wasn't my heartbeat she was picking up because I was nervous. Nope it wasn't mine...that baby was front and center and ready to be found. The heart was beating away at 160 BPM. So thankful! PTL!!!

16 weeks!

Countdown To Christmas!

2011-12-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

Last week I decided to make the kids these little countdown to Christmas candy holders. It's just Saran Wrap and ribbon...super easy. I of course needed to jazz them up a bit so I stamped a Christmas stamp and attached it to the top.

This morning was our first morning to cut down a piece of candy and officially start the countdown to Christmas day.

As you can see the kiddos were pretty excited about eating candy right after breakfast...usually a total no no at our house!

Even Ella ate her chocolate which is not her favorite candy choice.

This month has gone by SO fast...can't believe we are just a few short days away. If they get this excited about candy I can't wait to see there faces on Christmas morning!

Gone Fishin'!

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is an idea that I got off Pinterest. I gathered up a bunch of alphabet and number magnets and put them in the tub. Then attached magnets to the boys fishing poles and let them go fishing. We don't have a fishing pole for Ella so I just used a stick and some ribbon and called it good.

Some of the letters were hard to actually get out of the water since they would fill up with water and then the magnet wouldn't be strong enough to lift it out.

Once Owen realized that he needed to lift it out slowly he started getting more.

Another issue we ran into was that the boys need to stand back in order for the magnets to get to the letters or numbers, but then they weren't tall enough to see over the tub. I think next time I'll just fill their little plastic wading pool instead of the tub.

Ella wasn't really into the whole fishing part, but she like playing with the magnet.

In the end it was a bit more stressful than I thought it would be. I ended up having the boys take turns because they just kept getting their lines crossed and then their magnets would stick together. Let me tell you a twisted fishing line is an irritating thing!!!

Christmas Caroling!

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thought it would be fun to tape the kids singing Christmas songs.

Jack and Owen watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates A LOT so that's why he thinks Santa says, "Yo Ho Ho!"

I love that Ella loves to do motions with songs. She melts my heart!

This is priceless! I've actually found myself singing Jingle Bells Owen's way since he's started singing it by himself. I love it!

Ice Experiment

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I let the boys pick out a few small toys and then we put them in a bowl, covered them with water and put them in the freezer. After a few hours we checked on the bowl and were able to see that the top was frozen, but underneath was still water. Then I had them choose a few more toys and we added those and then filled the bowl the rest of the way up with water.

On Thursday night we took our frozen creations out of the freezer to check on them. It was funny seeing all there little toys frozen in ice.

Of course when we made these Ella was taking a nap and I didn't think to make one for her...in this picture she's pat her chest and saying "Mine?"

I dipped the frozen bowls in warm water so I could unmold them and then put them in the kitchen sink so the boys to try to get their toys out.

We tried a bunch of different tools such as Owen's toy pliers and a toy hammer, but when it came down to it the real screwdrivers worked the best.

When the kids had been hitting at them for a while I asked them if they wanted to pour some water over them. They went from looking all cloudy to nice and clear. I also had the boys pick up the ice to feel how smooth it was and they were able to see that the ice was dripping because their warm hands were melting it.

Ella was sitting on the countertop wanting to get in on the action.

Owen was the first one to get a toy free from the ice.

After Ella was getting irritated with me leaning over her to help Jack I decided to move her to the windowsill so she could have a prime view of everything.

Daddy ended up coming in and helping Owen get out the rest of his toys and I helped Jack. Then we turned the hot water on and watched how fast the ice chunks melted. I think it probably took about 20 minutes for our whole experiment. The boys were immediately asking if we could freeze more toys in water so I think they enjoyed it.

This One Turned Out Good!

2011-12-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

So after the craft fail I knew I had to redeem myself so on a whim I decided it would be fun to draw a tree on some butcher paper and let the kids decorate it. I was trying to think of another way for them to decorate it without it involving markers or crayons. For some reason whenever those come into the picture whatever we are coloring just ends up a scribbled all over mess.

Then it hit me that I could use all my Stampin' Up punches to make "ornaments". When I started punching out the ovals it occurred to me that they looked like Christmas lights so I drew in the strands for them to "hang" off.

Then the kids got to get glue happy for a while.

Ella spent more time gluing herself than the actual paper ornaments.

When we were finished gluing I drew the truck and the tree stand and we hung it on the back of the front door. I think it turned out pretty cute and very colorful! It wasn't very messy either and that in my book is a perfect craft with kids!

Craft Fail!

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Continuing with my goal of doing Christmas crafts with the kids I decided to make a Christmas Wreath using the kids hand prints. It sounded like a good idea.

First I traced the all the kids hands...except Owen's left since he wanted to trace it. It ended up looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dams hand, but I couldn't bring myself to ask him if I could trace it again after he did it all by himself.

Then I cut out all the hand prints.

At this point things were going well....then I glued them on a paper place with the center cut out of it and this is what I got.

It is SO ugly! Never mind the fact that there weren't enough hand prints to cover the plate all the way around...even if you envision it all filled up it would STILL be ugly. Oh well you win some you lose some!

This Bins Not Big Enough For The Two Of Us!

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Excuse me Logan...

Squeezin' in together and...

Not very happy about it! (Love her pouty look!)

BUBBA!!!

Much better!!!!

New Passion!

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to blog about this for a while since this is going to be a future MOPS craft, but I just couldn't wait. I'm SO in love with making these and they are SO easy!!!

Can you believe this cost me a $1 to make? That's right...a buck! This cute little purse is actually made from a place mat that I bought at The Dollar Tree. Of course I used thread to sew it together and the ribbon to make the handle, but that was stuff I had on hand. I found this idea online a few months ago and knew I wanted to try it, but I was also really hesitant since me and my sewing machine don't always see eye to eye. After actually breaking out the darn manual and finding out that I pretty much had everything threaded wrong and the tension too loose me and my sewing machine are on good terms now. Ella had seen me making these and of course she looked and me and said, "Mine?" so out to the store I went to get a place mat for her.

She was pretty happy!

In fact her and Jack played house where he put the purse on the handle of the stroller and he pushed her around in it for awhile, but Ella was playing the mommy so I'm not quite sure how that works. Maybe I'll ask if the boys will push me in the stroller the next time we go shopping...don't see that going over too well though!

On Sunday night we were going to my niece Camryn's 8th birthday party and I thought she might like getting a purse so I went back to the store and got the exact same place mat that I got for Ella. Except this time I wanted to jazz it up a bit so I added the bow. I attached it with craft glue since I didn't have any hot glue, but it wasn't drying fast enough so I ended up having to pin it to get it to stay. I seriously want to sew these all day and I'm going to be on the look out for cool place mats where ever I go.

Candy House!

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday our church was having a kids craft day that I wanted to take the kids to. Michael wasn't feeling very good and Owen didn't really want to go so they stayed home with Ella Bean and Jack and I headed out just the two of us.

The only craft Jack was interested in was making a candy house. I was wondering how they were going to supply gingerbread houses for all the kids, but it wasn't gingerbread at all. It's was empty milk cartons....great idea! I helped Jack spread the frosting around evenly.

Then he decorated it with the candies he wanted. I helped a little with the candies around the house.

So proud of his work! After we were done with the house we headed to the refreshments room and had some punch and then Jack wanted to come home.

He was pretty excited to eat his masterpiece!

Yummy!

Fun Family Night Out!

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Owen is all about Christmas lights this year and he doesn't just want to drive by them he wants to walk and get up close to them. Since the weather has been so dry lately we figured we should take advantage of it and go to this neighborhood in Federal Way that gets all decked out. We bundle the kids up, took hot cocoa with us and the wagon and we were off. The neighborhood is beautiful and it's small so the walk was perfect for little legs.

For a special treat afterwards we used one of the Cold Stone Groupons I got a few weeks back and went and had ice cream.

I got the Chocolate Devotion and all the kids enjoyed it.

The chewy brownies were the best part!

Michael got Peanut Butter Cup Perfection with cake batter ice cream instead of chocolate and Owen was the only one that really shared that with him. It was good, but a bit more peanut butter flavor than I liked, but I'm a chocolate ice cream girl at heart.

After ice cream we made one more stop at another neighborhood in Kent. This house on Manchester has been on Evening Magazine. The lights on the house are actually hooked up to music and they have their own radio station you can tune to and listen and watch. It's seriously gorgeous! If you're in the Kent area I strongly recommend stopping by.

Creative Play!

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

You know sometimes I feel like I get in such a funk in regards to having things for the kids to do....especially when it comes to playing indoors. I swear I need to write down a bunch of ideas on index cards so I won't forget them and then I can put them in a bowl or something so the kids can choose what they'd like to do. Maybe I'll work on that soon! Anyway on Wednesday I finally felt like my brain was working creatively in regards to play.

First I suggested that the kids play in the sink with water and a bunch of fun things like spoons, funnels and measuring cups. This might be a no brainer for some people, but for some reason I never think of them playing in the sink unless it's with snow.

When they were playing I actually realized that it's probably good for Jack to be doing this with his lack of dexterity in his hands. It required a bunch of skill to be able to dump the water from the spoon into the bowl.

Of course the boys spilled a bunch of water, but that's part of life and when you make a mess you clean it up and they did.

Later on Owen asked me to make a ramp for balls to slide down. There is a toy like this at Jack's therapy and I was trying for the life of me to figure out how to make this without make it too complicated. Then it hit me...toilet paper rolls!!!

Right now we have an over abundance of boxes between receiving packages in the mail and going to Costco so I used a few of those and then either paper towel or toilet paper rolls. Add some masking tape into the picture and some Hungry Hungry Hippo marbles and the kids had fun for about an hour! Of course I had to make 3 of these so they wouldn't argue, but it was well worth it and it really didn't take me all that long.

Since I didn't want Ella wandering around with the tiny marbles I cut the tubes open for her so bigger balls would fit through her tunnels. I also thought she might like seeing the ball the whole time. Of course the boys were all over her toy since it was different from theirs. The grass is always greener right! So what kind of fun creative indoor activities do you do with your kids other than the normal things like Play-Doh or painting?

Rearranging!

2011-12-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday morning Jack was complaining that his bed wasn't tall like Owen's. He wanted me to call Pa and ask him to make his tall. I thought I could do something to help him feel like his bed was special so I asked him if he wanted to have his bed in a cave. Of course he was super stoked about that so I set about changing their room around.

This is how the bed was arranged at the store, but since the boys have a big enough room we decided to not place it like this in the beginning. Jack LOVES his cave and it did cause a bit of tension right off the bat since Owen wanted to jump down from his bed onto Jack's and Jack didn't want him doing that. We are seriously having sharing issues in our house. By the end of the day things were better though.

Since I moved Jack's bed around I figured it was time to change Ella's a bit too. Off the bed rail came and now she's in a true toddler bed. Her and Logan had fun hanging out on the bed for a while. Of course Ella is doing her silly grin in this picture.

Right when it was time for us to go downstairs I decided to move Ella's bed to the other wall just for another little change. I was wondering how she'd do at nap time and she did great. She never tried to come out of her room, she didn't fall out of bed that I know of and when she woke up she waited for me to get her out of bed. At night when it was time to put her to bed it was a little sad seeing her laying there in her big girl bed....she's 3 months away from being 2 and it's just gone way too fast!

No More Diapers For Ella.....Well Someday!

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

In the last month Ella has asked twice to sit on the potty. This last time she said she needed to go poo poo so I took her in and sat her down.

She's so cute and thoughtful whenever I have to go potty and she comes in with me she always sits on Jack's stool and pulls a magazine out of the basket for her and then she finds one for me.

Reading about Ducky sitting on the potty!

Of course she sat there for the longest time, but nothing happened. Afterwards I let her run around without a diaper on and that was a bad idea since she ended up going behind my recliner and doing her business. Silly girl!

And because she was actually sitting down and captivated I thought I would record her talking.

Out At Dusk!

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday it was so nice outside we really wanted to get out with the kids and go play. We are attending a new church though so service doesn't get out until close to 1pm so we knew we would be cutting it close with lunchtime and Ella needing to take a nap. We ended up leaving close to 4pm and we got to Steel Lake right around dusk. Thankfully the gates weren't closed yet and we hoped the park employee wouldn't lock it with our van still in the parking lot.

Since it was dusk we literally had the whole park to ourselves. The kids LOVE this park! So many things to explore.

The last time we went Ella really wasn't big enough to climb up by herself, but this time she was everywhere.

Jack strolling around in his special shoes!

Love this man!

Chasing Daddy!

Our last stop was heading down to the water to check out the ducks. The ducks were super interested in us, but sadly we didn't bring anything for them to eat. About this time we decided we shouldn't press out luck any longer so it was time to leave...thankfully the gate was still open!

Bathtub Fun!

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

In the past couple weeks the kids have lost their privilege of taking baths in the big tub in the master bathroom. They had been splashing SO much they made water marks on the ceiling of our dining room that's directly below the bathroom. So now they take baths in the hall bathroom that has a shower door so they can splash all they want and not get into trouble.

In the past Ella would take a bath with me since she still wasn't very stable on her feet, but ever since the surgery she's improved so much. She loves taking baths with her Bubbas!

She didn't even mind when Jack splashed her face with bubbles and water.

While Jack and Ella kept each other busy Owen had fun having the other half of the tub all to himself.

Ella learned to open and close the shower door. She liked doing it so much that the next time I took a shower she came in and opened the door all the way on me....Brrrrr!!!

Here she is modeling her surgery scar on her tummy. In regards to her recovery she's doing SO well. She's amazing really! She is out of the danger zone for when an infection would set in so that's wonderful news. I am taking her back to St Francis on the 15th to have a follow up CT Scan so they can measure her new fluid levels that way if we ever had any concerns we'll have a new baseline to compare it to.

Jack's Crickets AKA Special Shoes!

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Over the last 6 months we have seen so many improvements with Jack since he started occupation therapy. With that being said since I've been super tired lately I thought it would be nice to take a month off for the holidays. At our last therapy session in November, Jack's therapist Julia noticed something that she wanted checked. He is so unstable pretty much all over she checked out his stance and his walk and noticed that the ligaments in his legs weren't lining up the way they were supposed to. So we made an appointment to go see a different therapist to have Jack checked out to see if he needed orthotics for his shoes.

After doing some tests like having him walk back and forth and just feeling his feet and how they move they therapist thought that Crickets would be the best fit for Jack. All the orthotics have different names and that's the names of these ones. She didn't feel like he needed to have the ones that extend up his ankle. Unfortunately his orthotics don't fit in his cowboy boots! I seriously thought this was going to be a HUGE deal for him, but he has really surprised me. I think they make his feet feel much more supported so he hasn't complained about wearing them much. Thankfully the shoes that Ga-Ga had just bought him work perfect for these so we didn't need to get him new shoes.

MOPS Christmas Brunch!

2011-12-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Today was our MOPS Christmas Brunch...it's one of my favorite MOPS meetings of the year. I love the fellowship, the decorations, the food, the caroling...everything is just great! Another reason it was great was because the 4 & 5 year old class came down and recited scripture verses and sang songs for us moms. This was the first time Owen has done anything like that and we had been practicing for weeks so he would know what to do.

Here is Owen's class....left to right - Madison, Phillip, Owen & Laurel. Of course Owen got fixated on the microphone and asked to hold it I don't know how many times. Overall though he did great since he's still 4. I was super proud of him and he made everyone giggle. Cute little show stopper!

On a serious note I LOVED to memorize scripture when I was growing up and hiding God's Word in your heart is one of the best things ever and I truly hope that all our kids have a passion for it as they grow.

One of the songs the kids sang for us was The Ten Commandments From God. Enjoy!

Baby Update - 13 weeks 2 days

2011-12-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I had another normal prenatal appointment. The doctor was able to find the heartbeat no problem. Then I asked if we could see the baby. I just love seeing this cute little peanut! The baby was measuring at 14 weeks, but she said that's normal. After the 13 week mark the head to rump measurements usually start to show that you are further along. I'm guessing because with the legs developing more it's harder for them to actually tell where the rump ends and the legs begin. Who knows though!

The baby looked great! Love seeing it wiggly around! I also got to mention that I would like to have my C-Section on May 31st if that will work. They don't have their schedules that far out so we couldn't put anything on the books yet, but my doctor didn't see anything wrong with that date. I really want to have this baby in May since Jack was born in June. I don't really want any of our kids sharing a birth month. How ever it works out though will be fine! My next appointment isn't until January and right now I'm fine with that, but I'm sure I'll get a little nervous having to wait so long. I just wish I could feel the baby move already. Love that! The BIG ultrasound is at my next appointment, but we are still planning on waiting to find out the sex until the baby is born so it won't be as exciting as the other big ultrasounds.

And here I am....13 weeks 5 days preggo! The only complaint I have right now is just in regards to my clothes. I got so skinny after Ella that none of my maternity clothes fit me yet, but my normal skinny clothes are too tight. My friend Kim let me borrow her belly band thing so I can leave my pant unbuttoned, but it drives me crazy...every time I bend over it rolls down. Thankfully another friend Jen has smaller maternity clothes so I'm wearing those now. I honestly can't wait until I'm seriously popping out there!

Christmas Crafts!

2011-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

This first year of home schooling we are being more relaxed and only meeting for 26 weeks (there are 26 letters in the alphabet so we work on one letter a week). Anyways due to this we are taking the whole month of December off. In order to help the kids still have some structured "learning" time I'm going to make an effort to do crafts with them at least 3 times a week. Wednesday was our first Christmas craft...which I got the idea from MckMama's blog.

I have been saving toilet paper rolls for months in hopes of using them for a craft at MOPS...not sure if it's going to happen though so I figured I would use a few for the kids. I drew the tree for the kids and then they decorated them with glitter glue. I still have to help Jack with his cutting, but he is getting more controlled. Owen does good for about half of it and then he gets bored or tired or both and starts complaining. I think I need to get better scissors for them both. I of course have to cut Ella's out for her. They turned out super cute and Jack and Ella both gave theirs to Ga-Ga & Pa while Owen said his was for Daddy.

Tis The Season!

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Isn't it just tradition that something goes wrong when decorating for Christmas? For us this year two things have gone wrong. First our pre-lite tree decided to only pre-light 5 lights. I was so irritated that there were going to be all these strands of unlit lights that I decided I was going to get those suckers off of there. About two and half hours later and some really sore fingers and the tree was finally rid of those dumb lights.

The other thing we've had trouble with is the outdoor lights. Owen has been asking for a long time if we were going to have outside lights and Daddy was happy to oblige. Of course now that it's been a serious hassle that's included 2 trips to Wal-Mart, numerous fuse changes and STILL the lights on the house aren't coming on I think he might have changed his tune. Thankfully the lights on the bushes in front with our little choo choo train are working and Owen is in love!

Thankfully everything else decorating wise has gone well. Jack was super excited to put the BIG star on the tree.

The kids actually helped decorate the tree this year and they did really good. I did have to steer them so they didn't decorate the same branch over and over again, but once they got that down they did great.

This year the boys have been very curious about Santa. They know he's going to come on Christmas Eve and they know they have to be asleep. They also know that he's going to leave presents under the tree and in 'The Big Socks"! I've also talked to Owen about leaving milk and cookies for Santa and something for the reindeer. It's fun getting into the Spirit of Christmas with the kids. I grew up believing in Santa and I loved "playing along" even after I learned he was make believe. I love the wonder in their eyes during this time of year. With that being said we are making sure that the kids know the REAL meaning of Christmas.

Pumpkin Triffle!

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we had a second Thanksgiving at my brother and SIL's house. I asked Steph if I could try a new dessert recipe that my friend Erin sent me for a Pumpkin Triffle. It was really good, but it was a TON of dessert! I think the next time I make it I will half it and mix up the layers a bit more. If you're interested in the recipe you can get it here. Also I choose not to use sugar free or fat free anything. It was all original stuff and I used whole milk! It's Thanksgiving after all...calorie counting just goes out the window!

Courtesy Of Curious George!

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning Owen woke up not feeling good so we stayed home from school. While chilling out watching Curious George, Owen decided he wanted to make a vending machine just like George did. I kept telling him that George is a monkey so he can do things we can't do just like the show tells the kids, but he was pretty adamant about it. I decided to give it go!

We had one of the car seat boxes in the garage so I decided to cut square flaps in it for the food. Then I drew in circle buttons to push and then cut slats for the coins to go in. The last touch was the big flap at the bottom to pull out your purchase. With a little imagination we had a vending machine. Of course Owen pointed out over and over that it didn't have a turny thing in it like George, but I think he really liked it since he was pretty excited to show it to Daddy when he got home.

These Are A Few Of Ella's Favorite Things!

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Eating - New favorites are cranberry sauce & celery with cream cheese

Shoes or Boots

Using a stool to help her get up on EVERYTHING!

Drawing - On paper or with her Magna Doodle

Talking - She's saying tons more words and some phrases like "Those My Socks!"

Iced Tea

Doing Motions With Songs - I have to video tape her doing Away In A Manger!

Taking Her Socks Off During Naptime

Our New Ride!

2011-11-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

For the last couple years we've known that when the time came for us to trade in our Chrysler Town & Country we would buy a Honda Odyssey. For some reason...probably God planting the thought in my head....a couple weeks ago I started thinking about looking on Craigslist for a van. I just could not get the thought of my head. That weekend we went to Honda of Fife to test drive one. They had a 2006 and a 2008. The 2006 was pretty worn and it was gold. Our current van is gold and I'm not really a fan. The 2008 van was nice, but it didn't have leather and with kids you need leather. They did say they could upgrade to the leather for us, but at the time we just weren't ready to make a deal. We needed to check out our finances a bit more closely first. Last Monday night we decided that it was a good deal and we should head down there and see what we could work out. Unfortunately the van was already in the process of being bought by someone else. The salesman did say that the people trying to buy it had horrible credit so their financing might not go through. We weren't worried though I knew that God had the perfect van in store for us.

Old Town & Country Van

The very next afternoon the guy from Honda of Fife called to see if we were interested in the gold van. I told him we weren't, but if the other van came available to let us know. Then while the girls were taking their naps I decided to check online to see if there were other vans in the area that had leather already. I really didn't want to have to wait for them to put the leather seats in. I ended up finding a 2008 Odyssey EX-L at the Honda of Sumner I wanted to go check out. I called Michael and told him about it and asked him if he'd call the dealership to make sure it was still there so we didn't drive all the way down there for nothing. It was still there so after Taekwondo the kids and I went home, picked up Michael and headed out.

By the time we got down there it was almost 7pm! Thankfully dealerships are really good about having things for kids to do. They have free popcorn for them to munch on and one of the vans was plugged in so the kids could watch a movie on the DVD player. The salesman Mike had the van waiting for us so I could take it for a test drive. Michael stayed with the kids. It wasn't much different from the 2006 I test drove at the Honda of Fife. The Odyssey drives like a car...it's great!

Anyways when we got back the salesman took the keys to my van and started doing all the research to be able to tell me what they would give us for trading it in. Of course they came back with a ridiculous number and I wasn't going to have it. I actually brought up on their computer the Kelly Blue Book price that I came up with. I told them I wanted 6K for our van and that was it. I also told him I had a check in my purse and this was what we were willing to pay. Unfortunately this is where there was a bit of a miscommunication between me and the salesman. It wasn't discovered though until the final paperwork was being signed and Michael was already installing the car seats in the van. It's okay though...I thought we were going to get a SCREAMING deal, but we still got a great deal! It was fun dealing with him by myself. I felt like a woman in charge! :)

I totally wasn't expecting them to let us take the van that night because I needed to change the check I had from Honda of Fife to Honda of Sumner. They did though! Since it was a bit unexpected we hadn't cleaned out the van. It's amazing what accumulates in all those nooks and crannies. When we had made the deal I called my parents and they came down...the dealership wasn't far from their house. It was nice to have them there to keep an eye on the kids while Michael and I did the paperwork.

When it was time to go we got pictures with the old van and the new one. It was nice that my parents got to see the old van off since my Dad bought that van for my Mom brand new for Christmas in 2000. He even had our friend Santa Al deliver it to her. When we were getting in the van Owen and Ella were quite excited about it, but Jack was SO unhappy. He kept saying he wanted our old van. Then as we got closer and closer to home Owen got more and more agitated and started saying he wanted our old van too. The next morning Owen had finally come around and now he thinks the new van is "awesome"! Jack still wanted the old one back!

We took a long trip to OR for Thanksgiving and it was so nice. It drove like a dream and the kids had fun watching a movie on the DVD player. We have told them that the DVD play is only for long trips. I'm not going to have them watching a movie every time we get in the van.

Place Cards!

2011-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

About a week ago my SIL Stephanie asked me if I would mind making place cards for the Thanksgiving dinner she was planning for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Of course I said I'd love too!

Didn't they turn out cute? I used my friend Kim's Big Shot Die Cut Machine and cut out the Pumpkin Pie paper. The acorn and the name portion are actually raised up for a 3 dimensional look. So cute and so simple.

Thankful Bags!

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I spent a bunch of time making goodies for my MOPS ladies. Of course you can't make goodies without letting the kiddos sample them.

I let each of the kids have one of these triple chocolate balls I made. I'm guessing they were pretty good since this is what Ella's face looked like and all three of them asked for more.

These chocolate cookies were actually stuffed with a York Peppermint Patties, topped with melted white chocolate and candy cane pieces. Yummy!

Goodies bags with 2 chocolate covered pretzels rolled in pecans, peanut buttercup, M & M Cheerios bar, Triple Chocolate Ball and the York Peppermint Cookies. It was fun making these...even though my back was killing me from being on my feet for hours two days in a row, but it was all worth it to be able to say Happy Thanksgiving to some pretty great ladies!

Night Cap!

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night right after dinner Jack asked to go to bed. I was doing dishes so I looked up and it was only 5:25pm. Seriously...you want to go to bed buddy? I told him to go upstairs and Daddy would get him ready for bed. So he headed upstairs. Later on I found out (I was visiting with Logan's Mom) that he went upstairs put his pajamas on, got in bed and told Daddy to kiss him goodnight. Poor kids must have been worn out!

The cute thing is he wore a night cap to bed! GG made this nightcap to go along with Owen's "Owen" outfit that he had when he was around 12 months old. We've always laughed about the night cap because it was HUGE in comparison to the outfit. I mean I could wear it! Anyways Jack ended up sleeping all night long and didn't wake up until 7:30am.....14 hours of sleep!

I Feel Like I Can Finally Breathe!

2011-11-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I went in to see the doctor for another check up just to make sure things were progressing well. The PA is so wonderful! I just love her! She never makes me feel bad and we have a lot of fun chatting. She first did an internal ultrasound and we got to see the baby and my goodness that baby was moving around all over the place. In fact so much so it was almost impossible to get a good picture. We also go to see the cute little heart beating away.

11 weeks right on track!

After the internal ultrasound she decided it would be fun to see if we could hear the heartbeat with the Doppler thing. This was something I really nervous about. I wasn't expecting her to check for the heartbeat at this appt I figured it wouldn't be until my next appt and I was thinking they would just check for the heartbeat and not do an ultrasound. That was the way we first knew that Kyan had died...she couldn't find the heartbeat. This was so much better...getting to see the heart beating first and then having her check for it relaxed me since I KNEW it was actually beating. The nice thing was she found the heartbeat right away. It was SO nice to hear that thump thump! She also did another ultrasound this time external trying to get a better picture, but the baby was just not cooperating. Cute stinker! :)

11 weeks 1 day

This week I took out all my maternity clothes. I just couldn't take it anymore! We also decided it was time to officially tell the kids. They were really effected by the miscarriage so we wanted to wait until I got further along. At dinner tonight we talked about how God answers prayers and he answered our prayer for a new baby. The kids had actually been talking about wanting another baby for the last couple of weeks so they were very happy!

New Belt!

2011-11-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Today at Taekwondo Owen got presented with his new belt. I was just expecting them to give them to the kids and it wouldn't be a big deal at all, but they did a little ceremony. Miss Kelsey called each child up and stated that they were now Junior something or other...I honestly can't remember.

Then the kids shook her hands and said, "Thank you ma'am!"

So happy about his new white belt with an orange stripe!

I'm so proud of Owen for being such a good listener and earning this all on his own. He still has a hard time with the idea of going to Taekwondo, but once he gets there he really enjoys it. I hope it's something he wants to continue for a long time!

Blogging Slump

2011-11-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Life around here hasn't been super exciting lately and along with the fact that I haven't really been in a picture taking mood that adds up to little to no blogging on my part. We really haven't done anything super exciting just the normally weekly tasks.

Monday - Homeschool

Tuesday - MOPS & Taekwondo

Wednesday - Stay Home Day (Or this week Dr Appt day for me)

Thursday - Occupational Therapy

Friday - Homeschool

Add on all the other little tasks like dishes, laundry, sweeping, preparing for MOPS Crafts, cooking and so on and it's busy busy busy around here. Normal...life!

But normal life for me right now is EXHAUSTING! I'm so tired that all I want to do is sit or lay on the couch and sleep! These kiddos of mine make that a pretty difficult task. Still I try! I have been popping in more movies lately just to have a moment to sit down with them and relax. Of course for some reason they feel they need to eat AT LOT when they are watching a movie so I usually end up getting up a time or two. I have gotten better at telling the boys to bring me things or go get something for themselves.

As for these pictures they had absolutely nothing to do with this post at all, but I honestly hate posting without pictures and I couldn't really think of a whole post to go along with them. Ella does look super cute in her Hello Kitty boots (on the wrong feet) wearing Logan's gloves though so that's reason enough to post them right there!

June Isn't That Far Away!

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

This time around we ARE NOT going to find out the sex of the baby!

It was about 2 weeks ago that the thought came into my head and it's just been stuck there and I feel really strongly about it. For me it doesn't matter if the baby is a boy or a girl. Since we have 2 boys and a girl we have everything we need. I have bins in the garage full of clothes for both sexes. I figure I'll just wash the newborn stuff and take a couple outfits for each sex to the hospital. We will have names picked out ahead of time so we'll know what to call the baby once the doctor says, "It's a....". Besides how many times in your life do you truly get to be surprised??

Also we never put the baby in it's room right away...we have an office that's connected to our bedroom so the baby will sleep in the pack and play in there for the first 3 months. That will give us plenty of time to get the crib set up in either Ella's or the boys' room. With this being our fourth child we have all the necessary baby gear....car seat, stroller, swing, bouncy chair and so on. I figure if anyone wants to buy us anything go ahead and get us some diapers and wipes....we will definitely need those!

I think the only time I will be a bit bummed that I don't know is when I'm at the Mill Creek Garage Sales in May. It would be fun to know so I could get some specific outfits, but I figure if I see something in a newborn size that is absolutely adorable I'll just buy it and if it ends up being for the wrong sex than I'll just give it away to a friend.

20 Kids

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

So what do you think of the Duggar's news about baby #20 being on the way? Were you surprised? Should we really be.....after all the show is called 19 kids and counting!!!

Personally they and their lifestyle doesn't bother me one bit.....okay I did watch the show on Tuesday night and during it they said they don't dance and I would have a problem with that! Also I'm more a jeans girl than a dress and skirt girl so that would bug me too, but those are little things. In regards to their belief that every child is a gift from God I wholeheartedly agree with them. While watching the show you can see they are raising their kids wonderfully. I know the older ones help out and I'm sure it is hard to have one on one time with each child, but I can only imagine what it's like to grow up with so many other siblings to play with. I highly doubt anyone is lacking for attention!

Do I think that Michelle Duggar should give it a rest and stop having kids? No...if that's something that her and Jim Bob want to do that's fine. It's their family! I love that they are hardworking and don't live off the government. They aren't asking anyone for help or a hand out. Also I do have some very strong believes when it comes to birth control so I understand her perspective on that matter. For me personally I will never (again) use the pill or an IUD for birth control. Condoms (although I hate them) and sterilization are okay in my book though.

A couple other things that stood out to me on the show last night was the fact that they don't have a TV. I seriously LOVE this. I wish I had the guts to throw our TV out. I love the way their kids play and play and play. I'm sure it's easier with having so many and the age differences...there is always SOMEONE to play with you. The other thing was the whole courtship thing....I think that's awesome! To actually be asked to go into a courtship with a guy and have him commit himself to you without all that physical stuff. I know it would be hard and it is totally old fashioned, but still I think it's very cool.

So what are your thoughts on the subject?

Our Day!

2011-11-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

Today we were all feeling pretty rough...having a cold sucks! So this morning the TV was our friend and we just kind of had whatever for breakfast. Dry Corn Flakes, Nutri-Grain Bars, Bananas and Multi Grain Cheerios. Nothing that took Mama any time or extra energy that's for sure!

Since we were just having a relaxed morning before heading out for homeschooling at Miss Kim's, I brought the girls highchairs in the living room so they could sit and eat with us.

They liked being so close!

Where's Logan? Where's Ella?

Later on after school the girls decided to hang out on the step to the garage and drink their sippy cups. I swear I can envision them 60 years from now sitting next to each other in rocking chairs on the front porch drinking their tea and spying on the neighbors.

Synchronized drinking!

Ella is totally in this goofy phase when she smiles. She thinks she has to lift her head up, close her eyes and smile really really big! Silly girl!

Logan just started saying "chee" and when I snapped this picture I knew instantly I would have to email it to her mom right away. Such a cutie pie!

Testing

2011-11-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

Tonight Owen has his first testing at Taekwondo and he did great! He had to do all his moves in sets of 5...5 jumping jacks, 5 punches, 5 kicks and he had to yell. He listened really well to Master Kelsey and now he gets to move up to his next belt. I believe it's a white belt with a yellow stripe.

So Refreshing!

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Friday I went in for my first official prenatal appointment. It's funny because they schedule these appointments to take so long because they assume they are going to have to go over everything with you. Well when it's your 6th pregnancy it's a bit redundant! I kind of feel like I know the in's and out's of it. Needless to say I spent a bunch of time in the waiting room. It was okay though because in the end I got to see this cute little baby again!

It just totally amazes me how much development is going on in there! The baby looks great! The PA spent a good amount of time looking at the baby. I got to see the heart beating and she got some great angles of the baby. The baby is measuring at 9 wks 3 days.

This picture is cool to me because it's like you are looking straight at the baby and it's laying down on it back. You see the two darker spots on the top...those the two sections of the brain! The little arms are right below the head and the legs are at the bottom. When this shot was in motion I got to see the baby moving it's little hands....thinks evil villain in a movie rubbing his hands together and going, "Mahaaa!" I also got to see the baby kicking and moving it's whole body around...like doing a happy dance. It's such a nice relief to know that everything is progressing well. My next appointment is going to be a little further out so I know I will be ready to see the baby again by that time. Prayer for my anxiety level would be greatly appreciated!

Michael took a picture of me on Saturday night. I'm 9 wks 4 days. Pooching out already...thankfully my jeans are still fitting, but I'm sure it won't be long and the maternity clothes bin will be coming out. Just for my sanity though I think I'm going to hold off until I'm out of the first trimester!