Life is A Journey

Life

2012-01-17T18:14:00.001-07:00

Things have been busy here for the past couple months and blogging never seems to make it to the top of the list! I need to start making it a priority because during this season of my life it is the only "scrapbooking" I am doing. The kids are changing so much, having lots of fun, saying funny things and learning new stuff and I need to start capturing it again. Until I find a way to work it into my schedule, here are a few pics of the kiddos

13 Months

2011-11-04T14:34:00.002-06:00

I have been trying to get her 12 & 13 month posts done before she turns 14 months! Yeah - I made it :-) She has changed TONS this month. The biggest change is she is walking! I thought it would be a long way out because she hadn't even gone from sitting to standing yet and hardly stood on her own at all. She surprised us all and 1 week after turning 1 she just stood up and took 3 steps, then got right back up and took 5 and she just kept going until she was up to 14 steps.

Not so exciting has been her ongoing weight saga. She lost over a 1/2 pound this month and is now not quite 15 1/2 lbs. She started the month out well - eating much better and also seemed to be tolerating dairy. Unfortunately, she didn't do so well the last part of the month. On the way home from CO she got the flu. All the kids ended up getting it but she just couldn't seem to shake it. She puked so much - poor little thing. She seemed to be getting better but continued to puke at least once a day for nearly a week and had bad diarrhea. When she was finally done puking she continued to have diarrhea. I decided to do some googling (cuz it was such a strange color & texture) and quickly realized she wasn't tolerating dairy like I thought she was. Her reactions were so different than the past so I didn't make the connection right away. After stopping dairy she was back to normal diapers in 3 days. So . . . . goodbye for now dairy. I thoroughly enjoyed you (maybe too much) and promise to see you again someday :-) Once feeling better she was back to nursing great and eating a variety of foods. She continues nursing well - no getting distracted, no squirming and crying, no refusing. She actually gets really excited and squeals when she is about to eat. So cute!

She DOES NOT like it when Samson licks her! I love Samson's guilty eyes - he knows he is in trouble now :-)

She continues to be a little talker/signer. She says, Good bye Daddy, Hannah, Isaac, Audrey, Baby, Puppy, Mommy, Daddy, All Done and More. She signs baby, puppy, all done and more. She loves playing peak-a-boo, giving kisses and hugs and hiding (she finds great spots and then pops out to "scare" us). She also neighs every time she sees a horse :-) It is really funny - as you can imagine Madison taught her that.

She loves to look at books. She really focuses on them and turns their pages slowly. She seems mesmerized by them :-)

She loves to stack things up. She would get so excited and clap each time she got a ring on. Cute!

Her hair is getting longer and gets pretty frizzy and crazy!

Off she goes

Our sweet little girl is growing up - she is getting more stubborn, more determined, more cuddly, more loving, more attentive, more demanding and more expressive. I am trying to take the good with the bad and savor the moments because I know they wont last long. When I am up with her 6 times in a night I remind myself this too shall pass. When I cuddle with her in the night I ignore my uncomfortable position and remind myself that this too shall pass. When she wants me to hold her (and clings on for dear life when I try to put her down) I hold her a little longer and remind myself this too shall pass. When she gives me a kiss and hug I remind myself to hug tighter and kiss her again because this too shall pass. Some things I wish would pass quicker than others. Unfortunately, we don't get to pick and choose so instead I must enjoy them all!

Until next time . . . . I'm off to ENJOY the moments :-)

Field Trip

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Last month the kids, Brock's mom and I went on a field trip to a local grizzly sanctuary. It was really cool! We were really close to the bears and the information the host gave during her talk was very informative and useful.

Isaac and his friend Lukas

It was a free event for homeschoolers (each person brought food for the bears) so the kids got to see lots of their friends there :-) Hannah and Kenley

It was so funny to see the things the bear would do - he would play with sticks, dig, rub his back on logs and lumber around the area. According to the owner he was even pouting because she blocked off the area he liked to dig in!

This field trip was a definite hit! Everyone from big to little enjoyed it (except maybe Audrey who just wanted to get down and run around) :-)

1 Year Old

2011-11-01T15:42:00.002-06:00

On September 9th Audrey turned 1! Help - she is growing too fast!

She is not walking yet - but still cruises all over the house. She either pushing something around or walks along anything that is handy. She signs & says "more", "puppy" and "all done". She has an adorable high voice!

She has 4 teeth - 2 on top & 2 on bottom. She doesn't seem too bothered when getting teeth - a bit fussy is all.

She is pretty excited about inching up to 16 lbs! She still doesn't eat very well and has frequent episodes of not nursing well either. Every ounce she gains is hard earned - whether its nursing her most of the night or tricking her into opening her mouth so I can get a spoonful in. It is a struggle and sometimes it feels like we are winning and sometimes it doesn't.

This is her new birthday outfit - isn't it cute. Grandma and I spotted it at the farmers market and bought it together. It has inspired me to try make one myself (will show the results another time)

Another birthday present - her trike! She LOVES it and wants to be on it all the time. It is really easy to push and holds her in well (she is strapped in tight).

She is still a little monkey - she climbs up and down anything in her way. If you turn your back she is long gone. You will have to look up and down for her because she could be on the table or down the steps!

Lost in the Maze

2011-10-31T12:29:00.003-06:00

We had a great time at a corn maze with some friends this weekend. It was a beautiful day - a bit cool and windy but still nice. The maze was fun and challenging and the farm where it located was so pretty. Beautiful views, lots of cool old buildings and a variety of animals.

We went right over Audrey's nap time but she did great. She looked like her eyes were going to close at any moment but she stayed awake for it all.

I wanted to LIVE at this farm. It was so peaceful, simple and beautiful

Through trial and error, multiple dead ends and many laughs we figured out the maze! If you can call random paths, lots of mistakes and being completely turned around most of the time figuring it out. :-) So, after conquering (or I mean stumbling across the exit) we pulled our map out and explored a bit - trying to make sense of where we were instead of just randomly choosing paths. Map or no map, I never knew where I was - I just followed the guys. My exact location didn't matter as long as they knew and we were all having fun :-)

Looks like I caught Brock cutting through the corn! Hey Mr. that's not allowed!!

There was an added adventure for the kids. They were given paper bags at the beginning and had to find 5 people hidden throughout the maze with orange buckets of candy. After receiving some candy they would get their bag stamped. Once they collected all the stamps they had found all the candy givers! They had fun searching - and fun eating!

Our whole group - us and our friends Mike and Erika with their three boys, Kevin, Luke and Andrew. Imagine all of us walking, running twirling and giggling our way through the maze. Yikes!

These cows were HILARIOUS. We noticed right away how short and fat they were - it was so crazy looking. We proceeded to read the sign - they were miniature cows! I had no idea there was a such thing. Look at that cow - it is shorter than Hannah! They were really friendly and the kids loved them. They all had name tags on their ears so we are still hearing about Erica, Sophie, Darla and Lucy!

Oh look - there is Erica - she was the kid's fave!

Kevin, Madison and Isaac. I really loved the neat barn! I decided I better let the kids get in the picture too :-)

They had several big black horses (percherons according to our resident horse expert Madison). They were very cool to see!

All the kids minus the two littles - Hannah, Luke, Madison, Kevin and Isaac.

We all had so much fun and can't wait to go again next year!

Missing In Action

2011-10-29T19:40:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it has been 2 months since I last posted! At the same time I can because life has been busy. With all I need to do (or should I say GET to do!) blogging is low on my list of "must get done". I have tons of catching up to do because the last two months have been full! Audrey has turned 1, she has started walking, Madison has turned 11 and Isaac 7. I have taken a trip to Colorado to visit my sister and stopped in Wyoming to see another sister. School has started back up and Awana is in full swing. I am sure that just scratches the surface but it is all I can think of off the top of my head.

Just wanted to share a few pictures today before we head off to the corn maze and pumpkin patch. The kids had harvest fest at Awana and we had fun gathering things to make their costumes.

Madison was a scarecrow and got first place. We found the hat, suspenders, bird and straw stuffing (hula skirt) at the thrift store. I had some burlap fabric from some long ago project I was going to do and she sewed herself some pants. We used a bunch of Audrey's blankets for stuffing. We went to the thrift store looking for some greens because she was going to be a tree and once I saw the hula skirt sitting next to a few scarecrow decorations a new idea took hold :-) It was fun to get a sewing class included too. She did great sewing and is already learning so fast!

Right from the start Isaac wanted to be an indian so I had to start from scratch and hope to find things that would work. I found a pillowcase at the thrift store that I made into his shirt, the pants were at the thrift store and the boots are Madison's. We made his tomahawk out of a stick, cardboard and tinfoil. For his headdress we taped a bunch of feathers on a piece of fabric and then used washable marker for his face paint. He LOVED his costume and wanted to sleep in it that night and has wore it many times since. His group didn't give prizes but he didn't seemed bothered because he had so much fun.

Last but not least, Hannah! Her dress was Madison's from last year. We had a black wig in our dress up box but it had big streaks of white in it. We used permanent marker and colored the white in and then braided it. Once we tied the bandana around her head and added the feather - she looked awesome. I also used some cardboard, her doll, some of Isaac's shirt/pillowcase and some electrical tape to make a papoose. We tied it around her and it hung off her back. She commented continually how much she liked her costume and how great she looked - it was funny!

I couldn't resist including this cute picture of Samson! He has struggled the last couple years with hair loss, weight gain, lethargy, seizures, large/sore joints and lots of limping. He is now doing great. The vet found he had a thyroid problem and some issues with the dog ACL. He has medicine for both and he is like a new spunky dog. We are so glad and hope that means many more years with him :-) He has been amazing with the kids and has been no different with Audrey. He is so careful and gentle with her. She really likes him and one of her first signs and words have been puppy!

The weather has been awesome. No snow yet (yeah!) and crisp, sunny days. I love fall.

Madison is still busy drawing and drawing and drawing. This is one of my favorites.

Audrey is changing daily. She needs several posts of her own just to cover all her changes :-)

School is going good. Slow but steady. They all love the new curriculum. There are of course days where everything goes great and days when it doesn't but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more, and nothing I have done that makes You love me less." J. D. Greear

Gospel: :Rediscovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary

Until next time . . . . . whenever that may be :-)

11 Months

2011-08-10T08:50:00.003-06:00

Our sweet little baby is fast becoming a sweet little girl. YIKES - the time is flying. I can't believe she is almost a year old! Another busy month has flown by and the little lady now weighs 15 lb 9 oz. - a wopping 4 oz increase :-) At least its an increase so we are happy (and as you can see she is as well)

She wanted to show everyone her newest addition - top tooth number 1.

Although she is a tiny little thing - she thinks she is big. She chases the kids all over the place, tries to cruise up the stairs at the first turned back, gets toys out of the toy box to play with, climbs into anything she can find (boxes, baby seats, bathtubs etc) and onto anything around, she isn't walking on her own but "walks", crawls or army crawls everywhere. She is always on the move.

She babbles alot and repeats sounds she hears. She loves to copy the kids and especially loves to make them laugh. She growls all the time and keeps doing it as long as they keep laughing.

This little cutie has won us all over - her big blue eyes and sweet smile gets us all the time

The many faces of Audrey Elizabeth

Her hair is growing and getting lighter and lighter. Time will tell if it is the sun or her true color.

See you in a month little lady with all your new tricks!

Belly Laughing Pair

2011-07-29T06:51:00.000-06:00

The kids love to make Audrey laugh. They each have their special ways to really get her going. It is so cute. I love these pictures because just looking at them I can hear them both squealing with delight

10 Months

2011-07-28T09:18:00.001-06:00

Audrey has had a fun, full, busy month. Some of the highlights were :

1. She finally has teeth! She popped out her two bottom teeth without much trouble and now loves to smile extra big to show them off

2. She has gained 1/2 a pound and now weights 15 lbs. 5.5 ounces. Still a tiny girl but growing :-)

3. She had her first camping trip of the year and loved it. She "walked" all over the camper, played peek-a-boo under the table, took her naps on the floor in our room and loved playing outside.

4. She LOVES to clap (and clap and clap and clap). She is so proud of herself and smiles so big, sits so tall and claps away. If she hears "good job" or "yeah" anywhere in the distance she starts clapping. So cute

and of course she continued to wow us all with her cuteness and we loved her like crazy every day of the month!

Things She Says

2011-07-26T12:44:00.001-06:00

"Madison just bless you-ed on me" (for sneezing)
"I need to find my sunglasses before they get all itched up"
"Hey, there's a squirm - oh never mind it is a callerpitter"

Us

2011-07-26T11:38:00.001-06:00

Things have been so busy. We have had a great summer - trying to pack in all that we can. We have been busy camping, travelling, visiting family, hosting guests, doing summer activities, enjoying each other and the beauty around us. One of these days I will get pieces of it posted here. Until then . . . .

Experimenting with a Cutie

2011-07-26T11:21:00.002-06:00

I have been trying to use my camera in manual mode instead of auto all the time. I love experimenting with different settings and seeing what comes out. The kids are great little subjects and are very patient with me :-) I took a class here in town that explained how to use various settings. It was very helpful and informative but the biggest thing is just getting out there and doing it. Seeing for yourself what happens when I do this or that. While camping a couple weeks ago I was experimenting with metering (taking a reading of the light levels). I was trying to do something the instructor did in class - meter one tiny spot. I was using Audrey's eye and couldn't believe how this made her eyes pop right out! Don't they look SO blue??

More experimenting to come - just thought these were too cute not to share :-)

Soccer, Soccer, Soccer

2011-07-08T09:04:00.003-06:00

For 6 weeks this summer Isaac was consumed with soccer. Last summer he did a couple days of park and rec soccer and liked it so this year I signed him up for team soccer. He had practice once or twice a week and a game every Sunday. He loved it and did great.

We had fun watching him each week (rain or shine). He was thrilled when he would score or block a goal and he would look right over at us with a huge smile! It was really cute. I am so glad we were there to share his excitement with him.

He was very aggressive and always jumped right in there.

Having the games at 1 on Sundays made for quite a scramble Sunday mornings :-) I would get everything ready Saturday night (change of clothes, lunches and his soccer stuff) and right after church we would race out, get to the field, change in the car and eat quickly. It wasn't always fun but we always managed :-) Audrey slept through a couple of his games, we huddled together for some and basked in the sun for others. Grandpa and grandma even made it to a couple of them.

What a lucky guy to have such a nice bunch of girls to cheer him on

Another goal - yeah!!!

Isaac also did British soccer camp for one week and loved that. He thought it was pretty cool to have a coach from England. They worked on lots of different stuff and then had a world cup on the last day. Isaac was on the United States team. I brought my camera for the last day and right as I took it out to take pics the battery died! Oh well - that's life :-)

9 Months

2011-07-08T05:47:00.002-06:00

Wow - this is almost one month behind! I guess you could say that represents me right now (at least how I feel sometimes) - one month behind. Things are busy this summer and I feel like I am scrambling to keep up. Maybe because summer took so long coming and when it finally arrived there was so much to pack in! There is so much we love to do this time of year - hikes, camping, trips to see family/friends, swimming, walks, sports for kids, gardening and on and on and on - so what can you do but get out and do it. Unfortunately, the house is showing signs of too much "going out and doing" so this week has been catch up week. Catch up on the house, the blog, the laundry, the emails and all other details that get swept under the rug when you are busy having fun and enjoying the hot summer days!

This sweet little lady has yet again grown older! Wow - the time is flying by and we just keep falling in love with her. The kids adore her and are so sweet to her - it is so fun to see. Although she is getting older - this month she didn't get bigger. The stomach flu swept through our house and got Brock, Hannah and Audrey. It hit Audrey pretty bad and she was puking a lot one day and pretty lethargic and mellow for several more.

Aside from being sick - Audrey has had a fun month! She enjoyed watching Isaac play soccer. Sometimes she watched under bright sunny skies and other times she watched all bundled up in the cold, dreary rain.

She continued to perfect her pre-walking skills and walked along all things vertical. She can easily grab from one surface to another and continue on her way. This of course has added a whole new world for her (and a whole new job for us - keeping her out of many, many things).

She had her first pool experience and loved it! She loves splashing in the bath so I knew she would love the pool. The only problem was she kept trying to dive down and drink the water - Yuck!

She has each and every one of us wrapped around her finger (nothing new I guess).Who wouldn't immediately scoop this little cutie up with a look like that??? Every so often she is very serious which is such a change from the little ham she usually is.

She has been perfecting her comedic abilities and loves to make us laugh. She is definitely used to having an audience. Her belly laugh is contagious and gets us all laughing.

She has discovered a new favorite place and can be found there anytime it is open. When it is clean I put her toys up there and she plays away. However, she has gotten a bit dangerous and has started grabbing things out. This new obsession has brought on a new rule in our house - all knives in the back! Unfortunately, this one we had to learn from experience. Thankfully, we saw it happening and no injuries were sustained :-)

She has discovered the sliding glass door and how much fun it is. She loves to watch the kids play and especially loves banging her hands on it. I suppose she is baffled by this strange contraption she can feel but can't see :-)

She continues to keep us all smiling and on our toes. She is FAST as can be and is into something or eating something before you can blink. She has discovered that we all stop and scramble to her side when she "chokes" thus it is now one of her favorite sounds to make! Kids are so smart aren't they! She has started eating a lot more and especially loves avocado, soft-boiled egg yolks and coconut oil. These things she gobbles up - all other things (peas, beans, peaches, squash, carrots and sweet potato) she tolerates. She still nurses a lot in the night, still doesn't tolerate dairy and continues to be a great napper (goes to sleep on her own and stays asleep).

Well - kiddos and hubby will be up soon so I am off to do some more catching up :-)

Big Day for a BIG Girl

2011-05-30T09:50:00.002-06:00

I love 4th birthdays! I remember the other kids turning 4 and how excited they were. I think it is the first birthday that is anticipated for a long period of time, the first birthday that they talk about nonstop beforehand and the first birthday that the child thoroughly enjoys every minute of. Hannah followed in the other kids footsteps and was THRILLED to turn 4. She told everyone she met how many days away it was, made songs up about it, talked about what she wanted for her birthday and remembered it the minute she woke up. It was a fun day filled with no chores, picking the menu for the day, a movie instead of "school", lots of games and playing, birthday glasses and presents at grandma and grandpa's, yummy cupcakes with ice cream and sprinkles and of course great presents! The day after her birthday she enjoyed a date with dad and mom out for pizza. We decided to do some alone time with each kid on their birthday to try to make it extra special for them. Brock and I often get time alone with an individual kid but not often is it both of us with only one kid. It was fun for all of us!

Now for a walk down memory lane. It was fun (and a little sad) to gather up these pictures of Hannah on her birthday each year. Look at her cute little lips, piercing black eyes and thick dark hair. What a good baby she was - so mellow and sweet.

Hannah loved getting attention (and still does!) She had a huge smile and a mischievous look. She was busy busy busy trying to keep up with the other kids

Moving to MT was rough on our immune systems and we were all sick ALOT - especially Hannah. It shows in these pics - little skinny girl had just gotten over Rotovirus. She still smiled alot, loved playing princess, loved talking (and talking and talking and talking . . . . ) and was so expressive and dramatic.

Big changes in one year - especially in the hair department :-) She now has little piggy tails to go with her sweet smile! She continues to be our little social girl - she loves Sunday School and Awana, loves talking to people, loves singing and telling stories.

And now our Big 4 year old!!! She is sweet and thoughtful, honest and straightforward - she says, "no thanks mom" when she doesn't want to do something (sorry girly - that wasn't a question). She is dramatic and serious (which is such a funny combination - she keeps us laughing!) She wants to pretend all day long - usually that I am her mom and she is my baby, horse or dog. She has a little temper and a stubborn streak that we are working on. She is usually very good and every once in a while she shocks us by being SO naughty. Throwing a tantrum of all tantrums. Thankfully, this is few and far between and she is usually fun, sweet, cute and loving. She isn't shy at all - she waits for someone to make eye contact with her just so she can talk (and talk and talk and talk . . . . ) What a fun 4 years we have had with this little lady!

13 Years

2011-05-25T13:16:00.007-06:00

Brock and I just celebrated 13 years of marriage!! In one sense I can't believe it has been 13 years and at the same time it's like "wow, only 13 years".

I love how each year brings us closer together, more in love, more tolerant of little imperfections and so much more in tune with each other. I can't imagine loving him more than I already do but experience has shown me that next year I WILL!

Our 13 years have encompassed life to the fullest - happiness, sadness, changes, stability, fun times, boring times, uncertainty, confidence, excitement, challenges, endurance, patience, love and so much more. Through all the changes we have learned about God's sovereignty, His power and His stability. We have learned to count on this when changes in emotions, feelings, settings and circumstances occur.

In 13 years we have:

*had 4 kids

*lived in 7 different homes (4 apt. & 3 houses)

*lived in 2 different states

*made 3 big moves

*owned 1 pet

*owned 2 houses

*started and ran a business together for 5 years

In 13 years we have:

*learned about love and respect

*learned about submission

*learned about leaving and cleaving

*learned about handling our anger

*learned about holding our tongues

*learned about parenting together

*learned about compromise

*learned about encouraging one another

*learned about praying for one another

*learned about praying together

and most of all learned that our standard in ALL of this needs to be GOD and what He commands in His Word

In 13 years we have:

*been silly together

*been exhausted together

*been sick together

*been devastated together

*been happy together

*been excited together

*been scared together

*been thrilled together

and so much more

but most of all we have learned that the key to it all is being TOGETHER

In 13 years we have learned

*that the sole purpose of marriage isn't our happiness but to refine us and make us more like Him

*that we can't expect each other to meet all our needs - only God can do that

*that we can't find our purpose in one another or our kids but in Him

*that we will suffer hardship and He will see us through it

*that hardship and trials truly do bring us closer together

*that we can trust God to work on our spouses so we don't need to :-)

*that putting the other above ourself is always best

*that our emotions can deceive us

*that communication is key but not necessarily immediate communication :-)

*that God always knows what is best even when we don't

and we continue to relearn these lessons and so many more

We know that without God in our marriage we wouldn't have the marriage we do today. We thank Him for bringing us together so many years ago and for staying with us every step of the way. He has guided us even when we weren't paying any attention to Him, He has comforted us although we were still asking "WHY", He has led us despite us being less than willing to follow. He has been more to us than we ever deserved. We have learned to seek His counsel, His guidance and teaching and we count on it as we journey through many more years together.

Here We Are Again

2011-05-12T08:31:00.000-06:00

Another beautiful day

and another anxious little girl who CAN'T WAIT to turn 4!!

She talks about it all the time and tells everyone she meets (even strangers) that she is going to be 4 soon. When asked the details she doesn't know - she just knows that it is "after winter is over" and "soon" :-)

She made up a song about her upcoming birthday and goes around the house singing it.

Hannah's birthday's in 14 days

And I'm Hannah

She is at such a fun age - so energetic, serious and dramatic. In her dramatic way she fills you in on the details of all things. She talks or sings ALL the time. We started to worry that she doesn't knows how to keep quiet so we have started to practice this art. It is a HARD task for her and has required much practice :-) She is not shy at all and keeps us all laughing.

Today . . . .

2011-05-11T19:02:00.001-06:00

. . . . is a beautiful day with bright sun shining, snow capped mountains, green grass and perfect temperature

. . . is a good day for relaxing in the sun - especially for our four-legged member of the family

. . . . is a great day to bring your school outside

. . . is a perfect time to take a picture of our soon to be 4 year old girl

. . . is a good day to admire the majesty and power of God through His creation

. . . is a perfect day to let your 3 year old wear what she wants ("snow" sweatshirt on a warm spring day?!?)

. . . is a great day to snuggle up with a favorite friend

. . . is a good day to be silly

. . . is a good day to let loose and kick up your feet

. . . is a perfect time to play legos and all other "boy" things

. . . is an awesome day to perfect your playdough skills

. . . .is a good day to SMILE!!!!!

Hope you have a GREAT day!

8 Months

2011-05-11T12:03:00.004-06:00

Watching your baby grow encompasses so many emotions. Excitement, pride and happiness as you watch them do new things, get bigger, stronger and more mobile. Laugh, crawl, stand, eat for the first time and on and on. Yet at the same time sadness as they leave behind (forever) this stage. Knowing she will never have her little newborn cry, her sporadic bird movements, her first "ma ma", nor will I ever hold her tiny little swaddled self sometimes makes me sad. She is changing so fast that I feel like I can't even keep up. I feel like I am constantly saying, "Hey! I wanted to savor that moment - where did it go?" While these sad emotions are there, they are rarely on the forefront - they are usually overshadowed by the excitement of change in our sweet little lady. God, in His infinite wisdom, made each new stage as exciting as the last, filled with anticipation and joy. He made each new stage so filled with awe and wonder that while I look back fondly on the former stage I don't mourn it. Instead I fully enjoy the moment we are in. Besides, who wouldn't enjoy every moment with this sweet little girl who is filled with curiosity, happiness and adorable giggles??

I love how she is looking out the side of her eyes. She is always looking EVERYWHERE. She hears a sounds she whips her head over there, then quickly the other way because there is yet another sound to investigate. It is cute except when she tries to do this while I am feeding her! Yesterday Isaac was on the top bunk calling her and she was crawling around looking for him. She was looking in every spot she could think and finally realized he was UP THERE. Instead of looking straight up she moved herself so she was pointing away from him then looked up at the ceiling and then kept looking further back until she could see him! It was really funny.

She has only gained a couple ounces from last month and now weighs 14 lbs. 12 ounces. She has been very healthy this month so that is exciting. Also, the last few days she has been happily eating carrots and rice cereal. She opens her mouth wide and even fusses when it takes too long. I will see how she likes soft boiled egg yolks, avocados and coconut oil since that is such good brain food and maybe this will add some chub to her skinny little self! :-)

She still doesn't crawl exclusively but army crawls SO FAST. She pulls herself up onto anything (whether she has much to hang onto or not). She is very confident while standing - either holding on with one hand or just leaning with her body. She also will hold onto something with one hand and grab onto something else with the other then take a few steps to grab it with both hands. I am sure walking will come before we know it.

She continually lounges on her side with her top leg holding her steady. It looks so grown up and cute!

She still has no teeth - which is surprising but completely fine with me :-)

She laughs alot, investigates everything around her, sees the tiniest specks and grabs it, puts everything in her mouth, wakes up at least 3 times a night to eat, still doesn't tolerate dairy very well, copies everything people do (especially the kids) from sounds to movements (even waving back to grandma yesterday), goes to people (even strangers) with no problem, makes loud noises - usually growling - when we are in "quiet" settings, gets very distracted while eating but always expects to be able to get back to it when she wants and always makes us all laugh!

Cushions, Cushions, Cushions

2011-05-02T13:46:00.001-06:00

On windy days the kids scramble to get the deck cushions inside to safety. Audrey loves these days because it means loads of climbing fun. Actually, she isn't the only one - the kids are always building forts or playing with these cushions. My endless dealings with them (cushions not kids) has caused me to move "deck box" further up on my need (or should I say want) list. Audrey looks so excited in this picture and I love how Samson is standing guard in the background.

One day we were driving home from town and had just turned onto our street when I saw several of our cushions. They had travelled quite a distance from our house and were still going. I quickly told the kids to chase after them (so nice to have kids to do those embarassing things for us!) They, thankfully, don't think this is embarrassing at all and think its pretty fun.

When we first moved into our house there were several cushions waiting for us on our front porch. We had asked for the patio furniture from the back deck when buying the house so just assumed the pillows were ours. A couple of them didn't seem to go with any of the others (they were green) but we just assumed they were ours. Mixed matched colors is in right?? We were not completely convinced and even scoped out our neighbors patio furniture to see if it seemed to belong there. It didn't so we settled in with our red/orange, taupe and green cushions. Two months later were were camping and came home to see "our" green pillows at the neighbors house tucked neatly on their furniture! It had been a real windy day and most of our stuff had blown into their yard (including toys and dog bowls). They nicely returned it all minus their long lost pillows! We laughed and laughed about it (amongst ourselves - not with them) and imagined them watching us use them month after month and trying to find a way to ask us for them back. Their daughter comes and plays with Madison all the time so I am not sure why they didn't tell her to tell us. They must not be like some parents who get their kids to do their embarassing things! :-)

As a baby Madison looked very similiar to Audrey. Although now she looks more like me as a baby she looked just like Brock (and therefore just like Audrey).

Oh the joys of cushions! They provide a nice comfy place to sit, endless fun for kids, exercise for kids as they blow around the neighborhood and lots of laughs as you remember "stealing" them from new neighbors

Happy Easter

2011-04-26T08:00:00.002-06:00

“‎He is risen! And O the overflow of that single event. It was the cosmic Yes! from God the Father that the death had done all it was meant to do.”

— John Piper
Desiring God

We had a great Easter. Things have been really busy since returning from MN so it was very nice to have a low key celebration with just the six of us.

Brock has a new job (which is why we were in MN earlier this month) and with that new job is a new shop/retail store. He has been busy getting it up and running. I like being there to help him and the kids love playing outside and exploring everything. We decided to do their easter egg hunt there and it was a huge success. They LOVED it. We gave them their baskets with a couple things in it - one of which was a webkinz. They were so shocked and thrilled and it was so fun to capture it with my camera.

The hunt begins! The kids had painted eggs with grandma the day before so we had lots of eggs to hide and a beautiful sunny day to enjoy while searching.

It was so fun to watch Hannah because she was so excited when she would find one. This was her first egg hunt and she enjoyed it thoroughly.

The shop has a lot of tall grass, a little man made pond, private road for bike riding and horses next door - what more could a kid ask for :-)

7 Months

2011-04-25T13:27:00.003-06:00

We have been BUSY BUSY BUSY this month so this post is very late!! She was 7 months on April 9th and has changed so much. She is all over the place now and cannot be trusted to stay put!! She eats anything she comes in contact with (from microscopic to huge) although has no interest in eating actual food. While she hasn't been eating real food she has been nursing a lot better. The last couple weeks I have been slowly adding dairy back into my diet and she is doing well with it. Such a relief as it was really hard to be completely dairy free on our recent trip to MN.

She has gained over a pound this month (YEAH!!) and now weighs 14 lb 10.5 oz. As you can

see she is also pretty excited about her increased size.

She has started to crawl this month although reverts to army crawling most of the time. It is definitely the faster of the two for her.

She has participated in her first big road trip - 14 hour trip to MN - and did wonderful. She is a trooper getting in and out of the car seat time after time. She was especially pushed to her limit on the return trip when the second leg of our journey took 13 hours (instead of 7!!) We were in MN for nearly 2 weeks visiting friends and family and she encountered multiple strangers. She again passed with flying colors. She did awesome happily being held by many new people daily.

She is LOUD! I cannot sit in church (or anywhere that requires quietness) because she jabbers (loudly) the whole time. She growls, squeals, laughs, hums and anything else that makes a lot of noise. She is definitely our loudest baby. I hope this doesn't mean she will be an extra loud kid - we already have a couple of those :-)

She stands next to anything and everything. She has even started pushing things around (baskets, stools, toys) and walking along with it. It is really cute. Her new love of standing has caused many bumps and scares but she continues on. She has a death grip when she falls and hangs on for dear life as she waits for help to arrive.

6 Months Old

2011-03-11T15:57:00.005-07:00

Another month has flown by and once again I am amazed at how much she has grown. She was sick again this month so she hasn't gained much in weight but continues to add new skills :-)

She still army crawls all over the place and even gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. She is a very determined girl and will find a way (very quickly too) to get where she wants

She also recently started sitting! She is so proud of herself and sits so tall. However, she is still a bit uncomfortable up there so doesn't do too much moving around. If she moves a little her hands fly out to the side - I can just here her saying "whoa - what just happened" She doesn't go from laying to sitting on her own - we have to sit her up and make sure to stay nearby.

Hannah wanted to get her picture with Audrey too. I thought this was so adorable.

It is amazing how much Audrey looks like Brock. I wish I had one of his baby pictures handy right now to show you all :-) She looks more and more like him as she gets older.

She is such a silly girl - making all sorts of funny faces. She got tired of taking pictures and started crying. Her big leftover tear is too cute!

The lounging little lady. She was sick a couple weeks ago (fever and congestion) so has been a bit fussy. She is still coughing and has a runny nose. She has definitely been sick more than any other baby of ours. That is a disappointment. She still manages to wake up many times a night. I feel like she eats all night long but she isn't a great eater in the day so I don't mind. She still has dairy issues which I am hoping she will grow out of soon.

She is 13 lb 5.5 oz. - unfortunately only a couple ounces bigger than last month. If she stays healthy this month I am sure she will make up for it. I have stopped going to Awana with her to try to keep her away from groups of kids. Hopefully this will help.

She still loves her jumparoo and goes CRAZY in it. I have a video of her that I will have to put on. It is pretty funny to see her going wild, jumping all over the place.

5 Months

2011-02-22T10:48:00.004-07:00

Audrey is now 5 months and growing right before our eyes! It really is amazing how much babies change in such a short time. The kids and I were gone for 2 weeks visiting my family and when we came home Brock saw a big difference in her.

She continues to be intrigued with her tongue. She rubs it along her gums or around her mouth and sticks it out constantly.

She no longer likes her pacifier. That is a huge disappointment to me because it was SO helpful in getting her calmed down or to sleep. None of my other kids have stuck with the pacifier either so this is nothing new. I suppose in the long run it is good because I won't have to break the habit :-) I think her teething and also her busy hands have been the cause - she either spits it out or accidentally pulls it out :-)

She has gained more than a pound this month! Yeah! She weighs 13 lb 3.5 oz. She is eating a little better although still struggles with dairy issues (if I eat it accidentally).

She is a girl on the move now! She pulls herself all over the floor - army crawls and rocks around on her hands and knees. She also jumps like crazy in her jumparoo. She loves playing with toys and sucks on them, chews on them or grabs and pulls them. She is getting quite coordinated with her fingers and hands. It is cute to see her exploring with them.

Growing Fast

2011-02-07T09:23:00.007-07:00

I am at my parents right now visiting and wanted to show Brock how Audrey is scooting all over the place. I have been here for a week and a half and will be heading home in a few days. We are all having fun but missing Brock/daddy :-)

I haven't put any videos on in ages so I decided to share a few favorites

December 28th - Audrey laughing

January 26th - Happy little girl

February 7: scooting to get a toy

4 Months Old

2011-01-11T13:17:00.009-07:00

Little Audrey is getting so big!! She is now feeling quite a bit better, although still stuffed up and coughing. We are so thankful that she has improved so much from last week. We are, however, in shock that she is already 4 months!!! Where or where did our TINY baby go!?!

She is chewing on anything she can get in her mouth. As you can see she doesn't always get things she desires in her mouth - but she sure tries hard!

Still trying to get that tricky rattle in her mouth! Her expression says it all - "what is the problem here - why can't I get this in my mouth!"

We can hardly keep her still - she wiggles, squirms and rolls continually. If she isn't swaddled tightly she "fights" with her blanket until she is FREE!

"Hmmm . . . another thing to suck on! Yes, she sucks on her blankets all the time. I no longer keep busy washing them because of spit up but because of slobber :-)

Her coordination has come a long way this month - she now holds her hands together and grabs onto anything in her vicinity. She loves investigating faces - feeling and touching the face of anyone holding her. It is so cute to see her exploring her world.

She is still a mellow, happy baby (not counting her week of being sick). She takes good naps and sleeps pretty good at night (although she eats many times throughout). She seems to finally be eating good again after eliminating dairy from my diet. Thankfully, she now consistently eats for more than 5 minutes without crying, squirming, stiffening and refusing to eat more. Yeah!! But I do miss cheese . . . and ice cream . . . and yogurt and cottage cheese and butter . . . . Oops sorry, I will come out of dairyland and get back to the task at hand :-)

Look at her chubby little hands and arm - even a dimple in her elbow!

And a nice double chin to go with her dimpled elbow and rolly thighs! We love our chubby little girl!

I weighed her a week before she got sick and she was 12 1/2 lbs but now is only 12 lbs. She is making up for being sick and I am sure will gain that weight right back (and then some).

Her coordination isn't always perfect and she misses her hands every once in a while. It is pretty funny. She never gives up though :-) She has also started rolling this month. A couple days after Christmas she was playing on the floor and pretty soon was fussing. I went over to get her and she was on her belly. It took several days before I actually watched her roll. I kept trying to see it and tried to capture it on video but she would never do it for me. The minute I wasn't looking she would be on her belly. If I didn't know better I would have thought she was keeping me in the dark on purpose :-) Now she does it continually and even rolls back to her back again.

The little lounging beauty. Although she doesn't eat yet she does like to sit in her highchair and watch the happenings or play with her toys.

This blue - eyed beauty is one LOVED little girl. Loved by us and loved even more by God. What a lucky little girl she is!

Poor Baby

2011-01-05T18:35:00.002-07:00

Our sweet little lady has been sick for the past couple days. She feels so miserable and sleeps, cries or moans all day and night. She hasn't smiled or laughed since coming down with this (3am Tuesday morning) so these pics from the other day are a welcome sight for me right now. Look at those cute little chubby legs!

She is congested and has a fever and I am guessing is achy (considering she moans or cries whenever I move her). Thankfully, she is still eating okay (not much but quite often). Sticking her tongue out has gotten to be a pretty common look for her lately as she tries to suck and chew on everything!

I have been sitting/laying in my room with her all day and night. All I have done is comfort her, hold her, feed her, read, do internet stuff and sleep when I can. I don't know how much sleep I have gotten in the past two days but not much :-) Yesterday, I was able to do some school with the kids (on the bed in our room) but otherwise they had a free day. Fun for them and now we have a huge fort in our living room. Madison was such a big help doing whatever I needed and even surprised me by bringing dinner up to me (that she had made!) and she also fed the kids. What a nice surprise it was! Today, Donna/Grandma took the kids which is very helpful. Leaving me with nothing to do but take care of Audrey. A job I am happy to do no matter how exhausting it is :-) Isn't she so cute sitting in her bumbo. She things she is pretty cool in there - getting to be such a big girl!

Praying for a better day tomorrow for our sweet little doll!

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-27T09:12:00.004-07:00

A couple weeks ago the kids and I headed over to Grandma's to make gingerbread houses. Unfortunately, I was so engrossed in house building that I didn't get any pictures of the process :-) Thankfully, I did get the finished product (and the proud workers).

Audrey slept in her swing the entire time - allowing me to do much more than I expected! Yeah!

She woke up in a good mood - ready to practice her rolling skills. Although she didn't quite conquer the roll she had fun trying.

Hello sweet baby!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas! What a blessed gift we have already received in Jesus Christ. May He be a reality to you all this new year and always!

3 Months

2010-12-11T15:59:00.007-07:00

Audrey has changed so much this month. She has gained 4 lbs since she was born. She "talks" like crazy, tries to roll over, chews on anything she can and is almost laughing.

She is still so smiley and happy most of the time.

She is doing a bit better with eating since I stopped dairy. Unfortunately, it takes 3-5 weeks to leave her system so she still hasn't been eating that great. She has at least a couple major crying fits per day when she should be eating. It is really hard for me because I know she should be eating and there is NOTHING I can do to make her eat. Poor little lady.

She's a little drooler!

She is such a fun little baby. We are all loving every moment with her!

Two Little Cuties

2010-12-07T10:06:00.001-07:00

Audrey has always been fussy when she eats (doesn't eat long before crying, twisting/turning and stiffening up). There are also times when she refuses to eat and cries like crazy. She has also been congested for a large portion of her life (starting at 2 weeks). I have taken her to the midwife as well as the doctor. Neither one could find anything wrong with her (except real stuffy nose) but otherwise she was happy and content. At her 2 month checkup the midwife suggested it could be an allergy but said we should wait a bit before testing her. For the past 2 1/2 weeks I have been not eating dairy and she has been doing quite a bit better. There are times when I totally forget and eat something and then she has a rough couple hours. I have tried just tiny amounts of something (1 slice of cheese that I have been dying to try) and that still bothers her. I now realize I can't even do that. It has been crazy to see each "reaction" for her has been about 4 hours after eating it! I am missing dairy but it doesn't even compare to how nice it is to nurse her and have her just lay there happily and even fall asleep sometime!!! Also, to not see her squirming, grunting and crying so often! Too bad I didn't figure it out sooner!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-06T16:01:00.005-07:00

We were going to go to ND for Thanksgiving to see my family but bad weather prevented it. We were disappointed but had a nice day with Matt & Donna instead (and a delicious meal).

No "photo shoot" is complete without some silly faces

A Birthday Visitor

2010-12-01T11:48:00.001-07:00

My friend Rachel had her 40th birthday and her husband gave her a trip to visit me as a present! How fun to benefit from her birthday present!! We had a great time. The kids LOVED the extra attention they received from her and the house echoed with, "Rachel, come see this" "Rachel, look" "Rachel, are you coming" etc etc. It was funny and a nice break from "mom . . . . ". Audrey loved the extra holding she received and I loved having someone around all day to talk to, shop with, scrapbook with, have a latte with etc. etc.

While she was here we hit the thrift store and a couple consignment stores, went out to eat at McKenzie River Pizza, visited a really cool pottery store and had dessert and coffee and scrapbooked. We had big plans to try digital scrapbooking for the first time. It was much more involved that we realized, more expensive that we thought and took a bit of getting used to. Thankfully, we found some free software as well as free downloads (backgrounds, letters and embelishments) so we only had to pay to print each page. Rachel did several pages and I spent most of my time downloading free stuff because I didn't have the pics I wanted on my computer. I am anxious to actually do a page because Rachel's turned out great and I have LOTS of well organized free stuff :-) That is so ME - lots of preparing, organizing and sorting and little action :-) Brock came into the family room late one night and found us busy scrapbooking. He laughed at how serious and intent we both looked, how we were working in the midst of such a mess, how BRIGHT Rachel's screen was and how Audrey was there sleeping through it all! Seeing what he saw (through the pics) makes me laugh too - he was right about it all :-)

Catching Up

2010-11-29T18:49:00.010-07:00

I have been busy with a growing little baby, a sweet (and stubborn) three year old, two smart students and of course a hard working handsome hubby. Naturally, blogging has been pushed to the side so I have some catching up to do.

I can't believe she is nearly 3 months!!! It seems she changes daily. One thing remains the same - she is still CUTE AS CAN BE (okay maybe I am biased) :-)
Our little dolly is getting so BIG. She is so smiley and happy and growing right out of her NB clothes. I am sure she will be laughing any day now.
Madison loves to talk to Audrey, get her to smile and especially loves to take videos and pictures of her. It is so cute to see how she (and all the kids) love her!

She seems to sprout new hairs daily and her fuzzy little head is too cute! She is starting to wear 3-6 month clothes - so fun to see her in "big girl" clothes :-)

Brock watching (or sleeping through) a movie with all the kids :-)

Hannah usually does a good job of dressing herself. However, every once in a while she is quite a site!

Madison and her friend Gabi (who lives next door and is 2 weeks older than her) have such fun playing together. They looked so nice in their fancy dresses I had to take a picture!

Unfortunately, this is no longer our view. Thankfully, our view is still beautiful despite being blanketed in white. We have quite a bit of snow and the kids have enjoyed sledding, skiing and playing in it. It has also been VERY cold - which I haven't enjoyed at all :-)

My SUPER kids are getting ready to FLY!

The kids were pretty excited to all have SUPERMAN shirts! My friend Rachel hands down her son and daughter's clothes to Isaac and Hannah so they got their shirts from her. I found Madison's at the thrift store. Now, if I could only find one for Audrey :-)

Even without her SUPERMAN shirt - we still think she is SUPER!!

2 Months

2010-11-10T11:27:00.005-07:00

Our little princess is growing so fast. Look how much she has changed!

Her cute little belly is growing bigger and bigger (as are her cheeks)

She has now sailed over the 10 lb mark!

She entertains us with her expressions (look how she and Hannah are staring at each other - so funny) and all her "talking". She carries on a "conversation" with anyone who will listen :-)

I LOVE watching the kids interact with Audrey. Watching them pour out there love on her is the sweetest thing! I always knew siblings were the greatest gift my parents gave to me but it is so fun to watch it and see it from another perspective.

She smiles so big her whole body gets involved! I am sure it won't be long before her voice joins in and she will be laughing like crazy.

Love Love Love . . . . I couldn't say it enough. We are so in love with her. I can't believe we wondered if our family was complete at 3 kids!!!! I am so glad that God knew otherwise!

I NEED . . . . .

2010-11-05T07:42:00.005-06:00

To kiss these cute little lips

To rub this fuzzy little head

To hold this sweet little hand

To gaze into these intense little eyes

What else do I NEED?
All this to care for the little cutie each night.

As I prepared to change the sheets the other day, this is what I found. It cracked me up so I had to take a picture. It is such a perfect representation of what is required to make it through the night with an infant:

1. A HUGE assortment of pacifiers - you know just in case you lose one in the night
2. A stack of burp rags - not just to contain the spit up Audrey loses but for all the milk I lose during each feeding
3. Vicks to spread on her clothes because she is continually stuffed up
4. A good Amish book to read when she is wide awake
5. A diaper for the inevitable half asleep diaper change
6. Pillow to prop up the little lady
7. Water for the ever parched throat
8. Lamp to turn on and annoy hubby who is trying to sleep in the midst of it all

By the way - this picture is not staged, it is truly what I had at the top of my bed (and have nightly except the million pacifiers - not sure why there were so many this particular night)

The Girls

2010-11-04T20:53:00.005-06:00

Hannah got some roller skates at the thrift store and was anxious to try them out. Despite much effort from Madison and myself she couldn't get the hang of it. I thought because there were four wheels and a front stop it would be easy for her. Boy was I wrong. Hello, did I forget they still roll like crazy and need to be controlled at all times :-) Oh well - maybe next summer :-)

Hannah still had lots of fun. She also thinks her skates are pretty cool - whether she uses them or not :-)

What a cutie!!

Audrey and her chubby little cheeks crack me up.

My mom made her hat & blanket and they are perfect for her. So cute!She is a little talker now. She loves to be talked to and loves to respond with her own two cents :-)

Madison is so sweet with her littlest sister. She adores her & is still thrilled to hold her & take care of her

Madison wanted to "weigh" Audrey on this old scale. She was so cute talking to her and trying to get her to smile. Audrey, however, wasn't going for it :-)

Big Day

2010-11-02T10:07:00.003-06:00

Two nights ago Isaac lost his first tooth and last night he lost his second. He was so excited to lose two teeth in two days! The tooth fairy thought it was pretty cool too and gave him extra money and a note :-)

I am glad Brock likes to pull teeth because I don't know if I could do it. Something about feeling the roots ripping gets to me :-)

Yeah Isaac - good job tough boy!

Giving me a tough guy look to go with his bloody mouth

Pretty excited boy! Yes I realize his shirt and pants are on backwards but according to Isaac last night was backwards night :-)

Fireside Bath

2010-11-02T09:33:00.009-06:00

Nothing but the best for the little princess of the house :-) Bath time for Audrey is an exciting event for the kids. They all want to help and they stay busy oohing and ahhhing over her.This mornings bath was no exception.

Audrey loves her baths or maybe it is all the attention she loves :-)

Everyone wants to have a "job" at bath time. As you can see, Madison is taking her hair washing job very seriously.

Our smiling little girl is a LOVED little girl!

Hannah gets to help with washing Audrey's hair (under the watchful eye of Madison of course - I love how she has her hand right there ready to intervene if necessary)

Isaac keeps her warm with the "water pouring" job

Warm bath by the fire, many attendants to meet her every need, what more could a princess want

Funny Girl

2010-11-01T18:49:00.002-06:00

Hannah came into the kitchen to ask me if she could watch Benji. I was busy and answered her without looking at her and then patted her on the head. As you can imagine this led to a scream - I was NOT expecting to feel a full head of rough, scratchy hair :-) She was just acting totally normal, like having this hair was nothing out of the ordinary. She is such a funny girl!

She thinks she is pretty funny too!

She has gotten into posing real dramatically for pictures. It seems each time I pull out the camera she does some exaggerated pose. Now in addition to saying, "normal smile" I have to say "stand normal" :-)

6 Weeks

2010-10-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

"I am 6 weeks old today! My mom and dad say they can't believe how FAST I am growing. I have heard them talk about my chubby cheeks and double chin - whatever that means. I notice they are always making silly faces at me, I don't know why they do this but it sure makes me smile. If they keep it up I might even laugh. I am saving that for another day though - I want to catch them off guard - to really surprise them!"

"My mom lays me on something hard and white every week and then gets this big black thing with a really bright light and blinds me over and over again. I guess it is called a camera because I hear her saying, 'Quick get the camera' all day long. Can't she tell from my furrowed brow that I am not into this!"

"I guess I am getting to be a real big girl - I weight 9 lb 12.5 oz. I have gained 2 1/2 pounds since I was born. I guess that is nothing compared to my cousin who is a month older than me - he gained 1 lb per week! Wow, I think I would like to meet him!"

"My mom finally stopped putting things over my hands so I am free to suck on them all I want - and boy do I love to do that. It might even be better than my pacifier. Hey now, I said MIGHT so don't go thinkin' about taking my pacifier away until I am sure"

"I guess I look like my sisters Madison and Hannah and I even look like my brother Isaac. My mom and dad say I am a perfect mixture of them both. What do you think?"

"I love being held. I think I could be held all day and all night! My mom has been trying to put me down more and boy am I not liking that. I really put up a fuss - I cry and cry until she picks me up again. I especially like to do this when she is trying to make dinner. Hey, it doesn't matter to me if she gets it done or not I still have a delicious meal!"

"Yep, its still me. Like I said - she took TONS of pictures then she said I was so cute she couldn't leave any out!"

"See, what did I tell you - she couldn't put that camera down (in fact she rarely does)! Click, blinded, click, blinded, click, blinded for ages. Maybe next time I should try crying instead of laying there looking as CUTE as can be!!"

"She finally put my clothes back on and talked to me and made her silly faces at me. Although I still couldn't see clearly from the bright lights it was pretty funny. Plus, she seems so happy when I smile at her - I didn't want to let her down."

"That's it for now - see you all in a week"

Our 5 Week Beauty

2010-10-18T20:33:00.002-06:00

Audrey is growing so fast! We still can't get enough of her - we adore her!! As you can easily tell - I LOVE to take pictures of her :-) Thankfully, she is patient and obliging and lets me click away!

She is such a mellow little lady - loves hanging out, loves to be talked to, loves smiling and "talking" and of course loves to be held and to be on the move

One Month Old

2010-10-09T08:56:00.000-06:00

Little Audrey Elizabeth is already one month old and boy has she changed!

She weighs 9 lbs 2 oz - a gain of almost 2 lbs since birth (I still have to adjust her weight due to the scale being a little off). I found a comfy blanket for her so she would be nice and warm and after I zeroed the scale and laid her on it she peed! I guess it was a little too warm and cozy :-)

She loves to smile when we talk to her. She also watches us like a hawk - moving her head and eyes trying to follow wherever we are going. It is so cute.

She has lost almost all her hair on the top and is now sporting an "old man" hairdo! If she grows anymore hair on the sides (which right now is hardly any) then she will be getting her first haircut - "old man" hair is not what we are going for with our little lady :-)

Her eyes are getting lighter and lighter and her blue is starting to show. We know her eyes will be blue but we are anxious to see what shade of blue :-)

Following me with her eyes and giving me a little smirk!

Such cute little chubby cheeks!

She still loves her pacifier. We have accumulated a variety of them over the years after trying to see what the other kids would like best. Audrey doesn't care, she is not picky at all - as long as she has one she is happy :-)

"Mom, you take way too many pictures! That big bright light gets old and now I am all tuckered out!"

Sweet dreams our adorable little lady!

Life

2010-10-05T13:59:00.003-06:00

Things are getting back to normal in our household. We have had the flu sweep through, we have started school, we have endured a couple sleepless nights watching a sick little baby (my least favorite aspect of parenting - the uncertainty of sickness), we have gotten back to our household jobs (sort of) and so on

Our handsome guy and adorable little lady. Isaac has become an awesome helper. He talks to Audrey, tells her stories with the little bears attached to her bassinet, reads her books, puts her pacifier back in for her and anything needed. It is so cute to watch!

Audrey has been real congested for the past week. Thankfully, she is doing a little bit better now - mostly just bad at night and in the mornings.

Snuggling with daddy. She has turned into a little smiler but I was unsuccessful capturing it. She especially smiles for Brock - I guess she likes silly guys!

The kids helped me yesterday make raspberry freezer jam. I had gotten 36 cartons (6 oz each) of reduced raspberries for only $3!! However, because they were reduced we did have to spend some extra time picking out bad ones. We didn't mind - it was worth it! Madison's job was sorting good from bad, Hannah's was to stir them & Isaac was playing with and taking care of the baby :-) They were all awesome helpers!

3 Weeks

2010-09-30T15:47:00.006-06:00

Look at the little chubby girl! Her little round cheeks & belly are too cute!

She now weighs 8 lbs 9.5 oz. (she has gained 10.5 ounces this past week)

She is still a good little baby who LOVES to be held, loves being carried in the Beco, loves to sleep through all outings (church, walks, grocery store, ride in mtns, out to eat etc.), loves looking around, loves fussing in the early morning (keeping me up from about 4:30 - 5:30 or 6:00 each morning!), loves her pacifier and loves being swaddled
We LOVE everything about her!I love Hannah peeking over the bench - so her. She likes to be where Audrey is and is always watching her. She doesn't try to be too "hands on" - just watches (and talks about how cute she is).Brock and I were talking about how much we have enjoyed Audrey and how nice it has been being able to spend so much time with her. When we had Madison we were both finishing college (and he was working too), when we had Isaac and Hannah we had the theatre (and he was working at Polaris too) and it is so nice to have more time to enjoy her. Of course we loved our time with the other kids - it just wasn't as relaxed and we had less of it. In general, since our move to MT we have had a lot of quality time as a family and as a couple (mostly because of being less involved in activities and knowing less people) and it has been awesome!!!

Walking the Trails

2010-09-29T13:36:00.004-06:00

The kids and I went on a walk/bike ride along the trails in our neighborhood. It was so nice out we had to get out and enjoy it :-) Along the trail there are several wooded areas, with little streams and bridges. The kids love to stick their feet in the water, climb the trees and hide from me (which they do every time and of course I am surprised each time) :-)

Samson is very happy for the streams - perfect watering holes for a chubby, under-exercised dog! :-)

Audrey loves being in the Beco and snuggles right in.

Lucky Hannah gets to take the easy route. She was going to ride her bike but I wasn't sure I could manage her and Samson while carrying Audrey. I decided she could try her bike when Brock is with us :-)

Visiting the Museum

2010-09-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we spent a few hours at our local museum. They had a new display and a new play room. The display was okay (all about wolves and dogs) but the play room was the big hit. It was set up to be like Yellowstone National Park so had geysers, old faithful, mud pots & hot springs set up all around the perimeter. The kids liked playing in the old fashion kitchen the most and dressing up :-) Audrey enjoyed her outing and was very good. She spent most of her time in the Beco with me or with daddy in her favorite "hold". She loves to be carried on her side and usually falls right to sleep. So cute!

Madison the construction worker

Isaac the fireman

Hannah the chef

Hannah was busy preparing food on her awesome old fashion stove. Wouldn't I love one of these at home for her (or for me) :-)

Isaac enjoying the food Hannah has served

Hannah slaving away at the hot stove while Madison and Isaac wait to be served. Isn't that life for the little sister :-)

Of course, she didn't mind. She loved every minute of it :-)

The View From Here

2010-09-28T16:18:00.002-06:00

I love having a farm nearby - makes me feel like I live in the country :-)

It was such a beautiful day I couldn't resist taking a picture - the tractor, the mountains, the sparkling water, the green grass and the grassy field that shows us fall is here. I never tire of the beauty God surrounds us all with!

Up the Mountain

2010-09-28T15:31:00.004-06:00

We had amazing weather this weekend - sunny and low 80s. We decided it was a perfect time to take the Razr out and explore some trails.

This particular trail led us to this beautiful spot. The trees, the rocky ridge and the fall colors were awesome.

Brock drove, Madison and Isaac sat in the back, I put Audrey in the Beco and she and I sat in the front also. Matt and Donna came with us so Hannah rode with them. Audrey did great. She slept the entire time and probably reminisced about the many times she went up the mountain while in my tummy :-)

Grandma, Madison and Isaac exploring

We saw this stream and had to stop and enjoy it. The kids were in it right away and thought for sure they could swim here - despite the fact that it was only inches deep :-)

I love how this picture captures their excitement as they run to enjoy the stream

Hannah and her pretty bouquet of flowers - she was very proud of them :-)

Grandpa, Grandma and Hannah herding the cows off of the trail. We ran into cows multiple times and had to spur them on so we could get through. Isaac loves cows so he was pretty thrilled about this :-)

This tree was HUGE!! It was so cool and of course Brock had to climb it and Madison had to try (she decided getting down would be too hard so gave up)

Looking up into the canopy of the tree was so cool - it was like a huge maze!

2 Weeks

2010-09-23T17:04:00.009-06:00

Audrey is 2 weeks today! Hard to believe how fast time has flown by. She has changed a lot already :-) She isn't quite sure if she likes taking a bath. She is easily startled when I pour water on her. Today she was pretty tired for her bath and yawned her way through it. I set her bathtub right by the fireplace so she was nice and warm - and sleepy :-)

When she is awake she loves to look around. It is so funny because she moves her head real slowly looking from one spot to another.

She is getting bigger and now weighs 7 lb 15 oz. Our scale is 2 ounces heavy so that is why it says 8 lbs 1 oz :-) I need to figure out how to change it.

She has a very loud cry but is easy to console. She doesn't work up to a full blown cry - she starts right out with it :-)

She is completely adored - all day, every day :-)

I love finding cute things for her to wear and seeing her in things Madison and Hannah used to wear.

She has been pretty good in the night - sometimes going 4 or 5 hours without eating :-) She also can be quite fussy in the night - squirming and fussing until I get up with her :-)

I think she is a perfect mixture of Brock and I. There are times when she reminds me of my baby pictures and times when she reminds me of his. I am anxious to find the pics so I can truly compare :-)

She loves to be swaddled. We watched the video Happiest Baby on the Block and it works GREAT! The "5 S's" work awesome (swaddle, side, suck, swing & shhhhh). She doesn't look like she loves swaddling, but trust me - she does :-)

Sweet Little Audrey

2010-09-22T11:56:00.001-06:00

Time is flying by and I can't believe that tomorrow Audrey will be 2 weeks! I am LOVING life with her - I can't get enough of holding her, looking at her and thanking God for her. She has been pretty good this week - not quite as sleepy as her first week and a bit more fussy. However, she is still a great baby who is easily consoled, loves to be held, loves her pacifier and is a good eater.

I know I speak for us all when I say we are in love with
SWEET LITTLE AUDREY

Audrey at 8 days old. She spends more time looking around and trying to make sense of her surroundings :-) Of course she already recognizes her daddy and will soon agree with me - he is THE BEST!

9 days old and completely zonked :-) She still scratches herself alot so has to have her hands covered - I couldn't find her little mitts so her socks did the trick :-)

11 days old and getting a little chubbier :-) I love watching her sleep - so peaceful.

More of Audrey at 11 days. She looks so big "sitting" up on Isaac's lap!

Yeah Visitors!

2010-09-21T14:59:00.007-06:00

My younger sister Laura and her two youngest kids - Aiden (1) and Lyrik (2) came from ND to visit. We all had a lot of fun. It was especially nice for me to have someone to hang out with! Laura used to come and stay with Brock and I before she was married or we had kids and it was so funny because she always zipped around the kitchen getting it cleaned up. We joked that she would have the table cleared and dishes done before we were even done with our meal. Well, she hasn't changed much - she zipped around the kitchen and house like a whirlwind leaving a neat house behind! What a treat for me :-)

Cute little Aiden loved getting tickled by Brock's foot
Sir Isaac and his two princesses - Lyrik and Hannah

Aiden loved Samson. These pics crack me up because it is like they are both looking and pondering the same thing. If only we knew what they were each thinking and gazing at :-)

Sunday was such a beautiful day that we decided to walk to the nearby park so these three could play

The Children's Museum

2010-09-21T11:16:00.007-06:00

We decided to take the kids to the Children's Museum for the morning. There was so much for them to run around and do and they all had a blast. The especially liked dressing up!

Aiden and Lyrik enjoying the rice table

My own little Davy Crockett!!

Hannah was obsessed with doing a puppet show for me. She did it over and over and always said the same thing - Funny!

Lyrik looking a bit mischievous and cute as ever :-)

Madison loves to go to the museum so she can practice her future profession - a vet :-)

Hannah and Lyrik LOVED this ball/air thing. They couldn't get enough of it!

As you can see Madison enjoyed dressing up the most :-)

I love this pic - she looks so adorable!

Isaac played and played with this train. It was really cool.

The bubble wall was also a big hit :-)

1 Week Old

2010-09-17T20:36:00.007-06:00

Hard to believe Audrey is already a week old! She has been such a good baby so far (yes I know - it's only been a week) She is so mellow and laid back. She still sleeps a lot but when she is awake she is busy looking all around. She really loves the pacifier - which has been great because otherwise she wants to eat ALL the time :-)

She was smiling left and right but I couldn't really capture it

So cute in her little cloth diaper!

Man, I am in total love with this sweet little lady!!

I could hold her and stare at her all day!

Adoration

2010-09-15T13:44:00.005-06:00

The kids think that Audrey is THE BEST, THE CUTEST, THE SMARTEST, THE . . . . . Even cuter is that they believe it completely. It is pure adoration and it is so fun for us to witness.

Our big helper! She is my extra arms, when I need someone to hold her she is ready and waiting!

Our little hugger. Isaac runs over to hug Audrey any chance he gets. He never forgets to give her a hello hug. a goodbye hug, agoodnight hug or a just cuz hug :-)

The little mother. Hannah always wants to know where Audrey is and what she is doing. Once she gets an answer she says, "okay, okay". She also really loves to hold her.

I think Audrey likes all the attention already :-)

The Little Doll

2010-09-14T12:53:00.003-06:00

Some pics of Audrey from yesterday (4 days old). She only got to wear this cute little outfit for an hour before having her first major blowout :-)

She cried and cried while I cleaned her up but was soon happy and busy looking around. The kids were all gathered around concerned that she was crying so much. She is such a good baby that she rarely cries so it was strange for them to see her like that.

She has been doing great in the night - she eats a lot but quickly goes back to sleep

The kids have been excited about her but also pretty nonchalant. They are excited to see her, hold her and hug her but then go back to playing. Madison has been real helpful - always eager to help dress her, hold her and admire her :-) I got some cute pics of them each with her today that I will get on soon :-)

All You Are

2010-09-13T07:30:00.002-06:00

All you are, and all you'll be
And everything you mean to me
Though I could never understand
I know you're from the Father's hand

How can it be, that you are you?

He thought you up and so you grew
Because you're mine, it must be true
That He was thinking of me too
(lyrics from Michael Card song "All You Are")

What's Behind a Name?

2010-09-11T21:07:00.001-06:00

Besides this cute little face???

Audrey : Noble Strength

We had one boy name picked out and a few girl names. After looking at her sweet little face we knew that Audrey fit her perfectly.

Elizabeth: God's Promise

We chose her middle name after my grandma, Gloria Elizabeth. She passed away when my mom was 13 due to complications from surgery. I am happy that Audrey will have the name of a very special person that I never got to meet.

Going Home

2010-09-10T11:03:00.004-06:00

We headed home from the birth center 6 hours after Audrey was born. I have never left so quickly after a birth but felt good and was ready to settle in at home. Then the midwife comes to the house to check on us 1 day after and 3 days after birth.

Getting her dressed for the first time :-)

Audrey saying goodbye to our midwife - MikelAnn (at least until tomorrow)

Happy Birthday to us

2010-09-10T10:35:00.003-06:00

There was one thing I didn't plan on doing for my birthday - going through labor! However, God knew the exact day of her arrival and He decided Audrey and I should share a birthday forever :-) After having her I can't think of a better present!

The birthday girls a couple hours after Audrey's arrival and 12 hrs after my arrival (34 years prior of course)

It is pretty cool to think that she and I entered the world on the same day - 34 years apart.

First Visitors

2010-09-10T07:49:00.000-06:00

Hannah and Isaac were staying with grandpa and grandma and they all headed over to meet their new sister and new granddaughter.

Grandpa and Grandma with grandchild #5

Hannah was thrilled and couldn't wait to hold her. When she first came in Audrey was crying and Hannah said, "she hasn't learned how to use her inside voice yet". Also, as she was holding her she looked at her fingers and said, "she has polish on her nails" because they were a little purplish. So funny!

Isaac was so cute when he arrived because he had all sorts of things he wanted to show me and give me. He was real snuggly with me and wanted to sit right by me. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hold her but then was pretty excited.

She is HERE!!

2010-09-09T18:40:00.014-06:00

Audrey Elizabeth made her grand entrance this morning at 11:14 a.m. She was 7 lb 3.5 oz & 19 3/4 in. long. I woke up at 4:30 this morning with contractions 5 minutes apart and knew it was time to call the midwife. We met her at the birth center at 6 a.m. and things moved right along.

We LOVED our midwife, nurse and everything about the birth center. It was completely relaxing and an amazing experience from start to finish. My water had broke at home and I was 6 cm when I got to the center. I had a nice big bed to sprawl out on and relax in. Brock was awesome (of course) and did a great job of helping me with whatever was needed.

I pushed for 13 minutes, 3 pushes and she was born. My mom and Madison came in just before pushing and got to see her be born. My mom has been able to witness the birth of 22 of her 27 grand children! Madison LOVED being a part of the birth of her sister and did great.

She was so amazingly alert for just being born. This is what she looked like the minute they put her up on me!

Not sure what was so funny - I suppose this was my first laugh in some time :-)

We feel completely blessed to have a healthy, beautiful baby and to have joyfully experienced the amazing aspects of the birth process. God is so good!

Waiting . . . .

2010-09-08T17:33:00.005-06:00

. . . . can be hard to do :-)

We are all patiently waiting for this little baby to make his or her grand entrance. Things are moving along and I am having lots of labor activity but not enough to be in full blown labor. Of course, I have always been induced so I don't really know what early labor is like :-)

My mom is here, all our bags are packed, baby stuff is out and we are READY. We have been busy playing at the pond, hiking to some awesome falls (easy hike), taking rides up the mountain, swimming, making cookies and anything else we can think of to pass the time :-)

We had a beautiful day on Friday so enjoyed it at the pond - and even had it all to ourselves :-)

Probably our last family of 5 picture :-) Grandpa Matt, Grandma Donna and Grandma Mary were there too but we didn't get a good pic of us all.

Oh, and for that 41 week belly picture I didn't want to have to take - here it is . . .

Not a great one but we wanted to get one of the baby, me and the falls. This is actually 2 days before my "official 41 weeks"

40 Weeks

2010-09-01T15:56:00.004-06:00

The due date has finally arrived! I thought it would be so cool to have the baby on my due date - but that isn't to be. The day is half over and no sign of anything :-) We took a drive up the mountain today and got out and walked a little bit but it didn't spark much :-) Although I am still feeling good, sleeping good and have not developed the "pregnant waddle" yet - we are all ready for this baby to be born. We are all excited to see if we will be adding a boy or girl to our household!

My appointment went well this week. The baby is still growing (39 cm - yes I know my belly is HUGE!!), his/her heartbeat was 136 and my bp was good (102/66). I have dilated a tad more but not quite to 3 cm yet. The cervix has done what it needs to do (softened) and the baby has moved even further down the birth canal. Every little bit of progress is good for me because with all previous babies I have never had anything happen. I was induced because of lack of any sign of impending labor/delivery. So, I am encouraged that there is stuff happening at all :-)

Hopefully, there will not be a "41 Weeks" post and the next time I post about this pregnancy it will be with baby news! We would appreciate your prayers as we venture into the next stage of this pregnancy - labor and delivery!!

39 Weeks

2010-08-25T14:36:00.001-06:00

Wow - what a difference 20 weeks can make!!!

It is very exciting to be so close to meeting this new little baby. We are all excited here and the kids are counting down. I try to explain to them that just because I have 7 days left, doesn't mean the baby will be here in 7 days. Hopefully, their new brother or sister won't keep them waiting too long :-)

This has been a great week. I have felt good, the baby continues to entertain us with crazy acrobats and Brock is back after 10 days in ND. I missed him like crazy and my nesting has been temporarily put on hold to snuggle with my man :-) I suppose I will get back to wreaking havoc on this house in no time :-) I had an appointment today and all was well. My belly/baby measured 38.5 cm, heartbeat was 136 and my bp was good (102/66). Things are progressing slowly in terms of my body preparing for birth. The baby is now engaged (lowered into the pelvis) and I was dilated to 2 cm. However, my cervix has not softened much which is a necessity in order to start labor. I have always been late with my babies so I have no expectations for this one to be different. So, with all that said I am sure I will see y'all next week (big belly and all) :-)

38 Weeks

2010-08-18T14:33:00.003-06:00

This week has seen a baby popping out like crazy and his/her mama nesting like a maniac. I never truly realize how big I am until I look at pictures and then I think - WHOA, no wonder I feel huge - I AM! :-) The baby is doing great and showing no sign of being born soon. He or she is still real high in the birth canal and enjoying the space to do the norm - kicking, squirming, pushing, pulling, etc. My appointment this week was uneventful, all was great. The heartbeat was 156 (pretty high compared to normally because he/she was moving all over the place) and my belly measured 38. Also, my iron had increased so that was good.

I figured a belly this big had to be seen in my tight tank top in order to truly appreciate its hugeness :-) It is so funny how it pops right out to almost a point! My baby bellies have always been like this - a total torpedo. The midwife told me it means the baby is laying perfect for birth. Okay, I suppose that makes it worth it. :-)

The midwife asked me at my appointment how I am able to still shave my legs. I was kind of surprised and wondered if people seriously can't shave their legs when pregnant???? Hmmm . . . . if so, I didn't know that!

Hannah is nearly out of patience waiting for this baby. She says several times a day, "I want the baby to pop out now". I have tried to explain that God decides when the baby will be born. I have also used this explanation many times when talking about whether the baby will be a girl or a boy. I think she got confused and recently said, "I wish God would hurry up and decide if it is going to be a boy or a girl so the baby can pop out!" I tried to let her know that God already knew and this wasn't the hold up but I am not sure she got it :-) What a funny girl she is!

Brock & Isaac have been gone this past week and we are all missing them. However, it has allowed me to "nest" late into the evening. I have organized, sorted/eliminated, cleaned and attacked many areas of my house (including the crawl space!!) and still have many more to go. Thankfully, I am still rearing to go so should be able to get to the rest shortly. It cracks me up that I can go to do something simple (put Hannah's clothes away) and end up sorting them all, eliminating a bunch of them and organizing everything before I leave the room. I have also gone bonkers in the kitchen - making freezer meals and getting all sorts of fruits/veg into the freezer. I have been working on that most of yesterday and today. It has been fun being so productive, especially when I know it is all in preparation of another very exciting event in our lives!

Family Fun

2010-08-13T10:27:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we went camping and had a great time. We were near Big Sky and it was so beautiful. We had a big rain/hail storm each day but still had plenty of great weather and sun. I have lots more pics of our time that I will post later.

We went for a ride and could see our campsite from way up above. We were right along the river so enjoyed lots of wading, swimming and unfortunately horseflies & mosquitos :-)

We packed a lunch and had a picnic as far up the mountain as we were allowed to go. It was beautiful up there and I couldn't resist taking some pics!

We were going to go for a trail ride (instead of on the road) but each time we thought of going it looked like rain was coming so we hit the roads around our campsite. Next time we will check out the trails :-)
My fellow passengers. They had fun pretending to be driving and singing at the top of their lungs!

The kids and I getting ready to do some off-roading (just kidding - I play it safe when I drive) :-)

We have had so much fun camping this summer. We can't get enough of it! It is such a fun way to spend time together and still enjoy the beauty that is all around us!!

37 Weeks

2010-08-11T11:41:00.003-06:00

Another week has flown by and I can't believe how soon this baby will be here in our arms instead of in my tummy! I have felt pretty good this week, although still quite tired. The past couple days I feel like nesting has finally kicked in. I am ready to conquer all parts of the house and now just need to get some focus :-) I have tore into several projects instead of finishing one at a time. I suppose the focus will come :-)

I had an appointment yesterday and all was well. The baby measured 37 cm (1.5 cm increase from last week so has grown quite a bit). The heartbeat was 148 - higher that it normally is but still great. My blood pressure was good (100/63) and the fluid around the baby felt perfect. I had a B12 shot last week and another one this week (to help with low energy due to low iron). I will have my iron checked again at my next appointment to be sure the iron supplement is working.

Last week the kids came into the room with me and heard the heartbeat. They thought that was pretty cool. This week Brock was going to take them to the library while I had my appointment but Hannah wanted to come with me. All she could talk about was hearing the heartbeat again. She kept asking if it was time to hear it. After hearing the baby the midwife put the monitor on Hannah, which she thought was pretty cool. It was very nice to just be Hannah and I and she especially seemed to enjoy it. Alone time with each kid can be hard to come by but is a definite necessity.

36 Weeks

2010-08-04T05:06:00.001-06:00

We have been visiting MN, WI and ND for nearly 3 weeks so I missed my 35 week picture. Oh well - I guess I will start taking pics weekly now anyways (considering there are only 4 weeks left!!) YIKES. Although I feel like I have been pregnant a long time - the end is coming quickly. It is crazy how things can go fast and slow at the same time.

I feel like my belly has grown alot these past few weeks. It pops straight out and makes me wonder how it could pop out any further! The baby still moves like CRAZY and has entertained us and many others with how he/she makes my belly change shape continually.

I had an appointment yesterday and the heartbeat was 136 and my tummy measured 35.5 cm. They did find that my iron was low so I will take an iron supplement and try eat more iron rich foods from now on. I have been SO tired lately but thought it was all the running I was doing on our mega trip (we drove 3000 miles, traveled in the car 43 hours and visited 5 different locations - 1/2 with Brock and the other half just the kids and I) Also at my apt. we went over all my questions about being at the birth center (vs hospital as I am used to) and I now feel quite prepared :-)

I am feeling less comfortable lately but still pretty good. I can't eat as much or change positions as quickly and feel pretty tired in the afternoon. It may be time to bring back the naps :-) I also find myself more picky about eating - lots of things just don't sound good (like I felt in early pregnancy). I thought maybe I would be "nesting" by now but don't feel the urge to clean and organize yet. I hope it comes soon because I could use a boost :-)

We are all so excited to meet this active little girl or guy and yet are trying to enjoy this stage of awe and wonder as he/she changes so rapidly inside of me. Pregnancy amazes me and gives me added appreciation for the creative abilities of God! I try to make sure I don't lose the joy of that because of getting too anxious for the big day!

A BIG Day

2010-07-22T07:49:00.001-06:00

We ventured to Roseau, MN for the wedding of our awesome friend/former babysitter/"sister" Greta. It was so great to be a part of such an amazing day. Greta looked BEAUTIFUL, the day was bright and sunny (after a quick shower in the morning) and the wedding & reception were a true celebration. We have known Greta since she was 12 and have spent TONS of time together. She was a God send for us as a babysitter, also as a helper & encourager when we bought the theatre and worked like crazy to get it open and of course for me as a friend. She means the world to us and we are so excited for her to find such an awesome guy to spend the rest of her life with!
Isaac had the privilege of being the ring bearer and did an awesome job. After going through the rehearsal we were slightly concerned. He was really uneasy and shy and even started crying on his way back down the aisle. Thankfully, he did walked down the aisle, stayed up there the whole service and walked down with no problems. Half way through the ceremony he started to blink like crazy then wipe his eyes a bunch but he pulled himself together. I think he just got a bit overwhelmed. The flower girl was a little cutie named Kajsa (Kigh-su). She is only 3 days younger than Isaac. She was so funny - while waiting to do pictures she sighed and said, "this is hard work"

Isn't his outfit cute!! He was one sharp looking 5 year old!!Greta and Tom during the picture taking process. All the pictures were taken before the ceremony at a really cool outdoor place with lots of old buildings. They got them all done in 1.5 hours! Pretty impressive :-)

The wedding party consisted of:

(on Tom's side) Tom's 2 sisters, Kari and Rebekah and his two brother-in-laws, Ben and Jordan

(on Greta's side) Greta's two sisters, Erica and Ingrid, her sister-in-law Heidi and her brother Aaron
I loved the bridal parties attire - the deep purple dresses looked awesome with the orange shirts and the bright colorful flowers.

Greta's dress was SO PRETTY. It was elegant yet simple. It had a really soft sheer overlay with lots of embroidery down it. Heidi did her hair and it looked great too. It was all twisted up with simple white flowers in it. I am not sure I got a picture of her hair - that's a bummer!

Just the girls

and now for the guys

There was a really neat old church there that you could go inside. It was great to get some pics in there

Greta, Aaron and Heidi waiting for another picture. It was a cool pic - all the couples were scattered throughout the pews but mine didn't work out. Guess you will have to wait for the real deal from Greta (I am sure she will post them on her blog - right Greta!) :-)

I love this picture of Tom and Greta. It was not a posed pic just a glimpse of two people who are thrilled to have each other and are very much in love!

This pic was great! You would be surprised to know how long it took for the guys to "stagger themselves" as they were instructed. They were either all down, all up, or in a straight line. It was so funny :-)

Not only do we think Greta is the best - we also think her parents are too! Her whole family is awesome. Greta's wedding was not only a celebration with her but with them as well. Val and Sheldon have arrived to get their pics with the bride and groom.

Back at the church and guests are arriving in droves :-) There were nearly 375 people there! Madison was in charge of the gift table and she was in awe of all the gifts. She said she really wished she could watch Greta open them all and see what was in there. She also said she was pretty sure that they got at least a few of the same things :-) Funny little analytical girl. She was not happy with this picture of her but it was all I could get (there were so many people that I had to just take one quick)

Val and Aaron

Aaron and Heidi. I tried to get a picture of Erica and Ingrid but it didn't work out.

Isaac and Kajsa looking a tad uncomfortable. I was afraid when he saw all the people he would freeze but he didn't. He didn't smile like we instructed him but that's okay - he did great.

Sheldon's first experience with giving away a daughter.

Hey, I guess I did get a pic of the back of her hair :-) So pretty! I love seeing Tom in this picture - he looks so happy. They were both smiling like none other the entire day!

Our serious little Isaac. Such a strange departure from his normal silly, theatrical self :-)

I love how they are holding hands. They both did just what they were told - it was really cute.

I love this picture of Sheldon and Isaac.

At the reception shortly before Greta and Tom left.

Cleaning up the city center provided some comic relief, especially watching Ingrid and Erica trying to sweep up with this tiny broom. I couldn't resist taking a picture :-)

Hannah is always right there wanting to help. She also informed me that her dress was "just like Greta's" Of course the similarities stopped at the color but that didn't stop her from feeling very special :-)

I really like this pic too. Madison was with her friends nonstop so I didn't get a chance to take one with her in it.

The kids occupying themselves while we helped clean up. The are really studying those flowers :-)

It was such a beautiful celebration and a day we wouldn't miss for the world. Congratulations Tom and Greta!!!

33 Weeks

2010-07-14T17:50:00.003-06:00

We have had amazing weather for the past week and have been out enjoying it!! I couldn't resist having Madison take some "baby" pics for me today outside! I usually just set the self timer but Madison was around and I was happy to avoid all that running back and forth :-) Doesn't the field with all the hay baled look beautiful!!

Hannah talks all about the baby. She talks about "her" doing this and "her" doing that. I said, "Hannah, do you know that the baby might be a boy and not a girl?" She thought about that for a second then said, "But mom, I don't want a boy - I want a girl" Something tells me she won't care when the time comes :-)

I had my appointment with the midwife today and all was well. The baby has grown a lot and actually measured 1 week ahead (34 cm instead of 33 cm). He or she was moving like crazy (as usual) and made it hard to get the heartbeat recorded :-) Once she finally got it I forgot to ask what it was :-)

I LOVE to feel him/her move and will miss that when this pregnancy is over. He/she moves SO much that there is rarely a moment where I don't "feel" his/her presence. I love that!

We are getting very anxious to meet this little acrobat who keeps us entertained with all the crazy stuff he/she does :-)

Summer Days with Cousins

2010-07-07T17:21:00.006-06:00

It was very nice to have Brock's sister Erika and her son Finn visiting last week. The kids had so much fun. They had lots of time to play and even a couple sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa's! We had decent weather (minus a few thunderstorms and a major hail storm) so they got to play outside alot.

Isaac "reading" to Finn and Hannah

One hot afternoon the kids cooled off in the sprinkler. Shortly after finishing a storm rolled in and we were all scrambling to get inside

Finn wasn't real interested in the sprinkler but he had fun on the "balance beam/teeter totter" they created

Hannah definitely spent the most time in the sprinkler. She LOVES water. She will be the little fish of the family.

An essential part of any hot day - Popsicles!!

Finn and Isaac having fun with the deck cushions. We have spent enough time chasing our cushions - we have now learned to get them all inside when the wind starts whipping :-)

31 Weeks

2010-06-30T15:41:00.003-06:00

Another two weeks have flown by and it is hard to believe there are only 2 months left until we meet this little guy or girl. My feeling is that we are having a boy but as Brock reminded me I thought that with Madison too! So . . . . I guess I should say I have no idea :-)

I continue to be amazed at how active he/she is. There is rarely a time that there isn't movement and for the most part it is usually big movements - flips, kicks, twirls and so on :-) I had an apt. with my midwife today and all is going well. She kept the monitor on the baby for quite some time because of how active he/she was. The heartbeat ranged from 118 - 140. The heartbeat has been (for the most part) fairly low which is another reason I am thinking boy. I guess we will see in 2 months!! I have been feeling good with only the normal aches and pains that come with pregnancy - sore feet and back at the end of the day, alot of tossing and turning at night and several uncomfortable kicks and pokes from the little gal/guy. I love feeling the movement and I am trying to enjoy it all, knowing it will be over way too fast.

10 weeks sure does make a difference in size!!! Yikes :-)

Yeah SUN!!

2010-06-24T08:52:00.006-06:00

The weather was awesome yesterday so I took the kids to a water play area nearby. They had so much fun and the cool water was so refreshing for all of us.

Hannah was hesitant at first but quickly started going through different sprinklers without hesitation

Before coming to the water park, Madison had a riding lesson. So, we were more than ready to cool down after baking in the sun for an hour - especially Madison.

Summer has been slow coming but after having a couple sunny days like this I am hopeful that it is here to stay :-)

Slowing Down

2010-06-23T10:15:00.008-06:00

Our summer has been busy already so it was nice to slow down for the day and enjoy a beautiful drive and easy hike last Saturday. We began our day at 5:30 am (which wasn't so fun after staying up late visiting with company) because we needed to pick Madison up at a church camp she was attending that was 2 hours away. We were thrilled to see her - we missed her TONS! She had a GREAT time and we are very proud of her for heading off alone to a place she had never been without knowing anyone. I am sure we struggled more than she did :-) It was hard to let her go and once we finally agreed she could we missed her constantly!

The camp in the background. It was very rustic and beautiful.

The drive to camp was BEAUTIFUL! It was so green and filled with animals. We saw elk (in pic below), antelope, deer and a fox. We were even caught in the middle of a cow herd being herded to another spot. They were going right down the road and just slowly walked around us :-) I forgot to grab my camera and take a picture.

Along the way we saw a beautiful spot that required exploration :-)

The path was high above the river which dropped underground for a while then burst out further down the path. It was so pretty.

There were no other hikers around so we went crazy taking pictures :-)

The hike went on one side of this canyon then back around the other. Once we walked to the opposite side we were able to see the water coming back out of the rocks (on the left of the pic) - it was really cool!

Had to get a picture of the baby - 30 weeks today!! Yippee 10 weeks left :-)

A really good view of the water resurfacing after being under ground (or rock) for quite some time. Brock took this picture and I thought it was a really cool one.

Taking pictures of Hannah is a challenge - these are the "smiles" she gives when we say "smile". We usually have to try make her laugh so we can actually get something natural.

My handsome guy who I love like crazy!! Still hard for both of us to believe we are here - living in a place of such beauty, happily married for 13 years, soon to be blessed with a 4th child and completely loved by the CREATOR of all things!! We are TRULY BLESSED!

29 Weeks

2010-06-16T11:33:00.001-06:00

I had an appointment today with my midwife and all was well. Nothing too eventful - which is a good thing :-) The baby was moving like crazy and his/her heartbeat was all over the place. They finally got it recorded at 150. I measured just as I should (29 cm). At my appointments they are always feeling the baby and telling me what is what, which is really fun. He/she had a heel sticking right at my ribs. While we were in the waiting area Hannah took a little baby and put it under her shirt and said, "I have a baby in my tummy too. Lets see if it is as big as our baby" and then she pressed her stomach up to mine and said, "nope, but it will get bigger". After a couple minutes she pulled the baby out and said, "look, my baby popped out of my tummy". She always talks about when the baby pops out this or when the baby pops out that. Funny girl.

This little guy or girl is a real mover and shaker. It is rare for there to be no moving going on. This morning it woke me up. It was like somersaults happening over and over. He or she also gets hiccups a lot. However, today my midwife said it isn't hiccups but them practicing their sucking. Whatever it is, it is cute :-)

27 Weeks

2010-06-02T16:38:00.001-06:00

Another week has flown by and the baby's growing spree has continued :-) He/she is moving so much - we can all easily watch the movements instead of just feel them. The kids love to see all the rumbling and rolling of my tummy! Hannah has been asking if "when the baby pops out of your tummy can she sleep on the floor in my room" :-) She talks about the baby a lot - it is so cute!

According to BabyCenter the baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long. He or she is sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing their eyes and even sucking their fingers. More brain tissue has developed so the baby's brain is very active also. It is fun for us all to read about what is new each week. Isaac continues to ask how long til he/she is born and I hate that I have to continually burst his bubble with a huge number! He doesn't seem too discouraged though so that's good :-)

12 Years

2010-05-24T14:44:00.002-06:00

Brock and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary yesterday. We spent the weekend camping and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We didn't have any specific "plans" for the day itself - just more time together and reminiscing and pondering our marriage so far. We both agree, hands down, that marriage for us has gotten better and better. We feel more in love now than we were then. I never really believed it when people would say that but now I know it's true. Going through the ups and downs of life together has drawn us so much closer. However, shared life experiences do not make a marriage they only add to its richness. We give complete credit to God and the work He has done (and continues to do) in each of us spiritually. We know that through Him and what He teaches us about marriage in the Bible our marriage has been given a firm foundation. We trust Him to continue leading us and teaching us how to love and honor eachother as we start another year of marriage.

Brock and I yesterday while camping in Hyalite Canyon and in April while out on a date

25 Weeks

2010-05-20T12:50:00.002-06:00

This little baby is growing fast - the past few weeks I have grown a lot and I definitely "feel" pregnant now :-) I can no longer roll over, bend over, twist and turn just as I please. These simple motions now require a little bit of tweaking :-) Before I know it I will need to do a lot of tweaking - not just a little :-)

I had an appointment with my midwife a few days ago and it went great. The baby looked perfect - good size, good fluid sounds and great heartbeat (136). He or she is moving and kicking plenty but not quite as much as before. I suppose the space is decreasing so the acrobats have to slow down too :-) Things are going well for me - I am feeling good although a bit more tired lately. At my appointment my iron was good and I easily passed my glucose test. I am loving the birth center and my midwife. I can't wait to use their awesome birthing room and huge tub :-) Well I guess I can wait a little longer - not quite ready for all that :-)

Awesome Song

2010-05-17T10:19:00.005-06:00

I wanted to share this song from Sanctus Real called "Lead Me". Brock heard it the other day and was amazed by the lyrics and how perfect they were. I was also amazed and really touched because it reminded me of the large burden a man has to lead his family in a Godly way and really illustrated the desires of the wife and children toward their husband or father. I feel so grateful to have Brock because I know that not only is this the desire of his heart but he also lives it out. I am thankful that he knows that in order to lead this way in our family he must first allow God to lead him. Above all, I am thrilled to have an amazing and capable FATHER who leads so PERFECTLY. Ahhhh - what peace!

Sing While You Work

2010-05-07T09:52:00.003-06:00

Even if you're washing the toilet!

The kids have jobs they do each morning. One of them is "swish and swipe" - which is "swiping" the sink, counter, toilet and "swishing" the inside of the toilet. Isaac does the downstairs bathroom, Madison does the upstairs and I do my own (can't wait til Hannah's old enough to do one then I am out of a job!!). Once a week they do a thorough cleaning - using spray and cleaning walls, door, mirror etc. Isaac LOVES to sing. He usually sings when he is doing anything - including his swish and swipe. I couldn't resist capturing it this morning.

Isaac has many things he wants to do when he grows up - be in the navy and capture pirates, own a zoo, be a fireman etc. We were not surprised that on his list is "sing on the stage at church"!