7 months

7 months old on the 16th.

~She has 2 little teeth.

~is now rolling all over the place to get what she wants.

~still does not sit up unassisted yet, but we are getting there.

~loves to chew on everything.

~loves her little blankie. She grabs it every time I put her in bed and snuggles it close.

~Very curious about everything.

~I have to nurse her in the other room away from people because she won't eat otherwise. She has to know what is happening around her.

~Thinks playing with her feet is fun.

~Draws a lot of attention whenever we go out.

~Is still smiling all the time.

I need to redo these pictures when she doesn't have chapped cheeks, but I still thought they were too cute not to share. :)

Grow old with you

The frustration and emotion had been building in my heart. I felt ready to explode. This happens when things are about to change for me...life changing things. I am getting used to the idea of life constantly changing and the never ending goodbyes that come with it. That being said it just doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

It's funny because when we first moved out here to MO I didn't want to be here.  I wasn't ready to give up everything and leave it all behind. It was a process to accept that which God is calling us and surrender to Him,  and even find joy in the midst.  So, as graduation was approaching and the realization that life as we have known it the last year and a half was coming to the end, I cracked. School was about to end for Bill and I.  I was preparing to starting homeschooling again. We are entering into a new phase of what we need to do that is out of my comfort zone.  All these realizations came crashing down on me.  I felt totally overwhelmed.  I started to doubt my abilities to teach the children and to care for my home.

This was the frame of mind I was in one evening a few weeks ago. I am not really sure what started it but I blew up at Bill.  I am sure it was over something silly.  I was upset with him and said something to the effect that "I do everything around here with no help" (so NOT true).  He took it all in stride.  He did not yell back at me (like he could have) because that's the kind of man he is.

He went out to run errands that evening and was gone for quite awhile.  It was getting late so I put the kids to bed.   After tucking them in I came down to see that Bill had just gotten home.  I walked around the corner and gasped. There on my kitchen table was a very sweet bouquet of flowers. He smiled at me, "I thought you could use some encouragement." Next to the flowers was a card.  It was full of beautiful encouraging words.

I was humbled.

What an amazing man to tell me that I am beautiful and a good mom and to encourage that I can do this...even when I had been so mean and ugly to him. He could see past my ugly layers. Past the fear to the places that he knows. He gets me.

My heart melted and I fell in love even more.

I kissed him and told him how sorry I was for how I had behaved.  He understood and acted as if there was nothing to forgive.

Sigh! I am blessed.

Looking forward to the days ahead and growing old with you by my side.

I love you Bill!

Crafting

For whatever reason I was feeling really ambitious this Christmas. I decided to hand make all the gifts for my kids teachers. I decided this about a week before they needed to be done. :) I had about 8 gifts to make.  I had a few ideas floating around my head by finally settled on Cozies for coffee cups.  (if you are interested here is the online tutorial that I used.)  I ran into a few snags (like my sewing machine quitting on me and me having to borrow a neighbor's machine to finish) but I was really excited about how they turned out.  I cut out like 10 extra of these because they were so fun to make (I still need to finish making them).

I bought them each a travel mug from Wal-mart and placed the cozy on top. Hopefully their teachers liked them.

I also made rice heating pads for Anna and Ryan's teachers but I didn't take pictures of them.  I didn't have a pattern for those so I just made one up.

Since I was able to pull all that off and I enjoyed it so much it really put me in a crafting mood.  I have been wanting to make some cute stuffed toys for Kaitlyn. Last night I sat down at the sewing machine and made this sweet little stuffed bunny. This picture is of the back. I still need to attach it's tail.

This is the front. It is super soft.  I used printed flannel on the back and double sided fleece on the front.  This bunny is missing a face.  I might just add that tonight. :)  If you are interested in making one of these I found a free pattern here.

Next up on my list is a camera strap cover. Can't wait to get started on that!

This moment

You and I
we fit just right

Snuggled close

please don't grow so fast

I drink it in

Savor each moment

I'll keep you nearby

As long as it lasts

I never imagined
but
God knew
He gave us you

our sweet surprise

My little nest

My Christmas gift from Bill came the other day. I am not much of a material girl but I am in love with this gift. It is so sweet. Each egg representing one of my babies. I can't believe I have five in my nest. Wow!  I keep it close to my heart now. I think this is one of my favorite gifts from Bill ever!

Graduation

Graduation ceremony

We are officially done with school as of December 22, 2010.  It's hard to believe that it has been a year and a half already. It honestly just flew by.  The school held a ceremony for our class of 47 on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately Bill and I were not able to make it. I ended up taking Kaitlyn to the Emergency Room and spent most of the day there.  She was coughing and having trouble breathing.  Turns out she has bronchiectasis. She needs to be on breathing treatments every 4 hours (as needed) to help clear up the wheezing in her chest. Long story, but I went to Wal-mart after being at the ER for HOURS to get Kaitlyn's medication.  I waited in the store for 45 minutes to get the prescription only to be told they they were out of stock.  They then had to call around town to see if anyone else had the medication we needed.  Every pharmacy in town was out of stock.  So I had to get the prescription filled at another store 30 minutes away. I ended up driving home without medicine because Kaitlyn was tired and hungry.  

Bill went out to the store when I got home.  By the time he got home the graduation ceremony had already started.  (We had already called to let them know that we most likely weren't going to make it).  I was a little disappointed at first, but then realized that it was alright. One of first lessons I learned while at school (when our kids kept getting sick and kept bringing home lice from the public school) was that when I missed a day of class and had to stay home with our little ones, that I was right where the Father wanted me. He had me home for a reason and could still teach me valuable lessons. I just had to learn to look to Him. He proved Himself faithful over and over.


Due to technology we were able to stream the graduation ceremony right into our home so we could listen live. We were able to still feel a part. :) We just celebrated from home with our classmates all that the Father has done in our lives. What a blessing!

We are praising and thanking  God for all that He has accomplished in the last year and a half. We look forward to seeing what is to come next.  So, stay tuned...

Twenty Eleven

My camera battery died and I left my charger back in MO. Great way to start the year without a camera. :) All of these were taken with my phone. Not great quality but I love them anyway. It represents our day.

Starting at top left. Boys playing in playroom with all the new loot. Bill and I being silly. Easy bake oven, which Anna used to make a few cookies. Watching a movie on a cold winters day. My choice of drink, cup of coffee in a Christmas mug. Bill and Claire and I being silly. self portrait, showing off my pig tails. Katy grabbing at the tree, she is obsessed. Claire making her self look beautiful in the mirror.

Welcome Twenty Eleven. I know it's going to be a great year!