Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Playing in our backyard sandbox!
I LOVE seeing these two play together like this. It's one of my favorite parts of being a Mom. They are such treasures! And they sure do love sand!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Learning to fish...
Steven is planning to take Isaac fishing soon. He recently purchased fishing rods, and last night they worked together to get one of them set up and working. Then Steven taught Isaac to cast the rod by practicing off our deck... Here's proof of the lesson: (they had SO much fun!)
Visit with Gigi and Pawpaw!
Yesterday we dropped by Gigi and Pawpaw's house and had a great little visit! The big kids asked for a snack immediately upon arrival (no surprise there!) and my grandparents treated them to yummy fudge striped cookies. Then Isaac found his favorite toy - the "grabber" and Elise got a baby doll from the play room. They played with their toys and had a blast! Gracie woke up from her nap and Gigi was able to hold her for a bit. What a wonderful time! Here are some photos from our time together...
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Building with blocks!
Lately, both Isaac and Elise have really enjoyed building things with our wooden blocks. Isaac has been perfecting houses for his cars, and Elise has been working on really tall buildings (that she can soon demolish!)
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Isaac and Gabby at the park!
These two are great friends! They had lots of fun playing at the "Bumblebee Park" last week. Especially climbing up the slide!
Happy boy!
Making breakfast (bagels) for both he and Elise makes this little guy smile! He loves to help in the kitchen!
New sleeping bag!
For fun adventures like camping out in the backyard with brother and Daddy! (Stay tuned!)
Friday, April 12, 2013
Bounce house!
Earlier this week, Isaac built a bounce house in our living room. The kids had a great time jumping on it and playing together!
Climbing Trees!
Last week we went to the park with our friends Gabby and Jennifer. While the kids did play on the playground equipment, the hit of the day was the trees that surrounded the playground. They were low to the ground and had plenty of strong branches that were great for climbing. The kids loved climbing them! This was the first time my children had ever climbed trees and I definitely do not think it will be the last!!
Resurrection Day 2013
Resurrection Day this year was a wonderful family time for is!
The day started out by going to church, where we had a service and then the kids were able to play on bounce houses that the church had rented. They had a blast!
Once we left the church, we went to my parents house for lunch, a lovely Easter service full of singing, and an egg hunt. We were also blessed to be able to share this day with my grandparents.
We spent the afternoon resting and visiting with mom and dad while watching the birds at their many bird-feeders.
It was a glorious day!
Here are some pictures from our day:
The day started out by going to church, where we had a service and then the kids were able to play on bounce houses that the church had rented. They had a blast!
Once we left the church, we went to my parents house for lunch, a lovely Easter service full of singing, and an egg hunt. We were also blessed to be able to share this day with my grandparents.
We spent the afternoon resting and visiting with mom and dad while watching the birds at their many bird-feeders.
It was a glorious day!
Here are some pictures from our day:
End of a season...
One month ago our neighbors of 7 1/2 years moved to a new house. We were very sad to see this sweet family leave. When they moved in around Labor Day 2005, they had two small children and we had none. Steven and I both had full-time jobs at the time and we did not know our neighbors very well. However in the past seven years, their family has been beside us (literally!) through the births of three children and also my decision to stay at home. We have also seen their family grow from two small children to a total of four kiddos and a dog.
Some special memories I have are…
When their first son was potty training, they let him pee in the yard. As a woman with no children, I thought that this was silly! However I made a mental note and then when my turn came to potty train a little man, I quickly realized that my neighbors had a nugget of wisdom that I had not had. Peeing in the yard was so fun for a Isaac, and it really helped him to potty train quickly!
When I was in labor with Elise I walked outside to get in the car and go to the hospital and Amy was standing there to check on me. I burst into tears and asked her how am I going to love this child? I feel like my heart is so full of love for Isaac, and I don't know how I will be able to love another so much? Amy (who had three kids by then) said, "Oh you will! You'll love her so much that you'll want to just keep having more kids!" She said, "the love will just come!" Her words gave me such comfort in that moment. And she was right.
When Isaac was 3 1/2 years old he had his second anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter. We had called the ambulance to check on Isaac after we had given him the EpiPen injection. They seemed to think he was fine after taking all of his vitals. They left and we put Isaac to bed. However a few minutes later he started to have a secondary reaction and we realized that we needed to get him to the hospital. Since the ambulance had already left and we did not know how much time we had, we asked Amy and Christian if they would help us by watching Elise so that we could take Isaac to the hospital. Amy was quick to come over and sit with her until my parents could get there. She even helped me remember my shoes! I had walked out of the house with no shoes on and did not even realize it. Amy ran some shoes out just in time!
Over the years, Amy and her family brought us treats and meals as needed! I remember when her older children were small, we would get cookies and other goodies in our paper box every so often that the kids had made. If she made a new soup that was especially yummy, often Amy would bring a quart to our house. Also after the births of our children she brought delicious meals over each time.
Also, I would often fine hand-me-down children's clothes or baby items on our front porch that Amy had dropped off after thinking of us.
I truly treasure all of the small moments that I had to chat with Amy during the afternoons when our children played or napped. We didn't usually have very long each time, but over the years we were able to chat quite a bit. Amy shared a lot of wisdom from her years of mothering, and she always offered words of encouragement when I needed them.
We were truly blessed to live beside a family that loved children, loved the Lord and loved us.
While we are definitely sad to see them go, we are glad that they have been able to move into a house that is better suited for their larger family. And they are still relatively close to us, so we hope to run into them in the grocery store often!
We are also very excited about our new neighbors and look forward to getting to know them over the years as well.
*here is a picture of Isaac playing with Reeves the week before they moved out.
Some special memories I have are…
When their first son was potty training, they let him pee in the yard. As a woman with no children, I thought that this was silly! However I made a mental note and then when my turn came to potty train a little man, I quickly realized that my neighbors had a nugget of wisdom that I had not had. Peeing in the yard was so fun for a Isaac, and it really helped him to potty train quickly!
When I was in labor with Elise I walked outside to get in the car and go to the hospital and Amy was standing there to check on me. I burst into tears and asked her how am I going to love this child? I feel like my heart is so full of love for Isaac, and I don't know how I will be able to love another so much? Amy (who had three kids by then) said, "Oh you will! You'll love her so much that you'll want to just keep having more kids!" She said, "the love will just come!" Her words gave me such comfort in that moment. And she was right.
When Isaac was 3 1/2 years old he had his second anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter. We had called the ambulance to check on Isaac after we had given him the EpiPen injection. They seemed to think he was fine after taking all of his vitals. They left and we put Isaac to bed. However a few minutes later he started to have a secondary reaction and we realized that we needed to get him to the hospital. Since the ambulance had already left and we did not know how much time we had, we asked Amy and Christian if they would help us by watching Elise so that we could take Isaac to the hospital. Amy was quick to come over and sit with her until my parents could get there. She even helped me remember my shoes! I had walked out of the house with no shoes on and did not even realize it. Amy ran some shoes out just in time!
Over the years, Amy and her family brought us treats and meals as needed! I remember when her older children were small, we would get cookies and other goodies in our paper box every so often that the kids had made. If she made a new soup that was especially yummy, often Amy would bring a quart to our house. Also after the births of our children she brought delicious meals over each time.
Also, I would often fine hand-me-down children's clothes or baby items on our front porch that Amy had dropped off after thinking of us.
I truly treasure all of the small moments that I had to chat with Amy during the afternoons when our children played or napped. We didn't usually have very long each time, but over the years we were able to chat quite a bit. Amy shared a lot of wisdom from her years of mothering, and she always offered words of encouragement when I needed them.
We were truly blessed to live beside a family that loved children, loved the Lord and loved us.
While we are definitely sad to see them go, we are glad that they have been able to move into a house that is better suited for their larger family. And they are still relatively close to us, so we hope to run into them in the grocery store often!
We are also very excited about our new neighbors and look forward to getting to know them over the years as well.
*here is a picture of Isaac playing with Reeves the week before they moved out.
Elise's half-birthday update!
One of her nicknames around here is Leesie Jean, and she is full of spunk! Over the past few weeks, Elise has spent lots of time playing in her special hideaway ("the cabinet"), learned to make Rice Krispy treats, and started wanting us to do her hair in ponytails, pigtails, and clips.
Elise, our "princess AND world-changer" as she calls herself, approaches life with independence, passion and courage. She is a true strong-willed child with a tender heart and big hugs.
Her favorite toys are her My Little Ponys, her stuffed bears, and her baby doll. I have caught her both carrying her doll or bears around, stuffed in the neck of her shirt and peeking out (mimicking me with Grace in the sling!) And I've also seen her nursing her dolls and bears.
She is definitely very opinionated. If we give her a choice between two things, she often offers up a third!
Elise is such a treasure and blessing to our family! What a wonderful three and a half years it's been getting to know this precious princess!
Elise, our "princess AND world-changer" as she calls herself, approaches life with independence, passion and courage. She is a true strong-willed child with a tender heart and big hugs.
Her favorite toys are her My Little Ponys, her stuffed bears, and her baby doll. I have caught her both carrying her doll or bears around, stuffed in the neck of her shirt and peeking out (mimicking me with Grace in the sling!) And I've also seen her nursing her dolls and bears.
She is definitely very opinionated. If we give her a choice between two things, she often offers up a third!
Elise is such a treasure and blessing to our family! What a wonderful three and a half years it's been getting to know this precious princess!
Elise at the library!
She lives to read, but when we go to the library her favorite thing to do is "play the computer!"
Isaac's first time roller skating!
Steven took Isaac to the skating rink a few weeks ago. They had a great time! Isaac was a little hesitant and it took some time to find the best-fitting skate size, but overall he enjoyed the trip!
Faces of Grace...
The past month with our sweet Gracie has been such a blessing! She is a precious tiny one who lights up our lives in so many ways.
After losing a pound of her birthweight, she gained it back by her one month birthday. Three weeks later, at 7 weeks of age, she is 9 pounds, 6 ounces! She is gaining more than an ounce a day! She spits up more than our other kids did, but since she's growing well and having wet and poopy diapers, we aren't too concerned. She is also a "squeaker"meaning she makes cute squeaking noises when she's nursing and at other times too. She seems to be the most "vocal" of our three kids yet!
She still mostly eats and sleeps, but she is having more awake time when she observes the world around her. She likes to spend her awake time either watching her mobile, in our arms, or in my sling. Occasionally she will be content to hang out in the baby swing, but not too often. The swing seems to be one of her napping places instead. Along with my arms, her carseat and my sling. She probably would stay in the sling, hanging out with Mommy all day if it were up to her! And she does actually get to do this most all day, most every day! I try to keep her with me as much as I can! She has been there in the sling with me as I watered flowers, made dinner, put clothes in the wash... She truly is my little sidekick!
She is such a sweet girl! We are all totally in love with our newest princess!
Here are some pictures from the past few weeks that I caught on my phone...
After losing a pound of her birthweight, she gained it back by her one month birthday. Three weeks later, at 7 weeks of age, she is 9 pounds, 6 ounces! She is gaining more than an ounce a day! She spits up more than our other kids did, but since she's growing well and having wet and poopy diapers, we aren't too concerned. She is also a "squeaker"meaning she makes cute squeaking noises when she's nursing and at other times too. She seems to be the most "vocal" of our three kids yet!
She still mostly eats and sleeps, but she is having more awake time when she observes the world around her. She likes to spend her awake time either watching her mobile, in our arms, or in my sling. Occasionally she will be content to hang out in the baby swing, but not too often. The swing seems to be one of her napping places instead. Along with my arms, her carseat and my sling. She probably would stay in the sling, hanging out with Mommy all day if it were up to her! And she does actually get to do this most all day, most every day! I try to keep her with me as much as I can! She has been there in the sling with me as I watered flowers, made dinner, put clothes in the wash... She truly is my little sidekick!
She is such a sweet girl! We are all totally in love with our newest princess!
Here are some pictures from the past few weeks that I caught on my phone...
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