We Have a New Friend

We have a wonderful exchange student named A Hyun from South Korea.  She is so nice and loves children.  The girls already think she is wonderful.  She is here to attend a local college.  We are so happy to have her here with us!  Welcome A Hyun!

How God Made Us

Ellie: God made us?

Mom: Yes, God made us.

Ellie: Why He made us?

Mom: Because He loved us. 

Ellie: Why He love us?

Mom:  Umm, I guess He just does.  God wanted kids.

Ellie: Him paint us?

Mom: What?

Ellie: Him paint us?

Mom: No.

Ellie: Yes, God painted us.

Mom: Well, I guess He did.  He painted my hair brown and your hair brown....

Ellie:  Why Him paint us?

 

I realized later that when 3 year olds make something, they paint it and put it on the fridge.  That must be how God made us!

Merry Christmas!

We want to wish all of our family and loved ones a Merry Christmas!  May you find true joy in Jesus.  He is the giver of true peace, love and joy!

 

 

Our 12th Anniversary

Toby planned our anniversary by himself this year.  He arranged for our older girls to stay with some dear friends. (Thank you Tom and Sandy!)  We got to go shopping downtown, then we went to dinner at a new restaurant, which was very nice!  Then we started driving out of town.  I, at first, thought we were staying downtown.  He said that to throw me off.  When we started heading north, I immediately figured it out.  We had seen a Bed and Breakfast a couple of years ago on a little lake and, well, that is where we were headed.  I was so excited.  The next day we got to do some more shopping and then head back to Tom and Sandy's house late afternoon, where they had dinner for us.  They are amazingly giving people.

 

The best part of our anniversary was realizing that after 12 years we are still having fun together and, actually, have more fun now and really, really value our time together.  Maybe because the more kids you have, the more meaningful time alone is.

 

Thank you, Riverboy, for being my always forgiving, generous, and encouraging husband.  I feel so confident when I am with you!

I love you!

You Know You Have a Big Baby When...

You know you have a big baby when your 3 year old can share diapers with your 5 month old! 

 

We were short on diapers for Ellie when it came to bedtime one night, so Toby grabbed one of Ayla's size 3 diapers and tried it on Ellie.  They fit!  The funny thing is that Ellie said, "I a big girl now!" when she came and showed me that she fit into her baby sister's diapers!

 

It also goes to show how lean Ellie is.  Ayla is 90% for weight while Ellie is 25%  One is a very cuddly teddy bear and the other a lean, little jumping machine.  (Ellie got a trampoline for her birthday from Grandma and Grandpa)

Hmm

It cracked us up to put Ellie in the Johnny Jumper.  She is almost 3 years old, but such a light-weight and loves to jump. See pics to the left.  She enjoys it, too, but it is not as comfortable as when she was a baby and had a diaper for more padding!

 

My Ayla is 4 months old now!!!  Wow, she is getting so big and today we got her an exersaucer.  It is so fun to see her learn to reach her hands out and touch things.  Such a delight she is to our whole family.  She is so patient.  She used to just lay down and go right to sleep for her naps, but sometimes now she cries.  So, I eventually pick her up and either nurse her or snuggle her with her binky and her Oso and she falls right to sleep.  I have never been one to let my babies cry for too long.  If I can comfort them, I like to.  God comforts me all the time if I will allow Him to.  It is just harder work later when I just want them to go to bed easy.  But eventually they can all get themselves to bed. 'Tis just a season this is and I really don't want it to go by too fast!

 

Like Sabrina, I can't believe how time has flown. I have been out of highschool for 15 years!!!  And I desperately need to go clothes shopping.  That is off the subject, but I don't have any hip clothes.  How did that happen?  So, I hope to vamp the wardrobe here soon. I can be a mom and still look great, right?  One of my friends dresses so cute and she is a little older than me.  And the other day Sienna asked me how old my friend was.  She was shocked that she was older than me.  She said because of the way she dresses (as opposed to how I dress).  Good thing I am a fairly confident person because that comment could have hurt, but it made me laugh.  Did I mention that I really need to go shopping?

The Grocery Game Update

Okay, this is so much fun!  I am averaging about $100 savings each week on my receipt.  The grocery clerk even commented about how much I saved!  So, I told her about the game. 

 

Many of my friends are doing it and we are all having so much fun getting deals.  One friend got 8 deodorants for free!  I am stocked up on cereal for 3 months & it only cost me $15.  Sunday nigt I spent $40 but saved $70!! 

 

I will definitely keep playing this game!

 

P.S.  My kids love it because I have brought home many surprises for them that I always say no to at the store, but when I get them for so cheap it is fun to see them light up when I pull the snack out of the cupboard.

One Hard Homeschool Day

And things were going so well this year...

Yesterday my third grader was in the depths of despair because she "couldn't" study her spelling words (all 6 of them!)  This led into a 2+ hour ordeal of trying to get her to control her emotions and rise up out of the feel sorry for herself pits.  Then my three year old (who is still potty-training) pees on the baby's bassinet and then a little later poops in the living room, since we hadn't got any undies on her yet!  And while this is going on, my three month old is crying having woken up from her nap!  Needless to say, I shed a few tears yesterday.  But in the end, my eight year old learned about choosing to utter praise to God when we don't feel like it in order to allow God to lift our spirits.  She went up in her room, turned on some music and danced her little heart out.  She came down in much better spirits.  And the rest of our day went great!  My daughter even apologized at dinner for the way she acted.  This on her own accord without my encouragement!  Yay, we are making headway even though at times we feel we go backwards.

The Grocery Game

My friend, Janae, got me started on a great money-saving plan.  She has tried out something called www.thegrocerygame.com  for about 8-10 weeks so far and has saved her husband $150 off their monthly grocery bill.  She feeds a family of 7 (5 sons)!  So, I have just begun trying this plan out and it is really fun and addicting in a good way!  I went for my weekly shopping trip Sunday night and spent $117, but I saved $96! 

 

If you are one who does not like to cut coupons or even if you do (I never use them), this is a great, easy way to make use of them and not waste your time!  You basically stockpile the coupons from the Sunday paper and this website tells you when that item is on sale at your grocery store at its rock-bottom price and instructs you to use the coupon that week.  All I have done is put the date on the front of the pack of coupons, filed it and when it is time to use it they tell you what date to get the coupon from.  So it does not take much to find the coupon and use it that week!  You even get things for free sometimes!  Not only are you using the coupons, but they tell you what is on sale without a coupon and what is on sale that is not even in the stores weekly ad. 

 

I'll let you know how it continues to go for me!

Above Rubies

A friend just gave me some magazines called Above Rubies.  I have never enjoyed these before and they are amazing.  It is a magazine for godly wives and mothers.  There was even an article on Red Palm Oil as an alternative to butter.  I ordered some this week, we'll see how it is.  But the articles on infertility, families, etc. are very fun to read and inspiring.  Anyone else enjoyed them?  They have a website at www.aboverubies.org 

 

 

Eat to Live

We went to a small group this summer on eating healthy.  And, man, have we had a transformation.  We read a book, which I need to finish still, called Eat to Live.  It was very insightful.  We also watched a video that really spelled things out for us.  It showed someone's blood who eats mainly fruits, veggies, nuts, whole wheat etc. and then it showed someone who eats meats, fried foods, dairy, etc.  You could literally see the fat being pulled out of the veins.  When we eat meat, that fat literally stays there for 4 hours.  But for some it would be never-ending having that fat in there if each meal there is something with the fat & cholesterol.  This is not even a tip of the info we learned and to be honest, I can't remember or explain it all.  I am looking forward to finishing the book.

 

All this to say that we agreed to try out the lifestyle for the six weeks of the class.  We did it and can't believe how we don't want to go back to our old ways.  We even drink rice milk!  We eat salads everyday.  We thought that we would get tired of it by now, but let me tell you, when a salad is your main meal it is loaded with yummy stuff.

 

Here is an example of a yummy salad that we eat regularly.  Lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sweet corn, walnuts, raisins, pineapple and balsamic dressing.  Oh, and any bean is scrumptious like black beans, pinto, white beans etc. 

 

And I need to go shopping, my jeans are too big.  I had to wear a belt today so they wouldn't be too loose.  I thought my husband would be sick of salads for lunch everyday, but he actually really looks forward to them and so do I.  He will be going shopping soon, too, I think.

 

And fruit, we have tons of fruit in the house now.  I used to just buy whatever was cheap, mainly apples and bananas, sometimes grapes.  But, if I am encouraging my girls to grab a fruit for a snack, I gotta make more yummy choices for them.  We have enjoyed pineapples, pears, strawberry smoothies, mangos, plums, and pink lady apples are so good!

 

I gotta tell you that my mom is so very excited.  She has always wanted us to eat healthier.  I never thought we ate that terribly before, but I see things through new eyes now.  My mom, I know, has held her tongue on several occasions with the food we used to eat.  So, when I told her about our lifestyle change, do you know what she said?  "That is such an answer to prayer!!"  Thanks mom for praying and for holding your tongue when I know you wanted to comment so bad before!

 

Just so you know, we are not considering ourselves vegetarians, just more of a 90% lifestyle of fruits,veggies, whole grains and the rest whatever we want on occasions.  So, still feel free to have us over for dinner.  We will greatly enjoy a big, juicy steak with you or some ice cream.  It has affected us, though.  We can tell how our bodies don't like it when it has been used to having such good food!

Camping with Daddy

I took the girls on a last minute camping trip for 1 night.  I was to meet some friends of ours and then travel south on a one lane forest service road called Big Creek.  At the end of the 12 mile rough terrain road lies a small lake.  It sits at about 5000 ft in elevation.  We got there and the girls took turns fishing.  They both had a great time with that and even Ellie had a turn at reeling in a trout.  They were mostly around 10 inches or so but good little fighters and tasted good too.  I had mixed feelings about staying the night there but I did bring the sleeping bags and necessities just in case.  At first it was a bit cold but with a good fire going the girls got used to the clean cold air and ran around with the other two children that were there.   We ended up staying the night there, it was about 32 degrees when we went to bed and frost was forming on the trucks.  Inside the tent it was a cozy 60-70 degrees due to the wood stove that the tent has.  We awoke to a pristine morning with no clouds and the sun was just comming up.  James and I were up first and got another fire going, then the rest of them came slumbering out of the tents.  Coffee was on and we were talking about taking the quads (atv's) for a ride.  James and I had a great time riding and we rode up to about 6500-7000ft.  The view was breathtaking and we were actually looking across and down at a Mtn Ski resort.

The girls loved being outdoors and having limited facilities didn't bother them a bit.  This is the beginning of my tradition with my jewels.

To Immunize or Not

Okay, so I want your opinions and facts and books you recommend for or against immunizations.  I read one book called What About Immunizations?  by Cynthia Cournoyer and it makes me want to pass on all the immunizations.   It questions whether they even work.  And it goes on to argue that you are putting your child at greater risk by exposing them to the vaccine.  You are taking your chances once without getting the vaccine, but you are taking double the chance with getting the vaccine--you are exposing your child to the risk of complications with the vaccine (and if it doesn't work as she claims), you still have the normal risk of someone not vaccinated at all.  So, why put your child at risk for no reason.  She has a lot of studies and research to back up her information.

 

So, my question is what books can anyone recommend and what do you do for your kids?  I don't just want to blindly give my child immunizations because that is the norm.  One should know by now that we are not afraid to go against the norm.  But I also don't want to not give them out of fear unless that fear is valid.  So, I would love to get my hands on some more info.  Anyone????

My Sienna

I love the thoughtful heart my daughter has.  When we got back from Maui she had flowers waiting for me (that she bought with her own money) and was so excited to give them to me.  Sienna loves flowers herself.  The day we were leaving to come back home from my family's house, she grabbed the flowers and placed them in my room to make sure that I didn't forget them.  She didn't say a word.  I made sure that I packaged them for traveling home to let her know that they were special to me.

 

And yesterday, I wanted to make banana bread and I asked her if she wanted to make it for me.  (She loves to bake or cook.)  She did the whole thing herself!  I even asked her to double the recipe, which she did (I helped her know the measurements).  And they turned out great.  I might make baking a weekly responsibility for her (somewhat healthy recipes, most of the time.)  She reminds me of my friend Karen's oldest daughter who makes wonderful things for her family.  I want to encourage Sienna in this as she loves to do it, she might as well shine!

Getting Home

Maui was fun, but being all together as a family is better than anything in the world!  My dad picked Toby, Ayla and I up from the airport and when we got back to their house Sienna came running out to us all screams and excitement.  Then Ellie came out of the door and saw me.  I called for her and she stood there and burst into tears just about.  I could tell she had held her emotions in from missing us the whole time and now they could come out.  It made me cry, too, to see she felt so much.  I did feel bad for being gone from her so long at only 2 1/2 years old.  So next summer will be a family vacation for sure.  Ellie stayed close to me for a few days, wanting me to hold her and being extra sweet to me.  We were all sitting at dinner back at home and she was way across the other side of the table and thought that I might like the side dish that was near her.  She got up, walked all the way around the table and brought it to me and said, "here go mom."  She was just so mindful of me.  It really made my heart glad as she tends to be a daddy's girl normally.  Sometimes a mom needs to know how much she is really loved!

 

Here is Toby's rendition of coming back home:

 

Hey Family,                                                                          Sat. Morning w/coffee at my side.

 

Its nice to be home,

 

Its not so early rising for the eastern washington family, say oh after 9am.  I awoke to the hum of lawnmowers making paths across neighboring lawns.  I remembered that I havn't mowed mine for over 3 weeks (grown).  The two older girls and I watched Star Wars the original one last night and munched on popcorn.  Getting them to bed after what could be scary in the eyes of a almost 3 year old April and I split up and I took Ellie to the basement bed while Sienna joined April and Ayla in our room.  My price for sleeping with Ellie in the basement is a short but sought after back scratch and hair massage until her arms relax and the heavy breathing kicks in. Did I mention its nice to be home?

 

Today I have to work a couple of hours at my day job and then its over to Queen to finish up some of the landscaping and trim work within the home.  I will try to take some pictures for those who have not seen the little home for awhile.  Its been a big job from eviction time to the selling time but we think it will work out just fine.

 

I know M&D know that I bought Bob's trailer last year and have been putting a lot of time into rebuilding it and now it is finally done.  I completely repainted it ran all new wiring for lights and built new sides and the floor for it.  I just sealed the sides with the fence stain that I had left over.  Sadly now I have to clean up the ol' chevy and sell it.  I will try to take some pics of the trailer and some parting shots of the truck to send to all.

 

We are having James and Jessica here for the weekend for Issac's wedding and will have a full house. Did I mention we are home?

 

I met with Todd on the Parway home project and it sounds like it is moving right along.  We got a bunch of paperwork from the bank and have to send it back this week.  Todd and I are going to put together a LLC for sanity and protection sake.  I never really looked at it from a business partnership before so I need to research about it (Dad if you have any wisdom on this let me know).  We have to come up with a name which will be fun.  I wonder if it would be wiser to start my own LLC and include the other rental homes as well.  Like I said I need to do some research.

 

The weather has changed a wee bit from when we left for vacation, I have noticed it has been chilly in the mornings and warm but not scorching like it was.  I am looking forward to fall which brings the changing of the leaves on the street trees, windy evening walks, apple harvest at Greenbluff, soups and stews for a quick dinner, chamois shirts and jeans.  Oh its good to be home.

 

Boy after reading through my email I think maybe we need another vacation.....anybody up for watching the girls?????????..

 

Ha just kidding I think we will enjoy them for a while.

 

Love to all and Thanks again for taking care of my jewels while we were gone.

 

Toby

 

 

(I love reading my husband's emails.  He should write some books!)

The Difference Between a Latina and a Gringo

April with no suntan lotion and getting tanner by the minute and Toby with suntan lotion (but jumped into the ocean before it even dried).  Good thing we kept Ayla out of the sun!!

 

We are in Maui!!  We can hardly believe it.  We have always wanted to come here and now we are here.  Ayla is 8 weeks old and already been to Maui.  We already wish the girls were here with us.  They would have so much fun.  Maybe next time.  But we are thoroughly enjoying what somebody called a babymoon.  Ayla is the perfect age to have here.

 

Stay tuned for more pictures!!

Our TV Debut

Yup, we are going to be on tv.  Our family was filmed for a commercial last Thursday.  The commercial is for a local hospital and they needed a newborn for the commercial.  A friend of ours who does work for a talent agency here called to see if Ayla would be available.  And then she called back to see if the whole family would be available.  Toby took half a day off and our portion of the commercial was shot at our house and another portion with different people was shot on our front porch.  The neighbors were sure wondering what was going on as all these vehicles and cameras and cords showed up.  It was so fun and very easy, except the getting ready part.  We each needed 4-6 outfits per person ironed and hung on hangers.  That is a lot of clothes to iron for a family of five!  Thankfully my mom was here and she helped me iron and get the house ready.  We finished right before the crew showed up to start getting ready!!

 

They should be sending me a copy of the commercial in a couple of weeks via the computer.  Hopefully I can email it to anyone interested as it will only be aired locally since it is advertisement for our hospital here.  But we will be paid for an hour and a half (as Toby told his boss)  "more than he makes in a week at work!"

 

 

An Update...

I cannot believe Ayla is 4 weeks old today!  That went fast!

 

We are so in love with Ayla Jane!  She is just so adorable, especially when you hold her and she looks right into your eyes and studies you.  Or she is fussin' and I pick her up and she just is instantly calmed down when she knows she is in my arms again!  And I love our nursing times together.  That is truly a gift from above to me, watching her fall asleep in my arms or lay and stare up at me with her big eyes.

 

After she was born, my parents stayed a few days to help us out.  And then they took our two older girls for a few days back home with them.  Toby and I got to spend some time together with Ayla.  It was very special to us.  We were emotional that first night together just the three of us, in awe of God's plan in bringing Ayla to us and just looking at how perfect she is!

 

Then Toby's mom, dad and sister came and helped out.  I had a total of two weeks of help after Ayla was born.  How blessed we are with such supportive family.  Laundry, meals, watching our girls, staining our fence....Thank you family!  Not to mention the meals from friends that were brought over.

 

Oh, and it worked out that my best friend from high school, Jessica, got to come and visit me and meet Ayla.  She was pivotal in God's plan for this adoption!

 

 

Ayla's Birth Story

I just really have to say that I have a whole new understanding now of how big an experience having a baby is!  I had no idea of what moms have just been through and the recovery afterwards and the adrenaline and then needing to sleep.  With my other two girls, having adopted them more traditionally, I could receive my babies and go shopping the same day if I wanted to.  Not so, this time!  It is hard to get up from the bed or couch and then you have to walk slow.  But it is already getting better.

 

Here is Ayla's birth story.

 

First of all, I had prayed that my water would break to begin labor so that I could be sure it was the real thing when I called family to start traveling our way.  And that is exactly what happened.  I had just gone to sleep and about a half hour later at midnight, there was a strange sound in my belly like three taps and then my first contraction started.  Although, I did not know it was a contraction. I thought it was some cramps telling me I needed to go to the bathroom.  So, I went.  And five minutes later, the same thing happened and then five minutes after that.  So, I was thinking that this was not normal.  Usually you go to the bathroom once and feel better.  So, then Toby wakes up from the lamp I just turned on in our bedroom and asks when I am going to turn off the light.  I tell him that I think it might be starting. He is instantly awake.  Are you sure?  No, I am not sure.  Let me just wait a few more minutes and see what happens.  So, I go to the bathroom again and not only go #2 again, but there is fluid in the toilet that must be amniotic fluid.   

 

So, we end up getting to the hospital about 1 AM.  "Aunt" Sandy came over to be with our girls.  Sienna was wide awake when we left.  (Poor Sandy!)  My parents were on their way.  Oh, and Toby went through a red light on our way.  There was no traffic and he was nervous.  My contractions were about 3 minutes apart at that point.  I told him to just drive normal.  It would take longer to get there if we had to stop and explain things to a policeman than just to drive normal.  Oh, and we only live less than 10 minutes from the hospital!

 

Most of you know that I read the book Supernatural Childbirth and was believing for as painless a labor and delivery as possible.  Well, I really need to give God glory.  He really met me where I was.  I knew going into labor that my faith was not up to completely pain free, but it was up to having a good experience and having it not be very painful and I was believing for a fast labor and delivery.  My first contractions at the hospital found me scared, facing the unknown for me.  So, I gripped the pillow each time and wiggled my feet to get through them.  I was very uncomfortable.  Then I decided to pray and speak out quietly what I had learned from the book and believe God's Word.  So, I began that and also set my mind to visualize what my body was doing with each contraction, pushing my baby down for me.  And let me tell you what a difference that made for me.  I told the nurse that they were getting easier and she said she had never heard of that before!  Oh, and I also got out of that bed.  I ended up sitting in the glider rocking chair the rest of the time and just concentrating on relaxing with each contraction and having faith. 

 

When they checked me the first time after being there a little while, I was dialated to 5 or 6 cm.  When they checked me the next time, I was to an 8 and the nurse was shocked because of how calm I still was.  It was very, very encouraging to know that progress was being made.  That was a faith booster.  A lot of people had told me that I would reach a place where I would feel like a I couldn't handle it anymore, but when I would find out that I was dialated so much already, I thought to myself, "If this is as hard as it is going to be, I can do this!"  Thank you, God, for being faithful to Your Word!  So, the next check brought me to 9 1/2 cm.  There was just a lip of the cervix holding on.  So, they let me push to see if that would get that out of the way and it did. 

 

Now the pushing part was what I was a little afraid of.  Do you push with the contractions?  I didn't know any of this.  We didn't go to any lamaze classes.  So, then when they told me to push with the contractions, oh man, did that feel good!  Pushing for me was definitely better than trying to relax through the contractions.  The pushing didn't hurt at all.  It was such a relief as probably many of you would agree with me.  I no longer had to feel the contractions, but could use my muscles.  They had me pushing two different ways.  One was the traditional way on the bed with your legs pulled up, then the other was with the trapeze bar where you are squatting like a sumo wrestler and using gravity with your legs and arm strength.  I really liked that, but then my legs got tired and I switched back to the other way, then back again.

 

Then the wonderful nurse told me that the baby has dark hair like mommy!  Yay, we are getting there.  They brought the mirror for me and I could see her head slowly being pushed out with each contraction.  This part was a lot of work to move her so little.  Then they said probably only a couple more contractions, which was hard to believe.  Then the learning doctor was told to do something which required him to pull on my lining.  That didn't feel good.  Then on the push where she was coming, they said to push some more.  I really concentrated and I think that I closed my eyes and missed her grand appearance.  They announced that we had a little girl!  We loved being surprised!  Another precious daughter!  We were thrilled!

 

Toby was such a wonderful support to me.  During my scared contractions at the beginning, he was rubbing my back.  Then when I asked him to pray, he was praying.  My parents showed up 2 hours before I delivered.  My dad was in there for my contractions, then when the pushing came, it was Toby and my mom in there with me.  They both helped hold my legs with each contraction.  I was so thankful to have my mom there in time.  I could see her praying under her breath.  And Toby was praying in his head!  I was so proud of my husband.  He has a sensitive stomach, but he was right there holding my legs and being a quiet support.  The only weak-kneed moment was when Ayla actually came out.  He had to sit down and drink some juice to not pass out.  But then he was back by my side in a few minutes.  He made me feel so good as he said that he would have gotten the drugs and how strong I was.  But I know without the Lord, I wouldn't have been able to do it.

 

From beginning to end, it was 7 and a half hours.  I only pushed for an hour.  But that was long enough.  My body was getting tired.  I delivered her the traditional way as my arms and legs couldn't squat anymore.

 

My dad was supposed to be in the waiting room, but he kept coming back outside the doors of the delivery room.  He got in trouble twice from the nurses!  But that is just a replay of my birth.  He wasn't allowed in the deliery room either and almost got kicked out of the entire hospital!

 

It was a wonderful experience. I am glad that it is over and our precious little girl is here!  What a miracle it all was and is!

 

Oh, and the nurse told me later that in her 23 years of nursing she has never seen a birth like that.  I wasn't quite sure what she meant, but she explained she meant how calm and in control I was.  I knew in my heart where that came from!

 

 

June 22nd, 7:29 AM, 7lbs 13 oz. and 21 "

Ayla Jane has arrived!

I'm Really Hoping...

I am really hoping something starts happening today.  My dad's birthday is tomorrow and it would be so special if this baby shared his birthday!  He is really hoping for it, too!  But I am not wanting to try and make it happen.  One friend said she jumped on a trampoline two weeks before her due date because she wanted to have the baby that day and she went into labor that night.  Now that just sounds scary to me!  There is something about just letting it happen when it happens that appeals to me.  Like God will decide the baby's birthday!  And I still feel incredibly great!  So, I really can't complain!

 

Some dear friends of ours bought us a playpen for our bedroom.  The neighborhood menace (cat) sprayed our old one.  They knew  I had wanted one with a bassinet in it, so I didn't have to bend way over to get the baby.  I was thinking just one of those where the bed raised up, but you have got to see this playpen.  I have never seen one so nice and the bassinet comes out and folds completely flat if you want to take it somewhere, say Maui in August!!  Anyhow, we feel so blessed!  Here are some pictures of Ellie sneaking into it when we weren't looking.  She yelled out,  "Mama, come here, look it!!)

 

No Baby Yet!

Well, I have a week and a half until my due date of June 25th.  And there are no signs of labor yet.  We are really ready now, especially when we thought he/she was coming early.   Last Tuesday I was 90% effaced, but still only dialated 1cm and the head was still at -1.  I go in again this Friday.  I hope there are some changes, though I can't say that I can feel any!! 

 

Last night, I woke up because one side of my back hurt.  I got a little excited, thinking maybe this was the start.  I went to the bathroom, got back in bed and laid on my other side and massaged my back.  The pain went away and then nothing. 

 

So, we will keep you posted if anything starts happening!!!

Sevens

We have one pair of "sevens" left, size 26, for $65.  While we can't tell if they are authentic, the people who bought the other pairs just love them.  My sister is looking into finding an authorized distributor.  We'll keep you posted.

Memorial Weekend

We actually got some projects done this wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Greg, one of Toby's best friends, and an "uncle" to the kids, came over to help as well.

 

We recently moved the girls up to our bedroom upstairs and moved our room to the main floor, across from the bathroom.  So, instead of having butterflies on our walls for any longer, we decided to paint our bedroom and get curtains.  We still need to get pictures up above our bed and add some artwork other places, but you can get the idea.  I love it!  If anyone knows me, they know I can't paint white.  So we have a color called Pine Top from Home Depot.  We weren't too sure at first, but once it was all put together, we liked it!

 

And then Toby and Greg went to work on a new fence for our backyard.  Please don't look at the yard, it is next on our list, but the fence is coming along wonderfully!  Thanks, Honey and Greg!

 

 

Guess the Baby's Birthday!

Ok, so my midwife is really stressing that I am going to have this baby early, due to the fact that the head is so low and I am 80% effaced already.  So, we have put in our guesses as to when this baby will be born.  (And don't forget to cast your vote as to the sex of the baby.  The poll is under our slideshow.)

 

Greg guessed May 31st

Jess C. guessed June 2nd

Holly guessed June 5th

Sienna guessed June 7th

Aunty guessed June 8th

Toby guessed June 9th

Karen guessed June 10th

My mom guessed June 11th

Sandy guessed June 12th

Jenni guessed June 15th

April guessed June 16th

Tam & Jen's Mom June 19th

My dad guessed June 20th

 

So, please put in your guess and we'll see who is the closest, just for fun!

 

Remember my original due date is June 25th.  Tomorrow, May 28th, I am exactly 36 weeks. 

 

I wish I could think of a great prize to the winner...we'll see!

Farm Visit and Hike

Today the girls and I got to enjoy a wonderful field trip to a small farm.  They had chickens, goats, sheep, a llama, and peacocks.  They live on some beautiful property and we went for a hike for about an hour.  (I was a little concerned about doing the hike since I am supposed to be off my feet every couple of hours, but another mom carried Ellie for me when she got tired.

 

Anyhow, the girls got to bottlefeed some baby goats and touch the animals.  Sienna was braver than she has ever been with animals and for Ellie it is just built into her to love animals.  I got a small video of her chasing after the goats.  It made me laugh.

 

Thank you, Toby for letting me be home with our girls and getting a thrill out of us doing fun things like this!

Narnia

Sienna absolutely loves the Narnia movie.  She used her own money to buy a copy after watching it for the first time at her Grampy's house.  I don't know how many times she has watched it.  Maybe some of her interest is from the fact that so many people have told her how much Lucy reminds them of Sienna.  It was shocking how many people told us that.

 

Anyhow, I posted some pictures of Ellie being dressed up by Sienna as some of the different characters.  She dressed her up as Peter, Susan and Tumnus (Ellie's favorite)!

Our Ultrasound & Appointment

We had our ultrasound today to measure the baby's growth and everything is right on track.  Once again the baby would not cooperate with us in getting a face shot.  He/She kept putting their hand in the way, so we didn't get any good pictures.  Oh, well, it turns out we will be seeing this baby probably sooner rather than later.

 

I am dialated to 1cm, which can mean nothing, but the baby is also very low and I am 80% effaced.  That means that my lining is 80% thinned out already.  Our midwife is hoping that I can go at least two more weeks, which would get me to 37 weeks.  So, I've got to take it easy as much as I can.  I am excited!  5 weeks seemed so far away, but maybe now it won't be quite that long.

 

I would appreciate your prayers that this baby is not born a day sooner than it should be.  I think that I will pack my bags in the next couple of days just to get that off of my list!

 

Oh, and we also got an important tip from the midwife -- no sex -- as semen will stimulate contractions!  That was an embarrassing moment for my husband.  He is so cute!

Almost 35 weeks

Hey all,

 

Sorry that I have not updated this in about 5 weeks!!!  Some of you have inquired how I am doing.  I am doing very well.  Not to change the subject, but do any of you recall how the hobbits feet looked in The Lord of the Rings movie?  Now you've got a picture of what my ankles and feet look like.  It is funny.  I try to put them up at least once a day to help with the swelling, but life must go on.  I am just glad it is summertime (well, it feels like it), so I can wear flipflops or go barefoot.

 

The baby is growing, that is for sure, and moving around a lot.  His/Her head is down now, lower than it should be at this point, so they said this baby might come early.  I am happy about that as long as it doesn't come to early where it is harmful for the baby.  I am really counting down the weeks now as I cannot wait to go through the labor process, hospital experience, and finally hold and nurse this baby.  And, of course, we want to know if this is a boy or girl!!

 

I have an ultrasound on Monday.  The reason is because I was measuring small at my last appointment and they want to make sure baby is the size it should be.  My midwife figured I was measuring small due to the head being lower in my pelvis than they expect it to be at this time.  I feel like everything is fine with the baby and I am praying that the baby is born on the day that the Lord desires.  I am looking forward to seeing how much he/she has grown since the last ultrasound at 20 weeks.

 

Well, that is my update.  Maybe I will get a picture of my hobbit feet up soon!

30 Weeks Pregnant

Only 10 more weeks to go!

 

I uploaded some pictures of my tummy and the girls' tummies!!!  Silly little girls! 

 

I am feeling great, after having sinusitus--that is not fun!!  Anyhow, I am getting really excited about giving birth.  I am looking forward to the experience and sometimes get a moment of fear, but for the most part I cannot wait to go through the process with Toby by my head (not my side or down below--my sensitive guy!)and finally hold this baby in my arms!

Easter

We had a nice Easter with just our little family of 4 (and a half )  We can't remember the last time that we celebrated a major holiday with just ourselves.  We really had a great time together.  I made a ham, we bought a mixed berry pie, Toby picked out a specialty bread to go with dinner, which was yummy.  Sienna set the table beautifully, complete with candles.  We just all had fun hanging out with eachother, without the tv on or friends to entertain us.  What a delightful day it was. 

 

A funny note:  We have tried for the past couple of years to make it to the Easter egg hunt before church.  We have always been late and completely miss out or just get a few candies donated to the girls when we show up.  This year we were determined to make it there on-time!  We were up way early, all bathed and beautiful and made it to the hunt right at about 9am.  Where was everybody?  Well, we were out of town the weekend before, so we didn't realize that there would be no hunt this year!   What?  We actually are here on time and there is no hunt.  To further make the morning funny, we had told another family about the hunt, so then they drive up right after us with their 3 girls, and we have to tell them that they rushed to get ready for nothing!!!  They took it in good spirits and we went to the river and took family pictures of each other and then went to a bakery for coffee and goodies!   I knew I should have called to make sure there was going to be a hunt.  So much for assuming!!!

 

I uploaded some pictures of the girls from Easter!  Aren't they cute?  And I put video footage of our little Easter egg hunt on the media player.

A Great Weekend

We got to enjoy a 3 day weekend home with the family, partly to celebrate Toby's birthday and just to make a trip before the baby comes.

 

We stayed with my folks for half the time.  Toby got to go to his favorite place with my dad, Griot's Garage, and do some shopping for his birthday.  The grils and I hung out with my mom and sister.  I got to see Tammie and Amelia and their kiddos and Jenette Warne.  I had never seen Tammie's little Matthew, nor Amelia's Allison before besides on their blogs.

 

We then stayed with Toby's family and his sister drove down for the night to see us and we were hugely surprised with Luke (Toby's cousin) and his new bride, Michelle, walking into the house that evening.  Toby's parents really pulled one over on us.  We were unable to attend their wedding in MA, so it was real nice to meet Michelle for the first time.  She is a sweetheart.

 

On our way out, we got to visit with Erik and Karen.  It is always so nice to see them and their beautiful family.  I was hoping to see their new baby girl, but true to all their children, she is staying in her mama's oven past her due date.  Hang in there, Karen!!

 

Oh, and we got to see Mateya for the first time, only a week old.  She is so precious and James and Jess are enjoying being parents.

 

We did have a bit of a scare yesterday....I had some leakage which created a puddle on the swing I was sitting on.  I called my midwife and was instructed to go to labor and delivery and see if it was amniotic fluid or not.  I called Toby at work to have him go with me.  He was probably more worried than I was.  I felt deep down that everything would be fine, but he rushed home and we dropped the girls off at our friends house, thanks Angie, and went to the hospital.  The test was simple and it was not amniotic fluid, not sure what it was, maybe just a heavy discharge, but it was sure watery.  Anyhow, God is faithful and there was nothing to worry about.  Baby kept kicking like crazy while they tried to get the heartbeat.  So, we spent the evening in labor and delivery, but came home quite relieved and reminded to stay on top of prayer. 

 

Thanks to those who prayed for us.  Unbeknownst to me, Toby rushed out of work just saying he had to get me to the hospital, that I was leaking and so a chain reaction was started from his co-worker and friend, Aaron, to his wife Dawna  to pray, who then called Karen to pray.  So, I get a phone call the next day from Karen asking if everything was all right.  It is so nice to hear people are praying and you didn't even know it!  Thank you to our caring friends!

 

I posted some new pictures from the weekend on the slideshow if you want to see them!

Jessica and James' First Baby Girl

Jessica and James had their baby on Saturday, April 1st!  She is such a cutie!  Here are some pictures!  She weighed 7lbs and 1 ounce.  Jessica is glad labor is over and so thankful for epidurals!  We cannot wait to see her in person, just a few more days!  And her name is Mateya Marie!  So precious.  She looks so much like her daddy!!!

 

To see more pictures, visit their website at jnjkahue.shutterfly.com

Sienna's Play

Well, it has been awhile since I have made an entry.  Why?  We have had a whirlwind of rehearsals and 11 shows of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!  Yes, 11 shows. Our Sienna had so much fun, so did mom.  But it is so nice to be back to normal, almost.  While we had two weeks of shows, Toby and I decided to rearrange our house a bit.  We moved 4 rooms.  The girls to our room, us to their room, the playroom to the girls' room and the office next to our room.  It was way more of a job than we anticipated and not the best timing on our part.  Talk about chaos.  We are almost back to normal in the house, but now really want to paint.  We'll see if that happens. 

 

And now back to Sienna's play.  There were seven Oompa Loompas and they had several appearances on stage from rearranging candy trees to singing and dancing their little hearts out.  I could not believe that every time I got to watch the play (3 times) that I would get choked up!!  I was just so excited for Sienna and seeing how much she enjoys what she is doing.  It was neat to see her make new friends and also be a leader.  I look forward to her next play, but we are definitely taking a break.  She may try out again in the fall, but we have a lot coming up and need to have less busyness.

 

Sienna had many people come and see her play.  Grampy, Grammy, Grandma, Aunty, Uncle Greg, Aunt Sandy came twice, Uncle Tom, the Ahrnsbraks, Vincents, Mossey's, Ching Man and maybe more.  It is late and I need to get to bed, but really wanted to write about our drama girl's first real play!  Toby and I are so proud of her.  Even Ellie.  When she saw the stage (after being there for hours with me as Toby had a sudden business trip also during this busy time!!) she pointed and said "Sienna play!"  Yes, Sienna's play.  Little miss Ellie loved going to rehearsals and being in the green room with mom as she was utterly spoiled by the kids who bought her candy and all sorts of stuff.  Way to much sugar, to be sure.  But what do you expect when the theme of the show is chocolate!

Sienna's Birthday

Our dear sweet Sienna turned 8 years old yesterday!  Eight!!  She has grown up so much. 

 

 But she has seemed grown up beyond her years from birth.  She is such a bright girl and a thoughtful girl.  She really cares about other's feelings.  This wasn't the case when she was little.  If you wanted a hug or kiss, "no" would be the answer.  We think it went along with her personality of getting attention!!  She is very compassionate now.  I was a little worried, but she has amazed us with her caring and love for people, especially family.  She saves up her money to get the family gifts.  She takes great care in picking out just what she thinks that person will love.  For example, she bought each of us a valentine's gift.  For dad, some candy hearts, for Ellie a Winnie the Pooh pez dispenser with candy, and for me chocolate.  And if that wasn't enough, she spotted some lollipops another day and added that to each of our gifts along with her cards.  She couldn't wait to do Valentines.  Even tried to reason her way into us celebrating a day or two early.  We did wait until Valentine's day,though.

 

If you were to ask her what her favorite thing to do is...she would answer spending time with her family.  She is so family-oriented.  She loves her friends, too, but if she has spent a lot of time with them, she will decline doing something with them to be with the family because she misses us.  That makes our hears so full when we see that.

 

She is at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory rehearsal right now.

 

Her actual birthday was yesterday.  We went and got her pictures done in her brand new outfit that she got to pick out and she took cupcakes to drama class and then we picked her up and went to a restaurant of her choice, Red Robin, along with our Chinese Exchange student, Ching Man, and "Uncle" Tom and "Aunt" Sandy.  She had a great day!  We will celebrate again next weekend when the family is here to see her first play.  Then we will bake a cake!  Which brings me to another subject...

 

She loves to bake and cook.  She gets so excited.  And loves to have people over for dinner.  She thinks of ways to get the house all special for people and thinks of foods we should have.   She gets so excited.  She is just so much fun.  Toby and I already talk about how fun it will be to go to her house someday when she is grown.  Dinner will be delightful and she will always have plenty to talk about.

 

Sienna, you really brighten up our lives and add so much pizzaz to everyday life!  We are so thankful for God's plans for this family.  He knew exactly what we were missing in our lives until you came.  Thank you for being tender to God's ways and doing what is right even when your friends are not.  We are so proud of you.

 

And you just amaze us with your witnessing.  You gave away 2 invitations to store clerks for a special service at church, C.S.I.  You are much braver than daddy and I in that area.  You have taught us so much!  My prayer for you is that you will continue to love God and get to know Him more and more each day.  May you allow Him to guide your life always.  He loves you more than all of us.  How is that possible?  Only God knows.  

 

Love you sweet girl,

 

Mama

Our baby at 20 wks 5 days and Me at 20 wks Pregnant!

Still can't upload pics the normal way, so found another way to do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Ultrasound

We had our 4-D ultasound last Friday.  Talk about amazing.  Toby was really blown away by seeing the baby.  He/She likes to lounge with it's feet up above his forehead, legs are straight, so he sleeps in a v shape.  He didn't want to wake up much at that time.  If only they did ultrasounds when you went to bed.  Lots of activity then.  Everything looked good as far as they could tell.  And yes, we held out with determining the sex.  Though, our eyes sure were pealed to the screen to see if we could see anything.

 

We just can't come up with a girl name.  Hopefully God will inspire us soon.  I like knowing ahead of time.  That planner part of me, but we will see.  I really like the name Sophia, but Toby is not too excited about that.  We'll see.  If you want to give suggestions, keep in mind, we like a bit of Spanish sound to them, for the girls anyway, can't get too excited about Hispanic boy names.  My mom suggested Enrique, after my dad, but I just can't see my white husband yelling "Enrique!"  I don't know.  The names will come, I am sure.

 

I haven't posted any pictures lately because MSN Spaces is having technical difficulties.  So, until then you will have to keep looking at Christmas photos!  Although, it is snowing today, all day.  Sienna made a snowman.  He is so cute!

What a Wonderful Feeling

I have been feeling the baby now since just before 19 weeks.  I am 20 weeks tomorrow (Sunday).  It is such a reassuring, for one, and very special thing.  I look forward to when Toby will be able to feel the baby as well. 

 

We have our ultrasound on Friday, Feb 10th.  I am really looking forward to seeing the baby now that it is much bigger.  The last time we saw him/her was at 8 weeks.  So, now the baby has gone from looking like a little teddy bear to a baby.  It should be very fun.  I am sure that I will watch the tape over and over.

 

So, I don't know what to say when people ask how far along I am.  I usually say the weeks, but if I look on a calendar and count back from June 25th, I am 4 and 1/2 months, but my online thing tells me I am starting my 6th month?  I don't get it.  So, I guess I will say that I am in my 5th month.  4x5 is 20, right?

 

I am going to go watch a movie now with Toby and the girls, and relax and wait for that next kicking episode!  So amazing!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!  I wish so bad we could be there with you!

 

I love you so very much!

 

Love, April

Aunt Alice

Hi Aunt Alice and Debbie,

 

I wish we could have come this weekend to see you.  We will try and call.  We love and miss you!

Want a Free Book?

Hey friends and family,

 

I have started Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.  It is a classic written during slavery times.  It is said that when President Lincoln met the author he said, "So you are the lady who started the war."  Anyhow, I am enjoying the book so far and wanted to see if anyone wanted to read it along with me. 

 

The first person to say yes and needs the book, I will send a copy to!!

Sienna's First Audition

Our drama queen did her first audition on Friday.  She is a part of CYT (Christian Youth Theater).  She auditioned among about 110 kids.  She was #106.  Talk about a long wait, but we went later so that Toby could be there to watch as well. 

 

Sienna did a great job.  She performed a monologue from Peter Pan.  On one part she says, "If you believe, clap your hands!"  Well, the audience took their cue (along with my help) and clapped their hands.  We were so proud of her and amazed at her courage.  You wouldn't have caught me volunteering for something like that when I was a kid!  We were very proud of her, but did forewarn her that there were a lot of kids, so if she didn't get picked to just try again next time.  She was definitely okay with that.

 

Well...da da da daaa!  She got picked.  She is an Oompa Loompa.  I know she will have so much fun being a part of that and just being a part of the play.  She was willing to be a stage hand if she could just be a part.  So, her drama days have begun!  We'll see what God has in store for her.  For now, we just know that she enjoys this immensely and has a natural talent.  No, we are not biased or anything!  But we truly believe God placed something special in her in this area. 

 

Here is the link if you want to see the cast listing with Sienna's name!

 

http://cytspokane.com/html/cast_lists.html  If the link doesn't work, just go to cytspokane.com and click on the cast list.

 

Besides that, the flu has hit our home.  Ellie has it the worst.  She started vomiting Sat night and is still today, Monday.  The good thing is she is sleeping just fine through the night.  I violently vomited yesterday and have been afraid to eat today.  I have nibbled and so far so good.  Sienna feels nautious, but has not been too bad.  Toby is fine. Yay!  He went out and bought us a steam cleaner.  Too many throw-up episodes.  I couldn't take the smell anymore!

 

Back to the first subject, if any of you are out this way in March, you can come to the play!

 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

We had six wonderful days with family over Christmas.  Check out our pictures.  As usual the time flew by and it was back home. 

 

A week after we arrived home, we welcomed our Chinese exchange student, Ching Man.  She is a delight to our family already.  She welcomes conversation and is very sweet.  She has started a blog.  You can link to it through mine if you want to.  She has never seen snow, so we are hoping it will snow again here soon.  It is so warm right now for winter.  We'll see.

 

My pregnancy is uneventful right now.  I feel great, can't hear the heartbeat yet on the home heart listener, but I think it will be soon.  I am starting to show and can't wait to really pooch out.  I have been wearing my one pair of maternity jeans a lot.  Time to go shopping!