five + two

2011-12-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

We've reached a new level of life here. The kind of level that can only be attained through two two year old twins- oh yeah, and then throw a few more in and we're at that level. The kind of level that prevents you from doing blogs, painting toe nails, and well, doing laundry and dishes and eating warm food. I'm so used to this level that I don't survey what has happened in a day anymore. When I just had Lucy I would give Nate the low down on the day and tell him the play by play. First she had a blow out, then I gave her a bath, then she threw 2 peas on the floor and splashed some water in the sink, then I had to clean up her spill. With where we're at now, I don't even try. One day I did a run down in my mind and all I could do was laugh. It was something like 6 broken ornaments, 4 milk spills, 2 blowouts, 1 overflowing toilet flood, 2 broken glasses, 1 bandaid, and a partridge in a pair tree. Did I mention, my mind's gone a little loopy (: All this said, to someone who just walks into our house it could be a little shocking, but to me it's just life. And so now, we're just doing life and (attempting) to get ready for Christmas. I can't think of a better time to do a long laborious catch-up blog post (loopy).

Some common things said when I'm out and about, "I don't know how you do it," "how old are you"?, and "you have your hands full." I've already written about the whole, "how old are you?" bit. But I've truly been amazed at how the Lord has provided in this whole process, from bed rest to now. I don't know how I do it, because I truly don't think I do it. I'm going off grace fumes here. I remember back to when I was on bed rest, and even earlier than that when I found out I was pregnant with twins. Whenever I would let my mind go I would start worrying and doubting how I would be able to do it. I would start thinking through all the details and seeing any hint of impossibility. But, when the Lord reminds me to just take a day at a time things go so much better. Sometimes I even need to break it down to 10 minutes at a time. Especially if it's those 10 minutes before dad gets home. This whole process really has been a lesson to focus on now and not worry of what is to come. I mean, here I am now, with 5 little ones and a groupie of toddlers and well, things are going alright. In fact, better and crazier than I could have imagined if ever I saw our family stats on paper. I mean, Molly and Henry are awesome. And Ada, what a gift she is. A tender, motherly, soul. And Lucy and Will, kindergarten and 2nd grade already- geeze! So, "a day at a time" truly is a gem of wisdom if taken seriously.

I also need to protect my heart against coveting. Seeing other moms who can just leave at the drop of a hat, folks who clean their house and 10 minutes later still have a clean house, and watching families who have older kids and can play Monopoly without toddler hands can lead me down a road of discontentedness. When I start going down this road it's a slippery slope, so I really try to discipline my mind not to go there. It gives me great hope to know that the Lord wants what's best for me. Knowing this I can totally rest in our circumstances and know that all the chaos, messes, mismatched socks, marker mishaps, toddler rearranging (they take after me) and basement floods are actually for my best. I am being shaped. I have already seen the fruit of this and am thankful that I'm loved enough to be pursued in loving discipline. These two things may seem like Christian cliches, "take a day at a time" and "knowing the Lord wants what is best for me". But both of these truths have been close to my heart and foundational to my life as a mother and wife. When taken seriously, these two "cliches" are life changing.

So, there's a little on how I do it- all grace. I know that the Lord is gracious, that he is good and that he loves me. I won't go into my schedule, how I deal with socks, meal planning, chores and all that jazz. Though these things are good, you can have the best "systems", but if the mindset is wrong it doesn't matter, life will still be a mess. And now I think I'm out of time. I hear build your own oatmeal being served out on the dining room table by daddy dearest and I should join. Here is a little hint- build your own anything instantly makes a meal tasty to children- build your own pasta, oatmeal, rice bowl, taco, anything, they'll eat it. Lucy does not like oatmeal, but when it's build your own oatmeal she's cheering. On that, gotta go, Merry Christmas!

2011-10-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Nate leaving for presbytery equals the wife painting something. Last time he went I pained a wall in our living room green and Will's room orange.

Side note: Can't figure out what to put on that big ol' wall next to Will's bed, suggestions welcome. Also, looking for a new rug. You know, looking in the way that's like "if I find one for 30 dollars or less, I'll buy it". In other words, dreaming. That was Lucy's baby rug and I think Will's ready to move on to a new rug.

And Nate just went to Presbytery again for the last two days and I decided, "I really need to change that spice cupboard, like right now".

Above is a before picture I found.

And here is the after! It makes me so happy to look at it. I was also very pleased when I found that green paper downstairs that I could use as a backing (with my homemade mod podge which worked great!)

So, next time Nate's gone for Presbytery you can go on a search for the latest change in our home. Nate might start getting nervous to leave.

Summer in pictures

2011-08-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

We've had a great summer. And as I load some of the pictures I realize how much we've done. It was overwhelming to think about highlighting each event, though most are worthy of such attention. In attempt to get 'er done, I stuck with pictures, some edited, some not, some words, some wordless. In a nutshell summer was fun , and kind of what you would expect with 3 toddlers. We're in the thick of it right now I tell ya. I really don't know what each day will bring, but the Lord provides. Like how Nate and I had a night away last night- and how we're sitting at a coffee shop together (thus why I'm actually doing a blog). Day by day. Celebrating another summer of completion and looking forward to fall which will bring all kinds of change- for one, homeschooling Lucy, can't wait for that!

Cousins up for chicken fun (poor chickens). However, now 2 of our 3 chickens are laying (little) eggs.

Good friends from St. Louis pay a visit.

Happy Birthday Lucy

Happy birthday Nate!

Reunion with friends at Ashley's wedding

9 miles hike in Leavenworth

Chuckee Cheese

Lunch with Mel and Chris with the best sandwiches (ranked top 10 in the country), Paseo, in Seattle.

Another wedding...

scary

hard core camping (in our backyard)

they like each other

2011-07-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

seven

2011-07-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

The cousins

Hold on Annabelle!

Lucy wanted to go bowling for her 7th birthday, yes, 7! Oh Happy day darling!

vacation time

2011-07-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

Nate's been on vacation and we've had lots more time to play as a family! We had an amazing day of walking, lolligaging and taking a few pictures along the way.

Lucy's new summer hair do!

they're all looking somewhat in the right direction

And time for drinks and snacks. Wish I had more time to arrange these kidlets, cause I like the idea, maybe another time- but let's be realistic here, probably not.

Ashley's Day

2011-06-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

My best friend from childhood is getting married and I got to have a whole day to go and celebrate with her. It was an amazing day that started with pedicures and ended with an awesome dinner. Somewhere in between we went wine tasting and drove around in a hummer limo- what a treat and celebration!

This is Ashley

Here are Amanda and Teresa- dear high school friends who came up from California to celebrate Ash!

Easter

2011-06-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

We had a couple Easter celebrations, one with family and one with friends. I didn't take a lot of pictures, but the top ones are us at the farm for an Easter egg hunt. I must say, Ada loves cousin Madeline!

And we had a family from Lucy and Will's school over to our house, along with some other friends- both great celebrations!

( I'm trying to keep with the blog- might be late, might be short, and there might be few, but I'm trying not to give up on it!)

Just for old time sake

2011-05-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

We're moving forward, done with bottles and done with that book (I think). Wait, now another picture comes to mind. Maybe we're regressing.

Moved from books to iphone.

Yard Transformation!

2011-05-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Before

The After

You can see the new location for our beds in the background. Better sun there and leaves room for the sandbox and playhouse.

More pictures to come, but let's just say, we are lovin' it and ready for summer! Many BBQ's ahead.

As of Late

2011-04-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Thrift store find

Yes, we got chicks, 3 of em'

"Guess what grandma, I'm miss Hannigan in Annie!"

Snow in April- bahhh. This picture was on the news- the kids felt famous for a day.

Part II

2011-03-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

she didn't get dessert (or something like that)

Our life in pictures (cause who has time to write?)

2011-03-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

~~minor~~ major obsession with boots

Clearly, it's a light saber cake.

mascara gone wrong

Angry birds

Losing teeth, gaining eyes!

Well, I managed to get a few words in...

Will's 5!

2011-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

And this year is pretty much summed up with 2 words, Star Wars.

Me, "show me your best Star Wars faces"

Glowing Beauty

2011-02-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas Celebration

2011-02-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Look at all the children! Lots of cousin love goin' on!

My mom, sister and niece practiced Silent Night together and let's just say, it was a job well done!

Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

Lucy

Will

Ada- no thank you!

Henry
Elena

Emma

Abby
Tyler and Conner

Christmas morning

2011-01-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

Geeze la weeze (is that how you write it, I don't think I ever have before). I'm having the darndist time keeping up on this blog, maybe we've entered a new phase of life here with 1 walker (Henry's still content with crawling) and 2 curious 1 year olds. Not to mention Ada. In the last week she has downed half a glass of wine (yes, she was a little tipsy), and half a bottle of children's Tylenol that I failed to close all the way to the "click". Anyway, we've been busy and I'm behind on the blog, but I'm actually caught up on the laundry (folded and put away 9 loads yesterday!), which is a miracle and makes my insides happy knowing my kids now have clean socks so we don't have to search through the dirty clothes for decently clean pair. I also came up with a new shoe organizing system that I am feeling quite optimistic about that might help avoid the morning scramble to find shoes... oh I hope so! Well, I've gotten distracted now and forgotten what I'm posting for, oh yes, Christmas! We had a wonderful Christmas. We spent the morning with Maz and Papa and then we headed over to the cousins up here. And then a week later we went down south and celebrated with my side of the family. I love the compressed cousin chaos. I'll post some pictures from our time down south soon, but for now, here are some from Christmas morning.

This is Will talking to Santa on Christmas Eve, I like this picture.

I bought Will some new pjs, but before we went to bed he asked, "would it be ok if I wear the Star Wars pjs that grandma got me instead?" I mean, how can you beat Star Wars?

2010-12-28T06:39:00.000-08:00

This girl has just got her own look, her own personality and I am actually quite perplexed at who she looks like. She's such a petite little gymnast, intrigued by this one...

Oh yes, and did I mention, she knows what she likes and what she doesn't like.

Twins?

2010-12-28T06:33:00.000-08:00

You would never know... but they're still cute together.

Christmas Show

2010-12-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

Lucy was in a Christmas ice skating show with her cousin Emma. Good job girls!

The joy of completion!

All decorated!

2010-12-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

We finally got our tree! I felt like we needed to get it because I wasn't quite convinced it was Christmas yet, it just came so darn fast this year for some reason. So, it was especially important to have the decorations up so I could start feeling the Christmas vibe.

Ada wanted to wear the Easter bunny hat, sure, why not?

The "after", I love it! The first night we had it all up Nate and I slept on the couch. Now on to the Christmas shopping. I'm doing ok on that. Can't figure out what to get the twins, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear it. We don't need any toys and the older kids will be very upset if for some reason M & H were forgotten. What to do? What to do?

afraid to go to sleep

2010-11-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Sitting here at 10:20 wondering if I should go to sleep because it just seems inevitable that I will be woken again. It has been quite the series of events here everyone! To start, Nate's folks house was the top story of the news. If you haven't heard yet why, the video is below.

Everyone was ok, but it was quite scary. Edie and Tony had to rush Granny (94 years old) out of the house down a steep bank, while the fireman couldn't get up the hill to get to their house because of the snow, so they had to run up this huge hill with hoses in hand to put out the fire. Both their cars are goners and the "lounge", which was under the garage and was my first room makeover project is in need of another huge makeover. Gladly, I can report that our wedding china survived the flames, but Nate's 5,000 dollars or so worth of books that he was given didn't.... But really, that stuff seems so small. There house was ok (Praise Jesus!) and everyone involved was ok (Praise Jesus). Anyways, while we were still processing this news, I go to pick up poor little Henry and he threw up. All over. It's so sad to see a little guy get sick like that. We thought we were in the clear and then miss Ada chimed in tonight and now has had 3 baths, 3 sets of sheets and 3 jammies. I might also add that I have thrush, yay, I know, weird. Sooo, I think we're going to be alone on Thanksgiving. Initially I was pretty bummed. We were going to some of our good friends house, with Nate's family coming up, and other good friends, and scrumptious food from talented chefs. A big party. Lucy and Will, well, they've been talking about our Thanksgiving party for a while now. However, I think Lucy started to sense that it might not happen. We were talking in the car and she said, "I'm trying not to get too excited about Thanksgiving, because I'll probably get sick or something". For some reason the stomach bug seems to come on important days for her. Like, a couple years ago she woke up as sick as a dog on Christmas. And she missed an assembly she was supposed to be in when she was sick last week. And I'm just remembering now that on her first Thanksgiving our house was in the middle of a major flood. Our house was literally surrounded by a lake for hundreds of acres (up to Nate's knees) and we had to evacuate and get rescued by our landlords with waders on and turkey in hand (we made it on the news that Thanksgiving too). Cynicism growing about special days. Sooo, I was driving to Fred Meyer to get a few items this evening and decided that, gosh darnit, Thanksgiving will be fun! We really do have so much to be thankful for and this is a good lesson to focus on ALL the things we have, rather than the things we don't have this Thanksgiving. I ended up buying some fun little toys for the kids and am going to do a scavenger hunt for them throughout the house over the course of the day. I think I'm also going to put a big ol' piece of butcher paper on the dining room table and we can all draw pictures of things we're thankful for throughout the day and look at/ talk about the pictures while we eat the Thanksgiving dinner that our friends will still be bringing to us. And then, I know I will totally win Will's heart by watching Star Wars which we just got in the mail and letting them sip on some hot cocoa on the couch, usually a no-no. And all those games we always love playing, but rarely do (hide-n-go seek, uno, charades, talent show), I think those will make an appearance. Anyway, I'm discovering more and more that it's all about perspective, it really is. From the fire, to sickness, to Thanksgiving, we can look at the many things we have, how blessed we are. It's utterly ridiculous. One last major thing we have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving is the last two years we've have with Ada. Tomorrow is her 2nd birthday and we have absolutely cherished every single day we've had with her. We love you so much! Happy Birthday!

Do you want the good news or bad news first?

2010-11-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a good news first kind of gal, so that's what I'll give. It snowed!!! Only 2 or 3 inches, but enough to get the kids out in the snow and do a little sledding. The twins also got to meet snow for the first time and were quite intrigued by it, until they got cold, then they just cried.

And the bad news. One kids is missing from these pics- well, this is because he was inside throwing up. We recovered from lice just in time to get the stomach bug... oh boy! (and now anyone who's hung out with us lately is concerned, here's an early apology)

Young Mom

2010-11-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

If I didn't know I was a young mom, I would be reminded every time I leave the house with all of them (even with 2 or 3 of them really). If I had a nickel for every time someone said in shear shock, "how old are you?" and another nickel for every time someone said, "you have your hands full" I would be a rich woman, that's for sure. Strangers even go as far as offering solutions to having no more children- still trying to figure out how to respond that. At first I kind of was interested in seeing people's reaction when they discovered that I have five kids, and now, well I don't hide it, but I'm not as quick to offer that information up. Not because I'm ashamed or anything, I know they are little gems, but I am not always quite geared up to hear the same comments that I always hear and to offer up my rote responses. So, what is it like to be a mom of 5? Let alone a young mom of 5 (I'll make all those strangers happy by pointing out that I'm a young mom with my hands full.) Side-note: people's responses are natural, we did have 5 kids extremely quickly, hope I'll continue to be gracious with these conversations, just venting a bit, ya know, like at the end of a pregnancy when you hear over and over again, "you're about to pop!" After a month or so of that, you're done. I've also never been a big "look at me" person, so the drama and attention that it draws to myself is not to be desired. End of side-note.

I feel like the Lord really has provided sanity during this time through various means. We are starting to get more of a rhythm and re-entering somewhat of a schedule that takes us out of the house. I actually brave it and take all 3 babies to story time at the library once a week, I started BSF once a week, and have somewhat systematic play dates at a friend's house. This schedule is key for me right now. Seeing other adults and having adult conversation is something I'm always hungry for. One thing that I can always count on with any kind of schedule though is that it is going to be broken, it just will, trust me, it will. So, I hold it lightly. Like when my kids get lice. Yep, this is not hypothetical, LICE! This is an easy one to be embarrassed about, but in all my online research they say "it's not a sign of uncleanliness." So, my kids not bathing very often is not the culprit. I mean, my kids don't bathe very often, but I don't have to change my habit of not bathing my children because, well, lice is "not of sign of uncleanliness" phew! That said, these new family members are not welcome, not at all. Get outta here! You should have seen me yesterday, doing a mayo treatment on myself. I was one hot mess, scurrying around getting everything done that I needed to. I'll post a picture I took if I feel brave enough by the end of this post. I literally did 10 loads of laundry and still have more waiting. It is kind of nice to feel on top of washing those things that I don't get around to as often as I'd like (like car seats). The kids have missed school yesterday and today (maybe tomorrow?) and it's been crazy! Meanwhile Ada is teething and drooling like a dog all over the front of her shirt. I mean, the whole front is covered. And Lucy had little white bumps all over her tongue that hurt. I think from eating too many pretzels, I don't know though. So, she's walking around talking with her tongue sticking out, with an occasional yelp "this hurts!"), while the babies are crying for food and Nate is shaving Will's head in the bathroom (his beautiful hair) to prevent the lice from taking over and Ada is pointing at her back left molar. Yes, "I have my hands full". So, remember, I did say that the Lord has offered sanity during this time. Well, one means of that is through my wonderful husband. He walked in the door 7 minutes late from work. I was about to say, "you know 7 minutes can seem like a really long time", but I held my tongue and he said, "I think you should leave". What? "You should go out and I'll take over". I won't go into how amazing this is, but it is. Especially given the fact that it is crazy time (4:30-7), everyone needed to eat, chaos was becoming more chaotic and... oh yes, I said I wouldn't go into how amazing this is... but it is. So, here I am at Woods, sipping on a chai tea latte that was given to me to sample by the barista and sitting on a nice comfy couch, borrowing someone's charger so I can just sit and write while my husband deals with who knows what at home. A good husband.

How else is sanity kept? Well, I rest when I can. With babies 1, 2, and 3 I would clean during nap time and get all caught up. Kinda gave that one up. It seems it's the only time i can actually just sit. I used to not be able to relax until everything was cleaned up, not anymore. In college I could not do homework until everything was perfectly clean- that had to go! I still LOVE it when it is clean, but realize the mess will come back, I need to rest. I try to get caught up at night time and it makes a huge difference on my day if I do, but there there are those days where I just can't bring myself to do it. I just need to REST. I also have to tag on that the children in fact bring me sanity as well. Those little babies of mine, man they are awesome! I just stare at them and enjoy every second of them playing tug-o-war, tackling each other and following each other around. Ada cracks me up and is blooming into quite the big sister. And Lucy and Will, we still try to get dates out with them and that is some of my favorite time. When I get to just focus on one and talk and hang- invaluable They're good kids. The Lord is good, he provides sanity, and not only that, but joy.

I would love to keep writing, I really would, but I must stop and not take advantage of my generous hubby. Plus I have laundry to do and my friend is coming to pick nits out of my hair tonight (a true friend). On that note, I suppose I will post the pic, why not really? (And forgive my lack of proof-reading, that's something I've given up as well).

A little party

2010-11-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

My sisters and I threw my parents a much deserved retirement party. It was an attempted surprise and we pretty much pulled it off. We surprised them on my aunt and uncle's boat, however, Nate and I missed it by about 20 seconds- so close. It was a good time to celebrate the years and years of hard work my parents have committed themselves to in order to provide for our family- no small thing.

Here we are in an intense game of bingo- I mean, what else do you do when you're retired?

The five of us.

My sisters (doesn't Jodi look adorable with her pregnant belly? another cousin real soon- and it's a boy!) and the hubbys.

And my mom and dad with crazy Uncle Ron and Aunt Jeannette.

(Thanks to Jeremy for the pics)

Stocked up for winter

2010-11-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Any of you that know me even somewhat well would be shocked by the news that I gave up coffee, the caffeinated variety at least. And because I have somewhat of an issue with (obsession) having a drink in my hand at all times, I went and stocked up on tea. Now, for those of you wondering what teas to get for winter, I highly suggest at least purchasing the lemon ginger (Fred Meyer) and Vanilla Cinnamon Black tea, both are oh so good! And if you can't quite make it to the store, just come here and enjoy a cup with me anytime!

Alas! It is finished!

2010-11-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

The before.

Down with the wall and a world of possibilities open up.

The after with the french doors!

I'm really loving the space. I decided to go with the aqua green/blue with red and mustard/gold yellow accents. The room has already gotten so much use and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I still have some finishing touches, but figured that if I waited to post it until it was totally complete I might never post it.

Below is the view from the chaise lounge at night time (love that the lights are on dimmers). Check out the red chairs! I got that big, comfy, rocking chair at goodwill for 4.99- love it! love it! And the little red chairs I found at the re-store for 4 bucks. Oh yes and the fabric I used to cover the little nooks were an old Ikea duvet cover that I got at Ikea for 3.99 and just haven't known what to do with- perfect! There was much debate over what exactly to do with that little mini-wall. Make one big wall? Use as storage? I decided make 2 of them for storage and then to leave the other one open as a little cove for play. The middle cove has a little roof shaped ceiling that mimics the other ceiling. Let me just say, the kids love having their little coves and I'm not sure if I'm going to get them for storage afterall. They pretend they're little rooms and stores and create all kind of fun in them. They each have little lights in them too which makes them even more appealing. Another hit for the kids is the little bench under the window. They use it to build trains, watch the happenings of the outside world, read, walk on... and of course, lovin' the little built in bookshelves. All this said, happy the project's done and our life can regain some order. We feel so blessed by this space and envision many memories here.

Oh yes, and a shout out to Trev and Jessie for a job well done!

Cast of Characters

2010-10-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

This in fact is Will's true identity, he just chose to reveal it tonight.

Miss 50's thang

Hop Mo Hop!

Fond memories of Will in this costume, had to go to the archives and revisit frog Will. Do they look alike?

Ladybug Ada. And in true form, hair and clothes disheveled.

Show us your ways, impart your wisdom

2010-10-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

Welcoming fall while looking back at summer

2010-10-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Goodbye summer, thank you, you treated us well...

Meanwhile, thank you Fall, for being beautiful and sunny and for offering time for... grandma to come and help with homework,

grandpa to carve pumpkins,

Ada to pick out her Halloween costume,

many after school playdates,

and more time with the twins and Ada.

(and I won't mention the sickness that came with fall, the picture gives it away though)

Alright Friends

2010-10-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Surprise, surpise, I changed my mind! Which color shall I do?

The middle color is out ( you can barely see it). I think it could have looked nice and given it an open bright feeling, but I want something with more depth. Initially I said that I was for sure going with the green on the right. However, the more I looked, the more I started to wonder. Now, I feel like I'm leaning toward the color on the left. I think the color on the left will go better with the accent colors that I have (red chairs, brown chaise lounge). Oh yes, the little openings on the left and right of the windows will be built in bookshelves which I will paint other colors as well. Any thoughts?

sisterly love

2010-10-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

Nate's 30!!! (like over a month ago)

2010-09-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

So the big question, what shall I get for the birthday boy? Well, he did some not so subtle hinting that he wanted a banjo. I, however, was frightened of the idea of picking out a banjo by myself, so I went another route.

My extremely talented caketress of a sister made the above banjo cake. I know! It's a cake! She made it perfectly to scale and did an absolutely superb job. I tried to convince him that this was his banjo that we got him (I'm not sure if he bought into it).

Then, I handed him a box that I wrapped up with a jacket in it. He looked a little confused when he opened it, but seemed quite happy with the jacket. He then noticed the envelopes in the pocket filled with compiled checks from family and the wifey so that he could pick out his very own banjo.

And here it is! Isn't it a beauty? He's really good at it already and has used it in worship- sounds great! Next on the list is to get Lucy and Will a matching one. Partridge family here we come!

The new room

2010-09-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a while ago we've been working on a new room/playroom in our house. We're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel which means that my brain is turning with decorating ideas and paint colors. So, I think I've come to my conclusion. But if you know me, sometimes my decorating conclusions change. For now I've landed on a white lime paint color, with Carnival red accents and black and white stripes mixed in. Sounds a bit crazy? I think it does to... a bit, but I think it could look really cool too. Nate, like usual, says "I can't really picture it. " That's ok though. We'll see if we can pull off the many projects going on in our house right now. And if we do, I'll post some pictures. I love doing this stuff and get a little obsessive over it. The Lord's teaching me patience as with the 5 kids I don't quite have the flexibility to become obsessed like I used to and things just take longer... a lot longer! As for life right now, we're busy. I know a lot of explanation probably isn't needed, but keeping up with life can be hard. That said, I haven't been in picture or document mode lately. In fact, I feel like I haven't hardly picked up my camera lately and am focusing on on the children and when I have a spare moment (not often), projects/decorating. So, maybe as a break from kid pics, I'll post some things I've been up to. That, however, is for another post, as I am sensing that my computer time is coming to an end.

Evening sun and backyard fun

2010-09-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

(taking notes on how to wrestle dad)

(I hope it's true that "a picture says a thousand words" because on a scale from 1-10 I am at a "0"for how inspired I have been to write. I'll start writing again... maybe in 5 years or so).

Alki

2010-09-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

For Nate's vacation we went down to stay at our generous friend's house. They were gone for a week or two and offered their house in West Seattle to us. We had a wonderful time. Alki is so fun to explore with the kids and we had some reunions here and there as well. Mostly is was just good to be in a new environment.

This was the view from Alki

Here we are meandering through the little ponds when the tide was out

The globe lights in the backyard that essentially represent summer.

Vacation

2010-08-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

We went down to Alki for a week for vacation and had a wonderful time. A more thorough update coming, but thought I'd post a couple pics from one of our walks through a rainforest like path (with a random graffiti wall) .

Seriously. Don't mess.

Reunion (not well documented)

2010-08-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

It was year two of Family Reunion at the farm. It started by meeting up with Nate's brother and his family at Nate's folks house. It was so great to have boy cousins for Will to play with. Will and Luke are best buds and just followed each other around everywhere.

GG and Ada reading after a bath. Yes, my children do bathe... occasionally.

Emma and Lucy at the farm. Speaking of following each other around, these two are inseparable.

Goin' on a tractor ride, or 2, or 3.

Brandon pulling the kids (and Scott)
And the annual spray down at the folks house.

And Ada, she was more in observing mode, not at all interested in getting squirted.

Granny the Great!

2010-08-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

We'll just get real with this picture for a moment and point out (as if it needs to be) that getting pictures taken is not Ada's favorite activity (she hasn't yet come to the realization that being a part of this family means getting your picture taken... a lot!) Miss little Ada thang just was not cooperating for the picture with GG (great granny). Granny on the other hand always cooperates and doesn't seem to mind (in fact, even seems to enjoy), the great amount of energy my children bring. She never ceases to amaze me. We loved having you visit Granny- come again soon!

This trip was the first time Granny met the twins- she was a fan... a big fan.

Cousins

2010-08-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Nate's been on vacation and we made a trip down to Bellevue to see the fam. We got the cousins together which is always a fun adventure filled with chaos. This is a good kind of chaos though- wish this kind of chaos could happen more often. Love these kids (and my sisters).

We ventured over to Kelsey Creek Farm for playing and picnicking

Stacie and Molly

My mom met up for the fun

2010-08-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

One of the many projects happening right now. I told my niece I got angry and punched a hole in the wall. She believed me. She must think I'm pretty strong. Well, I am, but that's beside the point. This is going to be Lucy and Ada's new bedroom and Molly will take over their room. Can't wait for the extra space. We have the best landlords (Nate's parents- thank you).

(better pictures coming that were actually taken in the day light)

2010-08-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, one more cute pic and then I'll post some stuff on what we've been up to lately. Oh wait, there actually is a slight update in this picture, Lucy got bangs (which I swore I would never do). It was very impulsive on my part, but I actually really like them.

2010-08-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

nate's on vacation. it's been great and crazy busy. many more pics coming, but for now i'll just post this cute one of ada.

2010-08-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Hunter! We had a wonderful time hangin' at the bay celebrating Hunter's 30th!

Happy Birthday Nikki!

2010-07-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Nicole was gone for her birthday, so we had a little birthday celebration out before she left. Happy birthday my dear!

Future Ballerina

2010-07-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

She has pretty good form already, in my opinion (which isn't worth much as I've never stepped a foot in ballet shoes). Nonetheless,I have hopes of getting her in a class soon. I bought her some shoes at a second hand store and she was in ballerina mode all day.

Molly- 8 months

2010-07-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Very curious to see this girl in a couple years. She already has so much zest and zeal, I think she's going to keep us on our toes!

Whistler

2010-07-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Nate and I had a monumental 4 days away at Whistler for my good friend Susan's wedding and it was wonderful. We also celebrated out 8th anniversary while we were up there and ate a lot of food. I think I gained 8 pounds- literally. Here's Susan and Nik's rehearsal dinner. Nik is Greek so we got to go to a great Greek restaurant where in true Greek style, the food just kept coming and coming.

My folks were at the wedding too so we got to spend some nice, kid free time with them.

Susan got us all some super awesome hot pink glasses, pretty nice huh? Had some goodtimes hanging out with my long time friends Rebecca and Maya.
Here are some pics from the rehearsal.

actual b'day

2010-07-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

I feel so behind in blogland these days. July is a crazy month with lots of events: birthdays, our anniversary, and a couple weddings. It's all been lots of fun and helping the summer to cruise on by. Anyway, we had a great celebration on Lucy's actual birthday just with the family, so I thought I'd post a few pictures from that as well.

Lucy woke up to waffles with berries and whipped cream, bacon and hot chocolate, along with this sweet little birthday outfit and a few other little treats.

Her major request was that we go bowling. We didn't know quite how to swing it with all the kiddos, but it was pretty successful. The 3 babes just chilled (for the most part) in the strollers while we did a speed round of bowling. I won by 4, 146 to 142. I think Wii has helped my bowling game.

We also let Lucy pick out a kite at a local toy store and then want to a park to fly it and have a picnic. It was a wonderful day.

6

2010-07-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

Happy 6 Lucy! We had a fabulous birthday party out at Nate's sister's farm that ended up being way bigger than I had originally intended, but it was great! Lots of activities and good times. Lucy was glowing and as the truck ride was happening she shouted, "this is the best birthday ever!" Can't believe I have a 6 year old going into the 1st grade. Love you Lu!

Check out my beautiful cake artistry. Not quite as good as my sisters. Clearly it doesn't run in the family.

Lucy, loving ever second!

2010-07-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ada lovin on her lovable bunny that she loves oh so much

Outside Life

2010-07-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

We finally completed our back deck and it has already gotten a ton of use. Here we are enjoying our first meal on the deck with Nate's bro and folks

This was the first meal we enjoyed on the deck. Looking at it makes me want to eat it all over again. Lime Chicken Baked Burritos with Sweet potato fries. Yes Please!

Uncle Scott and Lu.

Ada enjoying Maz and Papa

Will in the backyard chillin' in his car with his freshly bought walkie talkie. Lucy and Will entertained themselves all night with these gadgets (and the occasional trucker talk coming through).

Night Away

2010-07-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Sooze is getting married in 2 weeks! I cannot wait! We had a night out in the heart of Seattle at the top of the Westin to anticipate this amazing wedding. Oh my it was fun. This was my first overnight break from the kiddos and I took advantage of every second!

First when we got there we went to the pool and hot tub and looked out over Seattle on the most glorious sunny day. Then we retired to the room and enjoyed scrumptious thai food- yum yum!

We then got all fancified and went out a bit. Half the fun was getting fancified.

Here we are...

The next morning we woke up (I woke up early and walked around Seattle a bit, got a latte and went shopping at H &M, so nice). We then cooked waffles and shared Sooze stories. It was a wonderful weekend to celebrate Sooze and I quite enjoyed my little kid break.

As of late

2010-07-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ada is turning into Miss mom. She plops herself between the babies and starts to read. She takes her baby (or bunny) and feeds it, puts it to bed, rocks it. She'll be able to babysit the twins in a couple years I'm pretty sure.

Family movie night with popcorn, hot chocolate in sippy cups and every blanket and pillow from the house.

The twinsies are starting to sit up. Kind of.

One of Henry's favorite activities is being spit at. Gets a laugh everytime.

Reading Narnia with the kids. I decided to put Will and Lucy to work. They did it gladly.

So, as of late we have been a wee bit crazy. We had croup go through 3 kids, a staph infection with 1 and colds have hit us all. We are actually finally on the mend, but it's been a ride for sure. I guess the good news through it all is that I'm getting kind of used to waking up in the middle of the night (: Actually the last several nights have hopefully started a new strand of not waking up in the middle of the night. Since the sickness has left I've been enjoying longer nights of uninterrupted sleep. Wahoo!

Summer has officially started which I have to say I have been a little hesitant about. All 5, all the time! So far it's been good actually. I've really enjoyed the extra time I've had with Lucy to read and hang out. She's really a light in this house. I'm sorting through what July is going to look like and then Nate gets August off which will be wonderful. Looking forward to many family reads, movie nights and outdoor adventures. For the last couple weeks I've been pretty overwhelmed, but I've been handling life better now that I have some energy back and am really enjoying my children and our life. This is a roller coaster ride. It really is.

sisters

2010-06-26T22:53:00.000-07:00

7 months

2010-06-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

Oh sweet babes, on the way to crawling, tackling much sickness so early in life, and bringing much joy to our family. These last 7 months have been hard. But they've been sweet. These babes are sweet.

(That's Nate and Molly, if you can't see through the fingerprints)

Still a shrimp- she's sweet.

Looking so old little man. Those eyes just kill me. He's a nice boy.

2010-06-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

guess what we saw. you should too. and wait for the credits and see Nate's brother's name... and clap. great flick.

siblings

2010-06-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

do you think they look alike? I'm going to go with yes...

My grad!

2010-06-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

On to first grade is Miss Lu. She had a wonderful first year of Kindergarten. I really can't believe I have a first grader- time is going by so fast.

Lucy got to be in front of the microphone. She thought it was her own personal mic. You can't tell in this picture, but she kept leaning forward and singing in the mic- it was great, and not surprising at all.

(check out the paper grad hat)

Mrs. Robertson was wonderful. She loved the kids so well and held them to really high standards. She laid a wonderful foundation for Lu and I am so grateful.

Of course, faithful Nicole came with cupcake and flowers in hand.

new website

2010-06-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

We just launched the new church website, check it out if you'd like
http://www.christchurchbellingham.org/

This is Sooze

2010-06-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

We've been friends forever! Literally. We dressed a like, did everything together and pretty much were sisters. And now she's getting married! Here we are at her shower. I cannot wait for her wedding day- love you Sooze!

Triple Baptism- May 16

2010-06-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

Big day- all three babes baptized by dad. We haven't waited this long to baptize babies before, but we thought it would be great if Nate could baptize Ada. It was a wonderful day.

I didn't have enough hands, so we had my dad hold Henry and Nate's dad hold Molly- it was special to have them up there with me.

None of the babes cried- a little shocked, but no tears

(doesn't Henry look so cute perched up there?)

Here are the grandmas at the after baptism party with Molly.

babies

2010-06-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

How could I not post my sweet little twins on I heart faces ? Check more entries out, or do one yourself! So fun.

Evening light

2010-06-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

While Nate was putting Lucy and Will down I was hangin' out with the babies and decided to take some self-portraits with the babes. I have several posts to catch up on, but thought I'd post these in the meantime.

Let me show you how it's done dad

2010-05-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Catchin' up on the daily

2010-05-26T11:56:00.001-07:00

Friends

2010-05-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

We just spent a great night with our friends Amy, Robert and Sophie. They live on the water- you know how I have a weakness for the water! We didn't get to spend too much time on the water, but the time we did was glorious! Aren't these girls adorable together?

If you didn't before, now you feel updated

2010-05-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Life as we know it is hard to put into a word, or a sentence, or picture, or book. There are many levels of joys, with hardships mixed in, chaos, surprises, messes, and many evidences of the Lord's faithfulness. I rarely get a chance to write. I'm lucky enough if I get pictures on the blog, let alone more than a few sentences. But there's so much to say. I mean 7 people in a family, in a (somewhat)new town, planting a church. I don't want to forget this time in our life, and I know I will if I don't write. So, here I am in the yard, watching two children out of the corner of my eye, starting to write, with the faint chance that I might actually finish.

The two

My most cherished moments with Nate these days is on our porch after the kids are all asleep (or at least we deceive ourselves into thinking they are). We sit on our old couch on the porch that we still need to get rid of (we're looking super ghetto or maybe like a college house, but we're not going to lie, we love our ghetto couch!). Anyway, we sit on the couch, often with wine in hand and talk over the day. These happenings are somewhat limited as the little twinsies often don't agree to the whole sleeping thing before 9:30. Um, I need to pause and go take care of a child (or 3 or 5), I'll be back...

So, here I am. Back. It only took 7 days to be "back", but I made it. This is exactly why I don't write much. But here I go again. Anyway, my answer to how we are doing definitely varies on what time you ask me. In the morning I'm usually doing great. Afternoon I'm doing fine. Late afternoon, usually going a bit crazy. And from 8 o'clock and on there are two scenarios. EIther everyone's hunky dory in bed and so am I. Or, I hear cries/requests/protests and I get just a tad bit crazier. I finally get to sleep and then it's the morning again and I'm great. Thank God for new days and fresh perspectives. Can I get an Amen?!?!

As far as the church, the Lord has been good. Despite our crazy life right now, He continues to provide and remind us that it is His church, not ours. I love listening to Nate preach and see the Lord use him. It is amazing to see your husband used in the way the Lord intended him to be. It is clear this is what he should be doing and I am blessed as his wife. We are officially at Sunday mornings now and it has been a nice, smooth transition. It is fun to see how the Lord provides and surprises us. I mean, yes, it's hard. But we expected it to be and so it is what it is and we're glad we are where we are.

The 5

Lucy (Lu)

Quite a proficient hoola hooper (workin' it at the Farmer's Market)

This girl, she's still got personality- Big personality. She cracks us up and keeps us guessing. School has been great for her, she just loves it. Speaking of love, a boy just today told her that he loved her! Really? Then she assured us he only loved her as a friend. Hmmm, are we starting with this stuff already? Seems way too early to me! Whenever I ask her how her day was she immediately jumps into the recess happenings. Who she played with, who she didn't play with, what they did, what they didn't do etc. Right now it seems like recess is pretty much the only factor that makes a day "good" or "not so good". She's soaring with reading and math at school and the main complaint we get from her teacher is that she talks a bit too much. This was shocking to us. Lucy talk too much? Never! She's a joy this girl and we love her. There is a bit of attitude creeping in here and there, but we just keep prayin', loving, correcting and trusting. And hopefully the, "you don't want me to be happy!" comments will cease. Trust me Lucy, we want you to be happier than you could ever imagine.

Will (chomperific)

Oh chomps, where do I start? Perhaps with the fact that you get upset at me if I flush your poo without letting you getting to look at it and evaluate how big it was. Or maybe, with how you can play "Star Wars" for hours in your head without knowing what is happening around you. At all. Oh yes and then there was the time we were in the car and you dropped your Bible. Now this had already been a bad day, but really Will, did you have to say this? "Hand me my Bible right now or I will hit you in the face". (I know, it's shocking, but he said it, what can I say?) I then proceeded to talk to him about how he can and cannot talk to me. Then he proceeded to say, "Please hand me my Bible right now.... or I will hit you in the face." Alright, well we're learning. A lot of teaching and learning going on right now. He's still a boy of extremes. For example today was a really great day, no major meltdowns. But then we have those days. You know, those days- moms, you know what I'm talking about. I've found a high correlation with lack of sleep to those days. Late nights and no naps make for a deadly combination with this kid. I still would define him as sugar and spice. As sweet as anything, but as spicy as anything. We love you Will and you bring our heart much joy. You are a "good guy". Ok, Molly crying, she didn't quite get the memo that we're "cooperating" tonight, so I'll have to continue later....

One of my favorites is when they hold hands without me asking them to. I really do think they like each other. They're a funny duo. Just tonight they were having "who can play dead better" competitions. I think Lucy won, she could hold her breath longer.

Ada (Ada dooze)

Now it's necessary to sleep with 5 pacifiers. Not really, only 2, but she's in heaven when she gets 5.

Lovin' the backyard. She would be outside all day if she could- be she can't, sorry darlin'.

Can't believe she's one and a half now. She's growing up so quickly and becoming sweeter every moment. So far, this girl is chill. We went to the park for Mother's Day and she literally sat in her high chair for and hour just watching- maybe even longer. When we are around people she pretty much just observes and soaks it all in. She's pretty quiet, especially around people. But it's been fun to see her start to develop her vocabulary. She now says "done", "mama", "dada", "papa", "baby", "done" and gives us a cute little kiss as a substitute for saying "thank you". I suspect that pretty quickly here she'll really be flying with the whole talking thing. Ada is still a breath of fresh air in this family and just great. She's into dolls, her little kitchen, climbing, and playing outside. She's also reaching that age where she wants to do what the bigger kids are doing. Now if we get something at a drive-thru she wants it too and she wants to be playing what the older siblings are playing and sitting where they are sitting. This can prove to be a bit challenging sometimes. But the older kids really do love her so it actually works out ok.... usually. She also really has taken to the twins. She gives them toys (Molly now has a little bump on her head thanks to Ada's generosity), gives them (and takes away) their pacifiers, and wipes their spit up for them. I envision them being good friends.

Kind of looks like they're all sleeping, trust me, this would never happen. I don't have those "just fall asleep anywhere" kind of kids- never have. I do however, have the squirmy kids, thus why Ada isn't in the picture- couldn't sit still long enough to make it through the "click".

Henry (Tank, or Hank to Tank is what Wills says, I think Will thinks Henry's a transformer)

Look at that face, seriously, just look at it! He is a "nice boy" as we say. Those eyes are to die for.

He's our cuddler, cat napper, tender little boy and we love him. It is so interesting to see two babies growing next to each other. These babies were so different at birth and that still continues. He has not been super napper by any stretch of the imagination until the last two days. He actually has taken naps the past couple days that were over 2 hours! Lets keep this trend going. I would also say they are finally pretty consistently sleeping through the night. Simultaneously my milk supply has been diminishing. I think with sleeping through the night comes less milk. So, Henry is starting to have formula more often. He doesn't really care though, food is food in his book I think- total boy. He's still about double Molly's size and has well deserved his name Tank.

Molly (Mo Mo or rooster [she sounds like one, she really does])

This one continues to crack us up. I mean, she's hilarious! This picture doesn't quite capture her big personality but it does capture her cuteness for sure. Major extravert here- major. She loves people and is so eager to smile- she has a somewhat permasmile. I can't wait to see who she grows up to be. Your smile makes many smile- you are a blessing to so many already.

Alright- I feel done writing. This blog post only took 2 weeks or so to finish. There are probably all kinds of spelling and grammatical errors that I'm going to ignore and just march my finger over to the publish button instead. I've been reminded why I don't write much. Also, I must do a quick kudos to anyone who is still reading,very impressive. And to the few and the faithful, good night, I'm going to go eat some of the cookies that my husband is making for me (told you I have a good hubby) and watch the last 2 episodes of Lost!

at the end of the alley..

2010-05-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

is a wonderful little store with ice cream, popsicles, candy, and a little diner. last night we enjoyed a walk down the alley and a little treat. love it!

You're hired!

2010-05-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Lucy's new job. Put on red shoes. Bust a move. Keep Molly happy.

T & T

2010-05-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Tyson and Tracy visited us all the way from Peru. They have been doing the Lord's work there for a year now and we have missed them! It was a real treat to have them and their son Kai stay with us for a few days. We love you guys!

Trev, Tys, Nate

One of the many games of Tyson and Nate battling it out over the pong

Tracy and Tank

How does your garden grow?

2010-05-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't it a beauty?!? I am quite proud of our first garden thus far. We have lots of yumminess growing. The far box has a variety of potatoes in it and the closer one has broccoli, spinach, mixed oriental greens, leeks, herbs, strawberries, and some other greens. It has already grown so much. Can't wait to eat this stuff!

adoring son

2010-05-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

<
This boy has a tender heart. I found this picture of Nate and Will from when Will was a baby and set it on a dresser. Will then found it and carried it with him everywhere for most the day. He hooked it on his pocket, set it down in front of him wherever he sat, and put it on the dresser next to his bed while he napped. I don't blame him, he's got a good dad.
<

Picnic

2010-04-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

Right when we got there the train rounded around the corner- lucky us.

Growing up It wasn't abnormal to be at our neighborhood beach in Bellevue 3 nights a week in the summer for picnics- oh I love that beach, so many memories. It's crazy to think about our kids creating those memories now. We went on a picnic last night and had such a relaxing time. The kids threw rocks into the ocean, hunted for decapitated crabs and climbed in the tree with dad. I decided I want to have picnics there in the summers. A lot of them.

2010-04-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Eating made easy difficult

A Windy Day

2010-04-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

A sweet one

2010-04-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Maz said the last set of pics didn't do Molly justice. So, here's some cute ones to add to the mix.

Mo Mo

2010-04-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

This girl has got Per-son-ality! A big one. I mean, if I were to predict, I would say Lucy x2. She cracks me up with her drama and kookiness. I like these next pictures because I think they show how big her personality is. She is always ready for a party with smile on and eye brows up. She's constantly jabbering and I love it. Well, she still does get dramatic on the "I'm upset" side of the spectrum though. But really, she's a joy, and when she's on that side of the spectrum, I have to say, I don't take it too seriously. The Molly/Henry duo will be an interesting one to watch.

Tulips

2010-04-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

"So what flowers are we going to be seeing today?" Lucy: "tulips", William: "throw-ups"... such a boy. The funny thing is I don't even think he was trying to be gross- it just comes naturally. We did make it down to the tulips, I've never been. The colors were so striking and it was a nice little field trip for us out in the sun.

I have a lot of children.

Stud Henry

I am not brave enough to do this outing on my own, not near brave enough. This is Nicole. She is actually my old Young Life girl from 8 years ago or something. We kept in touch off and on and then since we moved back here we see Nicole all the time. She has been a God send.

The Hunt

2010-04-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Forecast was rain... they were wrong! It was quite appropriate that good Friday was stormy, gloomy and windy (with crazy winds up to 60 mph) and Easter was beautiful and sunny. The kiddos has a great hunt that was over all too quickly. Lucy was really amazed that the Easter bunny decorated his egg the same as I decorated mine- me and the Easter bunny are really in sync.

Our good friend Peter and his family spent Easter after church with us along with Nicole and Nate's folks. We adopted Peter's family tradition of having a Mediterranean meal. We had lamb, tabouli, hummus, greek salad, falafel, and other yumminess. We were very blessed by the time we had with them.

Easter

2010-04-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

Easter was great, more details on the greatness to come. For now I'll just post some cute pics. I loved their outfits this year. Ada's was a hand me down from Lucy and Lucy and Will's were new. I'm so glad they have younger siblings so I will get to bring these classic outfits out of the closet again.

The red cowboy boots really pull the whole outfit together I think... nice addition Lu

"I'm so cold, I just can't stand out here any longer. Can we please just go inside?"

Yes, Henry and Molly were there too, but I must confess were not in too many pics. More to come...

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Maz!

2010-03-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

We love you Maz! Thanks for all you do and the ways you love us so well!

I heart Faces

2010-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

I decided to play again. The theme this week is dramatic b&w. If you want to play or check out some other entries, follow the link below....

one of my many loves....

2010-03-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Got me a good man!

2010-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

So, the other night over dinner, Nate and I were talking. I was telling him how I have been so blessed by folks helping out- I actually leave the house more than I thought I would. Nate and I have been on several dates in the last couple months and I often leave the house to run errands alone, or with just a kid or two. What I really long for is an empty house. A quiet house, all to myself, I don't think I've had that for a really long time. So, after dinner, my wonderful husband took all the kids out to the park. Yes. All five. I haven't even tackled that yet- still building up the courage. He left for an hour (which went by way too fast), but was great nonetheless. First, I brushed my teeth (far overdue), next I rearranged some furniture (on my top 10 list of favorite things to do), and finally I took a bath. It's funny how perspective changes. I would have never imagined what a treat it would be to have a quiet house for an hour, or to go to the dentist (I get to sit for an hour!), or to go shopping with only 2 kids! You start to appreciate the simpler pleasures in life. All that said, I had to take a picture of this first monumental outing- quite the parade marching down the street- can't miss 'em.

Project #1 ... check!

2010-03-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

No messing around with this little dude. He has been essential to our back yard projects. It gives me much joy to see Will with his tool belt on, measuring this and that, and "helping" on projects.

Speaking of projects, Project #1 is complete. Isn't it great?!?! I have had many debates in my head over what to do in the backyard. Our generous Granny gave us some money for some minor backyard renovations. I had thought originally that I wanted to get a big toy type thing. However, 3 things came to me that detoured me away from my original plan. For one, it would take up about half of our yard. For two, I think one the craziest times of my life is going to be when I have 3 toddlers. Thus, I don't want to have to worry about them falling of the big toy when I'm outside- major headache. And thirdly, what if they didn't like it or got board with it? feels quite permanent. Anyway, I landed on the playhouse idea. We found this one at Costco and I love it. It has a little hoop, window for puppet shows, a water/sand station and a little BBQ and sink. I think it's perfect and the kids love it. I'm so excited for our backyard plans, they're a little bit slow 'n comin... but they're a comin' nonetheless.

Balloons

2010-03-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Balloons have seemed to be somewhat of a constant in this house lately with many birthdays and celebrations and I've created somewhat of an aversion to these rubbery things. They pop, they float up to the driver seat while I'm driving, arguments occur over them, rubber remains are found on the ground (danger, danger!), they float up into the sky which is usually followed by tears.... not a fan. All that said, the kids are fans. Hmff. What shall I do? Maybe tonight they'll all accidently float up into the sky... would that be mean???

Can't handle it sweetness

2010-03-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Project Backyard Renovation

2010-03-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

We have high hopes for that yard of ours. This last weekend we began our first project- a garden. We've been dreaming about our garden for a long time now and to see it actually happening is super exciting. The picture you see below is the plot we've set aside and Nate already completed one of the two garden boxes (don't know what they're officially called.) This whole gardening thing is going to be a learning experience for sure as we know very little about it, but I can't wait to start the process. The idea of going out to pick food with the kids for dinner is very motivating (you mean the food isn't just grown in the supermarket???). Anyway, the kids can't wait and I think our excitement has rubbed off on them.

We kind of ran out of projects for them to help with building the box, so they ended up decorating rocks and the fence to make the back yard "beautiful". Such helpers.

I will definitely be posting more pictures of Project Backyard Renovation as we have lots of plans. Can't wait!

Me and the babes

2010-03-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

It is a rare event that I am a visitor on the blog (at least pictorially). I took advantage of a spare moment, a pair of twins and a free hand to snap a picture. However, of course the second Edie was about to take the picture Molly started to cry- oh molly. But rather than not posting a picture, I decided I'd post it anyway and just pretend the facial expression Molly is making is a smile. It's pretty close, right?

Molly

2010-03-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

She sure is sweet and she has a wonderful smile. She has a slight gas problem, which is new to me because none of my other babies have been gassy. And if she is feeling gassy, trust me, she'll let you know it. A little shrimp she still is and I love it. Her daintiness is darling!

Changes

2010-02-27T21:34:00.001-08:00

Some changes on the blog ... just to keep it fresh {and current}.

They really are cute

2010-02-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

He's a chunk of love! ... and, just a chunk. And she's just sweet and little. Check out the difference in their heads!

Another Henry Pic

2010-02-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

Molly to come....

I really do love this picture, drool and all.

Ada

2010-02-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

Ada, Ada, Ada- what will we do with you? You are as sweet as can been and as stealth as can be. We just love you and your curls, and those baby blues, oh, and your eager smile . But beneath all that is a clever, sneaky, curious, adventuresome little girl who is always looking for a loop hole in the system. Your current adventure of choice is climbing on every chair and table possible. I like the spirit, but am not so excited for the danger factor. What do we do with you?

I must say, you are a BIG daddy's girl. When he walks in the room you squeal and run (to your best ability) to greet him. You know his soft spots and trust me, he is a HUGE fan. I'm a fan too, don't cha know? And really, I know many Ada fans. You bring so much joy already to so many. We love you. Just no more standing on the chairs, k? And keep the sweetness coming!

Mi Madre

2010-02-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

My mom came up for the last couple days. We had a great time together and even managed some time out to go shopping. She is so great with the kids and knows how to love well (she knows their love language- ice cream!). Love you mom, thanks for coming up and loving on our family.

Family Time

2010-02-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

This weather has been unreal. Seriously unreal. So much sun. The sun was calling our name, and despite the effort it takes to leave this house with all five kids we decided to tackle the outdoors. We walked a few miles and had 0 meltdowns.

If going outdoors with all the kids wasn't brave enough, we then tackled boomers. We didn't just do the drive-in either, nope, we went in. And once again, 0 meltdowns- 2 for 2. We had a great family day and definitely enjoyed our anniversary sale boomer bugers.

the duo enjoying some goodness

2010-02-19T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hank the Tank

2010-02-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is his new name, or just "Tank". He's really filling out and seems almost twice Molly's size. Will already talks about how he'll do tackling drills with "the boy" and teach him how to fight. (Will still calls the twins, "the boy" and "the girl". I think he actually does know their names now though- it just is easier to say "boy" or "girl". I can relate to him, keeping track of all these names is quite the task. It often takes me a few tries to get it right).