Olivia's Family Blog

Funny commercial

2012-01-21T16:59:00.001-06:00

A very cold walk at the park

2012-01-14T22:52:00.001-06:00

Sick Lily

2012-01-09T21:10:00.001-06:00

Lily started coming down with a cold on Sunday. She has developed a fever and a deep cough. Poor baby can't seem to get comfortable to stay asleep for long. Plus she keeps coughing in her sleep. We've been doing a lot of cuddling and floor pacing to keep her somewhat happy. Yesterday I was sitting on the couch with her and Eleanor came and sat down beside us. Sometimes Lily gets upset when one of the other kids sit down next to me because she thinks they are trying to take mommy away from her, but this time Lily actually got off my lap and laid down on Eleanor. It was so cute and sweet! Eleanor was thrilled!

Here is a picture from today. Lily FINALLY fell asleep and a few minutes later Sean's friend rang the doorbell and woke her up! Ugh! Anyway, she seemed a little better once I put her to bed tonight. I'm praying for a good night sleep for everyone in this house!

In a tree at a park

2012-01-08T14:05:00.002-06:00

Snow and Gingerbread

2011-12-22T14:24:00.000-06:00

First I forgot to mention a while ago that we painted our front door red! I like it so much better than the white!

Today we had a little Gingerbread House Decorating party with my parents! It was a lot of fun and I think it turned out nice! I just bought a kit that had the premade house, so all we had to do was add the frosting and candies. This will be a centerpiece on the table for Christmas eve.

We got some snow on Monday and Tuesday and a little bit more today. Most of the accumulation happened on Monday though. Anyway, it wasn't much, but enough for the kids to play in. The girls went out Tuesday while Sean was at school.

A few more Chloe

2011-12-20T12:48:00.001-06:00

Some of my favorite pictures of Chloe from the last three years

2011-12-20T12:24:00.001-06:00

Last night we had cocoa. A first for the kids! I put a candy cane in their cups too :)

Birthday Wishes

2011-12-19T16:31:00.003-06:00

~ ♥ ~ Happy 3rd Birthday to my Sweet, Silly, Giggly, Funny, L♥ving, Cuddly, Imaginative, Curious, Energetic, Playful, Smiley, Thoughtful, Caring, Helpful, Little CocoBear! I l♥ve you with all my heart ~ ♥ ~

Chloe Newborn

Chloe One Year

Chloe Two Years

Chloe Three Years Old!

ugly

2011-12-18T21:12:00.001-06:00

Our church had an Ugly Christmas Sweater reception this evening to recognize people who help out on Sundays. There were cookies and coffee, cocoa and cider. Unfortunately there was only one ugly sweater. Oh well, I had fun anyway!

Birthday and Christmas

2011-12-18T12:12:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow Chloe will be THREE!!! We had her party yesterday and it was Tangled themed. She l♥ves Rapunzel! Chris and I teamed up to make her a tower cake. Looks pretty good I think! It almost brought some tears and a tinge of anger as it just was not working the way I'd hoped, but it all worked out!

Birthday Princess!

Getting ready to blow out her candle!

That evening we got to go on a little Christmas train ride. We did this last year and it was so cold! This year was not as cold and the wind wasn't blowing. Perfect night for it!

This morning we celebrated an early Christmas with Chris' parents. I made the kids sit for a picture before opening presents. They did great!

and after presents I had them sit with Papa and Grandma for a picture before they had to drive back home. The girls are wearing their new pretty Princess dresses!

Best Christmas Commercial Ever!!!

2011-12-18T11:33:00.001-06:00

Thank you "Mystery Gifter"!

2011-12-12T18:22:00.001-06:00

Someone sent the kids this awesome Melissa and Doug Deluxe Standing Art Easel! We thank you...whoever you are!

Earring

2011-12-08T19:46:00.001-06:00

Chloe begged to get her ears pierced. I was honest with her and told her that it would hurt. I explained how they would clean her ears and put a dot on her ears and then they would take a "gun" and poke the earrings through her ears. I was sure to emphasize that it would hurt! So, she decided after all that, that she still wanted to have them done. I made sure to bring some candy for a treat after it was over and also a little bear for her to hold while the procedure was taking place.

Well, there was only one person there who could do the earrings and they didn't know when there would be another person there to help do both at the same time, so I decided to take my chances... Well, long story short we only got one ear pierced. The plan is to go back on Saturday and see if she will let us do the other ear. She did not like that it hurt. If all else fails I will buy the kit myself and do it at home. I'm thinking maybe I can get some ice and numb her ear first, so she won't even feel it. The lady who pierced her one ear (she happens to be a lady who goes to our church, so that was cool!) suggested that I wait until she is asleep and just do it real quick when she is asleep...we will see...that seems cruel, but maybe that would be the best way...

She likes her new earring and she really didn't cry at all, she just decided that it hurt too much to get the other one done.

CrossPoint Stories

2011-11-30T17:03:00.001-06:00

We were challenged at church to write out our own personal testimonies by finishing three sentences and post them to facebook or twitter, or whatever social networking site we use. I posted mine to facebook, but really my blog is also my own personal social networking site too, so I thought why not post it here as well! The plan is for the church to publish every one's testimonies in a book.

My life before Christ was...
I was blessed to have Christian parents who taught me about God and took me to church. I was young when I asked Jesus into my heart. However, even at the age of four I remember feeling scared and alone. I remember being disobedient and rebellious towards my parents.

The reason I accepted Christ was...
because I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior! I learned the Bible verse John 3:16 at church, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.". When I was four years old I remember asking my mom if I could have some chocolate chips and she told me no. But she got a small bowl and put a few chocolate chips in it and set it on the kitchen counter and told me I could have them after supper. Well, I was sneaky and I took that bowl and went into my parents room and hid behind their curtains and ate all the chocolate chips in the bowl! Afterwards I felt so full of guilt and I remembered that verse. I knew that the reason Jesus died was to take away my sins and I knew at that moment that I was a sinner and I needed Jesus in my life, so I sat down on my parents bed and I prayed. I don't remember what exactly I said, but it was something like this, "Dear God, I'm sorry for my sin. Jesus please come into my heart. Thank you for saving me. Amen". I knew in that moment that I was a different person because I was God's child and I no longer needed to be scared or lonely because God's spirit was in me.

Since I have accepted Christ my life is...
full of joy and peace! Of course I still have struggles, but with God's guidance I am learning more about Him and working on becoming the person He wants me to be through prayer, through His word, and through fellowship at church with other Believers.

Pictures from my phone

2011-11-26T17:07:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving and some other pictures

2011-11-26T16:16:00.001-06:00

I love this! Sean wrote Soopr Heerose (super heros)

Mom and Uncle Steve on Thanksgiving

Sean's handprint turnkey. He made it for me :)

Sleepy Chloe on Thanksgiving

Beautiful Eleanor on Thanksgiving

Grandad and Uncle Steve took a walk around the block with the kids after our Thanksgiving meal

Family fun

2011-11-26T15:57:00.001-06:00

Sean brought home a plain white paper tree to decorate over Thanksgiving break to take back to school for a classroom decoration. Last year we decorated a stocking. I mostly helped him with the decorating. Chris brought home some supplies for us from the college and the girls helped us do some painting, but after the mess of that we kind of told them they just needed to watch. Much easier after that! Sean said his is going to be the best one there! We really like how it turned out! What do you think? We added the star and the presents. He really wanted to use some glitter, so we made the gifts under the tree sparkly.

Operation Samaritan's Purse 2011

2011-11-20T20:45:00.001-06:00

Our church filled 29 boxes for Operation Christmas Child to be delivered to children around the world! Tomorrow we will take these to our drop off location to be sent out later in the week. Please continue to be in prayer with us that each box a blessing to each child that receives them.

Some pictures

2011-11-19T22:08:00.001-06:00

Lily looks so sweet in this picture and I just love her eyes! OK, I'm being a braggy mommy, but she's a cutie.

Chloe fell asleep in daddy's arms

My big girl learning to eat with a spoon!

Third snow...I don't remember what day it was, but it only lasted a very short time. The flakes were huge!

2nd snow

2011-11-08T21:59:00.001-06:00

Shoe boxes are done!

2011-11-08T21:57:00.001-06:00

We got our shoe boxes filled! I went online and did the easy pay so we can track and find out what County they end up in! We did two boy boxes and two girl boxes. We filled them with stickers, notebooks, washcloths, socks, stuffed animals/dolls, small toys/games, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, hard candies, combs/brushes...

Simon

2011-11-04T00:47:00.003-05:00

Simon's grandparents were here visiting for quite a while, so I wasn't watching him while they were here. We sure missed that little cutie! We missed his sweet mommy too :) Sean and Eleanor kept asking when his grandparents would go home so we could have him back! Funny kids! Anyway, I started watching him again on October 18th after not having him for close to a month! I was worried that it would be hard to readjust, but it wasn't! He is such a happy, easy-going baby that everything just fell back into place!

Here are some pictures I took of him.

I am in love with this first one! How could you not love that adorable little face!

He was reaching for my camera and I thought that made a cool picture!

This is another one of my favorites

Pray tell, what are you doing?

2011-11-04T00:38:00.001-05:00

This Praying Mantis was spotted by Eleanor one afternoon. She wanted to go down the slide, but it was climbing on the slide and she was scared to get too close. I don't really know much about these little creatures, but it was interesting to watch. I'm pretty sure it was watching me too!

All Things Halloween-y

2011-11-04T00:32:00.001-05:00

Ninja Turtle Sean, Neighbor Alexa Little Red Riding Hood, Princess kitty Eleanor, black kitty Chloe, ladybug Lily

This one of Chloe reminds me of the Cowardly Lion on The Wizard of Oz the way she is holding her tail

The kids got a lot of candy. Chris will take some to his office for the college kids.

We went to Gaeddert Farm on the 30th. We'd hoped to go through the corn maze, but decided to just let the kids enjoy some free play time instead. The corn was not very tall and it was just too expensive for our whole family. Maybe next year...

Here is Eleanor jumping into some hay/straw

Last year at this time Lily was a teeny tiny baby! She was still wearing preemie clothes!

Sean took this picture of me carving one of our pumpkins.

Mine is the left and Chris's is the right.

We got our first snow of the season last night.

It didn't last, but it was still pretty.

Happy Birthday, Papa!

2011-10-28T09:14:00.002-05:00

Operation Christmas Child

2011-10-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to be filling shoe boxes this year for Samaritan's Purse/Operation Christmas Child. I had wanted to do this last year, but we were too late to get our boxes in. I remember doing this years ago, but I honestly couldn't tell you the details from back then...

You can click on the link at the beginning of this post, or the picture above, or the picture on the sidebar to learn more about Operation Christmas Child, but I will tell you a little here. Basically you take a shoe box, or any kind of shoe sized box or plastic container with a lid (on the website they have pre-made, decorated boxes you can special order) and you can wrap them or decorate them, but you really don't have to. You choose if you are going to fill your box with goodies for a boy or a girl and then you also choose the age group you want, and those are, 2-4 years, 5-9 years, or 10-14 years. Once you've decided the gender and age you can go shopping and select toys and goodies and hygiene products and school supplies to put in your box. Pretty much anything you can fit in your box is just great! There are a few items not to include, such as war or weapon related toys, anything breakable, or food that could melt or go bad, nothing liquid that could spill. That is just kind of common sense though. Here is the link to the labels that you fill out and tape to your box. There are also gift suggestions here. Other things not to include are old or broken items...obviously! However, the lady at the relay center here that I talked to said it's OK to include gently used items that are in "like new" condition. Also, if you put something in your box that requires batteries, then be sure to also include extra batteries, and if you put pencils in your box, then also add a pencil sharpener for the child.

There is a shipping cost of $7 per box, but really that is nothing! The really cool thing is that you can pay online and then you can follow your box and find out what Country it goes to! I think I will do that. It could be a neat thing for the kids to find out where their boxes are going and then we can learn a little bit about that Country too! If you don't pay online then you would include your payment in the shoebox and put it right on top before closing the lid.

Once your box is complete you can find a drop-off/relay center here and take your box there between November 14-21!

Of course giving gifts to needy children at Christmas time is a wonderful thing, but the most important thing to do is to pray for the child receiving the gift. Every child who receives a box will also have the opportunity to be discipled in a 12 lesson course to learn more about the ultimate gift of God's Son! At the end of the course each child receives their very own Bible!

I think the thing that I really love about this ministry is that it is a hands on project that is fun for the family! It's not just sticking money in an envelope to send to some mission here or there, but you are actually filling a box with toys and goodies for a child that really needs it. You know exactly where your box is going and you know that through this ministry each child has the opportunity to learn about the Lord, which means that their families get the opportunity to learn about Him also! That is very exciting to me!

I was given a promotional DVD by the lady at the relay center here and I watched it with the kids. Of course it was a tear-jerker, but it was also an eye-opener! It was neat to see all these children all over the world so happy with their gifts! One little boy opened his box and said "Clean socks!" with a big smile on his face! I cannot imagine any of my kids being that happy with clean socks on Christmas morning, or toothpaste! There are so many things that we take for granted everyday.

So we helped the kids go through their mounds of toys and stuffed animals and we have been able to find enough gently used items to fill four boxes. We still need go out and buy a few more new things to add to each box to fill them up, but I think it was good for the kids to choose from their own toys to give away, and of course I made sure they were in very good condition!

My plan for this next year is to start collecting items that I see that are on sale to keep back for next year's shoe boxes. I also plan to keep back a little money each week or month to save back for the shipping costs for the boxes that we will fill next year and to have some extra money for items that we want to add to the boxes.

Since we are on the topic of Christmas and the kids were confused why Santa doesn't bring gifts to these kids in other Countries if the kids aren't "bad"...I decided to very gently break the news to the kids that Santa is not real. I told them that long ago there was a real man who was "Santa", but he died a long time ago because he was not God, just a nice man. I told them that believing in Santa is fun and it's still fun to pretend, but only God is really worth believing in! I told them that the true meaning of Christmas is not about getting gifts, but it is about God's gift to us. His Son, Jesus! After I said that the real "Santa" lived a long time ago and he is dead now, Eleanor said, "Santa died!?" and then she cracked up! I'm not really sure why it was funny, but it was. Sean then started cracking up and said, "Yeah, and reindeer can't really fly because there is no such thing as magic!". So anyway, I am glad that I told them the truth. I was starting to feel guilty about lying to them and trying to make up reasons how Santa gets into our house since we don't have a chimney and how he gets all around the world in one night etc... It just feels better to tell them the truth and honestly I think they are happier knowing. Then it also makes more sense to them why we are sending these gifts to little kids around the world. I'm just glad that they all took it so well.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-10-17T08:48:00.001-05:00

My grandad called me one evening to talk about setting up a surprise birthday party for my mom. I had to be a little sneaky because mom and dad just happened to be over that evening when grandad called. But we were able to pull it off!

Mom's birthday is actually tomorrow, but we had the party last evening at Grandad's. I'm sorry I didn't get more pictures. We should have gotten a group shot. Anyway, both my Uncles were there with their families. We had pizza and cake and it was a nice time visiting with family.

This isn't a very birthday-ish cake, but since it is Autumn and it's a cute pumpkin cake I thought it worked. I baked the cake and Chris decorated it. I guess it's kinda "our thing".

Dad, Mom, and Eleanor looking at Grammy's cards and pictures the kids drew for her.

Mom and Lily. Lily's eyes look a little funny, but I think this is a great picture! Mom you really are beautiful! and I do think Lily looks a little like you... (:

Before we left Grandad said, "You didn't get a picture of me and your mom!", so I went and got my camera and took a picture of them before we left!

Planning parties (especially surprise ones) isn't always easy. Good work Grandad!

Fun day!

2011-10-16T01:04:00.000-05:00

This morning we took the kids to the park to feed the ducks. It was a nice cool morning and the ducks were hungry! I'd been saving my bread heels for a while now and some of them were starting to get a little moldy, so I figured it was time to feed the ducks. I did peel off the moldy parts first and throw them away. Not sure if it matters to the ducks, but still...

This afternoon/evening I took the kids to Grammy's Pumpkin Patch. Chris works all the time pretty much and I'd wanted to go to the same corn maze we usually go to, but it costs a lot more money and there was no day that we could go as a family, so I just decided to take the kids myself to a closer pumpkin patch with free admission. They did have activities that cost money, but I thought it was worth it for the experience. It was really nice! We were there for 3-4 hours. There was a Veggie Tales movie they showed in the evening as the sun was setting. They even had popcorn (for 50 cents a bag).

Lily was asleep in the stroller, so that is why she isn't in this picture.

I love how these two pictures turned out! Sean was so proud that he could read "Grammy's"

We got to ride a horse drawn buggy! The horse was a huge, lovely, Clydesdale! I love Clydesdales! Sean had his picture taken by Scotty (the horse), but the girls got spooked when he turned his head and snorted in their ears. It was kind of funny. Later I had a lady take a picture of Lily and me next to Scotty and Eleanor came over too, but she still didn't get too close.

We also rode the bucket train, which was fun, but probably not worth the $2 per person.

This looked like so much fun and the kids really enjoyed it! It was a straw/hay slide. They got to go down it on a sled. Chloe looked terrified the first time she went down, but once she got to the bottom she grinned so big! It was very cute.

This was by far the kids favorite activity! They had two tubs filled with corn and wheat! They got to sit in it and play in it. How fun! Lily loved it! She would have stayed there the whole time I think.

I didn't plan too well for food since I wasn't sure how long we would stay at the patch. I brought drinks for the kids, but no food, so as it got later they kept mentioning that they were hungry. In the little "General Store" they had Frito Soup (which I know for a fact my kids won't eat) or they had cookies and cinnamon rolls, so I got each kid a chocolate chip cookie and they were huge! I was going to share one with Lily, but she freaked out and wanted to hold it, so I just gave in. I didn't really want to cause a scene. I just tore off bites for me every so often. Anyway, once they started the movie later they also had bags of popcorn for 50 cents, so we got two bags to share.

As part of the $2 for the bucket train we each got to pick out a small decorative pumpkin. Lily and I got white ones (she really had no choice as I chose for her) and the other three each got an orange pumpkin. When we got home I put them in this basket and set it on the table for an Autumn centerpiece. I like it! Also at the patch they had a craft for the kids. It cost $1 and I ended up finishing Sean's and Chloe's, but Eleanor did hers with the help of another lady there. I was proud of her for sticking it out. Anyway, they are paper pumpkins that you weave paper through. I think they look cute.

How Swede it is!

2011-10-11T08:50:00.001-05:00

Saturday was the Hyllningsfest parade in Lindsborg. It is a Swedish festival that only comes every other year. Four years ago it was rainy so they moved the dancing and festivities indoors at the school gym. Two years ago it was so cold and windy and bitter and Chloe was a sick baby, so we didn't even bother to go at all! This year there had been rain in the forecast, but we were hoping that we would at least be able to enjoy the parade before the rain came... It was windy, but the temperature was just right! As the paraders traveled down Main St. you could see the dark clouds rolling in! It was quite a sight! We got to see the parade without getting too wet, the drizzle started toward the end of the parade, but we stuck it out. I was disappointed that the kids weren't able to see the dancing since the rain started in pretty good by the time they had the bleachers set up to let more people in to see the dancing. I felt bad for those little Grade schoolers dancing in the chilly rain! and as a mommy I was concerned that the pavement would be slick and they would fall and get hurt. I am not sure why they didn't move the dancing to the school gym like they did in the past... Anyway, it was a fun day and it was neat to hear the songs that I had danced to as a little 1st grader years ago! Wow!

After the parade we went back to mom and dad's house for some sandwiches and to change into more comfy clothes since the kids and I had dressed up in our Swedish outfits that Grandma M helped me sew together four years ago.

These pictures are out of order, but here is Eleanor after lunch. We sat around and talked and the kids played. It was a nice, sleepy, rainy day.

Oh Sean

Here we are on our way to find a place to sit for the parade. The rain hadn't come yet!

Grandad B came to the parade too! It was nice to see him as always.

and here is my brood

Dad and Chloe took a rainy afternoon snooze

Cookies

2011-10-11T08:15:00.000-05:00

I am so behind on blogging I don't even remember what day exactly these pictures were taken. It was somewhere in the last 2 weeks... I took the girls to mom's for the day. Grandad Dale came over for a short visit to see his precious girls. They picked flowers and berries from mom's yard and garden.

My dad works hard and he looks tired in this picture, but it was a lovely day! I am sure he appreciates this weather when he is out in it most days.

Mom wanted to make chocolate chip cookies with the girls. They had a good time and the cookies were pretty tasty too.

Autumn!

2011-09-24T01:26:00.002-05:00

After what seemed to be the longest, hottest Summer ever, I am so glad that Fall is here!

Simon

2011-09-24T01:10:00.005-05:00

Meet Simon. He is 3 months old and I have been watching him 5 days a week while his mommy and daddy are at work. We love him so much and he is so cute and sweet! He likes to snuggle and "talk" and smile :) He is like a baby brother for the girls when he is here ♥ I have been given permission to post pictures of him from time to time. He is so fun and easy to take pictures of because he just loves the attention and usually gives me some great smiles!

Fair time!

2011-09-24T01:01:00.003-05:00

I took the kids to the Kansas State Fair in Hutch! Well, I took Sean and Eleanor. The other two stayed with Grammy and Grandad. We had a terrific time! I really enjoyed spending that time with them :) There was a kids exhibit that was hands on and they really like that. She picture of Sean cracks me up for some reason...

The rides were big and loud and scary to Eleanor, but she still managed to smile for the picture, just with her hands over her ears lol. Sean wanted a corn dog, so that is what we had. We went on the little train ride and that was a lot of fun. You get to see most of the fair without actually having to walk all over the fair :) We went through a tunnel and one point and the kids clung to me a little tighter lol. Sean and I really wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel, but Eleanor cried in fear, so maybe next year...?

The big kids

2011-09-24T00:50:00.002-05:00

Sean's Fall pictures were done not too long ago at school and we opted to pass on purchasing a picture package. Sooo, I took some of my own pictures and collaged them for the blog, but I will probably order a few uncollaged. What do you think?

Eleanor wanted her picture taken too

This was too cute! Chloe brought Wraggles outside and was totally babying him! She pushed him on the swing and pushed him around in her shopping cart and sat him in a chair and talked to him and played school with him. It was so stinking adorable!

We had a really nice cookout with my parents on Tuesday evening. We were planning on going up to Coronado Heights afterward, but it got kinda windy and rainy, so we didn't get to do that, but we had a nice time anyway. Here is Chloe enjoying a smore :)

More first grade pics

12 month check up and then some

2011-09-23T23:35:00.008-05:00

These pictures were taken on Lily's actual birthday.

This cute baby is Simon. I have been taking care of him 5 days a week. We are really enjoying him! Lily was stealing a birthday kiss ♥

Simon gave Lily a personalized homemade gift! How cute is that?

Lily got this big bunny from my Grandma...maybe I already posted these pictures...sorry about that...

I have to buckle Lily in tight in her high chair or she just wiggles right out. She fell out one day. I felt bad, but it was also a little funny at the same time. She wasn't hurt, just startled. I really have to keep an eye on her. She just doesn't realize the dangers.

Lily is now 16 pounds 10 ounces! I didn't think she'd make it past 16 pounds by a year, but she did! She is 27 1/4 inches. She is still a little thing and she is not walking yet. I sure thought she would be! She rolled early and crawled early, but she is taking her time with walking. That's OK really. I'm just a bit surprised. I asked my Dr. to do a blood test to check her iron level because at her last check she was slightly anemic. They want the number to be 11 or more and hers was 9.9. This time she was just fine though, so that is great! It's probably because she is starting to eat more and she is finally gaining a little more weight :)

So, I have started taking care of a 3 month old baby boy five days a week. He is super cute and so smiley and laid back. We love him! I have been given permission to post some pictures of him from time to time, so I will...

Lily's Party!

2011-09-18T22:07:00.003-05:00

She was not all that excited about the cake...

3

2011-09-17T21:16:00.002-05:00

In hindsight I probably should not have let Lily hold my phone because now she screams for it. Plus it looks a lot like my mom's phone...so mom, beware!

4

2011-09-16T22:25:00.002-05:00

5

2011-09-15T21:48:00.002-05:00

6

2011-09-14T22:44:00.003-05:00

7

2011-09-13T22:21:00.002-05:00

8

2011-09-12T23:44:00.002-05:00

my phone again...

9

2011-09-11T22:28:00.002-05:00

10 and oops...!

2011-09-10T22:42:00.004-05:00

I had a "Love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be" moment this evening. I completely forgot to take a picture of Lily today for the countdown, so I sneaked into her room and set up the blocks while she slept so sweet and peaceful in her bed. I turned on the hallway light and turned her night light so it shone on her tiny frame. Oh how I love my baby girl!

11

2011-09-09T22:42:00.003-05:00

12

2011-09-08T22:54:00.001-05:00

12 days till Lilyana is one

13

2011-09-07T22:37:00.002-05:00

14 days...the countdown is on...

2011-09-06T22:45:00.002-05:00

In 14 days Lilyana Mary will be a big 12 month old!!! How can that be??? My tiny baby is almost a one year old!!! She is holding my phone because it made her happy and kept her still for this picture.

Just feel the need to post...

2011-09-03T23:04:00.003-05:00

Not a lot to say really, so I will talk about the pictures. Chloe was pretending to be asleep in the baby doll cradle. She is so silly. She was a little upset that her feet hang out and that the little blanket didn't cover her toes. Lily really was asleep on the floor! She laid down on the carpet and put her fingers in her mouth and fell asleep while I was doing dishes. Eleanor likes to have a little extra padding under her bum when she is doing her preschool work. She is loving all the learning!!! Again Lily fell asleep in her high chair. This is becoming a regular thing for her. I guess I need to feed her lunch a bit earlier and get her down for a nap before she falls asleep in her chair or on the floor...
Yesterday we went to my parent's house for the day. Mom read the kids a book before their naps, which only Chloe and Lily ended up taking, but I won't get into that... Later we went outside and Lily loved the walker! For the first time ever her feet touch the ground and she didn't cry in it and she was actually able to move herself forward and backward and in circles! It was fun to watch. We also saw this bird...a hawk? It sat on the phone wire for quite some time and quite often let out a squawk.
This bee was very busy gathering nectar and I found it to be picture worthy.

Almost a month!

2011-08-22T23:01:00.004-05:00

I've been a very bad blogger lately!

Here are some pictures

Lily "walking" in her big girl shoes! No actual steps yet, but so close!

Sean's first day of 1st grade! Don't we look thrilled lol!

Lily got a free Huggies bodysuit with two snug and dry rewards codes

Also, she is 11 MONTHS OLD! Oh my goodness! Less than a month until she is one! How can that be?

We had a sleep over with our across-the-street neighbor girls. They had so much fun! They are sweet little girls ♥

That's the gist...

Missouri

2011-07-30T12:13:00.003-05:00

We are in Missouri until Tuesday visiting Chris's family. My Brother-in-law Jeff is also here with his fiance and daughter. They brought some dresses so the girls could play dress up.

My Mother-in-law and Father-in-law have a Hummingbird feeder right outside the front window, so we got to see a couple of birds eating from it! They are so tiny and quick!

This truck I saw while we were driving. My kind of truck! I kind of thought maybe we should follow it.

An airplane going in for a landing

Yesterday Sean and his Papa built a birdhouse together and Sean painted it red

Sometime today or tomorrow they are going to build a toolbox and paint it too!

Another tooth

2011-07-28T15:44:00.003-05:00

Sean lost another tooth! He was wiggling it with his tongue and it came right out! I think it really surprised him.

Eleanor had blue lips because she was eating a blue Popsicle. She said she was "Ice Girl"

I love how Chloe is looking at Sean in these pictures!

Good Morning!

2011-07-25T16:22:00.004-05:00

Most mornings the kids wake up and are whining that they are hungry or they want someone to play with or they start out fighting and cranky and it is so aggravating! I don't understand why they wake up that way, but this particular morning they woke up happy and sweet and loving and quiet. I got Lily a bottle and changed her diaper and they all gathered around her happily watching her and just being generally happy to be together for a change. It was so sweet, so I took some pictures.

Chloe says, "Seany, you my best fend"(friend)♥

Lily crosses her fingers like this every time she has a bottle. So cute!

After her bottle she found my phone and was very happy about it...

I see the moon

2011-07-23T23:38:00.001-05:00

I pulled the van over one evening on the way home from my parents house to take these pictures! Gorgeous!

The shirt

2011-07-23T23:32:00.002-05:00

My sister and I have 7 kids between the two of us. Mostly girls. Therefore I have a lot of girl clothes, which is great because they will be used! Lily was wearing this little pastel striped shirt not too long ago and my mom said, "Oh, there's that shirt! All of the girls have worn it!". So I texted Tab and asked her if she had pictures of her girls wearing it, so she sent me a few.

Marcail (top left) didn't actually wear this shirt, but my sister found the same shirt in a bigger size at a thrift store! Naomi (top right) was the first of the baby girls to wear the shirt. Eleanor never wore it because she and Naomi are about the same age/size, but Chloe (bottom left) did wear it and now Lilyana (bottom right) wears it! It is a well loved and well worn little top. You can tell it's fading from lots of use!

The park

2011-07-23T23:29:00.002-05:00

It has been so incredibly hot this Summer that our outings have been few and far between and for very short intervals. However, I did get some nice pictures when we were at the park one morning a few weeks ago. We got out fairly early in the morning before the heat became unbearable.

"...people take pictures of all kinds of things!"

2011-07-23T23:20:00.002-05:00

The kids wanted to play outside one morning, so out we went. I was trying to get some pictures of Lily and Sean kept calling me and wanting me to come look at something by the swings. I kept telling him to "Hold on a minute!". When I finally came over to see what he wanted to show me I was quite surprised! There was, what I considered, a very large wasp dead on the ground below one of the swings. I had to take pictures and I just couldn't stop taking pictures! So here are some pictures of the wasp... I put my hand down by it so you can see the size...

I asked Sean if he thought I was a weird mommy for taking pictures of a dead wasp and he said, "Not really, people take pictures of all kinds of things!". I love him ♥

Here it is on my flip-flop

10

2011-07-20T14:41:00.004-05:00

I am taking a few minutes of quiet before my children wake up from naps. I really need to clean and finish laundry. As you can see from the next two pictures I have a mess on my hands... I WILL get it cleaned up and reorganized within the next 2 hours...

However, I also wanted to say HAPPY 10 MONTHS to my tiny baby girl!!! We are to the age that she needs something to hold onto for pictures with big Blue or she will tackle her and pull her down. I remember Chloe getting to that stage too when I took pictures of her in the chair with the bear...

Memories

2011-07-16T22:45:00.002-05:00

Today, July 16th, my Grandma would have been 81 years old. I miss her terribly. Last year for her 80th birthday my Grandad had a party for her. I guess I knew it could be her last, but I didn't want to believe it. Five months and it's still so hard to believe that she is no longer with us. Chloe always asks about "Bubbles" when we go to Hutch or we see Grandad. So sweet! Sean and Eleanor often ask me if I'm OK and if I'm sad about my Grandma. They are so very observant and can tell when I'm sad or missing her. I love them so!

Mary Geraldine Beckman
♥ Always in my heart ♥

My Grandma was an amazing cook! When the kids and I were at mom's the other day mom told me I should take some of these beef and noodles home. This is the last of the food that my Grandma made that I will get to taste. It had been in the freezer. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around it. It's bittersweet to eat this food that her hands so lovingly and carefully prepared. Those same hands that held me as a baby and held my babies not so long ago. Those hands that are no longer here on this earth.

Forgot to update on some check ups

2011-07-13T13:31:00.003-05:00

On June 29th I took Sean and Lilyana to the doctor for their well-child check ups.

Sean's 6 year stats:

46 pounds and 47 1/4 inches tall! Still long and lean.

Lily's 9 month stats:

14 pounds 5 ounces and 25 1/2 inches.

Since her 6 month check up in March she has gained 2 pounds 5 ounces and 1/2 inch.

She is just in the 5th percentile in height and weight. She is 4 pounds less than the other kids were at that age and 3 inches shorter than the other kids at that age. She is so little! However, she is still right on track for her age in all other areas, so I am not concerned. One of the great things about my doctor is that he trusts me and hasn't been too terribly concerned about her size. He actually said, "You know what you're doin, I'm not worried.".

So that is that!

Rainbow

2011-07-13T13:21:00.002-05:00

Early in the morning the sun shines through the bathroom window, bounces off the mirror and then creates "rainbows" on the wall, door, and floor. I like how it looks on Eleanor's hand.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-07-12T14:02:00.004-05:00

This morning we woke up to Sean yelling, "Mom! Dad! Chloe is cutting Eleanor's hair!". Well we are pretty sure after trying to get everyone's story straight that Sean was the one who did the cutting. Although they were all punished. Why Eleanor let him cut her hair remains a mystery. They tried to blame it on Chloe, but I really don't think it was her. She has a small chunk of hair cut, but it's not very noticeable and her hair doesn't grow fast, so we will leave it be.

So today is Chris's birthday and he was/is very disappointed about Ellie's hair. At least it will grow back!

Here is Eleanor's before...

...and after...

She lost a lot of hair, but at least it looks cute! No more braids though.

Silliness

2011-07-09T23:03:00.002-05:00

The kids gave me a concert tonight and like any good rocker would, they dove off the stage and into the mosh pit.

Chris had the tools out today and I was working on getting the house tidied up, but hadn't quite put the tools away yet.

Now I know she knows what no is if you know what I mean...

2011-07-09T22:53:00.000-05:00

An update and some randoms

2011-07-08T23:12:00.002-05:00

I got brave today and ripped out the carpet in Lily's closet and pried up the wood strips where around the edges where the carpet was nailed down. It was a bit of a chore, but I think it looks lovely! We won't be pulling up anymore carpet for a while, but someday in the next 3-5 years perhaps I would like to restore all the wood floors in our house that are covered by carpet! The only room in our house that does not have wood underneath is the dining area. It is vinyl or linoleum or something. I think there is wood under that, but it will take some work to restore that. I know it can be done, but we aren't quite ready for that undertaking. We want to save up some money in case we run into problems and need to do some repairs...

This probably won't mean anything to anyone unless they were in our basement before we changed the furniture around. But I dragged out some of the old cabinets that were in our kitchen and placed them against one wall in the basement. They now hold some books and toys and make it look a little more tidy. We also moved the TV over against the other wall and of course we had to move the couch and chair as well. I like it a lot better! Now it's like we have a second living room and the kids have a little more open space to play in. I made sure it was all clean before I took the pictures, but before there were trains and cars and all kinds of toys strewn about. It always seems cluttered to me, but the kids have a method to their organized "clutter" when they play. Love the imaginations!

Lastly, Chloe is much better! Yay! She still isn't 100%. She was kind of sad and whiny today and laid around a lot still, but no more throw ups! She had a very low grade fever off an on, but nothing that concerned me. She still isn't eating a lot, but that's to be expected I'm sure. Tomorrow she will probably be a lot more herself again. Thank you for the prayers!

Eleanor was sick this morning and threw up 2 or 3 times, but she never ran a fever and after her throw up she was back to running around and playing. I don't know if she had the same thing Chloe had and just got over it quicker or if she had something else. Weird...

Poor Chloe

2011-07-07T12:30:00.002-05:00

Chloe woke up yesterday morning with a fever and the pukes. She hasn't eaten much more than applesauce and crackers in the last 24 hours. She's been drinking lots of water and a little Gatorade. Her fever was up to 103 yesterday and today it's down to 101. She pretty much just wants to cuddle with someone or sleep on the couch. Yesterday she enjoyed soaking in the tub a bit. You can't tell from this picture, but her little cheeks are flushed. Last night she drank two full cups of cold water and this morning her diaper wasn't very wet, so she must have been dehydrated. Of course as always my worst fear is that she has a kidney infection again. We need lots of prayer that she gets better soon and wisdom that we know when/if it's time to take her to the doctor. I'm hoping it's just something that will run it's course... and that no one else gets it!

Happy 4th of July...a couple days late...

2011-07-06T23:39:00.003-05:00

On the 3rd we bought a few small firecrackers and drove around that night to watch fireworks around town. There are people around here that put on quite a show! Chloe did not like the little firecrackers that we bought. They were too loud and I think too close for her liking. She didn't mind the little snap pops though and she seemed to like the big fireworks in the sky at night as long as they weren't too loud and she had someone to cuddle with. Lily didn't seem to mind them too much at all!

On the 4th we didn't do too much. I made ice cream, fudge sauce and chocolate chip cookie bars and mom and dad came over around 7 and brought strawberries and pie and we had dessert and visited until it was time for the big show! Lily was asleep by then, so the rest of us sat out on our deck where we could see the town's fireworks display! It was a nice time and by the way, the strawberries were delicious dipped in the fudge sauce. Just sayin.