A few happy moments...

A few BLESS-ED times

Gabby has said, "I want to help do the dishes."

or

"I want to help you cook."

or

"I will clean up."

I caught her in the act here...

She "washed" the dishes by rinsing them in cold water.

Good times.

Liam and I hung out before Gabby's performance

at the second service church last Sunday.

When I got up to go take a picture of Gabby,

Liam made so much noise, Roger had to

take him out of the sanctuary.

:-)

Momma's boy!

We made Owen watch his sister perform as well.

He questioned it...

but he enjoyed it!  :-)

He may try to say things that don't sound like a nice brother...

but I know better.

He is the bestest Big brother!!

So, it was time for the kids to get their own rooms...

So, Roger found a Groupon for a hotel stay...

and so he took the kids for a weekend at the beginning of November.

I was able to move bunkbeds 

(with help from wonderful Catie and Argyle), 

set up a new bed for Gabby,

and move all toys and STUFF to their separate spaces!

I'll have to post pictures of the new rooms!

And now they are not allowed to take over 

the rest of the house with their STUFF!

Silly kids!

"Dad's the best!"

Gloooooooria...

My little performer...melt my heart!

I have a feeling she will be taking the stage many more times!

I can't wait until next time!

Camp...Feels like a long time ago!

Ok, so it was!

:-)

I started this post oh so long ago and figured it still needs to be shared

and put in here as a great event!

Cousin time!

Elodie from CO, Xavi & Nico from CA...

my MN kids:

Relaxing with Grampa!

Relaxing?  What's that?

Since Nico has such dark skin, and Liam...does not...

Their nick-names are "Peanut Butter Cup (#2)" and "Marshmallow cream"
I wonder how they'll feel about that one day...

 Days were good, but nights were tough...
all 5 of us sleeping in the same room?
The best part was finally seeing the sun was up and we could go get coffee...

 

 Gramma Momma tried so hard to help us out.

She'd stroller our early-waking babies so we could shower,

take care of other little ones, or

so the little babes could fall back asleep 

because it is so tough being a munchkin.

Gabby and I got some one-on-one time...just a little.

Probably not enough...

Pontoon rides were fun...

especially when I let Owen and Elodie 

jump off the side and swim in the lake.

 

 ...Talk about glowing skin!

And then I risked my life doing teh zip line!

Not really life-threatening, 

but I did have visions of my children being raised by Roger 

after my untimely fall from this line:...

One of the biggest battles was...

doing elodie's hair!

:-)

But she wanted a braid like the big girls!

Flag raising...

Mom signed us up and Bill led us in singing 

Happy Birthday to our country on July 4th...

hence our matching outfits:

Fishing brought in BIG gains!

(not fish, mind you...)

:-)

Everyone got to try...

And the things that were learned!!!

And the people we got to see...

and be loved by!

And the new toys to explore!

And the cousin time had...usually early mornings were the best!

Like I said...not too big

But just enough!

We look forward to many more family camp experiences to come!

My smiley boy!

Gabby is getting the hang of taking pictures with my phone. She even caught Liam smiling this time!

And this time!

I think I'm finally getting a hang of this mom thing. Maybe I'm a slow learner... But perhaps I would have enjoyed Owen as a baby more had I been a bit more of what I am now.

How is that possible?

I am now doubting that Owen was so tough. And I'm toying with the idea that I just didn't know what I was doing! Mind you, these are tiny doubts. I have plenty of witnesses of Owens difficult-ness.

Did I just invent a word? 

Or...

Maybe Liam really is just that easy. He hangs out. He smiles. All the time!…

Except for when he's upset at 3 o'clock in the morning and screams for an hour like last night. But I made a deal with him, I'll let him do that once or twice a year... As long as he keeps on being so sweet, innocent, goofy, :-), positive, and a shining light in our lives. He is my extrovert. He's my "the glass is half-full" kid.

My kids have all brought me much happiness. 

But I have also felt the pinch of the small trials that come with small children. In the last nine months I have heard from two separate people on two separate occasions to enjoy my children. To enjoy this time because small children bring small problems and big children bring big problems. I can imagine, but I do not know, what those problems or trials will be.

But what can I say? 

God is good… All the time. 

I pray I cling to that. I pray I can have grace in these tiny moments so that when the big ones come, I can be somewhat prepared. To those who have gone before me… Those who have big children with big problems, thank you for paving the way and showing me what Grace can look like.

This being a mom thing lasts forever...doesn't it?

;-)

Sweet baby girl

I peeked in on gabby playing babies. I think she has an imaginary friend....
What an imagination on this little girl!!! I can't wait to see where all this play takes her in life!

My baby...

My 7 year old is learning to write friendly letters in school, and to practice, the students write notes to their friends.  Owen has gotten 3 letters from friends and two of them say he is their best friend. I think this is why he said to me one day, "Mom, I don't know who my best friend is."
I thought about it and told him that was okay because our friends will change over time.
Owen is not one to get all gushy and say, "I love you" but I think he knows what love is.
I think this because what he said in response to me was so profound.
He said, "I just know that I like Liam more than any of my friends at school."

Matter of fact.

How could you not love this face?

I smile.

Gabby, on the other hand, is a tough nut to crack, but when she does...

You'd better be ready for it and you'd better respond!

Just the other day she said to me, "Mom, I have a secret for you."

I said, "what is it?"

She whispered, "I love you!"

To know love...how you say it, express it, give it...

To each his own...

Liam, my love, is just starting to experiment with his voice...a bit more.

Different sounds.  Different pitches.  Different volumes...

:-)

Random whoops, screams, yelps, cries, babbles, and of course,

Raspberries.
Dada more often than Momma...
which I only hear in the middle of the night out of desperation...
sigh...

But my love, my heart, has grown...yet again.

tripled in size.

He giggles and smiles.

He snuggles and hugs--like none other.

He reaches and plays.

He nods his head and responds to questions.

He waves bye-bye and night-night.

He crawls and climbs and steps all around 

(not quite walking on his own)...

He is number three...

no less precious, no less loved, no less...

ok, maybe a bit less spoiled

:-)

But that's ok.  He'll be happier that way!

Time with family

I started this post with my phone and wanted to say so much more than we see in photos, but I have not had an ounce of time and.....

the voice to text option on my phone is not working at the moment!  ugh!

I just was hoping to keep up with my growing little boy and not let him feel neglected in the area of photos or in the blog or in the story of who he is in our lives...

I don't want life to just happen around him.

He is a great joy in our lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and not just to us...gramma mimi likes to call him her little buddy.

He reaches for her, cuddles with her, smiles at her...

Love...

And, to make his grandma jealous, Graunt Paula had to get a 

few photos with the little guy and send them her way!  

It was only a day or two after her 95th Birthday that Gramma Mae went to live in a nursing home.  She sure has changed, but she still loves babies!

Owen reached for her as well, but she wasn't strong enough to hold him.

So, they just enjoyed a few cookies together! :-)

Nanny and Poppa Steve celebrated their 40 years together

and so we got to party!

A wonderful time together!

 Little Steve...

 

Auntie Emmy, Xavi, and Nico came for a visit!

Gabby loved that Emmy loves to read stories...

she took it all in!

We miss them so much, but hopefully 

we will be together, having fun, again soon!

 One of our favorite traditions:

the pumpkin patch!

And, the adventure is not complete without the corn pit!

Liam loved it!

And...he didn't try eating too much! 

 And then there is our newest addition:  a nephew from Lori!

Already a Packer fan!

We cannot WAIT to meet him so very soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Swimming!

I officially now have three swimmers on my hands!  :-)

Not all completely independent...
I tried to edit this so nothing private showed...
but it is too funny and cute to not share!

[editing didn't work...i will try it again and update post when I can!]

So...we take him swimming and he loves it!

He crawls in...and keeps going!

Is it bravery? ignorance? adventurous spirit?

Not so brave here, but she is overcoming obstacles everyday!

I am so proud of her!!!

Too much fun...