Our Family of Five

Give Thanks!

2010-11-19T14:53:00.003-06:00

This verse does not say to give thanks in some things or to give thanks only when something good happens. It says to give thanks in EVERYTHING! Even when something bad happens you can still find something to be thankful for.

My family has had a rough 2-3 weeks. We all passed around the stomach flu and upon getting better from that we all passed around a really nasty head cold. Caleb has been the sickest out of all of us! As hard as it is to watch my child suffer, I found myself thanking God that these sicknesses are only temporary. Caleb will be okay. These sickness are not a permanent disease that could eventually take his life.

And my house... yes, it is a terrible mess. Being sick for 2 weeks kind of lets your house fall apart. But I can and will be thankful for the mess and the heaping piles of dirty laundry. Do you know why? Because the messy house and the huge piles of laundry means that I have a family. I have a husband and three wonderful children and I consider myself EXTREMELY blessed. Without them I could have a clean home and a lot less laundry, but what would be the fun in that? I would much rather have a messy home and share my life with these four wonderful people.

So no matter what is happening right now in your life, look for the silver lining and thank God in EVERYTHING.

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
I Thessalonians 5:18

Smiling Caleb

2010-02-06T16:10:00.003-06:00

Today Caleb smiled a lot for a really long time. He had been smiling a few grins every now and then over the last couple of weeks, but today he was really smiling! I just love that toothless baby grin, don't you?

Caleb is 6.5 weeks old!

2010-01-28T21:03:00.003-06:00

Caleb is already 6.5 weeks old! He is a big boy, weighing in at 13 pounds 7 ounces. He is officially wearing 6-9 month clothing too! He is not really chubby, just long like his daddy.

Big Brother Kissing Little Brother

Carole Just Loves Her Baby Brother

The Three Siblings

Handsome Boy

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-24T18:07:00.001-06:00

Baby Boy Has Arrived!!

2009-12-23T19:27:00.006-06:00

Caleb Michael made his appearance on Sunday, December 13th, at 4:25pm. He weighed 8lbs 14oz. and was 21 and 1/4 inches long. He had a rough first week of life being under a bili-blanket for jaundice, but now he is on the road to recovery. He has been putting on a lot of weight and is already well over 9lbs!

Proud siblings and Grandma

Proud Mommy

We have so much to be thankful for. Caleb is here, he is healthy, and now we can just settle in for a relaxing Christmas. We are extremely grateful to my parents who have been here helping us out tremendously since Caleb's arrival. They plan on leaving on the 26th and then Phil's parents will be arriving to take over. :) It has been a challenge adjusting to 3 children's needs especially since Andrew is on Christmas break.

Here is our first family photo together. Merry Christmas everyone!

And yes, I am aware that I need to change my blog title. :)
Maybe someday when life settles down. Ha!

October Update

2009-10-30T13:07:00.004-05:00

Once again it has been a long time since I've updated this blog. I've probably lost all of my readers! :0)

I am now 32 weeks pregnant and very anxious to meet our little boy. I've had some complications and preterm labor is still a possibility. We are praying that he stays in until I am at least 36 weeks.

Here I am with my 32 week load. :O)

These ultrasound pictures are from when I was 31 weeks.
He looks like he is going to be quite the cute little guy!

About 3 weeks ago our pediatrician's office had a fall costume party. The kids sure had a lot of fun. They even got to have their faces painted. As soon as we got home Carole wanted hers immediately washed off. She didn't like the way it felt.

And now for the latest news. We had Andrew's first Parent/ Teacher Conference last night. We are so pleased at how well he is doing. His teacher said he is a very smart boy and has met the kindergarten expectations above and beyond. She said his greatest downfall is staying on task but he is improving. She also mentioned his favorite class is music. He loves to sing! The music teacher is very impressed with him. We are so proud of our special boy!

About a week and a half ago Carole came to me holding her throat saying her mouth really, really hurt. I also noticed she was struggling breath too. I got the flash light and looked into her mouth and was astonished at what I saw! Her tonsils were so swollen they were touching each other! I ended up taking her to the ER that night because we all know that if our kids are going to get really sick they usually tend to wait until the weekend or a late evening. :o) They put her on an antibiotic and said she had acute tonsillitis. Three days later she was not getting any better. Her breathing was getting worse. So I took her back in and they ended up putting her on a steroid to get the swelling to go down. All I have to say is that a 3 year old and steroids are not a good mix. She turned into a wild and crazy girl but the swelling did go down. Our pediatrician then referred us to an Ear Nose Throat Specialist to determine whether or not a tonsillectomy would be needed. He took one look at her throat and said that she would never get rid of the infection in her tonsils. The infection is so deep that no matter how much antibiotic they give her, it will never really go away. So Carole is scheduled to have a tonsillectomy next Tuesday, November 3. We are praying that she stays healthy until then so we don't have to postpone the surgery. We need to get this done and her healed before baby boy decides to make his arrival!

So now you are all caught up with us for now. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers! Life sure has been interesting this year but God has been with us EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!!! He will never leave us or forsake us. Thank you, God!

IT'S A BOY!

2009-08-08T20:30:00.005-05:00

I had my 20 week ultrasound this past Thursday and we found out that we will be having a boy! Here is the proof. This is an ultrasound shot of his legs spread. :)
Note: These are scanned copies of the ultrasound pictures, so I realize the quality is poor.

These are his little feet.

And this is a shot of his head and spine.

These last two are 3-D ultrasound pictures of his face.

We can't wait to meet our newest addition! :)

Fun at the local County Fair

2009-08-01T11:06:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we took the kids to the local county fair. This was their first time to ever go to a county fair. Of course the highlight was the farm animals! :) There were cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, pigs, and sheep. They were surprisingly very understanding when we told them that we didn't have any money to ride on any rides. My outrageous medical bills are starting to trickle in, so we are having to be very careful with our money.

Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying some of the animals.

That little lamb loved Carole. He even gave her a kiss a few times. :)

I think they were most impressed by the very big mama pig. She had her piglets with her too.

A fun time was had by all! Now Carole wants a bunny and Andrew wants a pig.
Sorry kids, I think we will remain pet free. :)

Still Alive

2009-06-30T13:52:00.006-05:00

Wow! A lot has happened since I last posted. I had to go in a few times for IV hydration and the third time I went in I was admitted to the hospital. There I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. After trying many different medications I am now able to actually eat and drink and keep it down. I think I am finally past going in for IV's. I still vomit once a day and feel nauseated 24 hours a day, but at least I don't have to be in the hospital. I am now entering my 15th week of pregnancy and I am officially out of the first trimester.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. Keep them coming. This has been hard on all of us but we know it will be worth it all in the end. Phil has been awesome through all of this. I love him so much! I know this has been taking a toll on him.

While I was very sick, my wonderful mother-in-law drove out here to help us out. When she arrived she entered a VERY messy house. The floors had not be swept or vacuumed for weeks. The kitchen looked like a tornado went through it and there were toys EVERYWHERE! She just rolled up her sleeves and got right to work cooking and cleaning. She was such a lifesaver!!!! Thank you so much, Mama, for everything you did! We love you and really appreciate what you did.

After staying a week and helping out it was apparent that I was not getting any better. She had to get home to her family. She very bravely loaded up both of the kids and took them home with her. My parents live only two hours from my in-laws so they came and got Andrew. It was decided that each child would spend 1.5 weeks with each set of grandparents. It was really good for the kids to have that special one on one time with their grandparents. And it was really good for me to have three weeks of rest. It was during that time I was experimenting with different meds trying to find what would work best. One of the meds I tried made me so tired and I ended up sleeping the days away. So it was good that the kids were getting taken care of elsewhere.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO MY PARENTS AND PHIL'S PARENTS!! We appreciate everything you all have done for us during this time. We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents who dropped a lot to help us. We love you!

Well, now the kids are home and getting back into the swing of things. It has been a huge adjustment for all of us, but with God's help we will make it. We are hopeful that the further along I get the better I will feel. We are certainly praying that way. Only 25 weeks to go. :)

Here are a few fun pictures of the kids. Andrew bought a slip and slide with his money that he earned working at Papa and Nana's house. They got to enjoy it yesterday for the first time.

And here is proof that I am still alive. My little girl still is able to make me smile. She likes taking care of mommy and the baby. :)

The Secret Is Out

2009-05-03T17:13:00.002-05:00

I know some of you are thinking, "Secret? What secret?"
Some of you know this and some of you don't.

*deep breath*

I am 6.5 weeks pregnant. Surprise!!! Back in March God laid it on our hearts to have another child. It was neat to see how God brought both me and Phil to the same page on this issue. We were ready to let go and let God. Since it took us nearly 5 years to conceive Carole, we didn't figure it would be in the too near future. We decided that if God really wanted us to have another He would open up my womb and make it so. Well... He must have really wanted us to have another because it sure didn't take long. :o) Phil and I are shocked and amazed at God's goodness. What a precious gift He has given us again! My due date is Decemeber 24th, so Christmas is going to be extra special and busy this year!

Please be in prayer for me. As with my last pregnancy I am VERY sick. Yesterday I could not keep anything down and was about to go into the hospital for an IV. My new OB, whom I have not even met yet, called in a prescription for me that stopped the continuous vomiting. Therefore I was saved from the hospital trip. I am still very sick. I have already lost 8lbs. So please pray that I will feel better soon. I need to start gaining weight, not losing it.

I do need to say this. I have a WONDERFUL husband. I love you, Phil!! He has been taking such good care of me and the kids. Not only has he had to be Mr. Mom but he has also had to prepare meals. Food and me just don't get along. So please keep him in your prayers as he balances his responsibilities here at home as well as at the church.

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

A New/Old Swingset, Two Injuries, Easter, and More

2009-04-17T09:53:00.012-05:00

Wow! Once again, it has been a long time since I have posted. A lot has happened.

A New/Old Swing Set
One day I noticed the field across the street from our house had an old swing set in it. We inquired of the owners and they let us have it. Now the kids can enjoy playing in their own yard! I guess I don't really have a good picture of the swing set because this is the kid's favorite ride on it. They tend to fight over it even though two can ride it. :)

Two Injuries
Since my last post each child has had an injury. First of all, Carole decided to test to see if the burners on the stove were really hot. Her daddy told her not to touch, but when he turned his back she tested them out. The result... a very burned palm on her hand. I don't think she will ever EVER touch the stove top again. It is interesting how kids always have to learn the hard way.

The second injury was Andrew. It happened last Saturday the day before Easter. We were at the park (which is about a block from our house) and he was climbing and fell off backwards about 5 feet. The result... his teeth went completely through his lower lip. I have never seen so much blood in my life!!! Here he is on Easter Sunday unable to smile at all. You can see the holes in his lower lip. The poor boy was miserable that day, but by Monday he was pretty much back to normal. I am amazed at how quickly kids can bounce back from something like that.

Easter
On Saturday, before Andrew's injury, we dyed eggs. Andrew did the dying and Carole decorated with stickers.

Here are the kids on Easter morning.

Poor Andrew. :(

An Important Decision
It was after supper this past Tuesday night when we were having family devotions, and Andrew asked why we don't let him have communion. Phil had his illustrated Bible out and he was going through it explaining the pictures of Adam and Eve and them sinning and being sent away from the garden. So he explained how sin is in our hearts and because of that God has to send us away. Phil then explained heaven and hell. He told Andrew that because of the bad things we do, God sent His one and only Son to earth to die on the cross for our sins but then was raised from the dead. All he had to do was believe that. This time we could really sense God helping Andrew focus and stay concentrated on what was being said.

Our boy then made up a prayer in his own words: "Jesus I need you to wash all my sins away", and since then he has been telling everyone, "This is my born-again birthday and Jesus washed all my sins away!" And now he is praying for his 3-year old sister to become a Christian too. He has been so different since then too. Very respectful and obedient which was NEVER an easy task for him. Last night he told me that he is being good now because Jesus changed his heart. :)

Baby Bunnies and An Awesome Phone Call
Yesterday it was SO beautiful out. Sunny and about 68 degrees. Perfect weather to be cleaning out the dead growth in the numerous flower beds around the parsonage. While I was raking out one of the several beds, little gray things shot out from underneath my rake. I screamed! At first glance I thought they were mice but after surviving my shock I noticed that I had upset a nest of baby bunnies. The poor things were running around the whole yard. Carole noticed and began to chase them while joyfully squealing "baby bunnies!"

While all this was happening my cell phone rang in my pocket. It was Carole's allergist informing me that her blood tests were back from Mayo Clinic and that they found 0% peanut allergy in her blood. Praise the Lord! He was stumped as well and said he wanted to consult with a few of his colleagues to see what the next plan of action should be. He thought that we should probably have a skin test done next. Then if that comes back negative she will have completely outgrown the peanut allergy!!

When I got off of the phone I quickly told Carole we were going to the park. I wanted to distract her from the poor bunnies. When we arrived home about 45 minutes later, the poor bunnies were still scattered throughout the yard shivering. I had Phil take the kids in the house while I tried to reconstruct their nest. Then I went on a bunny hunt and found 5 little bunnies and placed them back into their nest. I don't know if they will live or not, but at least I tried. I told Phil that I probably should have killed them since they will probably be responsible for eating my garden this summer. But what can I say, I have a soft heart, and they were SO cute!!!!

Funny Stories

2009-03-28T18:50:00.004-05:00

Life with my two kids...

A few days ago Andrew and I had a date. We had not spent any time alone together in a very long time. Here is how I told him...
Me: Andrew, do you want to go to town with mommy?
Him: Nope. I want to stay here and play.
Me: Well, then I guess I will have to eat out by myself.
Him: YES MOMMY! I DO want to go to town.
:)

We had such a good time together. I managed to convince him that we didn't have to eat at McDonalds today. I told him that it wasn't good to eat there too much because their food is not good for our bodies. He chose to go to IHOP. He told the waitress he was on a date with his mommy and that he was having fun. While we were eating he said, "Mommy, I'm glad we are eating here because if we eat at McDonalds too much we could die. I wonder why people like to eat there so much?" LOL!!!

When we left IHOP we happened to drive by the mall. He asked if we could go there so he could play at the play area. I told him we didn't have time to play because we had to get all of our shopping in and get right home because daddy had a meeting at 5 o'clock. He sighed and replied rather sadly, "Okay."

When we were in Target he out of the blue apologized for not getting me flowers for our date. He said, "Mom, I'm sorry I didn't get you any flowers for our date. I'll have to tell dad to get you some next time you go on a date with him. So you'll just have to wait. Sometime you should get a babysitter to stay with me and Carole so Daddy can take you out and buy you flowers."
*sniff* My heart just about melted! What a sweet, tender little guy!

On our way out of town we passed the mall again. He said, "There's the mall. You know what? We didn't go to the mall and play and I still had a lot of fun today. I love you, mom!"
*sniff, sniff* My little boy is growing up!

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This past week Carole learned a new word from Barney. Yes, my daughter absolutely loves that obnoxious overstuffed purple dinosaur. She doesn't get that from me. :) Anyway, the new word she picked up from him was "stupendous." She was so proud of herself. She was running around saying it over and over again in a sweet sing song voice. And then, of course, everything became stupendous... "Mommy, you're stupendous. Daddy's stupendous. Ando, you are stupendous." On and on it went. Later in the day she asked to call her Nana so she could tell her the new word. When Nana answered the phone, Carole blurted out, "Nana, you are STUUUUUUUPENDOUS!" She said it with such great gusto. Of course we all laughed. Once Carole proudly told Nana her new word, she bounded off to play. While I was talking on the phone, I heard Carole scream in terror, "NO ANDO!! YOU'RE STUPENDOUS! GIVE IT BACK!" Andrew had taken a toy from Carole and shoved her and she became very angry. Apparently, Carole does not really know what the word "stupendous" means. To her it was like calling her brother a name. Of course we all laughed and then she got mad. Life with Carole. :)

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Phil left this morning to attend a funeral. While he was gone Carole asked me, "Where's Daddy?" I told her that daddy went to see "so and so" because she was sad. That answer seemed to satisfy her. Andrew suddenly blurted in and said, "No he didn't! He went to a feeder." Phil had a chat with him before he left and told him he had to go to a funeral. Apparently Andrew couldn't remember what it was called and the word "feeder" came out. :)

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Here is a conversation that happened at supper time tonight. The difference between boys and girls is very evident.

(while looking out the sliding glass door in the dining room)

Carole: Look Mommy! It's a squirrel! Awwwww. Look at him. He's cute.

Andrew: Bang! Bang!!!

Carole: NO ANDO!! (yelled very loudly) Don't shoot him!

Andrew: Don't worry Carole. It's just water. It's okay.

Carole: Oh. Okay. But it still scares him.

The Joys of Playing Outside!

2009-03-18T08:38:00.007-05:00

We have recently had a few really nice days. By nice I mean it has been in the 50's and 60's. Although many young people around here think that this is shorts and sandals weather, I beg to differ. But it is a welcome change from our very cold winter. It has been nice to be able to get out and get some fresh air.

Andrew loves riding his bike. Last summer he learned how to do it without training wheels. This year, he is trying tricks. Where did my baby boy go?? In these next two pictures Andrew would ride up the street and then coast downhill yelling, "Look Mom! Look at me! I can do tricks!" LOL! I don't have a good picture of it, but he was also driving one handed and saying, "Mom! Look! I can steer with one hand!" So far there have been no injuries, but we are stocked up on band aids and antibiotic cream. :) He is such a rough and tumble boy! All boy through and through!

Here we have Andrew "trying" to teach Carole how to pedal. I was laughing the whole time. Andrew said, "Mom, I have been teaching and teaching her but she just won't do it!" I quietly replied, "You did the same thing when you were three." He said, "Oh. Well, now I am five and I can pedal and do tricks!"

Carole loves to sit on her bike but so far she just can't get it to go anywhere. She is happy to just sit on it knowing full well that her big brother will soon come along and give her a push.

I just LOVE this next picture. We have a bunch of these dead flowers along the side of our house. Carole thinks they are something special. Everyday she brings me a bouquet of them. It is the thought that counts, right? And who can resist those eyes?? :) I know I can't.

Those of you who know Carole, know that she just does not have a lot of hair for a three year old. Lately, she has been asking for ponies (meaning ponytails). It is so hard to get her thin hair into one ponytail so I started trying pigtails. She loves them! She sits so still (well, mostly) while she waits for the finished product. Yesterday I braided the pigtails. Now she has a new favorite hairstyle. :) She is such a girlie girl.

One night Carole asked for sketty (spaghetti) for supper. I told her she could help me cook. She was thrilled! She ran and retrieved our step stool and set it up right at the counter before I could count to three. Her job was to break all of the noodles into small pieces before we cooked them. My kids have a much easier time eating spaghetti this way. So she set to work breaking each and every piece. I am sure we will be finding bits and pieces of broken spaghetti noodles all over our kitchen for awhile, but is was so worth seeing the joy on her face as she "helped" mommy.

Carole Turned Three!

2009-03-06T22:26:00.006-06:00

Today was Carole's third birthday. I still find it so hard to believe that I actually gave birth to my own child. God gave us such a precious gift! We serve an amazing God!

This morning Phil took Carole with him when he took Andrew to school so I could set up her birthday present. We found a really cute Fisher Price Loving Family doll house on ebay. In the kitchen the refrigerator, stove, and an overhead light actually light up. The phone rings, the doorbell rings, and birds chirp when the patio doors open. Wall lamps light up, the fireplace lights up, and the computer turns on. She received different furniture sets from Papa and Nana and Great Grandpa and Great Grandma. Grandpa and Grandma got her the people which she has so proudly named. There is Daddy, Mommy, Andrew, Carole, and Shayna (her cousin). The grandparents names range from Grandpa and Grandma to Papa and Nana. :)

So while she was gone with Phil I set it all up. She came home quite surprised!

Here she is admiring it all.

After naps we took the kids to the small town park that is about half a block from us. The weather was not as warm as yesterday but it was quite pleasant. The kids had a lot of fun getting some fresh air.

After supper it was cake time! A dear lady in our church volunteered to bake Carole's princess cake. Yes, the princess requested a Princess birthday. We all had to wear our crowns. :)

Mmmmm. Yummy cake!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLE!!! We love you so much!

Twins?

2009-02-21T13:51:00.003-06:00

I survived an 8 hour car trip with an almost 3 year old and a 5 year old. We arrived safely in MI about 6:30pm last night. Our original plans were to leave on Sunday morning. Yesterday morning I checked the weather around 8:00am and saw that is wasn't going to be good to travel through the Chicago area on Saturday or Sunday. By 10:15am we were on the road. I don't think I have ever packed so fast in my life.

The kids did great much to my surprise. We stopped at McDonalds for a quick lunch because I wanted to get back on the road to try to beat the Chicago rush hour traffic. While we were in the restroom in McDonalds a lady noticed my well behaved children. I actually thought I had left my kids behind and ended up with someone elses kids for the trip. She kindly asked if they were twins. *shock* I think I might have looked at her like she had a third eye. I stammered a bit hoping she would realize her mistake, and then I answered no. She quickly apologized and commented on how they look so close in age. I said, "He is 5 and she is almost 3." At this point I could tell the lady was embarrassed so I quickly explained that Andrew is adopted and yes, he is small for his age. I will admit, that is the first time someone has ever asked if my kids were twins. I would think that a dark haired, dark skinned boy and a fair skinned, blond girl could never pass as twins. But then again, what do I know? :)

Princess

2009-02-18T18:48:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to share these pictures of Carole that I took yesterday. She spent some of her Christmas money from her great-grandparents on this beautiful princess dress. I think it makes her look so grown up. She says that this dress is her Sleeping Beauty dress. :)

Entertaining Children

2009-02-17T13:40:00.004-06:00

First of all check out these pictures of Carole. When she came into the kitchen to show me, I just starting laughing and grabbed the camera. LOL! She is sporting big brothers Curious George hat, her new scarf from Nana, and some beautiful pink sandals.

I don't know about you, but I just love the sock and sandals look! :) Just kidding.

Okay, and now for the funny stories.

Story #1
Yesterday Andrew and I went out on a date. We went out to lunch and went shopping. He had some birthday money burning a hole in his pocket. Anyway, while we were shopping I told him we needed to pick up some thank you cards for him to give to people who gave him birthday presents and money. He didn't say much at that time and just went right along with picking some out. On our way home I mentioned that after his nap he needed to help me write his thank you notes. He said, "I don't need to do that, Mom. I will just tell Jesus that I said thank you and then He can tell everyone else what I said." LOL! Out of the mouth of babes.

Story #2
Lately, Carole has been taking forever to eat her meals. I just leave her sit there and she knows she can't get down until her food is gone. Well, last night everyone had finished eating and had left the table. Phil and Andrew went to someone's house and I was in the kitchen cleaning up. Carole was still sitting there playing with her food. While I was rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher I heard her mumbling. I turned the water off and turned around to look at her. Her back was to me, so she could not see me. She was sitting there holding her spoon up to ear like a phone. This is what I heard...

Hello? Ando, are you there?
pause
This is Cawole. How are you?
pause
Are you at the mall?
pause
What are you doing?
pause
You need to come home.
pause
I said you need to come home and take a bath. You stink.
pause
Ando, you better hurry up and come home and take a bath cause you really stink, okay?
pause
Okay. Bye, Ando

I starting laughing so hard!! She turned around and realized that I was laughing at her and she quickly put her spoon down and started eating. I think she was embarrassed. :)

Birthday Boy

2009-02-17T13:00:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures from Andrew's 5th birthday.

We all received Batman tattoos for the day. Andrew was very proud of his.

Here is Carole proudly sporting her Batman tattoo.

We had Andrew's party at the local bowling alley. He had so much fun!

Here he is proudly blowing out his candles with is new friends standing by.

Everyone was so eager to help small Andrew bowl.

Here is Carole wondering around the bowling alley. She came up to me and said, "Mommy, I'm boring." I think she meant to say that she was bored. And I am sure she was.

We really had to keep our eye on Carole. She was fascinated with the computer.

Carole took bowling very seriously. :)

Five Years Ago Today

2009-02-14T09:12:00.011-06:00

In February 2003, God laid it on our hearts to adopt. We began the process and then waited on the Lord.

Five years ago today our lives were changed FOREVER!

On Saturday, February 14th, 2004 late in the afternoon we received a phone call from our social worker. She said that a baby boy had just been born and his parents fell in love with our profile. They really wanted their son to go to us. We were so excited! We also learned we would have to stay in the state of his birth until all the paper work went through, but we were close enough to home so that Phil could still preach on the weekends. We were told that the baby boy was born a few weeks early and weighed only 4 lbs.15oz. He would have to stay in the hospital for awhile until he was able to eat on his own. Our social worker then asked us to come as soon as we could to meet the birth parents and our new son. She made arrangements for us to stay in the Ronald McDonald house which only charged $5 a night. We had nothing for a baby, so before we could go meet our son, we had to do some major shopping. We were so excited as we shopped. We bought a car seat, blankets, clothes, etc. We had so much fun picturing our new son. We could hardly wait to meet him!

February 15th, our social worker called us back and said that there was a chance we may not get him because some legal mess came up. So we waited an excruciating 2 days until our social worker got the legal stuff all figured out.

On Wednesday, February 18th, we met our son for the very first time. The nurses were so kind to us and provided a room for us to stay in with Andrew during the day. Because he still wasn’t eating very well he had to stay in the hospital hooked up to an IV. Believe it or not, but Andrew began to eat a lot better when we became a part of his little world. Before we came, the only attention he got was from the nurses.

A few days after meeting him, Andrew was released from the hospital. Since we couldn’t leave the state, we took him home to the Ronald McDonald house. A few weeks later, after all the paper work was approved, we got to take Andrew home. I finally had a baby! The Lord had answered our prayers! We can't imagine are lives without hims! What a precious bundle straight from the Lord!

Having some fun with Daddy.

Reading with Mommy.

In loving memory of Buster. He was such a good cat for Andrew. He tolerated a lot.

This was a rare moment with young Tigger. He did not like Andrew, but was fascinated with his bath time.

When Andrew was 8 months old we finally got to finalize his adoption in court. The judge didn't stay behind his podium, he came at sat at the table with us. What a special day that was!

Here is our handsome boy today. HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY!!! We love you so much, Andrew!!!!

Checking In

2009-02-09T08:50:00.007-06:00

Hi friends! It's been awhile. Yes, we are still alive. Once Carole got better, Andrew got sick. He didn't get it near as bad as Carole, but he was still pretty sick. Of course I had to get it too, but I cannot complain. It didn't affect me like it did them. So we are pretty much back to normal.

Here is a picture of Andrew when he was sick. He reacts completely different than Carole does. He acts like he is dying and the whole world just might cave in, while his sister keeps on living life to its fullest.
One day while Carole was sick she came into the kitchen looking like this. She wanted to go play outside. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? :) Crazy girl! I guess she was feeling a bit stir crazy.

I did create a few cards over the past week. My Dad's birthday was yesterday. He is Mr. Fix-It type of guy. I found these stickers at Wal-Mart.
Phil came up with some witty sayings for the inside. I thought it turned out cute.

A couple in our church lost their elderly father in a tool shed fire this past week. I had to come up with quick sympathy card when I didn't feel the greatest.

As most of you know, Phil is on our town's Volunteer Fire Department. As a result he has been taking Firefighter classes two nights a week. This past week he had to go in his gear for some hands on training. I can't resist my man in uniform! And in the kitchen, no less! ;) I love you, Phil!

Our Dear Girl

2009-02-01T11:01:00.006-06:00

Our sweet little dolly is still not doing so good. Yesterday she had a few more breathing attacks. When she would have an attack I would run her outside to clear her lungs. The cold air always seemed to do the trick. It got to the point that she would come running to me and say with her hoarse little voice, "Help, mommy, my froat. I need to go outside. Quick!" Bless her heart.

I was about to take to the ER because she just couldn't breathe. As a last resort, I had her take a hot shower. She thought that was pretty fun and ended playing in there for about 15 minutes. Even after that, she still was struggling to get a breath. So then I boiled a pot of water and had her breathe the steam. That seemed to do the trick. Although she is still wheezing, she has not had anymore scary attacks. Now we have moved on to the fun part of the sickness. A terrible head cold. That poor girl has so much fluid coming out of her pretty little face! (Sorry if that is too much information.)

She tries to remain cheerful in spite of it all.

This is our dear little "Snots."

For those of you who are praying, THANK YOU SO MUCH! We've had a scary past few days, but God has been gracious!

Carole is Sick

2009-01-30T14:56:00.003-06:00

My poor little girl woke up sick this morning. She has croup and she sounds awful. At first she was doing okay. When Andrew got home from school, he took a toy from her and she started crying. The crying made the croup worse and then she struggled to breath. She was gasping for air! It scared the daylights out of me. Since she had croup last winter as well, I knew what I had to do. I quickly ran her outside in the 15 degree air. Within 30 seconds her breathing returned back to normal. So now we just need to keep the siblings away from each other so that Carole doesn't cry again. Good luck with that, right?? ;o) LOL!

Here is a video clip of Carole singing "Jesus Loves Me" with her poor, little raspy voice. She remains cheerful in spite of it all.

Pictures

2009-01-30T14:38:00.003-06:00

Lately, it has been next to impossible to get good pictures of our kids. They will not stand still for a second to let me get a good shot. Last night as they were playing in the bath tub, I had an idea. If they are in the tub and not supposed to get out, then maybe, just maybe I could get some good shots.

Wrong.

Carole refused to look at the camera keeping her head as low as possible. Andrew was being a cheese and trying weird poses. Finally after yelling at the top of my lungs, "Just look at the camera and smile nice!!!" they finally cooperated. Well, mostly. I did promise to let them watch a movie before bedtime. Usually bribes work. ;-)

Carole was getting silly towards the end and she stuck her face in the bubbles. She said, "Mommy! Look at my stash. Just like daddy's."

Wild Rose

2009-01-29T15:41:00.004-06:00

Here is today's card. Stampin' Up's Definitely Decorative Wild Rose set is one of my all time favorites!

Stamps: SU Definitely Decorative Wild Rose, My Sentiments Exactly "Birthday Sentiments"
Paper: SU Wild Wasabi, SU Blue Bayou, SU Designers Series Porcelain Prints, and Off White
Accessories: Pop dots, SU Hodge Podge Hardware, SU Scallop Punch, Nestabilities Die Template, Green Ribbon

Andrew's Loud Mouth and Snakes

2009-01-29T11:32:00.005-06:00

Loud Mouth
Last night I was in the kitchen fixing supper and I had a question for Phil. Thinking he was just in the next room, I raised my voice some and asked the question. No answer. I didn't know it, but he was actually in his study. Not wanting to look up from what I was doing I said, "Umm... hello?" No answer. Andrew, who was sitting at the dining room table watching me, shouted at the top of his lungs, "DADDY! MOMMY IS TALKING TO YOU!" I then turned around and realized Phil wasn't even in the room. After hearing Andrew yelling, Phil came to see what I needed. I asked the question, Phil answered, incident over, right?

Wrong.

When Phil left the room again, Andrew spoke up. He said, "Mom, you have a quiet voice and I have a loud one. My mouth is really, REALLY loud. So if you ever need anything you tell me. Everyone can hear my loud mouth. It's really, REALLY loud."

Snakes
A few days ago Andrew was having spaghetti for lunch. Suddenly he thoughtfully looked up and said, "Snakes, when they die, they go to the factory and are turned into noodles."

You Rock My World

2009-01-28T16:44:00.005-06:00

I was very productive today. I wanted to get my husbands Valentine's Day card made and I needed to make a card for a little boy in our church who is turning 7 this weekend. I was able to get both done before the kids woke up! Miracle, huh?

My husband totally rocks my world! He is so special to me! It is so hard to believe we have been married 8.5 years. Where has the time gone? Phil is a huge Elvis fan. One day last fall when I was catching up with my friend's blogs I noticed my friend Sarah (SCS Sairabee) had an awesome Elvis card. I emailed her to see if she could send me some images. She did! She is so awesome! (Check out her blog sometime. She makes really incredible cards!) Well, then we moved and the images were lost in my stamping mess. I was able to locate them and come up with this card today.

Paper: SU Real Red, Black, White
Stamps: Elvis (no clue where it is from), Textured Eighth Note from Hobby Lobby, SU Merry Minis little music notes, Hero Arts Playful Alphabet
Accessories: Music Notes Ribbon from Hobby Lobby

This next card really isn't anything special. I just needed to whip up a quickie.

Paper: SU Wild Wasabi, White, Blue from Hobby Lobby
Stamps: Jeep foam stamp I found on clearance at Ben Franklins a very long time ago, SU Wonderful Words
Accessories: Blue and Green Gingham ribbon from Wal-Mart, Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder

My Hobby

2009-01-27T16:49:00.005-06:00

I hope my readers won't mind, but I think I may begin to make this blog not only my family blog, but my stamping blog too. I love creating cards and I just want to share my creativeness!

I do most of my stamping while the kids are taking their naps. So I only have a few hours to complete a project. Here was today's card.

My fellow stampers, if you don't already have the 3 step Hearts & Roses by Kitchen Sink Stamps, I highly encourage you to get it. It is one of my favorite sets to play with! Here is a link to their gallery for this set. Lots of fun ideas!

In this card...
Stamps: Kitchen Sink 3 Step Hearts & Roses, SU So Many Sayings
Paper: The Paper Studio Rose Garden, SU Garden Green Cardstock, SU Certain Celery Cardstock, White Cardstock
Ink: SU Certain Celery (stamped off), SU Garden Green, SU Mauve Mist, SU Pixie Pink
Accessories: SU Hodge Podge Hardware, Finishing Accents Rhinestones, 3/8" Pink Ribbon

Thanks for looking!

Time Flies When You Have Busy Children

2009-01-27T09:42:00.009-06:00

Can you believe it has been three weeks since my last post?! We are still alive, I promise. The kids are constantly keeping us on our toes.

Andrew is amazing us. As of late he has matured greatly. He is always thinking. Last week he asked if anyone had moved into our old house in SD. I told him no, they were still waiting for God to send a pastor to do what daddy used to do. You could just see his mind working as he tried to process that answer. Later that night at supper he asked if he could pray. His prayer was so precious! He asked God to hurry up and send someone to do daddy's job at his old house and church because they need somebody.

Carole is still Carole. She is FINALLY completely potty trained and for that we are thankful! She is our high maintenance child. If the house all of a sudden gets really quiet, we know Carole is doing something she shouldn't be doing. Just last night I caught her with another crayon! As for where in the world that thing came from, I have no clue. ;) Carole may be our trouble child, but she sure makes my day when she wraps her chubby little arms around my neck and whispers in my ear, "I yuv you so much, Mommy." Then she looks up at me with those big blue eyes and I know I would not EVER trade my trouble child for anything!! She is a gift from God. God is using her life to make me into a better person. Apparently He thinks I still have a long way to go in the area of patience. LOL!

Phil has been busy here. He joined our local volunteer fire department and has begun taking Firefighter 1 classes. He is gone two nights a week for nearly 3.5 hours. So between balancing his church responsibilities, fire training, and his family, he is a very busy man!

As for me, I have finally gotten back into my hobby. I spend most of naptime creating greeting cards with my rubber stamps. Here are some of my latest. (If you click on the picture, you can see them bigger.)
Andrew is into Batman so much lately. He has never seen the movies (except the old 1960 something version). He bought a "Batcave" with his Christmas money. He thinks he is Batman! He says, "I'm Batman!" Carole replies, "I'm kitty princess!" When I was shopping last week I found this mask at Claires in the mall. I had to get it. Now she is a true Kitty Princess!

Cute story... Phil had the kids yesterday as I had a doctor's appointment and a whole day to myself to go shopping! It was a much needed break for me!! Phil took Carole with him to visit a couple in our church. Apparently they had some good toys! Phil then picked up Andrew from school and the 3 of them went to McDonalds. What a fun day for the kids!

Last night we sat down for supper and both kids wanted to pray. Phil ended up going first and then he whispered for Carole to go next. This was her prayer... "Dear Jesus, tank you for today. Tanks for wetting me go to McDonalds today. And fanks for going to the missus house to pay toys. I yuv you. Amen!"

At this point, Andrew was crying because he had to go last. He cried during his whole prayer. So this was his prayer... "Dear Jesus. Thank you for the food. Pease help me to stop crying. Amen."

Here is an extremely rare happening at our house. The kids usually are constantly fighting with each other over EVERYTHING! One day they played nicely together with Andrew's Batcave for almost an hour. I almost fainted! *wink* My babies are growing up.

Our Crazy Girl

2009-01-05T17:49:00.016-06:00

So...
what do you suppose Carole was doing while I was writing that long post about the crayons??

Check out these pictures.

While she was taking her bath I went to get her some clean clothes in her room. I opened her underwear drawer and found none. She owns 10 pair. I then remembered that I had hidden them all somewhere. Why? Well, she is a girl. We all know that some girls like to change their clothes a million times a day. Carole is one of them. She liked her Dora and Princess panties so much that she was starting to pee in them on purpose just so she could put on a different pair. So I hid them in her closet. She stayed dry all day today too. ;o)

While she was in the tub I got into her closet to get into her secret stash of panties. They were gone! I was thoroughly confused. So then I thought maybe I had hidden them somewhere else and just forgot where I put them. I spent next 10 minutes looking in spots where I, personally, would have hidden them. After no such luck, I then knew something was amiss. Carole must have found them. I then began to look in her toy kitchen things.

Do you see them in this picture? No???

How about now?

Yep, all 9 of her panties were stuffed into this anti-bacterial wipe container. ;o) She had raided the recycling pile again.

Aaahhh! Life with Carole. Never a dull moment.

The Colorful World of Crayola Crayons

2009-01-05T14:39:00.004-06:00

Crayons, crayons, crayons.
Crayons over here, crayons over there.
Crayons in the day
Crayons in the night.
Oh, when did crayons become such a fight!
Everywhere I look there is one peaking out
Under the bed and under the couch.
Just when I think the crayons are no more
In comes some more like they are walking through the door.
Crayons, crayons everywhere!

Okay, so I am not a poet. ;o) But seriously, I have had quite a time with those lovely little things called crayons.

A few days ago I gathered all of the kid's clothes to do their laundry. (Can you already tell where this is going?) I have always washed their clothes separate from mine and Phil's because it is easier to sort them that way. Anyway, I washed and dried the first load. As I was taking them out of the dryer to fold I noticed the first item of clothing. It was a pair of Andrew's pants and they had some lovely blue green streaks all over them. I examined them closer only to discover that it was crayon. I turned the pair of pants over to discover more streaks up and down the legs. My mind was going a million miles an hour. Where did the crayon come from? Which kid did it? Will it be on all the clothes? What am I going to do if it is on all the clothes? At this point and time my heart was beginning to hammer in my chest. I slowly reached into the dryer and began to pull out another item of clothing. Yep. Crayoned. And another. Yep, that one too. EVERY SINGLE ITEM OF CLOTHING IN THAT DRYER HAD SEAGREEN CRAYON MELTED ON IT! I was livid.

The kids were in bed for the night, so that was good. ;o) Poor Phil came downstairs looking for me. He found a mad woman flinging toddler clothes all over the laundry room floor. I looked up, saw him and said, "Look at what your monsters did to all of their clothes! Ruined! Millions of dollars worth of kid's clothes!" (Not really, but it sure sounded better to say it that way.) He just stood there stunned for a few minutes. When he "came to" he turned around and went right back upstairs. Good man. He knew there was no point in saying anything. I probably had smoke coming out of my ears.

It took me awhile to calm down. Scrubbing a whole load of clothes with stain out can be VERY therapeutic. Once they were all treated, I threw them in the washer to be washed again and went upstairs to go to bed. Then the thought hit me. GET RID OF ALL THE CRAYONS! So instead of going to bed, I ransacked the house for all of those wonderful colors. I had decided, that if the kids wanted to color they will have to ask first. Then they will be allowed only a few crayons and they will have to stay buckled into their booster seats at the table. Satisfied with my new plan, I went to bed.

The next morning I was pleased to find out that most of the clothes came completely clean. There were a few items of clothing that just wouldn't come clean. I spent the morning calling my mom, my mother in-law, surfing the internet, and asking my SCS friends for ideas. By noon every item of clothing was clean and I am now an expert at crayon stain removal.

But would the crayon madness end there??? Nope! Phil sent Carole to her room that day for a time out because she was being disrespectful. When I went in to get her I had discovered that a crayon magically reappeared. She had colored her door, her walls, her window, her toy kitchen, just about anything that had a smooth surface in her bedroom. It was all the same color, meaning it was just one crayon. Apparently one crayon escaped my grasp. I made her scrub her things clean with Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. She thought it was fun. I thought this incident was isolated and I for sure had all the crayons now.

Boy was I ever wrong. These kids must have had a secret stash of them somewhere! Yesterday morning I went down the basement to get something and I discovered the playroom floor and been scribbled on. I figured it was Carole due to her artwork in her bedroom the day before. I didn't think much of it because I was going to make her clean it up. She likes scrubbing things anyway. Before I came upstairs, Andrew came down looking for me. I asked him if Carole colored the floor. He hung his head and said no. He then looked up at me with his big, sad brown eyes and said, "I did it, Mom." I have to hand it to him. He finally told the truth! I couldn't get mad at him because I knew how hard it must have been for him to admit that he had done it. Normally he pins EVERYTHING on Carole. I calmly told him he had to clean it all up. I brought down a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and told him to get to work. He scrubbed for nearly an hour and was only halfway done. I snuck downstairs to get him for lunch and this is what I heard.

*scrub, scrub, sob*
I can't do this.
*scrub*
I need help.
*scrub, scrub, sob, sob*
Why did I do this?
*scrub, scrub*
What was I thinking?
*scrub, scrub, sob, sob*

I then poked my head around the corner and told him to go get washed for lunch. He came running with tears streaming down his face. "Mommy, I am so sorry for coloring the floor. I forgot crayons go on paper. I'll never do it again." Break my heart!!! I am sure he will never do it again. I think he learned his lesson the hard way.

With only half of the floor scrubbed, Mr. Clean bit the dust. I told him that he would have to wait to finish the rest until we got more Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. I made it clear that his work was not done. So today I made him go with me to town to buy more cleaner pads. We came home and he went right to work. He was in good spirits and his sister even joined in on the fun. After all she loves to scrub! And no, the floor is still not clean. He will be made to work at it a little everyday. ;o)

And what did Mommy learn from all of this??

1. Check the pockets of EVERYONE'S clothes before washing them. Not just Phil's. ;o)
2. I will never have ALL of the crayons in my grasp, but I sure aim to try!
3. Kids sure are a lot of fun when you aren't mad at them. LOL!

The Purpose of This Blog

2009-01-03T17:22:00.002-06:00

I received an interesting email today. This is a quote from it. "Young people have the propensity of 'me, me, me' as evident in your 'blog'." Apparently this person has COMPLETELY missed the point of this blog. My dear friends and family, as you are well aware I started this blog over a year ago for the sole purpose of keeping you up to date with our growing family. We live so far away from our dear families and only get to see them once or twice a year. We hope that can change since we have moved further east. That being said, this blog was my way of allowing our family members to stay connected with us visually with pictures, occasional videos and of course funny stories about the kids. This blog IS about our family and that is what is was created to be. The kid's great grandparents (whom they see once a year) consider themselves blessed to stay connected with their grandkids.

So if you are frequenting this blog in hopes of getting ministry updates, that is not what it was created for. Our ministry updates come in a form of a prayer letter. If you are interested in receiving this letter, please leave a comment.

Thanks for visiting our blog! Our children are VERY special to us and are a COMPLETE GIFT FROM GOD. If you know our story, you know that is true. God has blessed us greatly!!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-30T18:46:00.006-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting our Christmas pictures. This year we stayed home and had a nice quiet Christmas with just the four of us. It was so much fun watching the kids be so excited about everything.

We had a Christmas Eve service at our church and it was lovely. I wish would have taken a picture of Andrew holding the candle during the candlelight service. He was so in awe of everything. Following the service a bunch of us went caroling to a couple in our church family. The wife just had surgery and was very disappointed that her doctor told her to stay home and recuperate. She was shocked and thrilled when 25 people from her church family showed up at her house on Christmas Eve night to sing carols to her. We also brought a birthday cake for Jesus, which we all shared together. It was a special time for everyone there.

This is Carole all dressed up and ready to go to our Christmas Eve service at the church.

And here is Andrew all dressed up and ready to go as well.

The princess had to make a pit stop on her throne before we vacated the castle. Potty training is going so much better! She takes herself to the potty now and has very few accidents.

I captured this moment on camera a few days before Christmas. They both snuggled up together to watch "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Many of you know that we had limited space in our moving truck when we moved here. I had to leave my couch and love seat behind. I had no problem with this because they were very uncomfortable to sit in and were used when we got them. Also, our new living room here is much smaller and they would not have fit. Thanks to my Grandpa and Grandma, I have a new couch! They gave us money for Christmas and we used it to buy our very first BRAND NEW couch. Phil was able to pick it up before Christmas too!

Christmas day was a lot of fun. Andrew got up first. He was more concerned about whether Santa had found the cookies he left out for him than he was about opening presents. He was happy that Santa had indeed found them and even left a note for him. While the kids were waiting for breakfast they got to peek into their stockings. Carole loved getting her new tiara. Andrew got several things he liked, but was concerned because it was not what he had asked Santa for. He said, "Mom, I told Santa that I wanted a batman!" He proceeded to shake everything out of his stocking and said, "It's not here! Santa messed up!" I started laughing. Phil calmly told him not to worry because there were still presents under the tree. Andrew replied, "I know, Dad, but those are from YOU not Santa and I told HIM I wanted a Batman!" LOL!

Santa brought our princess her very first tiara and earring set.

Here is Andrew opening his present from Uncle Chris and Aunt Susanna. It was a Batmobile! It turned out to be his favorite gift of the day!

Andrew enjoying his new batmobile.

Here is Carole opening her favorite present of the day. A new princess quilt for her bed!

As soon as it was opened she dove under! She LOVES her new "pincess" bed.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2008-12-21T16:23:00.006-06:00

It has been awhile since I've posted so on this very cold day I thought it was time to update you on this family of four. We have been experiencing some VERY cold temps here so in return the kids are getting a touch of cabin fever. And you all know that when a kid gets bored they tend to do things they know they shouldn't. Enough said. Pray for us! :o) It was -12 here today with 30-40 below wind chills!

Here are some pictures of them killing the time but not getting into trouble. They sure can be creative.

Carole has been into princesses lately. So in turn, she thinks she is a princess. Daddy and Mommy think so too. Well, most of the time. LOL! Andrew is always running around declaring, "I'm batman!" One day out of the blue Carole replied, "I'm Kitty Princess!"

Here is the princess trying to get her royal dollar store shoes on.

There was one day when the temperature actually made it into the 20's. So we bundled the kids up and let them play in the snow. We got 10 inches one night, so there was plenty to play in.

Here are a couple of box heads. In a moment of boredom, they raided my recycling pile a found a couple of kleenex boxes that made some nice hats. Creative, huh? And yes, those are my slippers Carole is wearing. ;o)

Last week Andrew had his Christmas program at preschool. It was hard to get good pictures as the lighting was not that good. So this picture is a frame I froze from a video clip I took. He was a VERY good shepherd. He had a hard time standing where his teacher wanted him to, but he sang so well!! His voice over powered the other children, not in a bad way, but more so because he actually knew all the words. He was so proud of himself and so were we!

And what does a 4.5 year old do to keep himself busy in church? Put stickers on his eyes! His Nana got him a dinosaur sticker book for his birthday this past year and today he found the eye stickers. And of course, Mommy had her camera with her! ;o)

I Have Been Tagged!

2008-12-10T13:45:00.002-06:00

I have been tagged by my old college friend, Ann-Marie, and I have to follow the rules.
Here they are...

Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their name as well as links to their blog. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I have never been tagged before. After Ann-Marie tagged me, I was tagged on facebook by someone else. All in the same day!

2. Ann-Marie and I met when we were seniors in high school. We were both visiting Moody Bible Institute for the weekend. During our college years I set her up on a blind date. She was a champ to go through with it. She is now married to the guy! ;o)

3. I love living in a really small town.

4. I am in the middle of potty training my 2.5 year old, strong-willed daughter. It is going well except for the fact that she has poop phobia.

5. My favorite saying is "this too shall pass."

6. God is not through with me yet. I still have so much to learn about relying on Him and being patient.

7. I love rubber stamping. My favorite thing to do is to lock myself in my craft room and create greeting cards for others.

I tag:

Mandy S.
Ruthie
Sarah
Mandy C.
Laura
Sabrina
Linda

I Spy With My Little Eye

2008-12-05T18:10:00.002-06:00

While we were eating supper tonight Andrew asked if we could play "I spy with my little eye." I said okay and he began the game.
Andrew: I spy with my wittle eye someting gween!
Phil: Your peas!
Andrew: Ya! Your turn, Daddy!
and the game went on, then suddenly Carole interrupted.
Carole: My turn, my turn!
Me: Okay, let's let Carole have a turn. Go ahead, Carole.
Carole: (beaming ear to ear) I spy with my wittle eye sumting iceceam!
Phil: Is it icecream, Carole?
Carole: Yay! Daddy got it. Your turn, Daddy!

LOL!!!!!!

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-04T22:47:00.003-06:00

Tonight we put up our Christmas tree. I had bought the kids matching pajamas for Christmas a few weeks ago. I thought it would be cute to get some pictures of them decorating the tree together in their new pj's. They sure had a lot of fun. We are having a hard time getting Carole to realize that once you put the ornament on you are to leave it on. I think I may have all of my hair pulled out by Christmas. ;o)

This picture was taken right after they put their new pajamas on. They never hug each other like this!

Here they are digging in the ornament box trying to find just the right one to hang up next.

Carole took this decorating business very seriously. Everything had to be just right. Well, for a few seconds anyway. Then she would take it back off and put it somewhere else.

Andrew had a great time! He took his job very seriously too.

Here they are posing in front of their work with great pride.

Singing, Giggling Andrew

2008-12-03T12:15:00.003-06:00

Andrew will be in a Christmas program at his new preschool on the 17th. For this he has to learn several Christmas songs. One of them is "Away in a Manger." Enjoy!

Carole's Favorite Christmas Carol

2008-12-03T11:35:00.001-06:00

Her is a short video clip of Carole singing her favorite Christmas song. This is her version of the chorus. :)

New Picture

2008-12-01T16:50:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, to my great surprise, I was able to get a good picture of the kids before church. I have always tried to take their picture every Sunday, and lo and behold I finally got a good one. I decided to use it for my Christmas card picture this year. I sent it to my mom and she doctored it up and gave it a nice snowy background. Believe it or not, but the background is a picture she took of their yard last year.
Thanks Mom!! ;o)

Kleenex Disaster

2008-11-19T10:53:00.007-06:00

So I went in to go to the bathroom. I came out and noticed that Carole was unusually quiet. I went to investigate and this is what I found.

I said, "Carole, what are you doing?"
She said, "I have boogers mommy. Baby has boogers too."

She emptied a box of 250 kleenexes!!!

When I'm a Man

2008-11-18T21:20:00.003-06:00

I realize it has been a LONG time since I have updated this blog. In the last entry you may have seen boxes behind Carole. You guessed it. We moved. The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity for us. We found out we were moving to a new field the end of September. On October 28th we arrived at our new home in IA and have been busy settling in and getting to know our new church family.

Since then Andrew thinks he has grown up and become a man. That is his new favorite thing to talk about. It seems like all I hear is ... "Mom, when I grow up and become a man..." Today he was hilarious! Very serious, but hilarious! We were all sitting around the table for lunch and the conversation went something like this...

Andrew: Dad, when I am a man will I still live with you?

Phil: No, you will move out and get your own place.

Andrew: Will someone give me a car?

Phil: No, you will buy your own car with the money you earn from working at your job. You might also be going to college. Maybe you will fall in love with a pretty girl and get married.

At this point in the conversation I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher and I happened to look up and notice Andrew had tears forming in his eyes and his lower lip was quivering.

Andrew quietly answered: I will miss you, daddy.

Me: Andrew you don't have to move out now. You aren't a man yet. You get to live with mommy and daddy for a long time.

Andrew: Okay. Mommy, where do you buy cars at.

Me: At a store that sells them.

Phil: Or you can buy someone's old one that they don't want anymore.

Andrew: Can I buy your green car, Dad?

My handsome little man!

I Yuv You, Barney!

2008-10-07T19:24:00.010-05:00

Today Carole got a new Barney. She has been singing his praises since. Here is a video of her singing to him. Enjoy!

Andrew's injury

2008-09-22T21:26:00.003-05:00

Friday Andrew had his first dental appointment. We found out that he has a cavity. Phil and I are both shocked at this news because he never drinks juice and he doesn't care for sweet things. Wierd. I am 30 yrs old, LOVE sweet things, and still have no cavities. Strange.

Anyway, after his appointment we went to Mitchell to do some shopping. We stopped at our first store and Andrew fell out of the van on his head. We have no clue how it happened and neither of us saw it. He always gets out by himself. When I first saw his head I freaked out. It LITERALLY looked like someone inserted a golf ball in the side of his head. I quickly ran into the store and received an icepack from the first aid kit at the service desk. The poor kid screamed for nearly 20 minutes. For Andrew, that is very rare. I then decided we had better get him to the doctor to check of a concussion. It looked SO BAD! I seriously thought they would admit him and do a CAT scan on him. When we arrived at the doctor's office he was starting to perk up. By the time we saw the doctor, the swelling had gone down considerably. I was so relieved. He checked out fine and the doctored instructed us to wake him up in the middle of the night to make sure he was okay. She wanted us to ask him questions to see if his brain was still working. Andrew is a hard sleeper so this was especially funny. Here is how the conversation went...
Me: Andrew, wake up. Mommy needs to talk to you.
Him: Hmmm.
Me: What is your name?
Him: Andrew
Me: How old are you?
Him: 4 (at this point he was getting annoyed)
Me: Who am I? Who is holding you?
Him: (confused look) Carole?
Me: Open your eyes Andrew. Who is holding you?
Him: Groan. Mommy?
Me: Can I look at your eyes?
Him: No (he wouldn't even crack them a centimeter)
Me: Andrew I need to see if your eyes are sick.
Him: I wanna sleep

LOL! It was easy to tell that he was fine. He was instantly back to sleep when I quit talking and the next morning he remembered nothing.

So he made it through his major head injury. As if the poor kid had not already had enough head trauma, the following day the neighbor kid hit a dirt clod with a bat and hit Andrew right in the forehead. I think he needs a helmet. ;o) Here are some pictures I took of his head Friday night. The swelling had gone down a lot. The golf ball was no longer visible.

Carole LOVES kitties!

2008-09-22T21:13:00.004-05:00

Carole loves kitties a lot. I guess she is a little like her mommy used to be. This picture was a special one for me to be able to capture. Buster is an old kitty who does not normally tolerate Carole's cuddles. My brother gave us Buster when we got married in 2000. He was already 6 years old then. So now he is 14 yrs old. In human years, Buster is 72 years old. I don't think he has very many years left. I will always treasure this picture.

This is Carole dressed and ready to go to church this past Sunday. I found that jumper at a Goodwill in Michigan. It is a size 5. *shock* She really is a big 2 year old. ;o)

Saturday we had a Garage Sale (in our case it was a slab sale). It was very difficult to manage a sale and keep an eye on Carole. She surprised us though. For about an hour in the morning she sat on the couch and colored and watched TV and never moved. That was very rare for her. Lately she is in to coloring every single page of her kitty notebook. She scribbles, turns the page, and scribbles some more. I will buy her 100 more notebooks if that means it will keep her out of trouble! ;o) LOL

Back to Stamping

2008-09-15T18:05:00.005-05:00

When I was in Michigan, my parents took us down to Shipshewana, IN. My Mom wanted to take me to this great stamp store that is there. I purchased some new stamps at an awesome price, and so far I have had lots of fun playing with them. Here are a few cards I made with the new stamps.

I am sure you are wondering how in the world I find time to stamp. ANDREW IS IN SCHOOL AND LITTLE SIS PLAYS SO GOOD BY HERSELF! Yep, mommy hides in the den at her craft desk. ;o) It feels so good to get back at my hobby.

I'm not so sure I like the color combo on this one, but it was sure fun watercoloring the little boy.

For this card, I folded the front flap in half so the boy could be looking back at the tree. This layout was purely experimental, but I like how it turned out.

This one is my favorite. It was hard cutting the pieces to fit just right, but it turned out okay. This was also an experimental layout.

Where's Carole?

2008-09-11T20:52:00.002-05:00

I had to laugh at this sight when I went in to check on Carole one night. It reminded me of the ET movie when ET was hiding in a closet full of stuffed animals. Carole LOVES her stuffed friends. She has to have all of them before she'll go to sleep. Believe it or not, she actually does a little roll call before lights out. She knows when one is missing.

Sunday Morning With Carole

2008-09-07T21:40:00.012-05:00

This morning with Carole was a huge challenge. First of all, it took me 15 minutes just to put a dress on her. She wanted to wear her pajamas all day. Secondly, she has officially entered the "I do it myself" stage (or in her case, the "Cawole do it" stage). My mom just laughs when I tell her of Carole's antics. She said I was the same way at her age and my favorite sentence was... "I do it, I do it myself." ;o) Like mother, like daughter. This morning Carole wanted to put her church shoes on all by herself. She looked at me while grabbing the shoes out of my hands and said, "Cawole do it. It's Cawole's turn, Mommy. Cawole do it." I gave in and let her do it herself. She struggled at first and I reached out to help. She looked at me with evil eyes, began to scoot away, and said, "MOMMY! It's Cawole's turn!" After ten minutes of struggling, she finally was successful! She was very proud of herself until I told her it wasn't time to leave for church yet. That is why she is crying in the last picture of her and that is why she refused to smile when I tried to get her picture with Andrew. *sigh* Life with a two year old is always interesting.

Dear Sweet Carole

2008-09-02T22:01:00.002-05:00

I had to post some pictures of our blue eyed sweetheart (aka monster). You may remember me posting awhile back that Carole was out of the "terrible two's." That was wishful thinking on my part. The tantrums have returned in full force! She is definitely strong willed and Phil and I both agree she is more difficult than Andrew was at this age. But one thing can still be said... she sure is a cutie!

First Day of School

2008-09-02T21:50:00.003-05:00

As promised, here are the pictures of Andrew getting ready for his first day of school. He was none too happy when mommy made him pose for the camera but he gave me smiles anyway.

I walked him out to his bus and noticed he was getting nervous. Last year for 3 year old preschool his teacher and assistant came and picked him up in a passenger van. For 4 year old preschool things changed. So I think when he saw the big yellow school bus and his teacher and assistant were nowhere to be see, he started to get scared. The bus driver's helper had to get out and coax him to get in the bus. I got on with him and saw him get all buckled up. He was brave and smiling big when they drove away. No tears from him, but mommy was fighting tears. ;o) He said there was a boy who cried a lot for his mommy and he had to go home. "But I didn't cry mommy. I didn't really miss you." *sniff, sniff*

Andrew Learns to Ride Bike!

2008-09-02T19:10:00.003-05:00

Today was a big day for Andrew. First of all, he started preschool. I will write more about that later and post some pictures. But the second big thing of his day was that he learned to ride his bike without the training wheels! Our neighbor girl (7 years old) apparently told Andrew that he was ready to take the training wheels off. Well, tonight at supper he asked if his Daddy would take them off after supper. Phil explained to him that it might not be easy and he might fall a lot at first. Andrew didn't care, he wanted to try it anyway. Lo and behold, he took right off riding like he has known how for years! Enjoy this video clip!

Our Blued Eyed Doll

2008-07-07T16:44:00.003-05:00

Carole keeps getting cuter! Check out those baby blues!

Carole has officially gotten over her TERRIBLE TWO's (knock on wood) and we are still alive! She is still 2 years old, but these last few weeks she has been much easier to live with. The tantrums are not as often and they don't last near as long.

Riding Bikes

2008-07-07T16:21:00.007-05:00

My parents just recently came for a visit and they brought Andrew a bike that they had gotten for free. Andrew didn't even know how to pedal last week, and now look at him!!

Here are some pictures of him learning how and then finally getting it.

And of course, Carole got a bike too. She still cannot pedal, but it won't be long!

Bug Bites

2008-06-25T20:04:00.003-05:00

One night after bath time I notice one of Andrew's eyes was a little swollen (nothing like these pictures). I thought nothing of it knowing that he had walked into a door that day. I thought it was just another battle wound. The next morning it was swollen a bit more. As the day progressed his eye nearly swelled shut and it stayed swollen for a few days. It was then that I deduced that it must have been a bug bite. The flies and mosquitoes are HORRIBLE this year. I don't remember them being this bad. This morning I took the kids to the park and ended up leaving because the mosquitoes were eating Carole alive. The poor girl has more red bites on her legs than healthy skin.

I just had to share these pictures of Andrew. He was so proud of his eye wanting to show it off to all. Just like a boy! His eye is now completely back to normal. Now we have new bites, bruises and cuts to show off. ;o)

A wateee, Mommy!

2008-06-20T11:00:00.002-05:00

Carole loves water! She calls it "watee." She would play with the hose all day if I would let her. I hope the water bill isn't crazy high for the church this month! ;O)

Summer Fun

2008-06-20T10:55:00.004-05:00

Okay, here are the sprinkler pictures I promised. Oh to be a kid again thinking that a sprinkler is the greatest thing in the world! ;o)

Last Week

2008-06-18T22:03:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from last week. Andrew and Carole got to ride on some rides at the annual Fish Days in Lake Andes.

Phil's parents came out for a visit and while they were here they allowed us to have our very first over night date since the children entered our lives. We went to Sioux Falls and did some shopping, saw the "Sioux Falls," and (of course)saw the new Indiana Jones movie. That day it was extremely windy out (40-50 mph gusts) so that is why we look "interesting."

I know I am no good at keeping this blog updated (read: it is going to be a fast and crazy summer here), but hang tight. I hope to get some more pictures uploaded in the next few days. Also, we got a new laptop and new photo editing software, so it is taking me awhile to figure out the ropes.

Bad Hair Day

2008-05-13T21:41:00.002-05:00

I just had to share this picture with you all. I went to get Carole up from her afternoon nap today and this is what I found. LOL!! We didn't know she had that much hair on top!

Rubber Stamping

2008-05-13T13:55:00.007-05:00

For those of you who don't know, when I have free time (which is not too often anymore), I love to make cards using rubber stamps. I was recently invited to join a kid card swap on www.splitcoaststampers.com (the website I frequent for card ideas using Stampin' Up! stamps). These are the two cards I contributed to the swap...

Thanks for looking! Ha! I just realized that I didn't even use any Stampin' Up! stamps on these cards!

What Kids Say

2008-05-13T08:33:00.002-05:00

Did you know that Rice Krispies are Roast Beefies? At least that is what Andrew thinks. Carole calls all cereal "chips." "Momma, I wan chipths." And yes, everything with an "s" sound gets a "th" pronunciation from Carole.

Mother's Day from Andrew

2008-05-09T08:55:00.001-05:00

I want to share this with you all. Andrew brought this home from preschool yesterday for me for mother's day. It is so funny! I think the teacher talked him through it and wrote in the blanks. The blue are his answers

MY MOM
She is as beautiful as a rainbow or rock.
She weighs 5 pounds and is very hungry.
Her favorite food is chocolates.
Her favorites T.V. show is a commercial.
She is 10 years old.
In the good old days, when my mom was little she used to play with her toys.
I think my mom is funny when she stretches.
My mom makes me happy when she tickles me.
I wish my mom would pick flowers with me everyday.
I wouldn't trade my mothers for butter, birds, worms.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
Love, Andrew (he signed his own name)

Here is a scanned copy of what he brought home.

Pictures

2008-05-08T22:37:00.003-05:00

The kids got there pictures done last month and we finally got to pick them up!

Here is our handsome boy full of "attitude".

I just LOVE this picture of them together! I thought it turned out so well. I can never get the two to them to sit still and smile at the same time.

Our little sweetie!

They both had to have sunglasses. Just so you all know, Carole picked her own out. She is very proud of her flowers.

We bought a swing this week and hung it on our clothes line pole. The kids love it! Now they fight over who gets a turn. ;-)

Crazy Weather

2008-04-30T15:28:00.006-05:00

It has finally been nice out and the kids have been having a great time playing outside!

Until last Friday, April 25th.

We got hit with a blizzard! We ended up with 8 inches that day. It was impossible to drive anywhere. I know, because I tried. I could not even tell where the road was. Phil drove to the post office (two blocks from home) and went in the ditch because he could not see the road or his surroundings. It was strange because only two days before, my children were outside in their summer clothes and sandals. CRAZY! The next day it all melted. Today it is 72 degrees and bright and sunny. Guess what is in our forecast for this Friday. SNOW AGAIN! Lets hope it isn't as bad as last week. OH SPRING, WHERE ARE YOU?? I think the saying goes... "April showers bring May flowers." I didn't think it meant SNOW showers. :-)

It's Been a Long Time! continued...

2008-04-05T14:55:00.006-05:00

Before I continue on, I just wanted to share some cute pictures of the kids. They have changed a lot since last November. ;-)

Carole and Andrew dressed for church on Sunday.

Our sweet Carole.

Our handsome dude!

March... Carole turned 2 on the 6th. She is most definitely in her terrible two's. She really keeps us busy. She is all girl, attitude and all. She is really into pink things and kitties.

Carole admiring her pink kitty cake.

Opening her new baby from Papa and Nana.

Andrew picked out this fairy costume for Carole for her birthday. She thought she was so "beautiful" and big brother was pleased that she liked what he got her.

Along with Carole turning two came the annual allergy testing. For those of you who don't know, Carole was diagnosed with a peanut allergy when she turned one. We took her back to be retested in hopes that she had grown out of it. Sadly, she hadn't. She still had a reaction and we also found out that the reason her cheeks are always rosy red is because we are not a peanut free house. Even though we are not feeding her peanuts or things made with peanuts she was still have reactions. We had no clue it was her allergy. She always get red, dry cheeks in the winter, especially when she is cutting teeth. So the allergist put her on an antibiotic to get rid of the infection and we got rid of our peanut items and lo and behold, her face has healed.

While we were in the big town for Carole's appointment we got to see the easter bunny at the mall. Carole was obsessed with it and followed it around.

Carole and her baby all dressed up. I found that cute dress for her at Shopko and it came with a matching one for a doll. She loves it!

Here is a typical scene in our house lately. Super A chasing little sis around. :-)

Here is another typical scene. Andrew and Carole love watching TV together.

Well, that pretty much updates you up till now. There is so much more I could write about (Andrew's imaginary new imaginary friends, Carole's fear of bodily excretions...) but naptime is almost over and then my zoo will come back to life. Thanks for being patient with me and this boring blog!

It's Been a Long Time!

2008-04-05T14:31:00.005-05:00

I decided today is the day to FINALLY update our blog. A lot has happened since I posted last November. Hmmm... let's see. December... Phil and I decided to take a quick trip to IN and MI to see family for Christmas. It was a special time. We didn't tell the kids where we were going. After sitting in the van for nearly 13 hours little ones begin to question. Carole had no clue what was going on but Andrew wondered where we were going. We just said we were going on a trip. When we pulled into Grandpa and Grandma's driveway he was thoroughly surprised!

Carole and Andrew with cousin Elijah. Carole did not want to sit for the picture.

Carole checking out the items in her stocking with Uncle Michael.

Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Dave, and Great Grandpa watching a movie with Carole and Andrew.

January... The kids were sick for most of the month with walking pneumonia, RSV, and various other viruses. We even had to cancel Andrew's outpatient surgery because he was so sick.

February... Andrew had his surgery finally done on the 12th. The urologist found that Andrew has a bladder disease called Interstitial Cystitis and will have to be on a medication for that. He is doing so much better now and is able to stay dry and he has more control over his bladder. On the 14th Andrew turned 4 years old. Where did my little 4lb baby go? :-( He is growing up so fast.

Andrew with his volcano birthday cake with dinosaurs around it.

Andrew had his best friend, Chris, over for his birthday. They got to build a snowman with Daddy.

Kid's Say the Funniest Things

2007-11-26T17:47:00.000-06:00

Story #1
A few nights ago I noticed Andrew's cheeks looked a little chapped. I rubbed lotion into his face and explained to him that when it gets cold out our skin gets dry and needs a drink of lotion. He held perfectly still while I applied it and then took off to play. A few minutes later he came back with a pouty look on his face. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "Mommy, my cheeks are all poky now." LOL! His poor little cheeks were so chapped that the lotion had a stinging effect on them.

Story #2
One evening we all were playing together on the floor. We were playing tag, reading books, playing hide-and-go-seek, etc. The kids were having a great time. Andrew all of a sudden burst out saying, "We have the bestest famiwee!" :-)

Story #3
Tonight we made a supreme pizza for supper. Andrew loves pizza, but like any kid, has a hard time eating the green peppers, onions, and black olives. He had them all picked off and in a pile on his plate. He said, "Mommy, I can't eat these yucky things." Of course he gave me the big brown eye look with the poochy lip out. I said, "I am sorry, but you have to try to eat them. They will make you grow big and strong just like Daddy." As we all know, Andrew is a very small boy for his age. I went on eating my supper and didn't pay any attention to him. Next thing I know he says, "Mommy, look! I finished my veggies! Surprise!" Then his facial expressions changed quite drastically and he quietly put his head down and said, "But I am still wittle." LOL!!! Phil and I laughed so hard! I guess mommy needs to be more careful what she says from now on.

Halloween Pictures and More

2007-11-01T16:11:00.001-05:00

Here are my two green monsters dressed and ready for Trick-or-Treating. Carole is an alligator and Andrew is a dragon.

Phil said he was a Transformer. He called himself Optimus Slide. :-) The only problem was that he was too "big" to leave the house!

These last two pictures have a story behind them. This morning, while Andrew was at school, I asked Carole if she wanted to go outside. She ran to the kitchen gate and sat down to wait for me to put her shoes and coat on. After that I opened the gate said, "Let's go outside, Carole!" She said, "No." She then came back to the kitchen clutching the things in the first picture: her blanket, stuffed pink monkey, and the Blues Clues toy. Those three things are her most favorite things in her life right now. I told her we could not take all of that outside. After all, we were just going to walk to the post office. She ran out of the kitchen and cam back carrying her purse. Just like a girl, right? She hung onto that thing almost all the way there. :-)

More Pictures from our trip: Part 3

2007-11-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

Carole cooking at Nana's play kitchen

Carole with Auntie San

Andrew reading books with Papa before bedtime

I had the privilege of meeting up with my old college roommate. I hadn't seen her in years! This is Penni and her daughter, Tali. I love ya, Pen! It was SO good to see you!

More Pictures from our trip: Part 2

2007-11-01T15:20:00.001-05:00

Andrew flying the rocket with Curious George at the Children's Museum in Chicago, IL.

Carole enjoyed the slide on the back of the rocket.

Carole and Curious George

Andrew and Curious George

Papa and Nana showing Andrew and Carole how to cook safely.

More Pictures from our trip: Part 1

2007-11-01T15:10:00.001-05:00

Flying Parachutes with Grandpa while Mommy and Grandma went shopping!

Grandpa tried to get Carole to fly one but she almost blew away! :-)

Andrew having supper with Uncle Michael.

Here Carole is having some snuggle time with Grandma. Actually, feeding her is the only way you get to hold her!

We are still here!

2007-11-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

It has been so long since I've last posted. We went on a two week vacation to visit family and friends in the beginning of October. It was unseasonably warm for an October trip. The day after we got back we all got sick with colds. Carole had it the worst and is still fighting it.
Here are a few pictures of our trip to see family.

Here is Carole having fun sliding!

Andrew loved the train at the Henry Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, MI.

Andrew and his cousin, Elijah, sporting there new matching shirts that say "Trouble is my middle name."

Uncle Tom and Daddy helping Andrew and cousin Elijah feed the ducks. Carole is not pictured here because one of the ducks mistook her foot for a piece of bread. She was with Mommy.

Andrew and Carole enjoying a boat ride at Great-Grandpa's house. I won't tell you why we were stranded in the middle of the lake for awhile either. :-)

Carole's Room

2007-09-25T15:06:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally got around to making Carole's room more than just the guest room with a crib in it. I just recently bought a "girlie" bed set and thought it was high time to do some painting in her room. This is the before picture. I should add that the curtains have not been made, I just hung the material up.

This is a picture of what it looked like after I painted and stamped the "Big Blossom" from Stampin Up. I thought the flower matched her bed set quite well.

Here is what it looked like after I added some paisley's on the wall, just like on her bed set.

Here is a close up of the pattern I stamped on the wall.

This picture was taken the night I finished stamping just the flowers. Carole like seeing flowers on her wall. She wanted to reach up and touch them.

What's New With Us?

2007-09-25T11:29:00.001-05:00

I know it has been awhile since I have posted. Life can be very interesting and crazy taking care of a three year old and a one year old. Some days are more stressful than others, but I wouldn't give this job up for anything!

Carole is now about the same size as Andrew. At her 18 month check-up she weighed 25lbs 5oz. Andrew weighs 29lbs at 3.5 years old, and he is only a few inches taller than her. We now get a lot of bro/sis fights and tattling. "Mom, look at what Carole just did. Mom, Carole is hitting me!" Mmm...I wonder why Carole is hitting you? As much as they don't get along, they are inseparable. Here we have Carole crying because she knows Andrew is about to leave for preschool.

I dug out Andrew's costumes from last year and the year before. They sure looked so cute running around.

Carole has learned to climb on the table much to our dismay. Nothing keeps her off now. She does get in trouble for doing it, but seems to forget why she got in trouble a few minutes later. Here you can tell by the startled look on her face, that she got caught.

Since I have last posted, Carole has begun to show interest in the potty. Right now it is more me training myself to get her to the potty, but once she is there she knows exactly what she is supposed to do. Pretty smart for an 18 month old.

Andrew is such a boy and is becoming a clown, so to speak. He always knows just what to do to make us laugh.

New Pictures

2007-09-08T08:58:00.000-05:00

One day I walked into the living room to find my kids each in their own cubby in the entertainment center. I couldn't resist taking a picture. :-)

Andrew started Preschool

2007-09-08T08:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it happened. My baby boy started preschool. His first day was last Thursday. While I was getting him ready to go he chattered non stop. "Mom, the school has a park. Maybe my get to play there. Don't worry, mom, if I get hurt the school has bandaids. They take care of me." Then he turned to Carole and said, "Bye Carole. My have to go to school now. My a big boy now. You have to be a big boy before you can go to school. Don't worry I will come home soon."

The school van picked him up around 8:30am and he was dropped off around noon. He said he had a good time. These are some of the things he told me when he got home. "There was a girl there that was crying. She was crying because she wanted her grandma. I wanted my grandma too but I didn't cry. My a big boy now. My went potty in the toilet not in my pants. We had crackers and milk for my snack." When I asked him if he was good he said, "Well, when we were all done some of us was running around. The whistle got louder and louder. But don't worry, mom, I only got in trouble one time." Later I found out that he and his friend, Chris from church, got in trouble for throwing dinosaurs. Funny he didn't mention that. :-)

Here are a few pictures I took before he left that morning.

Two New Pictures

2007-08-20T14:41:00.001-05:00

This picture was taken on Sunday morning. Carole packed one of her board books in her purse and ran to the gate and said, "Go. Go 'side." Translation... Go outside. :-)

Andrew was laying on the couch watching TV with his hand on his cheek. I thought he looked so cute I went and got the camera. He turned and looked and gave me this cute expression.

Bathtime dessert

2007-08-20T14:14:00.000-05:00

I just had to share this video. Strangely enough, our daughter loves to eat the bath soap. Whenever we are washing her or Andrew, she is constantly trying to lick whatever soap she can. In this video clip she is "licking" Andrew just like one would an ice cream cone. :-) Sadly, Andrew did not like being Carole's dessert.

2007-08-20T14:13:00.000-05:00

First of all, I am going to start off by saying that our living room lamps are in BAD shape. Mmmm... I wonder how they got that way? The shade on one of them is barely hanging on and falls off a lot. Well, today Andrew bumped the end table as he rumbled by and the shade fell clean off. Carole immediately erupted into tears. She came running up to me in a tearful voice saying, "Ma ma, uh-oh, uh-oh." She took my hand with one hand and pointed to the broken lamp with her other hand as she led me over to the scene of the crime. She did not stop crying until the lamp was fixed. I just thought it was so cute how she was very concerned about the lamp being broken. Maybe she thought she would get in trouble for it. :-)

Today I took the kids to the grocery store by myself. That was an interesting trip. I can say it was the first time Carole went to the store without screaming and embarrassing me. I had Carole in the baby carrier on my front and Andrew in the cart. All in all, it went pretty well. Maybe that is because I brought a container of goldfish crackers. So it wasn't so bad until we got to the checkout counter. Andrew was holding onto food and not letting the cashier take it. While I was trying to deal with him Carole was pulling everything out of my purse that was sitting on the counter. One thing is for sure, the cashier and the bagger got their laughs for the day. The cashier said, "Don't you normally come with just one of them or by yourself?" YEP! :-)

Random Pictures

2007-08-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken on Sunday. Carole got a new dress from Papa and Nana in the mail. It is one of her longest dresses. I think she must have felt like a "lady" wearing it because that morning she pranced around with a purse on each arm and her phone on her shoulder. Sadly, I was not able to get a picture of that. As soon as she sees me get the camera, she drops what she is doing and does something silly.

This picture I just took today shortly after I laid her down for her nap. She was so tired, she went right to sleep. That is rare for her. Usually she she likes to play in her bed for awhile before giving in to sleep.

I took this picture right after lunch when Andrew was doing his "business." I walked into the bathroom and found him in this pose. :-)

Oscar the Grouch

2007-08-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

On Monday night we were playing "hide and go seek." Monday night is also the night we collect our household garbage. Thankfully I had just finished emptying the diaper pail and spraying it with Lysol. When we went to look for Andrew this is where we found him! :-) At first he thought it was funny until he realized he was stuck in there. Don't worry, we got him out!

Recent Pictures

2007-08-11T14:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I walked in the room to find that Andrew had dressed Carole up. He was so proud of himself. He said, "Look Mom! Carole is a conductor now!"

The kids love playing in the tub. One night I was taking pictures of them hugging each other and this is the face Carole gave me!

Carole loves putting things on her head. I tied this hankerchief around her head and she proudly paraded through the house.

This is a classic Carole expression. I would have to say that Carole probably smiles at least 75% of her day.

Andrew's hair was getting so long that Phil decided to slick it back to see what it would look like. Andrew told me, "Mom, my no like my hair like this." It didn't stop him from making a funny face for the camera! :-)

Our Dancing Kids

2007-08-08T15:21:00.000-05:00

Last night I put in a Salvador CD and Phil and I sat back and watched our kids "cut a rug." It was hilarious. This is just one of the 7 clips I videoed last night. Enjoy!

Crazy Andrew

2007-07-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

Andrew is our wild and crazy boy! As you can see from the picture, he is CRAZY! I asked him to smile for the camera and this is what I got. :-)

While Carole uses her blue eyes to her advantage, Andrew has figured out how to use those big brown puppy dog eyes! In this picture he has climbed up on the small shelf in our entertainment center. He looked so cute I just had to take a picture!

When one is wild and crazy, battle wounds are bound to happen. Here we have a picture of Andrew's mouth wound he received while playing rough with his 3 year old friend yesterday. We have no idea how this kind of injury happened, we just know the boys were just playing like boys!! :-)

Andrew is such a special boy! We want all of our readers to know that even though he is not our flesh and blood, HE IS OUR SON! We often have a hard time remembering that he was adopted. We have been through so much with this precious child that it seems like he was ours from the very beginning. We would not trade Andrew for ANYTHING! Both of our children are very precious to us in their own special way. I just wanted to clear the air on this subject because we have had friends ask us.

Our Sweet Carole

2007-07-26T14:55:00.001-05:00

Don't these blue eyes just melt you? They get me every time! We are still in shock (at least I am) that God allowed me to conceive and give birth to this precious angel. The picture makes her look precious, but she is a very strong willed child. She has already figured out how to use those blue eyes to her advantage.

One day I walked into the room and discovered Carole sitting in her doll stroller reading a book. It is a wonder it withstood her weight!

Carole is also Daddy's little girl. She loves being with her Daddy!

But Why?

2007-07-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned earlier, Andrew is going through the "why" stage. Everything is "why?" all of the time. This morning we were invited to go play at a friend's house. I was trying to get the kids into the minivan when Andrew started in. "Why are we going to Ciara's house? Why are we getting in the van? Why, why, why?" On and on he went. Finally I just said, "Because I said so!!!" In our five minute drive to her house Andrew was chatting away nonchalantly. I don't even remember for sure what he was saying, but I asked him, "Why?" He answered my question calmly but I just kept repeating, "Why?" I did this in my best high pitched toddler whine just like he does. He finally answered in great frustration, "Because I said, Mom!" I just busted up laughing! I told him now he knows how I feel when he repetitively says "why" to me. He said, "Okay Mom, sorry." We will see how long his understanding lasts! :-)

Silly Andrew

2007-07-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

There is never a dull moment around our house with Andrew in it! He says and does some of the funniest things. Today Phil took the kids swimming. It was nearing supper time so Phil brought them in the house to dry off and get dressed. Andrew ran in his room to get dressed all by himself. He is so proud when he is able to dress himself with no help from us. When he was dressed he came running out to the kitchen to see what he was having for supper. I noticed that his shirt was on backwards and said something to him. He said, "Oh well." I looked a little closer and noticed that his shorts were also on backwards. I said, "Wow Andrew, both your shirt and shorts are on backwards! Now we just need to turn your head around to match your clothes." He looked at me kind of funny and next thing I knew he was turning his head back and forth trying to get it to turn around! He did this for a good 20 seconds while I stifled a giggle behind my hand. Finally he said in frustration, "I can't Mommy, it won't turn!" :-) I love that boy so much!!!!

A Crazy Sunday

2007-07-22T18:50:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days where I wished I didn't have kids. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids A LOT! I just wanted to sit in church in peace. Let me explain...

First off for my morning, Carole woke up extremely crabby. She got a good nights sleep so I deduced it must be her molars that are trying to come in. Over the last few days I have been trying to switch her from the bottle to a cup. Yesterday she did great and today...well lets just say I wish I had earplugs in. She screamed and screamed her high pitched girlie scream. At this point I had no patience, so I just gave her the bottle. I figured it was her teeth and reached into the cupboard for the Tylenol so she would be good during church. By accident I gave her Benadryl which is also red like the Tylenol. Unfortunately the dose for Tylenol is more than a dose of Benadryl. I quick called a friend in our church who is a nurse and quickly explained my dilemma. She said Carole would be fine even though it was more than a normal dose. She said she may be sleepy. Not Carole!!! Her crabbiness just got worse.

When it was time to leave for church Andrew had a melt down because he wanted to wear his Thomas sandals that are too small for him. When he got over that tantrum we headed to church. Church was a disaster, for me anyway. Andrew would not sit still or be quiet. When Phil was doing the announcements he asked if anyone had anything else to add. Andrew stood up and loudly shouted, "My do!" Phil laughed and asked what he had to share. Andrew said, "I's just kidding, Dad." I was embarrassed. I felt like a terrible mother who could not control her kids at all. During all of this Carole was throwing a fit because her milk was in a sippy cup instead of her bottle. Aren't I such a bad mommy?! I took Andrew to the nursery and asked a friend to keep an eye on him while Carole and I ran home to get her bottle. Keep in mind it was 100 degrees here today!! At this point I just wanted to stay home but I had left Andrew in the nursery. We ran back to church with a BOTTLE and Carole finally ate. We made it through the rest of church, barely. She was so terrible whiny I fed her lunch as soon as we got home and put her to bed. She slept 3 hours. I guess the Benadryl finally kicked in.

Someday I will look back on all of this and laugh, but today I just wanted to scream. I had to keep saying to myself, "THIS TOO SHALL PASS!" Sooner than later would be nice! :-)

Summer pictures

2007-07-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the kids this summer!

It's been a long time!

2007-07-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought I better update this site some. It truly has been a long time. As you can see from the picture we all have changed.

Andrew is a very chatty, rambunctious 3 year old now. Many of you remember his eating troubles he has had since birth. We discovered in February that the main cause of all of his issues were enlarged tonsils and adenoids. He had surgery to remove them on May 30. The recovery was a long hard process for all of us. Two weeks after surgery life slowly came back to normal. He now is able to eat just about anything without gagging, choking, and throwing up. We are so thankful for the changes we are seeing in him. Since the surgery, his talking has improved greatly as well. He no longer needs speech language therapy. Now we can't get him to STOP talking! :-) His also loves his little sister dearly. Those two are inseparable.

Carole is now a very busy 16 month old. She is into everything! She loves to climb and do whatever her big brother is doing. He favorite word is "happy." She loves to sing it and clap her hands repetitively. Just last month we were finally able to take her off of her acid reflux medicine. We go days and weeks without throwing up now. We are now in the process of trying to get her switched to dairy products. She has been drinking goats milk since she was 4 months old. Back in April we had a bunch of allergy tests done on her to find out what exactly she is allergic to. Come to find out, the only allergy she has is peanuts. That is such a hard allergy to deal with. You would not believe how many foods have traces of peanuts, peanut oil, or peanut flour in them. Even animal crackers do. So now we carry and epipen around with us wherever we go. Better to be safe than sorry.

Pictures

2006-09-16T17:21:00.000-05:00

I still don't have much time to write, but thought I would put a few new pictures on for you all to see!

This picture was taken after baths one night. Carole just loves bathtime with her daddy!

Here we have Andrew sitting with his Speech Language Pathologist who works with him once a week. He always looks forward to her coming.

This last picture is of Carole SITTING UP playing with her toys. She still tips occasionally (hence the boppy pillow around her) but she is getting better!

New pictures

2006-09-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I don't have much time to write, but I thought I would share these pictures! Enjoy!

Fun Pictures

2006-09-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

One day Carole lay on the floor fascinated by the big Tigger stuffed animal. She rolled around and played with him for a good half hour!

I thought this picture turned out so cute of Andrew and Carole laying next to each other after their bath one night.

Andrew Riding Rides

2006-09-08T14:28:00.000-05:00

On Labor Day weekend, we took Andrew to the local festivities. It was the first time in his life that he got to ride carnival rides. He thought it was pretty cool! His favorite was when he got to be the engineer of the train. Everytime a ride would end he would shot "Agin!" Translation: Again!

While big brother rode rides Carole watched safely from her stroller. She loved being out and about! I forgot to take a picture of her that day! :)

Carole and her Daddy

2006-09-08T14:24:00.000-05:00

Carole loves to spend time with her Daddy. When she sees him enter the room, her face just lights up with smiles! He always brings a smile to her face. She especially likes it when he hums "Pop goes the Weasel" to her. That always makes her stop crying!

Potty Training Story

2006-09-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

We have been trying to potty train Andrew for a little over a month now. He was doing pretty good getting the number 2's in the potty. About a week ago he started to regress. He would do it in his pants everyday at nap time. He knew he wasn't supposed to because he says that poo goes in the potty not his pants.

Well, one day after a meal Phil asked Andrew if he had to go. He said no. Phil told him to tell us if he had to go. He said, "Kay, Dad!" He then ran off to play with Carole in the kitchen. He pushed her around in her walker and played with her for a good 2o minutes. All of a sudden he came running out of the kitchen and ran towards the bathroom. While he was running he was yelling, "Da, Da, butt ow now!!!" Sure enough, he had to go! Phil and I were so shocked that he actually told us he had to go!

More pictures

2006-09-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

I love Carole's bright eyes and just had to share this picture! Can you notice that her cheeks are starting to fill out? For those of you who don't know, Carole had not gained any weight for over a month. We are now adding a fortifier to her milk and she is starting to gain!

This picture is a pretty typical scene in our house. Andrew loves to play next to Carole. In this picture I think he is trying to "read" to her. I don't think she was listening! :)

On the go!

2006-09-03T11:41:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Carole. She now gets to where she wants to go by rolling. She started out near the living room and ended up under the dining room table. She loves to be mobile. She also gets very mad when she tries to crawl and is not successful. Rolling around keeps her mobile but she cannot control her rolls to get to her desired destination.

Fun Pictures

2006-09-02T18:25:00.000-05:00

Here is the King and Queen on their thrones!

Carole posing on her throne.

Here is Carole doing her favorite thing, eating! She sees anyone holding a bowl and she goes nuts. I don't think she will ever starve! We like to call her Miss Piggy.

Here is Andrew and Phil on a rainy day. We finally got some rain. Andrew has rarely seen rain in his short life. He thought it was pretty cool to go stand in it.

Tuesday and Wednesday's Happenings

2006-08-30T20:05:00.000-05:00

Tuesday...

I can't really remember what we did yesterday. I do know that Mandy watched Andrew while I made a quick trip to the WIC office to pick up Carole's milk fortifier. We let the kids play a bit while Mandy and I stamped some cards. Then it was naptime. After Mandy left I did some cleaning around the kitchen. Phil was at the church all day writing his sermon. We went fo ra wagon ride last night just before dark. Andrew kept Carole happy as you can see from the picture. Well, maybe not from the picture... Andrew does not like to have his picture taken! That is about all I can remember about Tuesday. I don't even remember any funny stories. Sorry.

Today, Wednesday...

Phil worked at the church in the morning and the kids and I visited Laura Nelson and her kids. Andrew and Christopher are finally playing good together and Andrew did not want to come home. The picture is of Ciara (4 years old) holding Carole. Doesn't it look like Carole is getting chubbier?

Around noon Phil came home for lunch and stayed home the rest of the day. When I got both of the kids down for naps, I went over to Mandy's to help her pack up some of their stuff as they will be moving in 3 weeks. I told Phil to call me if Carole woke up before 3:30pm. He called after Carole had been asleep for 45 minutes. The poor guy, he said she wouldn't burp for him (that is why she usually wakes up early) and she wouldn't take her pacifier and go back to sleep. So I quickly came home to my crying baby. I picked her up, she burped a loud thunderous burp, and she went right back to sleep. Poor Phil. I know he tried, but sometimes Carole can be a stinker. I then went back to Mandy's for another hour. We got a lot packed. We packed a lot of dishes and stuff that she won't need for the next 3 weeks.

Phil is now at the prayer meeting and I am home with the kids. Andrew is entertaining Carole. She was getting crabby in her exersaucer while Andrew was sitting on the potty after supper. Once he had done his business and came out to play, she has been as happy as a lark!

Monday's Happenings

2006-08-30T19:51:00.000-05:00

Sorry it took me so long to write!

Well, for those of you who don't know, Carole had her doctor's appointment on Monday. We found out that she has finally gained weight! She gained a whole pound and she now weighs 14lbs. 1oz. Phil and I thought she was feeling heavier. Her legs even look chunkier to me.

While we were in town, we let Andrew ride the "Bob the Builder" truck at Wal-Mart. He was a good boy all day long in town so he deserved a special treat. It was a long day for us all because we had to leave our van at the dealer to have it worked on. So we used a loaner vehicle and shopped around town from 12 noon to 5pm. We got Andrew some new pants (he had a growth spurt this summer and all his other pants were too short) and Carole a new dress to wear for her 6 month pictures next week. We also had to shop around for a new computer monitor because ours was starting to act up. After we picked up our van we had to still get groceries. We didn't get home til late. Both kids were really good all day!! We had a fun time together.

Funny story...
While we were in K-Mart, Phil took Carole in one cart and I took Andrew in another to shop for pants for him. I picked out several different kinds and sizes and took him into the fitting room. He was hysterical! He was facsinated seeing himself in the big mirror and couldn't stop laughing at himself. He just giggled and giggled. I had a really hard time trying the pants on him, but we finally got it accomplished. I guess we should just buy a huge mirror and Andrew can entertain himself for hours on end! :)

Lazy Saturday

2006-08-26T16:28:00.000-05:00

Today has been a lazy day! We all just woke up from a 2 hour nap. Well, Phil didn't nap, but the rest of us did. Carole slept 2 hours and 40 minutes and I finally had to wake her up to eat. I guess she must have needed the extra rest.

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I think Carole had a bug of some sort because she was throwing up every bottle I gave her. The only thing I could get to stay down in her was her cereal. She LOVES her cereal! When she sees her bowl and spoon she goes crazy!

Today I was feeding Andrew his lunch. He was having Beefaroni in a bowl. She was walking around the kitchen in her walker and noticed that Andrew had a bowl and spoon so she started to pant and make moaning noises. It wasn't time for her to eat, so I had to remove her from the kitchen so she couldn't see that Andrew was eating!

Andrew is learning many new words finally! Yesterday he said "Carole" for the first time. It sounded more like "Dardole" but at least he tried. As many of you know this is a huge accomplishment for him since in the past all he would call her is "baby."

Well, I know this isn't much of an update, but I've got to go tend to my kids. Sorry, there are no new pictures today. :(