I was just looking through some old blog posts and it made me realize that I really do enjoy looking back on what our family was doing, as well as pictures of the kiddos a year ago... three kids has been so wonderfully busy, I honestly haven't really thought to blog. Soooo, without committing to actually keeping up with this, I thought I'd post a little update.

Our little lady is finished with FIRST GRADE! Wow... I can't believe it! While I'm thrilled she's home for the summer, I know she will miss school and am thankful for the wonderful school year that she had.
Tidbits about her:
She loves to write and has beautiful penmanship.
She loves to go out to the field and catch her horse, Sunshine. She brings her to the barn, gives her treats, brushes her and loves taking her for rides.
God has given her a kind and compassionate heart. She truly cares about those around her and doesn't like to see anyone hurting.
She is super helpful and adores her little brothers. I don't know what I'd do without her!

The little farmer is just that. He LOVES to be outside, help with chores, ride horse with me, catch bugs and worms... he's all boy inside and out.
Other tidbits:
Can't STAND having his hair wet.
Just found out he has asthma and is always looking forward to whatever ice cream treat follows a doctor's appt.:)
He is an absolute l.o.v.e.... recently he told me, "You my whole world, mama!" :) ~I melt.~

The littlest man in our family is probably not going to be the littlest for long... and I have no announcement here. He's within just pounds of his four-year-old brother. He's been walking for about two weeks and is downright fast! He loves to wrestle and gives the best kisses. :) This little guy brings everyone in our family more joy than we imagined possible. He has a hilarious little sense of humor already and is quite the jabber-box. How did we ever NOT have this little guy in our family? He, and each of our kids, are such a blessing and a gift from God.

As far as Eric goes... he is doing well over-all. He's had a lot of back/hip problems, but his bosses have been so gracious as to change his job around for the time being. He is currently operating less machinery... he loves machinery-operating, but it doesn't love him. We feel so blessed that he has such a great place to work! And I'm just busy being mom... the hardest and the best job I've ever had. I often feel overwhelmed, but I'm still so very thankful. Thankful for our family, extended family, our overall health, our Lord and his incredible patience with me, and for how He so faithfully provides when we don't see how things will work. We are blessed.

Now that I have a million things to write about, I have absolutely no time to do so! I seldom have time to sit and do much of anything on the computer other than pay the bills online.:) But since I already did that tonight, folded an insane amount of laundry, and being as my hubby's working nights this week, I'm sneaking in a quick post.:)

Our little lady is in school ALL day every day now... and while I miss her tons, she's loving it and doing so well! Currently, she's our baby boy's absolute favorite person and laughs hysterically (sounds kind of like a cross between an old guy and a machine gun...) when she does pretty much anything. She's going to be doing cheer camp this week (she's SO her Nana's grandchild... her mother has NONE of these interests!)and is beyond excited! When I first asked her why she wanted to do this, assuming she was following suit with her friends, she told me she didn't know if any of her friends were doing it but it would be ok... she'd meet some new ones! How could I say no? She is truly a joy.

Our little farmer is just a kick in the pants...
He is currently obsessed with deer hunting, truck driving, monster trucks and farming. When we move out onto our farm (someday), he's going to have cows and his sister gets to have horses... and these are the things he tells us almost every day.:) He loves riding his John Deere trike (which is rated for 300 pounds... can we say 'overkill' for a trike?) and FLIES on that thing! The other morning, when I was feeling like all I do is get after him, he matter-of-factly said to me, "You the world to me, Mom." I have no idea where he heard this line, but the boy melts my heart!

Onto the littlest... I can't believe that he's almost 6 months old!!! Funny how when I was pregnant, I'd round up in terms of weeks along... but now he's 5 1/2 months old until the DAY he turns 6 months!:) We're all just loving him so much and can't believe that there was a time when we didn't know him or have him in our family. We're so thankful that God did know he was to be a part of our family; he is such a blessing! He LOVES food... he was ready to attack us at the kitchen table at about 4 1/2 months old to get in on the action ~ and he's been chowing ever since.:) And in spite of the absolutely germaphobic mom I am when it comes to my newborn babies, God has been most gracious and given him such good health. (Why do I worry the way I do? God is in complete control and loves him even more than I do...)

I'm so very grateful for what God has given us and thank Him daily for these blessings. I'm so thankful for the health that we enjoy, for blessing us with our home and providing for us to send our little lady to a Christian school... I don't even bother doing the math, because I know it won't work. But God is so good and so faithful in providing for our family... above and beyond anything we deserve. His mercies truly are new each morning!

{photo courtesy of my dear friend, Jenn - Jennifer Morrow Photography}

introducing...

We are so excited to announce the birth of our sweet little boy! He arrived on April 13, weighing in at 8 lbs .7oz and 20 1/2" long. We are beyond thrilled to be his family and thank God for the incredible gift that he is. Having a brand new baby is the most indescribably wonderful and overwhelming thing, and it's just as exciting with each and every child. My dear friend Jenn took these beautiful pictures of our little guy...

Psalm 139:13-14 For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

our newest addition...

...and it's NOT a baby yet!:)

We had a recent tragedy on the in-town funny farm. Flopsy took a sudden turn for the worse with what appeared to be a stroke. She passed away a month or two ago and needless to say, our little lady was quite upset over the whole ordeal!

Well, today we welcomed "Charlie" to the back yard!:) He's a little Polish bunny and will probably be a little smaller than Flopsy was, which means 'easy to handle' for the little people around here.

Here's the proud new pet owner:



They are absolutely loving this little guy... someone is either petting, holding, or fussing with him constantly! Even our ever-so-cautious little man is so brave as to let him sit on his lap. Charlie can't wait for bedtime, I'm sure!



Isn't he just about the cutest little rabbit?! :)



Welcome, Charlie... we're happy to have you here!:)

so much to be thankful for...

I know I never mentioned it on this blog, but we were looking at possibly buying one of our neighbor's houses. We've always said that we wouldn't switch neighborhoods unless it was to live on some acreage with the horses, but sometimes a little more room does sound nice.

The house we looked at was just a few doors places down from where we are, and we really thought that some doors might be opening. We just found out, however, that it's looking like we'll stay put. God is always good and his timing and plans are absolutely perfect. Looking at the bigger picture now, I'm so very thankful! Trying to pack up this house, sell it, move, clean, paint, and the list goes on - while I'm due in less than three weeks - sounds like an anxiety attack waiting to happen!

And living in this little house (which is huge by the standards of most of the world) has taught us so much:
*We don't need all the things we think we do sometimes. When we moved from the place we rented, I could not believe how much we'd accumulated before even having kids; we had a basement full of 'stuff' as well as a main floor and upstairs that were nowhere near empty.
*I'm a terrible organizer but have learned to use what space we have.
*Kids love a smaller house... there's never a shortage of little people running around here and I love how they are so comfortable they seem to be!
*I can hear most everything that's going on, no matter what room they're in... and with three 2 to 3-year-olds running around sometimes, is that ever a good thing!
*It doesn't take very long to clean or do yard work... therefore, we're not terribly tied down and can enjoy more frequent trail rides!:)
*And we are so very blessed... God has taught/is teaching us much about contentment and finding that in Him.

I was reading a devotional just yesterday and the verse was from Psalm 37:4:"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." If we delight ourselves in Him, our desires are not going to be for such earthly things. Do I struggle to delight myself in God first and not in the things I can see or touch? Do I ever! But it is such a comfort to know that His spiritual blessings are always available for His people at any time. And there is nothing more important than that. The little quote that Charles Stanley wrote at the bottom of the devotional goes as follows: "Taking matters into our own hands doesn't "help Him out." God wants to give us our heart's desires in His time, when we're aligned with His will. As we learn to enjoy Him for who He is, our self-focused wants are replaced by His perfect will and purpose for us."

my favorite things... in the kitchen

Lets just start this post by saying that I am NOT a kitchen gadget person... my kitchen is tiny and I have no room for extras.



Except, that is, coffee pots! Oh how I love coffee, coffee cake, coffee company, coffee pots! I have a little Cuisinart with a cone filter, a Bunn coffee maker, a stovetop percolating coffee pot, a stovetop expresso maker, and several french presses which I've broken... I know, maybe just a little excessive... I promise I truly do use them! But what I've really been wanting is one of these drip coffee makers where you pour boiling water in the top chamber, it filters through where you put the grounds in the middle and then pour it out of the bottom when it's finished brewing. It's some of the very best, freshest tasting coffee I've EVER had! One thing that has not slowed down in the least during this pregnancy is my coffee intake... I crave it as much or more (due to lack of sleep) than ever! I've been wanting one of these drip coffee makers for the longest time but haven't wanted to pay the "brand new" price for it. Well, my very sweet and amazingly thrifty mother-in-law and I were talking about these particular coffee pots ages ago, and here's what she left in my car yesterday!



SO EXCITED! Not only does it make an awesome cup of coffee, you don't have any of those plastic parts that most all coffee pots have. I find sometimes coffee can leave a funny taste in your mouth, and I really think it's the plastic. (Like drinking from a travel mug with a plastic lid... it changes the coffee flavor entirely and it just isn't right!) The coffee pot is in mint condition and she found it at no other place than the Goodwill!

Another thing which she's gotten me started on is her Slow Cookers... she is a fabulous cook, but her roasts are truly superior to all others and actually melt in your mouth, if meat can do that...



Seriously, I couldn't make a decent roast until she gave me one of these... which she also picks up at the Goodwill (for $5) instead of paying $70-$80 for a new one! This is the latest one she found for my mom... so thoughtful! Anyway, these slow cookers cook NOTHING like the modern day crock pot and I rarely use my 'regular' crock pot for anything except spiced cider. You can make casseroles, roasts, ANY and every meat, potatoes, WHATEVER! The heat is super easy-to-control and adjust. I truly don't think you can mess up a meal in one of these things. I would dare say you could even pull off dessert! Maybe I'll try that tonight...

Yes, I will... with a delicious cup of black coffee!

Anyway... thank you, Mom, for sharing your secrets and for finding me such great kitchen gadgets!

the latest from our little lady...

To be quite honest, it's so hard to remember a time when this sweet girl was not a part of our lives... it is so much fun watching her grow and become who she is! She has a most compassionate heart and absolutely adores her little brother. Even though her 'mothering' him can get a little excessive at times, he loves it! She can't WAIT to be a big sister in April and is willing to put off playing T-ball for a year since she really would rather be home and help out with her newest little sibling. (Thank goodness... watching T-ball in the Pacific Northwest in the SPRING with a newborn and an almost 3-year-old sounds less than thrilling to this momma!:) She loves being in Kindergarten and I love the play-by-play updates I get when she comes home from school. I have always thought, "Oh, I don't know if I want her to get any older!" But each stage has been so fun in its own way and I love the conversations we have now that she's a little older. We're truly blessed to have this little girl in our family!:)


She lost 3 teeth in about 2 weeks... we're loving this toothless grin!:)



This is the new pink cowboy hat Papa and Nana gave her... she couldn't wait to bring it to 'Show-n-Tell" today.


She loves her little horse, Boosky, who 'talks' to her every time she goes out to visit him. Now we just need to put some miles on that little guy so he's as nice when she rides him! :)



Here she is... adoring her little brother... (Thanks for this one, as well as the next, Karlene... love them!:)


So Sweet!