A Visit to Grandma and Grandpa's House

Here is Abby displaying her new smile.


There it is again.


me and my girls


Here we are getting ready for bed, talk about a three-ring circus.


This is a big step for Tommy, he's sharing his blankie- even if it is with the cat.


I took the 3 oldest kids out to visit my brother and his family. They love playing with the twins and can't wait until it's summer so they can play in the gigantic sand box again.
My sis-in-law Jen is doing great, our due dates are only a week apart. They find out what they are having the day before we do. :)


Rachel and Adam like to explore around the barn. The only thing we found this time was mud.


If there is a tree she will climb it.


This picture is for Jenny, she has a fondness for gas tanks.

GOOD THINGS ABOUT TODAY

1. Rachel did great getting her cavity filled.
2. I ran into Amanda at Wal-Mart!
3. Casey and I took the kids to Burger King for lunch, Rachel's spring break treat I guess.
4. I saw my first bloom today (photo above)
5. Amanda dropped off some date bars that she had made, we are helping her finish them up. :)
6. Nobody majorly bled today.
7. We are going to my parents tomorrow, just the kids and I. Casey is going to re-caulk the tub while we are gone.
8. I talked to Jenny tonight on the phone.

BAD THINGS ABOUT TODAY
1. Tommy pooped in his underwear.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Here are the children all dressed and ready for church this morning. The picture would've been perfect except for the wad of gum in Adam's teeth. Oh well. I was prepping the kids last night singing, "Up from the grave he arose! With a mighty triumph o'er his foes!" so I was quiet happy that we did sing it this morning. :) Rachel was very cute in the bell choir, I hope she wants to be in band someday. As you can see I am home today, Casey had to go to work right after church. He should be home around 7, so I'll look forward to that.

Halfway There

Today I am technically halfway through my pregnancy. It is going way too fast. I can feel myself starting to slow down in the evening when trying to get the other kids ready for bed. When it's time to read Thomas just can't get very comfortable on my lap anymore, I have to turn him to the side so he's not ramming into my tummy with his back. All in all everything is going great right now.


Last night Abby grabbed the stethoscope and said, "Doctor!" clear as a bell. She is 16 months old, and so independent most of the time. Tonight I laid her down for bed (she never puts up a fuss) and she cried for several minutes. I went in and picked her up and cuddled her for a bit, and that seemed to make her happy. She laid right down and went to sleep after that. I guess she still needs me once in a while. :)

Funny

Setting: the kids and I sitting around the kitchen table having a good time

Me: "Kids, who has more fun than we do?!?!?!??!"

Rachel: "Um.......... (long pause) Jenny?"


See Jenny, even though you live in Arizona, the kids still remember how crazy you are!

Happy Spring!

The beautiful sky last night... how did God know what colors to choose?


Here's my little dumpling, Abby. She was so excited to be free from the house that she started running across the yard and lost her shoe... and just kept running. The cold soggy yard was not going to thwart her plans of escaping.


Tommy would get very upset when his motorcycle would get stuck in the snow. I opted for the happy picture, though.


Adam is VERY happy about spring. Look at that cheesy grin.


Here is grumpy, I mean Rachel, home from school. It takes her about an hour to "detox" as Tracey put it after school. Then my sweet happy child is back.

So Good

My Beef Stroganoff has been very lackluster lately, so I cracked open my Taste of Home cookbook (2001) and found this recipe for Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff. Of course, I can't afford meat that's $20/pound, so I used a pound of beef sirloin instead. I made it last night, and everyone liked it!

Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff

1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
2 TBS all-purpose flour
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive or veg. oil (I forgot this, I don't think it needed any more grease, though)
1 1/2 cups beef broth ( I added an extra 1/2 cup water with it)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 TBS tomato paste
1/2 tsp. paprika
salt to taste
Hot cooked noodles

In shallow bowl or resealable bag plastic bag, toss beef in flour. In a large skillet, brown beef in butter and oil. Gradually stir in broth. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, tomato paste, paprika, and salt. Bring beef mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; slowly stir in sour cream mixture (do not boil). Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over noodles. Yield 4-6 servings.

God is so Good

There are many many things I am thankful for this week... this will just be a short list.

1. I am thankful that my husband is very helpful around the house. When he is home he can vacuum and brush teeth with the best of them.

2. I am thankful that Rachel is on spring break next week. We are excited to make a quick trip to Deckerville to visit grandma and grandpa and my brother's family.

3. I am thankful that we are all healthy right now. We've had everything from strep to common colds, and Adam's kidneys are still working just fine.

4. I am thankful for all my friends. They have all sorts of gifts that they share with me, from their sense of humor to their generosity, to their words of advice. I need you all.

5. I am thankful that Evan is finally here, and that Pam is doing great.

6. I am thankful for our own little baby that is on the way. Casey felt the baby move for the first time Monday night, he is just as giddy as I am about the whole thing. :)

7. I am thankful for our families. All the grandparents are just crazy about the kids, and if we ever need anything they are here. It ranges from farm fresh eggs from Casey's fam to flashlights for the kids from my parents... they are the best!

8. And last but not least, I am thankful that Easter is almost here. Christ died for me, I don't know why he would, but he did and I am VERY thankful for that!

Rachel

So I am perusing the internet reading about mono. Have any of you had it?

Since Monday she has been very tired, pale, very little appetite, and yesterday she said it hurt when she lifted her arms up. All the sites I read about mentioned very sore lymph glands and very sore throat, which she has not complained about. I know it's a virus so they won't prescribe anything but rest and more rest and lots of fluids. I did have a couple kids with strep here a couple weeks ago, so I don't know...

Today's Exciting Events

Here Adam is showing off his freshly polished teeth, I snuck him into the office for a quick cleaning. He was such a good boy this time, I even slapped some fluoride in there and he didn't have a fit.

Abby had a re-check today of her ears, no sign of infection! Now I have to get Rachel out of her funk, she has been really tired and pale all week, I don't know what's going on.


Look! Sun- shining into my kitchen! I can finally open the heavy curtain by the sliding glass door without freezing to death. Spring is coming!!!

Bad Abby

Abby has graduated from sitting on the table to sitting on a bucket on the table. And she couldn't be happier.

Turtle Update

By this afternoon he had expanded enough that he was peeking his head out of the shell!

Here is Rachel proudly posing with her little cousin Liam.


This is what happens when Adam dresses himself. He wondered if he could wear it to church.


The kids were very intrigued by the "turtle egg" that Tommy got for his birthday. They put it in water last night, and now we are waiting for it to hatch... I'll keep you updated.

Hats

Here is the pink hat by Becky Speer. This hat actually fits Rachel perfectly, but Abby wanted to try it on, too. OK, not really, that was my idea.

Tommy is 3 Today!

Here is Thomas getting ready to go outside yesterday. He is wearing the cute little hat that Becky S. made! You will all be able to buy one at a craft show near you this fall! (How was that for a plug, Becky?!)

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Phil!!!!!! I wish I had a scanner so I could put some cute pics up of him and the kids.

Tommy's Birthday Party

Celebrating Early

Tommy turns 3 tomorrow! Casey's side of the family will be here for lunch, so we are excited for a party. Rachel is excited for Tommy to open his gifts. Ahhh, there's just never enough play-doh to go around, so I bought extra this time. And I know he's getting new underwear, Adam is tired of him wearing his all the time. :)

My Secret

I would really like to play the banjo. Why? Because I think it's cool!

If money, time, or kids weren't an issue, what would you like to learn to do?
(Laurie is going to say skydiving, that crazy sister-in-law of mine)

Our Weekend

Here's my daughter discovering she can read some pages out of books, kindergarten is amazing nowadays.


Thomas is still healthy as a horse! I came home from work early today ( everybody in this town is sick, no teeth to clean) and Tommy and Adam gave me a great big hug and said, "Don't leave again!" I am SOOOOO thankful I don't have to work full time. One day/week is perfect for right now.


Sunday morning I stayed home with the sick kids. Abby looks SO much better today, the rash is almost gone!


Here Rachel is helping Abby wash her hands. I love this picture.


Sunday night, the kids are in bed, it's time for a game of Blokus! I think he won again.


Rachel split her chin open Sun morn on the church's gym floor. I just took this pic a minute ago, I think it's going to heal all right.

It's a Brand New Day

It's only 9am, but it's a MUCH better day than yesterday! Abby slept on the couch with Casey the first half of the night, then with me the second half. 7am rolled around and she hopped off me and started running around the house singing, "La la la la la..." So nice to see her not suffering anymore! Her fever seems to have broke, and her rash is not so pronounced. The dr. said it will start to look purplish when it starts to fade, and we can already see that a bit. Her eyes were so swollen yesterday, that looks a lot better, too!
Adam is still just laying around, but he is taking his medicine like a champ, hopefully he'll snap out of it soon.
Thank you for your prayers. :)