Seasonal Shelf

So, I got this cute new shelf for my birthday. Only it's not the shelf you see in my picture. I found that one at a garage sale today for just $20. I thought it was a great deal considering how much I paid for the other one. You might be wondering why I have this one up instead of my birthday shelf? Well, it happens to be smaller and it was easier to find a spot for it. I am still contemplating where to put my birthday shelf. While in Nebraska, my sister and I went shopping at this totally adorable store and we found the cute accessories that are on the bottom shelf. They were a gift from my awesome sister. Thanks!!

We also made a fun project with our sis-in-law Traci. Kristi saw this cute FALL saying on one of my favorite Decorating blogs called Cherry's Jubilee. I bet Kristi was wishing she had a little one to chase so she wouldn't have had to do so much of the work. I am grateful she did so much or it would have landed in my unfinished project pile. Ethan like to rearrange them so they don't spell anything. Since he started pre-school he is really into letters and numbers.

Go Big RED!

We made a quick trip to Nebraska this past weekend. Mark has been wanting to take the kids to a Husker football game for awhile now. We weren't able to go to any last season as I was still pregnant and then we had a new baby. We were able to spend the day with my family and had a fabulous time! We all went to Valentino's for lunch.
Valentino's is a really yummy pizza buffet. I don't usually really like buffets but I love this one. They have way more than just pizza too. There was a lady there who was painting faces and making balloon animals, swords, flowers etc.. Most of the kids had "N" painted on their faces and hands to show their love for Nebraska football. Ethan and Xander decided to get Spiderman faces painted on. They were both so afraid to eat anything for fear that they would mess up their faces. I guess we should've had them get painted after we ate.
Mark took Hannah, Zach and Connor to the game. It was Hannah and Zach's first time going to a game. This pictures shows the stadium of RED. Those crazy Nebraskan's, they love their football team. My brother Dan, and nieces Kelsey and Emma were at the game as well. My BIL Troy and my nephew Jameson were there ushering for Boy Scouts. It was fun for my kids to get to go with their cousins.
I guess there is a tradition that when Nebraska gets their first touchdown, everyone let's go of a red balloon. I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but it is of all the red balloons. Hannah lost hers before the first touchdown, so her and Zach shared a balloon.
We had such a great weekend and hated to see it end so soon. I am going to show some of my birthday purchases in another post. My sister, SIL and I also made a fun project that I will share too.

9 months (for 5 more days)

One of these days, I am going to be on the ball, and then I will not have to apologize for always getting things up late (just to myself as I am the only one who reads this blog). This is my cute girl on the day she turned 9 months old. She such a little sweetheart and a joy to our whole family. We are all smitten with her.

9 month facts*

*20lbs 12 oz

*28 inches long

*still wearing 6-12 month clothing. I have started buying bigger clothes but they are still too big for her. She is funny, she has short little legs but long arms.

*crawling everywhere FAST! She also is cruising the furniture FAST!! She is practically running around the couch. She has also taken a step when trying to get from one side of the couch to the other. I still want her to slow down and she wants to start walking.

*loves Cheerios and Gerber puffs. She has tried most baby foods except for meat. I guess I did give her chicken noodle dinner today. We gave her avocado yesterday and she liked it. I have been giving her a little bit more food off of our plates. She loves it.

*has a cute little temper when things don't go her way or you take something away from her.

*likes to eat books...and then crawl away so I can't get it out of her mouth. I also found a gum wrapper in her mouth at church a few weeks ago (ewwwww).

*not the best sleeper., sleeps in my bed all night and no naps in her bed, only in my lap.

*likes this little stuffed Pablo that Ethan has...today she recognized that Pablo was on the TV and she squealed with delight. It was so so cute!!

*can say BALL and likes to play with them

*loves it when we sing Twinkle, twinkle little star to her. It will calm her down if she is upset.

*loves the remote, telephone, computer, cell phone etc...(better than her toys of course)

*can climb up the stairs, on the ottoman (but not sure how to get down), and on the fireplace.

*loves to be outside

*she likes to look out the window by the couch, she always climbs up and moves the curtain out of her way.

*finally grew out of her infant seat and into a bigger carseat.

*doesn't like having her diaper changed or getting her clothes put on her.

*has stranger anxiety...or whatever that's called.

*lays her head down when she is a little shy...she will either lay it on the floor or me when someone is talking to her. She loves the attention though.

*likes to throw her toys down and then see if you will pick it up game.

*is wiggly...sometimes pratically leaping out of my arms

*starting to take her headbands off of her head (wahhhh).

*makes me smile over and over all day long.

I know there are a few more things I want to add. I will when I remember them.

Old Settler's Day Parade

Every year, Mark takes the kids to the Old Settler's Day parade. I read recently that it's Kansas' biggest parade. This year at the begining of the school year, the kids at Hannah's school found out there was a reading contest that whoever read the most minutes in 10 days would get to ride on the Chick-fil-a float. They picked 2 kids, one from the younger grades and one from the older. Hannah read 1,132 minutes and was the one picked to be on the float from the upper grades. She was so excited! She really wanted to win. She got to call us the morning she found at school. It was so cute to hear her excitement after just finding out. I wanted to say also, that Hannah loves to read and it comes easy for her. She did give up doing lots of fun things to do so that she could read and try to get more minutes.
Zach and Ethan waiting to get lots of candy. Ethan loves balloons. He really wanted one on a string though and not on a stick. We had to cover Ashlyn's ears with every band that went by. It was LOUD!
The parade theme this year was holiday, which is why she is in Santa hat. She was under the tree while the "dad" was trying to get the santa cow out from the chimney. It wa pretty cute. She thought it was the coolest float in the parade. Though it was a long morning and it did rain on us. The kids all had a fun day!

So far behind...

I can't say that I even know where to begin. The last 3 months have gone by really fast for me. My baby is almost 10 months old. I know I keep saying that I want time to slow down, but I really do. Ashlyn is growing up way too fast. She is in a hurry too...she wants to walk already. You should see her run as she is cruising furniture...it's pretty funny. She also climbs up on the fireplace and on the ottoman. She still isn't sleeping all night but I am coming to terms with it. Okay, yes I am going to be tired still,but who cares when I have this cute, sweet baby to spend my day with?! I will share more cute baby facts later and try to catch up on her pictures over the last 3 months.




Hannah and Zach started school a few weeks ago. I am always sad when school starts. I am not ready for summer to be over. I also feel bad for all the fun things I wanted to do with my children, but didn't. I also love having my kids around!! They were such great helpers for me this summer. Hannah is in 5th grade this year. She is getting ready to pick out an instrument to play for band. She is trying to decide between the clarinet and the cello. She is also learning how to use Palm Pilots and has been so excited about that. Zach is in 3rd grade this year. He was less than thrilled about school starting. The first day was not all smiles for him. He walked into the school with a scowl on his face. He had the same teacher for 1st and 2nd grade so I think he was unsure about his new teacher. He has a guy teacher this year and seems to be pretty cool! I think Zach is okay with school now and has been having fun having one of his best friends there for the first time this year.

Ethan also started pre-school this year. He was so excited to go and seems to love it. He loves all the different things he gets to do. He doesn't like me to ask him very many questions though. He sounds so annoyed when I ask him what he did at school. He will usually tell me what he had for snack and if he played in the sand. The day before he started school we went and bought him a new backpack. He picked out a Speed Racer one. He loves all kinds of character type things, but especially cars. Ethan also has been going to the YMCA with me when I work out. He used to be shy and timid to go and play and now he says I am coming back too soon to pick him up. He wants to play longer. He also is going to speech class 2 times a week. I feel so lucky that he has such and awesome speech teacher. She was also Zach's speech teacher and she does such a great job with the kids.

A tooth and other baby things....

I just felt Ashlyn's first tooth! I was just talking with a friend the other day about how I thought it would be awhile before Ashlyn would get a tooth. She sure proved me wrong! She is now crawling all over the place...still a little slow but getter faster by the minute. I'm still trying to figure out how to keep her in the living room. She is such a good baby...almost always happy. She has such a great sense of humor as well. The other kids can make her laugh like crazy! She has been eating baby food lately. She likes it but doesn't love it like my other kids did. She is soo messy too. She likes to spit and sputter after we get a bite in her mouth. I also wonder if she is really a kitty as she loves anything that is like a string....shoelaces, computer wires, phone wires etc...
I will probably say it over and over, but this girl is growing up way too fast! She is such a joy!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad!! I love you so much and am so thankful for you. I hope you had a wonderful day. I wish I could have spent it with you!

6 months

I can't believe that my baby girl is already 6 months old. Where has the time gone?

I will update with cute baby facts later. :)

I am really late in posting these facts. Sorry.

*18 lbs 10 oz.

*26 3/4 inches long

*Rolling around everywhere, she can get wherever she wants to go by rolling.

*starts cereal and likes it at first and then doesn't. We also tried sweet potatoes and she didn't seem to like those. We waited a week or so and tried again and she likes to eat okay. She has had rice cereal, squash(she seems to like this the best), sweet potatoes, carrots (doesn't seem to like these), and today peas.

*still not sleeping all night.

*rocks on her hands and knees

*takes 1-2 good naps a day in her cribs

*she has a hard time falling asleep anywhere but at home. Started off the month being able to fall asleep on her own in her bed and now only seems to fall asleep nursing.

*loves going outside

*Zach can really make her laugh while playing hide and seek and making funny noises

*started saying mmmmm mamamama and bbbbabababa

*likes drinking water out of a sippy cup or momma's water bottle

*likes having zerberts blown on her tummy, cheeks etc..

*flaps her arms and legs when really excited and just when happy too

*went to the swimming pool and loved it (water was cold too!)

*very squirmy now with diaper change

*smiley happy girl but still doesn't smile much for the camera

*can sit up now, was really wobbly at first b/c she couldn't sit still, had to flap those arms

*very busy!!

*just started crawling a few days ago,she can army crawl and is now up on her knees crawling slowly

To my mom...

Happy Mother's day!! I love you so much! I am so grateful for your wonderful example. I wish I could've spent the day with you. I'm so lucky to have you for a mom and a friend. I hope you had a fabulous day!

(I tried to upload this yesterday but my computer was malfunctioning)

Tender moments...

Ethan had his tonsils and adenoids out yesterday. It has not been an easy recovery for him so far. He is so little and doesn't truly understand why he is experiencing the pain that he is. My heart is aching for him. I so wish I could take it away from him. Yet I can't so I have to have faith and trust that Heavenly Father will help him through this. This whole experience has been a growing/learning time for me. It has been in the quiet tender moments with my sweet little boy that I have truly undestood God's love for His children.


This picture is after he finally got his IV out. He was able to relax and go to sleep.

This picture was last night when he was happy and more alert. He sat at the kitchen table and ate posicles with Hannah and Zach. Today, he has had a fever all day and pretty lethargic. He hasn't been off the couch but a few short minutes. I am hoping and praying that tomorrow he will start feeling like himself. (please excuse the bad photo quality, but his cute smile was too adorable for me not to share)

My family

It seems as though it is always really hard to get a good picture of my whole family together. Either Mark is still at church when we are all dressed up, or the sun is too bright, or my memory card ran out of memory. So, this is our picture and it's far from perfect but I love it!

Zach's special day

This past Saturday Zach was baptized a member of our church. It was such an awesome day! We were so lucky to have our friends and family there with us. He was also able to share this day with his best friend who was also baptized. I hope it's a day they both will always remember. I know that I will. :)

5 months...

I am as always late on posting 5 month stats. I am just happy I get them done before she turns 6 months. :) This little sweetheart is such a joy in my life. She puts a smile on my face and in my heart. I often wonder how I can slow down time as it seems to constantly be on fast-forward. It has only been 5+ months since Ashlyn as joined our family but it is already hard to remember what life was like without her.

* I don't know how much she weighs this month but she is heavy! She's got the cutest chunky thighs I have ever seen.

*Is wearing 3-6 and 6-9 month clothes. I think she will be out of all 3-6 month clothes soon.

*Naps in her bed. I can lay her down and turn on the lullaby cd and she will go to sleep. Sometimes she fusses and sometimes she doesn't. I am still half swaddling her. She usually kicks her feet out. She likes to sleep with her hands above her head still.

*When on her her back, she almost immediately flips over onto her tummy. She isn't quite sure yet, what she should do once on her tummy.

*Hands are always in her mouth and always wet from being in her mouth.

*Isn't a big crier (never really has been) but is great at complaining when she is unhappy.

*Still doesn't sleep all night long every night.

*She has been waking up really early in the morning. Like around 6:15-6:30. Luckily the last couple days she has slept in a little bit. Mark has been really sweet and takes her so I can get a few extra minutes of sleep.

*Grabs at anything within her reach. Grabs hair, glasses, toys, anything she can get. She always really wants it and then wants to test it out by putting it in her mouth. She also liks to grab our faces. Hannah thinks she is trying to poke her eyes. :)

*I think she is really smart as she is so aware of her surroundings. She is so curious and has to look around to check everything out. She is arching her back and putting her head back if she is trying to see something.

*Has started saying a "G" consonant sound.

*Loves to smile. She will most always greet anyone who talks to her with a big smile. Once the camera comes out though, the smile is gone. I think she is fascinated by the camera and is concentrating very hard to figure out what it is.

*Loves my water bottle and likes getting a drink from it. I bought her a sippy cup and she likes trying to get water out of it. The funny thing is, she wants the water so bad but doesn't know what to do with it once it's in her mouth. It usually ends up all down her shirt.

*Had her first bottle(of mommy milk) from her daddy this month.

*Really likes going outside. Got mad one time when I walked over by the door and didn't go out.

*Stares at us while we are eating. I am curious what she will do next month when she actually get some food.

*Likes it when momma wears her in the mei tai.

*Likes playing in the exersaucer.

*Gets really excited and flaps her arms and kicks her legs.

I know there is more but that's all I can think of for now.

Happy Birthday Zachary!

Happy Birthday to our sweet millenium baby. It is hard to believe that 8 years ago I was getting ready to have our 2nd child. I remember being scared and worried. Hannah was only 2-1/2 and I loved her so much. How in the world would I be able to share the love that I had for her with another baby? I feel silly for even thinking that. As soon as my sweet boy was placed in my arms, I was in love with him. My heart was filled with love for both of my children. He was and is such a blessing to us.

A little bit about the day that I had Zach. I woke up in the morning with contractions for a couple of hours. It was 2 weeks before he was due, so I just chalked it up to false labor. Well, all day long I was leaking something. Finally about 4:00 in the afternoon I called my dr. and he told me to come in. I called my friend Rita, who was going to watch Hannah and she advised me to bring a bag with me. When I got to the dr. he confirmed that I was leaking amniotic fluid and to go next door and check myself in the hospital. I started pitocin(b/c I had been leaking fluid for over 12 hours and no active labor) around 8:00 p.m. and had Zach the next day at 1:21 a.m.

Zach's birthday is special all in it's own b/c of him, but he also shares his birthday with another special person in my life. He was born on my Grandma's birthday. I have been thinking a lot about her lately. I so wish that my kids could've known her. Zach was only 2 when she died. She was so awesome. I am going to do another blog post soon, just about her.

A few fun things about Zach:

*He has the best smile, and right now it is really cute b/c he is missing his top tooth.
*Is always willing to help
*Gives to others without being told or asked to by his parents
*Loves to play tetherball
*Loves anything electronic...video games, computer games, you name it he loves it!
*Is good at math and reading
*Great at drawing
*Likes all sports
*Is good at sharing a room with Ethan(this is no easy task)
*Has lots of good friends
*Likes to chew gum :)
*Is good at putting things together(especially if a screwdriver is involved)
*Can make his baby sister laugh...he loves her so much!
*Likes music and listening to his MP3 player

We love you Zachy! We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Taggie blanket

Just wanted to show this little taggie blanket I made for Ashlyn. It's not really a blanket that she can be covered up in, just one she can hold and suck on. It is 11x11 inches. One side is cotton fabric and the other minkee. I pulled all the ribbon out of my scrapbook stash. I also got to use my new walking foot! It was fabulous for sewing with the minkee. I maybe spent $2-3 for supplies on this. I saw them being sold for $15-20 on Etsy. I want to make her another one that will be bigger than can be used as a blanket if she wants. :)