Waffle Bride

Too funny!!! Be sure to watch the second video! What a testimony.

Snow!

It's actually more ice than anything but this is our first real snowfall of the season. The kids were so anxious to get out in it! We used plastic tub lids as sleds and 2 out of the 3 of them were having fun. Our 2 year old was not impressed :) We then took a walk around the block, got bright red cheeks, and came home and filled our belly's with warm hot chocolate. The kids can't wait to get back out in it! Here are several pics.

Bad mommy days

The last several days have been rough. I don't know if it is still post pregnancy hormones or what!! I've been having some bad 'mommy' days which have involved several apologizes and hugs to the kids for being grumpy and snappy. At the end of the day I just want to kick myself in the pants for the example I have been. Several prayer sessions have involved tears before the Lord for failures of the day. Some days can feel just a little overwhelming :)
When you think of me I'd appreciate a quick prayer for a great day and a tender attitude....and if you know where I can find a 'super-mom' cape....tha'd be great!

Sunday pics

Here's some pictures from Sunday. That's your little outfit Mom!

not so 'pretty'

We took a drive through the mountains today and ended up at the 'Pretty Place' chapel. We picked a bad day for it though because all we saw was fog and it was freezing!! It was a nice drive though and the kids always enjoy the twists and turns through the mountains. Here are a few pictures from this afternoon.

Counting

I think the video is finally working....

(he must have learned how to count from his older siblings cause I haven't gone over numbers with him yet!)

The necklace

Our daughter got a very special gift on Wednesday for her birthday. Several years ago a sweet gentleman started coming to our church. Our daughter at the time was about 3 years old. He would sit in the same pew as us each week. He and our daughter became very good friends. I think she may have reminded him much of his own little girl who passed away suddenly many years ago when she was 4 years old. The 2 of them sit side by side each week, they pray together during Wednesday night prayer meetings, they send each other cards..... Well, on Wednesday she lit up as she showed me her birthday gift. A very special necklace from a very special friend :)

How God works

**I'm still working on posting the video...for some reason blogger is not letting me post it**

Bear with me while I explain this story. It is just another way the Lord reveals Himself in interesting ways.
I have had a thyroid condition since I was about 14 years old or so. I take a daily pill for my thyroid function. For many years I was on the synthetic version of this pill. I also suffered with hives that would come and stay for 17 months at a time so I went to see a natural doctor for help, and she switched me to a more natural thyroid medication. I have really liked being on it all these years. Recently I have had a lot of trouble getting this medication. Today in fact, my family doctor (not the natural doctor) informed me they don't make it any more and I need to switch back to the synthetic stuff. This really disheartened me. Hubby got on the internet and started researching my medication and discovered there is a huge backorder on the stuff and it is hard to come by. So many restrictions have been put on this medication it is now hard to get (FDA trying to promote the synthetic stuff huh!!! making it difficult to buy natural). The website did say that the only place to find this medication would be at a compounding pharmacy. A compounding pharmacy???? As of a week ago I would have been defeated and switched back to the synthetic medication ........... BUT.........
A couple weeks back we took baby girl in for her one month check up. She was suffering with a cold and the pediatrician prescribed an antibiotic nasal drop. We went to 3 different pharmacy's and no one was able to fill this prescription. Finally we were told you need to go to a .......COMPOUNDING PHARMACY. We were sent to this tiny little shop that I had never seen before. Do you see how the Lord works???? Had our little one not gotten a cold, we would have been pursuaded to switch back to the synthetic medication with no idea of the alternative.
It may seem like a small thing to you, but to me it is just another way that my God reveals Himself to me and takes care of me. It gives me such joy to know I am important to Him!!!
How has God revealed himself to you lately??

Pics

Here are some pictures taken today. This outfit was a baby gift from Great Aunt L. Thank you!!! She looks so cute in it :)

Schoolroom

Today we started back to school! Had a bit of a late start today....but today is more of a "go with the flow" kind of day. I need to see how our schedule is going to work out, when baby needs to have feedings etc....just trying to get a feel for how our days are going to work. We finally have our schoolroom ready to go. Our daughter has her own desk, and the boys have a table to do their work on. My desk area is tucked into the corner. Our first set of bookcases is the subjects being taught this year. The second bookcase is all my material for all grades (right now - kindergarten through third), and the third bookcase is all our reading books and games. So far our morning has worked out quite well so I'm pleased.

Update from Haiti

Update: Pastor Dieupie has been found fine in Haiti. We praise the Lord for this wonderful news!

We also had a good friend visit with us today and she made a beautiful quilt for our baby girl.

I was also able to get out for my first walk around the block! I sure need to strengthen my leg muscles since I was sitting for the last couple months of pregnancy. It felt good though!

Scissor time

I did 4 haircuts tonight. All the guys needed one desperately and our girl decided she wanted one too. I had been asking her for the last week about a haircut but she finally decided it was a good idea because her friend at church just got a haircut :) I would love for her to have long hair but it is soooo thin, it looks scraggly when it gets long. I really need a haircut and am waiting another month or so for my post-pregnancy mommy make-over!!
In other news....I'm sure many have heard about the earthquake in Haiti. We have a good friend and native missionary in Jacmel. We have not heard news yet about him and his family. If you would please remember them in prayer....
Well, short and sweet....baby calls (or should I say cries!)

Busy, busy...

Staying busy as you can imagine. Our girl still has a bad cold and is so congested. She really sounds awful today. I'm hoping it won't be too much longer for her.
We almost have the schoolroom done. I will post pictures soon!! I'm hoping to start school on Monday if I can get everything done and ready. There are a few more charts I need to make up and some subjects that need to be put into their binders. They are both looking forward to beginning again. IF I get any extra time, I want to start working with our 2 year old. He can already count to 13 (sometimes forgetting number 3), recognizes all his letters and can say all their sounds. I want to begin working on writing his letters because he can already hold a pencil the proper way between his fingers.
On a side note...my brother and sister-in-law found out they are expecting girl #3. Congratulations :)

Castle

I'm very pleased with the how the cake turned out. I tried this new fondant...buttercream fondant from Fondarific. I'm excited to see how it tastes! I had most of it finished last night and added some final touches today. I think the birthday girl is happy :)

We also took baby girl to her appointment today. She was almost 2 pounds heavier since her last appoinment 2 weeks ago. I was getting a little worried about her spitting up so much and not eating for long periods of time, but I guess she isn't suffering!!! She now has the cold we all had last week. She is so congested and sounds awful. I'm hoping she doesn't get a fever with it and the doctor gave us some antibiotic nose drops to prevent sinus infection. Hopefully she will get through this rather quickly and not be too bothered with it.

Here are some pics of the cake!!

Birthday girl

Our girl turned 7 today!!! I think the years are going by faster and faster. I wish it would slow down a little :) We are not having her party until Friday, but tonight we had our own little celebration with Tinkerbell cupcakes and a gift. I'm looking forward to starting her cake tomorrow...a princess castle! Here are a few pictures from tonight.





Here's baby girl on Sunday in her Sunday best :)

I'm posting :)

Blogging these days are few are far between huh!! Four kiddos are keeping me busy :) Everyone is doing well and we are soon going to get back into the 'school' groove. I had planned on taking a few months break but the kids seem very bored and are anxious to start again. I need to get a few subjects all set up so within a week or two we should start our new year. We have a new school room. I hope to post pictures soon. We've moved all the kids into one bedroom and the other bedroom is our playroom/schoolroom. I love how it is coming together and how everything is close by (not scattered here and there throughout the house in different drawers!) We still need to get a little kids table & chairs and get my desk area set up. My goals this year are to really start concentrating on bible studies and character studies. I feel up to this point I have been very academic motivated and it is seen in the kids work....our soon to be 7 year old is already half way through grade 3 math and our 4 year old is on his way to starting grade 1. Even though we integrate the Bible into our different studies, I really feel like I lacked in teaching them biblical truths and working on their heart attitudes. I want to be very Christ-centered this year and not so academically motivated. I also need to remember to be flexible!!! With a new baby, I highly doubt we are going to be able to stick to our schedule 100%. But, I think we are all looking forward to this year and I pray it is a great year for us!!!
We are also going to be celebrating a birthday tomorrow. Her party isn't until Friday but boy is it hard to believe she will be turning 7!!! Where has the time gone. Our theme this year.....princess castle :)

Capturing a smile

Here we are trying to capture a smile. She has been smiling since her first week....it's so cute!! She'll smile when I talk to her or rub her chin. Such a precious girl. She is now 3 weeks old. I hope you all have a wonderful new year!