Don't you wish you had bright orange lipstick like this?

C is really getting the hang of solids now and loves bread...in fact, she will sit and yell, "Bah!" at us for more food. She particularly likes graham crackers.

Unfortunately, E and J have been pretty sick this past week with fevers, fatigue and lack of appetite. Tomorrow I will take them to a new doctor (haven't needed one since we moved here) and hopefully we will find out if they have strep throat or not. One of E's classmates had strep last week about the same time E got sick. My throat hurts just thinking about it. I sure do pray that all of this sick stuff is gone in time for us to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our home church. (not to mention in time for us to travel to see family!) Having little kids has truly been tough when it comes to passing around the colds and bugs. Maybe we should just pass the carrots, please!

This is the day I turned 33! I had a pretty typical Monday that day and we had take-out mexican and half a chocolate cake for dinner.

Unfortunately a stomach bug hit me in the middle of the night and didn't completely leave for 5 days or so. J was the only other one to be affected and seemed to get over it much quicker than me. We have been pretty well since then until today. E has a fever and I pray that no one else gets this new invader. I am really finding that having little children can be so physically taxing on parents. It's hard to get enough sleep (amen to that) and viruses creep in from all sides. Plus, messes are just waiting to happen. I had a great idea (haha) about trying to potty-train J. He seems to do fine if you let him run around in the nude (at least bottoms free). He will go sit on his little potty if he needs to go. So I thought if I just left a diaper off and just pulled up his pants maybe we could just take him to the potty regularly AND he could tell if he needed to go. This morning we had one pee-pee 'AH-OH' but not a huge mess and then I let him play outside a bit and boy was that a mistake! Let's just say, "poop filled his jeans". Baths are good, but this boy has had a diaper on all the rest of the day and the jeans, socks, and shoes are soaking in Oxiclean. Maybe we'll wait to do some more 'free-be' days.

So I finally put some insulation in the empty space under our kitchen cabinets where the terribly cold draft was coming through making our tile floor freezing cold. (Hubby helped)
On my way out to the garage to get the insulation, a fat possum was sitting in our yard and scampered away up into the tree that our kids like to play around. It is a bit warmer here today and slightly rainy. Our garage door is acting up again....bounces right back up after closing all the way, so the man who installed it is coming out tomorrow to show me how to reprogram it and also take a look to see why it is still doing this. Apparently when they poured the foundation for our garage it was a bit uneven and this makes the garage door opener a bit unhappy. My husband is writing loooong papers this week and will soon have Christmas break. Yay! C has started giving me mischievious looks already and J is turning into a monster toddler. (absolutely no progress with the potty training). The playroom is much neater as most of the toys are stored in our basement where I started a toy 'library'. No more huge messes that the monster toddler can make in there. There is still laundry sitting around the house that needs to be folded and put away. Wanna come help? Our neighbor across the street had their baby boy last Friday morning and we got to see him tonight. New life is amazing. We hope to go caroling at the end of this week. I hope I can remember all the words and that my voice cooperates. Better go to bed. It's already early Tuesday morning and hopefully it's a day full of Grace.

I have been pondering the wonderment of God becoming man...a baby, like C....like we all were once. I hope this time preceding Christmas is as full of amazement for you as it is for me. Mostly, as I struggle with the ongoing stresses of every day life with little children who take a lot of physical care and cause Mommy to get less sleep, I pray for hands that are as caring and gentle as the Theotokos's hands in this icon. If only we could completely tame our hands and our tongues. Luke 2:51b "and his mother kept all these things in her heart."

Has it really been since mid-November since I have posted? YES! Life is just so hectic here, but Praise GOD we survive, even when the children seem to break something in our house daily. NO MORE JUMPING ON THE BED!!!! C is hiding under the desk as I type. She doesn't like to sit up on her own yet (still pushes a lot with her legs) but she can roll a long ways if she is interested. She laughs quite a bit and has learned to make a smacking noise at dinner time and when it's time to kiss the icons at prayers. She still says many "ma, ma, ma, mas" when she wants help and is eating lots more variety of solids.....getting big. J is not really interested in potty training even when coaxed by the offer of a big lolipop. Mom is tired of messy diapers. E was wearing big girl pants by now...even throught the night. oh boys!

So J is becoming quite the boy. He loves requesting any adult types around the house to play with him and he still likes playing with E most of the time. Here he is (before his haircut) playing with Uncle L's old blocks. He loves having a 'house' around him....he used to make mommy surround him with her legs as we sat on the floor so he could pretend he was in a house. Recently we checked out a bag of plastic dinosaurs from the library (way cool) and somehow the Tyranusaurus Rex would always be separated out and off looking for meat. (J noticed its big teeth and called him a 'mean guy'). Pictured here are the dinosaurs being ridden by Strawberry Shortcake and friends; a combination effort of E and J. We have hidden our small TV during this nativity fast and even though the kids still ask for videos occasionally we are finding their creativeness is already coming out. E has decided that 'duck, duck, goose' is a pretty fun game to play, even with one other person. C has been rolling around more and more, but not so good at sitting up yet. She thinks she is big enough to stand up and tries to push with her legs on the floor, hence pushing herself backwards to the floor. It will come, right? Can you tell what our kids have for snack almost every day?

Here's the big 5 year old! I didn't tell her to stand like that...she just has the grown up look now a days. Although we didn't have a party with small types this year, E did take iced animal crackers to school on her birthday and had cupcakes and ice cream with her sunday school class (her teacher planned it all and even bought her a new doll which she adores). We also had an angel food and ice cream night with Oma and Opa (mid-October), a cake celebration at Uncle D's and Aunt M's (yellow cake with PINK frosting and strawberries on top), and went to the Chocolate Cafe with Grandpa and N, Odo and Mr. J when they visited. On her actual b-day, we had a meal chosen by E and a small store-bought cake that I added her name to; we hit the street a bit late for trick or treating, but went to two of our neighbors and got a few treats. All in all, E had a great time and does act a bit older. She appreciates all the gifts she received and will soon get to buy a new 'something' with her birthday money, but still has to figure out which 'old' toy she will trade in for the new one. Gotta keep the house from overflowing, right? I really am amazed that E is now 5! Time is dancing away just like she is!

Happy days have been here for quite awhile...along with 2 colds that have cycled through the kids. I will soon post about E's 5th b-day and C turning 6 months. J needs a haircut (I'll try to put his pic up next time). We have had a number of visitors in the last few weeks and have enjoyed a few warmer days, but it looks like we are headed for colder times again. I just finished reading a simple telling of the life of Mother Teresa and am just amazed at how much God started through her obediance and how many lives have been affected positively because of her life. I can only pray that I would learn to be obediant to God in what he has for me everyday. Lord have mercy.

Here's E in her 'name parade' for preschool. It was the final touch to the name project in which they talked about all their names and chose a name for their class, etc. During the parade they chanted, "We are the tigers, the mighty, mighty tigers. Where we go people want to know who we are so we tell them...." and I had this chant stuck in my head for a long time. The sign she is carrying says 'are' on the other side (for we are the tigers). She seems to be enjoying school a little more now, but we have Oma and Opa visiting this week to help us and play so it's a bit hard for her to leave for school after lunch. Still, Oma will get to help in her classroom this friday afternoon. In this pic, E is also wearing a name sash and name crown and name necklace. Lots of fun with names!

I love that my children are each unique. It's amazing how many different expressions they can show on their faces. We have hard days with grumpy words and whiny times, but they are so precious and I thank God daily for the uniqueness they each bring to our family. At least the love out weighs all the hard times.

Do you ever have one of those weeks where most everything is going a normal, but at least once a day something wrong happens? Not EVERYTHING going wrong...just one or two things a day for a long stretch? That's my life right now. Today it was the downstairs toilet....leaking behind at the connection....I got the plumber's wrench out and fiddled with it....no leak now, but I did bump my head at least once in the process. Yesterday, J colored on the playroom floor and his jeans with markers. At least they were washable markers. (I won't go into everyday). BUT, last Friday, J gave C 'nurse-maids elbow' in the car. Basically, he pulled on her tiny arm wrenching it against her car-seat. I didn't actually know this happened right away (but I remembered when she first cried on the way to school-J admitting that he had bothered her) and figured it out from all that followed. (approximatly an hour later) I manipulated her arm the correct way and heard/felt the tiny 'pops' as her ligament when back into its proper place. Ouch. I felt so bad for her. She was complaining for a long time just trying to tell me. At least I figured it out without a huge ER bill. (this same arm thing happened to E when she was 2 and I remembered how to deal with it). We have since rearranged carseats and J does not sit next to C. This actually helps E (who sits in the middle now) to not get carsick on the way to church. Anyhow. Just wanted to show you a picture of my first plants in the back. Two coral bells (i think) and one fern in the middle. I think I might like some mums, too. Great time of year, isn't it?

Big things are happening around here. We've had mice. We got to visit aunts and uncles. AND J went poop on the big potty today! So far he really likes to be by himself in a corner (still), but today he was running around 'free' when he knew he needed to go and yippee we made it! Pictured on the left is E reading about the universe to C. On the right is Daddy being a camel. I think J is practicing so he can get a horsey ride at the zoo next time we go. ALSO, today C rolled over from her back to her tummy (at least 3 times) and that is big! She's been rolling from tummy to back for sometime now (2 months), but now she has mastered the umph and over! Yay C! E was not the happiest to go to school today, but we stopped at the duck park first to have a quick picnic and play and there were no tears on the drop off. E is writing a book on Flowers and Butterflies and Monkeys and Lions and Bees and Nectar (long title). And she keeps asking me, "Mom, how do you spell________?" She has now pretty much memorized the spelling of each of our names (and her cousin P's). She will have to work on patience in reading next. She'll be able to write books before she can read them. Well, it's almost dinner time. It's leftovers tonight. Wanna join us?

St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Mission. Sundays have been busy so far. We drive 50 miles to church each way and the kids don't like it, but really behave well considering. We enjoy the small parish of mostly converts and recently there have been lots of other young children there. Josh serves occasionally and also sings a bit in the choir as well as helping with the kids (very nice for me). We feel very welcome and the priest is wonderfully laid back and friendly. We hope to have a blessed time going here while finishing school.

J's favorite pajamas lately have been the cowboy jammies. He would wear them every night if we let him. I do enough laundry now with 3 kids to even ensure that they would be clean almost every night as well. At least E hasn't complained about not having any cowgirl jammies......yet.

Here she is....the blue-eyed wonder! C shows more and more effort in sitting up and being a big girl. She will be 4 months old this coming Sunday. Hard to believe, yet a welcome age. She is having less and less fussy tummy, but still seems to be sensitive to loud noises. Still haven't found a pediatrician yet so we don't know exactly how much C weighs, but she seems to be a dainty girl like her sister. Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters. (what movie is this from?) As you can see E loves her little sis. But honestly, I think C prefers J because he moves a bit slower and can be so sweet to her. Next blog I'll try to have a pic of him. Thanks again for the couch Mom. The kids love it.

E started school a few weeks ago and loved it the first three days. The fourth day her daddy forgot to give her a kiss goodbye when he dropped her off and she was a bit sad. So, she and a teacher wrote a note to daddy so that he would always remember to give her a big hug and kiss before he goes. (She always requests about 10 hugs and kisses from him before he leaves for 'work'). Then the following Monday E didn't want to go to school at all. "I'm not going to school today", she would tell me that morning. She took a long nap that afternoon instead. The next day was the same in the morning, but we went to school anyway and she was only a bit sad. The next day there was a storm of tears at the parting and the teacher almost had to pry her off me, but she willing went in the end with big tears and waves. This week has been much better as she celebrated her nameday and took some treats to share with her class and a note on how her parents named her and what saint she was named for. Today was an easy day dropping her off. She still says she doesn't really want to go somedays, but she likes it and she has some new friends that she always plays with. School days are here.

It was nice to see and be with my mom. She sure enjoyed talking and "ooooing" with C. We are glad that she came allllllll the way to see us!

Been a long while since I've posted....we all know why. Big move, new house, baby, 2 year old, 4 year old and new school for Daddy and E! Whew! Here is a picture of the beautiful new residence and we are slowly working out the small kinks in the house and trying to pull a few weeds in the process. (smile) I hope to plant a tree in the front. The city will reimburse you up to $125 a year to improve the view of your house from the street. Gotta get in on that one. Oma has already visited and got in on the weed and flower plan. She will be much help on the flower beds as time goes on. When she and Opa visit in October they plan to bring lots of clippings. Until then, I try to get a few weed roots pulled while watching the baby goo in her bouncy seat in the shade and keeping J from touching her with his very muddy hands and shoes. We have much mud in the back as we are trying to grow grass AND we have many nails, glass shards and dangerous particles in the yard to get rid of as the days go by. I feel like they do go by quickly. Hardly anytime to get all that needs to be done, DONE. Keep thinking of that ONE THING, right?
PS. That bump in the left front yard is E bending over.

J turned 2 this June and boy, is he getting big. E is now 32 lbs and he is closing in at 27lbs. I know there are plenty of bigger boys, but he's our BIG boy! His hair is getting so blonde with the summer sun and his smile is a big, happy one as always. We played at the playground on the morning of his b-day and he finally enjoyed going down the slides by himself. Yay, J! We had check-ups at the doctor's that afternoon for all the kids and ice cream as a treat for getting shots. (J didn't get any on his b-day, but both sisters did). Then we had a scrumptious salmon dinner that Daddy prepared (thanks to his godparents gift of salmon from their freezer!) and after that cake at the playground. After we trouped home and were getting ready for bed, I was helping C and Daddy was helping E. Out of the corner of my eye I saw J getting down from the kitchen table saying "I'm all done" and realized that he had helped himself to licking all the frosting on the top of the leftover cake that I had absent-mindedly set in his reach as I came in the door. Happy 2nd Birthday J!!!!

A picture of C on the day she first went to church (the eve of Pentecost, when I was churched.) Doesn't she look like she knows what is coming? Happy to go to God's house.

Here it is folks!
My official blog site. I am so excited to see if I actually keep it up and put pictures on it for the grandparents to see. This is a good start for a busy mama who is moving far away in less than 4 weeks. Whew! Guess I just needed a little something to blow off this packing mess steam. Here we go.