Today, I'm Glad..............

- that the kids wished me happy birthday as soon as they woke up.

- that Craig bought me a card & had the kids sign it.

- that when the kids were fighting this morning all I had to do was say, "It's my birthday" & then I got two prompt replies of "Sorry mama".

- I heard Micah explaining to Ayla how to be a good friend. She had been talking about a boy in her class that was sad, because no one would play with him.

- to have two kids in school & a sleeping baby. I have two new magazines to look at & the perfect excuse to be lazy & look at them. Hey, it's my birthday & I can lounge if I want to!

Personality

Yeah. It's not lacking in this child. Unfortunately her exuberance made this a pretty difficult photo shoot. I think we'll have to try again another day. I'm starting to think those school photographer's earn their money after all.

To Nap Or Not To Nap

That is the question. Today & every day. I. have. so. much. to. do. Like load upon load of laundry. A large pile of mail to go through & bills to be paid. Many thank you notes to write, address & mail. A very messy playroom. I know that's not really my problem, but it will never ever get cleaned unless I am involved in the process. Actually I want to weed out the coloring books, puzzles, games & art supplies. We have ridiculous amounts of all that stuff. Of course there is a ton of outside work to be done yet. And I have left-over mashed potatoes in the fridge which means that I really should make potato rolls. But, I really, really want to take a nap. My husband really, really wants to go hunting again tonight. And so, I think if he doesn't care about all that needs to be done then why should I?

Family Weekend

Reading our new Skippy Jon Jones book to the kiddos.

Mom with her grand kids.

Ayla & Lexie. The kids got along great this time. They are all finally at the age where they can play games & have lots of fun together. Lexie is my cousin Chad's daughter. It's fun to watch our kids play together & remember all the fun times we had when we were that age.

I just had to post this photo of Mom, because she looks so happy. Whenever the baby needed to be held she was right there. She was even bragging about how good she is at quieting her down. I asked her when she's planning to move in!

My brother and Aunt Tonia were here too. Other than the fact that Seth wasn't feeling well we had a nice relaxing weekend. It was cold enough for a couple of fires, but nice enough during the day for outside work. My husband was happy to hunt to his heart's content knowing that I had lots of extra help in the house. The weekend went far too fast. It always does when it includes time spent with loved ones. We can't wait to see you all again.

What Do You Think?

I just took this photo of Micah. I'm thinking of using it for his first grade picture, since I'm far too cheap to pay the school photographer.

Happy Boy

I just noticed that his back teeth are dirty. I remember that he hurriedly finished chewing something right before I took this photo...oops!

Too Tired To Do A Proper Post

Micah lost his first tooth this week. I do have photos of his now toothless grin. I promise to get one up as soon as I'm feeling more ambitious. He was so happy to join the missing tooth club. I have to admit that my first response was a sharp pang of sadness. After all he grew that tooth when he was a deliciously chubby & happy 4 month old. What happened to my first baby? How did he get so big so fast?
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Yesterday was a terrible day with the baby. She fussed all day long unless someone was holding her. Of course I happened to be busy yesterday. We had bible study here last night so I was trying to make my house somewhat presentable. Luckily Melanie offered to come over & hold her so I could get some stuff done without hauling baby around in the sling. The baby seems to have a problem with pooping. I'm guessing that's why she was fussy. She has a tendency to go days in between poops. My other kids went at least five times a day! I took her to the chiropractor two weeks ago & that helped. I guess it's time for another visit.
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I can squeeze into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes!!! Granted they don't fit correctly, but at least I can get them on. It felt so good to pack up all that maternity stuff. I guess that means I'm done having kids. I didn't feel the least bit nostalgic. I truly enjoyed separating the clothes into give away piles. Maybe it helps to think of a couple of friends experiencing the joy of their first pregnancies. I promise the clothes are coming soon, Ina. I just need to wash one more skirt!
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I can think of many more things to blather on about, but it's time to wake the kids up for school. Time to tell them over & over again to get dressed & quit fighting. Time to get them their cereal & re-fill their bowls until their little tummies are full. Time to make Micah's lunch & Ayla's snack. Time to try to fix Ayla's hair while she's eating, hoping that she's distracted enough to not fuss & pretend that it hurts. Time to change a diaper & get the baby into the car seat while praying that she stays sleeping through the process. Oh yeah & I guess I need to get out of my robe & maybe try to fix my wild curls a bit. Wish me luck!

The Girls

Can You Say Obsession?

I'm talking about my husband. He's obsessed. Or possessed. Or something. Every single Autumn all we hear about is hunting.

Now he has the kids just as obsessed. He's already working on the baby. She's not yet three weeks old & she has a camo outfit already. Even though I have two girls I'm outnumbered when it comes to this particular activity.

Pink boots. Gotta add a girly touch to the hunting ensemble, don'cha know?

A Few Of My Favorite Things

The first of our trees to change colors.

My sweet new cuddle bug.

Roasting veggies for supper. All of them fresh from our garden.

My nursing/reading corner in our bedroom.

The best apples our tree has produced yet.

Our ever growing piles of wood & building fires in our stove these past few chilly nights.