A Big Blessing!

We’ve got some fun family news to share…but first, just a little update on the children and mommie and daddy: 

Hannah has been teething like crazy and chewing on everything.  She’s right on time as our other children both started this at 4-5 months.  All she wants to do is eat.  We started her on baby cereal just a few days ago.  She really enjoys it and smiles after each bite.  I remember tasting that stuff when feeding one of the children one time, just to see what it was like.  I definitely didn’t smile after that bite!!!  But I guess she’s only ever had milk, so she doesn’t know any better.  I’m very excited to start using my new Baby Bullet! 

First Baby Cereal Experience

She just couldn't resist chewing on this
container of frozen cool whip.

Audrey’s favorite things lately are balls and cows.  She loves to play with a ball, and anything round is a ball to her.  She loves to see them in books, in stores, even looking at the window and seeing our dogs ball gets her very excited.  And she’s always got her eyes on our cows.  She is talking more and more and her words are becoming very clear.  She loves to help with any chore you give her.  She can get a little excessive at times, though.  If I ask her to bring me a blanket for Hannah, she’ll bring me 10.  Tonight I painted her toenails.  She loved getting pampered.  After I was done she couldn’t stop looking at her feet. 

Roen is still Roen; busy as always.  Still building with legos and playing with tractors.  This week he is working to memorize the verse Hebrews 3:4 “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.”  He’s pretty much got it down.

Roen made this "four wheeler" all by himself.

Momma had a weird day today.  I was feeling very overwhelmed.  I think it was mostly due to the fact that last night the girls took turns waking up and fussing all throughout the night, so I got very little sleep.  Also, yesterday marked 5 months since my brother’s death.  I don’t sit around waiting for that time each month and plan for it to be a downer, but it just happens.  Not sure why it just hit me today because I thought about it all day yesterday.  Hopefully tonight I’ll get some much needed rest.

Daddy had great news as he got to come home half a day early yesterday!  He had a meeting early with his bosses and they offered him a promotion!!  He is now Farm Supervisor! :-D  I’m so proud of him!!  He works very hard, and I’m glad it didn’t go unnoticed.  He has a lot more responsibility on his hands now, but he loves a challenge and he loves to please people.  I know he’ll do great.  Today Derek had another day off, because he was on overtime.  It wasn’t really a day off, though.  He had lots of other “jobs” that he had to do.  Also, he’s not feeling well, and didn’t get much rest today to recover.  I’m so glad about his great news!!  I had been praying for a long time that God would send some kind of encouragement to him.  I think this was it!  Praise God for answered prayers! :]

We've all just been working together preparing for this "big storm" we're supposed to get.  We've been waiting all day for it to start.  I'm actually kind of excited for a good snow!  And I don't even like winter!

Sunday Update - Week of Photos

Just another friendly family update! 

This week has been great as far as buy/sell/trade sales!  I’m so thankful that God is blessing that little business endeavor of ours.  It has made for some late nights though, staying up after the children go to bed trying to get photos taken and sale items posted…  It’s important to not get carried away.  Take a look at the thermometer and see how it’s moving up, up, up!!  Doggies, here we come! :]

Yesterday we decided we needed to get the children out of the house.  It’s been awhile for them.  I suggested going to a restaurant that had a play place so they could climb around and wear off some energy.  We took Derek’s grandma, Muriel, with us.  We really enjoy spending time with her.  She already ate supper, but we were heading to McDonald’s, so she got dessert. 

First, we had to stop at one of my all-time-fav stores, Hobby Lobby.  They were having a paper sale, so I stocked up for my custom monograms.  I’m soo excited to get started on those.  Anyway, I spent probably way too much money on paper, but I know I’ll make it all back eventually.

We got to McDonald’s a little later than we would have liked to.  We had to eat quick so the kids could play before the Play Place closed.  Roen was pretty nervous to climb up all by himself, so Audrey and I showed him how.  He’s a little self-conscious and kind of nervous about trying new things.  We’re really trying to work on building him up a little more.  We got to the top and it was all tunnels and Audrey wasn’t having it.  She screamed and cried.  I got her to the twirly slide and we went down.  She tried to act tough when we got to the bottom.  Roen went down with me next.  After he explored a little he was much more confident and happily played by himself.  Audrey went back up with her daddy, but she clung to his chest like a baby koala!!  I would have taken pictures, but the battery on Derek’s phone was too low.  Bummer.  Roen didn’t want to leave, but unfortunately we got booted out.  Not really.  It was just 9pm and time to go.  It was a nice little family adventure. 

I’ve started working on some pre-made monograms to sell.  My cousin, Leatha, invited me to participate in a great fundraiser idea for her son, Cole.  He was born early at 29 weeks and has been fighting like a little champ!  They finally got to bring him home.  The fundraiser is a vendor fair put on by a friend of hers.  It’s sometime in March in Fort Dodge.  All her friend asks is that vendors give a portion, like 10%, of their profit to help Cole with medical needs/equipment.  I thought that was a great idea, and I would be honored to help.  So I’m trying to get some pieces, hopefully LOTS of pieces, done for the fair.  You could help by visiting and purchasing.  I’ll fill you in on the real details when I get them.

Soon, soon, soon I’ll be taking orders for custom monograms.  I’m just trying to set up an easy-to-understand order process.  I’ll fill you in on that too, when it’s ready. 

We had no church again this morning due to the ice and rain we just got.  It’s so far been a nice day to spend together.  Earlier this week I wrote a very special, personal song for Taylor.  It’s to the tune of Taylor Swift’s song Ronan about a little boy who died of cancer.  I sang it for Derek today for the first time.  It was pretty emotional.  I want to share it at another time, a very special time, but I can’t discuss that just yet. 

I hope everyone had a great week!  Enjoy these fun photos of our family…Oh, by the way, don’t forget to check back tomorrow, it’s Something I Made Monday!!

Audrey likes to play with only the lego tires
and this "guy!" as she calls him.

Brother and Sister playing together

This is Roen playing "thrifting". 
He's got two chairs, a toilet, and two babies crammed in the back of an suv. 

Hopefully I never become so desparate to make space for my finds
that I make my children ride on the tailgate...

Daddy & Hannah snuggling.  She's another Daddy's Girl.
Nice 'stache, Daddy ;]

Week of Photos

Near the end of every week I'll post a big old bunch of photos from the past 7 days as kind of a review.  Hope you enjoy! 

      Audrey Lee, 19 months

Crazy-Hair Audrey!  This little girl is a ball of laughs!  She cracks me up.  I tell people this all the time, but she is the funniest little kid I've ever met!  She's also very sweet.  She loves her brother and her baby sister very much.  She's daddy's girl all the way.  This week she has wanted to sleep with her 2 favorite baby dolls at every nap and every bedtime.  She is going potty on the potty off and on, she's being kinda stubborn about it.  She's learning to say new words all the time.  It's really fun because she can understand directions and fetch things for Momma!  :D

               Roen Scott, 3 yrs

My boy, Roen.  He's been loving his new books, playing with his friend, "Buddy", building with legos, and playing with his tractors and trucks.  He's helped me make breakfast many times this week.  He toasts our bread, and spreads the peanut butter and jelly.  He likes to add raisins on there, too.  He's having a lot of fun with a squirt gun that he found in the basement one day.  Daddy lets him play with it in the shower. 

Hannah Grace, 4 months

This little sweetie is really starting to reach out and grab for things.  Her eye-hand coordination is really improving.  She wants to grab and hold and suck on anything.  She has a favorite rattle that she loves to play with, it's silver and very shiny, I think that's why she likes it so much.  She doesn't like to lay down flat or lay back in a bouncer for very long, she likes to sit up and see what's going on.  The Bumbo is really helping strengthen her back.  I think she'll be sitting up on her own looong before my other children did.  She loves to kick one leg all the time, too.