Last Day of February Daybook

Outside My Window... gray and gloomy after last night's big thunder storms.

I'm Listening to... Dora on TV, Anna and Nate playing Legos, and Zoe chatting while eating her breakfast.

I'm Wearing... once again my uniform...gray long sleeve T-shirt, black yoga pants and slippers.

I'm Grateful for... a good nights rest

I'm Pondering...

"Growth demands a temporary surrender of security." -- Gail Sheehy

I'm Reading...

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I'm Thinking... today is a new day. Lots and lots of things are on my mind. I crave someone to talk through things with, but just this morning, God reminded me that I don't need anyone else, I just need Him. That He is more than enough for me. Lord, today when I feel like I need to talk with others, help me to come to you FIRST!

I'm Creating... a pretty big to-do list for the week, plus a grocery list and a list of meals for the week.

I'm Hoping and Praying...

*Health for our family as we were hit with a stomach bug on Friday. Everyone seems well,

but that God would protect those who didn't get it.

*For God to reveal His will for us in a few different areas.

*Wisdom

Around the House... getting closets organized this week, only our is left to do. It is a tad overwhelming.

From the Kitchen... I am working on my grocery list and will head to the store either tonight after small group or tomorrow morning. Because I haven't gone yet, I still need to decide what we will eat tonight. I am getting tired of the same old things. Oh yeah, I am making Carmel Chocolate Fondu for small group tonight.

Weekly Menu...

Monday - ?

Tuesday - Ham, Cheesy potatoes, veg

Wednesday - Hot dogs in crescent rolls, french fries, salad

Thursday - Lentil Curry

Friday - Tacos, applesauce

Saturday - Frozen Pizza

*the order, or even menu, could possibly change, as I not completely satisfied with it yet.

One of my favorite things... fresh beginnings on a Monday morning.

A Few Plans for the rest of the week... groceries, girls haircuts on Wednesday, Kindergarten registration on Thursday plus the usual cleaning, laundry and hopefully to get some motivation to get some organizing done.

Picture thoughts...

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl was a couple of weeks back and I thought I would share a few photos. Since we have moved back to the USA , the boys are loving football (American football). They all have their favorite teams and they all love playing, especially playing with dad. This winter they have cleared out a large space in the basement where they have their own field. They have named this game basement football. They are down there most nights playing. They are always looking for an audience, but mom and grandma's don't give in anymore. They are really rough and someone usually ends up crying. I've deemed basement football, Dad's territory.

This year the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers played in the Super Bowl. Cason is our die hard Packers fan. You can see from his jersey and the fact that he got green and yellow rubber bands for his braces the last time he went to the Orthodontist. Andrew is a Chicago Bears fan, so the game two weeks earlier was more fun for both of them. The Packers and the Bears played each other in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl. Needless to say, the Packers won. Since the Bears weren't in the Super Bowl, Andrew cheered for the Steelers, just to go against the crowd. Although, Uncle Mark cheered with him as the Steelers are his favorite team.

For the Super Bowl, we had a bit of a party...lots of snacks, two grandmas, one grandpa and one uncle. We did end up making the kids go to bed before the game was over since it was a school night, but we did record it for them. They promptly got up the next morning and finished the game. Cason ended up being a very happy camper since the Packers won the Super Bowl this year.

It was a great night and great to see the boys so excited for a game and so dedicated to their team.

Leah is Six !

This week we celebrated Leah's sixth birthday. It is so hard to believe. She is our "holiday" girl, so we had to be extra careful to make her day special. The day before we made pink cupcakes for her to take to school for her birthday. She really enjoyed decorating them with sprinkles. Another special thing for her birthday is that my mom was here to help celebrate it with us.

Leah decided that she wanted to buy a cake for her birthday, instead of me making one for her. So after she got home from school that day, we headed off to the grocery store to pick out a cake, as seen below. After we found her cake, I decided it would be fun to take her to McDonald's for lunch. She loved it.

We also told Leah she could pick what we would have for dinner. Her choice was macaroni and cheese, chicken breasts and I added broccoli to it. It was an easy and kid friendly.

Leah is turning into such a young lady and we are so proud of her. On her birthday, we celebrate Leah and are so thankful God chose to bless us with our first daughter. Happy Birthday, Leah!

My big Birthday Girl

Leah showing off the castle she built with her grandma. Thanks, Aunt Laura, the crafty things were a hit.

A Winter Daybook

Outside My Window

another cold, cold day, but the sun is shining beautifully!

I am Listening to

The kids and grandma playing Old Maid

I am Wearing

I actually put real clothes on today (I had to run into school to drop off cupcakes and go to the book fair with Leah). Wide leg jeans, brown belt, brown longsleeve t-shirt and my slippers (when I go out, my dark brown Uggs)

I am so Grateful for

*my very generous in-laws

*time with my mom

*a box of new crayons

*a sweet little girl who is 6 today

*easy dinners

*the end of homework time

*the sunshine

*good books

*forgiveness

*reconciliation

I'm Pondering -

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time.

Vision with action can change the world." --Joel Barker

I am Reading -

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns ( a life changing book and oh, so good, so good that I don't want to finish it as I feel like I will forget about all the meat therein).

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (another life changing book, have to read it slow to soak it all in.)

I am Thinking

It is so great to be healthy again, or at least mostly. I still have a cough, though. I haven't been here in

a couple weeks due to Strep Throat striking me and the boys again.

I am Creating

a couple baby gifts for friends, pillows to decorate the girls beds (at least I hope to, the fabric is

all washed and ready to go. Now for time to sit down at the sewing machine. It probably won't

happen until the end of the week.)

I am Hoping and Praying

HEALTH for the rest of the winter. To seek God consistently and to know His will.

Around the House

Birthday for a special girl today. A little Valentine's decorating.

From the Kitchen

Monday - Chicken soft tacos, grandma's homemade guacamole (yum!)

Tuesday - Macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, broccoli (birthday girls choice)

Wednesday - Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad

Thursday - Chop Suey, Rice, salad (grandma's cooking)

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - Chili (possibly)

One of My Favorite Things

Children's excitement for their birthday.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week

Birthday plans today. Annual check-ups for the baby and the three year old tomorrow. Shopping

with the little ones and grandma and some sewing at the end of the week.

Picture thoughts

Zoe's First Birthday

I really don't know where the last year has gone to. It feels like I have just blinked my eyes and my baby is one year old. Zoe is such a delight to our entire family. It is rare for her not to have a smile on her face. She eats absolutely everything, which is such a relief since her bigger brother Nate will not touch a vegetable. She is also quite the comedian at the table, able to get everyone's eyes focused on her and laughing at her. We often time have votes while we are at the table and the kids raise their hands with their opinions. Well, Zoe can now be found raising her two little hands along with the rest of them.

Zoe isn't walking yet, but she is beginning to push things around the house. She got a little baby doll stroller/walker for her birthday and she is constantly pushing it around. She just stuffs her baby in and off she goes.

Zoe is also quite the daddy's girl (more than our other girls have been). When he walks into the house and she hears his voice, she crawls quickly to wherever he is. If he doesn't pick her up immediately, for instance if he goes to hang up his jacket, she breaks down and cries hysterically. She acts as if he has just broken her little heart. It is priceless.

Since it was a snow day and mom wasn't feeling all the way better from Strep, we decided to do Birthday Pie!

I don't think Zoe minded one bit!

Peaking into the empty box from her birthday gift

Now that she is one, she has a new trick...Climbing. Oh, dear!

Pushing her baby around

Throwing a fit/tantrum when daddy didn't pick her up as soon as he walked in.

Snow Day(s)

It begins - February 1, 2011

Snowmageddon, Snowpoclayse and Blizzard 2011 are a few of names they have come up with for the storm that went through our area yesterday, last night and into this morning. We had a potential for up to 22 inches of snow before the storm was all said and done with. Needless to say, school was closed yesterday and today. Yesterday morning, I was wondering if they shouldn't have had school since it didn't start snowing until around noon. Very quickly, though, I realized why. Once it started, the snow was coming down anywhere from 1-3 inches an hour. Steve, thankfully, left work around 12:30 and made it home safely. He said conditions were pretty yucky with a few white out conditions.

The kids played out in the snow most of the afternoon. The snow and the wind were blowing like crazy, but they loved it. After dinner and being begged much by the kids, Steve went out and played with the kids for a bit. That is until they heard the snow thunder, or Snunder as Steve likes to call it. Then it didn't take them long at all to come running inside. The lightning and thunder was crazy. You would have to see it to believe it.

We all went to bed listening to the wind and the snow howl against the house, all the while praying for no power outages.

Out our back door the morning of February 2, 2011

A snowdrift bigger than Leah

As the kids woke up this morning, they rushed the the patio door and pulled back the curtain to see how big the drift out the door had gotten. The drift had gotten to at least 3 feet high. They quickly ate their breakfast and they were out the door once again to play in the snow. After a bit, Steve headed out to begin shoveling the driveway. He spent the next 2 1/2-3 hours out there. Thankfully, one of our neighbors let Steve use his snow blower, but it was still slow-going. The plowback at the end of the driveway was as wide as our van is long and it was just over Steve's knees in depth.

Not just snow, but wind too.

Zoe keeping nice and warm eating her birthday breakfast, while the others play outside behind her.

Nathanael had his go too, he didn't last out very long.

The snow is a tad too deep for a little guy.

As I sit and type, the snowplows have gone through the neighborhood a couple more times and Steve is back out there clearing the plow back. I've been wanting to get out there so badly today and help, but I was diagnosed with Strep Throat again on Sunday and I still don't feel well. So my job, during these snow days, is to keep everyone fed, to hang up all the wet outdoor clothing, to watch from the window and to care for the little ones. This isn't too bad though, I am staying nice and warm.

Cason working hard shoveling the plowback.

Cason's tunnel

Steve snow blowing

Our town has come in with a total of 14.4 inches. This is a pretty significant amount for this area. I don't ever remember getting this much here. Records were broken. This is definitely one winter and storm we won't forget. The kids are in Snow Heaven. Now we just have to wait and see if there will be school tomorrow. I am pretty sure there will be, if not I better come up with a plan to keep the seven busy so they don't get too bored.

The mailbox before

and after

Tristan standing above the mailbox

Still working hard

I began writing this blog earlier in the day today. We just found out a couple of hours ago that school is once again canceled for tomorrow. We are supposed to have some very cold weather too. I don't know how much the kids will be outside. I need to get myself all geared up with some plans so we all don't go nuts. I think we will maybe make cookies, play games, read some books and probably watch some tv. Hey, we've got to make the most of our snow days!