It's great to be 

                                        8
This handsome young man just turned 8, and boy is he excited!! He gets to be baptized AND he gets to be in scouts now.

When Hannah does her Hair                                

I spent nearly all day getting this out!! I oiled, and picked at this strand by strand between feeding a  baby, changing diapers, and picking Sarah up from school.
I almost had to get the scissors out and give the girls a bald spot.

It's good to be confidant!

Sarah recently had mismatch day at school. Sarah was so excited to finally participate in such an event. She's watched Caden participate in these fun school events for the past two years and it is finally her turn. Sarah carefully selected the most mismatched outfit and laid it out the night before. 

Very daring selection, don't you think? 

When I went to pick her up from school, I noticed that everyone looked pretty normal. I asked her if everyone else dressed up. She said only one other kid had mismatched pants and shirt, but their shoes matched. 

I asked her if she felt embarrassed being like that all day (I sure as heck would have felt silly!). 

She said - of course she didn't and why would she?

Confidant little thing isn't she?

Principal's Pride

 Sarah got Principal's pride at school this month. We were so proud of her.

Sarah with her principal

Sarah with her teacher Mrs. Connelly. She said Sarah has been working really hard.

What do you do..........

When you get snowed in at the cabin? 

Swim of course!!!!!!!

And relax..........

We stayed in a cabin over the Christmas break that had a geothermal swimming pool. It was amazing!!! It snowed over 2 feet while we were there. We couldn't really go anywhere, but we were fine with that! We spent all day relaxing, playing in the snow by the cabin,, and SWIMMING, swimming, sWiMMiNg!

This is how Sarah insisted on dressing because she wanted to be ready to swim at all times! 

Daddy had to shovel right outside our door every few hours so we could make it to the pool.

The girls thought it was a lot of fun to roll around in the snow before jumping into the pool. I had  a hard enough time walking from the cabin to the pool  )about 3 feet). I don't know how they did it.

Scott made a slide out of the snow pile in front of the back door that the kids could sled off of and into the pool. 

There was a snow plow or tractor in front of our house several times a day 

Caden and Zach had fun dunking each other

. 

Do you see the shadow under Caden's sled? He got some good air!

Sarah was so happy to sled! She was speedy fast until she sledded right into her friend. It was a huge crash. After about an hour of taking it easy on the hill she got her confidence back and we could hardly get her to leave. 

This little dog wandered into our cabin during the blizzard. We couldn't take our dog, so the kids loved having this little friend. His name was Manny. Hannah asked me several times to make sure and write that down because she said she didn't ever want to forget that name.
We called the owner to come get her dog. She said she lived over a mile away and couldn't come because she was snowed in. She had to have someone come plow her driveway so she could get her car out. 

Because we couldn't leave the cabin, Scott made a hill with all the snow that was piled up along the deck. 

I think staying at this wonderful place will become a tradition!!
Every mother of a new born should have this experience.

Looking back to Christmas.

I can't believe we are already half way into January. Here are some of the fun things

we did this Christmas.

Mr. Peeps made his usual appearance the day after Thanksgiving. An interesting thing happened this year though. The kids were so awful a getting to bed so he did go away for a couple days. They searched and searched all over for him. Finally, 2 days later he showed up with pj's and a note that said he had to leave because he was way too tired from staying up so late waiting for them to go to bed every night. He had also spent some time while he was away convincing Santa to still visit our house. What a nice elf!

Christmas eve

Mr Peeps left blankets for the kids, and even Shy too. Thanks Mr. Peeps! They also opened up their traditional Christmas eve gift. It is always something fun our family can do together that night. We got a Wii game, Just Dance. It is such a riot to see the kids dance to it. Hannah is so cute!

Sarah tries out her new sewing machine

The kids put on a wonderful nativity play for us!!!

Hannah sang the cutest song she made up.

Christmas morning

The kids are all so excited to come down

Shy loves her new bed and toy from Santa

Caden is so happy to get the last of Wimpy Kid books. He loves those books and is such a reader. He finished the whole book over the break.

He also got a DS which he was really excited about.

Sarah is excited about her DS

Hannah is so excited about the candy cane she found in her stocking. It doesn't take much to make that girl happy.

Grandma and Grandpa's

Sarah got a sewing machine from both Grandma's this year! She is so excited. They both know her so well!

Answered Prayers

Last night as I went to bed, (LATE after trying to get my sweet little baby down for the night) I sighed deeply knowing that I was going to bed while my house was a complete wreck!!! I dreaded the mess that would greet me in the morning.

My prayers went something like this,

"Please help me find a way to get my house clean. I can't take the mess any more. I really need my house clean SOON!!!!"

I woke up this morning, walked down stairs........

yup, still a mess.

It's okay, I guess I wasn't expecting a HUGE miracle. I just need the time and energy to get it done.

I started working on things. Sophia thinks that is a bad idea. She would rather be held all day. CAN"T GET CLEANING DONE THAT WAY!

I decide that I should put her in the baby pack, that way I can walk around and have my hands free, except she DOES NOT like it when I bend down. That disrupts her sleep!

Maybe a maid is the answer to my prayers!

I wait and wait for a knock at my door and a nice gal from one of those places like Merry Maids, ready to tackle my mess.

No Merry Maids.

I got two phone calls today, from two different friends I don't talk to on the phone very often. They wanted to know how things were going. They were so sweet to let me vent and vent!

Between the two conversations this is what I got today.

• It is okay-and very normal to fall behind.
• Things will eventually get back to normal.
• Cherish the moments with my kids, because when they are all older and out of the house, I will have LOTS of time to clean my EMPTY house.

When I got off the phone, I felt so much better! I kissed little Sophie on the head (which was pretty easy to do because she was still attached to me in the baby pack).

God does hear and answer our prayers. It's not always the way we want (a maid) and it is often through other people. I'm sure he could have sent a whole crew of maids to get my house back in perfect order, but I have kids, by next week it would be a total wreck again and I'd be in the same place.

I know God loves us and he is aware of my needs because I am surrounded by such wonderful people that do and say just what I need.

Happy 1 month Birthday little Soph!

We absolutely adore you!!

Here are some of the things you/we have learned and accomplished.

(this is several posts in one, so very long!)

Cozy warm little glow worm.

Because we could not get your billi levels to come down on their own, you had to spend the first two weeks of your life under the billi lights or with a billi blanket up your back. One thing you didn't learn is how to maintain your own body temperature (At your 2 wk Dr. apt your temp was only 96.1. The nurse freaked out and put your blanket in the dryer and had me wrap you up in it. I told them it was because they made yo LIVE under the Billi lights. Then the Dr. said to put your hat on you. I felt very embarrassed to tell her that I did not bring a hat for you. Ooops!). One thing you DID learn is how to have a little temper tantrum and rip the eye protection right off your little eyes!!!!

Photo shoot

You were so patient as your even MORE patient aunt Dawn took many lovely pics of you.

Thank you!

Lots of pricks on your feet. I think you had to go in 8 times to get your blood drawn.

Don't cry over spilled milk!!!

On your 1 month birthday I took you to a Dr. appointment to figure out why nursing just isn't working for you. Turns out you have "pinched jaw". Your little jaw is so tight which doesn't allow your tongue to move forward as it should for nursing. I have been bottle feeding AND pumping to keep my milk production while we tried to get this resolved. Turns out although I was nursing you, you weren't really getting much. That is why the billi levels wouldn't go down and why you lost some weight.

The Dr. told me that the only way nursing would ever work was with therapy (that our insurance does not cover) and LOTS more pumping to keep milk production. (not to mention all the ointment applications and medicine to clear our thrush and my mastitis!). She painted a pretty grim picture and told me that it might be best to just switch to the bottle.

I cried the whole way home!!!! I tried to tell myself that it's just milk, who cares where it comes from!?! But I just LOVE nursing my little babies! It's something special that only I can do.

Hannah fed you your first bottle. You just loved it! It was probably nice to actually get sufficient nutrition in you. After 2 weeks of this though, your tiny little cheeks aren't so tiny anymore. At one month you've got the pudgy little, I-wanna-squeeze-and-kiss kind.

First bath

Took lots of naps with mommy....and Shy

Shy just loves you. She likes to be right near you and has already become very protective of you. She worries when you cry and likes to be right at your side when I feed you, change diapers or take naps.

Became an instant BSU fan!!!!

We learned that it is EVEN HARDER to get a decent family pic when you ad one more to the mix.

Instant lead role in the nativity play when you are born in December!!

Lot's and lots of LOVE and visits from friends and family

Caden just adores you and holds you whenever he can. He has even learned how to eat dinner while holding you. He will make an incredible dad someday.

Sarah sometimes thinks you are her "Baby Alive".

First Christmas

and almost getting lost in the pile of toys and gifts!

First vacation!

All bundled up for sledding. We went to a cabin the day after Christmas. It was heavenly!!! Because I had NO real responsibilities, and.....

We got snowed in, I spent hours just holding you, kissing your cheeks and spoiling you. Every mom should get that chance. December turned out to be a good month to have a sweet little baby.

Our cabin had a pool, so while you slept, we spent many hours n the pool.

Happy 1 month Sophia!!! We love you so.