SAMUEL is HERE!!

We had a suprising night tuesday night and Wednesday morning!! Our new little guy decided to join us. It was kind of funny. I was laying in bed thinking about him and wondering when he would be born. There had been no contractions or anything exciting for a few days so I concluded that this would be the first baby of mine to make it to full term (another 3 weeks). Just as I thought that thought, pop....my water broke!! Funny, huh? Off to the hospital we went, and at 7:45 am, little Samuel James was born. He weighed 6lbs 8oz, has a full head of dark hair, and is sweet in every way. Welcome to the world, little guy!! You were worth the wait!

Adorable

Welcome, Little Brother!!

Here is the brotherly introduction. All of the boys were fascinated with the new little guy and couldn't believe just how tiny he was.

Cupcakes for the Chippy-Do!!

Look At You, Birthday Boy!!

When did he grow up? He was just the little guy!! Now he can put his shoes on by himself, eat more pancakes than his big brother, and be big like daddy.

Happy Birhtday, Andrew!!

All Andrew wanted for his birthday was to go to Chuck E. Cheese's, and have cupcakes!! So, here we are...celebrating our favorite 3year old. Happy Birthday, Andrew. We Love You!!

Happy Birthday, Isaac!!

Just yesterday, you were just my little 6 lb baby. Now you are so grown up..acting more and more like your daddy everyday. I can't believe you are riding your bike without training wheels and getting ready to start school. You are quite a little man, and I am so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Buck a Roo!!

Here's the cake

In case you can't tell....it's supposed to be a fire engine. It was my first attempt at a fancy cake. It would have been a disastorous if it had not been for my friend, Laura, coming over to save the day. The kids loved it and it tasted good. That's what counts.

Pinata

After the cake and icecream, we sent them to the garage for the pinata. Everyone had a good time and went home with a bounty of candy.

It's good to be an only child...for the day!!

Isaac and Andrew spent some time with Grandma, so Mommy and Levi had some fun. Levi loves brownies!!

Top 10 things I have me excited right now!

10.) WE HAVE A BACKYARD!! All the snow has melted from our backyard. It is so refreshing to look out there and not see an ocean of white.
9.) I CAN FEEL SPRING COMING!! OK, it's not here yet... but the sun has broken through a couple of times and we have had a few days of mid 40's.
8.) THE KIDS ARE HEALTHY!! YEAH...I have finally broken the bad habit of visiting the doctors office or urgent care at least twice a week.
7.) I AM RESTED!! or at least I get rest at night. Everybody is currently sleeping through the night.
6.) NEW BABY IS HEALTHY!! and I am over half way done....YEAH!!
5.) I CAN SEND THE KIDS OUTSIDE TO PLAY!!! and my house is cleaner, my nerves are calmer, and I have time to sit and crochet a new blanket.
4.) I AM THE CEO OF MY OWN HOUSE!! I am currently reading a book that applies business techniques to running a smooth and well organized home. It is very practical and has me inspired!!
3.) MY FAMILY EATS BROCCOLI!! I am on a nutrition kick. I am changing our eating habits and my family is adjusting nicely. We have introduced things like sprouted grain, hummus, lots of raw veggies, and fish. So far none of us has starved to death.
2.) MY HUSBAND LOVES ME!! Self-explanatory.
1.) DESPITE HARD FINANCIAL TIMES GOD IS FAITHFUL AND PROVIDING FOR US!!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER WHY I AM EXCITED RIGHT NOW IS........

***THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!!!****
I am enthralled with the knowledge that the God of the universe is a perfect God. He is Holy in all He does. He is the Sovereign King and the perfect judge of man. Because He administers perfect justice He has to condemn sinners to punishment. To do otherwise would make him a corrupt judge. This brings a great dilemma to man, because all man is sinful. Not one of us upholds God's perfect standard. All of us has broken God's law. In God's great court room, all of us can look forward to condemnation and punishment. It is the only fair and just verdict.
And then to realize that God, in his great mercy, sent his only son, in whom he loved dearly, to come to earth. He did this out of great love and compassion for us. Jesus went to the cross to bear our guilty verdict. He bore our sentence. God poured his wrath out on Jesus, so that I can stand justified. My sin is paid for. I am blameless in God's sight. I am guaranteed heaven.
My friends, this has me very excited. Please understand, I am not trying to evangelize people who don't know this (although that would be ok), but I want to remind you...my friends....the Christians of this. Our salvation was bought at a tremendous price. It is precious. I urge you to evaluate your life and make sure you are walking in a manner worthy of the high calling you have received. "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:10-11

Congradulation To Us!!!

It's a BOY!!!! We had the ultrasound today and found out that I will continue to be the minority in a growing population of men. Everything is healthy and doing great.

Homeschooling Help!!

Hello Friends. I am once again asking you to participate in a discussion. I am currently researching homeschool curriculum and it is really overwhelming!! Every options has pros and cons. If you have any ideas or have tried something, would you let me know? I have looked into Veritas's phonics museum ,Sonlight for kindergarten, Math U See, and Tapestry of Grace. They all look good on the Internet, but all of them have negative reviews somewhere. It is hard to tell with out trying them all out. If you have any experience with any of these, or have liked something else, I would really appreciate a comment. Thanks.

Time to clean!!

I decided I can't do it all the time, all on my own. So I had a brilliant idea.....Why don't I get my little minions to help me? I went out and bought them each their own pair of cleaning gloves (they thought they were superhero costumes), and we had a cleaning spree. It was great!! I highly recommend this for little boys. Because, as you know if you have more than one, if they are not being productive....they are being destructive. And they are really good at both.

Helpers

Here they are scrubbing the floor. They did really well, and they thought it was fun!!

What would you do.....

My friend and I were talking on the phone the other day and she brought up an interesting delima. It is one that I'm sure all mothers of little kids experience. I am writing this blog to get your input on it. Let's have a little discussion. OK, here it is. An acquaintance of my friend called her up and asked her if she likes "drop in" company or if she prefer advanced notice. Now being the sweet person that my friend is she wanted to be available for ministering to anyone just on a whim. But... the reality is that she is a mom of little children and you know that it is impossible to keep your house "company clean" all the time. She was in a pickle. She wants to be available for people whenever, but struggles with the embarrassment of surprise visitors seeing her dust bunnies. We are called to love people, but we are also called to be keepers of the home. Don't you think a lot of of see our untidy houses as a reflections of ourselves personally? What would you say? Is it ok to say you would prefer a call first? Anybody have any good ideas on how to manage housekeeping and little kids? What do you think about this tension in general? Is it pride, is it legitimate? Got any solutions? Love to here from you.

It's so fun to play in the snow!!

More snow

Today we hit 76 inches of snow accumulation in Spokane. That equates to approx. 3 feet of snow on the ground with 7 foot snow banks.

This is a lot of snow!

Cute, Cute, Cute

I think I already have a few other blogs with the same title. But really, there are no other words that sum it up so well!