Amelia is "3"

From her first "Daddy/Daughter Date" at Olive Garden

Amelia turned "3" almost 2 months ago and I finally got a chance to ask her a set of 20 questions, here are her answers.

As you can see, she is rarely serious.

1. What is your favorite color? Red
2. What is your favorite toy? my pink crown that's really pretty
3. What is your favorite fruit? 'trawberries
4. What is your favorite tv show? Barbie in Swan Lake
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? chocolate milk and samiches
6. What is your favorite outfit? my two favorite dresses, the pink one and my 'now white one
7. What is your favorite game? cooties
8. What is your favorite snack? raisins
9. What is your favorite animal? a cow is my favorite animal, I will buy one with you
10. What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me
11. What is your favorite book? the, the, the, this kangaroo book (Does a Kangaroo have a Mother, too?)
12. Who is your best friend? Wyatt
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms, I like that cereal
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? pick flolers (flowers)
15. What is your favorite drink? soda
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? bears
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereals
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? a big pink dinosaur
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a dad
• No, you can't be a dad. What do you want to be when you are bigger? a dinosaur
• dNo, you can't be a dinosaur. What do you want to be when you are bigger? a fish

Stats - I forgot to write these down but she was around 39" and 31lbs.

Some things that she's doing:

• She can write a few of her letters.
• She LOVES to draw, look at books and color.
• She can make her bed.
• She can brush her own hair (and do a good job).
• She can get herself dressed.
• She loves to talk but struggles with a few blends and words, such as:
• Tomatoes are bematoes
• Potatoes are betatoes
• Mosquitos are baquitos
• She doesn't pronouce the "s" in any word that starts with an "s" followed directly by a consonant, like 'tick, 'ticker, 'trawberry, 'nack, 'pider, etc.
• She is daytime toilet trained.

Sofia is "1"

A year ago yesterday, I was (im)patiently awaiting the arrival of my sweet Sofia. Today, she is a whole year old, where has the time gone? It never ceases to amaze me how long the last few weeks of pregnancy seem to be but how quickly the 1st year seems to fly by!
She has MANY knicknames - Sofi, Fia, Topi, Topapia, Tofi,Tofers, Topes, and slimer
She is very close to walking.
She loves to chase her siblings around the house.
Sofi tries to "sing" along with music when she hears it playing.
She climbs everything that she can reach.
She enjoys playing with Evie's baby dolls.

Sofi's Stats:

Height - 28 1/4"

Weight - 18lbs 2oz.

We had a first when it comes to stats. Sofi is my first baby to measure below the 50% mark. She is now on a high calorie, high (good) fat, and high protein diet. Our Dr. thinks the big drop in weight and height is due to the fact that Sofi would still prefer to nurse over eating other foods. She needs to "bulk up" of how high her activity levels are now that she's crawling and such.

Sofi's cake says "S" "O" "F" "I" around the sides and has a big "1" on the top.

Enjoying the frosting more than anything.

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Sofia: 9 Months

I took Sofia in for her 9 month checkup last month. Sigh. Time is flying by so quickly it seems. She started out our biggest baby but has tapered off to be our most petite. Here are her stats:

• Height: 28" (70%)
• Weight: 17lbs 11.5oz (45%)
• Head: 45.5cm (90%)

Here are some things that she is doing:

• crawls all over
• walks around furniture and while you are holding her hands
• loves to "talk", especially to other babies
• says "dada", "mama", "num num", "nigh nigh", "no no", and "ba ba" (ball)
• loves to look at herself in the mirror.
• reaches for and grabs anything and everything that she's close to.
• smiles and laughs all the time, but especially at her siblings.
• has a stubborn streak and a firmly resists doing things that she doesn't want to do. Don't ever play chicken with her, she will beat you. ;o)
• she LOVES to be in the water - playing in the pool, bath tub, toilet, etc.
• she still has no teeth (not even at 10 1/2 months) but loves to eat "big people" food
• she has started liking her sippy cup but still refuses a bottle

An Interview with Evie Sue (age 4)

Amelia, Reagan, and Evie getting ready to go to the water park on Evie's birthday (5/14/12)

Evie turned "4" last week so I asked her a set of 20 questions, here are her answers (that is when Reagan finally let Evie answer the questions for herself):

1. What is your favorite color? Pink and purple
2. What is your favorite toy? My babydolls
3. What is your favorite fruit? Oranges
4. What is your favorite tv show? Little Einsteins
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni & Cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? My purple shirt and long jean skirt
7. What is your favorite game? Candy Land
8. What is your favorite snack? Peanuts, I mean trail mix 
9. What is your favorite animal? Bears
10. What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me
11. What is your favorite book? The ABC Book (by Dr. Seuss)
12. Who is your best friend? Arika
13. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Plant flowers
15. What is your favorite drink? Juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? All of my stuffed animals
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Fruit and yogurt
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Ice cream & cheeseburgers
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? 5
• No, what do you want to be hen you are bigger? a teenager
• No, what do you want to be when you are bigger than a teenager? a mom with kids and a husband

Some Stats on Evie:
Height: 42.75" (95%)
Weight: 37.6 lbs. (70%)

Some things that she's doing:

• She can write most of her letters.
• She is starting to write her own name.
• She can fold and put away most of her laundry.
• She has finally figured out how to pedal her bike.
• She can make her bed.
• She can brush her own hair (and do a good job).
• She can get herself dressed.

A Knight's Tale

Last night was King's Kids bonus night at church. All the kids were supposed to dress up as Knights or Princesses but I forgot to take pictures so Reagan let me take a few pictures of his costume this morning.

Serious Knight

Showing off his sword

Getting ready to slay the dragon

I will try to get a short tutorial put together soon for how I made the costume.

Sofia's Newest Milestones

Sofia can now sit without support. She started doing this while we were in Puerto Rico (January 20-27).

Sofia has been trying to "crawl" for a little while and finally did it on February 27th. She doesn't get up on all fours yet but does a cross between the "army" crawl and an inch-worm. It's cute to watch. :o)

Sofia joined Reagan and Amelia on March 1st by making "Dada" her first word. Evie is the only one of the four to say "Mama" first. Jared's reaction, "Booyah!"

People

It's always an adventure going anywhere with all 4 kids. No trip is ever the same, or goes the way it's planned. Sometimes things go surprisingly well and at other times things are horribly chaotic. Either way, people will say things to me or give me "looks" when they see me with the four kids. I get the smiles, the "she must be crazy to have that many kids so close together" looks, the scowls from store employees who would rather that I not be there with my 4 kids who will most likely get into something, and so on. Here are just a few of the usual comments that people make:

• "Wow, you must have your hands full!" Ya think?
• "Your kids are so well behaved." This is usually said by someone who sees them when we've only been in the store for a little bit but I generally do not get this comment from people after being in a store for a while. I generally reply with a simple "Thank you" as I know within minutes of someone telling me this one of the 4 is going to do something horrible.
• "Oh, I remember those days." If I'm having a rough time, I have to quell my urge to say, "Really? You remember what it was like to have 4 kids in 4 1/2 years?"
• "I bet you're done now." Code for: "You would be insane to have any more" or "Why on earth would even have as many as you have now." 
• "You are way to young to have kids!" I like this one as it makes me feel good about myself. :o)
• and on I could go...

It really used to bother me when people would comment on the number, age, etc. of my children. I know it's an oddity in our culture to have more than a couple of kids but it kind of made me feel like a freak show.

I'm rabbit trailing again...Ok, I'm back on track now.

During last week's shopping excursion I had 9 people (yes, I counted) comment on "how full my hands were" and only one person tell me, "I had one boy and three girls, too, and I loved it! The Lord bless you!". After all this I started thinking about my attitude toward these comments and truthfully toward my position (having 4 small kids so close together). I realized that the reason these comments bothered me so much was because (to a degree) I resented my position. It wasn't my plan to have 4 kids in 4 1/2 years (although, I did have someone ask me once why we planned it that way). We'd always thought 4 would be a good number but we'd planned to stretch them over 6-8 years instead of having them practically right on top of each other. But God had worked things differently and I wasn't happy with the way He'd done it. 

I have decided to work at changing my outlook on these comments. I can be a witness of God's grace through these little ones that God has given me. People look when they see our little entourage and I don't want them to see a mom who is annoyed with her little treasures. When someone makes a comment like...

• "Wow, you must have your hands full!" I am choosing to reply with something to the extend of "Yes, they keep me busy but they are truly a blessing and a joy most of the time."
• "How on earth do you manage?" I reply, "God's grace gets me through."

Pinewood Derby

Last year was Reagan's first Pinewood Derby and his car didn't do as well as hoped. But...he had fun working on it with Jared. Here are a couple pictures of last year's car.

Reagan's Packer Superbowl Car

His car was #12 after his favorite QB, Aaron Rogers.
Can you see the "Rogers Belt" on  the top?

This year both Reagan and Evie are competing in the King's Kids Pinewood Derby (and Jared has a car in the adult derby). Reagan decided that he was going to make "Bumblebee" (yes, the transformer not the insect). He also wanted to be #52 after Clay Matthews because he's tough.

Evie wanted a purple sparkle ballet slipper with a ribbon bow on top. She chose #14 because May 14th is her birthday. She LOVED painting her car and told me that she has the most beautiful car ever! Can you tell that she is a girly-girl?

Reagan's 2nd Birth

Reagan has been asking questions about heaven, salvation, and death quite a bit over the last few months. As parents, we feel a great burden to reach our children for Christ but at the same time have not wanted to rush him (or any of them) toward a decision.
This week was different, Reagan's questions really made us think that he was ready for us to go further and share the Gospel completely with him. Last night as we were getting the kids to bed, Jared had the wonderful opportunity to show Reagan how to be saved and Reagan prayed asking God to forgive his sin and save him. :o)

Reagan Notes

Reagan is learning fairly quickly how to spell/write words, and will sometimes even read signs or labels if they are made up of smaller words. He wrote this note with minimal help. It says, "Reagan for dad and mom, 'I never want to leave.'"

Sofia at 6 months

It's hard to believe that Sofia is already 6 months! I took here in for her checkup today and here are her stats:

• Height: 27.5" (97%)
• Weight: 16lbs 14oz (80%)
• Head: 42.75cm (80%)

Here are some things that she is doing:

• rolls over both ways (tummy to back, back to tummy) and moves around the house by rolling.
• sits alone for up to minute.
• has almost gotten up on all fours twice.
• loves to "talk", especially to other babies.
• loves to look at herself in the mirror.
• reaches for and grabs anything and everything that she's close to.
• started waving a couple of days before Christmas.
• reaches for mommy (she's VERY attached to mommy).
• smiles and laughs all the time, but especially at her siblings.
• has a stubborn streak and a firmly resists doing things that she doesn't want to do. Don't ever play chicken with her, she will beat you. ;o)

An Interview with Reagan (age 5)

Reagan the day before his birthday with his gifts from us.

Reagan turned "5" today and I happened to see this idea on Pinterest for interviewing your kids on each of their birthdays to see how their answers change. I had Jared ask Reagan a set of 20 questions, here are his answers:

1. What is your favorite color? Blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Transformer Optimus Prime and Transformer Bumble Bee and Mobi-Go and even Pluto
3. What is your favorite fruit? Blueberries and Apples
4. What is your favorite tv show? Sportscenter
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Grapes and Sandwiches and Yogurt and even banana sandwiches
6. What is your favorite outfit? My Tank Shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and Wii Play, and even Kid Pix
8. What is your favorite snack? Yogurt
9. What is your favorite animal? Crocodile and even an Elephant
10. What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me - the new version, but even the old version
11. What is your favorite book? I Love You Stinky Face
12. Who is your best friend? Connor
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Playing Baseball
15. What is your favorite drink? The Fizzies
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and even my birthday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Pluto
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? I already told you - Lucky Charms and even Pepples and Boulders
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Chicken Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, and even Turkey
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Football Player

Some Stats on Reagan:

• Height: 44" (71%)
• Weight:  47.2 lbs. (85%)

Some things that he's doing:

1. He can write his own name, Evie, Dad, Mom, and some other small words without help.
2. He can sight-read several words and is also starting to be able to figure out words we spell out loud to each other (so Jared and I will have to create our own language soon).
3. He can tell what time it is on a digital clock.
4. He can fold and put away most of his laundry.
5. He is pretty good and fairly accurate when throwing a football or baseball.
6. He has a great memory most of the time (unless we're telling him to do something that he doesn't enjoy like cleaning up his toys).
7. He can do simple math problems.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 29-30

Day 29: I am thankful for God's protection. I made a quick run to the grocery store and the van literally started shaking like the front wheels were going to fall off! I am thankful that it didn't start doing that while we were out of town this past weekend driving at much higher speeds than my 25mph here in town.

Day 30: As a culmination of my "30 days of Thanksgiving" posts, I want to say that the thing I am most thankful for is Jesus Christ. I have been reading through the book of Hebrews the last couple of weeks and am reminded of how amazing my wonderful Savior truly is. His sacrifice on the cross for my sins and the sins of the whole world have made it possible for me to have a personal relationship with God and someday spend all of eternity is Heaven.

Hebrews 10:1-25

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 26-28

Day 26: I am thankful that we no longer have ANY car payments. 2 years ago we paid off both the van and Jared's car, neither vehicle is in perfect condition and both are now over 10 years old, but they are completely paid for and that is a wonderful feeling!

Day 27: I am thankful that my children like people.

Day 28: I am thankful for a night of uninterrupted sleep. All of the kids (including Sofi) slept through the night for the first time in many weeks.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 23-25

It's been wonderful and busy Thanksgiving week full of things to be thankful for:

Day 23:  I am thankful for the opportunity to go grocery shopping with only Miss Sofia (who slept the entire shopping trip). I fully enjoyed not having to tell anyone even once to "stop touching that and put your hands back into the cart". :o)

Day 24:  Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for the ability to walk. I was able to "enjoy" a 5k this morning with Jared and a few other friends this morning while my mother and father-in-law watched the kiddos. It's the first time in a LONG time that I have walked/ran over 3 miles, let alone without a stroller. :o)

Day 25:  I am thankful for some good deals while out shopping this morning, for some crafting time with a friend, and for an enjoyable family night.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 22

Day 22: Today I am thankful for productive days.

There are many days when I feel like I've accomplished nothing, which both my mom and mother-in-law remind me is completely untrue since I did feed, clothe, and care for 4 small children, but you understand what I mean. Both yesterday and today I have been able to get many things done and still spend time with my kiddos. That is something that seems so rare most days and for it I am very thankful!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 21

Day 21: Today I am reminded to be thankful for good health. My entire family is usually fairly healthy so after a month of the kids battling some form of sickness I am very thankful that I have yet to get sick. It also make me thankful for the times when my kids aren't sick. :o)

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 18-20

Things have been a little crazy so I've gotten behind on posting my "Thanksgiving" posts.

Day 18: Today I was thankful for some quality time with my family. I enjoyed spending some time at the Chula Vista Resort and Waterpark with the Jared, the kids, and my BIL, SIL, and their kiddos.

Day 19: I am thankful today for the prayers of children. There is something about hearing a child pray that just makes me smile. They are so honest, simple, trusting, and sincere. I think that God truly delights in answering the prayers of children. For instance: last year Reagan prayed that God would give us another baby (after I told him that I was not ready for another one so he'd have to talk to God about wanting one). 6 weeks later we found out that we were expecting Sofia. Then this morning while sitting at the resort eating breakfast I told the kids that we should pray for Daddy (Jared) to get a deer or two (being it was opening day and Jared's only chance to hunt). Without hesitation Amelia bowed her head, closed her eyes, folded her hands, and prayed, "Fadder, daddy shoot deer, aaaamen." Reagan and Evie also prayed. 15 minutes later I got a text message from Jared, it said, "got one...doe." :o)

Day 20: I am thankful for a time of refreshment. Amelia and Sofia took very long naps yesterday at the resort and my SIL (and her sister) so graciously offered to take Reagan and Evie down to the waterpark along with her kiddos while they napped. It allowed me some time to spend reading and relaxing in peace and quiet. :o)

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 17

Day 17: I will be completely honest, today was a day that I really, REALLY struggled with being thankful for anything. I was so worn out with sick kids and frustrated with not being able to get everything done that I needed to. I was running low on sleep, the house was a disaster, and I did not feel like I was being the wife and mother that I should be able to be. Basically, I wanted to be Super Woman (the wife and mother who can handle anything and everything that life throws at her with a smile on her face) but discovered that I was not.
That's when it hit me, I would never be Super Woman because I am just a human being. I will never be perfect this side of heaven. BUT God doesn't expect me to be perfect He only expects me to do my best. In short, I am so very thankful for God's grace. I do not deserve it but He chooses to give it. :o)

30 Days of Thanksgiving: November 16

Day 16: I am thankful for God's provision even if it is in a very unusual way. Jared and I have been praying about going on a mission trip to Puerto Rico in a few months but needed to have half of the money ($400 for each of us) in by this week. I got to looking over our accounts and in talking it over we decided there was just no way that we could "afford" to go unless God gave us the money in addition to our budgeted income.
We'd decided a few months ago to start putting any of my sewing money into a separate account specifically for either a mission trip or a vacation so we started out with exactly $57 toward the trip. Then a couple of weeks ago, we received a check for some money that someone owed us ($250). We hadn't budgeted for it so it was "extra". Then I got two more sewing jobs raising our amount to $400, which meant that at least Jared was going. Jared really wanted me to be able to go (and I really wanted to go) but we knew that it was still not a possibility unless God supplied the other $400 above our budgeted expenses. On Friday, we received a check in the mail for $100 from an income tax amendment. Now I was pretty skeptical about God supplying the other $300 by today so I'd pretty much resigned myself to not going.
Well, every Wednesday is usually my grocery shopping day but I have been stuck home due to sick kids or bad weather 3 of the last 4 weeks so I only picked up necessities instead of my usual "sale shopping". Today (while being stuck home yet again on a shopping day) I went through our finances only to discover that due to my shopping for only absolutely necessary items over the last 4 weeks we had a surplus of...drum roll please...$300. The exact amount we needed for my half of the mission trip "down-payment".