We're giving Christmas Away!

Check out what we're up to this December. We're giving Christmas away!

Laundry Day!

This week my goal is to get completely caught up on laundry. I would say clothing, in general, is my biggest 'issue' in this house. First, I can never stay on top of it so its constantly overflowing. Second, when I do get anywhere close to being caught up there is no where to put everything! Derek and I are sharing 2 child size dressers with Owen and Audrey. That in itself is a recipe for disaster. Elisa and Ava have a dresser in their room that they share as well. But, in all honesty, the could each use a smaller one of their own. So, finding places for all this clean laundry is a task in itself! Also, we do not have enough closet space to hang a wardrobe X's 6 anywhere in this house.
Once we get a new master bedroom added on (which would have been lovely if it had been by now) we'll invest in a dresser for just Derek and me. We are also planning on making a HUGE closet in our room. Possibly a 'family' closet so everything goes to one place. That would be wonderful.
In the meantime, I have to figure out what to do with it all right now!
So far this morning I have 1 load folded, with help of my 2 big girls. Two are waiting to be folded. One is washing and 1 is drying. I have about 10 to go. Yeah, dont judge me :) Wish me luck!

While writing this I cant figure out what the rule of thumb would be on writing out numbers vs using digits. I know that you're supposed to stick with one method but starting out a sentence using a digit doesn't seem to be the proper way either. Thats why I mixed us the words and the digits at the end. Anyone want to correct me??

Look what I can do!

At 3 months 2 weeks, to the day, look what Mr. Owen can do! We were sitting in the nursery this morning at our homeschool co-op and I sat him up and realized he could do it on his own! I didnt have my camera then so I took these pictures once we got home. Dont mind the naked bum...he was airing out. :) All 3 girls sat up early too. Oddly enough, each of them at 3 months 3 weeks. Guess Owen had to show them up ;)

One of my favorite baby stages is when they start grabbing their toes! Owen has been doing this for a couple weeks now. He hasnt started putting them in his mouth yet...I think thats a pretty cute too!

4 cute kiddos!

*Disclaimer: most babies dont sit up at 3 months. For whatever reason my kids all have. I always hesitate to share when my kids do something earlier then most other babies their ages. Out of fear of someone thinking Im "bragging" but mostly because I would hate to make someone else, with a baby the same age as mine, feel bad because mine is doing something theirs isnt yet. All babies are different. There have been different times over the past 8 years that my kids havent been doing something someone elses kiddo has. I always remind myself 'all babies are different and do things on different timelines.' Just wanted to throw that out there!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

I have 3 days events that I need to post pics of and blog about so I'm gonna start with today and work my ways backwards over the next few days. Wow, that was a long sentence!

We went to the pumpkin patch today with some friends from our church.
Its the same pumpkin patch that we went to on Audrey's 1st birthday last year. I cant believe a week from tomorrow our baby girl will be 2! We would have never dreamed on that day that a year from then we'd have 4 kids and our 1st boy!

Thought this was a funny pic. Didnt realize Ava was hanging in the background until I looked at the pictures on the computer.

Ava having a blast swinging.

I think I can reach it...just a little further....

Daddy and Audrey

Showing me her tiny pumpkin

Elisa having fun swinging

Family. I think this is the first family picture since the hospital.

All 4 kiddos! Amazing theyre all looking in the same direction!

Headed to the maze. Elisa and Ava are such great big sisters. Always taking care of Audrey. They never mind her tagging along and actually encourage it!

O-man wasnt a very happy camper, but still O so cute ;)

Ahhhh....a full belly makes all the difference in the world!

All is Vanity

Derek and I posed a question to ourselves last night.

'If we knew we only had a certain amount of time left with life as we know it would there be anything we'd change?'

Its amazing the things that quickly become so unimportant when you put them in perspective. Our number one thing we'd do differently would be to read the Word more, learn the Word more and teach the Word to our kids more.
Another top thing would be to stop wasting time on the Internet. *confession* He doesn't as much as I do but we realized we just replaced TV with the Internet.
If anyone has been reading this blog since back in January you'll remember we did away with the TV for 3 main reasons. 1) We didnt want to spend the money on it anymore. Working towards becoming debt free makes you rethink the things you spend money on. 2) Whats on TV isnt what we want flowing into our home. Even if you just watching the 'harmless' things, like say preschool cartoons or documentaries, there are still commercials promoting lifestyles and values we dont want our kids being fed. So, why PAY for it to be in our home?! And finally 3) the time we'd spend watching TV in the evenings or on the weekends or even during the day was time spent away from spending time as a family together. (On a side note: not all TV is bad and if you choose to watch TV we dont think youre bad.....necessarily ;) )
But, we've realized the time we would have normally been spending watching a TV show we now spend online.....seperately (for the most part). So, we've gotten rid of one thing and replaced it with something different. Kinda defeats the purpose of that. So, wasting time online is another big thing we'd give the boot to if we knew we only had a certain amount of time left with life as we know it.
Some more things we listed were what we find value in. Things like clothes or eating out or spending money on things we want would be quickly thrown off the list. Its amazing the things we think that are important but quickly find unimportant when life changes.
Derek and I got new Bibles this past weekend. (I found small little ESV Bibles on sale at Family Bookstores this weekend so I could justify it. Besides we've been needing an ESV since thats what our church uses in corporate worship.) In these Bibes are a 1 year reading plan so we thought that would be a good thing to start reading together at nights. It would give us some direction in our reading. Something seperate besides family devotions.
So, last night Derek opened it up and read the passages it listed. Can I just say one of the sweetest sounds to my ears is hearing my husband read the Word to me and to our family! The Old Testiment reading was Prov. 31-Ecc.1. I think its funny how the Lord will direct you to exactly what you need to hear right at that moment. Lots of Christian women look to Prov 31 as a way to live. I've read it a million times but last night this stuck out in my mind:

27 She looks well to the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

The Lord has been dealing with me on wasting time and 'eating the bread of idleness' so to speak. How appropriate for that to be one of the scriptures we read!
Then on to Ecclesiastes 1. All is vanity. Wow. How true that everything is meaningless and pales in comparison to Jesus! Just reinforcing what Derek and I had been talking about! Our relationship and walk with God and extending His Kingdom is what our life should be about. Yet, we replace it and fill that need with stuff. Stuff to distract from what is really important.
God is so good and just continues to show us how real and powerful He is! I can't help but stand amazed at how He shows us how much He loves us. Just directing us to scriptures we need to hear is such a sweet gift!
So....I ask you to ponder this:

If you knew we only had a certain amount of time left with life as we know it would there be anything you'd change?
Shouldn't we be living everyday as though it were our last?

Children of Caesar

I'm pretty sure I've posted this before but I was watching it again today and thought it needed to be posted again. LOVE Voddie Baucham!

In the meantime

I have something I really would like to blog about but Im praying for wisdom and the right words to say what I want to say. Something thats very heavy on my heart lately but something that everyone does not see eye to eye on. So, in the meantime here are some pictures of my driving force :)

Weird expression on Audreys face but this is her 4th of July outfit I made her. While uploading these pics I realized I never posted about our 4th of July!

Elisa's 4th of July shirt.

Super Ava

Audrey and Owen....I cant believe how much they look alike in this picture!

Ava dressed for a tea party we had a Mimi's house.

Sweet little Audrey face.

Mr. Smiles at 5 wks

Little cool dude dressed just like Daddy. From the pearl snap shirt to the Vans on his feet!