A LITTLE LINE

Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

This was the 4th or 5th (can't remember) year that we held a Valentine's party with some other homeschool friends. I was considering not doing it this year with all the craziness of having a new baby, but I don't think my girls would have let me say no. :) I was happy to do it and they did a lot of the work anyway.

I didn't get too many pictures of our actual party, it was too crazy!

Claudia captured this on Sat. evening. Steve was gone to Pittsburg for the weekend to preach and we spent the evening doing prep. Muti-tasking, holding the baby, and doing Valentines!

I took this picture on Monday morning. Claudia is quite the little helper/organizer. She made this list completely on her own. And yes, she did complete it!!

Our handsome little Valentine man

Look, Mom, I actually did something crafty!!!

And it turned out cute!

All the kids

Aaron made this Valentine in church. I love it!!

Out of the Mouths...

2012-02-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

This was how Greta communicated to me that she had:

1. Clogged the toilet.
2. Tried to plunge it.
3. Was unsuccessful at the plunge and flushed and flooded the bathroom.

"Mom, I went potty and pee pee is shooting EVERYWHERE!!"

Love that Face

2012-02-13T22:01:00.001-05:00

Poor Josiah is blurry, but I love this one of Aaron. It's tough to get a real smile out of him. Here it is.

Living Room Limbo

2012-02-13T08:47:00.002-05:00

Helpful?

2012-02-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

This was what I got when I asked Greta to put away the 24 pack of toilet paper.

Sweatsuit

2012-02-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

Bones

2012-02-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

Not sure how I acquired 3 skeleton shirts.

Out of the Mouths...

2012-02-07T12:55:00.002-05:00

Greta: "Why Amish dress like that?"

Me: "Because that's how they like to dress."

G: "They should go to the store and get some new clothes."

Such a fashionista she is.

Dreaming of Summer

2012-02-06T17:27:00.000-05:00

Though it has been an unseasonably warm winter, I am still really looking forward to when the "real" warm weather is here to stay. I found these summer photos buried deep in my files. Oh, I can't wait for the green grass, long evenings, and flowers! Shannon Odell took these with my camera when she was baby-sitting the kids one evening. I love her unique photography style. I edited them, so they are not 100% hers, she does at better job at that than I do! Thanks, Shannon, for these fun pictures!

Smiles

2012-02-03T21:14:00.002-05:00

Buds

2012-02-01T17:13:00.002-05:00

Our new church...

2012-01-31T11:31:00.000-05:00

Steve has spent lots of lots of hours investing into our new church building. It's very exciting too see all the progress that has taken place these past few months. He loves to bring the family to the site and show us all the progress. I thought it would be a fun place for a shot.

School Boy

2012-01-28T13:04:00.000-05:00

Yes, he's still in his jammies.

Remedy

2012-01-26T21:37:00.000-05:00

My poor little Greta has had a very stuffy nose this week. Here she is with her homemade chicken soup, some oranges, and a tube of Burt's Bees. What else could a sick girl ask for??

Messes

2012-01-25T21:15:00.002-05:00

It struck me recently that though I take a lot of pictures of my kids and their faces, I don't often take ones of the other realities of our life. A huge reality around here is all of the many messes that I deal with day after day. I am easily overwhelmed and often discouraged at all the time I spend cleaning and picking up but rarely feel like there is anything to show for it. Steve has often reminded me that all of the messes and the work they involve represent the richness of our life together. I appreciate his perspective and wish I could carry that more in my day to day.

This morning I grabbed my camera and took a few shots of the "everyday" around here.

Legos. My new friend/foe.

Dishes. Constant.

Shoes that never quite seen to make it into the box that they are supposed to.

This is the cleanup job of a 3 and 5 year old. At least the books are on the shelf!! Sort of.

After telling Aaron to clean up his legos, this was how he sorted them. A cleaned up pile, a pile that he was going to play with later, and a pile that he wanted me to clean up. Hmmm??

The constant stack on school books by my computer that need to be checked and corrected.

Steps that are full of things to be delivered to upstairs bedrooms

A happy boy who just couldn't stay out of the picture

Girls who just can't seem to keep their space clean. You should see the look on my mom's face when she sees their room messy. Sheer joy. She seems to think it is some sort of pay back from years ago. I would guess she is correct that I was not the neatest kid on the block.

Trying to teach Aaron to put away his laundry results in clothes that don't quite fit into the drawers.

Two Months

2012-01-25T10:13:00.003-05:00

We sure are loving this little guy.

Hanging Out

2012-01-24T12:26:00.002-05:00

Love Those Lips

2012-01-21T17:14:00.002-05:00

Greta-isms

2012-01-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

Greta is at the stage where she is saying so many cute things. She's not a huge talker so this cute stage is coming later than some of my other kids. A few of my recent favorites:

*At supper Steve has been reading from the Old Testament about Joseph. She calls him Jo-fus.
*Josiah is baby J-siah. No o.
*When she sneezes she says, "Bless me."
*When told to apologize, instead of saying, "I'm sorry" she says, "I forgive you."
*When you ask her preference on something she usually starts it with a slow and drawn out, "Pwobably..."
*Instead of saying really she says bery. Today she told me, "I miss daddy bery, bery, bery."

She has also mastered the lower lip cry. It's so dear. Not sure how I captured this the other day. Sure to love that girlie. She's such a sweetie.

Sleepy Dude

2012-01-20T08:22:00.000-05:00

NFL apparel

2012-01-19T12:32:00.005-05:00

Shortly after Aaron was born, Steve broke the bank and got this little number for him. It's been fun to pull it out and use it again for little Josiah. Too bad the Broncos glory days are over, Steve was having lots of fun cheering on his team. Maybe next year...

And to clear up anyone who was confused: in the picture of the boys, Josiah was first and then Aaron. Sorry, Gina P., you were the only one who got it wrong!! :)

Family Fun

2012-01-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

It was very fun to have Steve's dad and his wife here for a long weekend. The kids were thrilled with all the extra attention and all of the opportunities to get spoiled!! They stayed at Willow Valley, a hotel just a few minutes up the road. The kids loved the chance to swim there!
We were sad to see them go. On Monday at breakfast, Aaron and Greta were having a conversation that they did not want Grandpa and Bev to leave. You are loved and missed!!

Morgan loves to challenge any male member of Steve's family to flexibility contests. Can you guess who always wins? Uncle Jer, not doing too well here.

Golfing with Grandpa

2012-01-16T22:06:00.002-05:00

Look-alikes

2012-01-14T21:52:00.001-05:00

Can you tell who's who??

All ready for the big game!!

2012-01-14T19:40:00.002-05:00

Catch Up

2012-01-13T19:20:00.000-05:00

It is a cold and windy afternoon and I have an unusually quite house. Steve's dad and his wife came for a visit and they are all up at the Farm Show. I do love going to the Farm Show but the idea of dragging a baby around there was not too enticing. More enticing was a day by myself! (and the babe, of course.) I did have lots of grand plans about what I was going to get done today, none of which has happened. Oh well, I am very much enjoying the quiet and ease of just one little man to care for!!

I have so many pictures that I have not posted over the past few weeks. Part of it is just the busyness, it's hard for me to find as much time to sit. But also, I really hate my winter, indoor pictures. I love being outside and taking pictures outside, none of which is happening these days. So my dark, yellowish indoor shots aren't quite as fun to mess around with. But here they all are in very random order.

Aaron's birthday at my parents. He was very excited to open this box Steve's mom sent in the mail

Not sure who trusted her with the cake!

Steve got us a fondue set and the kids had a blast with it

How exactly does one eat a chocolate covered marshmallow in a civilized way?

My kids wake up very, very early. I took this picture one morning at 6:30 of them all playing legos. Note: if I took the picture at 6:30, that means they were up what time??

Our little work crew. My uncle, who lives next door, hired them to work in his chicken house.

I got my girls a cake pop maker for Christmas and gave it to them early so they could make them for some gifts. They had lots of fun making them.

This is supposed to be with the fondue pics. She was not happy that she had to finish the bite of supper that was in her mouth before she could "fondue".

Back when I had Josiah, I had a vision of getting a picture of him all curled up under the Christmas tree. I kept forgetting to do it. I thought of it just the other evening as he was waking up. I waited too long and he is stirring and uncurled. Nice idea.

Another fondue shot. She finally finished her bite.

I took these pics the other day. Whenever my kids pair up to play, it is usually Greta and Claudia and then Aaron and Morgan. The other day C&G took a bubble bath together. M&A took to painting. This all happened on their own initiative.

This and the next pic were taken by Morgan

Christmas card reject but still super cute.

The other day I laid Josiah on his belly to see what he would do. This was the look on his face. He was concentrating very hard!!

A cuter moment that afternoon

Josiah curled up on daddy's chest while he was reading

F-O-R-E!!

2012-01-12T15:43:00.000-05:00

Aaron LOVES to golf. My friend got these clubs for him at a yard sale this summer and we gave them to him for Christmas. He's having a blast with them.

Through the eyes of another

2012-01-11T11:16:00.000-05:00

The week after Christmas, my dear friend, (and distant cuz) Tina, brought us a meal. She is also an amazing photographer and brought her camera so she could take a few pictures of me and my new little man. I love the shots that she captured (except for my nasty sweater that she would not let me take off!!), it is so fun to see my life through someone else's eyes.

Smothered

2012-01-08T21:30:00.002-05:00

Copycat

2012-01-07T17:09:00.000-05:00

I don't typically pride myself in trying to copy someone else's photography (though I do it often!!), but I saw this on a blog and couldn't resist trying it. Mine is not nearly as cute as the original, but still a keeper.

Someone loves to snuggle a babe...

2012-01-07T03:46:00.000-05:00

Out of the Mouths...

2012-01-05T08:54:00.002-05:00

Greta in an excited voice, "Mom, you are not fat anymore!!" (in reference to me no longer being pregnant.)

Thank you for finally noticing, Greta!!

2011

2012-01-04T20:18:00.003-05:00

I wanted to take a few minutes (ok, I typed that almost 2 hours ago. So much for a few minutes!!) to review all that happened to us as a family this past year. It was so fun to briefly look back at my photos and see all that has happened over these 12 months. I know I say this all the time, but I can't believe how quickly time flies. I am overwhelmed at all of God's kindness to my family and all the blessing that surround us.

Lots of snow to shovel this past winter!

I took a trip to CA to visit some of Steve's family

Got lots of shots of my gorgeous sister-in-law, Ashley

Our long time friend, Teya, came for a visit

Greta bravely got rid of her pacifier. Here she is getting comforted by daddy.

The family has gotten lots of use out of their Broncos sweatshirts given by my parents.

Helped shoot my first wedding. This picture captures the day. The weather was TERRIBLE!!

Easter

Took pics for my good friend, Grace, and her beautiful daughters.

Mother's Day

About 13 weeks pregnant.

My friend Krista's adorable kids

Engagement shoot

Thomas family beach trip

20 weeks

Groundbreaking for our new church building. This was the start of the 100's of hours that my dear hubby is now pouring into the building project.

July 4th

Another beautiful family I got to shoot

Steve said good-bye to his Aspire.

My kids had SO much fun with their swimming classes this summer

Camping

The gorgeous Oliver girls

Our trip to Ohio to visit my brother. This was one of my favorite photos of the year.

My dear Morgan and her diving board accident.

Steve put up a basketball hoop and it's provided hours of entertainment

Girls beach trip

Morgan turned 9

Greta turned 3

Another favorite photo of the year.

30 some weeks preggo

We were very happy to welcome Uncle Jeremy to live in PA.

Claudia's bang-up week at the fair. Catching the pig and a blue ribbon on her photo!!

Claudia turned 11

My cousin and his adorable family

Just days before I delivered.

We were so happy to welcome our sweet baby Josiah

Aaron turned 5

My poor baby

2012-01-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day

2011-12-30T17:34:00.000-05:00

We had a very nice Christmas this year, it was all pretty laid back. Steve's brother, Jeremy, spent the night, the kids were thrilled to have him here.
We told the kids that they were not allowed to come downstairs before 6:30. I knew that would take some serious restraint on their part. Sure enough, 6:30 on the dot we heard them come barreling down. As you can see from my pictures, it was still quite dark then.

Not very happy to have to wait her turn to open her stocking stuffer!!

Morgan and I in a Battleship duel.

Jer vs. Morgan

Legos and Playdough

Buds

2011-12-28T21:43:00.000-05:00

Brother time

2011-12-28T09:05:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

Five.

2011-12-23T21:20:00.000-05:00

My sweet boy turned 5 on Monday. He has been looking forward to his birthday for a long time. All his sisters had their b-days at the end of summer and to him, his felt like an eternity away.
This little photo shoot was very fast and very last minute. I've been looking for a slot to take some shots of him for weeks now and it just hasn't happened. I am not a fan of cold weather and the days are so short, it was hard to find a time. Yesterday was unseasonably warm. Right after lunch I threw the kids in the car and from looking at my camera info, this little shoot was complete in 14 minutes!! Worked for Aaron, he's not a huge fan of getting his picture taken, though he does cooperate.
There is so much to love about our little Aaron. The boy is just sweet. He's always thanking me for things, telling me that he loves me and that I am the best cook of this or that. He is interested in pretty much everything and has questions about it all. He's sharp as a tack and remembers everything that you tell him. I'm not sure what moves faster, his mind or his mouth. He thinks about everything, and talks about it all. It is often hard for me to keep up with all of his questions.
Aaron his such a good big brother to Greta and now loves his little Josiah. It is so sweet to see him love on them. I love this guy and an am thoroughly enjoying watching him grow up.

Aaron told me this was his favorite picture of himself.

Love those lashes.

Christmas Card

2011-12-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

As long as I can remember, I have done a family picture/card at Christmas time. I've officially decided that it is not going to happen this year. I've had a picture for a couple of weeks but the combination of not really loving the photo (Greta looks sad and Josiah is squished) and then the work of scrounging up all the addresses and addressing them all was just a little more than I wanted to take on right now. So here are our sweet little 5 this Christmas.

Alert

2011-12-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

We've been enjoying lots of awake time with the little mister. The other night the big kids were watching AFV and Steve and I were loving hanging out with Josiah.

Party Time

2011-12-19T21:12:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we had a little birthday party for Aaron. I was very hesitant to try to pull it off just weeks after having a baby. Steve willingly stepped in and did most of the work. I'm so glad we did it, it was so sweet to see him with all the little boys his age. The party was very low key but I think they all had a great time.

Grandpa came to pick up the pizza for lunch.

We moved into the garage for some more games

Aaron was thrilled that his big buddy Cameron came, even though it was a "little boy" party.

Of all the things it takes to be a mom, cake decorator I am not!!! This was my attempt at a lego cake.

This was what Josiah did for the whole party. Such a good boy!!

Aaron was beyond thrilled to get a Broncos Tebow jersey from G-pa Heitland and us.

It was so cute, after every gift Aaron would hug the boy who gave it to him.

Birthday Dinner

2011-12-17T20:08:00.000-05:00

Aaron turns 5 on Monday and he got his first birthday dinner out with Grandpa and Grandma this week. He chose to go to Friendly's and after G&G dropped him off he said, "That was the best day ever."

Big Sis

2011-12-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

This picture is blurry, but I love the contented look on Greta's face. I was not sure how she would do with the new baby, but she just adores him. The first week after he was born, she kept saying to me, "Mom, I really wike that baby that you had."

Me and my boys

2011-12-13T13:24:00.000-05:00

Photo credit: Morgan.

Brothers

2011-12-12T16:05:00.001-05:00

The loving, cute interaction quickly turned into a death trap for poor little Josiah...

Content

2011-12-08T16:45:00.002-05:00

Bath time

2011-12-07T20:20:00.002-05:00

Poor Guy

2011-12-03T17:20:00.002-05:00

Look what happens when he is left to the mercy of his sister...

Awake

2011-12-02T21:12:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I laid Josiah down, he was fast asleep. I went in a little bit later and this was what I saw through the crib slats...

Oh, so sleepy!

2011-11-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

I do not remember any of my other kids being quite as sleepy as little Josiah has been this week. He does wake for his feedings, but goes right back to sleep. Maybe I just forget...maybe this is normal. But I will take it any day over a screaming newborn.
Tonight at supper I was trying very hard to get him to wake up as he had no awake time since 6:30 this morning. I put his as the centerpiece at the table, but I think the hustle and bustle lull and soothe him more than keep him awake!! He did finally wake up after a while.

Hospital Pics

2011-11-27T10:07:00.001-05:00

The crowd is off to church and I am enjoying some quiet time this morning. My little guy is almost a week old already. It's been a good week so far. Not a ton of sleep, but some. Enough that I am surviving well during the day. I am so grateful for the timing of Josiah's birth. B/c of the holiday, Steve had 3 days off when we got home from the hospital. He's been a huge help to me in so many ways...doing all the things I normally do and allowing me to rest and take care of the baby. That will all come crashing down tomorrow when he returns to work. I'm a little nervous about the transition, but know that as God has given me much grace so far, He will only continue to provide me with what I need.

These are fleeting days and I am trying to soak in every minute of his newborn sweetness as I possibly can. Before I know it, he will be running around with the rest of the crowd.

These next 2 shots are blurry, but capture the tornado that happened when the kids visited. The could not get enough of their new brother!!

Looks like I may have a thumb sucker. I have never had one before. Don't know if that is a good thing or not!!

Proud daddy

All bundled up and ready to go home. Josiah was born with a tiny little skin tag on his ear. You can see it in this pic. He will have it removed when he get a little bigger.

5 Days Old

2011-11-25T17:33:00.000-05:00

Home

2011-11-23T18:52:00.000-05:00

My new little guy and I made it home safe earlier today. Hard to believe just 4 days ago I was anxious over when this little one was going to make their entrance, and here I am with him in my arms. It has been a sweet few days, we are both doing very well. He's a little champ, eating just like he should and though I am still tired and sore, I'm recovering well.

Just a few quick favorite shots from the hospital. I didn't take too many of just Josiah, hopefully I can capture him some in the next few days.

Josiah Stephen

2011-11-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't receive the church e-mail, or see it on Facebook, here's the news: our son, Josiah Stephen Heitland, was born on Nov 21 at 2:44 am. Lori and Josiah are still in the hospital, doing very well, and anticipate coming home tomorrow. He was 21" long and weighed in at 8 lbs even. This was our best delivery yet, and we are very grateful for God's kindness to us.
Here's a shot of our new little buddy with his hovering support team. He's going to have a precarious early existence...

And here's a close-up from this afternoon.

I'm sure Lori will have much better shots in the days ahead.

Out of the Mouths...

2011-11-19T00:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight we were following a car that was hauling a small Christmas tree on top. Greta says, "Daddy, why they have broccoli on top of their car?"

My Contented Girl

2011-11-17T13:09:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about being a mom of many is to see the differences in my kids personalities, interests, and giftings. One thing that I love about my Morgan is how content she is. I don't think she has ever told me she is bored, she is quite simple in her likes and dislikes, and to be honest, she often will astound me with how peaceful she can be when things don't go her way.

Anyway, today after lunch I found her outside, all by herself on this chilly day, widdling (sp?) some sticks with her swiss army knife (that she bought with her own money). Oh, I love this kid.

Baseball

2011-11-16T12:43:00.000-05:00

My little guy has a growing interest in baseball. He loves to catch, throw, and hit off his tee. Morgan is often a willing playmate in this area. I love to watch them play together, she is so patient with him.

Not the best action shot, but an action shot it is.

Brothers-Minus 1

2011-11-15T16:40:00.002-05:00

The past 24 hours have been a bit of a reunion around here. Steve's brother, Shawn, who lives in CA, stopped in for a quick visit. His work has brought him to Scranton and he was able to make a quick pit stop here. There's still a brother in Nebraska who was not with us-missed you, Seth!
I'm not sure which of these men hates getting their picture the taken the most. I told them in 10 years they will be happy to have this photo. Thankfully, they all cooperated.

A More Realistic Silhouette

2011-11-14T22:19:00.001-05:00

The more I look at this picture, the more it is making me laugh. The last few days I've been wanting to get a cool and creative silhouette of my belly before it disappears (at least that's the hope after 5 kids!!). I was out getting groceries and when I was about 2 minutes from home I realized this was the prefect time of day to get it. But by the time I got home and got set up, I had missed the prime time. So the photo is way too dark.

My husband willingly cooperated with my attempts. The power lines...oops. And I was actually standing on a chair to get this b/c without it I was too low on the landscape. As we were trying to figure this out, Amish kept going by. I'm sure they were wondering what on earth we were doing. Me standing on a chair, husband basically laying on the ground taking my picture.

So here is my not very good attempt at a silhouette.

Any day now...

Countdown

2011-11-13T20:53:00.001-05:00

I have less than 2 weeks left before this baby is due. On one hand this pregnancy has flown by, on the other I feel like I have been pregnant forever! The last part of pregnancy has always been tough for me. Day after day of wondering if this is going to be the day...or will it be another 2 weeks? Or 3 weeks? Each day is a day of wondering, demanding my patience and submission to timing that is not my own.

I had a bit of a rough week. Last Sat. I had contractions for about 3-4 hours and I thought I was entering into labor. They stopped...and nothing happened. I feel like that little incident threw my body over the edge of being big and pregnant, to becoming huge (did baby drop?? think so.), beyond uncomfortable, and feeling like I'm about to blow up. I feel swollen, often dizzy (doc told me that could be my low blood pressure), nauseous, and so tired.

It's interesting to me how God created this process for our bodies to go through. It's really a crazy miraculous time. To think there is a fully formed little someone inside of me always blows my mind. It's a privilege to be a mom and to carry these babies. It's also quite humbling. My body has become someone else's. It's no longer just me. I feel overtaken by what is going in inside of me. Everyone movement is really and truly hindered by the little someone.

Though physically I am more than ready to have this baby, I know that I am jumping from one frying pan into another! Having a newborn is no cup of tea. Though I do have some experience here, I am always sobered and nervous about the transition. Sleepless nights are very tough for me. In a completely different way than pregnancy, nursing is demanding on the body. My postpartum emotions are often on full display.

It's funny how this season feels so demanding and intense, but when I think back to my other kids, I can hardly remember these days. I'm sure they were just as tough, but by the grace of God we got through them and have sweet memories and these wonderful little people to share our days with. I'm confident that will again be my testimony of this time, even as intense as it all feels right now.

Tomorrow is a new week full of life and kids and work. Any day now we will meet our new little one that will change our family forever. I am forced to tackle each day with faith and confidence that God's timing knows best.

I really am looking forward to this new stage, esp. having a little one to smell and squeeze and enjoy. The kids (esp. the older girls) are beside themselves with anticipation. They knew that I was having contractions last weekend and I'm pretty certain they already feel like the baby is overdue!! I look forward to seeing the love that I know they will all have for this new one. That has been a highlight for me my previous 2 pregnancies.

This is one of my favorite pics of me and Greta. She was just a couple months old here and now she is a chatty, silly 3 year old! Can hardly believe it.

Photo credit: Tina Lapp

Homemade Swing

2011-11-12T15:35:00.000-05:00

37+ weeks

2011-11-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

Sweet Family

2011-11-06T20:33:00.000-05:00

This past week I got to take some pics of my cousin (Josh) and his adorable family. It's so fun to see him as a dad, he's a good one! These were taken at their house and across the street from them. Such a beautiful location. Thankfully the snow was all melted and we had a beautiful afternoon to shoot.

Building Site

2011-11-04T10:48:00.000-04:00

Steve is up to his elbows with supervising the building project at church. He loves to take the kids over and show them the progress. I was away the other night and got this pic sent to me.

What??

2011-11-02T20:11:00.001-04:00

It's old news by now, but we had a crazy early snowstorm this past weekend. Though it was beautiful, it was a bit hard for me to enjoy b/c it seemed so out of place. The kids had a blast playing in it and for 2 days, my house was a tornado of boots, gloves, and snow pants. I am happy to put it all away for a couple more months.

The snow was so wet and heavy, poor Claudia could not keep her snowman family together. Every time I would try to take a shot, something would fall off one of them.

My poor flowers. My annuals were still looking very pretty. Not anymore.

This was day 2, the snow had melted significantly.

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T16:23:00.000-04:00

We had a fun evening with the kids last night. Steve and I were walking down the road together watching them run up ahead and I said to him, "These are the good times..." It's sweet to see them all having so much fun together.

Buzz Light Year. He was SO thrilled with this costume ($3: thrift sale)

I think every child has worn this costume at least once. She wanted to be a ballerina but I told her she was going to be too cold. Thankfully, she was easy to sway.

Hobo

Pirate

A few more

2011-10-31T15:05:00.000-04:00

What a hoot.

2011-10-30T16:13:00.001-04:00

The other night I found myself digging through the photo booth on the computer. I had so much fun, I was literally laughing my way through it. Most of the time I had no idea that my kids were doing it, that's what was making it all the funnier. These pics are a hoot.

Apparently I did know this was going on, I have my face on quite a few of these! Wow, what a mom forgets!!

We even got our babysitters involved. Recognize yourself, Margaret??

Aaron's best big buddy.

Rachel, good friend to Claudia

Even funnier than the pictures where the videos... The sound is pretty quiet on these, don't ask me why.

This one made my laugh b/c it's obvious that Greta did not know that she turned the video on and then was intrigued by herself.

An adorable little Aaron singing Amazing Grace.

This one has provided me with the most laughs. If you know Morgan's personality at all, this is so her. I have watched it over and over and belly laugh every time...

A family talent show. Long one, but adorable if you are a long distance grandma or something!! :)

Horse Gift

2011-10-29T16:08:00.000-04:00

Back at her birthday, my parents told Morgan they were taking her to spend some time with a horse. I'm not sure their connection...but she had a great time. My dad gets credit for these pictures.

I like this picture of my mom.

Such a "Morgan" face

Applesauce

2011-10-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

Impatience

2011-10-27T08:44:00.000-04:00

Every few weeks, Greta will look at my stomach and say, "When that baby comin' out of dhere?"

She asked me again this morning and then also asked, "Why your belly so fat?"

The Last With 4

2011-10-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

It is becoming much more of a reality that my days of having 4 children are coming to an end. Baby is due in just over 4 weeks. Though 4 kids is certainly a lot of work, we have our rhythms and routines and I've adjusted. It helps that there is no baby, they all feel very independent. Only God knows what is in store for us in these next few months as we adjust to having another little one around. My kids are all excited for the baby and I know that it will get much lovin'!!
For weeks now I have been wanting to do a picture of my kids, just one more with the 4 of them the way it is now. Though certainly every day these kiddos have their fights and quarrels and disagreements, they really do love each other, have fun together, and I'm so grateful for them.
These pics are far from perfect, I threw this together minutes before having to go away tonight for a very quick shoot. But it's them...as they are today. They are growing so quickly that this will soon not be who they are anymore.

School

2011-10-24T21:52:00.002-04:00

Claudia has been into doing school with Greta. So cute. The other day I caught this shot through the screen door.

Trouble

2011-10-21T19:20:00.002-04:00

The other day Claudia was doing Greta's hair and to get her to sit still, she gave her some reading material: the new American Girl catalog. Greta was VERY interested in it...guess I better start saving!!

Treat

2011-10-19T19:34:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Mr. Baker, for the YUMMY cider donuts. Can you tell we enjoyed them??

34 Weeks

2011-10-16T19:32:00.000-04:00

Here is your requested shot, Miss Tanya Jean...

Work Day

2011-10-15T19:42:00.000-04:00

Uncle Jeremy spent a long time unloading and reorganizing his trailer. The kids were enjoying being "helpers".

A car ramp that Uncle Jer rigged up.

Concentration

Morgan was quite the little work horse helping unload the trailer. She had her heelys on and could move pretty quick!! You can see the concentration on her face.

A few more

2011-10-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

Eleven

2011-10-11T19:56:00.001-04:00

So hard to believe that my little baby girl is 11. I have such vivid memories of her as a baby, she made me a mama and I love her for it. My bright-eyed, chubby, talkative little baby has turned into quite the young lady. I see her every day and it seems that she has grown up overnight.
There are so many things that I love about my Claudia. She has a very strong interest in people and notices and interacts with things that others miss. She is often compassionate towards me in her questions and desires (asking me how she can help, asking me how I am doing, etc.)
Claudia is a young girl full of excitement and ideas. She is a planner and loves to organize. I often ask her to help me remember things and details, and she does not forget! She's my personal administrator. Her ideas often look like planning out plays, skits, parties, etc. to have with her friends or siblings.
One thing I am increasingly grateful for is her humility. She is quick to admit when she is wrong and ask forgiveness if she has hurt somebody.
Of all my children, she is the one that I see the most of myself in personality wise. But yet she is different than me is so many ways, she's got a lot of firstborn traits that I never had!! People often say how much she looks like me. Tonight as she was looking through these pictures, she said, "Mom, I look like you in these pictures! I have never noticed that before."
We love you, Claudia and so grateful for you and so happy that you are our firstborn daughter.

FINALLY had a chance to get some shots of my girl tonight. It was fun to do a "fall" shoot for her summer birthday.

More G

2011-10-10T15:30:00.000-04:00

Looks like Claudia and Greta have a new favorite pastime to do together. Little model and little miss photographer. Fun times for all.

Daddy came home in the middle of the shoot.

Birthday leftovers

2011-10-08T12:45:00.000-04:00

Just a few more pics that I liked from Morgan's little birthday shoot.

Aaron and Greta wanted to attempt a jump shot.

Intrigued by a Grasshopper

2011-10-07T20:49:00.000-04:00

Buds

2011-10-05T16:08:00.000-04:00

Rubble

2011-10-03T22:30:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, after another big day of rain, the creek by us was crazy flooded. I have never seen it this bad. I guess we have had too much rain. Not only was the water super high but there was so much debris.
We took a break from school one day last week to go down and watch the township guys clean it up. We had a guest with us. Uncle Jeremy has moved in from Iowa and is staying with us until he gets his own place. The kids are loving having him here, though they can't seem to understand why he had to spent time looking for a job and then today he actually had to start WORKING! What a crime that has been to them.

The water is not very high here, but a few days earlier, it was almost up to the white fence at the rear of the photo.

Greta did not want to get out of the back of the truck!!

Enjoying her apples and pb.

A lesson from Uncle Jer in how to skip rocks.

More Fair

2011-09-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

Just a few more shots from our evenings at the fair. I love this time of year.

Morgan and her greased pig attempt. She's in the middle with a white t-shirt.

Greta and G-ma snuggling while watching the greasy pigs

Claudia getting congratulated by Mr. Freeman

SHE CAUGHT THE PIG!!

2011-09-29T21:31:00.000-04:00

This has been quite the week for Claudia at the fair. Tonight we headed back to the fair because Morgan really wanted to be in the greased pig contest. Claudia decided last minute to give it a shot too. They do it by age group so Morgan was first. There were a ton of girls in her group, she said she touched the pig but that was it. Claudia was up next... and shocked us all by CATCHING THAT CRAZY PIG!! Such a funny moment, I would not have pegged her as the one to catch it. Didn't know I had a farm girl on my hands. And she even won $15!! I got a few shots, but we were so far away they are really bad. Here she is at the starting line, far right in the white t-shirt.

First Place!

2011-09-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

It was a big night for my sweet Claudia. We entered a couple of her things in the local fair. Her photo got a blue ribbon!! She got first place for the black and white amateur photo!! She was so excited. Steve and I knew she had gotten the ribbon (a friend from church called to let us know he saw it) and so we headed over to the fair. I brought my camera to capture her reaction. Way to go, Claudia!!

Here is the blue ribbon photo:

Love this

2011-09-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

Too high ponies put in by sissy and too short leggings put on by herself. Not sure what is up with the double attitude either.

Parade

2011-09-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

Greta getting a back massage from Cameron.

Lexi's expression at the marching band was too funny!

G is 3

2011-09-23T22:22:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe my little baby girl is already past the 3 year mark. I just haven't had a chance to stop and do a little photo shoot with her. Thankfully, she is probably the most photographed member of our family, so there is no shortage of pictures of her!! I typically like to shoot in the evenings, but it's getting dark so early and our evenings are just busy busy. The other day it was overcast and the perfect weather for it. Totally last minute when I should have been making lunch for my hungry brood, I took her outside and grabbed a few shots. She's such a dear, she loves getting her picture taken and was no shortage of smiles.

Sometimes it's hard for me to discern Greta's personality in all the craziness of her older siblings. In so many ways she is such a mix of Claudia and Morgan, yet she really is her own little girl. She is more quiet, does not have much to say, though she has no trouble expressing her opinion! She loves to giggle and be silly. She loves to be outdoors, really and truly would stay out there all day if someone was with her. She has even started to go by herself some, just to ride bike on the driveway. She is a very happy playmate with her big brother, going along with whatever he has in mind for her. Greta loves to run, and I love to watch her run. She always runs with a smile with her hair blowing in the wind.
She has her sister Claudia's blood who loves all things pretty and loves clothes. Greta could dress herself long before Aaron could and does so all day long. She is very particular about her clothes and hair, though there is no rhyme or reason to it. Her latest obsession is purses, she LOVES to carry around a purse (or two!!) full of her little treasures. Thankfully, there is no shortage of them laying around, leftover from her sisters. She does not know or care that they are hand-me-downs!
One of my favorite things about Greta is that she loves to snuggle. Though that translated into a very high maintenance newborn who never wanted to sleep on her own, it is now quite sweet. Steve and I never tire of getting a chance to snuggle with our G.
We love this girl, she's such a sweet treat for our family. She is really and truly adored by her siblings and we are so happy to have her!!
And yes, we really do call her "G"!!

I got this dress for Greta for $1 at a yard sale and it was her favorite this summer.

New birthday shirt from Grandma.

Birthday's Out

2011-09-23T21:11:00.000-04:00

My parents are so kind to take my girls out for their birthday every year. They get to pick the restaurant and it's always fun to see where they go. Morgan picked S. Clyde Weaver, kind of a deli, but she once had their chicken pie and loved it and wanted to go back. Claudia picked Olive Garden. Greta has to wait until she is 5 to go, though I think she had them convinced they should take her out for ice cream.

Early Morning Hoops

2011-09-22T11:43:00.000-04:00

Steve recently put up a basketball hoop. It's provided hours of entertainment for the kids. Aaron and Morgan are often found out there early.

30 weeks

2011-09-21T08:36:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Miss Claudia Heitland

Instigator

2011-09-20T09:05:00.000-04:00

This little boy is something else. He is either all sweet or all trouble. I have been grateful for a few days in a row of sweetness after a really bad week last week. One of those days, Steve had him for the morning. I had an amazingly peaceful morning with the girls, doing school, chores, etc. They minute he came home it was like unleashing the dragon. Fights were breaking out, crying, etc. Incredible how much power a little man can have.

Last night we had a sitter. Pamela is here often and loves the kids and they love her. When she was putting Aaron to bed, she prayed for him. He told her that she did not pray right, it was too short, not long like daddy. He also told her that he would show her how to pray and had her repeat after him. Thankfully she got a bang out of his little attitude and went along for the ride. We had a good laugh out of that one. Especially b/c Steve neither 1.) prays long or 2.) does "repeat after me" prayers. Don't know where he got that from.

His sweetness this week has looked like a lot of hugs and "I love you, mom". Also made my day when he said, "Mom, you're so pretty." Raising him has been an adventure thus far. He certainly is made out of different stuff than my girls.

Miss My Girl

2011-09-19T09:09:00.001-04:00

Morgan left this weekend to go to Ohio with my mom. We sure do miss her!!

This picture was taken when I did her b-day shots. We had moved to a new location and I said to her, "You don't have to smile, I'm just adjusting my camera." It's funny the shots I get when I do that, they are never intended. I'm sure she hates this of herself, but I love it. She just looks so...childlike and innocent.

Mossville

2011-09-18T17:17:00.000-04:00

My girls recently have spent hours in the trees between our house and my uncle's. It's become their "woods". They recently made a little village that was quite impressive. I am going to have Claudia fill in all the details:

I started to build a little elf house and a well. Then Rachel came over and we changed it from a elf village to a little town called Mossville. It was a LOT of fun to make!

Here is an overall view of Mossville. The places include a house, a well, a tavern called the Green Cricket, a feast table, a pavilion, a bakery, a playground, and a big field of moss.

Here is the bakery with the stand in front with the pies on it.

Here is the well with a lady fetching water.

Here is a house with a doormat and trail in front.

This is the man with his vegetable stall and his garden is behind it. There is lettuce, tomatoes, watermelon, and carrots.

This is the playground with a little boy flying his kite, a see-saw, a slide, a bench, and a awing.

Group effort

2011-09-17T22:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Steve changed the oil in the van and had quite the crowd to watch and learn. He told Aaron to come with him and Morgan said, "I want to learn to change to oil!". So hopefully in a few years Steve will have someone else to do it for him!

After being out for a few minutes, Greta came in and said, " I don't wike oil, Mom."

Going to the Fair

2011-09-16T21:44:00.001-04:00

Today was an amazingly gorgeous day. It felt like fall!! It's funny, I am usually dreading fall b/c that means that winter is right around the corner. But I think being pregnant this year has me feeling differently. I heat bothers me when pregnant (normally I like it!), and I am soooooooooo sick of my summer maternity clothes, I was happy to pull out something different to wear.

Steve had off today so we took the kids to the Solanco Fair. Not much in the way to thrills, but they kids all love it. Just a bunch of good food, free pencils, and candy. I had Steve snap a shot with me and the kids before we left.

Love, Love, Love this.

2011-09-15T08:38:00.002-04:00