Our new church...

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

Yes, he's still in his jammies.

Remedy

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

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

We sure are loving this little guy.

Hanging Out

Love Those Lips

Greta-isms

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

NFL apparel

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

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

Look-alikes

Can you tell who's who??

All ready for the big game!!

Catch Up

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