David is 5 Years Old!!!

Today We celebrated David's 5th birthday.


We met up with friends at a bowling alley and enjoyed seeing our kids experience bowling for the first time ever. That was soooo cute! David was really into it, and Luke not so much, so Maggie picked up Luke's place in the game and was funny to watch as she got so excited over her turn. That little girl picked up bowling balls and tried to carry them around. We really got a kick out of it.
Afterwards, we enjoyed pizza and dessert with our friends. I truly believe that David enjoyed his time with everyone.



I also wanted to share these pictures of JW. He really cracks me up about the camera. Here, he started smiling and cooing at me, but as soon as he would see that camera pointed at him, he would get serious (and maybe a little scared.)








He sure is growing fast! I just can't believe how much little ones change in a short period of time.








I recently found a pattern for a sling that I'm going to make for him. I currently have been using a ring sling that is great, but doesn't carry a heavier baby well. I am figuring that it will only take a few more months before he will be pretty heavy for me in it. I'll have to post the sling once it's all made.





I look forward to church on Sunday. It's always refreshing to spend time with brothers and sisters in the Lord. I'm so thankful that the Lord has blessed our family with a group of believers who really work to take care of each other. It's great to have that support.
Have a great weekend!!!

Around the House

I just love seeing the peacefulness of a sleeping baby.
Maggie always finds such interesting places to sleep.

This week I went on an organizing spree
to get our crafts in order.
This prompted making homemade
playdough and of course,
more creativity.

We pulled out a tent that has
been put away for a while.
They seemed to have fun
playing in it together.
David is already talking about
how he wants to go camping
this summer.

This next picture has a story...hee hee
So I sneak over with the camera,
and she hears it zooming and focusing.
Before I can take a picture, she is already turned
and saying CHEESE!!!! That made me laugh...ok, I even
called a friend to share. Afterwards, I was able to get this picture.

So that's been what we've been up to.
I sure can't wait to wander outside more often,
once the weather warms up in a few months. :)

Busy Weekend

This weekend, we had a great time
working around the house and playing
with the kids. Bill dyed eggs with our Boys.
They got a kick out of using glow in the dark
colors!

Maggie is growing so fast,
and saying so many new things!

Grandma & Grandpa stopped over
for their grandbaby fix!

This is the wool cover I made our little one.
It think it fits great!

Apples

So every Fall, we pick apples and make applesauce to can.
This year, I wasn't able to can a year's worth since I was pregnant, and huge.

We just ran out of applesauce this week,and I was pleased to
find large bags of apples on sale! David loves to help in the kitchen,
so we made a night of it.

He enjoyed peeling and slicing (along with my help),
and at the peels as fast as they came.

This was him with our food mill.
I'm convinced that little boys just love to play with contraptions!

More Apples

So here's the finished product!
We made applesauce, and apple butter!

Bill and David are doing a craft
every weekend. Last weekend,
they went and picked out colors of thread
along with our friends, and made a
bracelet together. David could tell you
which color represents which person :)

Here's my little Miss Maggie...
She is such a climber! I get a kick
out of seeing what she finds to climb.

Luke doesn't usually cooperate for a picture,
so this is a sweet one. I just
love his dear smile.

Valentines Day

After a cold day, it was refreshing to have a nice,
hot casserole for dinner tonight.
I got the recipe from a friend who I consider to be a wonderful
cook. It's called Tricolor Pasta and Ham casserole.
Boy! Did it turn out tasty!!!

Here's the recipe:

1 pkg tricolor pasta

Fully cooked cubed ham

1/2 bag frozen corn

shredded extra sharp white cheddar

1 cup chicken broth

2 cans cream of (whatever you like)

1/2 cup milk

salt, pepper, your favorite mix of spices (I use Mrs. Dash)

French Fried onions

Cook noodles al dente, meanwhile, mix soup, milk and spices in a seperate bowl. Shred cheese. Layer drained noodles, ham, corn, cheese, pour soup mixture on top, another layer of cheese, french fried onions on top. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

YUMMY!

We spent time over at our friend's house today. Here's David
with his great friend Caleb. They could play in the cold
and icy snow for hours if we let them.

David wasn't so happy here, since we had to leave.
I caught him sneak a smile at me in he midst
of trying to convince me that he was mad that
we had to go home.

I also wanted to share how our budding artist is
creating the most interesting pictures
lately on our white board. I should probably get
him a sketch pad. Here's a dragon. He had plenty to say
about his picture after drawing it.
I just love to hear a five year old explain his art.

"A sanbox in the winter"

Today has been a full day for us. We went over to a friend's house for a playdate, and the kids had soooo much fun! I really enjoy sitting around and chatting with other mommies.
When we got home, the little ones were exhausted, so they are down for naps, and my big boys are playing "sand" with our activity table. Isn't it funny how very simple things entertain children for hours? Thinking of that, I should prepare dinner now instead of later! Things always go haywire when it's time to make dinner.

JW is reaching for toys!!!

I just love it when little babies learn to do new things. Yesturday, JW grabbed a toy for the first time. He's finally not afraid of them!!! :)

Valentines Crafts

This morning, we worked on Valentine's Day cards to give to friends and family.

It's fun to watch very young children play with Markers,
glue and glitter, although the mess isn't quite as fun. hee hee!

Here's my Lukie. He's such a great little guy!

David made "big hearts". That's fitting. :)

Birthday

Not much gets past me, but today, I was truly suprised! I had plans to go over to family's house, and they had a suprise birthday party for me. I think that is so sweet. Monday, I turn the big 30. It doesn't seem like I could be there yet, but hey! With each year, I feel that I have grown to learn so much more. It's a good time of life. Young children around me, and a peaceful marriage. We really have been through alot, and are doing so well because of the Lord. So here's to another year! Yipee!
On another note, I've been working very hard over the last few days. It's been bitter cold outside for quite some time now, so I'm back on a cleaning spree. Being in the house all the time really does give me the itch to get it very clean and clutter free. We've been downsizing our furniture to make it feel more spacious. I'm very happy with the progress.
Lately, the house has been a BEAR to keep up with, so with less, comes less upkeep. I just love that. Welll, that's all for now. Gotta go hug my little Miss Maggie...

Clean Sweep

Today has been quite a working day around here! I decided to concentrate on my dining room, and get it cleaned up and organized. I recently came to the conclusion that I need to get an area ready for a piano, so I needed to do some downsizing in other areas. I'm hoping to have a piano by the end of summer. We will see how that goes.

So today I have cleaned most of the dining room. It is the room we keep our desk for projects, computer desk and dining stuff in. It's full. So I took out the computer desk and made my projects desk a place for the computer also. I will just have to keep things very simple. I already struggle with being a pack rat, so it's good for me to keep things very simplistic.

Recently I realized that I need to become more of a guard of letting "things" into the house. It's just going to get too cramped if we keep accumulating much. It seems I always am having to get rid of and clean out, and I'd like to do less of that and more play. (Don't we all?)
I was introduced to a yahoo group called Freecycle, a few years ago, and this has been wonderful to have for recycling as we clean out. I post things on there all the time to give away instead of heading out to the Goodwill.
Well, that's all the time I have for now. Until later...

JW

Here he is at 9 weeks old. Isn't he the sweetest little thing ever? I just love to see him coo at me and smile. Simply Amazing.

My Four Kids

So here are a few pictures of my four kids. I think they are the best! The first two are of my youngest. This is his first smile caught on camera, and then his reaction to the flash. That cracks me up!
The next picture is of my oldest, who just watch Ratitoulle, and wanted to imitate a character on the movie.
Then of course is all of them on the couch. Is it possible to get a picture of everyone looking a smiling? Maybe...
So that's us. I'll have to get one of our family photos on here, those were a little crazy... :)

Cloth Diaper Information

So in the last few years, I have researched like crazy about cloth since I use them, and thought I should put my compiled favorite sites in one place to share with friends. If you do cloth or are thinking of using them, these links would be helpful!

First I want to share my favorite options for cloth diapers. If you are trying to decide which diaper is right for you, look into wool covers and fitted diapers.
The wool is amazing in that it lasts through many babies and breathes so that your little will not get hot and will have very few rashes. I just love to use wool covers. They are very inexpensive to make too! If you are looking to just buy a wool cover, look here!

How to care for your wool covers:
I recently learned that when washing wool covers, that you don't actually need a special wool wash for them. For a long time, I special ordered my wash. You can use Johnson's baby wash in a tepid water bath to wash by hand. Gently hand wash without rubbing or wringing the fabric. You do not need to relanolize them each wash unless you notice wicking. Once the cover starts to wick, lanolizing is very easy!
Just take a squirt of Johnson's wash, then about a quarter size dot of lanolin, and mix in a small cup with water. Heat that cup (I use the microwave.) Stir it up, and you should end up with a milky consistancy. (You should not have clumps.) Pour this cup of solution into a room temperature water bath. I just soak the covers in there for at least 20 minutes, and then take them down to the washing machine and spin out the liquid. Then, I lay them or hand them to dry. I don't have to relanolize very often. If it's your first time to waterproof it, I would suggest doing it twice. It will feel tacky, but that will slowly go away.

Fitted diapers are a great choice because they hold everything in, and are easy to teach others to use when watching your child.

Check out these Basic informational websites:

The Diaper Hyena

Diaper Pin

Diaper Jungle

Dealing with stinky diapers:

Yahoo groups and forums:

Mothering.com

There's a sewyourowndiapers yahoo
Also, a woolsoaker group (more knitting), but good for learning about how wool works, and has good files to read.

Making your own stuff sites:
Where to buy fabric:

Wazoodle
VeryBaby This site also has diaper sewing tutorials.

How to make your own Wetbag:

Diapers & covers & costs:

How to make your own Longie Wool Pattern.

Make your own Wool Wrap cover:

Fitted Diaper Patterns: (2 links)

Fitted Diaper #1

Fitted Diaper #2

Knitting a Pull-Up style cover pattern (great for wool soakers or fleece)

Here is a tutorial on sewing your own cover.

More Knitting Patterns for wool covers.

Online Store I recommend:
http://thechangingpad.com/