Finally....

Finally, a couple of pics for you. The first is all of us at the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. This year Caleb was careful not to get a piece of corn stuck in his nose! :) Eliza was two weeks old on that outing! And then we have Eliza right after a bath. She is growing quickly and doing well. I'm getting a little more sleep and every little bit helps! This morning I went jogging for the first time since before I got pregnant. It was a little rough, but I made it! We'll see how I feel tomorrow. :) It's a great Sunday afternoon....relaxing....reading....snoozing (well, hoping to snooze). Looking forward to the holidays.....

The results are in...

Eliza had another appointment today to get weighed and she came in at a solid 8lb, 12 oz, which is 3 oz above her birth weight and 8 oz more than she weighed four days ago. Praise God! What a relief to all of us here on the home front. She obviously has started to pack on the pounds (or ounces, to be specific) and our doc said we didn't have to come back until her 2 mo. appointment. Thank you to all of you who were praying. God gave us a resounding "YES" in answer to all of you warriors!

I know, I know, more pictures would be appreciated. Hey, life with four is busy and I'm tired!

Prayer Request

Please pray for Eliza. She still is not back up to her birth weight. Not good. The doctor doesn't really know why she isn't gaining weight. It's causing her mother some extra stress....also not good.

Pray for wisdom, peace, and that she'll put on weight!

Last night...

Yesterday was a marathon day. I was up from 4:30a to 10:45p. Whew!

But in the midst of the chaos, at dinner, Caleb gave me reason for a good belly laugh. (And believe me, my belly is in need of even the minimal toning that laughing gives your stomach muscles!)

Me: Caleb, can you name the months of the year?

Caleb: Sure. February....March....Luke....John.....

The transition to 4

I'm seriously wondering what it is that I did all day when I only had three kids. Life is VERY full right now. In a good way. We're taking things one day at a time and that is working.

The beginning of this week was a serious challenge for me and Eliza. On Sunday night she decided to stop nursing. And she didn't nurse all day Monday and part of the day Tuesday. I then went to see a consultant (an angel in disguise) named Val who helped get us back on track. Turns out I was using a pacifier that was making Eliza lazy and so she didn't want to work to eat. Who knew? After a couple of days of using some "equipment" to help get Eliza back on track, she is now almost completely back to nursing normally. And I can't tell you how happy I am! Thank you, Lord!

I know some of you are asking for more pictures. I'll see if we can get some up this weekend. Eliza's two week appointment is today. She is a beautiful gift.

Eliza Jean

Holly woke me up at midnight, we arrived at the Hospital at 12:45, and I (Eric) delivered Eliza at 1:45! Everything went very quickly and smoothly and everyone is happy and healthy. And I got to be the "catcher"! I fought off a near fainting spell with some orange juice after the nurses escorted me to a chair. Then I was back in action and was able to keep ahold of the warm wet wiggly mess soon to be known as Eliza Jean. 8lbs. 9 oz. 20 in. Girl. Here's some pics:

A Song from Sophie

So, because we have a baby due about any day, Sophie and I don't have a lot of "plans". Today she wanted a video taken of herself and put on the computer. I complied. So here you have Sophie and her rendition of "Home on the Range". Yes, I know, what kind of two year old knows "Home on the Range"? Her father taught it to her. :) She loves it.

Being Thankful

We've been having a lot of conversations lately with the boys about being thankful. Thankful for our new home (even though it isn't as big as some of your friends' homes, it's plenty big for us). Thankful for school (yes, it is sometimes boring, but who would you rather eat lunch with, your mom or your friends). Thankful for your brother (we know he is sometimes annoying, but we promise, someday you'll be great friends). Thankful for the food we eat (no, we aren't having fettucinni every night and yes, we WANT you to be able to eat food you don't like). Thankful for the toys you have (believe us, more toys really won't make you any happier in the long run).

In response to these conversations, what do we hear from our oldest? "I sure am thankful all those people in China invented all those toys." Sure enough, almost all the toys our kids own say, "Made in China." Thus his thankfulness for the Chinese. :)

Best pregnant picture EVER!

Okay, it took me four pregnancies to get it, but thanks to my friend/photographer, Lynn, I finally got the best pregnant picture I've ever had! I think there must be something key to the fact that you can only see my silhouette. No one can look at it and say, "Wow, her face is really swollen." I love this picture. I might even get it enlarged and hang it up somewhere. I was up at Lynn's cabin for a D6 (our church's family ministry) writing session and Lynn came up with the idea to take this. Thanks, Lynn! I think it only right that Baby #4 gets the best "in mommy's tummy" picture.

First Day of School

Yep, my two boys went off to all-day school this year. They were both so excited they couldn't even eat breakfast that morning. I miss them, but they seem to be doing really well. They have made friends and like their teachers. And, they even seem to be learning something!

Here's Caleb, my big kindergartner. He ate only his cheesestick and his oatmeal cream pie the first two days of school.
Danny, my second grader. His favorite thing about the first day of school was getting his new supplies in/out of his very own desk. I homeschooled him last year for first grade.

And my three (almost four!) great kids. I'm thankful for each day with them! I think Sophie is enjoying having mommy to herself. And I seem to be getting a lot more done around the house. Plus, I usually nap with Sophie! However, I do miss my boys....

Vacation Update

We returned from our annual family vacation with all of my extended family at the end of July. We had a great time, and, as always, it went by way too fast. There were a few tears shed as we got in the van to come back home (not by me or Eric!)

Eric's highlight was spending 6 hours on the Yellow River kayaking with his brother-in-law, Brad. I believe they swam some, hiked up a cliff without any idea of how they were going to get back down, and generally had a blast. (I'm always careful not to ask too many questions about the stuff they do....better not to know:)

Holly's highlight was minimal cooking and polishing off about 4 thick novels. Who doesn't love a good book? And right now reading time at home is somewhat limited.....

Danny's highlight was seeing five deer over the course of the week and swimming at the local pool. And of course, playing almost nonstop with all of the cousins. They literally would leave our cabin right after (sometimes before) breakfast and I wouldn't see them until supper. I'm not sure what they did for lunch all of those days.

Caleb loved swimming and catching crawdads in the fresh stream water. Making s'mores is also a favorite.

Sophie's favorite part was playing with her new twin cousins, Gabe and Sam. They are 5 months old and she could've spent all day "helping" feed them, change their diapers, put their socks on and off, read to them, etc.....she hated it when it was their nap time. She also bonded with her cousin, Johnnie. Let me say that girl play is SO different from boy play. The girls would sit in our cabin for hours and play with dishes and dolls. The boys would carry swords all day and if you left the cabin, they would attack you. A couple of girl interactions I caught...

Johnnie (to Sophie): Do you want me to call you Sophie or Mommy?
Sophie: Mommy.
Johnnie: Okay, Mommy.

Johnnie: Can I borrow your keys?
Sophie: Sure. (She casually slips one strap of her purse off her shoulder, reaches into the purse to pull out the keys, and hands them to Johnnie. Then readjusts her purse.) Let's go.

(She can mimick me carrying a purse WAY better than Eric can.)

A few photos...

Sophie playing in the stream.


The boy cousins (minus their much younger ones), L to R, Caleb, Moses, Danny, Eli. This is when I told them to smile.

This is when I didn't tell them what to do.....

Sophie enjoying the pool. Yes, she's loud and stubborn, but also very cute.

Yes, and you've been waiting for it.....Holly at about 7 months. In a swimsuit, no less!

This may end up being my only pregnancy picture this time around. :)

School starts in less than a week, so look for first day of school pictures soon! The boys are so excited!

Things under control...kind of

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, but I have good reason! After our last house deal fell through, we began looking for a place to rent. And through a chain of events that God laid out for us, we ended up purchasing a twin home in the nearby town where Eric works! I didn't write anything about it previously because I learned the hard way how house deals can fall through. Anyway, we moved the last weekend in June and have been here for two and a half weeks. I'd like to say we're settled, but....

I'll try to soon post pictures of the new place. It is almost bran new and we love it. Lots more space! However, we leave for vacation on Friday and it might not happen for a while.

Things I love about our new place:

Working laundry (we didn't have it hooked up for the first two weeks)
New(er) appliances
Screened in porch
Garage door opener
3 bathrooms (yes, we've used all of them AT THE SAME TIME and we are SPOILED)
Master bath with attached closet
Less yard work
Great neighbors

Things I miss:

Our great neighbors at our old place
Trees (this being a new development, the trees are still puny)
The two minute drive to ALDI (now it is 8 minutes)

Notes on the kids:

Danny has lost both front teeth
Caleb got sick the other day (threw up) from too much xbox (at the neighbors, a special treat)
Sophia loves toads and cried both times the toads the boys caught died.

And Eric is playing Ranger Wayne Danger for VBS. I have the year off due to my "condition". Come see us at our new place!

Spring in our backyard

For about one week in the spring, our crabapple tree looks like this. It is absolutely beautiful and I get to look at it from my kitchen sink. Eric went out with Caleb and Sophia and shook the branches so the petals would fall down on them. They loved it. (Jess, these pictures are especially for you! We miss you!)

Future Plans

So, you know my last post, "New House". Well, after the inspection, because of some roofing issues, the deal fell through. No more new house. We've known for about a week now that it probably wouldn't happen. And to tell you the truth, I am really okay about it.

However, I'm still packing because we know we have to be out of this place by August 1. Yikes! Packing can seem overwhelming! I don't remember feeling this way about moving and then I recalled that the last time I was packing, I had one less kid and I wasn't pregnant. Hmmm, maybe that makes a difference. :)

So right now Eric and I are still keeping an eye on the housing market, as well as looking for places that would be available to rent. Who knows where we'll be come August 1.

And for some family news: Mother's Day was really fun. The boys gave me a back rub and a "pedicure". I made Swedish pancakes (a family favorite) for breakfast, but after that Eric kicked me out of the kitchen for the rest of the day. What a treat! After lunch Danny hauled out the lawn chair they got me two years ago for Mother's Day and I spent part of the afternoon reading in the sun. I have a hilarious video of Sophie singing "Jesus Loves Me" while the boys have the vibrating back-rubber on her back. I'll try to post it soon. Sophie also managed to get her toenails painted while I was getting my pedicure. And my Mother's Day gift?--a new stroller. I'm SO excited to get it in the mail. We've been taking family walks/bike rides almost every night and our stroller is too short for both Eric and I. I hope the new one lives up to my expectations. Danny should finish school this week. Both boys spend large portions of each day outside, getting dirty. I love it. And I recently finished a new novel, "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger. Excellent book.

New House!

We bought a house! I'm excited, if not a little nervous. I do think it will be a great home for us. We close June 18th and will move soon after. Eric emailed out some pictures, but I don't have any pictures, yet. I'll post them when I get them. The kids are really excited, even though they haven't seen the house, yet. I'm VERY sad to leave our current neighborhood, but am anxious to have more space! I'm already dreaming of paint colors, curtains, and where I'm going to put our furniture in the new house.

Sophia's Birthday

And finally, birthday #3 in March-Sophia turned 2! At this point, I was sick of cake! :) When we lit Sophie's candles, she immediately blew them out-before we got a picture or sang or anything. So then we lit the candles again, but she wouldn't blow them out again. Sorry, I again forgot to rotate the picture.

Caleb, Sophia, and Danny "helping" frost the cake.

We had lots of guests come for cake and ice cream. Our friends Matthew and Spring, our good friends and neighbors Deb and Tess, and our other good friends and neighbors, whose daughter, Gretta, is 6 wks younger than Sophia. They are too cute together! Although for the life of me I couldn't get a picture with BOTH of them looking at the camera. Happy 2nd birthday, Sophia!

Danny's Birthday

And birthday #2 in March-Danny's. Danny had the Arant family over to celebrate, but for some reason, we didn't get a picture of all the kids. Oh well. Danny had a strawberry cake, also had a treasure hunt, and could barely eat the whole day he was so excited. He got a couple of really cool transformers from the Arants. Here's the family on Danny's birthday.

Danny with his loot. Right before we took this picutre, Sophia jumped in and put her arm around Danny.

Danny with his 7 candles and strawberry cake.

Caleb's Birthday

Caleb had a great time celebrating his March birthday with cousins Moses and Johnnie. We went to Hickory Park for supper, had a treasure hunt (in the dark with flashlights), played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, and Caleb and Moses got to sleep in a tent we set up in their room (it was too cold to sleep outside). Caleb and Danny then convinced us to let them sleep in the tent for the following three nights! :) Thanks to the Each's for driving a couple hours to celebrate with us. Caleb had a blast.

Caleb with his "funfetti" cake and his new Webkinz from Nanny and Baba. We lost the tag for this Webkinz, which is what you need to log it on to the computer, so ended up buying another one. Yeah, I'm a sucker. Nevermind that I spent probably 5 hours or so scouring the house for that tag.
Caleb modeling his new ISU jersey. Go Cyclones! (Sorry, I forgot to rotate the picture.)

The party-ers: Johnnie, Caleb, Danny, Moses.

The kids showing off Caleb's loot. L to R, Sophia, Johnnie, Caleb, Danny, Moses.

The Downside of Being Cheap

Okay, I don't know if I'm necessarily "cheap", but I really like good deals and I almost NEVER pay retail. (Isn't that a life motto?) However, there are those days when it doesn't pay to be cheap. For example, the days in the last month and a half.

About a month and a half ago, I decided that I didn't like my hair. It needed a lift. And I also decided that surely, being the educated person that I am, I could figure out how to dye my hair myself, saving more than $50. One trip to Target, three trips to Sally's Beauty Supply, and two weeks later, I found myself with a yellowy-orangy color that I hated. And Eric said, "It's not my favorite," which means he hated it, too. I dealt with the horrible orangy color for about two weeks before I gave in. (I have this weird idea that I should make myself suffer for a while because of the mistake I made.) Then I talked to my neighbor, who works for a very nice salon, to see if she thought she could fix my hair. She was very optimistic and so yesterday I went in and my hair looks A LOT better. However, all in all, I probably spent almost twice as much as if I had just gotten my hair highlighted professionally in the first place. We'll keep the actual bill a secret between me and my credit card statement. :)

I learned my lesson. It doesn't always pay to be cheap. Next time I'll fork over the dough and get it done right the first time.

The House Search

I love watching HGTV. I especially like the house search shows. However, I think maybe I should stop watching. HGTV makes looking for a house often look oh, so easy. And the people on the show are oh, so picky about the things they want in a house. Looking for a new house should be fun, right? I'm starting to think it isn't so fun.

Right now we live in one side of a duplex that we own. There are only two bedrooms and since kid #4 is coming, there isn't a whole lot of growing space. We need a new place! So, we've already rented out BOTH sides of our duplex starting August 1. This means that we HAVE to find a new place to live before then. Oh, the pressure! But we can't be picky like the people on HGTV. There are some things that we want....things we might even consider "must have's" that we will have to give up. Because a house that has everything we want has one thing we don't want-a price tag that we can't afford. Yeah, I'm not too into the house search right now.

You know that feeling when you walk into a house and you think...this is it! This is the one! It is perfect for our family. I haven't had that feeling. I'm just praying the perfect house-at the perfect price-will come along soon.

On a happy note, Sophia turns 2 today! She is very excited about having cake and ice cream. And she is my first child that is potty trained (well, half way) before turning two! Whoo-hoo!

My famous sister, Marcy

For those of you who don't know, I have a very cool, very talented musician sister, Marcy. (My other sister, Rachel, is also a very cool, very talented musician sister, but hey, this post is about Marcy.) I was just reading Mark Arant's blog (he is one of the pastors at Cornerstone) and he had a tribute to Marcy. Which led me to check out her myspace page for the very first time. I know, what kind of pathetic sister am I? Anyway, it is very cool and you can even buy her newest cd, "The Gravel Road" from her myspace page. Click here to go visit! Enjoy!

I'm Glad I Have a Daughter

I'm really glad I have a daughter. Yes, girls can often be more difficult than boys, but she also does things that the boys never thought of doing. And she mimicks ME instead of Eric. Scary thought, but also very entertaining. :) Sophia "changes" diapers on her babies, LIKES to clear her plate after supper, dusts the living room with a wet wipe, and will mother anyone who lets themselves be mothered. She also LOVES make-up, shoes, purses, and jewelry. Hey, no one will accuse me of not teaching my daughter the value of accessorizing!

Here's Sophia feeding her baby some of her morning oatmeal and milk.

And, since baby #4 is coming, I decided I needed a few months of no diapers, so I'm potty training Sophie. This is week two and she actually is doing pretty well. No accidents for a couple of days, she just holds it FOREVER! It is taking longer than with the boys, but she isn't even two yet, so what can I expect!? I know this summer I'll be glad I took the time to do it. Here she is on her little potty. Notice the two babies on the floor around her. They keep her company when she is sitting.

And finally, a video of Sophia mothering Caleb. The video is kind of dark, but she is laying on the couch with Caleb laying on her shoulder, covered with a blanket. Wait for the end, she gives him an adorable kiss "goodnight". This is the first time I've posted a video, so hopefully it works! Less than a month until I leave for a week's vacation visiting my sister in Florida! Whoo-hoo!

February Highlights

And in the title lies the problem. February doesn't really have any highlights. It's cold outside. Holidays are over. (Valentine's Day doesn't really count, because shouldn't you love your spouse EVERY day?) Spring seems very far away. So every morning, I open the curtains and look out at the dreary sky and anticipate what is coming.....

And we actually have more to anticipate than just spring. Baby #4 is on the way, due end of September/beginning of October. The boys are thrilled. Sophia is confused about why there is a baby in mommy's tummy and she can't see it. Eric is excited and proud. I'm often feeling a little under the weather and so doing less cooking and more sleeping. :) I'm also anxious to find a house for our growing family before we split the seams of our 2 bedroom duplex!

Please, spring, come quickly! We need your warm days and sunshine!

On a side note, the boys new favorite evening activity is to act out a Proverb. Eric chooses a Proverb and then the boys think of a way to act it out. They perform it for me and I try to guess what the Proverb is. They love it! And they're pretty good actors (although I can't imagine where they would get a talent like that). :)

Good Deals

I love good deals. Most of you know this because if I get a good deal, I tell you about it. Why should my blog be any different? Today, we went to Hy-Vee to get some groceries. By "we" I mean me and the kids. We don't usually shop at Hy-Vee because it is generally the most expensive grocery store. But when we do, the kids know all about the two perks that Hy-Vee has to offer. #1-car carts. You know, those HUGE carts with a "car" in the front so your kids can sit and steer/climb on the roof/stick their heads out the windows just as your careening around a corner, etc. #2-free cookies. That's right, any kid shopping at Hy-Vee gets a free cookie. I would like to see them expand this program to include moms. I mean, what mom with three kids at the grocery store doesn't deserve a cookie?! Anyway, my kids love Hy-Vee because of the perks. Unfortunately, the car carts were covered with snow, but we still got the cookies! So we stopped at Hy-Vee to pick up a few items that they had on a really good sale this week. And while we were meandering through the aisles to find our $1.28 butter, I found the best deal I've ever found.....drum roll please........1/2 gallon of chocolate milk at the price of 4 for $1. Yep, $0.25 each. I bought six. My kids are going to be drinking only chocolate milk for a week. And then, in the same section of the store, I spied deal #2......1/2 gallon premium orange juice......4 for $1. I bought 4. Oh, and I asked the managment and nothing was wrong with the items. They haven't expired. They are perfect. I must have mentioned my amazement at what a good deal we got a number of times to my kids, because by the time we were at the checkout counter, they were telling everyone who looked our way that we got "SUCH A GOOD DEAL!" So Hy-Vee, I don't know what kind of magic day it was in your store, but THANKS!

To Mom

This post is a tribute to my mom, Lea. She turned 60 years old on the 17th of January. If I'm half as beautiful (inside and out!) as she is when I'm 60, I'll be a happy woman. I'm so thankful for my mom. She is an inspiration to me and truly is one of my best friends. Love you, Mom!

And...we're back.

Where did the last month go? We spent the end of December and early January celebrating Christmases and dealing with the stomach flu. Yep. Sophia began the sequence by getting sick on December 23rd....on the way to my parents....in the car.....right after she drank a cup of milk and ate fruit snacks and chicken nuggets......some of you have already stopped reading you are so grossed out. Thanks to the very kind older female cashier at the Casey's for her help in covering the bathroom floor with trash bags and providing clean rags to clean up Sophia and our van! Luckily, the boys didn't get sick until after we returned home the following Sunday. We spent the last few days of December eating jello, Saltines (by the way, for all you moms out there, try oyster crackers instead of Saltines for your kids--same great taste, much less mess!) and drinking Sprite. Cheers to the new year!

My new year project was to switch bedrooms with the boys. We only have two bedrooms and up until now, the boys were in one room and we were in the other, with Sophia in our closet (hey, it's a big closet with a window!). But I was determined to have our own room, so we put the boys in with Sophia and, finally, Eric and I have our own room again. Supposedly, this will allow me to get up early and exercise without waking Sophie up. I've done it once so far this week. Best part-we now have a tv in our room, so Eric and I can watch movies in bed! Yes!

A few thanks to give out....to God for the beautiful, sunny, 40 degree day today....to Grandma and Grandpa Bodin for the new Wii game (the boys are playing it RIGHT NOW)......to Walgreens for free makeup and chocolate covered macadamia nuts....to the South Beach Diet website for awesome coupons on their yummy granola bars....and to all of you who have left me comments. I'm so glad we get to stay connected this way!