Happiness

We are so blessed. Micah is now 4 months old and thriving. We love him so and as Elijah will point out, he isn't just mom and dad's baby. He is "all of our baby!" The kids adore him and it was a surprisingly smooth transition for Elijah. He went from baby of the family to big brother with relative ease. I am proud of the way Chloe and Elijah protect their baby and assume responsibility in caring for Micah.

That girl can't get enough of Micah.

Elijah and his pad of butter

Notice that most of the pictures we have of Micah are also pictures of Chloe.

Elijah and dad reading a book. Go Ducks!

Chloe holding Micah. Can you see him?

Baby after bath. I wish I could infuse the page with his sweet baby belly smell.

I love this picture. He really hasn't fit into the Bumbo so well. I think it works best for normal sized babies. Micah is so long that he has a hard time holding himself up even with the extra support.

Fresh pictures!

Micah (4 months) and Arielle (6 months) hang out for the first time. Both of the babies are number 3 in their prospective families. I am excited to see if they become fast friends.

A picture from Chloe's birthday party. Here she is hugging her cousin Avery.

My beautiful girl before the party.

Chloe enjoyed the birthday song in front of the class on her birthday. There was a substitute teacher that day, which was a bit of a bummer.

The kids waking up first thing in the morning on Chloe's birthday. She asked to hold Micah right away.

He loves her!

For My Pregnant Friends

"I never want to forget how incredible it feels to feel a little kick from the inside; saying hello. reminding me of the miracle growing inside. Reminding me of the miracles that are all around me. Reminding me of the miracle of new life and the miracle of my life. And how blessed I am. When he kicks from the inside, I smile every time at this brand new feeling. And realize all the feelings he will have to look forward to. All the feelings I will get to teach him about; like finger painting on butcher paper and rolling cookie dough into shapes and blowing bubbles in the shade and jumping into salty waves of the pacific and learning how to sound out words on the page. I imagine the newness of how it feels to swing on a swing-set and sit on dad's knee and ride a horse and run a race and spit out watermelon seeds and see snowflakes fall and build blanket forts and hear the boom of fireworks. I want him to feel all of these feelings. Because I want to give him the same thrill that his little kicks give me.I already love him. He will always know the feeling of love. " - Marta Dansie

"We walk by faith, not by sight.
Sorrow is a fruit: God does not make it grow on limbs too weak to bear it.
Men are born with two eyes, but with one tongue in order that they should see twice as much as they say.
To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.
Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.
The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. "

It has been a long week at our house. Elijah had the flu 2 weeks ago and we were successful in keeping him separate from the rest of the family. Chloe came home with the cold last week and managed to get all of us sick. Micah and I are the last to get better and I think we are now on the mend.

Chloe celebrated her 100th day of kindergarten this week. She came home with the number 100 pinned to her chest and a caterpillar hat.

I I am amazed at how much Chloe loves to hold and play with Micah. She loves him so much.

Elijah and I making some chocolate ganache lollipops, yum!

Micah all curled up in the sling I made. He loves it when he can get something in his mouth, anything!

Sweet boy after bath

Chloe laying in the sun doing a puzzle. She was pretty bored while Buddy was sick.

Elijah konked out on the couch. He recovered from the flu in a few days but then ended up with an ear infection. We managed to successfully treat it without antibiotics. Ben put hydrogen pyroxide in his ear and he felt much better within a few hours and never complained again. Hydrogen pyroxide has so many uses.

2010, nice to meet you!

Micah is too big for his bassinet. We finally moved him on once his head touched one end and his feet were able to touch the other.

My Sweet Boy

Things Heard Outside of a Christian School #1

"If you call me that name again, you are not going to heaven! I said, 'If you say that again, God won't let you into heaven.'"

Pictures, Pictures and More Pictures

Uncle Ryan requested new pictures last night so here goes.

Chloe has started using Elijah's face as her newest canvas for expression. He is wearing her white jacket because it has a fur lined hoodie - much more realistic for a cat. Elijah doesn't mind the marker going on but hates the scrubbing afterwards.

Micah is growing, growing, growing. We have his 2 month checkup at the end of this week. I am excited to see how he is doing.


Chloe loves to play her new guitar. Now, if we only had lessons so she could actually play.

Elijah "posing" by the tree. He has a hard time standing still. Also, you may wonder why he isn't wearing any clothes. Most days around the house, he doesn't wear them. They must inhibit his ability to move.

Uncle Scott made each of the kids a t-shirt this year for Christmas that expressed something about them. Elijah's shirt has Mike Wyzowski from Monster's Inc. Chloe has a sweet white puppy on her shirt. I chose this picture because Elijah's face makes me laugh. Like I said earlier, he can hardly stand still.

Micah's shirt is a cute little froggie.

Chloe standing by the tree. She is changing into a little girl.

Christmas Blessings

We are so blessed this Christmas season with the addition of our new little man. He is such a sweet boy. I don't have to return to work until mid January which allows me lots of bonding time with Micah. Not to fool you, things are pretty busy in our household. We are still pressing forward with the basement. I have high hopes that we will be mostly done by the end of January. Also, Kindergarten isn't as easy as it sounds. It keeps all of us pretty occupied. Elijah is very active and will be joining some kind of sports team this spring to help him burn some energy. He likes to jump, run, climb and generally get into trouble.

Micah cuddling with Dad in bed.

Micah and Elijah

My three babes

Chloe loves to be a part of everything mom does to care for Micah.

Elijah making a wreath.

Chloe and her wreath

Elijah in the Joseph costume I made.

We made caramel popcorn balls this year. Yum!

Ben and Chloe all ready for the Nutcracker Ballet. Chloe loves this tradition. This year, Ben took her to dinner beforehand at Maggiano's. They shared a large bowl of spaghetti, Chloe's pick.

Elijah ready for his preschool Christmas program. He looks adorable in the bow tie.

Merry Christmas!