Christmas Fun

Here's a few pictures of the fun so far...

Levi and Aleah attended our playgroup Christmas Party. Levi and his little friend Ivy (they share birthdays) dressed as Pebbles and Bam-Bam!






Samuel has learned how to make gorgeous 3D snowflakes - which I made him sit down and show me how to make immediately! Here he is making one to hang in our kitchen.


Here's the finished product! AMAZING - I know!!!


Abigail has made a very cute Nativity Scene out of empty toilet paper rolls! Here she is working on it.




The girls and I made Snickerdoodles this afternoon...thinking of Grandma!

Birthday Fun

Here's a few more shots of the Birthday Boy eating his cake!




YUMMMYY!!

At the last minute I decided to make him a 'Little Green Frog' cake. We used to sing the 'Little Green Frog' song to him when he first started eating solid foods.

Happy 1st Birthday, Levi!!!

Today Levi turns 1! The house was a buzz of excitement this morning as Levi's older siblings were waking up and pointing out the balloons and presents to Levi! We broke with the usual tradition of opening presents on Mom and Dad's bed - due to the fact that Levi had a rather large pressie, and it would take us a lot longer to get out of bed and get the day started.
Here are a few pictures of the morning.


Levi is thinking things through...but not for long before 'the others' decide to help him.

Brothers and sisters sharing in the birthday excitement...not sure if Aleah is quite a wake yet!

Frustrating!

Yes, I'm still here. No, I haven't been THAT busy that I can't blog. For some reason the videos that I want to upload to share with you all just don't seem to be uploading! I would love to share many things with you but my computer won't let me.
Maybe I should stick to pictures. Well, look out for a new post tomorrow...it's a special day in our house...

What's up?!

Well, November was a bit of wash out in our house. We have been battling illness after illness. Poor Levi seems to have been hit the worst. We had 7 days of good health with Levi...it takes it's toll, that's for sure! I am so thankful for healthy children with no serious illnesses or long-term conditions! My heart goes out to those parents who deal with these struggles on a daily basis! Dean and I have commented to each other many times over the last month at how blessed we are and thankful to God for his graciousness to us in this way!
Here's a few pictures that sum up how Levi has felt...




This is how he is feeling now...Praise the Lord!


!

Too cute!

The other week the 2 older kids and I were out at a Sunday school pizza/movie night. (A reward for those children who managed to learn all the books of the Bible.) Dean had the 2 munchkins at home. Dean was making pancakes for him and Aleah and he asked Aleah to set the table. This is what she did all of her own accord...


(not a very clear picture...sorry)
Aleah got her tablecloth from her playthings, then laid out the plates and the cutlery and any thing else that was needed.


(She had her face painted earlier in the day)
It was a special treat to be eating at her little table in the front room, and yes- Dean sat at the little table and ate pancakes with his little girl.



Dean's attempt to get everyone at the dinner party in the photo!

Fall Fun

Here's a few pictures from our visit with our friends in Nottingham. We seem to have started a tradition when we are with them...a big leaf fight/bundle. The kids love to try and get Dean to the ground or at least shove leaves down his clothes. Levi wasn't too sure about being sat amongst a bunch of leaves!

Aleah loved to cover herself up completely!


It was all fun and games until we discovered that there was a little more than just leaves amongst the pile! (peuww!)

I've been tagged

My sister in law has 'tagged' me on her blog to give my top 5 baby/child tips as well as top 5 baby products. When I first thought about this I drew a blank. It took me longer than expected, especially as I am a mother of 4.

Top 5 baby/child tips

1. Get on a schedule as soon as possible. For your sanity, for your family's sanity, and so that your baby knows whether they are coming or going! It does help with sleeping through the night all mine slept through the night from 6-8 weeks with the exception of the last who milked it and only starting sleeping through at 12 weeks. Mine were all on pretty solid 'feed-wake-sleep' cycles from around 4 weeks. A few of mine had the cycles switched around, but they never fell asleep during a feed. On the subject of feeding ...that's my no.2

2. When it comes to feeding a baby do what works for you! Breast feeding is best, but if it isn't working for you GIVE IT UP!!! I stressed for 2 weeks with my first and it wasn't working - there was a lot of pressure from the midwives to keep it going but it wasn't working for us. I knew that it was best, but was never thrilled with the whole idea of breast feeding. When I made the decision to change to bottle feeding (formula) it changed my whole outlook. I have never looked back with any of my babies. (The midwives stopped hastling me about it finally with my fourth baby.)It is great too because everyone can help out when it comes to feeding! I also recommend that breast feeding moms express a feed now and then so that Dad's can have that 'bonding' time with baby.

3. DO NOT GIVE IN TO PICKY EATERS! I did and had to spend a year of agonizing mealtimes to undo what I allowed to happen. I have a very picky eater, and I used to make 'children's meals' and 'adult meals'. I, with the support of my husband, finally decided to make one meal and everyone had to have 1 mommy serving of it. It was miserable for a LONG time, but with God's help, the support of each other, and consistency meal times are A LOT better. (NOT always great, but the expectation is clear)

4. CHORES and RESPONSIBILITIES. Children can do all kinds of jobs around the the house. Families work together, Mom is NOT the slave. I am still working on this, especially trying to get them to 'do everything without complaining'. This is an area I can still improve on, my kids do the basics - ie: unloading dishwasher, setting the table, clearing the table, sweeping, collecting the rubbish, cleaning the bathroom, cleaning their rooms, hoovering the carpets.

5. Follow through with what you say - which means you need to really think about what you saying before it comes out of your mouth.


TOP 5 Baby Products

1. Wipes!(not sure I'll ever give these up...they're great for cleaning lots of things!)

2.Boppy Pillow or V shaped pillow. Great for pregnancy, babies of all ages, and ours has been noted as quite comfy as a guest pillow.

3. Pushchair/Stroller - lost count at how many we have owned over the years. We currently have an all purpose 3 wheeler (we do a lot of walking) and a lightweight Maclaren for public transport use, or as a grab and go.

4. NON SPILL SIPPY CUPS.

5. Bath Seat for wriggly, slippery, splashy babies. Levi is especially hard to hold on to in the bath...these seats have kept all by babies safe and happy in the bath.

Getting ready for a break.

Today is the last day of school before the half-term break. We are going to visit some friends of ours in Nottingham for a few days early next week...kids are off school, Dean has a few days off work. S0, I thought it would be a good time to do a little picture diary of some of the things we've been up to over the last 6 weeks.



'Hanging Out' at home...Aleah is starting to share lots of things with Levi.



'Hanging Out' with friends. (Levi and is friend Ivy)



Aleah started doing some 'school work' at home. We are learning numbers, shapes, letters, and Bible verses.


Learning about new responsibilities!


Growing closer together as a family!

Graduation Day!!!

After 6 long years of part-time study, Dean has finally officially graduated! He put in a lot of hard work so it was with great joy and pride that he received his degree on Saturday. Dean and I have now both completed university. At one point we were both students at the same time as being parents! I was a full-time student for 3 years and Dean started part-time at Oak Hill while working part-time for the church. It wasn't easy, but with the support of friends and family and the strength that only comes from God we were able to accomplish our goals. May this be an encouragement to any of you who are thinking about returning to higher education. It can be done! There were many times during 'essay' time that the children and I camped out at the local park or anyones house that would have us for the day. I am thankful that those times are over now, but I know that it certainly built character! He is the first one of his family to graduate university - quite an achievement. Dean was allowed to have 3 guests with him at the ceremony so his parents and I attended this special moment together. We would have loved for our children to be there as well, after all, we feel that this was a whole family achievement. Here are a few photos from the day. Enjoy!!

I DO!

13 Years ago Dean and I said these words to each other before a about 150 people. We were blessed yesterday to take time out to remember and celebrate that day.

Those of you who were witnesses to our wedding will know that that it was certainly a day to remember!!! Even if your weren't there, I'm pretty sure you would've heard about it by now.

Dean brought home a beautiful flower arrangement. It goes so nicely with the house decorations for fall. (He chose the flowers himself!) We then went to a Japanese restaurant for a lovely meal. It was nice to try something new, we've only been to a Japanese place in the States before.

We are so thankful to God for his blessings.

Happy Birthday !!!

Happy Birthday, Dean!!!
Happy Birthday, Kelli!!!

My husband and my sister-in-law share the same birthdays!!!
I hope that Kelli has a fantastic day and is spoiled by her gorgeous and wonderful family!!!!

Pizza and Movie

Here are a few shots of Abigail's pizza and movie party. I set up a table in the basement to look like an Italian restaurant. My plan was to have Dean and Sam dress up as waiters and serve the girls pizza. (I told Sam he could do it on his roller blades and that swung the deal for him!) Unfortunately we ran out of time for the waiters. Dean was busy setting up the movie, and then had to run and pick up the pizza. Sam didn't realized until afterwards that he didn't do the waiter bit.


We managed to send Aleah to Nanny's house for a sleepover - other wise I think she would've done her best to be the center of attention. Abigail had enough competition with Levi!

(notice Abigial checking her phone...just in case!)

It was a good night, and probably one of the easiest parties yet - that is one of the good things about children growing up - their parties are less 'high maintenance'!!

Mom's Toolbox

We all need a few tools. Here is a great tool to help with Bible reading and prayer.
It's found at www.momstoolbx.com - Look at any tags for SOAP. I've set a link on the sidebar as well.

I have found getting up before the children and spending time in God's Word and in prayer definitely helps me 'set my mind' for the day. Sometimes I struggle to know what to read or how to apply what I've read. I think I'm going to try a little SOAP daily and see how it goes.

Abigail turns 11!!!

Happy Birthday to Abigail!! She is now 11 years old. It is VERY hard to believe that I am the mother of an 11 year old. So begins a new 'season' of life!!! Abigail enjoyed opening family presents this morning in Mom and Dad's bed. (A tradition it seems in our house, everyone has to gather on the bed and watch the birthday person open presents.)



Abigail received a package from Grandma as well! (Thanks, Connie!) The kids love receiving their favourite 'American Cereal' on their birthdays.




Samuel has been struggling recently with envy/jealousy towards Abigail as she is now older and often is able to enjoy more privileges than he does. (ie - staying up a bit later, going to clubs that might run later, having a little more independence etc.) It has been a real sore point with him, and as Abigail's birthday drew closer we have had a few talks with him about being thankful for his sister, and trying to celebrate with her and not be envious of the gifts that she will receive. We prayed with him especially last night after an 'issue' and asked God to grant him self-control as Abigail receives gifts. He did a fantastic job this morning dealing with his 'self'. (Praise the Lord for His strength!) The video of Abby opening her 'main' present shows the struggle that Sam was going through.



Abigail's main present was a mobile phone! She has started coming home from school by herself on occasion, and is increasingly doing things independent of her family (all within reason) so we felt that it would be a good time to get her a phone so the she can contact us and vice versa.



She will be having a pizza and movie party with some of her friends tomorrow night, which I'm sure will be a lot of fun. It's nice to know that she is not too old to sit on her Daddy's lap and have a cuddle!



We thank and praise God for our beautiful blessing!

Back to School!

Today was the first day of school! Abigail is now in Year 6 (her last year of Primary School- sniff, sniff!), and Samuel is in Year 4! Where does time go!!
Here are the kids dressed in thier uniforms and ready to go - not quite sure why Aleah was pulling such a funny face, it might have something to do with her brother!!




Here are their happy faces when they returned home to a yummy after school snack!









I got this idea/recipe from www.allrecipes.com - Play Dough Cookies.
They were quite fun to make...and eat!