the random ramblings of Kristin

Christmas...

2012-01-31T13:45:00.007-06:00

I am finally back.

We have been extremely busy, and my computer was in the shop for a couple weeks. It's still kind-of wigging out. Thinking I am going to have to save for a new one before this one goes kaput. I did lose all my programs and data, but THANKFULLY all of my pictures, videos and files were backed up on my external hard drive. The only program I don't have my disc for because my husband purchased online and did not keep the e-mail is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3. Pretty bummed about that! It's where I edit all my photos. But would rather have lost all my programs than my data for sure!

So...better late than never: our Christmas 2011 in pictures.

We visited both my family and Ryan's, we celebrated Jesus' birthday by making cake pops and singing to Him, we opened gifts, we had yummy food, we played games...and it was a sweet season. :)

I will be back...

2012-01-18T08:07:00.002-06:00

My computer is sick, and it's getting all fixed up by the Geek Squad. I have been waiting for it before blogging because I can hardly stand to do a post without pictures. I still have Christmas pictures to post! Still no computer though, so I figured I could at least do an update on the iPad.

I am almost in my 2nd trimester. I've had quite a bit of nausea this time, but I think substantially less than many people get. It is starting to fade now though. We had an ultrasound about a week ago, and I was amazed at how much our baby was squirming and moving his or her little limbs knowing that he or she is tiny at this point. Don't remember our others squirming so much early on. I am due August 1st. And we do plan to find out the gender. I LOVE love both boys and girls, so I am very neutral on hoping for one or the other. I will say this is this first time Manning has spoke up about wanting a brother. He said he loves sisters and would be excited for another one but that he'd be very, very excited for a brother. So I do hope at some point Manning may get a little brother. At this point it's hard for me to imagine a baby without dresses and headbands. Just what I've gotten used to the past few years. :) Manning is SO excited about me being pregnant. He hopes for lots of brothers and sisters, which is great since he really has no idea of the possibility there is. Tapestry is also excited. Cherish doesn't seem to understand at all. And Liberty, of course, has no idea. Ryan and I are so excited. Can't wait to find out the gender and dream up a name. Though if it's a boy, we have had a just-in-case back up name the past 3 times (you know...in case any of our supposed girls came out boy). We love the name and are 99% sure that's what we'll stick with. We have a list of girl names we like, but no names that we are very stuck on for the next.

Manning is getting to be such a big boy. He is very sweet and loving. He is laid back, but he runs around a lot. And he loves to get hyper and silly. He makes up fun stories and songs. He loves entertaining his siblings. Tapestry is his best friend. He is very affectionate and sweet with Cherish. He loves playing with Liberty...and especially making her laugh. He can run on little sleep. He definitely doesn't want to miss out on anything fun. He loves to learn, and he's excited about doing school with Mommy. He's definitely a joy to wake up to every morning. :)

Tapestry is VERY into her baby dolls. She dresses them, changes diapers, feeds, holds, burps, hugs...and she takes them on stroller rides. She likes playing independently, but she also loves playing with Manning. He is definitely her best friend, too. She is very caring and compassionate. She will pray for you if you are sick, kiss or hug you if she senses something might be wrong. She has almost come full circle out of the whinies (the ones all kids go through typically somewhere between ages 2-4). That is nice. :) She occasionally has a little fit, but most things she's willing to listen and talk through now. She dresses herself up in princess clothes most every morning as soon as she climbs out of bed. She is really fun and quirky...and she and I relate well in that quirkiness. :)

Cherish has gotten very funny, and even quite quirky. She was the sweetest, most loving little baby. When she turned 2, the whinies started. Haha. One kid out, one kid in. ;) She has also gotten quite feisty lately. It is so humorous because she is still just the sweetest thing...and then she busts out the feisty. I know it's simply a stage searching for the balance of dependence and independence. And I find her quite adorable, even when feisty. Her Mommy might have a little feist to her as well. :) Cherish loves to sing, chase Manning and Tapestry around, be held by Mommy or Daddy, play with Liberty, do funny things on purpose to give others a good laugh. She is obsessed(ish) with Liberty. As soon as she wakes up, she starts talking about Liberty. She lets us know when she thinks Liberty needs food, when Liberty's sleeping, what toy Liberty likes, and she repeats most every noise Libert makes. "Liberty says, 'ahhhhh, ahhhh.'" Then she giggles. It's funny! She is a very precious feisty one! :)

Liberty is adorable. She is very busy. She crawls all over and tries her hardest to keep up with her siblings. She is very happy. She loves to be held and cuddled...for 1 minute. Then she's ready to crawl, play, and try to find small things to stick in her mouth. So I do a lot of chasing her around removing things from her mouth. :) She rarely cries, but she will give a little fuss when she's hungry, tired, or ready to get up from nap. She cries off and on when teething. She has 4 little teeth now. She LOVES her siblings, and I think she has a very special bond with her big brother. She seems especially enamored with him, and she lights up when he gives her attention. Sweet. :) Liberty loves her Daddy. She adores Mommy and is in "I want my Mommy" phase. I certainly don't mind. ;) She is such a sweet, smiley, happy baby...and I just love being her Mommy. :)

Well, I've got to go get breakfast for all these little ones! I will be back, with photos, very soon.

our Christmas card to you...

2011-12-15T19:01:00.003-06:00

Pretend you are opening your mailbox, and here is our card to YOU...

two...

2011-11-21T09:20:00.005-06:00

My sweet Cherish turned 2 at the end of October.

She had a little party at our house.

She had lots of cousins and friends here.

Our old swing set went kaput, so we got this new one for Cherish's birthday that holds many small children. (Great price: Walmart.)

We had painting.

Cookies.

Cuddles.

Fun.

Gifts.

It was a great day of celebrating our not-so-baby girl. :)

Currently, Cherish is sweet, loving, quite feisty (like her ~~daddy~~ mommy), very funny and fun-loving. She's beautiful, and she can melt most anyone when she bats those long lashes and flashes that sweet smile. She is a feisty little sister, but a sweet, gentle and extremely loving big sister. I suppose she feels the need to hold her own around her older siblings, but feels the freedom to just love her little one. The second she gets up every morning, she asks for Liberty. She has a special love for her Daddy, but overall she is still a Mommy's girl. Which, of course, I like. We love our sweet Cherish so much, and we are just so happy to have her as our daughter. Happy 2nd birthday, Cherish...may you always feel and know that you ARE utterly cherished! :)

(On a side note: Thank you for all of your sweet and encouraging comments on my last post!)

Are they nuts?!

2011-11-09T11:07:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I saw a few blurbs online that the Duggars are expecting their 20th baby. Wow! That is a LOT! A LOT!

Do I think they are crazy, nuts? Absolutely.

Most people I hear speak of the Duggars do think they are crazy. Even thinking they are crazy, some people really like them, some people just don't. And there is that small, probably very small, portion of people who don't think they are nuts. That portion of people are probably either doing the same thing as the Duggars or would have if they were able to have kids (or more kids). And maybe in that portion there are people who do not personally want to have that many kids, but they support others who have many kids or want to have many kids anyway.

Where do I personally stand? I understand and feel nothing ill against those who think they are nuts. Even those who speak harshly against the Duggars or others who have many children, I understand. Some people who speak out harshly are dear people to me, and I love them all the same. So, my first stance, I understand why so many are against having lots of children and speak against it. My second stance, I think the Duggars are a precious and beautiful family who have chosen a very different and difficult route for a very beautiful reason.

If you have never heard Michelle's testimony of why they have so many kids, here it is in a nutshell:

Her and Jim Bob got married. They were not ready to have children, therefore, she was on birth control for I believe 4 years. They decided they were ready, got off birth control, had their first child. After they had him, they decided they definitely weren't ready to have another so they got back on birth control. Michelle got pregnant while on birth control and miscarried that baby. She was told by her doctor that the birth control more than likely was the cause of her miscarriage. That absolutely devastated her and her husband. They searched the bible and cried out to God as to what they should do. All they could find was that God continually spoke of and referred to children as a blessing, therefore they decided to just leave it up to God how many kids they would have. They never in a million years thought they would have so many. Even when asked why all of their kids have "J" names, they say, "Well, we named the first 3 with names starting with J, and after that we kept thinking the next one may be our last and we didn't want him/her to feel left out." I think it's beautiful they've chosen what they have for the reason they have.

2 common questions that come up when people speak of having so many children are:

1. Can you financially support them?
2. Will you be able to give them all the love, attention and affection they need.

1. The Duggars invest in commercial real estate and have zero debt. They do not even have a house mortgage. They buy most everything used. They live in a beautiful big house they built themselves with some outside help. They are well dressed and fed well. They have plenty.

2. Also, the Duggars have such a respect for one another. I fail often in this category. They have really encouraged me to respect my children. I believe their children are given as much or more love, attention and affection as the average child in America. I am sure the kids will grow up feeling some neglect, which is sad, but didn't we all feel some sort of neglect even with none or few siblings? I am pretty sure I would not wish that I had not been born just because I didn't get quite as much attention from my parents as the girl next door.

Now to get very personal.

Many people already think we are nuts, and we just have four children. They are very close in age. And honestly, I think we are pretty nuts as well. I mean, it feels crazy and hard...but it is awesome and amazing and I love it! Or rather I love them...my children! When people ask, "Are you crazy?" I am not offended. I usually answer with, "Yes, we sure are!" Haha. Crazy isn't always bad in my book.

Are we going to have however many kids, potentially 20+? Yes, that is our heart and that is our decision. Will we change our decision? Maybe, but it's not looking like it so far.

Why?!?!?! I am glad you asked. ;)

Well, when Ryan and I were engaged, we were out to dinner with a large group of people and the topic of birth control came up in conversation. I leaned over and whispered to Ryan, "Oh, I have been meaning to talk to you about that." He whispered back, "Yeah, me too. I don't want to use it." I said, "Me either. I just think it would be amazing to have however many kids God would like to give us." He said, "Me too." I said, "Awesome." Now that was a sweet and simple conversation, but a very naive conversation. I had NO IDEA I would be Queen Fertile and pop out babies like popcorn. Seriously, I was in shock when I got pregnant after 4 months of marriage, and I was equally in shock when I got pregnant 5 months after having my first baby. It was after I got pregnant with my second that I realized, "Holy cow...we could have like 26 babies or something!" I had never heard of the Duggars. I knew no one else who had chosen to have however many children. I had never met a family with more than 6 children. Honestly, I never envisioned more than 6 kids prior to that point. It was then that fear struck me (and my husband) and we said, "Oh God! Is this your plan for us? Are we doing what you want for us?" And both my husband and I felt unshakably, "YES!" We were absolutely pumped when we got pregnant with our third, could hardly wait for our fourth, and now we have pregnancy tests stocked and certainly would be happy for a fifth! We may just have four kids, or we may have 26. It is an adventure that we will never know ahead of time, only one that unfolds as we go. Fear is gone, and we are excited about this adventure with however many kids we will be privileged to go it with. We pray for much grace and mercy, we continually ask God to change us, help us, mold us, make us into who he has planned for us to be. We know He loves us and we need a Daddy to hold us, help us, nurture us so that we have something to give out to our children. And ultimately they need Daddy God as well. And He is SUCH A GOOD DADDY!

But here, RIGHT HERE, is the most important part of this post to me. I don't think you should have a gazillion kids, and I don't think you shouldn't have a gazillion kids. I don't think we are "holy" and "trusting God" more than anyone who chooses how many kids they would like to try to have. I don't think more highly of people who choose to have many kids. And I know many of you would love to have even one or two or three children, and it's just not happening. And my heart breaks for you. And I pray for you, cry for you, and plead for you. And some of you have been heartbroken by miscarriage or the loss of a child and you just can't bare the pain of having more children or even trying. And I cannot imagine that pain or what I would do in that situation. I think you are amazing...and whatever you choose as far as having babies is not judged by me. I think God has given us free choice and free will, and I believe He speaks to us individually. What He speaks to me on so many different choices will be so very different than what He speaks to you. I love that He has created us so uniquely, intricately and differently. You are precious to Him, I am precious to Him, and He just loves us no matter what!

So are the Duggars nuts? Are we nuts? Of course! But I am one very loved crazy woman, and you are one very loved woman or man as well!!!! :D

my little blog stars...

2011-10-25T14:15:00.002-05:00

Manning was needing some new shirts. I saw this one and wanted to get it. Of course, I had to get one of these for ALL of my kiddos though! :)

You can get one/some for your cuties here.

the children's museum...

2011-10-20T09:19:00.008-05:00

We recently took a trip to the Children's Museum in Houston. It was a lot of fun for the kids and us. In the past we've mainly just hung at "The Tot Spot". This time Manning and Tapestry seemed ready for some bigger kid stuff. :)

Manning, Tapestry and Cherish thought the illusion mirrors were crazy and cool.

Mommy did too...I mean, look how skinny those thighs and hips are! ;)

I am not sure if the kids had more fun face-painting or if I did helping, watching and snapping pictures. I just love stuff like this. I would say this was the highlight of the day for our whole little family.

Liberty just watched and smiled. She laughed when she saw Manning with his face painted. So cute!

Manning and Tapestry really liked pretending to talk on all the different phones. And they even got to talk to each other and see each other on monitors on one set of phones.

These lifts were cool. Cherish especially enjoyed going up one.

We looked at some little fish through magnifying glasses.

And then we entered Manning's zone: building. He is all about building and putting things together. He's quite good at it.

Our happy Cherish had a few meltdowns in the midst of all of that fun. She loves to play hard, but the girl likes her beauty rest and she was missing her nap. So, we figured "The Tot Spot" was what would make her happy. And it did. Her and her little sister.

Girl likes coffee like her Mommy and Daddy. ;)

After being cooped up in her carseat, Liberty loved the freedom to roll and move around. She's not quite crawling, but she can definitely get where she wants to go. Rolling, scooting, she goes.

Cherish LOVES Liberty, cannot get enough of her. Baby is the first word out of Cherish's mouth most mornings.

While Cherish and Liberty were having a blast, Manning and Tapestry were not. It was the first time neither of them were allowed into "The Tot Spot". So sad. So they took turns peeking in.

Daddy quickly got the idea to take them outside though. And it didn't take too much of Cherish seeing them out the window to decide she wanted to be out there as well.

Since we had a few gift cards to the museum, we decided to end the day with surprises from the little store. Manning got a dinosaur puzzle, Tapestry a little wooden box to paint, and Cherish a stacking game.

And since we rarely make a trip to Houston these days, we decided to make a *quick run to Ikea to pick up our first set of bunk beds. We haven't set them up yet, but the plan is to do Manning and Tapestry in bunks when we get ready to move Miss Liberty out of our room.

Long but very fun day!

*Can you make a quick trip to Ikea?! ;)

putting children in their place...

2011-10-05T13:48:00.004-05:00

I think, I ponder, I search and I seek. I go deep. Even deep into the depths of my own soul. Sometimes what I find hurts.

Ever heard someone say or even had these words come out of your own mouth, "Well, you just need to put him in his proper place"?

I have been pondering for awhile now where exactly I should place my children...or all children. You know, in my head? How should I treat them? How should I talk about them? How should I respond to them?

It is a hard thing. At least for me. I believe that our culture overall communicates that kids are inferior to adults and that kids need to just do as they are told with no questions asked. Behavior modification is high on the priority list. Raising well-mannered, nice kids is the goal of child-rearing...isn't it? Or is it?

I have a lot of thoughts. They are just that. My thoughts. Not the truth, the life and the way. Not the best. And honestly, I am not even sure yet how to implement all of my thoughts. I am probably giving my thoughts prematurely, but being the out there person that I am, I'll will just lay it all out here anyway.

I believe as far as value is concerned, our children are equally as valuable and important as adults. I believe their thoughts and opinions matter. I believe their questions deserve to be heard just as much as my own. I believe they are utterly precious to God and highly esteemed by God. Just as much as I should respect my boss, my husband, my friend, I believe I should respect my kids.

How do I live out this value and respect? It is a hard thing. When my son doesn't understand why he needs to go to bed, how do I respect and value him? Do I constantly give him his way? Do I go through the same 15 minute spill that I did yesterday? What do I do? I don't have all that figured out, and I probably never completely will. But I am thinking about it, and I am trying new things.

I am making a few things priority. 1. Allow him to have a question without responding with, "because I am your Mommy" or "because I said so" or "because I am in charge". Sometimes I think they genuinely just want to understand why they should do what we are asking of them. 2. Allow him to express his feelings if he doesn't like something. Listen to him. 3. Validate his feelings. "I understand you don't want to go to bed right now. I understand that playing is a lot more fun than sleeping. I am sorry that you are sad." 4. Give him something to look forward to. "Tomorrow morning when you wake up we are going to do something really fun, and I am going to let you choose. Would you like to play outside or make a craft?" 5. Stand firm in the bedtime, yet remain loving and respectful...even if a tantrum starts on the way out the door. 6. Let him cry it out alone if he needs to. It's okay for him to be sad about going to bed. Sleep is important for our well-being, and I feel it is my job as his mom to promote and teach him that it is. But he doesn't have to like it. And I can still love and respect him.

As easy as that looks typed out, it is SO FREAKIN' HARD to implement...you know?! What I want to say is, "Kid...seriously, are you going to do this for the 26 millionth night in a row?! It's bedtime because I said so. I am the Mommy. You aren't. Adios. See ya tomorrow!" No hugs, no kisses. Just being honest!

But how on earth are we teaching our kids genuine love, value and respect if we don't show those things to them?! We are the example of that to them.

I feel that I fail miserably in this area. I know I will never do it all perfect. But my goal is to genuinely love, value, respect and highly esteem my children and all children. As well as adults. And my husband. But that is a WHOLE other story that we will save for another day! ;)

Let's put children in their proper place. Utterly loved, precious to God, important...little amazing buds just needing a safe place to fully blossom.

Manning, Tapestry, Cherish and Liberty...I pray you feel freedom rather than control, love over hate, acceptance over disapproval, chosen over rejected, important over inferior, valued, cherished, and like you matter. You do matter very much. You are precious. And I pray you blossom into all of God's amazing plans for you. And I pray for much, MUCH grace as your Mommy to spur you on instead of hold you back. I love you my precious babes! :)

jump, jump...

2011-10-04T16:14:00.002-05:00

I promise I will do a "real" update soon. I am quite busy these days. And as much as I love to blog and it is on my priority list, it is in the middle rather than on the top. I love posting pictures and doing little updates here and there, and then doing a longer update with more details occasionally. If you know me, I like to talk, so I could write a novel each update. Endless words I am certain.

For now, here is another little snippet of our life.

Liberty Pearl just loves to jump. So much so that she continues to do her legs up and down like a frog even after we take her out of her jumperoo. :)

we went to the county fair...

2011-09-28T09:34:00.004-05:00

We went to the county fair,

lots of kids were there.

The piggies and cars with kids clenching bars

were enjoyed by our oldest three kids.

All of this was new

to Cherish who's almost 2.

The kids cried "please",

the adults prayed for a breeze.

And that was the end of the fair.

The fair, the fair, the fair.

$5 and under...

2011-09-21T00:00:00.002-05:00

I have a great deal going on right now if you are interested. I have about 30 items for sale for $5 and under. Stocking stuffers, Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, a treat for yourself. Check it out here if you'd like.

Here's a little of what you will find...

fabric fun...

2011-09-18T08:57:00.003-05:00

{Vintage Tots}

My mom got me a fabric cutting tool for my birthday. This has opened up all sorts of new possibilities. I've been having lots of fun with it!

can't get enough...

2011-09-13T23:20:00.002-05:00

I really cannot get enough of Liberty Pearl. I know she is my daughter, but seriously guys, she is just precious!

I really need to post a video so that you can see her utter preciousness.

She laughs a lot. She squirms, kicks, wiggles and rolls. She rocks back and forth on her hands and knees. She loves peek-a-boo...and laughs hard core when I do it with her. She is cuddly and so sweet.

Her eyes beam with joy.

She is just beautiful, inside and out, and I am so happy she is my daughter! :D

an iPad at 80...

2011-09-11T16:08:00.004-05:00

My grandma, Mema, turned 80 this week. We had a surprise party for her, and she was definitely surprised.

All her kids went in together and got her an...

iPad.

Mema: "Oh...I've just been really feeling like I was missing out on something. That's far out, isn't it?" :)

How cool is Mema? Learning an iPad at 80 when she's never even used a computer. She already has down solitaire and is learning to e-mail and check facebook. I think she may even learn how to check and read my blog. I smile and laugh every time I see that she has "liked" one of my pictures on facebook. So fun!

I love my grandma. She has always been sweet, funny and fun. She is a good grandma! :)

Can you believe all these tiny tots right here belong to my sister and I?! That's even minus Manning! ;)-

This week is my birthday. Our kids have been deciding what "theme" I should have for my birthday. The top voted so far is lizards. ;)

my wee tots...

2011-08-31T09:24:00.002-05:00

{photos by Kimberly Penn}

confession...

2011-08-23T15:12:00.002-05:00

Can you believe I have taken on 3 (THREE) pictures with my camera this month?!

So unlike me!

I was outside taking pictures of my jewelry yesterday when I turned around and saw both Manning and Tapestry on this tiny four-wheeler. I found it so humorous. Definitely had to get a picture (or 3)! :D

My confession?

I so want an iPhone 4 (or 5 depending on price and features). I don't have to have the next gadget or the next new thing all the time, though gadgets are fun. I am somewhat a minimalist, so I definitely don't want many gadgets. I currently have iPhone 3, and it's fabulous. Worth every penny for me. It's my camera, my video camera, my GPS, my facebook (which I post TONS of pictures on), my e-mail, let's me know when I have an etsy sale, my main source of internet, my texter, and oh yeah...I guess it would be my phone also. Ha. I actually rarely use it as a phone as I am more of a text & facebook fan. If I love my current phone so much, why do I want the next best thing? The camera!! It has flash. It's better quality. And I just take SO MANY pictures with my phone! So there you have it, my confession, I covet the iPhone 4 (or 5). But I shall wait. Maybe on a holiday. Maybe if I win the lottery (Oh wait...I don't play the lottery). Maybe just maybe one day. For now I shall be content with my iPhone 3 and all it's amazing capabilities... ;)

creative juices explode...

2011-08-20T21:20:00.003-05:00

I haven't made much new stuff since Liberty was born. I suppose all my creative juices built up to the point of explosion. Therefore, this week I made some new things. Fun vintage fabric necklaces. And since school is starting up, why not celebrate with a sale? Use coupon code BACK2 for 25% off your entire purchase at either of my shops: Vintage Rummage or Vintage Tots.

Hope all of your kids (or even you) have a great year of school this year! :)

who's who?

2011-08-19T13:51:00.001-05:00

Here's all of my babies around age 4-5 months. Who looks like who?

because He loves us...

2011-08-09T14:35:00.004-05:00

We are back from our vacation. The conference we went to was really good. Still processing all the teaching I heard. The worship was super sweet time with my Abba.

I now have most of the pictures back my friend, Kimberly, took. I just love them. :)

A quote from one of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning: "We try to live so that He will love us, rather than living because He has already loved us." :)

our little family of 6....

2011-08-01T08:28:00.003-05:00

My friend, Kimberly, is a great photographer. She recently did some pictures for us. I don't have them all back yet, but she did send this one. I just love it. Mainly because we are all in it.

I am busy packing today. We are getting ready for a little vacation. We are going to a conference and taking a vacation all in one. 42 outfits it a lot to coordinate and pack! ;)

I have a lot of joy right now, so let me just give some to you! You are extremely loved and adored! Hope you have a sweet week! :)

celebrating 4 months of liberty...

2011-07-25T19:39:00.003-05:00

Liberty Pearl that is! :D

teething, drooling, rolling both ways, smiling, laughing, precious and perfect in every way

I love my Liberty Pearl!

quirky, sweet, cute and funny...

2011-07-22T12:55:00.003-05:00

That describes my niece, Reina.

She just turned 4. She had a unicorn party. Everyone had a great time celebrating with her.

Lunch.

An impressive cake my sister made. Impressive because of the the rainbow inside, and impressive because she has a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and 5-month old twins and she got it made anyway! ;)

Stick the horn on the unicorn.

Loving from Mema to Liberty.

And sweet cousin love.

Happy 4th birthday, Princess Reina! We love you! :)

precious...

2011-07-16T09:04:00.002-05:00

I figured it was time to show you our growing beauty again. :)

I know she's my baby, but seriously guys...she just precious! She smiles 90% of the time and is just a really happy baby. She cries 5-10 before going to sleep sometimes. And she occasionally cries for whatever reason, but she is overall very content and even joyful. She is easily excited, and she has a definite love for her Mommy. Of course I love that! :D If she even notices me from afar, big smiles, flaring of the arms and legs and excited little noises come from her. She can roll over both ways. She coos and really makes this funny shrieking sound. A happy shrieking sound. She's already laughing. And she's just growing way fast! She is 3 1/2 months. She has gorgeous eyes. Her siblings just adore her. Her Daddy and I can't get enough of her.

Liberty Pearl = precious! :)

worth it...

2011-07-14T14:44:00.004-05:00

This is something I highly recommend. Looks messy and like a lot of work, but it wasn't at all.

Plastic container, blanket or towels, measuring cups, plastic tea pictures, water, soap, ice, and kids' in their skimpies. That's all you need.

This is what we did on the morning of July 4th, and I think our kids felt quite *free*.

And now they are wondering when we will do it again.

With this many little bitties and a sleeping babe who could've woken up at any time, I needed to do it while my husband was home. I just want to be super careful with tubs of water around!

The kids were so cute, and Ryan and I had a great time watching them, helping them, and snapping pictures! :D

win, win...

2011-07-07T09:19:00.003-05:00

When a toddler is first discovering her independence, and I really need to get dressed and ready for the day, what do I do to keep this little toddler out of mischief?

Of course, I plop her in our dirty laundry basket in our closet.

Cherish thought this was a real treat, and it enabled me to get ready. Win, win! ;)

pearly whites...

2011-07-02T09:33:00.002-05:00

We took our first big family trip to the dentist this week. Manning and Tapestry got their teeth cleaned and checked.

They were so cute. They had no idea what to expect. I could sense a little anxiety, but also excitement in each of them.

Manning loves newness and adventure. And Tapestry will try most things she sees her brother try.

So they did just perfect. No tears. Mouths wide open. Clean teeth and no problems.

Cherish just curiously stared at them. And they all got a bag of goodies and got to pick something out of the treasure chest afterward. I am pretty sure they overall loved their first trip to the dentist! :)

I have my theory on why they liked it. I think when you have several kids, any sort of special one-on-one attention is exciting. They all like going to the doctor as well. It can seem sad if I let myself feel those feelings of not being able to give them "enough" one-on-one attention at home. I didn't ever think I would have a lot of kids, nor kids this close together in age. It is of high importance to me to spend quality and quantity time with each kid. It is important to me that they are all uniquely and individually loved, nurtured, held and encouraged. I do often feel that I cannot give them all that they need or want, but I think parents of just one child feel that at times as well. And if, as an adult, one of our kids were to say they didn't feel loved because they had too many siblings, I would be sad for them...but I would know that that very one might not have even been born, might not even exist, had we not chosen to have however many. So my prayer is that God's grace will be on Ryan and I to love, nurture and encourage all our children. No matter how many we have!

daddy love...

2011-06-27T15:04:00.004-05:00

I'm back...and I have a great story! :)

Remember how I had a computer virus? I was completely unable to access the internet and most of my programs as well. This went on for 5 days. I was going to take my computer to Best Buy to get some help from the Geek Squad. Well, Ryan and I both decided to pray for God to "heal" my computer, and I kid you not...He did! Everything just went back to normal. There were no more gazillions of virus messages popping up, and I gained back complete access to all programs and the internet. It made me giggle and smile. It made me happy that God cared to do something so silly and little. Thanks, Abba Daddy! :D

Speaking of Daddy, I missed Father's Day...as it fell in the time of the virus.

So...happy late Father's Day to my husband, Ryan!

1. He takes a 1 1/2 hour lunch break every day. He plays with and takes care of Manning, Tapestry and Cherish during that time.

2. He changes diapers...lots of them. Wet or dirty.

3. He does FUN things that the kids love and Mommy is too scared to do with them (like swinging super high, throwing up in the air, tossing kids onto pillows or beds).

4. He plays Red Light Green Light, baseball, Red Rover and tickle chase to engage the kids in physical activity.

5. He feeds the kids a combo of carbs, fruits or veggies and protein every meal he puts together.

6. He lets the kids climb all over him, tickle him, and tackle him. This is affectionately known as "rough stuff with Daddy" around here.

7. He doesn't watch TV, get on the computer or do anything like that while the kids are awake. If they're awake, he's involved. (We have no TV channels, which is one less temptation to veg out and not be apart of the kids' lives.)

8. He gives hugs and kisses. He says, "I love you".

9. He prays for the kids and with the kids.

10. He sings and reads to the kids.

11. He cuddles, holds and loves on our newborns.

12. He is currently actively pursuing to respect our kids more. To not put them below himself just because he is an adult and their Daddy. (I am working on lots of things myself!!!)

13. He is silly. He is fun. He is a good Daddy.

Our kids adore him, and so do I! Happy Father's Day, Ryan! I love you very much! Better and better years to come! :)

Happy Father's Day to my Dad! I love you lots! :)

And Happy Father's Day to my Abba! I love and adore You more than I could ever express. You rock my world! :D

virus...

2011-06-21T09:06:00.002-05:00

I'm on a *hopefully* short blog break. My computer has a virus, and I am unable to access the Internet at all on it. I really don't like being without my computer, but not having it is helping me to get some extra things done around here. I am hoping Best Buy will be able to help me out this Friday! :)

finishing up and continuing on...

2011-06-15T14:50:00.002-05:00

This post isn't really about Liberty. (Isn't she gorgeous though?!) Well, I suppose it could be a bit about "liberty". A post without pictures though, those just aren't quite as fun! ;)

We just finished up our year of going through the school of supernatural ministry at a local church. The teaching came from Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, CA. It's been such a great year. Growing, stretching, loving, moving, soaking, and gaining new amazing friends. We are really going to miss meeting twice weekly with our new friends, but it is exciting to be stepping into a new season. We'll be keeping the new friends though! :)

We had a little graduation this past Sunday, and here is most of what I said:

Before going through this school, I was very passionate about seeing people set free from addiction and other bondages (particularly emotional ones)…and I still am. I had not thought a whole lot about physical healing though, mostly just because I had not been around many people who were sick in my life. Going through this school has given me a passion to pray for and see people healed of physical illnesses. There was so much amazing teaching, a good bit of which I was fortunate to get elsewhere several years ago. I feel like all of that is being re-established in my heart and mind. What I walk away from this year of school with is that I believe all that I want in my life and want to see in my life will be born out of intimacy with my Abba. Just being with Him, being loved by Him and loving Him is my goal. I know that just being with Him gives me the love and boldness to radically care about people. And really I desire to love people enough to just go for it, whatever “it” may be in their lives.

Then I followed up with these verses. These are the verses I read when I graduated Mercy Ministries (where God set me free from addiction and where I fell in deeply in love with Him). They are still verses that speak to the depths of me.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10: But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In my life I have tended to swing back and forth from pride and pity. Pride in that I sometimes think I can do great, strong and bold things on my own. I can't! Pity in that I sometimes think I am hopeless and can't do a dang thing. But I have Jesus, the perfect, bold, loving, strong One, on the inside of me, and I can certainly do all things through Him who gives me strength.

And so can you, my friend! :)

twins...

2011-06-09T08:20:00.002-05:00

We got to visit my family this past weekend.

My brother is leaving soon for a month and a half trip to Japan. He will be teaching English and loving on people. He is a youngster in college. He has zeal and passion, love and mercy. He is unique and fun. I love my little brother! =}

We got in lots of good time with my sister, brother-in-law, nieces and nephew (and of course my mom and dad!). This is the first time we've visited in awhile that we didn't have some sort of family function. I love the family functions and holidays, but it was so nice to just relax (as much as possible with eight kids ages 4 and under) and to have conversations, hold my nieces and nephew, and watch all our kids have so much fun together.

Let me just say, boy/girl twins are just about the most precious little things! I just love seeing my nephew, Arlis, and my niece, Avery, together. Precious!

I am dying to show you some adorable pictures I got of Arlis and Avery, but I promised my sister I wouldn't post any in case she wanted to do a late birth announcement. I definitely plan to post some at a later date though! :)

fast and easy...

2011-06-02T13:59:00.002-05:00

I'm neutral when it comes to cooking. Don't love it, don't hate it. I will say with having little kids this close in age, I really only like to cook things that are fast and easy. Meaning something I can just sort of throw together or that doesn't take up much of our time. Ryan had the idea that we should get some easy crock pot recipes. He even offered to put something together in a crock pot before he heads to work if I want. I am all about that, though I put this together myself.

This is a super easy tortilla soup recipe that my friend, Staci, gave me. We've made it twice in that past few weeks, and all of us (kids included) love it!

Do you have any easy crock pot recipes? I'd love to hear if so!

happily in over my head...

2011-06-01T07:48:00.004-05:00

I officially started reading The Duggars: 20 and Counting! this week. I can hardly put it down. But considering I have a slew (small compared to the Duggars) of small children myself, I've had to put it down. ;) I am seriously inspired by the Duggars life...their story. It is so encouraging to read how hard it was back when they had 4 and 5 small kids...and how they actually feel it's easier now with 19. If you have no kids, 1 kid, 5 kids, this is a really great read. So many great and inspiring stories. All from a normal, everyday family who happen to be a LARGE family. :)

Change of subject. Downtown here in Brenham, TX there is a little shop called Sweet Repeats. It is basically a maternity/baby/small child consignment store. You can buy and sell there. It is so great for us. With having four small children, between birthdays and Christmas, we just cannot keep everything that comes into our home. It would be cluttered to the ceiling! ;) My "rule" that we follow at least 90% of the time is one thing in, one thing out. When new things come in, we pick things we don't use very much anymore to give away or to sell at Sweet Repeats. We give at least one trash bag full away each month. And we sell about a Walmart bag or two a month. When Ryan or I get a new article of clothing, I pick one to give away or to try to sell to Plato's Closet. It is a good system that works well for us.

Having said all of this...This past Saturday we were walking/stroller riding downtown. We stopped in at Sweet Repeats and found out that we had over $100 credit there. Exciting! :) Most of the time when our credit builds up, we get them to cut us a check for the money. This time I saw this outfit (the one Cherish is wearing) in the window that both Ryan and I instantly were like, "That is SO cute and SO Cherish." And then when I saw a miniature version of the same style outfit for Liberty, we decided to use a small portion of our credit to purchase those. If there had been one in Tapestry's size, we would have gotten her one too! Seriously, are these not the cutest little frilly rompers?!

Plus, it was exciting to buy Liberty an outfit. Since she is my 3rd girl, we have PLENTY of girly clothes for her to wear. Therefore, I have only purchased her one outfit. It was fun to get to pick something for her myself! ;)

Back to my first subject. I am also reading, on iPad, Loving Our Kids On Purpose by Danny Silk. I am just getting started, but I think it might just be a life-changing book. People constantly tell me how cute our children are and how well-behaved they are, but to be quite honest, 99% of the time I feel like I have no clue what to do or how to raise our children well. How to love them, discipline them, nurture them, help them blossom. I seriously feel like a flimsy tree being blown in all sorts of different directions. I certainly don't expect to be the perfect mom, but I would like to feel a bit of a foundation. I am really seeking God in this season to show me how to best mother our children. I will share what I feel like He is teaching me along the way. :) Ryan would like more of a foundation with parenting as well. He may seek some on his own, but I am presenting all that I am reading to him so that we can decide together what we feel is best for us and our children.

Though I feel like the flimsy tree, in over my head and no clue what I am doing, I sure do love my children! :)

beauty...

2011-05-25T15:24:00.006-05:00

{I like to pretend I'm a photographer. Well, when it comes to my own kids anyway. I love capturing their beauty and preciousness.}

ponytails and all sorts of things...

2011-05-24T07:31:00.003-05:00

What did we do for fun yesterday? Ponytails for all. All the "big kids" anyway. Don't let Manning's face fool you. He was not pulled into this or embarrassed. He begged for ponytails as I was doing his sisters' hair. When you are a little boy surrounded by little girls, ponytails and purses are cool. :)

Tapestry has been wearing band aides on two of her fingers when she sleeps. The two fingers she sucks. Manning sucked two fingers as well, and this band aide trick worked great for weaning him. So far it's working great for Tapestry as well. I don't mind the finger sucking at all. I just try to help wean at age 3 if they haven't on their own already. And soon I will start potty training Tapestry. I potty trained Manning at 3. He was ready and he's had less than 5 accidents ever. I am a big fan of late potty training and less accidents. I know people vary so much in thought on this. This is just what I like to do and what works well for us with having a slew of little kiddos. ;) (I am not expecting Tapestry to be as easy to train as Manning, and I definitely would not be surprised if we did have more accidents this go round. It's okay though!)

Cherish has four teeth coming in and a new baby sister. The combo has given our sweet girl a bad case of the whinies. Whining is super hard for me, but it is something I am learning more and more how to be patient with and love the kids through those phases. Cherish is very difficult for me to be upset with at all whatsoever. She is the sweetest and most loving little girl, even with the whinies!

Liberty Pearl...she is precious. Precious. More Precious.

She is absolutely the sweetest little thing! She smiles and smiles. She is starting to coo. She is a wiggly worm when laying down and a cuddle bug when being held. She is super happy. She sleeps like a champ. She's been sleeping through the night until at least 6AM for a few weeks now. I am so happy I am nursing her because it makes me have to drop everything else just to be with her. And I love to be with her. She brings much joy here! I adore her! :D

Manning was going through a stage where he just wanted to do his own thing. Consequences didn't matter, rewards didn't matter, respect and love didn't matter. We were still having fun and sweet moments with him, but we were having lots of frustrating moments as well. Our goal was to love him through the stage. We didn't always succeed at showing him love, but we really gave it all the umph we felt we had. The past few weeks he seems to have come out, to care again, love again, be loved again. Thank you, Jesus! :)

Last night Ryan was jerky to me. Something happened between him and Manning, and he took it out on me. I was nice back to him. Genuinely nice. Like I didn't even feel angry inside. I say all this not to make him look bad and me look good, but quite the contrary. It was a miracle...seriously. I normally bite back, and way harder than I'm bit. I don't do this to most people, just my husband. I can be really mean. I mean, really mean. Yeesh...my words. I have pretty much been pleading with God to change something. I've felt a bit overwhelmed with lots and lots of arguing between Ryan and I and then just the everyday norms of taking care of and loving well four kids 4 and under.

In pre-marital counseling Ryan and I filled out these really long questionnaires. They were run through a computer program, and guess what the "results" were? We were a "conflicted couple". Haha. We thought it was funny, and we thought, "Oh well." I mean, we knew God wanted us to be together so that didn't change anything. Shortly after getting married, we found that we were a very conflicted couple. Not so sure that we are any more conflicted than the norm though. ;) Learning how to work through conflict without being total jerks to each other has not come easy at all for us. And we are far from having it all together, but THANKFULLY we are beginning to resolve things quicker, more lovingly, and without a bunch of drama and harsh words. Oh, we still have our moments for sure, but God is moving us forward...and I am thankful, thankful, so very thankful! :D I love my husband very much, and both he and I would not trade being married to each other for anything!

Ponytails and all sorts of things really meant ponytails and ALL SORTS OF THINGS. ;)

I love Summer...

2011-05-23T13:54:00.004-05:00

Summer was definitely my favorite season as a kid. I loved the social part of school, but mostly school bored me. So when Summer rolled around, I was one happy kid! Now I love all seasons. I love change, so seasons are fun for me. Still though, Summer is fun, and it just doesn't get much better than this...

Tapestry's 3rd birhtday party...

2011-05-22T10:00:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday we celebrated Tapestry's 3rd birthday.

She wanted to have a butterfly party, so that's what we had.

Prior to the party she asked me if lots of kids were coming to her party. I told her "yes", and she just giggled and smiled. She was so excited about her party.

She was a little reserved when people actual started arriving for her party, but she slowly warmed up and had a really good time.

We did a pull string butterfly pinata.

And Tapestry opened presents. I think I say this every birthday of hers, but Tapestry really is naturally a very thankful little girl. She seems to feel so loved when she gets a gift. She is happy with just one gift, but appreciates them all. She is sweet to watch open gifts...I think. :)

This umbrella from Lolli and Pop was a definite favorite...for Tapestry and Manning. ;)

And this baby doll from our friends, the Riley fam, was another favorite. She has hardly put this baby down. And guess what she named her? Liberty. Awww... :D

We had these little glasses for a fun boy party favor, and our kids have had a blast wearing these for days. For some reason they seem so fitting on Cherish to me. :)

Tapestry is just such a fun-loving, sweet, quirky and cute kid. She just really is such a precious daughter!

We all had fun celebrating her for her birthday this year!

(No pictures of Liberty because she snoozed inside through the WHOLE party!)

princess Tapestry is 3...

2011-05-18T09:57:00.003-05:00

Happy 3rd birthday to my spunky, fun, silly, thankful for the small things, sweet and simplistic, caring, loving, nurturing, joy-bringing Tapestry! You are such an awesome daughter, and you are the best big and little sister a person could ever want! I love and adore you sweet girl! =}

my mom...

2011-05-16T13:58:00.002-05:00

A late mother's day post.

My mom is the kind of mom anyone would want as an adult child...a friend. I can call her with my quirky excitements or tell her when I mad about something. She is great at spending quality time with her grandkids. She, hands down, makes the best gumbo.

Manning, Tapestry and Cherish are crazy about Lolli, and Liberty is already giving her big smiles. :)

I love my Mom...she's a definite keeper! ;)-

2011-05-08T08:20:00.001-05:00

I love being Mommy to Manning, Tapestry, Cherish and Liberty!

pop...

2011-05-04T08:52:00.004-05:00

I love my dad.

We butted heads for years. And years. And then I became an adult. And that is when I really began to love and highly respect my dad. Truly, he is now one of my very favorite people.

He is a great parent to an adult daughter. He would give advice if I were to ask, but he is not an advice shover. He is into us making our own choices. I think my dad is a wealth of wisdom and knowledge, so I can only imagine how hard it is for him to sit back at times and not offer advice.

I know that he loves me and supports me...and I feel like he would continue to support me 100% even if I were making extremely dumb choices. And I do make dumb choices sometimes.

My dad wasn't a bad dad growing up, but we just didn't have a very good relationship. I felt very hurt by him. He knows this. And the beauty of forgiveness has played out as just that, very beautifully, in our relationship for the past several years. God is the only one who could have brought our relationship to where it is today.

My dad is very important to me. He is funny, honest, supportive, extremely wise, and one-of-a-kind. He is a great dad to me as his adult daughter, a great father-in-law to Ryan, and a great Pop to our kids. Our kids just love Pop!

I am happy he is my Dad! :)

MAYDAY...

2011-05-02T08:44:00.005-05:00

My biggest sale ever! :D

I love sales, do you?

And now that I sell stuff, why not offer other people the thing I love so much?!

A nice big 35% off sale for the entire month of May at both Vintage Rummage and Vintage Tots. Just enter coupon code MAYDAY at checkout to get 35% off your whole order.

Happy shopping! :)

my baby already prefers the top bunk...

2011-04-28T12:15:00.002-05:00

My parents have this doll bed at their house. And I just couldn't resist. You see why?! ;)

In Christ Alone...

2011-04-26T14:03:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter weekend visiting Lolli and Pop, my parents. We got to see lots of other family, too, which was fun!

The kids hunted eater eggs. Manning loved it! Cherish loved it until she realized there was candy in each egg. Then she just wanted to eat way more candy than her Mommy would allow. ;) Tapestry loved it until she got into an ant bed. She is allergic to ants. Poor baby!

I got this cute little dress for Cherish off of Etsy with some of her birthday money. I thought she looked so gorgeous in it!

Manning was so pleasant all weekend. He understood patience and waiting...and that it was okay if he didn't get to eat the candy out of all of his eggs immediately. That was exciting for me! Haha! ;)

My nieces, Reina and Ciara, were adorable hunting eggs.

I especially enjoyed watching Ciara dig in to her candy.

Who was our Easter bunny, you ask? :)

Why, none other than Miss Liberty!

And she was certainly the most precious Easter bunny I've ever seen! :D

This year I purchased some Resurrection Eggs. It was a really great way to explain and tell the true story of Easter to Manning and Tapestry. Manning was really into it. He asked questions. And he was so sweet...he was very sad that Jesus died, and very happy when he heard Jesus rose again and was alive. That is the beauty of Easter.

So I will leave you with one of my top most favorite songs. My Jesus is VICTORIOUS...and He lives in ME! How crazy? How beautiful? He adores me...and He adores YOU! :D

a name filled with destiny...

2011-04-19T12:58:00.003-05:00

Liberty

that she may experience an abundance of freedom through Jesus in her life, and that she would offer that same freedom to many along the way

Pearl

that she would always know that she is Abba's special and precious pearl, and that she would be one to see the pearl in others

What are you reading?

2011-04-15T12:31:00.005-05:00

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is hosting "Show Us Your Life - What is your reading list?" I thought it would be fun to join in, and for you to share in the comments of this post any must-reads or favorite books of yours.

First off, The Ragamuffin Gospel is one of my VERY favorite books. Brennan Manning is my favorite author, and he is who we named our son, Manning, after. This book was completely life-changing for me!

Blue Like Jazz is another favorite of mine. Donald Miller is as real and down-to-earth as one could be. His passion for Jesus, and lack of religion, are a beauty to me.

Redeeming Love is beautiful. That's really all I can say about this book. I am not a big fiction reader at all, but this book is definitely worth reading!

I recently read The Supernatural Ways of Royalty, and it is one that I would probably add to my favorites. It is certainly a potential life-changer for any reader.

I am currently reading and almost finished with The Happy Intercessor. This is just a really good book. Sometimes we can feel so stressed, tense or even depressed when praying for others' going through pain or difficulty. Beni believes, as do I, that we can be happy intercessors instead of downcast ones. Ones with joy. Of course still caring for and grieving with those who are struggling.

And finally, The Duggars: 20 and Counting! is sitting on my desk begging me to open it! :) We have been watching the Duggar TV series' on DVD, and we really love it. I know a lot of people probably think they are nuts for having so many kids, but I think they are a super neat family. Just with having our 4 kids so close in age, I figure I can glean much from Jim Bob and Michelle on raising kids. Can't wait to start this book!

So, those are some of my favorites, and some of what I am currently reading. What are your favorites and what are you currently reading?

not love but not hate...

2011-04-12T12:28:00.004-05:00

Liberty's 1st bath.

She didn't love it, but she didn't hate it either.

She fussed a little, but mainly she had a cute curious look on her face.

I thought she looked adorable. Something about a tiny bathing baby is just precious.

Ryan and I took turns washing her and taking pictures of her.

She wasn't a big fan of getting out of the tub. Maybe she was cold because she sure was happy when we got her clothes back on.

A clean, lotion{ed} baby smells SO good! :D

Cherish's 1st haircut...

2011-04-11T08:02:00.003-05:00

Today Ryan is back at work. He took off a couple weeks when we had Liberty. I am so going to miss him and his help! Today starts the journey of learning what our new daily normal will be with 4 kids. I am thinking the trickiest part may be dealing with squabbles, crying or whining kids (or even just kids who need help with something) while breastfeeding Liberty. I am praying for much grace, strength, love and peace from my Abba! :)

Earlier this week we took Manning and Tapestry to get haircuts, and we decided to get Cherish her first trim. She made the funniest, unsure faces, but she did really good. She's watched Manning and Tapestry do it plenty of times, so it was just no big thing to her. I think she knew a sucker was coming afterward! ;)

It was really just a very little trim, but it is so cute! It really made her curls in back even curlier. I like her bangs long, but I am trying to train them to go to the side instead of hang in her eyes. We just do hair clips most of the time when going out somewhere.

I love my cute Cherish! She is becoming such a big girl! Walking, talking, laughing, doing silly things to make others laugh on purpose, liking books, and being a really sweet BIG sister. :D

the baby whisperer...

2011-04-09T11:14:00.013-05:00

That's what my husband calls me.

I've learned a few little things along the way that typically make {our} babies smile. I don't know that they would work on anyone else's babies. Little noises, kisses in certain places, those kinds of things. A baby is precious, smiles or no smiles, but smiles sure are cute! ;)

And just for fun...turns out Liberty and Mr. Potato Head have the same size heads! :D

{And all these pictures are of Liberty. She does look a lot like Cherish in some of them!}

surprise...

2011-04-08T10:28:00.002-05:00

My husband surprised me with an iPad for "carrying and giving birth to 4 babies in the past 5 years". Hahaha! It is very cool! Just got it yesterday. I have a lot to figure out still, but it is fun messing with it. I am hoping to use it to blog more, to be able to update stuff on my etsy shops on the go and to read books. Also typical internet browsing and checking of my e-mail. Very convenient little thing! Thank you, babe! I love you so much! And I am definitely still up to having more babies!!!!! ;D

{Ryan and I messing with "photo booth" last night}

sibling sweetness...

2011-04-06T09:57:00.006-05:00

Manning, Tapestry and Cherish adore their new baby sister.

Manning has really surprised me. He is REALLY into Liberty, and he is REALLY sweet to her. He asks to hold her at least once a day. He pats her head and kisses her gently. Manning is a loving little guy, but on his terms. He is not one that likes constant cuddles. He'd rather play "rough stuff" and run through the house roaring like a dinosaur. He is SO cute with Liberty!

I thought Tapestry would be wanting to hold Liberty non-stop and that she'd want to take over as her Mommy. ;) She really hasn't been that way at all. She does ask to hold Liberty. Often when looking at Liberty she says, "Awwwww...". She seems to really love her, and she is really cute with her!

Cherish is certainly a bit jealous of her new baby sister, but she has been nothing less than precious with her so far. She points to her excitedly and makes cute little squeaky noises every time she sees her. She gets seriously ticked if she doesn't get to kiss her right when she wants. She even likes holding her. Cherish has surprised me with her love for her new baby sister overtaking any jealousy she may feel. Precious!

For the whole first week after Liberty was born, friends from church brought us meals for dinner. That was seriously fabulous! I am not a huge fan of cooking, though I don't hate it, in the first place. This was a definite treat, and it made transition much easier on us!

On Sunday, we all got out of the house for the first time. We returned to school {school of supernatural ministry}. Liberty, of course, went to class with Ryan and I...and we thought she did exceptionally well!

Liberty love...

2011-04-04T09:40:00.007-05:00

Liberty seems to be adjusting to life outside the womb quite well. She is peaceful and content. She smiles often. She sleeps a lot, but she is bright-eyed when she is awake. She eats about every 3 hours. She was a bit fussy during the night, wanting to be held a lot, but she has shifted the past 3 nights into sleeping very well. She even gave us two 5 hour stretches between night feedings. She is super sweet. She likes worship music. She likes being cuddled. She likes being propped up on one of our shoulders or laying on our chests. She likes to be carried in a Moby Wrap. She likes to be swaddled. She likes her Mommy, Daddy and siblings. She does not like diaper changes. She doesn't like to wait to eat when she's hungry. And she typically doesn't like to be held "like a baby". She is beautiful and lovable...and we adore her! :D

There is lots of Liberty love going on around here!

meeting the whole crew...

2011-04-01T12:09:00.002-05:00

We just stayed one night in the hospital. We were released Thursday evening. It would have been pretty late getting home after picking up the kids, and we really wanted the kids to have a chance to see, hold and really meet Liberty. My mom and aunt kept Manning, Tapestry and Cherish at my aunt's house in the same town I delivered. {Thank you Mom and Aunt Sara!!} They made us feel so good, the best we possibly could have, leaving our kids! And they, of course, had so much fun. :) So we decided to just stay the night at my aunt's house before making the hour drive back home the next day.

The big awaited meeting. We rang the doorbell and the kids greeted us at the door. All of them were intrigued by and really into meeting Liberty. Manning and Tapestry were smiling so big. They seemed to really understand all that was happening. Cherish seemed to think Liberty was cute and wanted to pat and kiss her immediately.

And then we went inside. At that point it was like it 100% hit Cherish that she was no longer the baby. She laid on my chest and sobbed. I almost sobbed as well. It was SO sad! I assured her she was still my baby, too. And I spent a little extra special time with her, just she and I, before putting her down for bed that night. {She is now adjusting really well. She loves Liberty. And I think she has realized that I am still her same Mommy who is going to smother her with kisses and cuddles as long as she will allow me to do so!}

We made Liberty a little quilt bed on the floor, and we crashed (sort of) at my aunt's for the night. Liberty had her roughest night ever that night. Her tummy really seemed to be bothering her. She screamed and bawled a good portion of the night. And then it happened. She had a massive poop, and then she became who we've known her to be ever since...HAPPY! :D

Manning, Tapestry and Cherish truly adore their new baby sister. They all ask to hold her. They pat her, kiss her, hug her and talk to her. They try to give her toys, too. ;) It is really sweet having another baby to love around here!

labor and delivery...

2011-03-30T15:44:00.007-05:00

We've been a wee bit busy around here (hehe), but I have uploaded and edited probably 300 pictures off of my camera and iPhone. So now I finally have pictures for posts. :D

I went to my regularly scheduled doctor's appointment last Tuesday. I had been having contractions all morning. She wasn't sure if I was in labor, but said we'd induce the next morning if I hadn't gone into labor yet. I continued to contract all day and all night, but never went into actual labor I don't think. So we went to the hospital early Wednesday morning.

Ryan and I talked and played games. They started me on pitocin. My contractions started getting more and more crampy, but definitely not unbearable. I told the nurses that I'd really like an epidural for the pushing part, so I got one. Never had any pain and couldn't feel a thing. The epidural worked extremely well.

Around 1:30PM my doctor broke my water and soon after I was dilated to 10 and ready to push. I pushed once and the doctor stopped me. Our baby sort of just slid herself right out. And there she was...precious Liberty Pearl!

She was so adorable. We immediately started talking about who we thought she looked like. Initially she looked just like Manning to us, then a little like Tapestry, and ultimately most like Cherish. Several people have told us that she looks like Ryan. She definitely has a unique one of a kind look as well. And we adore her!

We cuddled and bonded with her in the hour after we had her. I tried nursing her and she latched on well. She is now eating great.

We spent the night in the hospital. Ooohing and aaahing over Liberty is what we did for 24 hours straight.

I kept thinking about how cute and perfect she was. I kissed her little cheeks a gazillion times. I couldn't quit smiling. Newborn bliss is what I call it. :D

We just couldn't be more happy to have Liberty. She is beautiful, sweet, and precious. We love her so much already, and we are so glad God have her to us!

I'm in love {again}...

2011-03-26T09:04:00.004-05:00

Liberty Pearl Stegent

March 23, 2011

6 pounds 8 ounces

20 inches

PERFECT

tomorrow...

2011-03-22T22:56:00.001-05:00

we will meet our baby girl!

I can hardly wait!! :)

I want one...

2011-03-21T13:06:00.002-05:00

a newborn.

And I will soon have one. But for now, she is still very happy in my tummy.

Newborn Manning

Newborn Tapestry

Newborn Cherish

Man, I love my babies! :)

now he's 4...

2011-03-19T09:44:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Manning's actual birthday.

We weren't sure if we were going to get to celebrate with him on his actual day or not, with his baby sister due any time.

But no labor came, and celebrate we did! We had blueberry muffins with cool whip and strawberries for breakfast. Then we headed to College Station, an hour away, for my doctor's appointment.

We napped the kids at my aunt's house afterward, and then we headed to the mall.

Manning got his pick for supper of chicken and fruit from Chic-fil-A. Then the kids played at the mall playground and had a treat of ice cream afterward. Manning, Tapestry and Cherish even got to get balloon animals that a lady was making in the mall.

Manning told me that he loved his birthday. He felt celebrated and we all had fun!

Baby update: I am dilated to 2 and the baby's head is definitely down lower...ready to go. I have an appointment Tuesday, if I haven't had her by then, for an ultrasound and 30 minutes of monitoring. If I haven't had her by Tuesday, we *may* schedule an induction. We were given the option to schedule one yesterday, but we want to hold off a little longer in hopes of her making a grand entrance on her own. I have no idea when the doctor will want to schedule an induction for if we do go that route. We will see! Our baby's heart rate is great and we even got to hear her hiccup. She is still movin' and groovin' and seems quite happy where she is! ;) I can't wait to meet her!!!! :D

I got a blog make-over. I am sure you noticed. I couldn't have that blog header of my 3 kids without the 4th with her coming any day now! ;) Jenn at Munchkin Land Designs did it for me, and I just really love how it turned out. Bright, cheerful, fun, vintage, random. All right up my alley!

just checking in...

2011-03-17T09:46:00.004-05:00

I just love this picture {taken by my mom} of my nephew, Arlis. Isn't he just precious?!

Now THAT makes me even more ready to have our baby! Seeing a newborn in all that cuteness!

No baby yet. I will not be surprised at this point if I go past my due date, though I would love to be wrong! :D I am still not miserable, but I have been feeling a lot more pressure and have been having quite a bit of contractions. I've even had some consistent and crampy contractions, but they always die off after I drink some water. Apparently dehydration can cause contractions. Doctors will say this, and it has certainly proven true each and every one of my pregnancies. ;)

Manning's actual birthday is tomorrow. I wonder if he will share his birthday? I have talked to him about it, just in case, and he seems thrilled of the idea of his sister having the same birthday. Not sure he will always feel that way if it happens, but at least he is initially okay with the thought.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. A friend said, "it could be your 'lucky day'". Haha! I am certainly ready and will be so happy if today is the day. As much as I'd love to go into labor now, mainly just because I am DYING to meet this baby girl, I am okay with waiting also.

So, here's to more waiting...

waiting for something {someone} who will be SO WORTH THE WAIT!!!!!!! :D

vintage inspiration...

2011-03-14T15:49:00.005-05:00

Oddly enough, I am not really very vintage{y}.

I mean, my personality. I am not very traditional. I have always had a tendency to roll with a different beat. I like most things unique. I like modern, clean, organized, simple.

But then, there is this completely other side of me that is total vintage. I love old books, antique jewelry, vintage furniture, and vintage yellow for sure. I like cloth diapering, and I even like the idea of one day having a garden (though I may do a potted one to bring it a bit more modern for my taste).

I am definitely inspired by the old. Mix a little old and a little new...bliss. :D

Still no labor. Maybe this week. ;) That's what we are hoping, but not demanding (not that we can control it anyway). I will keep you updated!

(Oh, I was asked if I do my own crochet. I do not. Though I highly respect people with the time and patience who do crochet!)

while I'm waiting...

2011-03-09T13:16:00.004-06:00

I am 38 weeks, dilated to 1 (as of last week) and 60-70% effaced. I feel pretty dang good physically for being this far along. Uncomfortable? Yes. Miserable? No.

With my first baby, I felt pretty good physically and I had him 10 days early.

With my second, I felt really good physically and I had her 17 days early.

With my third, I was dilated to a 2 and 90% effaced for FIVE WEEKS. I was mentally and physically miserable. I think partially because I expected to have her early from past experience and partially because they doctor kept saying she couldn't believe I hadn't had her yet. I felt more than ready, so a day before Cherish's due date when the doctor asked, "If you are dilated to 4 do you want to have her today?" I responded with, "Sure!". Never thought I would want to be induced, but hey...I did it.

All that to say...I have absolutely not one clue when I might have this baby! Haha. Could be today, could be two weeks. I really have zero intuition on this one! ;)

I have everything ready and prepared for her. The kids are ready. Ryan is ready. I can absolutely hardly wait to meet my baby girl!! So, what am I doing to keep my mind off of waiting?

Making things, lots of things...

And listening to this book on audio while I make things...

This is a great book so far!

All the baby items above can be found at Vintage Tots, and the necklace and scarf necklace at Vintage Rummage.

Of course I am still taking care of, playing with and loving on our kids. Still doing laundry and all those kinds of things. Still hanging with my hubby. Going to school. Hanging with God. Just in those rare spare moments, making things. :)

Hope you are having a great week, and I will definitely let you know when our baby girl arrives!!

Any guesses as to what her name is?? ;)

a lesson for mommy & the kids...

2011-03-07T12:13:00.002-06:00

Today, on Ryan's lunch break, he asked if Manning and Tapestry would like to watch him cut and solder a pipe. (He's a plumber, in case you didn't know.)

They excitedly and nervously sat outside in their little chairs to watch.

I was glad for the opportunity to have some alone time (10 minutes...ha!), but I decided I wanted to take pictures and see how in the world my plumber cuts and solders pipes as well.

It was pretty fascinating. Manning was nervous about the flame and heat.

Tapestry found the whole thing funny.

It was a great little 10-minute glimpse of what Daddy does at work.

And I now feel a bit smarter. ;)-

almost 4...

2011-03-03T13:01:00.005-06:00

My little man is almost 4!

Wow, how is he already this old? He DOES have 2 (almost 3) little sisters, so I suppose it doesn't seem all that crazy. :D

This past Saturday we had an early birthday celebration for Manning. His birthday is March 18th. His baby sister is due March 19th. We figured we'd better celebrate early. He doesn't know the difference, and he thinks he's 4 now. ;)

When I asked Manning what kind of party he'd like to have, he said, "batman", so batman we did. (While I was painting the batman logo the day before his party Manning asked me, "Mommy, who's batman?" Haha. He loves the idea of batman, but he's never even seen a show or read about him before.)

We had lots of fun with family and friends.

I think it's so funny how men always seem to gather like this.

Batwoman had fun celebrating her big brother.

My friend, Tiffany, and two of her boys even drove in for the party! We hadn't seen each other in at least a couple years. :)

Manning really seemed to have a blast...and he seemed to feel loved and celebrated. Definitely Mommy's goal. :)

Manning is really into the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego right now. About a week before his party he asked me if he could tell all his friends that story at his party. I thought that was about the sweetest thing ever. So before singing happy birthday, he (with a little help from Mommy) told everybody the story of how God saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from burning in the fire. Precious!

Manning let me know that his cupcakes were definitely his very favorite part of his party.

Manning got some really fun gifts, and he and his siblings have been highly entertained by some of them this week.

We've been letting Manning ride his new scooter (with helmet on) through the house this week. He is so adorable on it. He's gotten really good at it too. I just love seeing him in the helmet...so cute!

Happy early birthday, sweet boy! I love you so incredibly much, Manning Isaac! :D

a day in my life...

2011-02-23T15:27:00.002-06:00

My friend, Leslie, posted about an ordinary day in her life...and I decided to join in. Wow, my day looks quite different than hers! :D

5:00 AM - Ryan's phone starts beeping. I give him an elbow nudge (shut that thing up!), roll over and fall right back to sleep.

7-7:45 AM - Ryan comes in to kiss me and tell me goodbye. He heads off to work and I roll out of bed. Sometimes Manning comes in our room during this time and crawls in bed with me for a bit. Then I help him find a toy to play quietly in his bed until his siblings wake up. I get an almond cereal bar, a chocolate cereal bar, a sprite zero and a cup of coffee. I have breakfast at my desk while reading blogs and checking my etsy shop(s).

8:30-9:30 AM - Kids wake up sometime in here, varies from day to day. I hug and kiss them, talk to them, make them breakfast. I usually get something done in the kitchen while they are eating. I talk to them, sing with them, goof off with them while they eat as well.

9:30-10:30 AM - I mainly play with kids, change diapers, act as the peacemaker between all squabbles during this time. Twice a week I try to get the laundry separated and a first load started during this time as well.

10:30 AM - Ryan gets home for lunch. By this time I am usually worn out and hungry (moreso right now because I am very pregnant). We all eat lunch together sometimes. Other times Ryan watches the kids and I eat a quick lunch and work on making jewelry, laundry, or anything else that needs done. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I work out at the gym. Ryan takes a two hour lunch break on those days, one hour on the others.

12:30-1 PM - I (Ryan when I work out) get toys cleand up and the kids down for naps.

1-3:30 PM - I read, hang with God, get approximately 8 million things done, make jewelry, take pictures of jewelry, post jewelry, blog, shower, bathe or whatever really is priority that day. I am highly organized, so organization is involved most days. House-cleaning. Laundry. All that stuff. Most days I do make a point to relax for 30 minutes. Reading, blogging, sitting down for a snack, whatever.

3:30-4:00 PM - Kids wake up.

4:15 PM - Ryan gets home. We are all excited.

5:00 PM - We eat no later than 5:30 most days. Either Ryan or I cook, or we throw something easy together. Then we play outside, go for a stroller ride/walk, go to someone's house, play games (crazy ones that we have to make up or make work with 1, 2, and 3 year olds). On Tuesdays we go to a prayer group, on Wednesdays and Sundays we have school (School of Supernatural Ministry). The kids are in childcare during these times and love it most of the time.

8-8:3o PM - Get kids down for bed. This could involve baths, singing songs, reading books, tickles, lots of hugs and kisses, prayers, "rough stuff" with Daddy. Manning tries to drag out the pre-bedtime routine every single night. We have to remind him that he isn't in charge almost every night. Most nights end happy though. :) (If we are out doing something or at church, the kids get to bed as late as 10:30 some nights. This is certainly not preferable and we do not make a habit of getting them down this late!)

9-11:00 PM - Ryan and I hang out most nights. Movie, game, talking, whatever. Occasionally we do our own thing. I sometimes read or hang with God...bust out the worship music.

We do not have TV channels, so the TV is never on during the day unless the kids watch a video on DVD. We do this about twice a week. And sometimes Ryan and I watch a movie at night. We try to be very intentional about spending quality time with each kid and eachother. We feel like we fail as parents many, many times. But it is our goal to place relationships as high priority over things, so that's what we work to base our ordinary day life in. :)

and here they are...

2011-02-21T15:58:00.003-06:00

Arlis...

and Avery...

Aren't they just precious?!

We had such a great weekend visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and the twins!

Our kids were so adorable with Arlis. They all wanted to hold him, hug him and kiss him. Tapestry would have taken him home for sure! This made me excited...thinking about what they might be like when their baby sister is born. :)

Avery is doing very well, and she may get to go home this week! She will probably have to wear a heart monitor for a little bit. For the most part, she is progressing beautifully though.

I just love my new nephew and niece! :D

arlis and avery...

2011-02-15T14:18:00.003-06:00

My sister had her twins on February 3rd. I have been waiting around so I'd have some pictures to post of them, but I decided I could wait no more. Their names are Arlis (boy...named after my grandpa) and Avery (girl). I have seen pictures and have a few on my phone that my mom and sister have sent via text, but I haven't actually seen them in person yet.

It has been a long couple weeks for my sister and her family. Arlis and my sister are doing great. They were both released from the hospital a few days after delivery. Avery was on oxygen and was transferred to a better equipped hospital. She had jaundice as well. She has been improving more and more over the past week, but now there is a heart rate issue (my mom thinks). Please pray for Avery to have complete healing and development. And please pray for my sister, Angie, her husband and kids. I know it is wearing on them. They are a couple hours from home and staying in a hotel. Plus they are taking care of a newborn, running on lack of sleep, taking care of a 2 and 3 year olds and going back and forth to and from the hospital. PLUS having a sick baby is scary. That's a lot!

I am super excited about Arlis and Avery, and I can hardly wait to meet them! We are planning to visit them this weekend. Just found out Avery will still be in hospital, so that's where we'll go.

This afternoon I worked on some new personalized necklaces for girls. My niece, Reina, will get the benefit of being the example. :) I posted some on my shop if you are interested.

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's! (We did!) =)

organized and vintage tots...

2011-02-13T15:08:00.002-06:00

Anyone who knows me very well, or anyone who has seen our house, knows that I am organized. Funny thing: when I was young, even all through high school, I was extremely messy and pack rat...bad. I have learned that I love to be organized and that being organized just makes life a little easier. I once was so organized it made others uncomfortable. That's not good. So, moderately organized is where I choose to camp. :)

I love my etsy shop. If you are wondering how I started making all this stuff or if I've always done this type of thing, I have not. A friend of mine made another friend a necklace last Christmas, and I thought..."Hmmm...that would be fun. I think I could do that. Maybe I'll try it." I tried it a month later, loved it, and decided to start an etsy shop. Why not? :)

Recently I have gotten into making kids' stuff in addition to women's jewelry. All the stuff just didn't seem to fit well into one shop for me though. Bothered me. Therefore, as of yesterday, I launched a second etsy shop just for kids. It is called Vintage Tots. I will make and sell hair clips, hats, head bands, necklaces, personalized necklaces...and whatever else my crazy mind thinks of next. ;)

I like having the two shops separate. It's nice. I have another idea up my sleeve for a 3rd shop in the future.

People ask how I have time for all this. I just work on stuff while the kids are napping or before they wake up in the mornings...in between laundry, house-cleaning and all that stuff. I occasionally ask Ryan to watch the kids for an evening so I can work on etsy stuff. He is great to do it and he loves all the stuff I make...and that I have online shops. He thinks it's cool and that it's a good place for my creative juices to flow. I think he's right. And though I did not start my shop for the money, extra money certainly helps in our situation of having many small kids! God does seem to be using it to bring in some provision for us, and we are very thankful for it! :)

snow day in TX...

2011-02-05T09:21:00.003-06:00

Snow days in TX, especially where we live, are very few...barely existent. Let's just say I saw snow maybe 3 times from 0-20 years of age. Snow sticking to the ground only once. But it has actually snowed two years in a row here. Barely sticking to the ground. You know, a few patches. But that makes for much excitement around here. Half the town closed down. There was even no trash pick-up. Ha! :)

Ryan took off work yesterday for our 5th anniversary. :D It was the perfect day for him to be home. We bundled up the kids and went out in the snow. Tapestry and Cherish thought it was cool for about 15 minutes. Manning was in complete awe and could have stayed out for hours...I think.

We even made a *VERY* miniature snowman. It was honestly hard to gather enough snow to make one this size. ;)

While I have been "spring cleaning" and am quite ready for spring, this snow was a fun surprise for our kids that I would not trade!

when daddy takes pictures...

2011-01-27T13:00:00.004-06:00

he doesn't leave any room for imagination.

He captures every expression, blurry or not, which I like. :)

On a completely different topic:

I am officially nesting. Big time. Just started yesterday. Trying to make room in Cherish's closet and drawers for all of the new baby's newborn-3 month clothes, socks, shoes, hats, headbands, pajamas. Surprisingly, I have made more space than I thought possible to make. That is a plus for sure! I dream of having a family closet. Sounds so weird, and in the past I would have laughed at the idea. Seriously though, that would just make my life so much easier. And it would create more space in each bedroom for children to sleep and play. Maybe one day... :D

I am only 7 weeks out from my due date, and that really only hit me this week. I think that's why all the nesting. If I have this baby as early as I did Tapestry, that would only be 4 1/2 weeks from now. I better get ready! ;)

I have also been making lots and lots of new jewelry and hair accessories for adults and kids. I am in creative mode, and I just want to make, make, make. Not that I have a lot of time to do so, but it's amazing how quick I am learning to make things in the amount of time that I do have.

Ryan and I have been watching the Duggars' TV series on DVD. It seems so crazy, but it is truly inspiring to me. We just love watching the episodes. I feel so encouraged and excited after watching each one. So interesting.

God is doing a lot of new stuff in both Ryan and I...and in a lot of people around us. It is really fun and awesome to feel so stirred up and to be in community with others who are being stirred by Him. I love Him. :D

Okay...all done rambling. Kids are napping. I am organizing, packing for a weekend trip to Lolli and Pop's, and I am about to make a necklace and a hair clip for my niece for her 2nd birthday.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! :D

mourning into dancing...

2011-01-18T15:43:00.002-06:00

Awww...He has turned my mourning into dancing, and I love Him! :D

Still having fun with new projects. I posted this necklace on my shop, though I must admit that I am wanting to keep this one. Maybe I'll make a duplicate. ;)

my newest venture...

2011-01-17T12:44:00.003-06:00

I just love fabric rosettes. I see them and think they are just adorable. Especially the frayed {kind of messy-looking} ones. So, I decided to learn how to make them. And I really like how they are turning out...especially how they look on my girly girls. ;)

I have added these to my etsy shop. And I plan to do more colors and styles in the future, including baby headbands. :)

Side note: I was asked where we got out kids' picnic table, the one in our kitchen. It was a gift from my parents a few years ago, so I honestly do not remember. I know that I found it on a random online store, and that "modern" was part of my search. Hope that helps! ;)

what I love about having kids this close in age...

2011-01-16T08:43:00.002-06:00

No words needed. :D

new things coming...

2011-01-12T14:03:00.003-06:00

I am starting a few new projects that I will be adding to my etsy shop.

Here is the first: personalized metal stamped jewelry. :)

It is fun and exciting. I love trying new things, doing new things...and well, I just like change sometimes. :D

an ordinary morning...

2011-01-08T08:32:00.003-06:00

Earlier this week I decided to capture some of our every day moments.

Cherish doesn't eat at the little table every morning, but she is starting to more and more...and she loves it. Seeing all our kids at this little table is adorable to me! :)

And this? Especially adorable to me. :)

If I sort laundry when the kids are awake, this is how it goes down. Here's my ~~pile~~ used-to-be pile of colors. Ha.

And here are Manning and Tapestry playing their Mobigos, which they typically play no more than every other day. They are learning all sorts of new things through their Mobigos.

And then there is the stuff that no one really wants to capture on camera.

Manning and Tapestry fighting over toys, Manning hiding and hording Tapestry's favorite toys in a secret place, Tapestry taking toys from Cherish, and Cherish pulling all the books off the shelf. (Okay, that one is still kind of cute...only because she is 14 months though!)

Then there are the days when Mommy, I, feel like I could lose my marbles. I try really hard to keep a good attitude even when whininess and negativity seem to be taking over the household. I tend to do good until about 10:30AM, then I just want to join in the whine fest myself. So, what did we do to help with this issue? Ryan takes a lunch break at 10:30. :) Just having his presence and his help with the kids is just the rejuvenation I need to embrace the afternoon with a good attitude. I genuinely do feel irritable more easily when pregnant, but I am working on not acting out in irritability. Sometimes I just have to walk to a room where no one is and say a simple..."Seriously Jesus, I need help today. Please help me." Also, putting on worship music creates a sweet atmosphere for me. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and ADORE Manning, Tapestry and Cherish! I wouldn't trade my life with them for anything. Just admitting that I don't always feel rosy, and that sometimes raising kids feels really hard. But I do still love it...and most of all, I love them! ;)

the last bit of Christmas...

2011-01-06T14:14:00.005-06:00

The trip to my parents' was overall relaxing. We stayed for several days. I didn't take many pictures because I was pretty much worn out from all the other Christmas festivities by then.

Here's our five kids, mine and my sister's kids that is. Between the two of us, we will be adding three more within the next few months. My sister is due in February...with twins. A boy and a girl. I can only imagine how cute they will be! ;)

My cousin, Trent, and Manning had their hair styled the same. So cute!

Tapestry loved her new outfit from Lolli and Pop. She is a big fan of clothes and shoes. So is Manning. If I even order them new pajamas from Old Navy, they want to try every single thing on immediately. Right now that is crazy because I do most of the dressing and undressing, but I am sure I will appreciate it in the future if they continue in that pattern. I do think it's cute. :)

Manning and Tapestry were both given Mobigos from my parents. They really like them. I thought they would because they love playing on our iPhones. It's amazing that a 2-year-old can work an iPhone, isn't it? No telling what this generation will be technologically up to by the time they are my age. I don't want our kids to be video game junkies, so we limit them to no more than once a day for 30 minutes (on a normal basis). They don't ask to play every day though.

I just love this new outfit my sister got for Cherish. I think she is adorable in it! :)

Cherish never cries once we put her down for bed, and she never sleeps on us. She seemed to not feel so well at Lolli and Pop's though. She woke up crying two nights in a row, and I soaked up the sweetness of getting to hold my cuddly 14-month-old as she dozed back to sleep. I could probably do that every night and be totally happy. :D

Poor Cherish has had two sinus infections in the past 2 months and she just can't seem to stay well or feel very well. She is still happy and hardly fussy, but I can just tell she isn't quite her bubbly active self. We've been wondering if she is teething, and today I noticed that two top molars and one bottom had busted through. She doesn't even have all her front or vampire teeth in yet. No wonder she's seemed down! Hopefully she will be feeling back to her normal self soon enough!

more Christmas...

2010-12-31T09:17:00.007-06:00

On Christmas Eve we went to Ryan's grandparents' house. We ate, played games, opened gifts, played outside, and had lots of fun. It was different this year because our kids were the only great grandkids who could come. We missed our nieces and nephew. It was noticeably more relaxing for Ryan and I though. Our kids got lots of attention, and there were lots of free hands to hold them with the others not there. Haha. If I had to choose though, I would go for all the kids plus more chaos! ;)

The next day we headed to my parents' and stayed for several days. (Pictures to come.) We had a great time hanging out with everyone there also!

Have you noticed Manning's new haircut? I went for it. Both Ryan and I really like it. I think he looks quite adorable. I did want the sides a little longer, but it won't take long to grow those out a bit. ;)

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment. Our baby girl is doing well...healthy and kicking! :)

Today we are at home relaxing for the first day after all of the Christmas fun. Ryan has had this whole week off, which I have loved! This morning he has been playing with all 3 kids so that I could edit photos and blog. ;) I am about to go join them. It's 9:40AM and I feel like I have been up for hours.

Hope you are having a relaxing Friday...and a happy end to 2010! :D

Happy birthday, Jesus!!!

2010-12-25T09:21:00.002-06:00

You are my Abba, my Prince, my Lover, my Strength, my Reason, my Joy, my Song...and You are my very Best Friend! I just adore You, Sir! :D

happy everything...

2010-12-23T13:59:00.002-06:00

This season has been very different for us this year. We decided to really spread things out, and truly let it be a season of celebration more so than a day. We slowly let our kids open presents here. One evening we all (un)stuffed stockings. We made a gingerbread house, ornaments, Christmas cards, and today we are going to make a birthday cake for Jesus. I enjoyed anticipating actual Christmas day when I was a child, so this was different for sure. But I really have enjoyed it. If you have a kid under 3, you know how easily it is for kids that age to get overwhelmed with present after present and festivity after festivity. And we have three 3 and under, so spreading out celebrating Jesus' birthday this year has worked so well for us so far. Still more celebrating to come though. :)

We are planning to get Manning a haircut this evening. A true cut. Quite a bit shorter than normal. I am a wee bit nervous, but hair does grow back rather quickly...I tell myself. In the past I have searched and searched pictures on the internet for a cute/cool toddler boy hairstyle, but I never really found anything I was interested in at all. Though last night, by complete accident, I happened upon IT (IT=the most precious potential little hairstyle for Manning). It just so happens that we were already planning to get him a trim today, so why not just go for the big shabam. That's how sure I am about it. So if we do it and it's "not him", I may shed a tear or two. ;) Pictures to come for sure!

Well, I have a bit more packing to do. A few necklaces to make. And I am sure it won't be too long until one of my little people come running through the house yelling, "Mommy, Mommy...I had a good nap!" More than likely that lovely little person will be Tapestry. (She tends to make a BIG announcement when she awakes. Haha.)

I pray an abundance of joy for YOU this Christmas! May you know how very special you are and how incredibly loved you are by Abba! :D

Christmas with Gigi & Pops...

2010-12-20T15:11:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful time Saturday with Ryan's family. We talked, chased kids, played with kids, took care of kids, snapped lots of photos, ate, opened gifts, (un)stuffed stockings and went on a money hunt. It was wild, sweet and fun! :)

And this is what our kids are doing today...enjoying their new bean bags from Gigi & Pops.

to lay before the King...

2010-12-17T08:24:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks ago my husband surprised the kids and I with a kit to make a gingerbread house. And yesterday...we made our little house. :D

It was a lot of fun! I just had to keep Tapestry from eating all the candy, though I did let them eat a few treats along the way. ;)

On a different note, a completely precious note, this is what my sweet 3-year-old son said yesterday...

Manning with is backpack on: "Bye-bye."
Me: "Where are you going?"
Manning: "To lay before the King."

Melt my heart. Utter preciousness.

early gifts...

2010-12-14T07:38:00.005-06:00

This past Saturday, our little family did most of our gift exchanging. Early, I know. It was the only full free day we'd really have with just us for the next couple weeks, so we decided it would be a good time. Our kids are young enough to not really know the difference.

Here they are anticipating their gifts.

Cherish's main gift was a drum filled with musical instruments. She seemed to really like it a lot, and she has been playing with the instruments every day.

Manning and Tapestry love it as well. They have set up a studio right in Manning's closet. They play instruments and sing their little hearts out...using maracas as microphones. ;)

One of Tapestry's gifts was a little trunk filled with dress-up clothes and accessories. Certainly a big hit for our little girl who loves to dress up.

Such a glamorous little princess, don't you think? :D

One thing we got Manning was Lincoln Logs. He enjoys building, so this is certainly up his alley. He still needs a little help getting started, but seems all about learning to do it himself.

We have been reading singing The Little Drummer Boy every night. Manning just pounds away on Cherish's drum, belting out this song. :)

They got a few other things...bean bag toss, doll, a couple balls. They still each have one small gift to open and stockings to unstuff. We will do those ahead of time as well.

This weekend we will celebrate Christmas with Ryan's parents and siblings. On Christmas Eve we will celebrate with a lot of Ryan's family over at his grandparents' house. On Christmas morning, we will open the last door of our advent calendar. We will take out the candle, put it on the cake we've made ahead of time, and we will sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. We will have cake for breakfast, and then we will load up and head to my parents' for a few days. Lots of celebrating, lots of family, lots of fun. :D

a tradition for a non-traditional girl...

2010-12-07T09:00:00.003-06:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I am not huge into traditions. Certainly not just for the sake of tradition. But tradition with meaning can be very cool.

Here is to the first of probably several Christmas traditions for our ~~little~~ growing family.

I knew nothing of Advent really. I mean, I have always heard the word and I knew it was around Christmas time. That's about it though. So, I did some research, pulled a little from here and there, and came up with a little Advent tradition specialized for our family.

I got this children's Advent storybook. We have been and will continue to read the kids 1 story a night leading up to Christmas. It's about a little bear who follows a star, which will ultimately lead him to Jesus.

I also purchased this Advent calendar off of Etsy. I wanted something that would hold up, that we could use for years and years, that the kids would be excited about every year. I put something inside each door. I put chocolates, coins, and other little treats for the kids for some days. I also put little notes for other days. The notes vary from "make a card for _____" to "make a Christmas decoration today" to "pick a toy to give to someone else".

We started a little late, so we have done it 3 days so far. The kids love it! Manning and Tapestry take turns each day opening the little door. Today they get to make a card for Gigi & Pops. At some point we will make a birthday cake for Jesus. And on Day 25, there will be a candle behind the door and a note that reads, "sing Happy Birthday to Jesus".

I really love this little tradition. For me, it is important to celebrate Jesus on Christmas, but also to celebrate life, freedom, joy...and all the great things God has given to us. I want our kids to know that Christmas is about Jesus, and also for our kids to feel special and loved around Christmas-time (and year round). So, giving and receiving both will be a big part of Christmas in our house. Being celebrated, and celebrating others. :)

On a completely different note: I am having a Christmas sale on my etsy shop, Vintage Rummage. Get 15% off every order from now until Christmas. Just use the coupon code CHRISTMAS15 at checkout. :D

parade of lights...

2010-12-03T21:33:00.006-06:00

Tonight we went to the Parade of Lights downtown. Manning, Tapestry and Cherish all seemed to think the lighted floats were cool, but as most kids seem to be, they were mainly excited about all the candy. Definitely the highlight for Manning and Cherish anyway. Tapestry watched and smiled and waved as each float passed. I thought she was literally going to faint when she saw a float that had ~~snow coming out the top~~ an ice machine spitting out fake snow. She laid down in my lap, turned blue, got tears in her eyes and said, “It’s going to get me, Mommy.” Obviously it doesn’t snow much here in TX! Ha. Poor chica! ;)

It's December, and Christmas festivities are in full swing. I love this time of year. And for me, it really isn't stressful. Though I certainly make it a point to plan ahead so that it doesn't feel stressful.

99% of my Christmas shopping is done. Our tree is up, and our stockings are hung.

Our Christmas stories are out and are being read daily. Our Christmas music sounds in the background. And one of my most favorite scents fills the air...the scent of fresh balsam.

Our kids are excited. And they seem rather curious this year. Curious about what this Christmas stuff is really all about.

I am not much of a traditional person, I would say. I certainly am not one to follow tradition just for the sake of tradition. But tradition with meaning can be powerful, impacting, sweet and fun.

So, this year we are starting some of our very own traditions. Things I actually had to research because I knew nothing about them. These I will share more about later.

Christmas is such a sweet season for me. It's always been a happy time of year. But certainly it became all the more precious to me 7 years ago this month. That is the month I graduated from Mercy Ministries, the place I went to receive help for addiction, the place where I fell in love with my Jesus, the place where He set me free, the place where I found His great love for me.

May love and joy, and lack of stress, fill your home and mine this season! :)

2 day sale...

2010-11-25T08:41:00.002-06:00

I am super excited because etsy has finally created discount codes! There was no easy way to do a sale before now. I love shopping sales, and I love offering sales. :D

So, for Thanksgiving, I am offering 10% off all orders at Vintage Rummage for two days. Today and tomorrow. Just type in THANKS as your coupon code at checkout.

We are getting ready to go to Ryan's grandparents' house for a Thanksgiving meal and some fun. And later today we will hit the road and head to my parents' house for the weekend. Feels like forever since we've been there. We are all very excited!! :D

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

the pumpkin patch...

2010-11-23T08:25:00.006-06:00

A couple Saturdays ago, we ventured out to a pumpkin patch nearby.

We looked at pretty flowers.

We rode a big wagon over to the pumpkin patch.

We attempted a family picture. And as any mom of 3+ kids knows...if you are all in it, good enough. ;)

Manning and Tapestry were excited about the pumpkins. They looked at them, touched them, sat on them, and wanted to throw them.

Cherish seemed SO sick and mellow that day. We found out a couple days later that she had a sinus infection. Poor baby!

Tapestry loved looking at and smelling the flowers.

There was lots of fun jumping on these big blobs.

What was this little lady's favorite part of the day?

Definitely the rice krispie treats. :)

Manning liked this rolling pipe slide.

And he even posed for me atop this big red tire.

Certainly Manning's favorite was this corn train, led by a tractor.

Visiting this pumpkin patch was the perfect adventure for a Saturday in Fall. :D

kid swap...

2010-11-20T15:33:00.004-06:00

On as many Friday evenings as we can, a couple friends and I swap kids. I mean, we don't take eachothers' kids on the same evenings, but take turns. This makes for great date nights for the adults...AND great play time for the kids. Win WIN! :)

Yesterday evening was our turn to keep all the kids. We had seven kids ages 5 and under, including our own. It was chaotic and fun. The kids were cute!

The played outside. They all, except Cherish, barely even touched their dinner. ;)

Then, they came in to watch Polar Express...and to play lots and lots of toys.

Obviously the kids are young and get tired early, so we do our "date nights" from 5-7:30PM. It works great! I highly recommend it! :)

over half way...

2010-11-13T19:34:00.002-06:00

22 weeks

due: march

gender: girl

name: let's just say I already have it monogrammed on a stocking :D (We always keep the name a secret, even from family, until our baby is born. I think it's a super terrific name.)

movement: the girl is all over the place...couldn't even get her measurements at the 20 week ultrasound

current pregnancy cravings: reduced-fat cheez-its, tortilla soup, chicken enchilada soup, pumpkin seeds, salty foods for sure

current pregnancy mood: overall happy, peaceful and at ease...some days or moments - irritable

excitement level: 100% excited about this baby girl! :D

We are not doing much preparing around the house because we have no extra rooms to create especially for her. The plan right now is that she will sleep in our room for the first months, possibly up to a year. Then we will probably move her in with Tapestry or Cherish, or we will move Tapestry and Cherish in with each other and give her one of their rooms. Who knows, we may even move her in with Manning. We'll see. It will mainly depend on all the kids' sleeping habits at the time, like who can sleep through noise best and who may sleep best in a room with someone else.

I am preparing for her in other ways though. I got her a journal, which I will write special things like what her name means, prayers, encouragement, letters. Something I will give to her later in life. I picked out a cute little girly quilt for her also. I figure if she doesn't get a whole nursery created just for her, she should at least have something for JUST her...you know? :) And we have chosen her first and middle name, with which both Ryan and I are very excited.

Manning and Tapestry both seem to understand that they have a sister in Mommy's tummy. They will kiss, hug, rub and love on my growing belly. Especially Tapestry. And Tapestry is becoming a little Mommy herself. All day long, most days, she holds her baby, pushes her baby in a stroller, feeds her baby, puts her baby for naps, changes her baby and nurtures her baby. Precious.

And, of course, I daydream and night dream about what this new baby will be like...certain that she will be precious and melt my heart just like each of her siblings have. Sure that she will bring out of me more love than I thought possible to have. It is amazing how there is always more love just waiting to be lavished on a next baby. Seriously, it is crazy!

I am soaking up more of God in this season, happy to be His baby myself...and happy that he has given Ryan and I yet another beautiful baby girl. I love Him... :D

A trip to the zoo...

2010-11-06T08:57:00.009-05:00

in celebration of both Ryan and Cherish's birthdays! :D

Emily for Ethiopia...

2010-11-02T22:10:00.004-05:00

My good friend, Emily, is going on a mission trip to Ethiopia to love on and help with kids in orphanages there. She is making and selling necklaces to help earn money to go towards her trip. I am selling these particular necklaces she made for her on my etsy shop. Each necklace is $20 (plus $3 shipping). I think she did a great job on these necklaces, and I think they are super cute. If you would like to purchase one, just head on over to my etsy shop and click on Emily for Ethiopia in my left sidebar.

Aren't they cute? :)

Introducing...

2010-11-01T18:33:00.002-05:00

our wiggly, squirmy cute and precious baby girl!

I think I am already in love... :D

Happy Halloween...

2010-10-31T21:46:00.003-05:00

Meet our new mailman: Manning! :)

Our spunky Tinkerbell: Tapestry! ;)

Our sweet little Princess Jasmine: Cherish! :-)

This evening we went trick-or-treating at a few friends and family's houses.

And then we went to the Fall Festival...a festival many churches in our area put together.

Face-painting.

Bowling.

Eating Smarties.

Definitely fun for all!