Welcome to the world Elijah Joseph!

On Wednesday night @ 10:33pm Elijah Joseph was born and I there. My best friend Kristy was so amazingly strong during the whole labor and birth. I am so blessed to have been able to be there from start to finish, only sneaking away a few times to nurse Dillon. Thank you Kristy and Greg for allowing me to be a part of Elijah's birth :)

Happy Birthday, Coda James!

Today he turns four. Weird though, he doesn't seem four, I mean he acts four, does things a four year old would do, but then he looks at me and he is a baby in my arms. Only its better now, he doesn't scream all the time. :)

Coda loves being outdoors, loves digging, hammering (he can hammer a nail in better than I can), is obsessed with tools and I mean OBSESSED. He does not love sitting still, reading, watching tv, however his attention span is lengthening. Coda has the most amazing dimples and smile, he has a passion for life and when something doesn't go his way he will let you know.

For his birthday he wanted to go to the beach and fly kites. So we did. He was interested in flying kites on his birthday for FOUR months leading up to the day, the 10 minute drive to the beach and about .2 seconds once we arrived, then he was on to something else...finding rocks and throwing them in the ocean and digging.

After the beach we came home and had a family party. Coda is on a gluten-free, casein-free diet, so everything at the party followed his diet, even the cake and frosting. It was mighty yummy indeed.

Easter!

What a wonderful and beautiful day. The kids were amazing, considering they were going, going, going for the entire day. Our day began with a Brunch @ Church, then Church, then an Easter Egg Hunt at the Ingomar Club, then a quick drive to pass some time, then an afternoon meal at the Ingomar Club, then to the cemetery to lay flowers on Grandpa Caroll's, Grandma Oma's and Ricky's (Nick best friend who died @ age 15) graves, then back to Nick's parents to open Easter presents from Grandma Lende to the kids. Oh and in there while the adults and the babies were still at the Ingomar, Aunt Nonie (Nick's aunt) took the bigger kids on yet another Easter Egg hunt. And we continued the festivities tonight with a big family dinner, ANOTHER Easter Egg hunt and opening of Easter presents from Nick's parents to the kids.

Sunday morning was beautiful, sunny and bright, just as I imagine it was on that first Easter Sunday. I am so thankful for our Lord, Jesus Christ for coming and dying and rising again so that we may LIVE.

I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10b

Atleast they are all sitting on the same couch, right?!

 

The sun was bright!

 

Just the 10 of us! (Easter 2008)

Something good.

My sister (aka 'E') has told me a few times recently, 'you've come across something good' and I would agree.  When we downsized homes from 3 bedrooms to 2, 2 bathrooms to 1 and 1400 sq feet to 1000 (or so I am told), we had to make a few changes.  The bathroom thing wasn't a big deal, we really only used one anyway, but the bedroom thing was something to figure out, for sure.  We have four children; 5 1/2, almost 4, 2 and 1.  The eldest are in bunk beds, the 2 year old is in a crib and the 1 year old has a crib, but co-sleeps a lot and mainly uses his crib for naps.  So 3 1/2 months ago, when we moved, we put the three oldest in the 2nd bedroom (which is attached to the 1st bedroom) and then put #4's crib in our room (which is attached to the living room and thereby the rest of the house).

*Ok I think I need to upload my sketch of our house plan (that I concocted) so this might be a little easier to understand.*

This situation has proven to work.  In the 'kids bedroom' there are NO toys, only beds and clothing.  We keep all toys in the covered/enclosed front porch and the kitchen.  There have been no problems with them keeping eachother away at night, waking the others up in the morning.  The three old have seemed to enjoy that they all share a room and I like that it is 'everyones' room and nobody can be shut out, yet if someone needs some alone time the room is there for just that.

So this something good I've come across is just this: a room for sleeping/quiet time and a room for playing.  Now it wouldn't take a genius to see the benefits of this, but it takes some faith to act on it.  In our situation we really had no choice.  But we knew God was leading us back to Eureka and to this house and into this rooming situation, so there we went.  And honestly I wouldn't change my current situation for each of them having their own rooms, I think individual rooms for little kids are over-rated.

Buh, Bye!

Make sure you watch the ENTIRE video, it is worth the wait!

It's An Inside Day

It is not necessarily raining, but shhhhh don't tell my kids. I woke up this morning and deemed it an "inside day". The two babies have colds, the other two are on the verge, so I bullied Aidan into staying home from school and told everyone we were staying inside and in our jammies ALL DAY.

I have been scanning through The Children's BUSY BOOK and The Preschooler's BUSY BOOK, I found them at a 2nd hand store for 25cents each. The books have some really fun ideas, nothing you couldn't find on the internet, but sometimes I just like to have something to flip through.

I decided this was a perfect day to make a 'table fort', you know take everything off the table, move the chairs away, throw some blankets over the table and VIOLA, we have a fort. The older boys have decided they are spending the night under the fort, they have already moved in, blankets, pillows, flashlights, snacks, they are READY! Funny thing is, it isn't even noon and they are asking 'how long until bedtime?'. Maybe I could use this to my advantage :)

Now that's an outfit...

Seriously this is the most awesomest outfit ever. Each piece has a story of its own, right down to the ball in his hand. Let's start at the BabyLegs, I ordered them, thinking the purple was blue, so he has never worn them out of the house, then we go to the diaper cover and lap tee, tie-dyed by my bestest friend Kristy, underneath the diaper cover we have a "Day at the Zoo" Fuzzi Bunz diaper, then onto the ball, a Fisher Price Roll-a-Round ball to be exact, these are Dillon's security, he actually wouldn't leave the nursery at Church without taking one with him. (I think I know what we are getting him for Christmas, lol)

And did you notice....he is standing.

Life has been busy, a good busy. We are really getting back into the groove of things in Eureka. Aidan is enjoying going to school so much, Coda is enjoying the time he gets to be the "big" brother, Téadora is potty training herself and Dillon, well Dillon is no longer a tiny baby.

We are enjoying preparing ourselves for the birth of Jesus!! Aidan and Coda are really getting into the Spirit of Christmas, they are excited to bake a birthday cake for Jesus and are even more excited that they get to eat it, :)

This weekend Nick and I get to go see Sara Bareilles in concert. Nick went to highschool with Sara and now she is a big-time musician, she is so AWESOME!! We love her music. Nick's sister Anika, her husband Bob and their kids are coming up from Santa Barbara for the weekend, it will be fun to all be together, we haven't seen them since July.

Oh and Dillon got his first pair of *real* shoes, I am in love. See Kai Run - Noah. Nick actually picked them out, boy, my husband makes me proud! Well, that was a random post. Hope it wasn't too boring...

Two favorites!

#1

I absolutely adore Gymboree! But just recently I discovered their Hair Curlies, I am in love! And for what it's worth, I only shop sale, I can honestly say I have NEVER bought a full priced item from Gymboree!

#2School in our jammies!
Some wonder how on earth do I homeschool with four kids 5 and under. This is how...we do it in our jammies :) We have been homeschooling for six weeks and it is going awesome. I know that we are truly doing what the Lord had planned for us...each day it just feels so right to be home together.

While sister is napping....

the brothers will have a photo shoot with mom :)

Dark-eyed Brothers

One of Mommy's tie dye creations

Huh?!

Seven Months

Dillon is seven months old, seven months old, really?! YEP. He is sitting up all on his own, army crawling his way through the house and even eating a little something other than Mommy's Milk. Last week he ate boiled egg yolk mixed with a little Earth's Best baby cereal and loved it, he has continued to eat it daily. He is by far our longest and skinniest baby, he is about 17lbs and 27inches.

Were you...

Aidan has been constantly leaving the door open when he goes out to play. So yesterday I thought I would talk to him about it.

Me: Were you born in a barn?
Aidan: Jesus was.
Me: Ok? But were you born in a barn?
Aidan: Jesus was born in a barn, Dillon was born in the car. How come I wasn't born in a cool place?

I should, he should

I should be folding laundry and he should be napping. But instead he is building with blocks and I am taking pictures of him. Well, this is more fun anyway.

Happy Half Year....

DILLON!

We are so blessed to have you be a part of our family. Each day you bring joy to our lives. Your smile is contagious, you strength surpasses your age and you have the wondrous ability to warm each of our hearts!
I told Nick just last night that I don't want Dillon to get bigger, I want him to stay a baby forever. But then in the same breath, I told him how it will be so neat when all our four are riding bikes or playing soccer together.

Lord, I thank you for Dillon. I thank you for entrusting him to us. His smile warms my heart, his smell melts me, I love him more and more each day. I pray that you watch over him, I pray that he comes to know you at an early age. Lord, be with him wherever he goes, AMEN.

Fun at the fair.

Mommy and Dillon


So the boys wanted to go on a ride with Dad, so with Dillon already on my front, we added Téa to the back, boy did I get some funny looks!

Love the face Aidan!

We went to Santa Rosa for a week. We had a blast, the boys went to Dino Camp, Kristy and I tie dyed, we welcomed E home from Africa and had a great time with Grandma, Grandpa, Tyler and Sergio. However, like always I did not get done near what I wanted to while down there, I think it is a combination of having four kids, it taking an hour to drive anywhere and just having tons on my t0-do list.
We went to the county fair, which isn't too small for where we live and there was an awesome Rodeo. The boys enjoyed going on some rides. Dillon slept almost the whole time in the Ergo and Téa enjoyed pulling Daddy's hair from the backpack. It was a nice family day!

He's Five!

Captian Aidan that is! Each year I am in awe of how fast time goes by. Five years ago I became a mom, five years ago God entrusted this little baby to me (and Nick :0), five years ago my life began to mean something and five years ago I fell in love in a way that I never thought possible.
Aidan is wonderful kid, he is full of life, he is a clown, he likes to make people laugh, but he is not made of steel, he melts with a mean-look, he loves to snuggle, he love to hug, kiss and take care of his littler brothers and sister. He loves to pretend, one day he is Captain Jack, then the Red Power Ranger, a tiger (which according to him could never be related to a cat!), a T-Rex dinosaur...and the best part is, we all get to play along in his pretending.
We let Aidan pick where we are going to go to dinner tonight and I was shocked (NOT) when he said McDonald's! The Close's are joining us for our gourmet meal at the Crescent City McDonald's.
On Saturday we had a HUGE party for Aidan (which my camera broke 1/4 of the way through)! We all had a blast, Nick built a "pirate ship" in the front yard, the kids all had eye patches, they ran around with plastic swords and pirate bubbles. We opened presents, ate our "treasure chest" cake and demolished the pinata. All in all it was an awesome day, pictures to come!

*Aidan's shirt was painted by a WAHM (work at home mom), she is amazingly talented, if you want her info let me know!

Drama "cough".

Baby Dedication

On Sunday, July 15th, Dillon was dedicated Dillon. For those of you who do not know what a Baby Dedication is, I found this description:
Christian parents who dedicate a child are making a promise to the Lord to do everything within their power to raise the child in a godly way, prayerfully until he or she can make a decision on his or her own to follow God. Parents who make this vow of commitment are instructed to raise the child in the ways of God, and not according to their own ways. Some of the responsibilities include teaching and training the child in God's Word, demonstrating an example of godliness, disciplining according to God's ways, and praying earnestly for the child.
-taken from About.com

The dedication was bittersweet. Dillon is the first of our children to not be dedicated in the Eureka Nazarene Church and the first to have only his parents and Church family present for his dedication. However we are so blessed to have found such a wonderful Church family, we honestly feel like family. God has truly blessed us through this past year...moving to a new place, removed from friends and family has not been near as hard as we thought it was going to be.

Dillon, I will take this time to share how much of a blessing you are in our lives. I cannot imagine my days without you. You are growing so fast, already you are rolling over, sitting up like a monkey, and your trademark is your smile. Everywhere we go, everyone we see comments on your smile. It is truly amazing, it spans from ear to ear. You are a happy, calm, lovable little man.

Three things.

#1 Aidan had a consultation with a surgeon for the repair of his hernia. We had been praying for healing and as of now, it looks like it is on its way to being healed. Please continue to pray for continued healing. We will go back in a few weeks to check the status.

#2 My sister is in Ghana, having a good time. She is half way through her study abroad. Yesterday I missed her so much, I actually called her cell phone (her US one) just to listen to her voice. Then I stayed up until 12:30am to call her on her African cell phone. It was good to laugh with her.

#3 We had a great time at Blue Slide Family Camp. Nick was the worship leader. We ate food cooked by someone else, swam in the river, basked in the sun, roasted marshmallows, watched fireworks and had a great time with friends from our Church in Eureka. (pictures to come)

Who knew...

We are a Cloth Diapering family. We have exclusively cloth diapered since Téadora was about 2 months old. When Dillon was born I had three in diapers. Whew! That makes for a lot of diapers to wash every other day. Now I am down to two in diapers full-time and Aidan and Coda just wear diapers at night. Poor boys, they inherited their mothers inability to wake up to pee.

I am always asked questions about cloth diapering. I am assuming this is because it is out of the ordinary. Disposable diapers are so easy to come by these days and honestly they aren't THAT expensive. So why do we use cloth diapers?

My short answer is this: for health, economical and environmental reasons. My detailed answer starts here and will be continued later...

Cloth saves us money, cloth makes for almost ZERO diaper rash, cloth allows me to not use diapers with chemical and fragrances in them, cloth helps decrease the amount of garbage my family produces, cloth is cute on my babies booties :)

Here are some pictures and links of cloth diapers we use.

Fuzzi Bunz

bumGenius One-Size 2.0

gDiaper Cover w/ a Infant Prefold inside

I really think cloth diapering is making a come back, atleast I hope so. It is an awesome way to protect our children, to be good stewards of our finances and contribute to making our world a better (or not worse) place to live. That being said cloth diapering is not for everyone. This is a decision we have made for our family and I do not think any less of you if you don't cloth diaper, I promise.

Have any questions about your choices when it comes to diapering your child, lets chat! I don't claim to be an expert, but I love to talk about the different options that we as mothers have. I like to call them our mOPTIONS :)

How big is Dillon?

WAY TOO BIG!

Rolling over, loving his Bumbo, sitting up like a monkey, laughing all the time, being ticklish. Dillon has brought such joy to our lives. He is honestly the coolest kid, he loves being home, he loves being at the beach, at the park, in the car, I mean what kid likes all of that?! He falls asleep in between Mommy and Daddy in seconds. But nope, he is 4 months old and still not sleeping through the night. And do I care, nope! He sleeps a good chunk and then nurses on and off the rest of the night. It works for me, it works for him, I guess that is all that matters :)