19 months!

I can't believe that I forgot...our babies turned 19 months yesterday- yikes!! what in the world was I doing?! ;) hahaha...what wasn't I doing, right?! 

well- there's really not much that these crazy kids aren't up to. They are getting so big and acting so grown up.

My favorite new thing that they've been doing a lot is blowing each other kisses and then giggling about it. 

here's a little bit else of what they're up to:

fighting over certain sippy cups and/or nukkies

Maelle moved into the booster seat at the table...Macy wants to, but she managed to put her feet up on the table and push her chair over a few too many times, so she's still in her highchair :) 

they've decided that they're not too huge of fans of the little pool

they've figured out how to lay on their tummies on the swing and swing themselves

they can push their little "car" up the ramp in the backyard and ride it down

they know whose nuk and blankie is whose- and you aren't allowed to mess it up!

they've been fighting a lot more, if they both want something Macy doesn't seem to give up as easily anymore

they're talking A LOT more- saying: more, please, thank you, baby, puppy, kitty, pretty, strawberry, nose, eye, and probably a whole host of other things I haven't quite put together yet :)

according to our at home scale Maelle is 21lbs and Maysen is 23lbs...that would make Maysen and Jackson the same weight difference as Maysen and Maelle- better watch out, buddy, they're gaining on you fast :) 

I think that Maysen has a few inches on Maelle, too...not sure how that happened, but I think it has a lot to do with Maelle being a little too busy to sit down and eat :) 

Happy 19 months baby girls!! You're so precious to me- I wish I could snuggle you and cuddle you and keep you this age forever :) 

jammie girls

I love my kiddos in jammies...which is good, because they spend a lot of time in them ;) There are days when Jack, the babies and I don't even get dressed until after naps. Hailey loves to get dressed, so at least one of us looks good all day long :)  

day #11

what do you do when you've had the same hacking cough, the same runny, snotty noses and the same cranky kids for 11 days in a row...

you take baths at odd times of the day (numerous baths a day)

you have ice cream for supper

you put the naughty babies in the corner ;)

you let them cry on the floor

you let them entertain themselves anyway they know how- even if it means turning the lights on and off for hours at a time

you stay in jammies all day

you fill up the pool

you run the sprinkler

you make silly faces and take pictures

you let the babies help you weed

you spend as much time as possible outside- vitamin D and sunshine help anyone feel better :)

and if all else fails- you call the neighbor's and ask them to take a kid or two for a bit :) 

in this house...

we are real

(you'll find toys on the floor, crumbs under the table, laundry unfolded...we don't hide things from our friends)

we make mistakes

(it's true- each and every one of us does)

we say I'm sorry

(especially when our mistakes hurt others)

we give second chances

(you can try anything twice here...maybe not 3 times, but definitely twice)

we have fun

(lots and lots and lots of it-especially if it means ice cream for supper)

we give hugs

(and snuggles)

we forgive

(immediately-anyone who asks for it and even those who don't)

we do really loud

(enough said...it's loud in this house)

we are patient

(we don't get mad at spilled milk or broken vases)

we love

(because Christ first loved us)

When I was looking for something for our dining room wall I found this quote on etsy and immediately felli n love. It described our family and what we're trying to accomplish each day so well. I think it'll be a great reminder to me, as well as to our kiddos, each time we see it! We've had it for a while, but, this morning, I finally had some time on my hands and Macy helped me put it up on the wall- while the older 2 were gone with our old neighbors, Bob and Karen, and Elli napped. It was great fun for both of us :) I think she reveled in the little bit of mommy time that she got alone and it was great fun to only have one little helper for this project!! 

we love daddy

I did this picture last year on Father's Day and it did not turn out so well...I'm pretty excited that this year it actually did turn out pretty cute :) Korey loves it, too, so that's even better :) 

sorry about the short posts...we're all battling a cold, the M's are cutting some teeth...it's been a rough 8 days, but thankfully we're all still hanging in there :) 

Happy Father's Day!!

I married a great man. I knew before we had children that he'd be a great Dad, but I'm continually amazed and surprised at just how good of a Dad he is. I love this man. Better still- my kids love this man and I love that. 

giving up

that's right...I'm giving up.

 I'm letting myself go. 

I'm getting off the wheel. 

This month I have found the most peace in just letting go. 

For months I've been trying to find the right balance between  being scheduled and being relaxed, planning and organizing and letting go and if there's anything I've learned from packing, moving, un-packing, repacking and moving and un-packing and finally settling in- is that I need to let more go! I thought I had gotten to the bottom- the the place where I held nothing dear, anymore, but I was still feeling such stress over the house, stress over the toys, stress over the kid's behavior, stress over groceries (or lack there of, in the house), stress over meals that were planned that went awry...I just needed to give that all up. 

We've been a little busy over here, lately. We moved in and did painting and organizing for a week- then moved the rest of our stuff, had a few days to settle in and then Korey started working A LOT, then the babies got sick, then they started cutting teeth...but the greatest thing was- I wasn't stressed in my heart. My heart was at peace and that felt/feels great!! 

It's been wonderful to just give up; to not stress and worry about the boxes; to weed when I can/what I can; to play outside in the nice weather- I even have been folding my laundry outside so I can take advantage of the weather and get my "work" done(it also helps keep the house cleaner when you're outside more); to let the kids get dirty and messy and just not care(and keeping all the mess in our huge mudroom); to let Macy peel the wallpaper off the walls without getting upset(I pretty much hate the wallpaper border, too); to let the kids ride their bikes outside- all by themselves without worrying about where they are(1 super huge advantage to not living by anything and having a long driveway); to read my Bible when I have a few spare minutes- but not to stress about not having enough time;enjoying baby snuggles whenever I can- even if it is the middle of the night or when they're supposed to be napping. 

I've been working hard on my attitude- having an attitude of thankfulness and graciousness- regardless of the circumstances and it has been helping! (it also probably helps that this house is just soooo much better and bigger and nicer than the shoebox we were living in for the past few months, so thankfulness and grattitude come more easily, now)

 I still miss Korey; I really want our house to be "put together"; I'd love for my kiddos to not be crabby and to sleep better- I definitely miss my sleep...but, I don't feel the same deep down wearying exhaustion that I've felt some months/weeks and for that I'm sincerely thankful. I know that it is just God who has been gracious to me. I know that it is just God who has blessed me with a new home that brings such peace and that the kids and I can enjoy so much! 

this month I'm linking up with Melanie at only a breath :) 

a glorious morning

this morning my 2 matching princesses woke up a little early- in the middle of my sitting on the screened porch drinking coffee and reading my Bible :) (something that has been gloriously happening after Korey leaves for work and before the kiddos wake up) So, after diaper changes, getting sippies of milk and some cheerios- they joined me on the porch. We just had the greatest time- for about a 1/2 hour before the other 2 joined us and life began in full force :)

One of the biggest blessings of this house is that the kiddos have been sleeping better! I think it's due to: a) all the running and playing we do outside each day b) the fact that they each of the big kids have their own room, so they don't wake each other up c)the house is bigger so we don't wake them up just by walking around the house and getting Korey off to work, but regardless to the reason- I'm loving it and so are they (kids with lots of sleep are sooo much happier) :) Not to mention that a mom with time for her Bible in the morning is so much more pleasant throughout the day :)  

whew...what a whirlwind

the last few days have been filled with-

empty boxes

organizing rooms

hanging pictures

painting

good friends

good help

potty accidents

laundry

eating fresh asparagus straight from the garden

dishes

searching our children's bodies for ticks

dousing ourselves in mosquito spray

weeding

baking cookies

having bonfires

taking walks to the mailboxes

learning to ride bikes on gravel

spills off of bikes

bandaids

baths every night

lots of rain

jumping in puddles

traipsing through the woods

finding.loving.burrying pet worms

tears

tantrums

killing bees

finding the wonder in creation

enjoying the great big outdoors in our backyard

all of which has not left much time for picture taking or blogging ;) 

I'm so thankful that on Saturday a few of my very artistic girl friends helped me hang all the pictures in the living room and hallways so I have 2 places that are all set and incredibly peaceful to be in :) 

feeling blessed

Each morning when I wake up, I look outside my bedroom window (we have 2 big windows in our bedroom and a big window in our bathroom) and I feel so blessed...then, I open the window and smell the smell of "country" and know that I'm blessed indeed! Moving is NOT fun. Moving with 4 kids- 2 of them cutting big teeth is certainly NOT fun. But...I'm finding that it is sooo worth it. Living in a shoebox for 3 months was sooo worth it. This house is our dream come true and we love it!! 

here are some of the views from our windows...

(and one view of the living room- just wanted you to see that we still live in chaos and mess) :) 

 our house is built on 7 acres and our backyard borders a school forest and some public land- so we have lots of space to run and play! The huge drawback, right now, is that because of all the rain the mosquitos are so awful. Poor Maysen and Maelle are just eaten alive each time they go outside. Macy got a little bite on her eye and it looks absolutely awful :( poor baby!!

With all the space our dog- Allie is pretty much the happiest little thing ever! she's just running and chasing squirrels and guinea hens and running some more :) I think we even like her better, now that she has some space to run and wear herself out in!

On last Saturday we came out to the house and planted our garden. Korey and his mom and dad pretty much did the whole thing- with a lot of great help from Hailey and Jack :) I took a few pictures, but mostly worked on getting stuff put together in the house. 

One of my favorite parts about the house is that it came with a really quiet dishwasher, a nice fridge and a newer front loading washer and dryer :) I love the fact that I can run the dishwasher once or twice a day and not spend so much of my day washing dishes. I love the fact that I can do a load of laundry a day and keep on top of our clothes, since the washing machine is bigger than ours was. I love the fact that the freezer is on the bottom of our new fridge and I can open the fridge to get out milk without Maysen and Maelle climbing in and pulling stuff out! :) It's all little stuff, but it definitely makes my life easier!!

We moved all of the stuff we were living with in our shoebox house and have most of it put away. We painted the kitchen and dining room. And tomorrow we have some friends coming to help us move all the rest of our stuff. I'm excited to settle in and put all of our stuff away! Right now the house feels a little bare :) Maybe after it's all put away I'll take some more pictures!