Listen to the Holy Spirit!

I should have known that any day that starts with a barf covered crib will not be good. TAylor got Liam out of the crib this morning and asked me what was over his clothes. Sure enough...it was puke. My daughter has an extreme fear of puke. But he seemed fine so we proceeded to go on with the morning and get ready for our big field trip up north. I was a little worried about being so far away if he got sick but as you know, I'm not one to be deterred from my plans. I had given the children the day off of school so they could play with Liam while I got ready.

Just as I was leaving I got dizzy. I just figured that I was experiencing some wierd pregnancy symptom. I had a piece of beef jerky and some water and got in the car. As I was driving I was hearing the Holy Spirit scream at me to TURN AROUND! I was getting worse and it was to the point that I wasn't safe to drive. I told the kids that I had to go home and broke out into a cold sweat. I had all windows down and I was hot and sweaty while the kids were freezing. I was almost home when I realized that I wasn't going to make it. I yelled at them to get me something...anything to throw up in. Austin sacrificed his ziploc bag that he keeps his gameboy in . Here I was, driving, barfing, with children who were freeking out. Not fun. But at least I was close to home and not in St. Charles.

I got home and the kids took care of the baby as I barfed for two hours and made phone calls to cancel my sewing class. I fell asleep and woke up around 1:30 and it was as if I'd never been sick. I was weak because I hadn't eaten but other than that I"m fine. The children still refuse to go upstairs and are hiding in the basement. I guess I'm going to rest again. Whew! What a day.

Why I love my husband

1. He's a good provider
2. He will do anything in his power to make me and the kids happy
3. He plays with Liam so I can make dinner in peace, even after a hard day at work
4. He's protective of me
5. He always calls everyday and sometimes even leaves notes
6. He's protective of the children
7. He maintains the house, car, and other things I just don't see the need to do
8. He sees children as a blessing
9. He's willing to learn new things and challenge himself.
10. He's just so darn funny!
11. He's willing to do things that make him uncomfortable...like small talk
12. He takes care of himself
13. He doesn't mind me with a few (many) curves
14. He sits down and talks to me everyday, even if he's used up most of his words
15. He's a hard worker.

I love you honey!

Self feeding fun

Liam is enjoying his new found skills. This was his Valentine cupcake that he was smearing around. He makes a mess and then smiles at you with a smile that melts your heart. I used to really dread messes like this in the past with my other children but I know that this is a short-lived phase and I cherish those sloppy kisses and sticky hands now because too soon he'll be wolfing food down on his way to something else.

Wanna ski?

Here's a picture of Liam in a cute new outfit my mom got him for Christmas. It came complete with courderoy pants, sweater, and ski vest. He looks so cute in it. The sweater even has patches on the elbows. The color really makes his eyes blue.

Look what I found.

I went downstairs for a few minutes to get dressed (I'm in a perpetual state of doing laundry), and to check my email. I asked Dylan to watch Liam for a couple of minutes while I was doing this. It was awfully quiet (not Liam's normal state) and so I went upstairs to check on them and this is what I saw. Dylan was showing Liam his journal and Liam was so happy to be sitting there like a big kid. He normally doesn't sit still for anything but he did this time. What a good big brother Dylan is turning out to be.

Pneumonia

Well I braved the slippery roads today to find out Taylor has pneumonia. She didn't look right and I didn't want to go the whole weekend without knowing if her cough was something more. She just isn't her peppy self. The doctor spared me getting a chest x-ray but said she could hear that it was pneumonia. So off to the pharmacy we went for zithromax! Hopefully this will be it. With what happened to Gabe I'm a little paranoid now.

Get well soon honey!

An outfit for Lily.

Here's a picture of my very cute niece. She's wearing a dress that I made on my new brother serger. I also followed a technique that Nancy Zieman had in her serger techniques book. It was to use two different threads and alternate the direction you sew the rows. Then you take a regular machine and sew the rows together and apart alternately. After that piece is done then you cut out your pattern piece out and sew it to the dress. I also used my ruffler foot for the ruffle at the bottom and did a rolled hem at the bottom. It was a really fun project and I put it together rather quickly.

Happy Birthday Lily!

Revenge of Chuckie Part II

Just when I thought it was safe to go out in public, Chuckie reared his ugly head again and now Taylor's sick...again. She's been running a 103.5 fever since Friday and has a nasty cough. She had to miss a birthday party today and really didn't care because she was feeling so rotten. I'm hoping that no one else gets this, especially since Liam and I can't take anything for it. I've been coating the house with Lysol in hopes of staving off any future illness and praying a lot. I can't wait until spring when we can all get out of the house!

A glimpse of baby number 5

Here's a picture of the baby. He/she doesn't look like much but I know that the Lord has a plan for him/her. Jerimiah 1:5 says," Before I formed thee in the womb I knew thee..." What a wonderful verse. God knows us before we are even formed. Who are we to dictate to God when we should have children or whether or not they are coming at a convenient time? What a blessing to be a part of His work by carrying His creation. Thank you Lord.

Guess who's crawling?

That's right...my life just got more busy! When he did the kids were all cheering for him. What's funny is that he has this astonished look like "What did I do?" Pretty soon he'll be doing any little thing and wondering where his praise is. The other kids are so excited for him. Bill ran out and got the rest of the baby gates so that we can have a completely childproofed space if we need it. Yeah! I think we're ready. Next up...walking! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH.

Update on Gabe

He's doing better and will probably be sent home today. He will continue to be on iv antibiotics for the rest of the month. Kris called and another son, Zack, is at an urgent care center being evaluated for the same pneumonia. Please keep the whole family in prayer as Kris is just beyond exhausted at this point.

Prayer for a sick child

My friend Kris has a son named Gabe who has anti-biotic resistent pneumonia. He's at children's hospital and his fever is over 105. If he doesn't respond within 48 hours to this new antibiotic then they will have to go in and put in a chest tube. He's only 8 years old. My sons play basketball with him. His mom said he's just miserable.

Learning to let go.

This is a picture of Taylor at our local homeschooling spelling bee. Now Taylor has a lot of talents but spelling isn't one of them, in fact it's one of her biggest weaknesses. But you know what? She volunteers to study and register for the bee anyway. I really admire the fact that she's willing to get up in front of all those people by herself and try as hard as she can.

She also told me today that she's not going to listen to Fergie anymore. She doesn't feel that it's appropriate to listen to. I love that she came to this conclusion on her own rather than have me come down on her about it. It's a sign that she's exhibiting self-control on her own and trying to honor the Lord with her life. As I struggle to let go and let her take more control of herself, it's refreshing to see the young lady she's becoming.

I asked her if she had the choice between the hard working poor guy or the rich guy she said she'd definitely pick the hard working guy. Good girl!

Kilroy was Here!

Doesn't this remind you of Kilroy? Liam's blue eyes are to die for aren't they? He's so curious too. Today we found him sitting up in his crib. He's growing so fast.

A Change of Plans

The kids and I had planned to go to Hidden Valley today to ski but the weather was atrocious and they cancelled the day. Of course the children were really bummed that they missed out on a day of fun. I quickly came up with an alternative plan. We went to Steak n Shake for lunch and then went to Powder VAlley conservation center. We ordered Jr. Milkshakes to go which was such a treat. Liam enjoyed the french fries that were shared. Austin couldn't get enough to eat (I can't imagine what he'll be like as a teen!).

Powder Valley has a lot of hands on exhibits for kids. They had a fun time going on a scavenger hunt, looking at a fort with different skeletons in it, reading books about bugs, and seeing samples of pond wildlife. The fish look positively prehistoric. At one point the kids were exploring and I fell asleep at the table. I had a coughing fit that was so loud the kids said they could hear me on the downstairs floor!

All in all it was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. We hardly ever do that...explore some place without an agenda. The kids thanked me for a great afternoon. Liam for the most part slept so it was a good day for him too.

Mad Money!

My dad and Penny like to do unexpected surprises sometimes. Today they sent me a card with some mad money in it. It was a congratulations card for the new baby. I was so surprised. They told me to treat myself with it. What will I do with it? Buy maternity clothes? Knit something for the baby? Buy fabric and sew something? The possibilities are endless.

I've had so many people congratulate me lately that it's been very encouraging. I look at all my children as blessings and they couldn't be more excited about upcoming events. What I love too is that they're really pulling together as a family over this. When I get negative comments they just shake their heads in sadness and don't understand why anyone could be upset about a baby. I just hold them close and love them more as our family expands.

Thanks Dad and Penny. It's nice to feel supported.