We are so glad that in a world of uncertainty and hopelessness, God is our rock and a fortress and takes care of us. We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends too! May you find your hope in Him!
Family Fun
In June we went to Salt Lake City for a mini-vacation and took the kids to the zoo.
Ali had ballet and soccer in the spring and she loved both!
The kids enjoyed swimming in their little swimming pool nearly every day of the summer.
One of our traditions is letting our kids choose a theme for their birthday--even if it's a simple, family event. This year Ali had an Angelina Ballerina party, Justus had a Semi-Truck cake and Jeremiah had a Snake Birthday.
Hard Things
In May, my Grandma B. passed away at 69. She was my last living grandparent and it's just hard to believe she's gone.
We all caught the stomach flu in early March and the nausea didn't end for me until late-May. I get bad morning sickness, which makes life very challenging.
We moved. This is the 6th home we've had in 7 years of marriage!
Our county had lots of flooding this spring when the snow melted rapidly and flooded the local river. Our community pulled together to sandbag and help one another.
Most of September and October we were in a "quarantine" of sorts as chicken pox made its' way through all of the kids. We caught a stomach flu before and after the baby's birth.
New Baby
Katrielle Hope
"God is my crown and my hope"
We had always wanted to have 4 children and Katrielle Hope was the most wonderful surprise of 2010! She made her entrance into the world on October 28th and was 7#, 7oz. and 20 inches long. I had a complete placenta previa with the pregnancy and was told I would have a C-section and had some restrictions. However, the placenta moved out of the way at the end of the pregnancy and I didn't have to have one!
Katri loves to be held and snuggled and gets lots and lots of attention from adoring big siblings! Her sister summed it up for all of us when she said, "I just can't stop loving her!"
School and Kids
We're official homeschoolers now that Alathia is in Kindergarten. Going to AWANA (a kids' club at church), coloring pictures, cleaning the house, playing with friends, swimming lessons, and reading easy books are her favorite things to do. The boys do some activities and crafts with her, but they would rather play with their trucks than learn letters right now! Jeremiah, who is 4, loves snakes, sharks, dinosaurs, and bugs and is always asking to read books about them. Two-year-old Justus loves to help hold the flag for The Pledge and he always ends with a huge smile and points to himself as he says, "with liberty and JUSTICE for all!" The boys love to play with monster trucks, sword fight, wrestle and jump off of things!
Kid Funnies
My kids are always asking me what happened to the dinosaurs.
Jer came up with this theory, "I think they are all in Minnesota."
One of my mom's students said, "Mrs. B., I accidentally stepped on a worm on the sidewalk. And I felt sorry for him so I stomped on him and sent him home to Jesus so he wouldn't have to suffer."
While getting ready to swim Justus exclaimed, "Naked!
Naked!" Then when I put his trunks on he shrugged his
shoulders and said, "Where'd naked go?"
Justus: "Snakes grow on trees. Does water grow on trees too?"
Justus: When I get big I'm gonna go to Goof Group (Youth Group).
Jer: Does chicken come from elk or deer?
When asked why he had hit his brother hard in the forehead with his wooden slingshot, Justus said, "He's Goliath!"
When learning and practicing a new Bible verse from Proverbs Ali said, "Apply the brakes" instead of "Apply my heart to instruction...."
Ali: I'm feeling like yelling all day and being sassy all day long."
On naming their little sis: Jer liked: Spider, Snake, or Cute and Justus liked Crocodile and Carrot. When we told Justus he would be getting a little sister, he said, "No! Not sister...a dinosaur!"
Ali sighed and said: It's so hard to have a brother...a whiny, snotty brother.
Thanks to Grammy, my kids think "rootbeer" ends in float. I was trying to explain that rootbeer is just a type of pop. Ali said, "Oh! Okay! Rootbeer is pop just like Jesus is God!"
Ali glanced at my plate as we sat down to eat lunch and
exclaimed, "My, my, my! How much can a pregnant woman
eat?"
Jeremiah scarfed down his treat and then turned to his sister and begged her for half of her treat. She refused, so he said, "Ali, God wants us to share."
Ali informed me that she and Jer have 6 or more kids. I said,
"Wow, you must be busy parents!" She replied, "Yeah,..
the only time we get a break is when our kids go to bed!"
Jer couldn't remember the term chicken pox so he called his spots "Chicken pot pies, Chicken bites, or Chicken Pops."
New Home
With 3 kids sharing a small bedroom and another baby on the way, we were anxious to find a larger place to live. As we searched the available real estate in our town it quickly became clear that anything remotely in our price range would not be big enough for our family and would be a major fixer-upper. But God can make a way where there seems to be no way.
*The house that someone else was buying.
*The only house in our town in our price range that was big enough AND not in the worst neighborhood in town.
*One of the dirtiest, smelliest houses ever!!!
*Our "dream house" with 2,600 sq. feet, a 2 car garage, 5 bedrooms, a basketball court, playhouse, sandbox, garden area, and fenced backyard--more than we ever thought we'd have!
*A home that appraised much higher than the selling price even while very dirty.
These phrases describe the house that God eventually gave to us in an amazing turn of events. When our realtor called and told us this house was ours if we still wanted it, it was an unbelievable and emotional moment. Later, someone said, "How could anyone deny there is a God after seeing Him so clearly provide this house for you?"
In order to get the appraisal to go through Josiah had to spend many, many hours putting primer on the exposed wood around the house and garage. Before we moved in, he also had to rip out all of the carpeting and paint the floors with KILZ. Friends from church came for a cleaning day and my mom and I spent a few days deep cleaning. After over 250 collective hours of cleaning, we moved in. Josiah spent every spare moment getting the outside of the house repainted before the weather turned cooler. His family was able to come out and helped us do a lot of painting for a few days in August. He also had fun ripping out overgrown brush in our backyard with a Bobcat. We still have much to do but for now it feels like we are living in a mansion and we love having our own place!
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