Springtime weekend.

This has been a tiring weekend but we have had some fun in the process.  The kids had fun outside despite bumps, bruises and a runny nose.  The calves are almost all born; 1 to go.  We also started working on the playset that is an answer to prayer.  Jack loves the slide and the girls like the climbing and sliding too.  I cannot believe how well they climb; the only problem will be to make sure they come down the right way safely.  I'm excited for the week ahead and hope that it will be a good one; Lord willing.    

Weekend with friend, family and photoshoot

We started off our weekend with pizza.  I think it should be a "tradition" to have pizza on Friday or Saturday night.  My friend, Alesha, came to visit from Fargo and it is always so fun to have her here.  She met us at my parents house for supper and she brought us pizzas from Papa Murphy's!  We started the next morning by taking pictures with different lenses and camera settings to see what we could come up with.  We liked the results of the girls' pictures with their new dresses.  Both girls love to put on their dresses so they had a lot of fun too.

On Sunday, we went to church and also did some work on the girls' scrapbook.  She did the major stuff and I picked out pictures, arranged other pictures and worked on the shadow boxes.  That evening after naps we went to Warren to play and have a treat.  Daddy worked on Friday and Saturday so we were glad he could join us for some fun on Sunday; Grandpa and Grandma joined us at the park too.  Alesha headed back to Fargo this morning and we hope to see her again in May!

Professional wedding pictures

http://www.soulcamphotography.com/

Here's one of the first professional pictures I've seen from my brother's wedding.  Soul Cam is the name of their friends' photography business and I think they did a great job.  I'm pretty sure this is one of the best family photos we have ever taken and that is including pre grandchildren days; however, Jay and Leanna are great additions but I think it's mostly due to Kevin not being a goof ball.  Oh the things my mother has had to put up with having kids like us.  But now she was able to make nice Easter cards so I'm sure she is pleased.

Traveling

We have done a little traveling lately and it has been fun.  A couple of weekends ago we were able to go to Minneapolis and be a part of my brother and and sister-in-laws's wedding gift opening.  The kids have done so well traveling.  They were entertained by books, toys and movies and did pretty well with napping too.  We stop along the way and usually get to spend time with our good friend Alesha.  She's always up for having lunch with us and having us as house guests.  In Minneapolis, as I mentioned, we stayed with my cousins' family.  They are so hospitable.  We have our own rooms, wonderful meals and Sylvia who loves to play with and read to Jack, Hannah and Rebekah.  We also spent some time with Kevin and Leanna which is so nice.    I love that he is married!  I'm sure he does too.  

Jay's time was spent a little differently.  He brought our dog Ava to the breeders.  Yes, we are excited to finally be able to make the trip down to have her bred.  This has been our intention all along and to be finally feeling like we are starting to accomplish our goal for her is such a good feeling.  Jay did join us for one night in St Paul and we were able to travel home with him.  Now we hope that she has a safe pregnancy and a nice litter of puppies come late April or early May.  I wish I could say that she was as excited (she was excited, I guess, but in a way that scared some of the male dogs).  

On the way home, my mom and I decided to stay with the kids in Fargo Monday night so we could shop.  Jay had to get home to the cows who were possibly due to have their calves.  I did find a few good deals while shopping so it was a worth while stay plus we actually got to spend a little more time with Alesha.

Last weekend we needed to return to Wisconsin to pick Ava up.  Jay, me and Jack took a road trip through Duluth.  It was nice to have a time with just Jack.  He loved picking Ava up and of course swimming at the hotel.  We hope to be able to spend time in Duluth this summer when we return with the litter of puppies.  My mom and dad were willing to stay with the girls at our home.  It was so nice to just leave them and know they were comfortable at home.  My dad was also excited to be part of farm life for a while.  They are such a blessing to us!

It was nice to be away for a while.  Even though they are short trips, it's nice to have new scenery and be with friends and family.

Just in case you need one too!

Udder Covers - For Nursing Mothers

Attention all nursing or soon to be nursing moms... or if you know one of these women (you could buy them a great gift).  The cover is perfect for use when nursing while others are around.  A friend of mine posted this on facebook and I am so excited to use it this time around.  I also have another friend who used this at a parade while nursing her baby and it was wonderful.  Use promo code "cushy2" and only pay shipping and get the cover for free!

Happy and Tearful Emotions

This is really an emotional post... happy and tearful as the title states.   Last weekend was truly wonderful.  Not only did Jay and I have a great Saturday together, we also got to spend our Valentine's Day with our three children.  They were so happy and both days just reminded me of true love.  Our Savior's love is the best but he certainly gave us great tangible ways to feel love here on Earth.  The first three photos are of the kids on Valentine's Day.


The next photo is kind of weird and nothing special I know but it represents the tearful part of the post.  Underwear, sippy cups and beds!  Where does the time go.  Jack is potty trained except for naps and night time!  I cannot believe it.  It took me a while to say those words but really for the past 2 months we really have had just a handful of accidents and he only wears diapers at night now.  We've made it through a trip to Minneapolis, many to Grand Forks plus overnight stays and rest stops and he's done so well.  Plus the big boy bed... he just seems so old and we are so proud of him for adjusting easily to so many changes.


Then the sippy cups.  Jack uses a glass without a cover at meals and the girls are no longer on bottles.  They easily gave up their bottles less than a week after their first birthday.  It's crazy that I don't served formula or pureed foods anymore.  Hannah is almost walking and Bekah probably isn't far behind.  It seems like they grow so fast all of the sudden.  I have been so grateful for my little family lately and so these changes are bittersweet but great!


The forth baby is also still doing well.  My appointment yesterday showed everything was right on track.  I'm 24 weeks +2 days and only have 16 weeks left.  The baby's heart rate at resting was 154 and 167 once the baby heard Hannah.  I can't wait until this little one joins our group... the baby was such a surprise but is such a blessing already!

Happy 1st Birthday Hannah & Bekah

I cannot believe that my girls are 1!  We had a great weekend.  We were finally pretty much over the illnesses that plagued our home for the past week or two before.  We were all still tired but enjoyed celebrating Hannah and Rebekah plus spending time with friends and family.  On the girls' actual birthday, they were with Grandma Marlene while I went to Grand Forks for a pedicure (which was a wonderful birthday present to me from my friend Alesha) and to get party supplies and groceries.  Alesha spent the weekend with us and helped with everything... including the frosting of the cupcakes.  Then Grandpa Tim and Grandma Cheryll visited us that evening and brought their present.  On Saturday morning we had more guests.  Bev and Carroll stopped by the present for Christmas and birthdays... they are the previous owners of our farm and we are blessed to have formed a friendship with them along the way.  Saturday evening was the big celebration.  We went to the waterpark at the Clarion Inn in Grand Forks and friends and family joined us for pizza, cake and presents.  I'm pretty sure the girls didn't get in on most of the water fun but seemed to enjoy the party all the same.  All kids were asleep upon arriving home and went to bed.  More pictures will come when I get a CD from Kristen because she took some great pictures too.  Now we are trying to get back into the swing of normal life.  There are more milestones to celebrate as the week continues so it will be great to think back on the past year and be glad that we are here today!