The Joys of Four

Haley in waiting...

2012-01-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

Haley got invited to spend the nite at her friend Julia's house...first "friend" sleepover!!

She was so excited, can you tell?

Here she is waiting on our front porch, sitting in her car seat with suitcase in tow...

Do you think she missed us?? Nah......

Bundled Up

2012-01-03T19:50:00.001-08:00

Strike a Pose

2012-01-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

2012-01-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

Oh Christmas, you are my most favorite holiday. I love the lights, I love to give and watch others open gifts and see the smiles on their faces, I love reading the story of the sweet baby Jesus' birth, I love the songs and JOYS that the season brings, I love the food, yes, new dishes and old dishes, my tummy gets way too full, I love the break from routine and having Noah home during the day, I love time with family celebrating all of our many blessings over the past year, and I love starting a new year when it's all said and done knowing that each year I start out loved, forgiven, and pursued more than I can ever imagine...it's about Christ, then, now, and forever!!

And so our Christmas day was a day I could do again and again...waking up with the kids and opening gifts. The kids GAVE their gifts first and watched their brother/sister open. Lots of smiles, thank yous and hugs. And then we told the story of baby Jesus, the greatest gift we have ever received. And it's much sweeter hearing the story from a 6 year old and 4 year old...

Miss Evie with her gifts from Noah and Haley!!

Haley got a new barbie from Noah!!

Dylan got some new crayons and pirate bath toys from Haley and Noah!!

Haley got Noah a lego set!!

Then mid-morning Grammy, Papa, Grandma Wray and the Baileys showed up and the Christmas tree was again spilling over with presents...

We ate some a wonderful meal with yummy ribs prepared by my all too wonderful hubby!!

We opened presents, played cards, did some Kinect dancin', and played with our cousins!!

Check out Kate and Dylan's dancing moves...

http://vimeo.com/34540543

Despite none of my kids truly feeling completely up to par, Miss Evie stole the show for "best dressed" and "most happy"!!

And the birthday cake for Jesus that while was a great learning lesson for my older two kids, the cake baking and making just about made this momma crazy. Not sure that I will dive into this one again next year...but we still love you Jesus!!! :-)

Here's Haley singing about the one candle on top of the cake...Jesus is the Light of the World!!

http://vimeo.com/34539567

Our Gingerbread House

2012-01-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

One of our Christmas Eve activities was building and decorating a gingerbread house. Mommy did the "building" while Noah and Haley did some serious candy decorating.

The Leaf Pile

2012-01-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

Big trees = Lots of leaves = LOADS OF FUN!!

Noah's video

http://vimeo.com/34532282

Dylan's video

http://vimeo.com/34537192

Before Christmas...

2011-12-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

We had some good family time leading up to Christmas...playing with our new toy nativity set that the kids loved. The star played "Away in a Manger" and so the kids learned the words to that sweet song. We also created flash cards with the letters of the alphabet to go with the Christmas story and scriptures for each one. Noah and Haley enjoyed making and decorating the different letters to tell the story. And needless to say, we spent many days in our pajamas and dress-up clothes (for Haley)...

Noah and Haley also got to see 2 movies in 3D - the Smurfs with Daddy and Puss in Boots with their cousins!!

We also did some Christmas shopping with the kids. Noah and Haley each took turns going to buy for each other...here's Noah shopping list below (he was going with Daddy so he couldn't buy for Daddy on that trip:-).

Sweet Evie plays along with the BIGS being silly with her!!

We also did some fun arts and crafts...they can't get enough of the scissors and glue!!

Potty-training: Week One

2011-12-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

Call me crazy..and maybe I am...but we started potty-training Dylan the week before Christmas. He's been tee teeing in the potty before bath for months and selfishly, I am just done with changing his poopy diapers along with Eve's...so here we go!!

He was super proud to wear big boy underwear like Noah!!

And only 2 days in, he was down to an accident a day and telling me when he needed to go!!

Way to go Dylan!!

Noah has been helping Mommy make sticker charts for Dylan...this was his first one and he's on #4 now!! Unfortunately he got on antibiotics for a red ear just before Christmas so we transitioned to pull-ups temporarily and he's done great keeping those dry too!!

Poor guy has forgotten that the average person wears pants. He wanted to go outside and so went to put on his socks and shoes. "Ready Mom!!"

"Adam and Jenny" sittin' in a tree...

2011-12-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

So we first want to thank Adam and Jenny for getting married...they made it possible for us to get another date nite without kids and lots of WONDERFUL time with all of my sweet family that came into town to celebrate their wedding...

And here's the only picture I got of the happy couple....at the rehearsal dinner!!

Then we hosted everyone to our house on Saturday morning for more family time together!!

And unfortunately, I took little pictures at the actual wedding due to trying to coral 4 kiddos and keep them all quiet for the ceremony. Dylan was following around his cousin Savannah (flower girl) who is only a month older than him. He was giving her lots of hugs and kisses!! I am thinking he was intrigued to have another person his size at the wedding :-)

And our little Miss Evie was all dressed up for the occassion...

And by the way, you are never getting married, Eve, so don't even think about it :-)

Noah's Class Party

2011-12-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

There's that word again...PARTY!! And the last one was super fun at Noah's school. Dustin was kind enough to take off work to come home to stay with Eve and Dylan so I could go to Noah's class holiday party. I haven't been able to go to much with having little ones at home so I was super excited to surprise him and see him in a classroom environment. He was sitting on the mat with his classmates when I walked in...and he jumped up and ran to give me a big hug!!!

And he was SO happy to show me his card was already on PURPLE (which is the best you can get)!!! I was so proud of him!! He's done so good getting GREEN on most days with some purple and yellow mixed in...

Here's the center of his table...

Station 1: A game with stickers on a snow globe!!

Station 2: Coloring a snowman with each child's picture on it!!

And everyone's favorite was Station 3: Decorating holiday cookies and eating them, of course!!

Since Noah was on PURPLE, he got to pick from the grab box. As a mom, you here about all these small parts to their day from the library to eating lunch to getting stickers, etc. It was fun to actually "see" it with my own eyes...

And here's my most favorite Kindergardener waiting to be dismissed to go home!!

He was all smiles and I couldn't be prouder!! What a wonderful time for us to share together!!

Work Christmas Party

2011-12-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

As I continue to blog our December, I am realizing all the "parties" going on...it's been a FUN month with family and friends celebrating our blessings and the birth of our Savior.

Here are a couple pics of me and my most favorite friend on a date to III Forks for his work holiday party!! It was no doubt amazing food but even moreso a great date with just my hubby and me :-)

FG Christmas Party

2011-12-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

Dustin and I have been leading a group of newly married couples thru our church for the past year and a half. However, these sweet couples have been such an encouragement to our marriage more than we ever imagined. It's been a sweet time getting to know them and growing in our marriages as well as welcome two sweet baby boys with another on the way. In early December, we had a Christmas Party with dinner and a gift exchange to celebrate the season and our final weeks together. We love these dear friends and will miss seeing them on a regular basis.

Melissa and Bret

Julio and Christina

Tiffany and Don

Amy and Matthew and baby Toby

Traci and Jared (baby Jaxson)

Eve is 3 months

2011-12-22T18:10:00.001-08:00

Oh, there's JOY and some sadness to see our littlest honey fly right on past the 3 month mark...it's going by way too fast and we are soaking up every minute. Eve, you are such a sweet sweet girl that's really starting to respond to others with giggles and smiles and kicking when you see Mommy or Daddy or your brothers and big sis. You are staring to be quite the talker as well even when you go from excited and loud to sad and grumpy. We love your sweet frown... You are such the easy baby, we are spoiled by you!! You still have a mohawk which your Daddy won't let me cut and you've been super healthy going into these winter months. You are my first baby to love the swing, evening baths, and are fully entertained by your brothers and sister. You have learned to be flexible as the fourth child which makes things all the easier. Mommy loves our middle of the nite feeding to see your smiling face. And most of all, you are soooo loved...from all the kisses, hugs, and words "I love you" from all of us.

Happy 3 months old!!

Haley's Programs

2011-12-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

Miss Haley has been doing a lot of singing around the house preparing for her bible class Christmas program and her preschool program. She can really sing loud at home and knows every word but when getting up in front of people, she quickly becomes much quieter and less focused by all the people. (I don't blame her!! Mommy and Daddy are the same way!!)

Here are links to 2 videos of her singing...

http://vimeo.com/34109314
http://vimeo.com/34140794

Here's another video...

http://vimeo.com/34111318

They sang "Santa Claus is coming to town" and at the end of the song, in walks Santa Claus to all the children's surprise!!

Christmas Brunch

2011-12-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

We are lucky enough to have some WONDERFUL friends that have been sharing life with us for well over 5 years...and it just gets better and better. We love these dear friends and are so thankful for each one and their sweet kiddos. There are 4 couples and now 10 kids between us ranging from 3 mos (Evie) to 6 years old (Noah). It is a lot of fun to get together when we can make it work in our schedules and when all kids are healthy :-) Early in December, we celebrated the Christmas season together with a breakfast brunch, crafts, and play time. And we attempted to get an "all kids" picture...you can see below that it's easier said than done!!

From top to bottom, left to right - Paige, Julia, Haley

Eli, Dylan, Asher, Caleb

Jackson, Jacob, Noah, Evie

Andrea had some cute craft ideas to make ice cream cone ornaments with glue and glitter and to decorate snowmen. The kids loved both of them!!

Hands down some of the best hubbies and daddies I know...

Travis, Dustin, Aaron, and Jarret

Jill and Aaron (kids - Caleb and Asher)

Katie and Jarret (kids - Julia and Jackson)

Travis and Andrea (kids - Jacob, Paige, Eli)

Colder days

2011-12-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

These colder days bring wearing hats, building blocks, reading books and more fun indoors with each other. We are teaching them that brothers and sisters are their best friends and here to stay. It's sweet to see them play together and take care of each other...well, most of the time :-)

Flight to Colorado

2011-12-03T18:47:00.001-08:00

So I read this idea on another mom's blog and thought it would be perfect for my older 3...

After naps, we told them to buy a ticket if they wanted to go on a plane to see Mema and Papu in Colorado. We set up the living room like a plane completed with labeled seating (to match their tickets), an aisle, and other passengers (aka stuffed animals). Dustin was primarily the cashier and pilot while Mommy was the flight attendant serving them snacks and a drink while on board. I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or us...I have never laughed so hard at my husband. He turned what I thought was a fun idea into a SUPER FUN time for all of us with his humor and silly accents. Once we arrived in Colorado, we skyped Mema and Papu and really got to "see" them!! I am certain the plane ride will return in the near future since it was such a big hit!!

Our little honey...

2011-12-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day

2011-12-03T18:44:00.001-08:00

Family Celebration

2011-12-03T18:36:00.001-08:00

So I promise this is the last post about my boys' birthdays :-) We pretty much celebrated all month long in December and I was about celebrated out...

But when Papa was back home, we all got together to have a family celebration of both boys' birthdays but primarily Dylan since he didn't have a party. (Don't worry, we were consistent with this family tradition when each kid turned two!!)

We were not there a few minutes and Haley was already playing dress up!!

And Grammy and Mommy made a fun car track cake for Dylan!!

And both boys opened more gifts :-)

Good times all around!!

Noah's Birthday

2011-11-27T13:24:00.001-08:00

Keeping with our number tradition, Noah woke up to the number 6 all over...from his bed to the kitchen table!! He was all smiles collecting them. Daddy got birthday donuts and he opened a few gifts and cards. Then he was off to school with cupcakes to celebrate with his class.

And Daddy took Noah Whataburger for lunch on his special day :-)

One of Noah's best birthday gifts was having his Papa home from Michigan. It's been a long awaited 2 months for everyone and we were thrilled to go see him after Noah got out of school. The kids all ran to him with big hugs!! We met Grammy and Daddy for dinner, just like this summer, and celebrated with a yummy dinner (sorry, no pictures).

Haley's Songs

2011-11-26T20:03:00.001-08:00

This first video is Haley singing the "Bun Buns" song she learned at school. She's singing it in super fast speed so here are the words to help you understand what she's saying...

5 Bun Buns in the bakery shop

Along came a man with a penny in his hand

He took 1 Bun and away he went..

(continue singing counting down to 0 Bun Buns)

This next video is Haley singing the books of the New Testament. She's been learning them at her school and doing very well. She's also memorized 1/2 of the Old Testament :-)

Videos of Dylan

2011-11-26T17:38:00.001-08:00

Putt-Putt Party

2011-11-23T18:55:00.001-08:00

Noah had a fun birthday party playing putt-putt golf with his closest buddies and new school friends. I have never seen so many boys play a round of 18 holes so fast...on to cupcakes and gifts!! I cannot believe he is SIX years old!! It was a great party!!

Nana and Daddad Meet Eve

2011-11-23T18:51:00.001-08:00

Cousins Crash

2011-11-23T18:49:00.001-08:00

B&B and crew crashed at our place one weekend while in town visiting family. We loved having them and enjoyed getting our Austin cousin time!!!

Evie is 2 months!!

2011-11-21T14:39:00.001-08:00

Evie,

You are such a honey andsuch a good baby!! You are smiling allthe time and starting to really coo and talk to us!! Just yesterday you were laughing at your bigsdoing “Ring around the Rosies.” And weactually got it on video J You have really chunked up with rolls in yourthighs and some plump cheeks. You remindme so much of Haley. You are 21 ¾ in.long (25%) and weight 11lbs 10oz (75%). You enjoy your evening baths with Daddy and sleeping on your Daddy’s chest. You are such a cuddler. You love yourpacifier, especially the one connected to little bear J

Your older brothers and sisteradore you and LOVE on you more than I could imagine. Noah likes to just talk to you andmisses you after being gone all day atschool. Haley is your second littlemomma helping me take care of you and keeping you calm when I am doing otherthings and you need some attention. Yousmile in response to both Noah and Haley!! Dylan has surprised me the most at how gentle he is with you. When you come into the room, he must give youa hand squeeze (with gritted teeth) or a hug and always kiss the top of yourhead making a noise that sounds like a kiss. It’s so stinkin’ cute!! All thistime we thought he was saying “Baby” but he was actually saying “Evie” but hisE’s sound like B’s. You are so loved…time is sure getting away from us!!

It's previous obvious, based on the pictures that Evie lost her hair in the front and is sporting a mohawk. But for the record, she has lots of hair in back :-)

Dylan turns TWO!!

2011-11-14T12:02:00.001-08:00

Dylan,

We are loving life right now with you. We find ourselves smiling and laughing at all the things you do and even just your demeanor...you are such a character!! A few things I don't want to forget about as your turn two years old...where does the time go?

Youlove Noah (pronounced “Oh Uh”) and Haley and adore baby Evie. You are always asking where Evie is and wantto give her hugs and kisses on the top of her head making a sound for thekiss. It’s pretty funny!! You love to wrestle with Noah and Haley on adaily basis. You get hurt quite oftenbut are pretty tough and the crying doesn’t last long. You have no fear, doing flips onto the couch,leaning upside-down to get off the futon, and jumping off everything. You love todo somersaults and dance to Elmo in the playroom. Youare a house of a kid weighing 32 lbs and already wearing 3T clothing!! I just love your long hair J You are agood eater, loving waffles for breakfast and eating almost anything we put onyour tray. Youare somewhat of a stubborn kid in that you want to do what you want to do anddon’t like being told “no.” You are myfirst tantrum kid in that you love to throw yourself on the floor crying whenyou are upset…sometimes for 5-10 minutes. When we tell you to go to your bed or stop whining, you try so hard tostop by closing your mouth but still frowning. You understand so much!! You have such a sweet, soft heart when youwant to be. And then there are othertimes when you don’t want to give hugs or kisses to anyone.

At the end of the day, you are all boy and so much FUN!!! Here's a few videos of you dancing, doing somersaults, kissing Evie, and telling Mommy where Daddy and Noah are during the day.

Just before bed on the nite of your birthday, you were telling me you were 1 year old!!

You woke up a 2 year old with some attitude for sure!!

Aunt Jen came over to spend your special day with you!!

In the above picture you are holding up two fingers!!

Mema and Papu got your a new scooter!!

Happy Birthday Dylan - we LOVE you!!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

This year we were super excited to go trick or treating in our "new" neighborhood!! Our sweet friends, the Garcias, and our neighbors joined us for some fun times and lots of candy!!

Miss Evie was our littlest pumpkin.

Noah was Spiderman and practically flew from house to house with so much energy!!

Haley was Ariel and teamed up with her friend Caleb, aka Woody, to trick or treat!!

Dylan was our spider who managed to fall down over and over, spilling his candy each time, but never cried or complained, but got back up and kept on going.

Trick or Treating at Daddy's Work

2011-11-09T12:09:00.001-08:00

Around our house...

2011-11-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

Sharing a few pictures from around our house the last two weeks of October...

Our house may be louder these days and definitely more crazy, but we are having so much fun with each of our kids at their current age!! (Evie - 6 wks, Dylan - almost 2 yrs, Haley 4+ yrs, Noah - almost 6 yrs)

More pumpkins...

2011-11-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Dustin and the kids carved our pumpkin and actually enjoying taking out the yucky insides :-) And of course, we put up lights on the trees out front along with our blow up pumpkins for some fun decorating!! We also hosted a fun neighborhood party with food, games, crafts, and a pinata full of candy thanks to the help of my mom and our friends!! It was a great time!!

4 Little Pumpkins

2011-10-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Fair with Friends

2011-10-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

The State Fair is by far one of my most favorite parts of fall. Sweet Evie was in good hands at my sister's house and probably got more kisses than she could count from all her cousins. Dustin and I took the older three and loved us some fair food and fun rides with our friends!! big Tex, we miss you already!!

A Full House

2011-10-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

Mema and Papu flew down from Colorado to meet Miss Evie and see our family of six!! Here are lots of pictures from our fast and fun weekend together. Thank you for coming to see us!!

Brothers in Bath

2011-10-24T19:50:00.001-07:00

One Month Old

2011-10-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Kids Workshop

2011-10-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

We made the Kids Workshop at Home Depot a family outing!! Noah and Haley were excited to build and paint their own helicopter as well as meet some firefighters and sit in their firetruck!!

Fun with 4

2011-10-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

We have certainly not slowed down since Evie arrived...it's been busy for sure. But a very good busy and life is all the more JOYFUL with her added to the mix.

She's loving her evening baths with Daddy!!

Haley and Mommy went on a date to get her toes painted :-)

The cooler weather has taken our crew outside for fun activites and family walks and bike rides!!

Haley and Noah are quite the artists!!

The BIGS adore their little sister...it's precious!!

And Noah continues to love and do great at Kindergarden...we love our future Mustang!!!

Family visitors

2011-10-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Miss Evie has had a steady flow of visitors between our sweet friends bringing us meals which has been a TOTAL blessing beyond words and sweet family coming to give her special loving!!

Aunt Krissy

Brandon and Bekah

Ashley, Brandon, and Savannah

Our Dyl-Bear

2011-10-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Can I please stop time for my almost 2-year old??

Dylan is super fun these days and I am loving my time with just him (and Eve) twice a week. He's a rough, tough, all boy, fears nothing, messy, lovey and sweet, BIG boy!!

While he's very obedient at times, he's also learning the downside to disobeying and sitting in time out. He's also my first child that knows how to throw a tantrum with the best of them!!

He's saying "Shhh" because baby is sleeping! Every morning he gets up and wonders around the house saying "Ba beee? Ba bee?" looking for Evie...so sweet!! He is surprisingly gentle with her but still needs constant supervision around her.

And did I say he's messy? Yes, again, for the record, he's a mess and we love it!!

Muddy Fun

2011-10-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

The cooler weather has brought us outside more with water and yes, mud!! Haley and Dylan both LOVE to play in the mud!!

Family of SIX

2011-10-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

How did this happen??? Seems like yesterday when Dustin and I started dating...time flies when you are having FUN!!!

Evie at home...

2011-10-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Miss Evie was welcomed home with hugs and smiles from Noah, Haley, and Dylan. They adore her and continue to give her lots of attention. It's so sweet!! She seems so tiny to me...

Our hospital stay

2011-09-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

We soaked up little Evie in the hospital while friends and family also came to see her!!

Evie gave out sweet tarts to all her visitors!!

We were excited to go home and reunited with the older brothers and sister!!

The BIGS meet Evie

2011-09-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

It was super sweet to watch Noah, Haley, and Dylan with their new baby sister. This has been long anticipated and I think Noah and Haley were almost surprised to see her finally here. He was so proud and Haley was so happy to see her. Dylan was very gentle for an almost 2 year old and very loving giving her lots of kisses. Noah and Haley didn't like that Mommy and Evie had to stay at the hospital for a few more days before coming home...but they were in good hands!!

Our first family picture with Miss Evie

Eve Loren

2011-09-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

(These sweet pics were taken by my friend Chrys)

Evie's Birth Story

2011-09-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

So this birth story is different from my other 3 children in that it was very quick and a very special moment shared just between Dustin, myself, and our newest daughter. It was not what I expected, to the say the least, but it's God's birth story for Eve and it was just perfect. So here goes...

I pasted the 39 week mark and was dilated to a 3. I was a bit surprised since I typically don't dilate much until "labor" day. I fully expected to go close to my due date or beyond which is why I hadn't packed much for the hospital. That and we had a lot on our plates trying to get boxes unpacked and small projects done at the house. The nursery was being worked on even the night before her birthday. It was a strange Wednesday and there were several things leading me to believe I would go into labor that night. I felt a weird need to call my mom that afternoon to tell them where Noah and Haley's schools were, just in case. I met with girlfriends that nite and baby was moving a lot and I was hot and very uncomfortable. When I got home, I started to really pack and prep last minute expecting to go into labor that night. Strangely enough, I had the same feeling the nite before I went into labor with Haley and told Dustin both nights that I thought we'd meet our daughter the next day. Here's the timeline of events...
1:00am Sporadic contractions started (first ones during entire pregnancy other than Braxton Hicks)
1:30am Dustin woke up but quickly rolled over waiting to hear it was the REAL thing
2:00am Contractions started to become more consistent 5-6 minutes a part. I am up getting ready in between contractions. I was expressing concern for the increased pain but Dustin was all about waiting. He wanted to be sure this was it and wanted to get the 5-1-1 (five minutes apart, lasting a minute, for an hour).
2:30am I told Dustin to call our friends to come over to stay with kids so we could go to hospital. And since he was still in bed, I told him I would drive myself if he didn't get up. Yes, I was getting a bit on edge with the increased pain and concerned that we had waited this long to leave.
3:15am Arrive at hospital..I can barely walk..contractions very strong 2-3 minutes apart. I am super concerned that I am going to miss getting an epidural. This was the most pain I had been in with my other 3 labors. I started talking quickly to everyone in between contractions "Need epidural, 2-3 min apart, very painful, hurry!!, need epidural (probably said that 5-10 times)." Dustin checked us in and they wheeled me to a room pronto and started to get my IV in...They checked me and I was a 7-8. Not surprised because these were some momma contractions. The drug guy was on his way and he couldn't come fast enough. (I would typically get my epidural when dilated to a 6-7 and it would slow down things for a few hours while I waited to fully dilate.) Since I still didn't have an epidural and was already a 7-8, by the time they adminstered the epidural I was a 10 already. I was desperate for a relief from the pain and I didn't realize my body was dilating at lightning speed. (In hindsight, I needed something to take the edge off but I had done the hardest part enduring contractions until I was ready to push.) Sorry to disappoint everyone with the lack of pictures up untiil this point but I never got a near 40-week belly picture or anything else leading up to this point other than a few of me in a lot of pain which I decided were not worth posting :-) Here we are happy with drugs waiting to meet our daughter...it's about 4:15am and the rest of the world was fast asleep.

Dr. Fog came in and said that this baby would be here in the next 15 minutes. Really?? That quick?? I had a slight moment of panic...but my mom's not here, or my sister, or my friend who I promised could be a part of this birth story. "Can we wait??" Yes, that's what I asked. Call me crazy. And the Fog said, "Well, the baby is ready to come out and you don't typically just let a baby stay there." Duh. Of course!! Let's have a baby!!

And yes, it's true...I believe it now that I have experienced it first hand but that 4th baby just falls right on out. Well, after 3 pushes she did. It was 4:27am on Thursday, September 8th. Dustin was shocked at how easy it was and she was placed on my chest in minutes and I was in love all over again. Since it was just me and Dustin, he was busy taking video and quickly switched to the point and shoot once she was here.

Here is our precious Eve Loren. We will call her Evie.

She is named after Dustin's mother, Loree and my mother, Karen to make "Loren."

Just perfect :-)

All of my kids quickly show their bottom lip when crying and Evie did the same!!

What a very blessed morning!!

Thank you Lord for writing Eve's birth story and we long to see all you have in store for her life!!

We are humbled by your goodness!!

Haley's First Day

2011-09-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

And just a few short weeks later, Haley started preschool just down the road from our "new" house!! She was very enthusiastic to start and meet her teacher, Ms. Andrea!! Hoorah for another smooth transition!!

Noah starts Kindergarden

2011-09-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I cannot believe the day has finally come for Noah to start Kindergarden. He was very excited although he had no idea what to expect with school five days a week and all day long. It was a fun morning!! Here's my handsome Kindergardener...

We all took him to school and walked him to class!!

He quickly learned the morning routine with backpacks in place, name tag on, and folder put away.

His sweet teacher is Ms. Boyd!!

And the timing was perfect when our sweet neighbor brought us cupcakes to welcome us to the neighborhood...a sweet treat to end a very special day!!

Celebrating Noah

2011-09-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Since Noah is soon to start Kindergarden, Mommy and Daddy took him on a special date to the Rainforest Cafe to celebrate!!! It was a great time with just us and him!!

37 weeks and growing...

2011-09-25T19:02:00.001-07:00

Transitions

2011-09-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

The kids have adjusted well to the new house and getting their rooms all ready, especially Haley!! She's long awaited her new bunk bed and can't wait to share it with her new sissy.

Sweet Skyler and Aunt Bekah came thru Dallas and made a quick stop to say Hello!!

We've also gotten some good time in with the cousins before school started...

Dylan was happy to get his train table back!!

Noah and Haley were great helpers to Daddy and all his honey-dos!!

And Dylan also transitioned into a big boy bed the first nite in the new house and shortly after gave us his pacys. It was a BIG month for this boy and he did GREAT!!

Our New Home

2011-09-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

After a summer with my parents, the Lord provided us with a "new" home. It was built in 1968 so it's far from new but "new" to us!! We love the house (smaller and one-story) and have enjoyed making it go from just a house to our temporary home (see previous post on lessons learned this summer). We had a very busy August with lots of house projects including paint, plumbing repairs, and more!! Dylan and Noah are sharing a room and soon Haley will share her room with her new sister!! Baby girl will be in the 4th bedroom until she's sleeping thru the nite.

A few folks have asked for pics so here are a few before...

And after...

Above is the boys' room and below is the girls' room

FOUR going on 30!!

2011-08-11T13:26:00.001-07:00

Miss Haley,

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away. This is our song and I love singing it to you. And I cannot believe my sunshine is four years old. You are such a JOY to this family, your brothers, and friends.

You talk non-stop about anything and everything. Like most girls, you want your way and will whine to get it. And you have a sassy side for sure and are learning about the consequences of having "attitude." But your heart is a heart of gold full of love for everyone around you. Your smile and your Boston accent make others smile and laugh. You are naturally kind with please and thank you and compliments that just roll off your tongue unexpected. You continue to amaze me with the things you say...

Oh, the things you LOVE...dressing up, barbies, playing mommy with baby dolls, coloring thru an entire coloring book and asking for more, hugs and kisses (especially with Daddy), sucking your thumb all. day. long., baking cookies, taking care of Dylan, having friends over to play, and at the top of the list is CHOCOLATE!! That's my girl!! And for the record, you say you love doggies and kitties but still don't want them near you....but it's getting better!! You now have a PURPLE room because that's your favorite color :-) along with many others.

You are super silly and make funny facial expressions all the time...and oh how I love it when you wave to me in the car from the back seat. I can't get enough of your sweet face when I look in the rear view mirror...You are my Haley girl and you are sooo ready to be a BIG sister. You ask daily for baby to come out...and you will be the Best Helper for your little sister...Thank you Lord for this BIG sister and for giving her a little sister. I know you will be the best of friends...Happy Birthday Sunshine!!

Summer Take-aways

2011-08-11T12:24:00.001-07:00

The Lord has been teaching me so much throughout this summer while living with my parents and house-hunting...more lessons and heart checks by far than will be written about here but I wanted to remember a few of the biggies...I hope you too are encouraged by my summer take-aways.

*Buying in an older, more mature neighborhood means buying an older house. And we have actually looked forward to this as part of the moving experience…a smaller, more cozy house with less space to clean and maintain, in a neighborhood with big trees, you get the idea. However, with older houses comes “older” houses…with usual foundation issues and plumbing leaks amongst other necessary repairs. While we learned more than we wanted to about slab foundations and their normal tendency to shift over time, we were actually thrilled when we found a pier and beam home with little foundation issues. But no matter what the foundation of our home is, the Lord has taught me that He wants our foundation to be on Christ.

Ephesians 2:20 “ We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus, himself.”

Shifting or not, repairs or not, what are our hearts and lives centered on. And unlike normal foundations, Christ does not change and is “…the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

*This world is not our home…I have been telling people that we are temporarily living with my parents at their house. It’s a temporary home. And thru the house hunt, the Lord has continued to remind me that no matter where we consider “home”, even a new house that we can call our own is still not our home. Our home is in heaven with Christ and this earthly home is just that – a temporary house.

Hebrews 13:14 “For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.”

1 Peter 2:4 “For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled…”

*Very few things in life beat the LOVE of FAMILY!! My parents have let us take over their house, their time, and their kitchen. We have eaten a lot!! It’s been quite the adventure and I continued to be amazed at their unselfishness, servant hearts, and patience towards us and my kids. Surprising to most when Dustin tells them we are living with his in-laws, the experience has been wonderful and we’ve really enjoyed our summer staycation at their house. We’ve gotten good adult time in and lots of card playin’ once kids are asleep. The competition is fierce and the trash talking never ends. I feel like God has really grown our relationships with each of them as well as a stronger attachment to my monkeys. Noah, Haley, and Dylan sure do love their Grammy and Papa!!! There are just not enough words or actions to express our hearts of thankfulness to both of them.

1 Peter 2:22 “…So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.”

*God is in control and He is faithful – He has a plan and he has his own timetable. And He wants me to TRUST Him no matter what. And to be content (Philippians 4:11-12), finding joy in trials (James 1:2), and being purposeful where He has us.

Hebrews 10:35 “Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens.”

I am not in control and my timing is not His timing. Thru it all, He has continued to love us, provide for our needs and more, and answer our prayers with yes, no, and wait. He has been faithful and true.

1 John 4:16 “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in Him.”

We are so thankful for a summer we will never forget, both the memories made and lessons learned.

Last weeks with G&P

2011-08-11T12:07:00.006-07:00

After 2 great months with Grammy and Papa, our "staycation" at their house was quickly coming to an end...here are a few pics from our last weeks together!!

Grammy and Papa went on a weekend trip to Michigan and brought back this cute outfit for Dylan...and Noah made a sign for them!!

Making cookies with Grammy is by far one of Haley's favorite things to do :-)

Haley's 4th Birthday

2011-08-11T12:07:00.005-07:00

We celebrated Haley's real birthday while staying at Grammy and Papa's house. We started the special day with donuts and candles of course!!

And then she helped me make her birthday "rainbow" cupcakes...and during naptime, Noah picked out a princess birthday balloon to surprise his sissy when she woke up. It was super sweet!!

We went to dinner as a family and then headed home for cupcakes and presents!!!

She was glowing all day and hesitates now when someone asks her how old she is...her first response is "three and a half" and quickly after "no, no I am four" (but in a very cute Boston accent). Wow, Haley, I cannot believe you are FOUR years old!!!!

33.5 weeks

2011-08-11T12:07:00.003-07:00

In just 2 more weeks, we added another 3 lbs. We had another sonogram and baby girl looked perfect!! I could see her full head of hair moving back and forth and her eyes were open again!! The sonographer guesstimated you already weigh 6 lbs!!! I am measuring a week ahead but that’s pretty normal for my pregnancies. We’ll be back at 36 weeks…and then start going every week. The clock is ticking….and we are starting to prepare more for your soon arrival.

Sweet and Sassy

2011-08-11T12:07:00.001-07:00

Haley and Kate had a joint birthday party at Sweet and Sassy to celebrate "Diva" style. There was dressing up, makeup, hair, nails, dancing, and lots of posing on the runway. It was such a fun time for all the girls, including the mommies!! This is one party I will never forget...to see Haley in her element with all her favorite friends -- Paige, Campbell, and Julia. Now get ready for some super fun, girly pictures to prove it :-)

Step1: Find a dress

Step 2: The Hairdo with added green hair!!

Step 3: Makeup and stars

Step 4: Nailed painted

And now for the runway show...

And what's a party without some dancing...this part was very entertaining to watch!!

All the sweet, diva girls...

Time for cupcakes, singing, and presents...

Happy Birthday Kate!!

Happy Birthday Haley!!

And a HUGE thank you for all the great gifts....Haley loved each and every one!!

Jungle Safari

2011-08-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

We recently got our community group kids together to go to a new indoor jungle safari attraction. Although it was quite busy for a morning weekday, the kids had a blast and there was much to entertain them - climbing gyms, slides, colored ball pits, mini-train tables, an indoor train ride, putt-putt golf, and pretend jungle animals to ride!!! It was fun to watch them enjoy themselves so much and exhausting trying to keep up with everyone at the same time!!

Hang time with friends

2011-08-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Since living with my parents, we've come into town for several reasons, one being to see sweet friends. The Woods have hosted us for playdates multiple times throughout the summer and a family sleepover with dinner, watched my kids so I can do stuff at the house, and let Dustin sleep over to avoid the late night drive during the week at times. We are so thankful for their hospitality and Noah, Haley, and Dylan have really enjoyed the "hang time" with their kiddos - Jacob, Paige, and Eli. Here are a few pictures over the past couple months!! We are so happy to be only 10 minutes away very soon!!

31 weeks

2011-07-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are still preggo and growing, growing, growing...this was a fun week in my pregnancy since we had a 3D/4D sonogram of baby girl!! It was exciting to see her moving all around and the kids really thought it was super cool. We are super thankful for a healthy baby and great pregnancy thus far...in the midst of our crazy summer :-)

Aunt Jen and the cousins joined us as well

She was all about holding her feet and sucking her thumb just like her big sis!!

She even opened her eyes twice - wild!!!

Bowling and Splash Park

2011-07-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

The distance between us cannot keep them apart. Noah, Haley, and Dylan love their cousins. We've stayed several nites at their house as well during the summer and it's been quite crazy!! We've been bowling, swimming at their neighborhood pool, and to a local splash park!!

And of course, it's been WONDERFUL getting quality time in with my sis and BFF!!

Rangers Game

2011-07-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Papa + Cousins + "Real" baseball game = priceless

Sadly, Dustin and Kate were both home sick with Dylan but the rest of us soaked up a great game, junk food, fun music, and a Rangers win with 3 homeruns!! Noah was glued to the game, scoreboard, and players. He and Daddy will have to go to another game soon!

Haley was cracking peanuts and feeding them to Grammy :-)

And the 10 minute drive home can't be beat :-)

Museum with Sav

2011-07-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

In another attempt to have some fun and avoid the heat outside, we met up with our cousins Ashley and little Savannah at the Ft Worth museum. The kids had so much fun at all the stations, their favorites being the light room, hula hoops, and kid grocery store. Sadly I only got a few pics...as we were both busy chasing after the 4 monkeys!! Thanks for a fun morning together :-)