I'm Back!

I'm back from a VERY long hiatus! So much happening in life that our personal blog wasn't a priority. Now that I have made some lifestyle changes I'm ready to get back on the blogging bandwagon with a new agenda. Stay tuned for a complete personal blog overhaul :)

Our Baby Girl is off to School!

Yesterday Abby started kindergarten. It was a partial day and Brian took her in. She was so excited and absolutely ready to go! She woke up before 7am, made her bed, dressed, brushed teeth and came in to our room and said, "I'm ready, let's go!" Today was her first day of full day kindergarten. She has been asking and waiting to ride the school bus for years and now her dream finally came true! 

We couldn't be more proud of her. We know she will do really well socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually. She is such a light for Jesus to everyone in her class and isn't afraid to share her heart for the Lord with her friends and teachers. 

Leah was not willing to pose for a picture, but Ethan certainly was! :) 

The last photo I took is when the tears started flowing. I just can't believe my baby is growing up so fast. I'm so happy, but also makes me realize how short life really is. I wish there was a way to bottle up moments and exactly how you feel at those particular times. I guess it's all waiting for us in heaven :)

Abby is 5!

We had so much fun today celebrating Abby's 5th birthday.  It started first thing in the morning with gifts from Mom and Dad and homemade waffles for breakfast. Then we had her birthday party at the local duck pin bowling place. It was so much fun to see all the kids (16 of them total!) rolling the balls and knocking down the pins together. After that, it was some time at the park enjoying the gorgeous upper 70s weather and some family time with Uncle Tim and Poppy for a late lunch. After some much needed naps for everyone (including the adults) we capped off the night by attending a local carnival where the girls enjoyed the rides and Abby got to purchase the jumbo bag of cotton candy.

It's so exciting to see our little Abby growing up to be more and more like a little woman every day. We are so proud of her and love her so much!

Here's a few photos from throughout the day...

The birthday girl in one of her new outfits, including clip-on Hello Kitty earrings!

Our little Leah bean

Leah just loves being right by her sister's side

Cousin Mikey had a great time bowling!

This may not be my party, but I'll cry if I want to!

Abby looks so grown up in this picture

It won't be long until she's driving one of these for real!

Ethan taking in his first carnival

Abby got to go on one of the "big kid" rides all by herself...and she LOVED it!

Ready for church

The girls love their brother

Abby and Leah have been such great big sisters to baby Ethan. Abby has nicknamed him Ethie and loves to take care of him. She is the perfect helper when he is crying and mommy is in the middle of something important. She gives him his paci and sings to him until he calms down. Abby says that she wants to be a mommy when she grows up and I know she will be a very good one. Leah loves to lay down next to Ethan and give him kisses on his head. She tries to be helpful too by putting the paci in upside down or running off with it. Sometimes she gets frustrated when he is being fed and she would like to have a meal herself. One time she said, "I don't want Ethan milk. Put Ethan down!" It was pretty difficult not to laugh. She is too cute!
Having three makes time fly by. Everything seems to run together and there aren't enough hours in the day. It's amazing how fast the kids are growing and I pray that I will take the time to cherish each moment because I know I won't remember them all.
Last week Ethan rolled over for the first time. I put him on the floor in the living room and asked Abby to talk to him. She came in to tell me he was trying to roll over. By the time we both walked back to the living room he was on his tummy. I texted Brian to tell him and his response was that he didn't even know Ethan had been trying to roll over. It's so crazy. I feel like if we blink we will miss something.
Last night we attended a kindergarten info meeting. It was really weird talking about Abby riding the bus and going to school for 8 hours a day. It just doesn't seem possible that we have a child old enough for school. Sure does make us feel old! We have no doubt that Abby is ready though. She is a very bright young lady and quite the social butterfly at preschool. I pray she will always be kind and accepting of her peers and obedient to her elders.

:)

One month






















Two months





































Somewhere in between

Baby Ethan

Ethan has been such a blessing to our family. We all love him very much. The girls take such good care of their baby brother. They always want to help give him his paci and hold him. He is growing so quickly and is the best newborn we have had.
It's been a challenge trying to figure out the new normal. We stay inside most of the time, mainly because it is so cold outside. The toughest part is having three children who need your attention all at the same time. Those moments don't last forever and we are all learning to be more flexible. My time at the computer is very minimal. I try to grab the camera as often as possible to grab a few pictures of Ethan. Most of them are on his changing table because he really seems to enjoy it there. He looks around a lot and takes everything in.