Easter Pics

Well I'll just begin by saying it was Kenna's nap time. It does explain a lot but I'll let you feel bad that I had to go to church with her after this. Oh what a nightmare. I wish I knew how to combine pictures to have 3 in 1 like I have seen on other blogs but I don't so you'll just have to bear with me. But I love how these first three pictures represent the whole photo session. They are Kenna taking off her bow. Oh how she loves bows! Ready. Set. Go

Can't you tell she is not amused.

The boys did a great job. They can be pretty patient--sometimes!

Dad and his two little princesses

Dad and his handsome boys

Me trying to deal with a screaming baby and still try to fake a smile

The only way to capture Kenna in with the other kids.

These 3 had no problem posing for the camera

As you can tell. You gotta love those cheeks.

Each one had to have a "kissing shot"

The "kissing shot" all started a few years back when one of our favorite shots of the boys was Damen (2) kissing Seth (2 months) on the cheek.

I threw Kenna up and begged the rest of the kids to look at the camera. Didn't really work though.

Dad and all the kids, with Kenna who is so done!

Easter Egg Hunt-s

Oh we had a great Easter. All of the hunting for candy takes place on Saturday at our house, so that we can focus on what Easter is all about on Sunday. Lets just say we did plenty of candy grabbing this year. Last year Steve and Seth happened to be over at Smith's buying groceries when they had a candy grab going on. So this year the kids were all excited to do it again. We got up really early and had breakfast and then went to Smith's for breakfast as well (donut holes and cocoa). Then we wandered the store showing the kids where they would gather candy because each age group is in a different part of the store. I sent the boys off and stuck around with Railey. Her age group was 1-3. So I guess Kenna could do it too but really none of the kids had any idea of what to do. They all just stood there as their Moms threw candy in their baskets for them.

Here's Raiely waiting for "GO." See all that candy in the back.

The girls were gathering away when they would come and dump more bags over their heads. The girls got twice as much candy as the boys combined. Seth said he liked following behind everyone picking up what others left behind. Whatever!

Then we headed home and worked in the yard and shared a ton of our loot with the neighbors. After we got done doing that the kids realized that the Easter Bunny had come and we went and looked for eggs before heading off to a soccer game. Here's Kenna. She loved shaking the eggs and was completely content with these two eggs the rest of the day.

Here's Damen hunting away. He and Seth also got new kites

Seth and Damen were so good to leave eggs for Railey. Here's Seth telling Railey to come get an egg right there.

The pure joy of being a child. I love how happy she is here. It was fun to follow her around and snap pictures of the joy.

Ben happened to show up in time for the hunt and snapped a picture of our family.

Kate had to be in the kids picture. We were glad she was. And grateful she helped eat some of the candy. We had so much as you can see below. One bowl with the suckers and smarties was full. That's what we picked up from Smith's the other was from all the eggs that were filled. We just dump everything together so there isn't complaints about the fact that "he got more eggs than I did."

We had a great Easter Saturday and on Sunday we focused on Christ. I did a little treasure hunt for our Scripture Reading. But the kids were pretty disappointed that there was nothing in the treasure egg, and that it was empty, because he was "risen." They said that was pretty dumb. But Steve and I tried to help them understand that that truly is the greatest treasure we could have, the knowledge that "He is risen" and because of that someday we will be as well!

Decked out

Someone asked the other day where the tradition of getting an Easter Dress came from. I have no idea but I know why I do it. From the time I was little (well for as long as I can remember) my Mom would make us an Easter dress. It was basically the one dress we got all year long. It was fun to go and pick out a pattern and fabric with her and then watch as the dress came together. I always wanted girls so I could do the same with them.

This year I found some really cheap fabric at Wal-Mart and then had to figure out how I wanted to make the dresses. I found a dress at Target I liked so I made up a pattern and went to town. Railey loves how twirly her dress is. She always wants to wear it, especially when the music is on (it's a great dancing dress, I guess). Kenna on the other hand screams bloody murder whenever we put it on her. I'm guessing she doesn't like it. I don't know but she doesn't yell any other time I get her dressed.

The boys on the other hand get store bought clothes. It's just easier. But like I said it's the only time they get new pants or shirts. And my goodness you should have seen the floods they were wearing. I swear each one has grown about 5" in the last year. That's no joke!

So without further adieu. I present the 4 of the most beautiful kids on earth!
Family pictures will come later--got leave some suspense!

Woman, Behold Thy Son

Steve wrote me a poem today for Easter, well he said it was actually for Mothers day but I think it's fitting for today too. It's amazing or at least I think so. It's as good as this one for Christmas a few years ago. Here you go:

Woman Behold Thy Son

Christ spoke from the cross
Woman, behold thy son
His atoning sacrifice
A few moments from done

His eyes seemed to say
as he hung from above
When father forsook me
I was sustained through your love

Where does it begin
Faiths cycle of hope
Charity and love
Eternal in scope

Great is the mystery
Of where it begins
A boys faith in his mother
Or her faith in him

At his birth, Satan had come
A mothers faith to destroy
Born in a stable
Does God care for his boy?

Mary had known God
Would provide from above
Wise men with gifts
Tender proof of his love

She had unveiled his godhood
To this son she did impart
Israel's hope for a Savior
Sunk in his young heart

He had believed in his mother
And her faith in him
Helped him seek out his Father
And so it began

He had grown in wisdom
And stature to a man
He had learned line upon line
Of his role in God's plan

That seed sown by his mother
That he could set Israel free
Had grown to fruition
As he hung from the tree

Woman, behold thy son
Christ spoke from the cross
A mother's salvation, gained
At such infinite cost

We too can have faith
In this mothers son
For it is through him
Our salvation is won

He provides grace
And allows us to change
To reconcile with God
And not be estranged

Hidden in the lesson
Of the faith of this mother
Through our faith in Christ
We can have faith in each other

Where does it begin
Faith cycle of hope
Charity and love
Eternal in scope

Great is the mystery
Of where it begins
A boys faith in his mother
Or her faith in him

Women, Behold thy sons
or is it the other
World behold
The faith of our Mothers

Gardening

We are so excited to be gardening! Now if the weather would just start cooperating. We decided to have three different gardens this year. Well that meant tilling up more grass and creating a new spot for a garden. So we took the opposite corner of the yard (from where our original garden is) sprayed it with round-up, waited 3 weeks and then tilled it in last Saturday. Here are some pics but it really is bigger than it looks. It's at least as big as what we already have if not a little bigger. This will be for our annual garden for things like beans tomatoes, peppers, squashes, melons, etc.

all sprayed and dead (the mound will be included in the garden)
there's Steve tilling away (it took like 5-6 gos with the tiller to get it nice and fluffy)


all tilled in no more mounds just the curbing that needs to be disposed of-- oh yea and the tree!

Here's our perennial garden. We have raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and asparagus.

We had lots of Strawberry starts so the kids had a brilliant idea to sell them. But we had no luck. They gave up after 10 minutes of dancing up and down and yelling every time a car would drive by. So if anyone wants them we have over 20 starts you can just have!

Here's our spring garden. Lots of onions, lettuce, broccoli, radishes, and spinach
The radishes and spinach popped up last week and are really taking off now. If only the onions would start growing, but they do like a little warmth

Our little Kenna, the gardener (well at least she takes after every other member in this family and loves to play in the poopy dirt)

Always some theatrics

Seth had to memorize a poem a few months back for school. He chose "The Night Was Dark and Stormy" (the same one Damen did last year) He did a great job! He spent about one day memorizing it and was ready but it was all that day. His teacher really wanted him to do it for the storytelling festival but he wasn't interested in having to perform in front of more people. He's so funny that way. He will crack jokes all day long and loves being the life of the party and being silly but when forced to do it NO WAY. Damen on the other hand is the complete opposite!

Two days later Railey was in bed with us and all of a sudden she starts repeating the poem. While she had heard Seth saying it over and over I guess she got it down too. It is so cute to watch them both do it that I had to capture it on video. Like all kids they love to perform in front of the camera but the actions they do with this poem they do even without and sometimes even more dramatic. Like I said whether it's repeating a poem or normal everyday fighting or playing there are always some theatrics in our home.

Boy Stuff

I am always sewing something up for the girls--it's fun and I enjoy making girly stuff. But to sew for the boys, I don't know but it's not as fun. But the other day they said something to me, "why don't you make stuff for us?" I don't know I just don't. But Seth wanted a wallet to put his money in so it wouldn't be wide open in his mason jar. He wanted to go to the store and buy one but I said no. Steve told him he could have his and we would buy a new one for Steve. He was so excited until Steve had him go get his wallet, Seth saw it and said "NO!." To Seth's credit it was pretty hashed. So he said why can't we make one. I said ok but he didn't like my floral print and he suggested he had seen one out of duct tape so we set to work. We had so much fun making this. I think Steve was even impressed, but not enough to have me make him one--I did offer, he rejected the offer. But Seth is as proud as punch of his new wallet. It even has a place for coins, oh he's genius!

coin pouch

whole wallet opened up

whole wallet closed

Seth the proud owner of a new wallet!

Cuddle Time

Oh I have lots of pictures and different things to post but I'm too lazy right now to download the pictures so I'll catch up on something else instead.

All of our kids have always come and slept with us at some time during the night. When Damen was little I was bound and determined to get him to sleep in his own bed thinking that was what good mothers do. But Steve couldn't handle the crying so we would always give in and let them come sleep with us. Eventually I would get used to having a kinked shoulder from having them sleep on it all night. The thing that finally convinced me that it was ok if they slept in our bed was a country song about how little kids grow up so fast and somewhere in the song it says, "let them be little, cause their only that way for a while..... let them wiggle, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle, oh let them be little." There was something about that sleeping in the middle part that got to me and I haven't made a big deal of it since. I guess I realized I wouldn't have it forever and I was starting to miss it even before they left our bed.

However, I figured it was quite the accomplishment when our boys finally started sleeping through the night in their own beds and even going to bed in their own beds. About 3 or 4 years ago Damen pretty much stopped coming in to sleep with us but we still get Seth every now and again. I'd say about 2-3 times a month he will work his way into our bed and cuddle up. He now knows to just go to Steve's side and he will let him right in me on the other hand -- I send him back to his bed after a hug, or even 5 minutes of cuddling.

Railey on the other hand just comes on in. See Steve and I have this thing, it worked with Damen and Seth and now we do it with Railey and Kenna. I am in charge of Kenna during the night and Steve is in charge of Railey. We really have got to the point that we only hear the child we are in charge of. But things have started to change Steve isn't getting up with Railey any more she just comes and climbs in our bed right between us and goes to sleep. Steve says he trained her that way so he wouldn't have to get up and get her. So Railey is in with us about 4-5 times during the week and Kenna comes in for a little boob and then I usually go lay her back down when she's done, she sleeps better in her own bed still.

I will say though there are times I would love to have one good nights sleep, maybe someday I will but then I'll be old and probably have to get up to use the bathroom. But I do know that one of my favorite times of the day is when our kids come and get in bed with us first thing in the morning. Pretty much every Saturday they all come and cuddle. I LOVE it! But there is one we have been noticing that has been holding back lately. I guess Damen thinks he's getting too old for all of this and he will sit on our chair and look on almost admiring his younger siblings. We tell him to come and join us but he says, "No I'm fine." It makes me sad! But I can't force him to come join us But the other morning he made my day. He was awake before all the other kids and came into our room and just stood by the edge of the bed almost waiting for and invitation. So I invited him and he jumped in and cuddled up with Steve. We had a Steve sandwich going on. We talked with him about all sorts of things and I will say it was so nice to just have that time with him. We did let him know he can come cuddle anytime he wants. We'll see. Oh why do they have to grow up so fast why can't they just stay little, and continue to sleep in the middle where everything is safe and warm?

Happy Birthday Railey

Today was Raileys birthday. She just turned 3! Oh my goodness where has the time gone. We woke up to a couple inches of snow on the ground just like the morning she was born. All I can say is that better not be a tradition the rest of her life. I am SICK of Snow! Any way back to Railey. This is the perfect age for a birthday. She expects so much and is so excited for every little detail BUT she is not disappointed or expecting too much does that make sense. She doesn't care that the little presents she gets don't cost much its just that she got some. She doesn't care that there isn't streamers hanging from the ceiling she just wanted the birthday sign hung (which we couldn't find so had to make one). Every little thing is just so exciting and the best part is she goes around singing "Happy Birthday to Me" all day long and all you can do is smile because it's so cute. If I did that I'd be laughed at.

For months Railey has wanted a choo choo train cake. I didn't want to make a choo choo train cake--not for my princess. I wanted to make this rainbow cake that I had seen on line. Well at least all the layers I didn't care what the cake was decorated as. But when we got to looking online we saw a cute lady bug and she wanted that. I was happy. So we set to making the cake. After six rainbow colors of layers we decided that we couldn't put the lady bug on top like the original plan was going to be so we had to come up with something for the towering cake. Steve suggested a castle. I was all for it. This was going to be so girly! I told Steve later "next time I suggest getting "Hersey nuggets" to do the top of the castle just say I'll be right back dear and go to the store without me even asking." See I said the nuggets would be a good idea but I didn't do it instead I cut out little sections of the top layer and then "glued" them to the little section that I hadn't cut out which was just a cakey mess. nuggets would have been better. But once that top part was frosted everything else was fun and Railey was there with me the whole time, even bumping me quite a bit the little 3 year old!

Oh but she loved her cake! She was so proud of it. By the time we had dinner ready and then invited some friends over because the cake was so humongous, we still didn't have a present for her. So I sent Steve and the boys to go get something before our friends came. Oh Railey loved what the got her!

A hair brush and comb and MAKEUP! Yes you heard me right! I guess Steve and I haven't had the talk yet about what age girls should wear make up! J/K. It was just lip gloss and NAIL POLISH which I let her wear when I put it on. But when I found her in her room painting her own toes I might or might not have gotten a little upset and threatened her with her life. Then we told her to never share her lip gloss so that she wouldn't share germs. What was the first thing she told me when her friend came over. "Look Mom doesn't she look so BEAUTIFUL with her lip stock" (that's what she calls it). Then she showed me her nails that she had painted by herself and that's when I gathered up all the polish and hid it. What a great present. But she is beautiful!

Here's the candles being blown out!

Here's the 6 layer cake. Boy was this thing hard to cut and dish up but all the kids loved it and couldn't stop talking about how "big" it was. It was pretty BIG!

Oh Railey, you definitely are our little princess. Everyday you do become more and more beautiful. We waited was seemed like and eternity to welcome you into our home and now we honestly do not know what we would do without you. You bring so much joy and peace to our home. Yes you have your moments but all in all you are such a happy girl. We love how you run everywhere on your tippy toes and how you have to have twirly skirts on anytime music is playing. We love to see how much you love your brothers, you can definitely bring out the best in them. We love watching you with Kenna and seeing how you are already bestest friends with her. You are a great big sister. Railey you were named after both your grandmas. You have inherited qualities and talents from each one and we hope you continue to look to them for council and wisdom. They have so much to teach you, things that Mom and Dad won't be able to teach you. Look up to them and follow them. Railey we love you and wish you a very

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!