"Look Mom!!"...

"We are teaching Eva to Hula Hoop!!"

Eva just stood there and watched her sisters move the Hula Hoop around her over...and over...and over....bless her little heart.  She has such a high tolerance for her sisters ideas :)

My first half marathon...

yep, I said first.  Because I will do this again.  Running has become addicting to me in a weird and twisted sort of way.  My friends had this crazy idea to run a half marathon and I needed a new challenge.... 

 Here we are...in action!

 Our kids lined up to give us a "high five" as we ran by...

There we go...this must have been a fast camera to catch us :)

My friend Lindsay (who is so smart and creative and always thinking a step ahead of me), brought posterboard and markers so the girls could make signs to hold up as we ran by.  Kudos to our husbands who dragged around 9 kids (between the 3 of them) for 2 hours...they were there at mile 4, 8, 12 and the finish line and it was so encouraging to see them.  Just when I thought I needed to stop, there they were to cheer us on to another few miles :)  We are thankful that Bentonville is such a great city...one of our friends learned this day that you can actually leave the keys running in your van for about an hour and it will still be there when you get back...we are just thankful you finally found your keys Bobby!

Hanging out in the park after the race....there were so many vendors with freebies (including ice cream for the kids) along with bounce houses.  It was Emma's birthday and initially she was not happy to be here because she had to forgo a party with her friends.  While we were hanging out after the race she looked at me and said, "Thanks Mom, this is the BEST birthday EVER!!"  It made me cry.  Partially because I was so glad to be done running, but mainly because I could tell she was having a blast!

And the best part...my girls think I won the whole race because I got "such a big medal".  I will be laughing at that for a very long time.  Thanks Beth and Lindsay for challenging me to do this with you and for all the encouragement while training...I'm so thankful for friends like you.

My New Helper...

Oh Eva Faith, at 8 months you are already pulling yourself up on everything, starting to "cruise" and climbing up steps.  You are growing up way too fast.  I love your happy, exploratory self.  When the dishwasher or fridge opens, you come a crawlin'.......someday I will miss this.

My angel baby...

After having Edyn who definitely fit the definition of colic, I'm so thankful for a very happy 4th baby. She is so good, she puts herself to sleep in her jumper without making a peep.  This day, I was busy with Edyn on the floor and she kept crawling on Edyn's "homework" so she got to go in her jumper for awhile.  After a few minutes, I forgot about her  I went to check on her, and this is what I saw...LOVE this precious girl.



Trivia question...

(A) This baby has Pica.
(B) Daddy is home on spring break and was in charge of watching her.
(C) These parents forget that they have an 8 month old that gets into EVERYTHING!
(D) B & C

Ah, it's going to be one interesting summer at home with dad.  Enough said.

I'm back...

...and ready to play major catch-up on blogging. 

March was a bit on the stressful side. 

But I'm so thankful His mercies are NEW every morning. 

And I'm thankful that He is teaching me...and I am learning...but oh, there is still just so much that I need to learn.

It's overwhelming. 

These times just happen. 

I am embracing them because it is drawing me closer to Him. 

Ah, growing pains.

I'm so thankful for His voice of truth....

...and true, honest friends that draw me closer to Him and encourage me on SO many levels.

I am blessed.

The silver lining?  Stress + training for a half marathon + getting my wisdom teeth pulled = I can fit into my pre-pregnancy skinny jeans again....I just wish muffin tops were more comfortable.

Time Capsule #3...my mom.

Yes, we are STILL going back in time.  Now, it is January10th, my mom's birthday.  There are so many reasons why I love my mom...she is definitely one of my best friends and I'm so thankful for her.  My only complaint is that I just don't get to see her as much as I would like....which is not a bad reason to complain, I don't think.  She has taught me so much.  Here are just a few reasons why I think she is just so great....

She is an incredibly hard worker.

She loves much.

She is an amazing nurse...and I know this, because if we ever got a headache we had to talk her out of taking us to get an MRI to rule out a brain tumor :)

She is a walking pharmacy and knows how to dish out the right drugs...if it wasn't for her having Lortab and Phenergen on hand, we would have had to make a trip to the ER after I had Eva because I had a migraine so bad, I couldn't even lie down and vomited most of the night.  Of course she held my hair back and the bucket for me as I nursed Eva at the same time. I love that I can be my ugly self with her and she loves me just the same. 

She NEVER cares what my house looks like or how disorganized I am.

She is SO flexible and she will go out of her way for others...and I mean, WAY out of her way. 

She has forever wanted a dozen roses delivered to her, not that anyone would know that :) So...I surprised her on her birthday and got her 2 dozen roses (the ones on the right...my dad got her the ones on the left.)

 I hope your birthday was a good one, mom. Wishing you SO many more. Love you lots.

My forever shopping buddy...

Edyn, Eva and I went shopping on Wednesday and here is a bit of our dressing room conversation...

Edyn: "But Mommy.... I REALLY want you to get these pretty pink shorts."
Me: "Well, Edyn, I don't think those will even cover my butt."

PAUSE...PAUSE....Edyn thinking REALLY hard.

Edyn: "Well....you have a pretty good butt, mom."

We stopped for ice cream on our way home.

My new favorite song...

...that I can COMPLETELY relate to and I know many of you can too.

LOVE this.

I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please 'Cuz I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines while I'm running behind
Whoa

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world
Oh Oh Oh

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

Oh Oh Oh Oh
This is the stuff You use

Time Capsule #2....

Edyn Jo turned 3 on December 26th..I think it will always be a challenge to celebrate her birthday due to the business of the season. Oh, if it could just be about the birth of Jesus and celebrating life....**sigh** ...however, she loves it that her birthday is so close to Jesus' birthday. I wanted to do something special for her and  Ellie and Edyn got gift cards to Build-a-Bear for their birthdays (thanks Aunt Jennifer and Julie).  She REALLY wanted to invite her most special friend to go with her to build a bear...her "boyfriend Cooper".  Normally we would freak out about this but we LOVE Cooper's family too and this is a friendship we don't mind encouraging :) My friend Megan met me at the mall and she was SO HELPFUL taking care of Eva while I helped them pick out, fluff, dress and name their reindeers.  Thanks so much Megan, you were a lifesaver!!

Picking out their animals...they all ended up getting Rudolph and Clarice...

Cooper showing Edyn how to fluff their reindeers...he has done this before :)

Getting ready to ride the carousel, posing with their new reindeers :)

Having a blast on the carousel....

Oh, Edyn Jo, we thought Ellie was spunky, you know how to take it to a whole new level.  You definitely keep us on our toes.  You love to swim and you are getting so good at it.  It amazes us how fearless you are and how long you like to stay underwater before coming up for air.  You are constantly making us laugh with the words that come out of your mouth and we are amazed at the things your 3 year old mind can dream up.  You can run laps around the house and up and down stairs in high heels, you like dancing to Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber.  You just love to draw and paint, not just on paper but on walls too.  You love "reading" your Bible and you have such an incredible understanding of it, even at 3.  We love you to the moon and back, Edyn Jo.  Happy 3rd Birthday!

Time Capsule #1....

So...because I'm TERRIBLY behind with blogging and have SO MUCH to catch up on (because this is the only type of scapbooking I do, so I HAVE to keep up), I'm going to send you back in time (a few months) to catch up on all the fun things we have been up to.  First off...pretend this is November 29th...Miss Ellie is 5.  I find myself saying, "It's so hard to believe how fast they are growing up".

She celebrated at Lil Monkey Bizness with 4 of her bestest friends and her sisters. They played hard and had a blast.

And totally crashed on the way home...

And of course, she got to bring cupcakes for snack at preschool.

And the partying continued...we had family over for a little party for Ellie and Edyn.  Ellie loved her Kailan cake that my mom and I dreamed up the day of her party....

This girl LOVES money...and twenty, one dollar bills from grandma Deb made her day!!!

Cousins...

And EVERYONE had a blast with the bathtub crayons...hmmmm. 

Oh miss Ellie Bells, how I love your spunk.  You put a number to everything.  I love that you think I go to the bathroom 40 hundred million times per day (small bladder +4 kids) and that you have 60 hundred billion silly bands.  On December 15, 2010, I listened as you read your Bible out loud for the longest time and I am SO amazed and proud of you at how much you grasp, even at 5.  What I began to understand about Jesus at the age of 19 years old, you already know.  You made me laugh this day as I listened to you...."Then an angel said to Mary, you are going to have a baby, Mary prayed and prayed to God then God said don't be afraid, I am with you, then Mary said, Oh crap, but I'm going to get sick, God because I have a baby in my tummy."

You love to learn.  You were trying SO hard the other night to read a book from the Hooked on Phonic Kindergarten set and you were having trouble and just dropped the book and started sobbing and said, "I just don't think I'm going to make it in Kindergarten".  Oh, sweetheart. You are doing SO well and you will do amazing because you are a hard worker and don't give up easily. 
I love how you love to surprise me by cleaning up on your own or helping me with something when I don't ask you.  You are such a peacemaker and easily give up something that your sisters want so they will stop fighting or crying.  You are one special little girl, Ellisyn Grace.  We love you lots.  Happy 5th birthday.

BLESSED.

These pictures make me smile.

My Little Helper...

...actually, BIG helper is more like it.  Emma wakes up early every morning with Eva and she calls this her "special time with Eva" because she misses her sister SO MUCH when she goes to school.  Emma will change her diaper, play with her and read to her. One morning she even heated a bottle for her and fed her (good thing she told me about that AFTER it happened...)

I usually stay up LATE to get things done, so I sleep in (until 7) and let them have their time together.  One morning I woke up to this...and it was such a beautiful start to my day.

6 months.

 A face only a mama could love...

Tomorrow is your half birthday.  You are growing up so fast and it is so bittersweet. You love your exersaucer. Well, actually it looks like an exersaucer on steroids. You play SO well in it and enjoy the alone time, because that doesn't happen often for you around here.  In fact if Emma is home, she will often lift you out of there because she just can't stand not to play with you or carry you around all the time.

You are SO patient when your sisters try to put you in funny chairs with umbrellas to play "photo shoot".  (Sorry, this one made me laugh, I just had to play "photo shoot" too.)

And thank goodness, you are finally able to ride in your carseat, awake, without screaming your head off.

You are cooing and squealing in excitement which are my favorite sounds EVER.  You are sitting up and you just love your bathtime.  You just started taking cereal 3 weeks ago, and you have had a week of green beans and you are on day 2 of avacados and loving it all. Sleeping...well, let's just say we are still working on that...We love you SO much Eva Faith....all 21.5 lbs of you! 

Dedication...

"Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Ephesians 6:4

 On October 17th, we dedicated Eva to the Lord.  Trusting in God FULLY is something I have always struggled with.  I have recited Proverbs 3:5-6 numerous times to count...."Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge HIM and He will make your path straight".  You see, I just want to partially trust God with our children. I often think "Ok, God...I trust you with their life as long as you promise to  __________ (fill in the blank)."  To publicly dedicate Eva's life to the Lord, choosing to FULLY trust God while raising her with open hands, was a step of faith as it was with all the girls.  And I know I will continue to try to hang on even when I know that our children are much better off in God's hands than in our own.  I know I can't raise her on my own strength alone or protect her like God can...so WHY is it SO HARD to trust?  After all, we know our Heavenly Father loves us perfectly and has great plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a HOPE and a future? (Jeremiah 29:11)  These children are HIS and SUCH a blessing from HIM.  I know in my head I can trust HIM but my heart fails to believe otherwise.

Thanks so much Grandmas' and Papas' for coming to share in this very special day in Eva's life.

We chose Mark 12:30 for Eva's life verse:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." 

This verse is one that I have prayed over all the girls during my pregnancies...that while God was forming their hearts, that he would give them hearts that love Him and long to know Him.

  And I continue to pray...because most days, that is all I can do.

Christmas Cards...

...yep, it's that time of year again. Thank GOODNESS family pics are done. Now it's time to create that card. So many choices...decisions, decisions. There are SO many places to choose from, then SO many options when you finally choose a place to get them printed. My favorite is Shutterfly. I chose to write a blurb about how great I think they are, and in exchange I get 50 free cards! You know how much I love FREE and the word "SALE" and that is just one of the things I love about this company! I have been a customer for a LONG time and have always just been SO impressed with not only their special offers but also with the quality of their pictures, cards and photo books. They are so easy to make too and I have always loved their designs. I'm really into the vintage designs (they have SO many cool ones!) and plan to use a card from their new Holiday collection. Check out their goods HERE

Can you guess which one I'm going to choose?

And finally, can you guess which picture I'm going to use?

Theme 1:  "You better not pout, you better not cry..."

 Theme 2: Hope your Christmas is buckets full of fun!

Theme 3:  Using the above picture on our blog, fully dressed as the Wizard of Oz Crew..."Merry Christmas, from the land of Ahhh's"

Ok, I better stop here.  I'm pretty sure Shutterfly didn't make this the "Who can make the dorkiest Christmas card? contest.


Family Pictures...

...yes, that word use to cause me to shudder. NOT something I looked forward to...the planning of the outfits,bribing using "positive reinforcement" to get the girls to put their outfits on, get their hair curled AND smile for the shots. That is ENOUGH to worry about...so I'm very thankful for our photographer who meets us where we are...(even if I forget an ENTIRE outfit for the baby) to take our pictures. Not to mention her extreme patience and calm attitude when half our family is in tears. Check out a sneak peek of our pics HERE. Thanks again Jen for just being so wonderful :)