Picture Day

Bribery!

That is how I am going to do it from now on! Today it was a bowl of ice cream with sprinkles. Mallory was hoping for a trip to Walmart to get a new toy...I wasn't thinking that big, but I am not beneath that type of bribery for a picture.


Just thought I would give you a glimpse of what we put our kids through. :)

This is what they looked like when we were

finished!

What can I say...we call it science!

In case you're wondering....

A magnifying glass + sun really does make bugs explode.

And cat food...cooks it and makes it smell even worse than it normally does!

So there you go Myth Busters....just in case you're wondering.







Fozzy watching the experiment

Aprons

Here are a couple of aprons I made. I have a retro apron pattern book that has some really fun patterns.

It has been quite a week. There was a point when I honestly didn't think I could make it. My sicky feeling got so bad that if it wasn't for my kids needing me and my husband missing me - I would have prayed for the Lord to take me home.

I am blessed to have some very caring people come to my relief this week. I went to the hospital on Thursday for some IV fluids. Mylanta, what a difference it made. I feel just about normal today. I think that this is what it must be like for other woman who can get things done while in their 1st trimester. For the last 3 pregnancies I have been on the couch for 14 weeks, while my kids are plugged in. I just thought it was normal to loose a bunch of weight, and be so sick. I am thankful that I have a doctor who is pro-active in giving me some nausea relief.

On Tuesday I went to the dr and had an ultra sound. The result........one baby, one little heartbeat! It's amazing how at only six weeks along the signs of life are unmistakable.

Baby Talk

We are having a baby!

Number five will make his or her appearance next summer - end of June.

One evening at dinner time we told the kids, "We are having another baby". The twins weren't exactly sure what we were saying, but Mallory and Jonah had the biggest smiles on their faces. Jonah said, "mom, are you joking"? His smile had a hint of disbelief in it. Finally, I convinced him that we weren't playing a joke on him. This is a dream come true for him. He loves babies! More then puppies!

The kids are in agreement that this one needs to be a boy, except for Jonah, he wants two boys. He asks me often," Did you pray for twin boys today"?

Mallory wants twin boys so our family can be equal.

Kennedy asks questions like: What is the baby wearing?, Does it talk?, What kind of baby is it?(not sure what she means by that: does she think that I could give birth to a puppy? or maybe she wants to know if it's a boy or girl.) :)

And little Emery-Lou, she is just going with the flow right now. No questions from her yet.

I love all of their questions. It really opens the door for some good conversation.

Mallie is 8!

Happy Birthday Mallory!

Who would have thought that on October 13th, 2001, a peice of our hearts would be neatly swaddled in this cute little package.

Just a few days old!

A couple of weeks after her 1st b-day

we went to southern California for

my cousins wedding.

Jonah was on the way...


Now she's 2!

A month before she was 2, we moved back to

Spokane (from Bellingham) so Robert could go

to school.

Jonah is 3 months. Mallie loves being a big sister!

3 years old.

4 years old at our (old) house in

Kennewick.

5 years!


6! She is pictured with Jalini - her webkinz!

7 years old!

We will celebrate her birthday tonight when

Daddy gets home - so I will post a 8 year old

picture later.

Her request on her special day, as of 9 am:

1. chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast

2. corn dogs for dinner

3. no school (that wish won't be coming true)

4. morning b-day hugs from her brother and sisters

5. to open just one teeny weeny present (she has to wait until Robert gets home)

The Shed Project

Projects, projects everywhere!
We moved into our new house in June and first on our list of projects is to complete a portion of the back yard that didn't come with sod. We had to:

*put in a sprinkler system &
*build a shed, before we add sod, flowers, trees, etc.


Robert built forms for a concrete foundation

Emery is ready to help. She has

her work attire on - shoes and all!

Robert had help pouring the concrete. He and

his friend, Richard each pulled a trailer of the

goods to our house.

The kids LOVED watching them work!

Voila! Our concrete slab. Lovely, eh?



Jonah is ready to build - tools in hand! This

little boy is always up for a project!

A view from the patio.




Hammering away.

Jonah, aka the "wishmaker", in action.

He calls himself the wishmaker because whenever

Daddy wished for a drink of water or a tool, etc.,

Jonah would make his wishes come true.

What a cutie!

She's cute too!


Voila!

The back yard is slightly boring right now.

Next on our list: (Denise, this list is for you)

Come up with a plan for:

* a spot for my veggie garden
* where we will place our trees, flowers, shrubs, etc.

* a firepit

* a play area for the kids

and

* put in sod

Another Project:

This area by our mail boxes is our's as well

(across the street). So we will be cleaning it

up a bit, adding landscaping, etc. The kids are

requesting that we add a bench so they can rest

a bit while they ride bikes. If you click on this

piture, you may be able to see it better.

We will be adding trees, flowers to the front

yard and moving a few around.

Do you have landscaping ideas? I'd love to hear

your ideas!