....less limbo than yesterday....

we're partially moved...mostly thrilled that the big part of moving is done... and so thankful for amazing friends that aided in the moving process and letting us move into their home! we had manly muscles come do lots of heavy lifting... the appliance dolly was a HUGE asset too :)

we're not done yet.. but getting there...

the nutt-house is moving!

we'd sure appreciate your prayers! we are moving out of our duplex into our good friend's daylight basement. we've run into some mold issues in our present rental and it simply can no longer be ignored. so in the next 2 weeks we plan to get ourselves moved ... part of our stuff to our friend's and the rest of the stuff to a storage unit.

please join us in prayer as the kids adjust to the new living situation and also that we'd be patient as we wait on the LORD to provide the right place for us to rent or buy.

This pic was taken during Josiah's baby dedication on Dec. 16th. He was making everyone laugh in the congregation! Our children's pastor even had to say "hey, pay attention to me!" LOL Josiah would GRIN at him and then sober up, look him over, and then GRIN again. He had everyone in stitches. He then tried to grab the mic (as you can see in this pic) and as one of our sound tech guys said, "he's goin' after the mic, just like his momma."

We dedicated Josiah James on Sunday, December 16th.
Afterwards we had Grandma Pat take our family picture.
Amazingly enough we got a pretty good one!! :)

pic before church today.

Noah playing peekaboo with Josiah

The lighting is horrid... but turn on your speakers! I promise he's NOT crying. Josiah is cracking up to Noah! It was SO cute!

My girlfriend made the cutest gingerbread men for a bunch of her girls under her in MOPS. She made a set for us too :) There were enough gingerbread men for each family member and the frosting and toppings too!! Today we sat around and decorated them. The top left is Eric's, middle top is Micah's, followed by the top right which is mine. The bottom left is Carissa's, the middle is the tree that we all helped put the decorations on, and the bottom right is Noah's. Josiah's gingerbread man didn't get decorated, as you can see the other's lavishly decorated theirs!! LOL

Our Christmas Tree Search

Some pics from our day :)

I got my hair cut today. This pic doesn't really give show it off real well (the layers and such) BUT it'll do for now b/c my camera batteries died on me!!! It's layered shorter in the back :) It feels great and i love it!!!

brothers and buds

Noah and Josiah hanging out together!! :) Aren't they the sweetest??? *happy sigh* :)

Josiah is starting to sit up like a BIG boy! What you don't see is my first 2 attempts when he wasn't sitting infront of the chair. By the time I had him situated and had the camera and had him grinning he was tipping backwards! LOL So, momma got smart and put him infront of the big chair!! :) He's just 6 1/2 months old and doing really great. He's starting to scooch himself around, mostly in circles but it won't be long until he's crawling everywhere. Then another whole level of clean will have to be introduced again! (wink... sweeping that kitchen floor more often!) He generally thinks anything in his reach is fair game, which of course makes meal time so much fun... NOT! I just can't believe how fast the last 6 months have gone!!!

snow snow snow SNOW

well..... our expected 1-3 inches turned into 7 overnight and it's still coming down!!! school is on a 2 hr delay this morning. we've been digging out the gloves, snowpants and hats and boots... finding out what fits who from last year. i think besides snow boots we are doing good!!! :) the kids are thrilled... me? not so much! LOL i'm sure we'll be drinking hot chocolate after a tromp in the backyard!

4 generations

While at my parent's house over the long holiday weekend, my grandparents came down to see us. We snuck in a 4 generation picture to document the occasion. On the left is my Grandma, followed by my mom, and Carissa is sitting on my lap. My mom is the only girl in her family (6 brothers!). I am the only girl with 2 older brothers, and Carissa is the only girl, surrounded with her 3 brothers. So, you see, the 4 of us need to stick together!! :) Good memories!

.... all i want for Christmas....

IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH!!!!!





Noah lost his 1st top tooth the day after Thanksgiving while we were at Grandma and Papa's. He announced it gleefully at 4 am when he came in to wake us. "Today is a GREAT day. You know why? My tooth fell out into my hand while I was sleeping!! Today is a GREAT day!"

Last night his 2nd top tooth fell out during the night. "Mommy, Daddy!! Mommy, Daddy!! My tooth fell out!!!!" Man, the toothfairy is sure getting hit up this year! And he has 2 more on the bottom that are lose!!!

Here he is before he left for school :)

DAD PILE UP!

Just a pic for fun. The kids all piled on Eric tonight. Note the missing tooth in Noah's mouth!!!
The second one is days from falling out too. I guess we know what song he will be singing
this Christmas.... "all i want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth....." :)

to good not to share....

in serious need of an update...

Well... in the lack of feeling like i had anything grand to say, i've not blogged for weeks now! My time has been consumed with the normal day to day... laundry, vacuuming, dishes, cooking, diapers, chasing around the 2 and 3 yo and playing peek a boo and bouncy bounce with the baby. Not to mention the head colds, chest coughs, and PINK EYE (yes you read that right!) that has been being shared around our humble abode. No one will ever be able to tell me that my children have trouble sharing. Sense of personal space and boundaries mean little as they continue to love on each other and exchange the crud! LOL

Actually, in all seriousness, it is a JOY to watch our kids grow up and see the love they have for each other. The other night, Noah fell asleep on our bed while Eric was rubbing his back. Eric was on the phone with an old friend. I went through the motions to get the other 3 in bed and tucked in. Eric said he's put Noah to bed when he was off the phone. I can not LIFT Noah's 45 pound dead weight body up onto the TOP bunk! NO way, NO how!

Carissa came out of their room, probably a good 20 minutes later. Eric had just gotten off the phone and was going to put Noah down soon. She came out and in a very pitiful sad voice said, "Daddy..... mommy said you were going to bring Noah to bed... I can't fall asleep with out my Noah in my room...." Awwww..... :)

Often as adults we are constantly wanting more.. bigger, better, nicer etc... and it is such a great reminder to me when I can see how much my kids love each other. Is their room cramped? YUP! Four kids to ONE space, makes for cozy living... Do they think they are over cramped?! NOPE. Do they feel entitled to more space? NOPE! Do they beg and plead for their own room? NEVER have.... of course, begging and pleading would make no difference anyway ;) Seeing their contentment reminds me that simple is good. Keep things simple. Keep things REAL and KEEP family in the forefront!

TO totally change the subject here.... We had our first Parent Teacher Conference for Noah. I was a bit apprehensive ... completely unsure of how he was doing... but we got great news! He is doing very well. Math is his strongest subject right. He is NOT a fan of writing (wanting to be a perfectionist has something to do with that I believe... who wants to write when it can't be beautiful the first time?!).... but he is daily improving in his writing AND spelling skills... and his phonemic awareness... I came home the other night and saw that he'd written on the bottom of the calendar. This is what it said...

"I lf my dad"

"I lf my mom."

Pretty cool, huh?! I love seeing him start to write things! He's very aware now of the words around him and he wants to sound them out ... or he'll notice if a word has more than one O or whatnot... Like when we went to Goodwill yesterday... in search of size 6 jeans... the boy has outgrown every pair of pants he owns!

I guess my lack of nothing to say turned into quite a ramble!

Get set... GO!

Noah has mastered the monkey bars!!! And daddy got it on the camera!!!

Josiah is 4 months old now. He's starting to grab at everything and his curiosity is sweet to watch come out. Of course, I say that now b/c he hasn't managed to grab my dinner plate and pull it off the table yet! :) LOL We were w/o batteries for our camera for a few weeks and I sure missed the freedom to take photos's whever I wanted to... but now I can again!! YEAH!

Summer's End...

We had a great summer. School has started and fall is on it's way in. My favorite season, I must say! Aunt Brea got to come "home" a couple times this summer and when she did, the kids had a ball. They played hard in the yard and she put up with endless requests to swing, play chase, play games, and to be held. I kinda think she loved every second of it ;)

I love FALL b/c it calls for long sleeves, hoodies, falling leaves (minus the raking duty), hot chocolate, and baking to make the house feel cozy.

Fall makes me feel snuggly, and all warm inside...

Lighting cinnamon or pumpkin spice candles and turning the lights down... leaving just enough light to see my hubby's face so we can talk about things...

or settling in with a great book and running away into a character's life... leaving behind (even if just temporarily) dishes, diapers, vacuuming, dinner prep, and the never ending breaking up of petty fights....

YES, I LOVE FALL TIME!

*happy sigh*

a RARE moment

... they are all smiling... looking happy... no one is crying ... no one is scowling ... and no one is pinching, poking, touching, tickling, or yelling at another! awww.. such bliss. their heads all look so big compared to the baby's! LOL we sure love our kiddo's and this picture helps me remember their sweet smiles and sense of happiness... when they are being anything but kind to one another... ;)

"Let's play a game mommy...."

...begs Carissa. Micah is in bed as is Josiah and it's just her and I. I'm exhausted from being up since 5:30 am and it IS her time to nap too... SO i said, "OK! Let's play 'Who can fall asleep the fastest'. Surely every mother in America or perhaps the WORLD, knows how to play that one! So we hunkered down on the couch... a pillow on each end for our heads, and a big blanket spread across both of us. And the race begins.... I'm not sure WHO was asleep first, but we both were zonkered out soon! I woke up 50 minutes later with a kink in my arm and a sore hip. But it was fun. I remember playing that game with MY mom! :) Carissa is now awake. I asked her if she was asleep before me and she said, "YES! I beat you!" Fair enough :)

...his 2 favorite girls...

"His" being my hubby, Eric's. He loves both of these pictures so I thought I'd post them. I love them too :) We took these right before we made our Lemon Love Notes :)

Lemon Love Notes

Yesterday, Carissa and I had mommy/daughter bonding. What better way to do that, than to bake something :) Carissa had been wanting an apron so I called my mom a few weeks ago and put in a request. It arrived in the mail this week, and with complete PRIDE she has worn it. Lemon Love Notes are a Lemon Bar recipe. I'll include it at the bottom.

Mixing the soft butter in with the flour and powdered sugar.

I love the way this feels, mom!

Lookin' like a pro!

SAY " I LOVE MY GRANDMA!"

Lemon LOVE NOTES:
Mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup butter softened, and 1/4 cup pwd sugar
into a soft dough. Press evenly into a greased 9x9 pan.
Bake at 350 for 10 min.

While that is baking mix together: 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp. pwd sugar
the finely grated rind of 1 lemon, 4 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp. of flour.

When the crust is done, quickly whisk 1/2 tsp. Baking Pwd. into
lemon mixture. Pour over the crust and bake for 25 minutes.

Cool and dust with powdered sugar.
Enjoy with someone you LOVE.

....one week down... many to go....

Noah completed his first week of school and he's doing great! His teacher had surgery on her arm yesterday. She'll be back to school on Monday. He has already missed her this week and is looking forward to her return ;)

Micah and Carissa are in the swing of things with the day to day stuff w/o big brother around. They are either each other's best-friend or worst enemy. I guess that's how sibling stuff works though :)

Last night Noah and Carissa had their first night back to AWANA. Carissa got to go to cubbies for the first time and she was thrilled. Last night at the dinner table she was sharing her enthusiasm and Micah chimed in, "I wanna go too" to which Carissa said, "Oh Micah, are you gonna miss me?" and he replied woefully, "yeah..." :( She looked at me and restated, "Micah's gonna miss me, mom." LOL

i thought i'd add a picture that i LOVE. RARELY is it that Carissa has the upper hand with Micah. Even though he is 14 months younger he is bigger than she is (in weight and they are about equal in height). This was taken last summer.

Isn't that PRICELESS?! LOL

the DYNAMICS just CHANGE!

Noah is back to school today. He had off yesterday as the other half of his class went Wednesday (remember, he'd gone on Tuesday). Today his WHOLE class is there and I'm sure they are having a great time. His teacher fell off a chair while setting up her room last week and she injured her arm. She's got it in a sling for now until the swelling goes down enough to see if it's actually fractured or not. I'm sure she'd appreciate a prayer or two as she manages a busy room of 5 year olds all day ... WITH ONE ARM! (you thought YOUR day was rough!! LOL)

This morning I've gotten a lot done. Carissa and Micah have been entertained watching me clean their room and playing with Dixie. Dixie took their lunch time as the perfect time to find her safe haven to hide and be UN-Mauled for a bit. only I know where she is (giggle!).

The house has been quieter and there has been less fighting with Noah gone today. It seems like that's always the case. It doesn't matter WHICH kid is missing... the other ones get along better!
Today Micah told me "I'm gonna go drive my truck, mom".... he says this to me while wearing his sister's pink princess heals, a pretty pink princess cell phone holder in hand, a purple purse dangling from his shoulder and then his manly man black sunglasses on! Okay, son! So glad you're in touch with your "softer" side! LOL TOO funny. I missed the photo op too! :( He is sure a kick in the pants and keeps me laughing! :)

NOAH'S FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

He woke up ready for the day. He took his shower, got dressed in his "school" clothes, ate breakfast, fed the fish and then anxiously awaited his grandma's arrival. She was to stay with the younger sibs so that I (mommy) could take him to his first day of school. Parents could come inside the room, help get their child comfortable, and then take off.

Here he is with daddy.... Daddy went back to teaching school today too!

Proudly holding his sign.

Right before we hopped in the van. Armed with his backpack and supplies!

Happy as a clam, "reading" books on the bean bag. He gave me kisses and hugs and when i said I was gonna leave he said, "OK MOM!" :)

I came home and the first words out of Carissa's mouth was, "Where's Noah?". I think it will take some time for them to get that he's going to be gone during the days now. I've been thinking about him all day, wondering how he's doing and what he's learning. Is he nervous or scared? Making new friends? Listening to his teacher..... the list goes on and on ... :)

I can't WAIT to hear about his day!!!

 
Noah took some time warming up to cuddling with Dixie. Now he is quite the pro at picking her up and supporting her hind end... instead of picking her up by her middle and having her extended 6 inches infront of him... LOL He's just pacing around the living room cradling her and acting so proud of his new-found ability ;)

 
Meet Dixie. Micah is pretty good with her as well. He loves to hold "kitty". Waiting his turn is something that is going to take time to learn it seems. He holds him very gently and loves to pet her. Now I've got to get him to stop yelling (which scares Dixie a tad).

 

We now have another addition to our household! I got a call today about a free kitten. She has had her shots and deworming stuff and needed a good home. Eric and Carissa had seen it at the pet store when they were there to get crickets for the class frog. Needless to say... we are now the proud owners of a new kitty. She is still nameless at our house. Her previous owners had called her "Motor" because of her loud purr.... Here is Carissa... SO very proud of the kitty.I think they'll be good friends, don't you?