Enjoy!!

 

Swimming...the girls love it!!

Ministers Dinner

 

Enjoyed a nice evening with all the preachers and their wives. Also enjoyed an evening without the girls!!

20 weeks

 

3 musketeers

Our family is expanding, as most of you know, and we will be having another GIRL! I'm seeing a shotgun by the door in our future really soon (to keep the boys away)!! LOL!! Three girls!!!!! Ahh, I may loose my mind yet! And the drama continues..... =)

During the ultrasound, Katrin wanted to know if the baby had clothes on. She then asked if she had a blanket on. It's amazing what kids think of! She will be a great help to me once the baby arrives.

Now, if I could just get myself motivated to start working on the baby's room....

After this daughter is born, my parents will have 5 grand-daughters!! I guess that makes up for me being the only girl growing up!

Nap Time

Lately my girls have been struggling to take their naps. They are playing in their room, bugging each other and keeping each other from ever falling asleep. Due to this one of them has been sleeping in our room each afternoon, which gives me a wonderful opportunity to snuggle with my little girls. It's amazing how fast they each are growing and changing. More than once during the day, I have to stop, smile and thank God for the true blessing that they are. Katrin is always trying to 'teach' Kallie something that she has learned at school and Kallie actually knows quiet a bit because of her. As I type this, they are out on the back porch (it's enclosed but still really cold) playing nicely together. I love to hear them giggle and laugh together! Don't get me wrong, they have their major moments of disagreement but they are getting along so much better lately. Thank the LORD!! I feel so blessed to have them both! They are making this Christmas season so wonderful and memorable!

This morning, we made sugar cookies and decorated them. They thought it was the coolest thing! It was actually enjoyable for me too and there wasn't too much mess.

Well it's lunch time...then nap time (I look forward to sleeping with Kallie today)

 

Thanksgiving

Right now, I don't 'feel' like being very thankful because of some unforeseen circumstances but I'm going to try...

I'm ever so thankful for God! He has blessed me and our family beyond words. Everywhere I look I see something God has blessed us with. I'm so thankful I serve a real and living GOD!!

I truly am thankful for my little family! Everyday they make me smile and laugh. The girls keep me on my toes and it seems like yesterday they both were babies. Time flies by! Katrin is such a big helper in the kitchen and doing stuff around the house. And Kallie does her best to keep up with her big sister. I'm also so thankful for my husband! I'm so thankful Paul has not lost his job like so many other Americans. I'm so thankful for a hard working husband with strong work ethic. Paul is working right now just make up for the holiday off. If we are ever in the poor house, it's not because Paul wasn't trying his best to supply for our family.

I'm so thankful for my family that traveled out here to share Thanksgiving Day with us. It was so much fun and lots of yummy food! I'm thankful for fun times with the people we love the most.

I'm so thankful for our church family! They are such wonderful people. I can't say enough good about them! They have blessed us in so many ways I can't begin to list them. Just this past October, for pastor appreciation, they got us a quarter beef!! I'm so excited to not have to buy meat for a while!! They all are so gracious and understanding.

Last but not least... I'm thankful for our home. I love where we live! It's my most favorite house that we have ever lived in! I'm thankful for heat and electricity, for food in the pantry. And for the daily blessings God grants us each and everyday!

WHY???

Is anyone else having trouble uploading pictures to their blog? I've deleted 2 years of blog posts and I still can't upload pictures. I don't know what to do. Any ideas???

Homecoming/ Cincinnati Weekend

 

After an awesome dinner at Red Lobster with some wonderful friends!!

Fall Fun

 

The girls love to outside and it hasn't come too often lately with the weather changing but today they did get to have some fun outside on the swings.

Precious Cargo...

...on board. Yes, that means I'm pregnant. I'm 7 1/2 weeks along. 'Morning' sickness has made itself known in full force, but in my case it's evening sickness. I went to the doctor this past week and saw the little peanut and it's heart beat. I'm already in maternity clothes!! I guess with the third one, your body know what to do quicker or something!! It's a little crazy but anyway. The girls are really excited and can't understand why it takes so long for mommy to have a baby.

Budgeting..

Any tips out there on how to do better about budgeting and saving money?!?! I'm feeling rather depressed when I look at the bills verses the money in the bank (or lack there of)

Hospital Stay

As usual, Katrin asthma has flared up this fall. Two nights ago it got really bad. She was up sick 3 or 4 times. She started out in her bed and ended up in the guest room. I have tons of laundry now!! Anyway, Yesterday morning, she was really struggling to breath. I closed all the windows in the house to try to make the house a 'safe' place for her to breath and kept her in all day. She had multiple breath treatments but wasn't getting any better. She complained that her stomach, throat, and head hurt. She didn't leave the couch at all, so that was a sure sign something was really wrong. I finally took her temp around 1 and it was 102.5. So I made a dr. appointment. FUN!! It was nap time for both girls but I knew I had to take the first available appointment. So off we went to the doctors. They gave her another breathing treatment and said that she needed to be in the hospital. I really didn't think she was THAT bad. Anyway, they sent us over to the ER and then on to stay the night. The night went fairly well. She wouldn't keep her oxygen tube on very well but she wasn't coughing nearly as much and I think she got some much needed rest. Her oxygen level wasn't really great during the night but the doctors said is would probably be better by today when she was up and around. This morning, she seems to be feeling better and more her 'normal' self. We still haven't seen the doctor so time will tell if we get to go home today. Paul had to take the day off so someone could watch Kallie and no work means no pay! Please pray that she can go home today so Paul can go to work tomorrow!! But more importantly, pray that Katrin gets better and doesn't have to come back to the hospital!

Labor Day

We usually try to go to a state park for a picnic on Memorial Day and Labor Day. But this Labor Day was a little different... We went shopping in Hagerstown and had a great day out as a family! We then, came home, took naps and headed out to Cowans Gap really late. We only got to eat and splash in the water a little before the park closed. Paul did get to do a little fishing too. We had a great day! I love being together as a family!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Kallie!!

 

Wow! It's amazing how time flies! It seems like yesterday Kallie was born. Kallie keeps things very lively around here. I call her my boy dressed in pink. If there's dirt, rocks or sticks...she'll find them. She loves being outside and swinging and playing with her 'Sissy'. She is my cuddle bug and loves to be kissed and loved on. She has a very tender heart but is as subborn as the day is long!! I've always said off the bottle by one and potty trained by two. She did not want to give up her bottle til around 14 months and I tried more than once to potty train her. Well she wanted to do it on her on timing, which was about a week ago. So she's potty trained!! A VERY happy day in my world!

We love you Kallie!! You are the best little girl a Mama, Daddy and Sissy could ever ask for!

Fishing on Memorial Day

 

HOT!!

It's so HOT!! My girls have been enjoying their pool so much this week. And I've been trying to get some little projects done. I'm on this cleaning/organizing frenzy...don't really know why but it feels good to get it done. This morning, I've dusted the upstairs cleaned everything, organized the two hall closets. Now I need clean the upstairs bathroom and vacuum up there. Ahha the wonderful feeling of a clean house (well til the girls go up there again)

This past week, we got a kitten. His name is Tiny. Katrin named him and I couldn't convince her to name him anything else. He's a good cat for the most part. A very social cat, at that.

I can't think of anything else that has been of real interest lately.

Katrin's 4 year pictures!

Drop Box

Katrin's 4th Birthday

Katrin turned 4 the day after IHC. I can't believe how fast time flies.We were able to celebrate her birthday with my family in Cincinnati. Part of her present from my mom was taking her to Butterfly Show. It was so much fun! She loved it, of course! Kallie thought it was pretty neat too.

A week later, she had a 'Fancy Nancy' Birthday Tea Party. It was a lot of work for me but a lot of fun! I think I was just as excited as she was. All the girls got butterfly wings and the boys got swords as party favors. It was fun and the kids loved it!

Katrin's 4th Birthday