A Tad Late

well, i gues this is a bit late now, haha!  i really did write out all these smiles last tuesday, but i wanted to post pictures with them and my computer has been giving me problems when i try to download pictures.  i apologize.  finally i'm sitting down to post the smiles sans pictures.  i'm sure you'll enjoy them, but of course it's not the same without those cute little faces...hopefully i'll get that figured out soon!

1.  the Bible.  i'm so thankful that God and His Word are the same yesterday, today and forever.  psalm 139 has been on my mind a lot recently.  it's so amazing how God knows us inside and out...everything little thing.  it's amazing to think that even before he formed us in the womb, he knew exactly who we are...wow!

2.  lunch with friends after church.  it was nice to relax and fellowship and let the kids play.

3.  making progress on the sweater i am knitting for nadia.  i have been wanting to knit a sweater for quite a while now, but have just been scared to try it.  so far it seems to be going really well and i am so excited about it!

4.  answered prayer.  i mentioned in my previous post a possible job opportunity for jonathan.  well, he redid that one part of the testing and did not pass.  we were a little disappointed, but at the same time we know that it was God letting us know this wasn't the avenue we should be pursuing.  on the other hand, we're still trying to figure out just what it is we should be doing...so please say a prayer or two for us if you think of it.

5.  a visit from a dear friend on friday.  one of my best friends, joheather, came out to visit for a few hours.  it was so great catching up in person.  i've missed seeing her and it has been quite a while since we'd been together.  i'm so thankful for her and her friendship...she's definitely a blessing! 

6.  decorating for winter/christmas with the girls.  we haven't done much, but they were so excited to put up the little tree we borrowed from my mom.  liberty is enthralled with christmas lights...so i put up a couple strands.  now the girls just can't wait for the snow so they can play in it.  it seems like everyone around us is getting snow, but we still have none!

7.  visiting with great-grandma and papa dick.  the girls and i went with my dad to see his mom her significant other (who happens to have been my great uncle by marriage on my mom's side...crazy, eh?!).  the girls really enjoyed playing with great grandma and papa dick.

8.  this picture of libbs and leila...apparently they are re-purposing my knitting needles as drum sticks.  poppy would be so proud. :)

9.  libbs showing off the dress i made for her.  i really need to start on leila and nadia's!!

10.  watching my nephews on monday.  it made for a houseful, and was at times crazy, but the kids all had so much fun together.  i love those boys.  and while they all played i actually got a few things accomplished...like making a picture frame wall hanging thing with pieces from an picture holder i had (something i'd been wanting to do for months). 

11.  and one more for good measure...watching an old christmas movie on tv with the girls last night.  we had popcorn and they got to stay up a tad past their bedtime.  they loved it.  and i loved that they were enjoyed a christmas classic that my sister and i used to watch every year.  so fun!

12.  and another  that i just can't leave out...kisses from my sweet girl nadia.  she is loving to give kisses recently.  it's just so precious and i want to remember it always.  she gets this huge grin on her face, grabs my face with her little hands and gives big baby kisses.  i'm so in love with her...with all my girls, really!

13.  bonus...we just received a package in the mail from jonathan's parents.  it contained leila's birthday gift (a baby doll...are you surprised?), an outfit for each girl (super cute outfits, i might add), and jonathan's favorite coffee beans.  thanks dad/mom/poppy/gree!!!  we love you!

It's Been Oh So Long!

i can hardly believe it's been over a month since i last blogged.  where in the world has the time gone?!  i'm not sure how i go so behind.  it could have been the taking care of 3 little children.  it could have been the crafting.  it could have been the laundry that never seems to go away.  it could have been the trouble i've had downloading pictures recently.  it could have been all the thinking and wondering going on inside my head.  probably it was a bit of everything.  regardless, i'll try to give you a brief update here today.

~ there have definitely been lots of smiles going on around here.  lots of funny things said by the girls, lots of giggling, and lots of time together.

~ i've been doing a Bible study with a sweet lady from church.  it's been very interesting and has been opening my eyes/heart up to the Bible in a way they never have been before.  God's Word really is so amazing.  it never changes and it is full of SO MUCH truth!  sometimes it almost seems overwhelming, but really it's just so exciting to still be learning amazing things all these years later.  perhaps i'll share more in another post.

~ i've definitely had a lot of thoughts and questions swirling around in my head regarding our current job/financial situation.  it seems like we're always going through something in this area, and i'm ready to stop worrying about it.  it seems like every time a good opportunity presents it's self, it falls through.  it's very disheartening.  it's definitely an area i've been learning to daily place at the feet of our Lord and trust that He does have a plan for us. 

~ to go along with the above thought, there's the thought of possibly having to leave michigan yet again.  i love michigan.  and i don't want to move away from my family and friends yet again.  this is the 3rd time we've tried living in michigan, and it just never seems to work out.  maybe God is trying to tell me something?  it's a struggle for me.  there is a possible job opportunity for jonathan out of state right now...he's done the preliminary testing.  he passed everything but one part and now they are trying to figure out how he can redo the one part (they came to michigan to do the testing the first time).  so, be praying for us, dear family & friends.  pray that our hearts will be open to God's guidance no matter if it means staying here or moving away again (with this possible job, or any others). 

~ nadia took two tiny steps on her own yesterday!!  i couldn't believe my eyes.  i think she still has a ways to go before she really starts walking as she is still fairly wobbly (which this mama doesn't mind!!).

~ we had a nice thanksgiving.  we had my sister & her family, my mom & kevin, and my dad over and had a good time visiting and eating yummy food. 

~ today the girls and i are planning to put up a little tree and a few winter decorations.

~ we thought we came up with a great plan to encourage libbs to poop on the potty, but it only worked for the first day.  i guess the good part was that now we know she CAN poop on the potty...she just WON'T.  it's very frustrating...but i guess we have to wait it out.  we've tried seemingly everything else. 

~ daddy and libbs went on a daddy-daughter date this week.  always a good time for the girls.  i think jonathan is taking leila out today.

~ we got 100 photo christmas cards for a mere $6.38!!  we only had to pay shipping by using some coupon codes online.  i was really excited about this deal (i posted about it on my facebook page, but the deal has expired now).

~ i've was introduced to a new fiction author a while back by a friend, and this author's books are fabulous!!  his name is charles martin, and i've read all of his books now. seriously, they are sooo good!

~ i finally finished knitting jonathan's socks (i started them right before nadia was born).  i ran out of the yarn i was using and had to improvise, but they are still  comfy and warm :)

~ i made my first dress.  thanks to my gram for helping me through it!  this one is for liberty.  i'm planning on making matching ones for leila and nadia (it's just hard to find the time with 3 kiddos running around!).

~ that's all i can think of right now.  obviously more has gone on since over a month has gone by...i'll try to keep up on updating from now on.

~ and here are some pictures from the past month (although i haven't uploaded any thanksgiving or later pics).