celebrating leila

we’ve been working hard this week packing away all of our belongings…trying to make do with just a little bit of this and that for the week.  on monday 5 girls came over to help me pack…we got a ton accomplished.  i’m so thankful for their help. 

we are celebrated leila’s birthday a little early.  originally that was planned so jonathan would be here for the party…but now we’re glad for the early celebration b/c we got to spend that time with family & friends. 

leila at three:  she’s quiet and sweet.  and yet has the highest pitched screams and squeals of all the girls.  she’s so innocent…and yet she has quite the naughty side at times.  she talks quite a bit…but it’s hard to understand her because she talks so quiet and fast.  she adores her sisters.  she loves to copy liberty and mama-hen nadia.  she loves baby dolls.  she has a great imagination and will pretend all kinds of things are the mama and the child (i.e. a fork and a spoon).  she’s eager to please.  she’s very shy.  we jokingly call her our “anti-social” girl at times b/c when we’re around big groups of people, she keeps to herself.  she loves to help me clean house, do laundry, and cook.  she loves to go to the park.  she’s still wearing 2T clothing.  she’s a cuddle bug.  she likes to pray.  she has the sweetest smile.  we adore her!

her party…it was fun…but chaotic.  here are a few pics:

the apron i made for her

birthday girl

granny (jonathan’s grandma) with the girls

leila’s best buddy evie

hiding while we were singing to her

why yes, we are…

…moving to wyoming, that is.  and not only are we moving to wyoming, but we’re leaving in just over a week!  that was not in the plans originally.  we knew we were moving to wyoming, but the original plan was for jonathan go to before us for his 10 week training, and then we would join him.  but yesterday that all changed…God had other plans.  now we are all leaving together…which means we have to pack up our place and leave on the 4th (yep, a week from monday!).  it came about so quickly, but we can definitely see God’s had in it all.  despite that, though, i’m still having a bit of a hard time wrapping my mind around it.  all this time i knew i had 10 more weeks here to organize & pack, and spend time with a few close friends here…and now i don’t have that.  it makes me sad.  but i’m so thankful we can all go together as a family and not have to be separated.  we even have a rental lined up and everything.  we were worried a couple days ago about several things, and then yesterday everything was cleared up for us.  we’re amazed and thankful.

oh yeah….we’re moving to a town called rawlins.  it’s near the bottom center of wyoming off I-80.  population of about 8-9 thousand.  from what we hear it is pretty self-contained.  there’s not even a wal-mart there…closet one is about an hour and a half away.  it’ll be an adjustment.  be praying for us.  we are really excited.  and i’m nervous, too.  pray that i find some women to connect with…and friends for the girls.  and for jonathan’s training and new job.  thank you, friends!

and of course i can’t post a blog w/out pics…

gree & leila

another knitting project, a scarf for jonathan

this silly little girl will be 3 very soon.  we’re celebrating a little early on thursday this week :)

i sure love these precious girls of mine…

checking out a caterpillar they caught

hard work paying off

i mentioned in my last blog that i started running in july.  i didn’t start to lose weight…i started to run off stress.  and i wanted to start being more heart healthy on account of my dad.  now i’m enjoying my runs and i am working hard to lose all that baby weight i’ve gained over the last 5 years…and i am finally seeing a difference!  i can finally fit into a pair of jeans i haven’t been able to put on since before i got pregnant with leila…so about 4 years ago.  i figured out the numbers the other day and since may, i have lost 19lbs!!  (10 of those pounds i lost right after my dad passed away…the rest i have lost since july…and i’ve been working really hard at it!).  so, here are a couple pics of me in my jeans that finally fit again!

and just because i think my girls are so cute…here are a few pics of them…

nadia trying on shows…and looking so much like i did at that age (besides the light hair)…she’s even wearing my sweater :).

a current favorite picture of mine…it makes me smile.  they wanted me to take pictures of them pretending to be asleep.  aren’t they precious?!

and here they are checking out an atlas…which they love to do!

i’ve been doing lots of crafting recently…loving that.  sewing, knitting…all kind of goodies.  will share when i can.  here’s a rag quilt i made recently:

blessed

it has been so long since i’ve really blogged.  i keep meaning to sit down and write something up, but some how time just slips away from me.  or when i do have time, i can’t think of words to write.  here’s a little update on us…

nadia finally got the cast off of her leg last week.  her bone is healing quite nicely.  the cut her leg with the saw a little bit, so she was pretty unhappy about that, but it seems to be healing well.  she still walks around like she has a cast on her leg :).

nadia is 18 months old now.  she’s looking more and more like a toddler/little girl (rather than a baby, sniff!) every day.  and she’s talking up a storm.  she does say quite a few words and some sentences.  it amazes me.  she mimics her sisters a ton. 

liberty is doing good, too.  she’s very interested in learning more about reading and words and all of that.  i think i’ll be ordering her hooked on phonics here soon.  she’s full of energy and life and is our social butterfly.  this girl would go out and do something all day every day if she could.  i’m still having trouble getting her to poop in the potty.  i’ve tried all kinds of things, and nothing gets her to do it.  seriously!  i know she knows how, because she’s done it before.  i’m at my wits end with this one!

leila will be 3 next month…i cannot believe that.  for some reason my mind cannot fathom her being 3.  she could be my little 2-year-old forever!!  she’s so sweet and caring and quiet…and yet if something isn’t going quite her way, you will know it!!

i started running in early july.  i started because i needed a way to get rid of some stress, and i’m really enjoying it now.  i started out small and am working my way into longer runs.  i’m proud of myself for working on getting in better shape and trying to live a healthier lifestyle.  and i enjoy getting out and having a little time to myself to pray and think and just be.

i finished a quilt in time for the local quilt show.  i started in late april/early may…and had it done in time for the quilt show in mid-august.  it’s a king-sized log cabin quilt…barn raising pattern.  i didn’t win anything, but i’m sure proud of myself for getting it done so quickly.  it’s on our bed now….looking huge b/c we only have a full-sized bed, haha! 

i’m feeling incredibly blessed by an amazing group of friends who have been a huge support to me…near or far!  they’ve listened, prayed, encouraged…just been there for me.  i’ve gotten date nights with my hubby, my girls have been loved on…i’m just so thankful for great friends!!  i’m especially thankful that i have friends who lift me up in Christ!

i recently started selling Scentsy.  Click on the word to check out my website and discover what scentsy is all about.  it’s just a little way for me to make some extra money and meet new people.  i love it!

we recently went hiking in the redwoods with jonathan’s sister sarah and her family.  they also have 3 daughters, and all 6 of our girls get along quite well.  it was such a fun day.  those redwood trees are absolutely amazing!

about those last two pictures…the first is liberty & zoe…aren’t they so cute?!  after i snapped this, zoe spit on liberty and then said, “i just saved your life.  there was a mosquito on you!”  it was so funny!  the second pic is sarah & mark (sarah is jonathan’s sister)…they are some of my favorite people to be around.  love them!

let’s see…i guess that is about all for now…just some tidbits of my life.  maybe i can keep up a little more often now!