Pumpkin Patch 2009

Two weeks ago, we were at the local pumpkin patch for a birthday party. I tried to take advantage of the photo potential, but it is likely that we may have to make another go at it to get some good kid and family shots. Being that our trip involved a party, the kids were distracted!

I seriously.LUV.this.picture of them!

My poser

My not-poser. This is the "Hurry Mom, I want to go play with my friends!" look. Nice green icing mouth!

Conquering the hay stack



We couldn't really get a good pumpkin shot with him alone, but I thought this one was cute.

A rare photo opp with Mommy.

Checkin' out sister!

Another rare photo opportunity! Think we might be facing the sun?!!


Stacey

.5

Hi Everyone!

It's that time again! I am making lots of changes and turning 5 months old last week was just one those changes!

At my 4-month check-up, I had grown to 25.5 inches long and weighed 15.5 pounds. Mommy likes that I am getting rolls on my legs and round cheeks!

We have stayed close to home this past month. I did make it to two family reunions and a trip to Longview one day when the big kids were out of school. That's good because I hear things get crazy as we kick off fall with Halloween next weekend. The rumor is that I am dressing up as the same baby dragon that L wore when he was 4 months old. Wonder if I can chew dragon toes?

I have decided that I no longer wish to be a by-stander to all the action around here, so I am creating some action of my own. Check this out.....

I:

* like to play with my toes.
* can lay on my tummy, lean on one arm, and reach for a toy.
* have gone from sitting with someone supporting me to sitting with my own hands holding me up to NOW sitting while reaching and playing with toys at the same time.
*I just started playing while sitting in the last week! Sometimes I forget not to tumble over, but if I am not too busy playing then I remember to change my balance.
* love love love when someone sings me songs, especially with hand motions.
* will squeal your ears off.
* search for familiar voices and greet faces with a big grin.
* find someone that is calling my name.
* reach for my pacifier and put it in my mouth myself. Sometimes, I bump my nose on the first few tries, but always make it eventually!
* love to grab your face and try to give you slobbery kisses.
* can scoot and pivot all over on my tummy.
* am getting up on my hands and knees AND rocking while up there. Sometimes, I will lunge for what I want.
* making choices between two things that both seem good like pacifier or toy. Sometimes, I like to choose based on color, but other times I just want my pacifier!
* spent the afternoon with my new baby buddy O and his mommy while Mommy did Girl Scouts with A. He is new so I decided not to teach him to wrestle yet.
* can drown you or my bib in 30 seconds or under because I like to drool. A LOT!
* am making lots of new sounds and noises, including blowing raspberries which is my favorite way to share my slobber!
* have finally convinced Mommy to let me try some of their food. I worked my guilty eyes on her real hard and she caved! She has let me try bananas and avocados with my mesh bag holder and has also let me eat carrots and bananas with a spoon. I like trying to hold my mesh bag handle myself so I can really get my gums into it!
* am about to outgrow my baby bassinet! I can look at you with my nose on the top edge and like to roll around when I wake up.

Mommy told me to stop growing so fast, but it is very exciting for me!

Enjoy the pictures!

Love,
B

This?

Or that?

Or you?

I won't tip over, I won't tip over.

If I hold my legs real tight, I might reach my toy without falling.

Mmmmm, banana!

Revvving up my motor!


Cooling off in the car after brother's football game.


Mommy's favorites....toes and leg rolls.

I think something is stuck back there.

Hey, is anybody listening to me?!

You, maybe?



Stacey

Tighter

That is how I held my kids tonight at bed time.

This is the kinda stuff you never want to hear.

Ever.

A family in our town lost their wife and mother. I am sure she was many other things to many other people, but right now, her husband and her children seem to have suffered the greatest loss.

Sadly, that includes her 3-day old son.

I don't know all the details.

Not that they really matter at this point.

I only know all this because she belonged to the local home school coop that uses our church building once a month and is coordinated by one of our members.

She was at home giving birth to her 9th child. A place she had done so 7 other times before, delivering only once at a hospital.

There were complications.

She died 6 hours later.

All I can think about is did she get to hold her baby boy? Did she get to see the precious faces of her other children before it all happened? Did she know what was happening? Was she scared?

How desperately sad her children and husband must feel right at this very minute.

I can't even put it all into words.

Our church, the coop, and I imagine many others who knew them are rallying around them right now. Prayers, food, money. Her loss is incomprehensible alone, but sadly, the father lost his job a few weeks ago. Their burdens must feel so overwhelming right now.

Her memorial will be held at our church on Tuesday. They did not have a church family. Maybe we can be that for them.

Please pray for this family.

Stacey

Reason # 5862 that living in a small town doesn't work for me

The fact that this town is getting its 7th dollar store!

YES!

SEVENTH!

As they recently finished up the new Walgreens, the kids and I have continued to pray for that Target and Chick-Fil-A.

Seems like the wires of communication got mixed up a little.

Sigh.

Stacey

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Today, while waiting for sister in carpool line, I flipped through L's word cards as he read them to me. When he got to "ax", he stopped.

With great enthusiasm and wide eyes, he said,

"HEY, AX AND THE LETTERS TO THE ROMANS!!"

He was so enthusiastic and so serious about it that it just made me laugh and laugh.

Much needed, btw!

I tried to explain that they were not the same thing.

He went on,

"Ax like you chop stuff and Ax and the letters to the Romans!"

I agreed, but mentioned that they were spelled differently. I showed him Acts in the Bible and he spelled it out loud.

He nodded his head,

"Oh yea, I get confused sometimes cuz I don't know.

Good times!

Stacey

Funkalicious

There is really nothing to attribute the "alicious" to except that I didn't want to be a total downer and we just read Purplicious last night at bedtime.

The "funk" pretty much explains it all.

I can probably attribute 50% to exhaustion, but the other 50% is split up between my never ending to-do list, from which nothing really ever gets down, and the depressing fact that I feel like I can never get to some important stuff I want to do because, again, my to-do list is like a bad scene from Groundhog Day.

I am not speaking anything new to most. You likely know it. You likely live it.

I don't want to feel overwhelmed here too. I have so much to catch up on simply for the sake of journaling.

Fair warning.....

I feel a random list coming on this week!

Stacey

40 never looked so good

At least not for another 3 months!

THEN it will look fabulous!

;) ;)

But for today, it looks good on my husband.

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY!

Stacey

Don't you?

Stacey

I love Suede

Hmmmmm?

Guess you'll just have to wait and see why!

Stacey

Blah. Blah blah. Blah blah.

And that is really all I have to say.

Maybe I will feel overwhelmingly inspired next week.

Stacey