Nora: Eleven Months

This month Nora celebrated her first Christmas and cut two teeth (the first on Christmas Eve) on the bottom. Her first two top teeth look like they will be in soon. She is starting to really be interested in her books, though she likes to turn the pages backward. She also enjoys Playmobil 123, stuffed animals, pulling out her hairbows, and taking off her socks. She is pulling up more and more and continuing to try out new sounds and words and loves to eat (turkey and green beans over the holidays were definitely a favorite). I have ordered the invitations for her first birthday party and am finishing up her first year's scrapbook and bemoaning the fact that she is almost one at least 23 times a day. I love that she is growing healthily and learning so many new things...I'm just not ready for my baby's age to start being noted by year instead of month. Mama's prerogative.

One Thousand Gifts, 826-850

826. Family gathered for Christmas
827. For tornado warnings to keep us safe...even if they interrupt Christmas dinner
828. Watching Annie and Jacob ride their new big kid bikes
829. Friends coming over to play on a rainy day
830. Daddy being home more over the holidays
831. Shopping with Honey
832. Pretty new clothes in my old size for Mama :)
833. Gearing up for a fresh, new year
834. Good neighbors
835. White chocolate peppermint bark
836. Real cranberry sauce
837. Old Trixie Belden books
838. Old Cherry Ames books
839. My laptop
840. New books to read in the new year!
841. Pictures of my sleeping babies
842. Watching rain drip into puddles
843. Bare oak tree branches against the sky
844. That I don't live in the long winter we're reading about in the Little House books
845. Loyal puppies who follow me around the house
846. Pansies
847. Bowls of fresh fruit
848. Christmas goodies stacked high on the counters
849. Bottles of red wine to share with the Gent
850. Bowl season

One Thousand Gifts, Christmas Edition: 801-825

801. Advent hymns
802. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
803. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
804. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
805. Christmas hymns
806. Joy to the World
807. O Holy Night
808. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
809. O Come, All He Faithful
810. Singing these hymns in anticipation of the second coming of Jesus
811. Christmas songs
812. Sleigh Ride
813. Jingle Bells
814. Silver Bells
815. It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas
816. Christmas movies
817. Christmas in Connecticut
818. A Christmas Story
819. It's a Wonderful Life
820. Sharing Christmas traditions--sacred and secular--with the munchkins
821. Christmas lights with cousins
822. Annual cookie decorating with Honey
823. Visits with family
824. The joy children find in bows and bubble wrap
825. The heart of Christmas: the Savior in the manger

Annie update

Hope you enjoy these out-takes from our Christmas card photo shoot. Can't believe my baby girl will be five on her next birthday! Glad we are going to do kindergarten at home because I am just not ready for her to leave me. ;) Annie is learning to read, loves to make up stories, play dress up and imaginative games with Jacob, is spunky, determined, and never forgets anything. She likes Fancy Nancy and Frances and Amelia Bedelia books, bossing her siblings around, and being my helper when she wants to be. So glad this sunshine-y girl is mine!

One Thousand Gifts, 776-800

776. Rainy Mondays.
777. Catching up with friends who've moved away.
778. Friends who are doctors.
779. Homemade cheesecake.
780. The joy Annie and Jacob are finding in our Jesse Tree devotions.
781. Nora finally giving up her 5am nursing.
782. Putting together bikes for the big kids for Christmas.
783. Sounding out words with Annie.
784. Watching Annie and Jacob sing with the children's choir.
785. Seeing the zoo lights with cousins.
786. Watching Sophie give Santa Claus a high five...from the safety of her stroller.
787. Nora's crying at Santa picture.
788. Making memories and keeping up traditions.
789. Getting my Christmas cards mailed.
790. Sausage and white bean soup with homemade bread.
791. Planning Christmas menus.
792. Spending evenings reading.
793. Less television watching.
794. Trips to the library.
795. Trips to the science center.
796. Playdates with friends old and new.
797. An ice-cold Coca-Cola on a 72 degree December day.
798. Date nights with the Gent!
799. Preliminary thoughts on celebrating Nora's first birthday.
800. Reading Christmas stories with the munchkins.

Sophie's First Haircut

Sophie got her hair cut for the first time last week. She wasn't too sure at first but she came around and did great. She's a big girl now.

:) and :(

not entirely sure about this


before


maybe this isn't so bad


after


she's a big girl now!

Nick Turns Nine

Our second fur baby has finally outgrown his puppy years and is beginning to look quite distinguished with his sweet white face. Chicken jerky still brings out the puppy, though! Happy birthday, Nick-meister!

One Thousand Gifts, 751-775

751. Plenty of dinners in the freezer.
752. Christmas cards arriving in the mail.
753. Annie and Jacob's enthusiasm over all things Christmas.
754. Wonder in their eyes as they stare at the tree.
755. Hearing them tell our visitors the story of as many ornaments as they can remember.
756. A family Christmas celebration with Nana and her clan this weekend.
757. That this week's to-do list is more manageable.
758. Watching Annie dance at parent day.
759. Seeing how much she has grown since our last dance class foray.
760. Hearing my kids' teachers compliment them.
761. All this hard work of parenting is paying off--or at least God gives me glimpses of it!
762. A slower season at work for the Gent.
763. Family day to see the model train display and eat lunch at Moe's.
764. The long list of family and friends to address Christmas cards to.
765. Homemade bread.
766. Clean dishes. Even if they do still need to be put away.
767. The internet, my laptop, and my smartphone.
768. Spending time with other foster parents.
769. Catching up with old friends and seeing their babies growing up!
770. A sweet hubby who gets up early to make from-scratch biscuits and bring them to me in bed on Saturday.
771. Holding a sleeping baby.
772. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.
773. Joy to the World.
774. Handel's Messiah.
775. Advent services at church.

Nora: Ten Months

So she's pretty much the cutest baby ever and we love our Nora Mae to pieces. This month Nora has mastered crawling, pulling herself to standing, waving bye-bye, clapping, playing "so big," and many more exciting baby accomplishments. Her siblings love to cheer her on. Nora continues to talk to us all the time, and loves to eat and squeal. She is learning to sit in my lap and read a board book instead of just chewing on it. She is wearing 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. Her sleeping got all off track last month because we were out of town for three long weekends, but we are getting back into sleeping a straight stretch from 10pm-6am. Mama has plans to drop that 6am feeding this month and the 10pm one by her first birthday. Each baby gets more and more time before I make them give up those night-time and early morning feedings, because they are so sweet and sleepy and cuddly then! Can't believe how quickly my baby girl is growing up!

One Thousand Gifts, 726-750

726. Real mashed potatoes.
727. Thanksgiving with family.
728. The smell of our Christmas tree (even if it doesn't have any decorations yet...).
729. The first cards of the season arriving in the mail.
730. Sweet pictures of my parents and all their grandbabies.
731. Listening to the stories Annie makes up about our Dickens Village.
732. Jacob asking, "Mama?" over and over again.
733. Because I get to be his Mama. :D
734. I'm even thankful for Sophie's exhibitions of her "two-ness."
735. Extra night time cuddles with Nora. But I'll be even more thankful when she is sleeping through the night again.
736. My to-do list/schedule hybrid that is keeping me mostly on track this school year.
737. Pretty wreaths to hang on the front door.
738. A nativity in each room.
739. Lots of fun holiday activities ahead.
740. Quiet family time planned, too.
741. Looking ahead to visits with family.
742. Finished with my Christmas shopping!
743. Almost finished with the gift-wrapping.
744. Waving bye-bye with Nora.
745. Playing "so big" with Nora.
746. Listening to Annie sing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."
747. That our kids know the landmarks between our home and our happy place.
748. Nick puppy is having a birthday this week!
749. How much Jacob loves our dogs.
750. Sophie's sense of rhythm!

Siblings

I love that my kids are all so close together, though there are days when I question why we had them all so close together. They are a little pack, though, and they really do love each other. Even when they fight. Which some days is a lot. (Surprise, my kids aren't perfect!) Last week we were driving home from Bible Study Fellowship, and I was asking Annie and Jacob about their class. We usually talk about what games they played, what their lesson was about, what they had for snack, etc. This time when I asked how their class went, I got this response:

A and J: Mama, there is a little boy in our class who is all alone!!!
Me: What do you mean, all alone?
A and J: He doesn't have any body!
Me: What?
A and J: It is only him and his mommy and daddy! He is all alone!
Me: (light is dawning) Ohhhhh. He doesn't have any brothers or sisters?
A and J: No, he is all alone (spoken as if they were in the depths of despair).
Me: So you would be sad if you didn't have a brother or sisters?
A and J: Yes. Really sad.

In a week that had been filled with lots of sibling squabbles, this little interplay warmed my heart. They were meant to be siblings and they were all meant to be so close together. They were just devastated for their little friend who was all alone.

Though some days I feel like a need a banner that says, "four kids in four years and I'm surviving!"

Wedding!

The Gent's brother got married on Halloween weekend! Here are some phone snaps--not great quality but lots of fun.

Granny and all her great-grands


dancing with Papa Rick




cupcakes, the love language of my children




oh yes, these two had Daddy on the dance floor for the chicken dance




he found a flower for his sister


hanging out with Bebe at Nora's first wedding!


Twelve years since our first date.

One Thousand Gifts, 701-725

701. The fun Jacob has had playing soccer this fall.
702. Also that the end of soccer season is approaching.
703. Coffee in my favorite mug, made by the Gent each morning.
704. A morning to spend mostly at home.
705. Shopping with Honey.
706. Sunday afternoon nap while football plays in the background.
707. Looking forward to a weekend in my happy place.
708. Studying God's Word...even when I can't comprehend all I'm learning.
709. Hearing the joy my munchkins find in their siblings.
710. Playing and snuggling with a sweet little boy in the church nursery.
711. Opportunities to serve others (may I have a more grateful heart to do so).
712. Learning more about the Holy Spirit.
713. Reflecting on the true Light of the world.
714. Listening to Jacob's chatter.
715. That he is our boy forever and ever and always!
715. Watching Nora try to figure out crawling.
716. Teaching Annie to pray.
717. Singing with Sophie.
718. Smart phones.
719. A stack of library books for Mama.
720. Teaching my munchkins.
721. Planning Christmas parties.
722. Music.
723. Lunch dates with the Gent.
724. Help from Honey!
725. Jacob's framed adoption portrait hanging in the family gallery wall.

Trick or Treat!

We were out of town on Halloween (more on that next week). Instead of our usual neighborhood party and trick or treating, we went to a church trunk or treat. The traffic and crowd were awful but the kids got too much candy and enjoyed seeing other kids' costumes so it was successful on their end. :) Annie was Cinderella, Jacob was a superhero, Sophie was Aurora, and Nora was a ballerina. The only thing I bought was Jacob's mask--everything else came out of the dress up box at home.

all lined up and ready to go


superhero and Cinderella


little sisters


princesses


her first Halloween!

6 Ways to Speed Clean: Ann Voskamp link

Loved Ann Voskamp's post today; you can read it here!

One Thousand Gifts, 676-700

676. Making lists.
677. Hot tea on a rainy day.
678. Library story time.
679. New library books for the kids.
680. New library books for me.
681. Dinner made before 8am (yay crock pot).
682. A good workout makes a good start to the week.
683. Heartwarming stories about my alma mater.
684. More time with the Gent.
685. Celebrating the 12th anniversary of our first date!
686. Visiting an assisted living to hand out candy with the munchkins.
687. Jacob's outgoing and friendly personality as he brought lots of joy to the residents!
688. Milky Way candy bars.
689. Sophie's rapidly expanding conversational skills.
690. Nora learning to get from tummy to sitting.
691. A family wedding!
692. Annie, my deep thinker.
693. Safe travels.
694. DVD player in the van.
695. Zeke's thyroid medicine giving him an extra pep in his step.
696. That Annie and Jacob are continuing to love school.
697. Planting new azaleas in a formerly-empty flower bed.
698. Helping Annie and Jacob spell and sound out words.
699. Hearing Sophie spell her name and find the letter "s" all over the place.
700. Baby books.

Nora: Nine Months

Three quarters of a year old already. Nora weighs 16 lbs, 2 oz and is 29 1/2 inches long. Her weight is in the 25th percentile but height is 97th--she is as tall as Annie and Sophie were at 15 months. We will see if she remains my tallest girl as she grows! Nora is a happy baby and loves to play with her toys and can even play happily alone for several minutes. She is saying mama and dada sounds consistently and I think she is linking them to the Gent and me--maybe she will be my earliest talker, too? Nora likes yogurt and green beans and lots of other foods. She thinks eating is great and she is quite good at feeding herself. She is still nursing six times a day and doesn't seem interested in cutting back yet...though I would like her to drop that 5:30am feeding when she's ready. ;) Happy nine months, sweet baby girl!

One Thousand Gifts, 651-675

651. Daddy not having to work over the weekend.
652. Getting the front yard all cleaned up and ready for fall.
653. Carving pumpkins as a family.
654. Four little pumpkins sitting on our front porch.
655. Playing outside.
656. Kids' joy over being outside.
657. Sweet pictures of my babies.
658. Nora's grin and leg kicks when she gets excited.
659. Listening to her babble "mama" and "dada".
660. Sophie's decisiveness.
661. Listening to her sing lullabies to her baby dolls.
662. Jacob's goofy boy side.
663. Hearing about his shenanigans at church.
664. Annie's half smiles.
665. Hearing her recite poetry.
666. Freshly-planted pansies.
667. The Gent's homemade buttermilk biscuits.
668. Brie with my fig jam.
669. Having a supply of homemade dinners in the freezer.
670. A clean kitchen sink.
671. Annie asking, "Mama, will you cuddle with me?"
672. Catching up on magazines.
673. A morning at church with our whole family.
674. Rain, rain, rain after a dry spell.
675. Fun plans for the week ahead.

Belated Birthday Post

Sweet Zeke puppy had another birthday! He's starting to get to the age he doesn't want me to draw attention to the number anymore. ;) Though he was very interested in his pup-peroni treats and even (unwillingly) shared some with his brothers. Love this loyal boy!

Schedule

Here's how I'm keeping organized this year. I combined our weekly schedule and my to-do list into one Word document, and I update it each week with specifics. I just leave it open on my computer and highlight items as they are completed. It may not be pretty, but it keeps me on track. It also makes it easy to see where I have open time if I need to schedule an appointment. Have to be organized with four kids, three dogs, a house, yard, and me to manage!

One Thousand Gifts, 626-650

626. A good night's sleep.
627. Heated mattress pad!
628. Cute clothes.
629. Comfy clothes.
630. Boots!
631. Marking a book off my "to read" list.
632. Going to church with our whole family.
633. Worship music.
634. Fun family morning at the pumpkin festival.
635. The Gent.
636. The limited family time we are squeezing in to the Gent's busy work season.
637. Annie
638. Jacob
639. Sophie
640. Nora
641. Mailing birthday cards to cousins and friends.
642. Celebrating birthdays.
643. Starting my Christmas shopping.
644. Jacob's birth mother.
645. Emails from my grandmas.
646. Fall.
647. Faith.
648. Family.
649. Football.
650. Sunshine.

Remembrance Day

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I know many, many mamas (and daddies and families) have walked this road as we have. I read this article several months ago and thought I would share it here today: My Baby's Heart Stopped Beating Thanking God for all six of my babies today and trusting that He is continuing to bring about His good purpose.

One Thousand Gifts, 601-625

601. That my children are--for the most part--healthy and happy little munchkins.
602. That Annie and Jacob are loving school!
603. Hearing "can we do school now, Mama?"
604. Hearing Sophie say, "yes, I want to color, Mama!" (that's her "school")
605. Sophie recognizing her name written down (and wanting to write her name--with my help--on all her coloring pages)
606. Watching Nora play happily by herself when we are occupied with school.
607. Being Nora's favorite person right now.
608. Joining in Annie and Jacob's imaginative play.
609. The "concert" they hosted this weekend.
610. That our current "A-A-Apple" unit requires making an apple pie. (this was an optional activity, but I find it very important)
611. A little bit cooler weather.
612. Wearing fall clothes.
613. Planning fun weekend activities and trips.
614. Getting ready to begin Christmas shopping in earnest.
615. Reading chapter books with the kids.
616. Zeke's 11th birthday!
617. That Zeke got a professional grooming.
618. And that his thyroid supplement seems to be giving him some energy back.
619. A weekend away to visit the Gent's family.
620. Wedding shower to celebrate my soon to be sister-in-law.
621. Chik-fil-a.
622. Really good milkshakes.
623. Time to catch up on my magazines.
624. Our super-comfortable couch.
625. A crop of fall tomatoes.

One Thousand Gifts, 576-600

576. A calmer weekend where no one got sick.
577. Homemade blueberry muffins.
578. Honey and Poppa (and free babysitting).
579. A night out with friends from church.
580. Graeter's ice cream.
581. Family dinners.
582. The joy on Sophie's face at the football game.
583. Nora's strong preference for Mama. She'll go to the church nursery someday.
584. Snuggles from my munchkins.
585. Library time.
586. Watching Annie and Jacob enjoy their chosen activities: ballet and soccer.
587. Good memories of my Pap Paw.
588. The extended time we get to spend with family during football season.
589. Chili in the crock pot.
590. Lots and lots of dahlia blooms.
591. Making plans to be social again when the Gent's trial is over.
592. Almost time for Christmas shopping!
593. Looking ahead towards the fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and trick or treating.
594. Field trips for school.
595. Fostering a love of learning in my kids.
596. Picnic lunches in Daddy's office.
597. The Gent making me coffee every morning.
598. The relationships my munchkins have with their grandparents and great-grandparents.
599. An upcoming wedding.
600. Listening to Jacob wake up in the morning.

4K

For Annie and Jacob's school this year I am using a curriculum called God's Creation from A to Z. Each unit is about a letter and a concept (this week we learned about the letter "m," the moon, and the Bible truth "I am the light of the world"). The curriculum is cohesive and easy to follow and includes math, art, handwriting, reading-aloud, science, Bible, fine motor skills, and more. Annie and Jacob love it. For reading, we are using Phonics Pathways. We do school in the playroom. Sophie likes to sit and color with us and I let her participate as much as she wants. Nora usually sits on the floor and plays with her toys. The great thing about school at home is how flexible we can be. If we are home in the morning and school is going really well, we can do some extra things. On the days we have more activities we can focus on the important parts like our reading and Bible lessons. I've actually found that, surprisingly enough after all the studies I've heard about how kids focus best in the morning, late afternoon after rest time is a great time for us to do school. All in all, school is off to a good start! We don't take it too seriously and do lots of play. My main goal is for Annie and Jacob to be reading by first grade. The rest is just icing on the cake...yum, cake. Glad it's Friday!

Nora: Eight Months

Eight months old and thinks she's so big! Nora loves to play, observe, and eat. She likes to go to baby story time at the library and is learning to tolerate the church nursery. Nora has just moved up to 9-12 month clothes (she's a long and lean baby) and is wearing size 2 diapers. This month she has learned to make several new babbling sounds (mama, nana, baba, and dada are on the rotation) and loves to squeal. Loudly. Especially in the car. Her big brother encourages her. She has been sick so she has been nursing extra and not sleeping very well. She is almost well now and I am hoping we go back to sleeping an eight hour stretch soon. :)

One Thousand Gifts, 551-575

551. A return to health for our family after we were wiped out by the stomach bug.
552. That Daddy stayed strong to take care of us all!
553. That our family and tailgating guests were gracious as we succumbed one by one...
554. My awesome hubby who finishes planting my azaleas in the dark after helping get the kids to bed.
555. A fridge filled with leftovers--no need to cook this week.
556. That we never have to worry about where our next meal is coming from. We are abundantly blessed, I know.
557. Sustaining grace to carry on while I wait for Christ's glorious return.
558. Being able to bring my cares and concerns and worries before the Lord in prayer.
559. Praying whenever and wherever--ongoing conversation with Jesus. What an amazing gift.
560. Great introduction to BSF's Revelation study.
561. Sleeping in my own bed on clean sheets after a hot shower.
562. Expanding my flower cutting garden.
563. Pulling up weeds--literally and figuratively.
564. An excellent start to school with Annie and Jacob.
565. Little girls in smocked pumpkin dresses.
566. Little boys in football jerseys.
567. A new phone.
568. A mechanic who went above and beyond when I got my oil changed last week.
569. Hints of fall becoming more abundant.
570. Loyal fur babies.
571. Our fabulous dog sitter.
572. Extra snuggles from my sick kiddos.
573. Baby story time with Nora.
574. Watching all my munchkins grow and try new things.
575. Reading chapter books as a family.

One More Recipe

My sister-in-law made this recipe for us a few weeks ago; it was so good! And this is a healthy one, so enjoy. :)

http://www.easybreezylife.com/2013/08/healthy-easy-and-delicious-roasted.html?m=1

August Pictures

A few of my favorite pictures from the "big camera" last month.

Nora Mae and Daddy


Sophie in the morning. Sassy pants.


As good as it gets.


The boy.


Snotty nose and all.


My oldest and my youngest. Heart melts.


Nora loves her big sis.


Sweet profiles.