Another fun week

Oh where does my time go?! This week has actually flown by and I can't believe that it's already Saturday!!

We are loving the fact that now that we have a place of our own, we can finally have people over for food and fellowship! Last week Ana's family was able to stay for lunch on Wednesday and Saturady! Then last Sunday we had a busy day with company...one of Nathan's sisters and family out for lunch and to show them the house. They left around 3:30 and then our neighbors came over around 4:30 and stayed for supper and left around 7:30. After putting the kids to bed, we went straight to bed ourselves since Nathan had to be up at 3:00am to leave for work.

Ana came again this week to help me, from Wednesday til today! I know I've said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again but I just feel absolutely blessed that she is willing to come to help!! This week I was able to take a little snooze on the couch and a couple nice showers without worrying about what my little kiddies were in to! She also allowed me to sit on the couch and snuggle my kids after supper while she did the dishes!! She also allowed me to go out with a few girlfriends after the kids were in bed one evening! And right now she told me to go "rest or blog" while she makes some graham crackers because I've been fighting a lost voice and a headache :) What a blessing!!

Out with the girlfriends! (which I haven't done in the evening since I've been married!)


It's not exactly easy to bake when you have a 4 year old on your back!! But Ana seemed to do it well! She made caramel pecan shortbread and another awesome crazy cake this week!


It's kind of hard for Ana to eat since the kids want to sit so close to her...she can barely move her arms! :)


Caramel Pecan Shortbread


Homemade hot chocolate with homemade marshmellows! yum!



Tiernan helping Ana baking...


What were they baking? Banana Bread...but they also made White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies :)


Ariella and Ana reading




The kids with Ana



We were actually able to get outside this week for a few mins since the weather was in the mid 40s for a couple days!! On one of those days, I decided to wash the van...bad choice. I mean, it looks nice now but with how flithy it was combined with the fact that we don't have a hose or anything outside yet made for a LOT of trips back and forth filling up a bucket inside....but I got it done! The kids also had fun playing outside in the mud. They were actually sliding and rolling in it, not even kidding! It took me WAY longer to clean their coats, snowpants, and boots than it did for them to play outside, but I guess what do I expect when my yard looks like this??






I think we'll wait until we have grass to really play outside!

The kids saw Grandpa a couple days ago for the first time in awhile...they all missed him!

Miss Ana comes!!

Well today was the first day with my wonderful help, Ana!! She came around 11am today with her whole family (who stayed for a great lunch and visit and then left) and will stay at our home until Saturday afternoon!! I can't believe what a blessing and help it is to have an extra set of hands to help with everything!! She made cookies with the boys this afternoon, helped with supper prep and the meal, did the dishes, brought a great movie about animals for the boys, helped me take the garbage to the end of our (long-enough) driveway in the freezing cold...how wonderful!!

The boys love her...Caedmon wanted to get out of bed to go give Miss Ana a hug and kiss, Brayan insisted that 'Miss Ana brush my teeth!' and even Ariella wanted a good night kiss! Tiernan wanted to show her everything and anything he could, especially his camera and his "Wild Kratt" game on the computer. I am loving the company and the extra help!!!

This is a pic of Ana making cookies (molassas chocolate chip) with the boys. It was funny because she had 30 little fingers trying to steal cookie dough, lick the spoons and bowls, taste this and taste that...she had a few more distractions than she probably was used to :) But the cookies still turned out excellent!! Brayan was crying in the pic because Tiernan got to stir the bowl but he later made up for it by shoving a golf ball sized chunk of cookie dough in his mouth...guess that showed us!!


The result...


Yes, I am going to be spoiled for the next few days....and ya know what??? I LOVE IT!!! :)

Ariella's hang outs

Well, Ariella is definately enjoying the new-found freedom!! By the time she could crawl and get around pretty well, we were living in a camper that didn't have much room to roam. Then we lived at the 2 bedroom apartment, which we felt was like a mansion coming from the rv, and she enjoyed running around that....but now??...I think she's liking the house :) Here are a few 'positions' I have caught her in the last couple days...


Just checkin' out her strawberry shortcake DVD cover on the laundry room floor, with her blankie and little doggie of course...


Happily snacking on a waffle while holding her toothbrush on the kitchen counter (and no, I didn't help her up here...she's just as capable of climbing just like her brothers :)


Chillin', reading a book in mom and dad's walk in shower...


She speaks for all of us in these pics...we are all enjoying it here :)

We are HOME!!!!!!

We're home, we're home, we're home!!!!

It was a loooooooong month wait after we last saw the house at Christmas, but it is over now and we are all moved in!! I have only 2 boxes in the garage that need to be put away and everything will be in it's place!

We have now been in the house for a week and absolutley love all the space we have (esp compared to the camper!!). And I love that there's a place for everything! We even have high speed internet ;)

Nathan was going to just take the weekend off for closing and help get settled those first few days but it turned out that right before we left for home, his foreman said that everyone had to take a mandatory week off due to this section of the job being completed! Therefore he had this whole week off! What a blessing that has been! With all the stuff we needed to buy for the house (sheets, mattresses, silverware, garbage cans, decor, towels, etc, etc, etc, etc), it was super nice having him home with the kids so I could get all that accomplished. (And now I'm all shopped-out!)

I've included a few pics of the house and I will include more once I get some taken during the day light hours. Seems as though when I try to take them at night, I can't get my camera to adjust to the lightening and the colors look really weird :) But I didn't want to keep ya hangin'......

My favorite room....the kitchen! It turned out exactly how I wanted it and exactly how I envisioned it!!


The dark color and wire mesh are in place now in preparation for the stone and stucco going on in the spring


Back of the house





Entry way


That's all for now (gotta start our taxes...) but since we now have 1) a new computer and 2) internet that works, you can be sure you'll hear from me soon :)

bummer.

I know...I'm horrible...

And now I have bad news....

My computer doesn't work :( Let me rephrased that...neither of our computers work. can't get internet on either...so I'm at the library.

That's one nice thing about small town living...the library is always 2 blocks away! I actually came here tonight to figure something out for Nathan. He was here earlier trying to do his books for class and he couldn't figure out how to turn off the ad blocker so he could see his study guide. And since I didn't know how their internet was set up here, I couldn't tell him through texts, so I came to check it out and then tell him when I get home :)

In other news, we are waaaaay excited for next week!!! Although I'm running out of things to do. I have most everything packed, which isn't much, and since all the kids' toys and everything are boxed up too, we've been watchin' lots of movies...which also gets old. But I'll try to hang in there for another week or so, and then it won't be boring for awhile :)

Kids are doing well. Tiernan calls Caedmon "Martin" and Caedmon calls Tiernan "Chris". Ariella won't stop playing on the counters and in my chapsticks and is still playing with the contents of her dirty diaper every chance during nap that she gets. And Brayan likes to gather all his toys in a cardboard box and carry them around the apt like this (even though he only has a few out).

There's more I want to write about but I'll have to take notes and do it another time. I have to get home to help put the kids in bed. Hang in there while I'm on computer hiatus!!

not tonight

Here's the deal....

I sat down at the computer...well, actually I sat on the couch with the computer on my lap...and I had the greatest intentions in the world to do this great post with pics (if my computer would cooperate) and all the to-dos of our family, but after checking some emails, and replying to a few, I have run out of time!!

Nathan was home today due to the cold weather. I think it actually was an excuse though bc he said something about the 'guys' not wanting to work today so they can work Sunday. Sunday is double time. So anyway, he was home today, which gave me some time to bring my loads of stuff to the thrift store to get rid of it! Well, you know me, I cannot bring stuff to a thrift store without actually looking a little, so I did some browsing and found a book for Nathan!

I brought it back to the apt and he quickly swiped it from me and started to read it. (Ted Dekker). I haven't seen him since. Well, he did come out for a little while to peel the potatoes so I could continue making homemade eclairs! Yeah, they were awesome. (That's coming tomorrow). But anyway....

After supper he said that if I took care of the kids and put them all to bed without his help and he could just go to our room and read, then he'd rub me. He says those words and I'm in...I will do anything for a massage.

So there you have it. He's done reading and I needa get the kids in bed. So no time to post...except for this...so I hope you enjoyed! :) I will try my best to post all about everything tomorrow!!

it's not just me!

Because I have been getting more and more passionate about these kinds of things, I thought this too important and shocking to most, not to share!

I knew artificial colors were bad for you and and at home we avoid them as much as possible, which is quite easy to do if you cook from scratch, but if you don't or if you use a lot of pre-packaged stuff to cook with, you might find it a little harder to avoid dyes. But I think, especially after reading this, it's so worth it to your health, and your children's health, to avoid them at all costs!

I was searching through this blog "Food Dye Diaries" about a mom who's learned the hard way about what dyes can do to the health of your children and her research she's found to support her views.

She says:

"In case you are new to my blog I have to break it to you. It's not just the sugar that is making your child act "that way." It's the coloring. REALLY! Don't just take my word for it. Look at all the research articles I've found on the right hand column. Food coloring causes all kinds of behavior problems and even serious health problems in some people. Moms have written to me from all over the country describing hyperactivity, asthma, motor tics, hives and other issues that are probably diet related."

"Would you feed your child chemicals that would cause them to be hyper, moody, or distracted? Of course not, no parent wants that. Well, this blog is to help parents understand that your kids probably eat foods at every meal that could really keep them from being their best. It's time to get the word out."

"Wonder why your kids have a hard time listening, behaving, or keeping basic self control? Does your child get hyper, defiant, or have lots of tantrums? It could really be the foods they eat."


Here is a little about a few dyes that I thought were incredible!.....(She said she found all this info on the site:
http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf)


RED 40
Acts like a neurotoxin and excites the brain.
Causes hyperactivity, mood swings, irritability
It’s hidden in everything from vanilla ice cream, mayo, chocolate, brownies, cake, bread, yogurt….
It’s not just the really red foods like strawberry, blueberry, or fruit punch
They use this chemical to mask when they’re too cheap to use real fruit/berries or real food

RED 3
SHOWN TO CAUSE CANCER
Yet it’s still often in candy and sweet treats
It’s in fruit roll ups and Kid Cuisine
Found in lots of other food marketed to children
Banned from cosmetics, but we still eat it?

YELLOW 5
WANT SOME PETROLEUM IN YOUR FOOD?
(yes! Like feeding your kids a little gasoline)
Causes hyperactivity, mood swings, irritability
It’s in your pickles, ice cream, candy, mayo….

YELLOW 6
It’s in mac and cheese, dressing, sauces, popcorn, cakes, cookies, pickles, frosting, etc.
Some studies show chromosomal mutations
Can cause sudden severe allergic reactions

BLUE 1
HOW MUCH PETROLEUM DO YOU EAT?
Linked to tumors and neurotoxicity
Studies showed inhibition of nerve cell growth
It’s in your marshmallows, candy, sport drinks
Face it, bodies weren’t meant to eat bright blue

Wow! She has another post on some alternatives to buy if you want some candy for example but don't want the dyes that go with it. There are actually a whole bunch of options. Looks like we will be saying 'goodbye and farewell' to foods with these colors...don't worry, we won't miss them (or their side effects!)