Grand Prix

If you saw the pictures I posted for Wordless Wednesday then you might have been wondering what kind of project Luke, Owen and Ava were working on. Well they were designing a race car! Our family entered into a Grand Prix race at our church. We were in charge of designing our own car that had to have a biblical theme and making a poster to promote our car. Owen wanted our car to look like a race car so that is how Luke designed it. We went with green paint and yellow letters once again because that is what Owen wanted. Then to give it a Biblical theme we chose the verse Joshua 24:15 which says ..."as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Although the car looked great, neither Luke or I were overly thrilled with our design, theme or poster. Hopefully next year we will come up with something more creative because there were a lot of really neat cars with great themes and posters at the race.

Here we are race day morning right before our trial run!

It says night, but ignore that it was really Saturday morning! Owen showing off our car!

Our car raced the very first round! Ezra watching from the finish line!

Cheering for other families! Awards ceremony!

First off I want to point something out in the picture of Owen and Ava sitting on the bench cheering for other families. The little girl in the stripes sitting next to Owen is one of Owen's best friends. Her name is Izzy. They go to Preschool and Sunday school together. Owen's face lights up when he talks about her. He tells us that he loves her and wants to marry her! Sorry Alana you have some competition now.

Alright back to the races. On the way to church Luke told me that we would probably be out of the competition after round one for speed. I just laughed at him and told him to think positive! Upon arrival we checked in, had our car weighed and did a trial run to see how it would go. There were a total of 25 families signed up to race but I'm not positive that all of them showed up. There were 3 different areas to win a trophy speed, looks, and poster design. We were shocked to see that each time we would race we would win. Only one family was able to beat us! After the races were finished we were served lunch and that was followed by the award ceremony where we were given a second place trophy. Owen was extremely excited to get a trophy. Like we figured we didn't get a trophy for the way our car looked or for poster design. We will have to try harder next year!

Food in Heaven?

Owen took this picture if Ava yesterday telling her to make a mad face. I think her mad face is pretty darn cute!

This morning after dropping Owen off at school Ava, Ezra and I went to get my drivers licence renewed. While we were driving Ava asked me out of the blue "Mama, what does Papa Harvey eat in Heaven". I told her I wasn't sure and asked her what she thought he ate. She went on to list all kinds of her favorite things. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me that she would ask this question because that girl's mind is always on food! I love that she (and Owen) still think, talk, and ask questions about Papa Harvey. Our family sure loves and misses him.

Outside!

Thursday Thoughts

Happy Birthday to Papa John! According to Owen Papa is 29 years old today!

It is a good thing we live in a pretty safe neighborhood. Within the last week we have made our house very easy to break into 2 times.
First off was on Saturday Luke left his keys hanging from the door handle on our front door after he opened the door to haul some stuff in. Evidently he forgot he left them in the door and they stayed there over night and we found them as we were heading out the door to go to church Sunday morning. Someone could have grabbed them stolen both of our vehicles along with everything in our garage and taken anything they wanted from our house.
Then this morning I took the kids to the community center to play and usually I am the last one out the door but for some reason that was not the case today. I went out with Ava and Ezra to get them in the car and told Owen to come out after he finished getting his stuff on. Big mistake I guess. When we got home and I went to unlock the front door I didn't need to because the door was sitting open about 2 inches. Evidently Owen didn't pull the locked door closed hard enough and it sat open for a little over an hour while we were gone.
Yikes!

Ava and Ezra have Dr. Appointments after nap time today. Ava is having her 3 year check up and Ezra is having his 15 month check up. Unfortunately both will be getting at least one shot. Blankies will definitely be taking a trip with us to the Doctor's office. Owen will have his 5 year/Kindergarten check up in a couple weeks. He will be getting shots at his appointment too.

Wordless Wednesday

A busy morning

This morning we went to story hour at the library. Every Tuesday morning our Library has story hour and Owen and Ava love to go! Today's theme was numbers. The kids sang songs, listened to stories and made an art project all of which had to do with numbers. Our library is in the community center, so when we were done with story hour we checked out several books and then headed to the gym to play with some friends of ours! The community center has the gym set up with kid friendly toys and a big jumper from 10-12 Monday-Friday so we go there often in the winter to wear off some energy. At 12 we headed home to eat lunch. Today for lunch we made english muffin pizzas with our favorite toppings mushrooms and onions! Owen and Ava enjoyed making their own little pizzas. Ava must have been really proud of her creations because when she saw my camera on the counter she told me I should take a picture of her pizza. Hers of course are the ones up front with the most cheese! So here they are before and after being baked.

Ava and Ezra are taking a nap. Owen just finished looking at his library books and told me he was going upstairs to build a tractor and a trailer out of Lego's! Have a great day.

Cookies

I know I should have had these posted over a week ago, but as I like to say better late then never!


On Sunday the 13th Grandma Ruth came over with all of her supplies to decorate Valentine's cookies with Owen and Ava! Owen was already done decorating his cookies and had moved onto another project by the time I thought to take pictures. I of course was the one who ate most of the cookies. Have I mentioned that I have been feeling a lot better lately and unfortunately got my sweet tooth back!





Some of the finished projects!

Owen enjoying one of his yummy cookies. That is until his mean Daddy smashed a cookie on his face! Boy I tell you sometimes I feel like a Mommy who has almost 5 children instead of almost 4.

Ezra

What does a fresh and clean, just out of the bathtub, wrapped in a monster towel Little Man need?

His white blankie of course!

Thursday Thoughts

Owen and Ava were having a hard time understanding just how long it would be til baby #4 is born so we have told them that when all the snow is gone, the grass is green, and they are wearing shorts that is when the baby will come!

As we were driving in the van yesterday Owen says "oh, the snow is melting; look at all that grass; I bet the baby's head is sticking out"!

Owen still tells me at least once a day that he doesn't want a sister that he needs a brother. But, I guess even though he doesn't want a baby sister he is still excited about when she is going to as he calls it "pop" out of my tummy!

Wordless Wednesday

Pants

I know this sounds like a weird title for a post, but it is what I decided was best! Those of you that know me really well know that my daily wardrobe tends to be on the comfy cotton side. I really dislike wearing jeans always have am positive that I always will. I think my husband is nuts when he says he is most comfortable in jeans. Well any way the fact that I like to wear cotton pants and shorts is not the point to of this post.

This post is really about my cute daughter Ava and what she did last night to make me take the above picture! I think I may have your attention again now that I mentioned one of my children's names!

Shortly after I got home from my appointment yesterday I went into my bedroom to change my clothes before going into the kitchen to make dinner. My little shadow followed me and asked what I was doing. When I told her I was putting on my jammie pants so that I would be more comfortable she said she was going to do the same. I said that was fine and left the room to get started on dinner. She eventually made her way into the kitchen with her jammie pants on to help me make dinner.

Fast forward several hours (this would be when the kids were in bed and I was busy on the computer posting about the baby girl in my tummy). I got up from the computer to go potty, and as I passed Ezra's changing table I saw my pants laying where I left them. Laying right next to them were Ava's pants that she was wearing that day. Evidently when she took them off to put her jammie pants on she decided to lay hers right next to where she saw me lay mine. Thus the reason for the above picture showing you what I saw. I just gave a little laugh shook my head and said "that girl"!

Ava is my shadow whatever I am doing she is most likely right next to me trying her best to do what I am doing. I will be honest sometimes it drives me crazy and I lose my patience with her. Like when I am in a hurry or am just doing a quick something or other and she thinks she needs to be right there next to me helping me out. Which in the end results in me feeling like a horrible Mama. I mean seriously can't I go to the bathroom or take a bath in peace!

Seeing her size 3T brown pants laying next to my (not telling the size) pants just made me really think about how much she is watching every move I make and her trying to be just like me. That girl truly loves me and wants to be just like me. At the time it is happening I don't think it is funny, but some of the things she says and does to be like me are quite funny. Like repeating what I am saying to Owen when I am trying to get him to do something. Which results in me reminding her that she is not Owen's Mama. Or the way she "helps" me take care of Ezra which usually results in him getting mad. Speaking of not being a parent last night she was frustrated with Luke and she told him "Daddy, you are not the Daddy".

But beyond those at the time not so funny moments I really do have a great helper and a cute one at that. She is great at helping with the laundry. She knows how to sort the darks, lights, and the whites. She likes to load and unload the washer and dryer. She is working on her folding skills but has mastered putting shirts on hangers. She helps unload the dishwasher and knows where all the dishes go. She is learning how to cook! She lets me know when Ezra is poopy or is doing something that could hurt him or doing stuff he shouldn't. She helps me make my bed in the morning. She loves to and happily helps with all of the household cleaning that I do.

It always makes me smile when I see her saying, doing or trying to do something I am doing that she normally wouldn't otherwise do. Like sitting "pretzel style" it took her a while to get that one down but that is usually how I sit when I am on the floor. Don't tell any one but I tend to make up my own words to songs that already exist to go along with what we are doing. I love hearing Ava put her own words into songs she comes up with some pretty good ones! I have to smile when I hear her say that she can't take her vitamins because her tummy is hurting. Evidently she too is struggling with morning sickness!

Ava is such a joy to have for a daughter. I love her more than anyone could ever know, and since she loves being my shadow I hope I teach her well and set a good example for her to follow. The other day she told me that when she grows up she is going to live in a castle and be a Princess Mommy. I told her it sounded like a great plan! Funny thing is it is basically the same plan I had when I was little.

Our Day

So will these three adorable children have a baby brother or a baby sister?

This morning after everyone ate breakfast and got dressed we headed out the door making stops at the bank and post office. After that we went to the community center to go swimming for a couple hours. Then it was back home to eat lunch. After lunch the kids played for a little bit while I got some stuff organized so that I would be ready to leave at 2:00 for my appointment. Ava went down for her nap, and shortly after that Uncle Terry arrived to stay with Owen and Ava. Owen had the afternoon planned out with several Scooby Doo movies for him and Uncle Terry to watch!

So out the door Ezra and I went to meet Luke and my Mom at the clinic for my 3:00 ultrasound. My name was called and we filed into a room to take a look at the baby. Turns out that the ultrasound tech was the same guy who did Ezra's 20 week ultrasound. Before we started I took one last pole to see what everyone thought it would be. I started out with saying a girl and Luke and my Mom also said girl. With that being said he got busy snapping pictures and taking different measurements of the baby who wasn't overly cooperative for him. After one trip to the bathroom to empty my bladder in hopes of the baby moving into a better position to get a profile shot and a few other pictures he needed we got a not so great profile shot. Evidently this baby was not interested in posing for pictures. Although the baby didn't let us see it's face for more than a few seconds we were able to tell if it was a boy or a girl.

Funny thing is that this ultrasound experience was a lot like one of our other children's 20 week ultrasound. Where we got really great pictures of legs, feet, arms, and hands, and a not so great profile picture. I am hoping that today's stubbornness has no reflection on what our baby will be like once it is born. I am not sure our family can handle having 2 strong willed stubborn princesses! Yep, you heard that right we are having a baby girl! Our family will be an even ratio of boys and girls. As of right now our baby girl does not have a name so Luke and I will have to start working on that within the next 20 weeks!

When we told Owen and Ava that they were going to have a sister Owen made a groaning noise and stomped out of the room. The exact reaction I thought he would have! While Ava had a smile on her face and changed her mind about the name she had picked out. So no longer is it baby Jesus in my tummy but rather baby Tinkerbell! Owen told me at dinner that he wasn't going to be happy about the baby being a girl, and I said that is fine but I bet when he saw her for the first time that he would change his mind. He did say to much after that!

So here she is baby #4

If you look close you can see her left arm and hand!

We have...

a Little Man who is excited...

because he can walk all by himself!

Home Depot

It was Home Depot build it day on Saturday. Grandma Ruth, Luke, the kids and I were on our way to Home Depot when Luke who was on call over the weekend got called into work. Which meant our plans to buy stuff to make a closet in our entry way got put on hold. We turned around and headed back home to drop Luke off, and then we started on our way once again to Home Depot so the kids could build something. Grandma helped Owen and I helped Ava. We made a heart shelf.

20 weeks

I am 20 weeks pregnant. I am to the point where I rarely have days where I feel sick which is a blessing to have that stage of this pregnancy behind me! I can feel the baby moving around in my tummy throughout the day now. I love when that starts because it is a reminder that yes in deed there is a healthy baby growing inside of me! I have an ultrasound appointment on Thursday followed by my 20 week check up with my Doctor.

Luke, Owen, Ava and I are really excited to find out if baby #4 is a boy or a girl. Owen says it is a boy and Ava says it is a girl. Ava has named it Baby Jesus and that really bothers Owen for 2 reasons. 1. because Baby Jesus is a boy not a girl and 2. there already is a baby Jesus so the baby in my tummy can not be Baby Jesus. He gets so mad at Ava every time she calls it Baby Jesus. I have to remind him that as of right now she can call the baby whatever she wants to and it really doesn't matter because Daddy and Mommy will be the ones to give the baby a real name.

Which brings me to baby names. If the baby is a boy we have a name picked out, but if it is a girl well that is a different story. Luke and I both have a list of girl names picked out however we have yet to agree on one of them. So, if it is a girl like Luke is convinced it is we have work to do before the baby is born.

I think it is interesting that he says it is a girl because he never said boy or girl with the other three. In fact it was Luke who made fun of me for saying that I knew that Owen and Ezra were boys. Telling me that there just is no way I could know, and when the ultrasound proved that they were boys and I told him told ya so he said it was a lucky guess.

So what are my predictions? Well honestly I just don't know. Which makes me think that it is a girl because I didn't know with Ava and I had such strong feelings that Owen and Ezra were boys. However, my cravings and non cravings are very similar to the one's I had with the boys so that throws me off. Will we be a family with 2 girls and 2 boys or 3 boys and 1 girl? I guess we will see what the ultrasound tells us on Thursday.

I will post what we find out at my appointment either Thursday night or Friday some time!

Upside down Tent

Ava got this Princess tent for Christmas and Owen and Ava spend a lot of time playing in it. The other day I found the two of them hanging out in it like this! I guess it is even fun to play in it when it is upside down.

Can you...

Guess who took this picture?

Outside

Owen and Ava finally got to go outside to play in the snow! The weather has been so down right cold lately that they haven't been able to get outside to play. They have been frustrated with not being able to go outside when they want to because they don't understand the difference between cold and extremely cold! So I had 2 excited kids when I announced lets get ready to go outside and play! Unfortunately Ezra didn't get to go out side to play in the snow or enjoy a sled ride because he has a ear infection and a cold. So a nap it was for our tired sick baby.

Our Weekend

This past weekend Luke and I had a weekend alone! Which to some people isn't a big deal but for me it is. This was the first time that I left Ezra over night and only the second time I left Owen and Ava. Well, besides the times that I was in the hospital having a baby or at the hospital with a sick baby. But to me that doesn't count because I didn't have a choice, and Luke was with them so I was kind of OK with it.

Oh, and I forgot to mention our whole weekend was planned by my wonderful husband! He made all the reservations and lined up the child care all without me knowing. After he had it all set up he told me not to plan anything for that weekend because we had plans. As it got closer to the date of us leaving he wanted to tell me what we were doing but I thought it would be more fun as a surprise.

So any way my wonderful Mom arrived at our house at 8am Saturday morning to stay with the kids. Luke and I were out the door by 8:15am headed towards the cities to spend some quality husband and wife time together. Our first stop was at Babies"R"Us to get a new infant carrier car seat for baby #4. Ours expired in December and our hospital will not under any circumstances let people leave the hospital with an expired car seat. Since Babies"R"Us had a good sale going on we thought we would get one now. However, I am not going to take it out of the box yet just in case if it were to go on an even better sale!

Any way from there we headed to Ikea to shop. It is funny how relaxed, calm, and not rushed shopping can be when you don't have 3 children 5 and under shopping with you. We finally found new dishes that we liked and they were an extremely great price which is a bonus. They are plain and nothing fancy and that is why I love them! We ate lunch at Ikea walked around a little more and then decided we would move on.

From Ikea we drove the short distance to the BIG Mall. We were actually able to walk around the entire store! Yes, WE walked a complete circle around EVERY floor at the mall at least once and got to go into all the stores WE wanted too. No game plan set up ahead of time as to where to go, no time schedule to pay attention to, and no worrying about anyone getting board or lost! It was kind of weird to be honest, but I enjoyed it. After we felt that we had visited every store we wanted to we decided to take a break.

We checked into our hotel room. Relaxed for a while and then changed and off we went again back to the mall where we had dinner reservations. I can't remember the name of it but it was an Italian restaurant and it was really good. After dinner we walked around the mall a little more because we had about an hour until our movie started. We ended up spending most of that time at Barnes and Nobles. I just love books. Then we headed to the movie theater where we watched No Strings Attached. Our movie was over at about 9:30 just as the mall was closing so we headed back to our hotel.

Sunday morning I tried to sleep in but couldn't. So we got ready, packed up our stuff and then went to eat breakfast. We decided to slowly make our way back home. We did more shopping along the way. (For those of you that don't know Luke he really enjoys shopping so this weekend of shopping wasn't painful for him) We ate lunch at Mongo's, then looked in a few more stores before heading home to see the kids who were excited to see us!

Over all it was a excellent weekend away and I am so glad I have a wonderful husband who is willing to plan a weekend away for us on his own!

Green

This may look like a cute innocent baby, but don't let him fool you...

Ezra was coloring a picture at the kitchen table just like his big sister and his Mommy until...

I noticed his face was starting to turn green! So after taking pictures of the evidence he was done and not to happy about that might I add.

Ahead of Schedule

I love it when I am actually ahead of my schedule instead of right on time, cutting it close, a few minutes late, or the dreaded really late. I am famous at pushing the clock with last minute things that need to be done before leaving the house which makes me right on time. But, then life happens and the a few minutes late or the really late is what I end up being. It never fails that when I am right on schedule one of the following occurs: someone has to go to the bathroom, Ezra desperately needs a diaper change, a glove is missing, Ava doesn't have her socks on, I for got to grab this or that, and so on and so on. You get the point.

Well that was the case this morning I was actually ahead of schedule to have Ava at school not just on time but early. I was quite proud of myself and even thought about dropping off the bag full of stuff that was due at the library before going to the school, but then I told myself as I put it in reverse to pull out of the garage, "don't even think about it just get to the school." As I got closer to the end of the drive way I remembered it was garbage day and slammed on the brakes so that I wouldn't back into the garbage can. When I knew I wasn't going to hit it I started to back up again and as I was doing it I knew what was going to happen. Yep I got the van stuck at the end of the drive way, half on the road half in the drive way. I tried several times to go forward and backward but nothing happened.

So what do I do? Call my husband who I knew couldn't help me but that is who I called. I was frustrated and wasn't overly nice on the phone. He of course took care of the situation and sent his Dad to out rescue. The dumb thing is I wasn't even stuck in deep snow I was stuck on the glare ice under the snow on the driveway. We sat in the van and waited for Papa John to come and save us. As we were sitting there waiting Owen told me that we (Ava, Owen, and I) could have pushed the van out ourselves. Instead of telling him that would never work I just told him that Papa was already on his way.

Sure enough Papa was able to push us off the ice we were stuck on and after a quick thank you we were on our way to the school. Unfortunately we were no longer ahead of schedule we were really late, but oh well we made it and Ava had a great time playing with her friends at school.

After I calmed down and thought about what happened I realized that I wasn't extremely nice to my husband when I called him to tell him I was stuck. I knew what I had to do when I got home, call him and apologize. So I did and he of course forgave me.

Thank you Papa John for coming to our rescue so that Ava could go to school!

What is up there?

This is what you do when you want to see something and you are to short!