A Charmed Life

Now that my kids' aunts and uncles are located in South Africa, Mexico, and Texas, I figured it was time to get back into the blogging world and keep them updated. (Although Skype is a wonderful thing...)

There really isn't much that's better than being a kid in the summer. Sunshine, siblings, and carefree days translate into so much fun. Now that we are just past the halfway point in our summer break, I thought I would share the first half of our days.

This week, Michael decided that the kids needed some regular structure, so he has been waking them up early and giving them tennis and basketball lessons, compliments of a talented daddy and grandparents with a Goalrilla and tennis courts a half mile away.

Our summer began with strawberry season. The kids love helping in the organic patch and picking with the customers. Here they were showing me some concoctions they made with the strawberries they picked themselves. They were so proud of their masterpieces. Chips with strawberries, really?!?

They had the opportunity to ride horses at Aunt Marlene's. They all got right on and rode like pros.

They have spent countless hours swimming in Grandpa and Grandma's pool. The girls swim like fish, while Lance is still relying on his floaties. We have to remind him to put them on as he wants to get right in!

The kids loved having a chance to go tubing with some friends a few weeks ago. They thought they were big stuff. Brooke did a great job holding on!

Ella was just along for the ride.... she was going through a phase where she LOVED sticking out her tongue. It made me laugh every time (which probably just egged her on!)

Lauren went to her first overnight camp at Prairie Camp. It brought back tons of memories for me. I couldn't believe my girl was old enough for this! She loved every minute of it.

Lance has been Grandpa's boy quite a bit this summer. He loves the tractor and never misses an opportunity to tag along.

He wanted to help weed Aunt Lisa's garden - notice the golf club he is using to hoe. :) Sorry Uncle Tim! :)

The other night the kids wanted to go to Dairy Queen and the park. They played hide and seek forever.

We had our family picture taken for the church directory last night. When we got home I thought I would take a few for us. Unfortunately, the kids were getting pictured out and didn't want to all cooperate at the same time. They insisted on taking some with their kittens, who they absolutely LOVE and are fortunately very tolerant creatures.

I love these little people!!

The best gift of the year

Meet Miss Ella Catherine Edison

Our sweet baby girl joined our family on November 23, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs and was 20 1/4 inches long. At just 4 days late and a 3 1/2 hour labor, she had the best arrival of the four kids.

She has a great personality - very easy-going and happy. She is also very tolerant of her siblings and their multitude of affections that they shower upon her at any and every opportunity.

She was grinning at Daddy here, but I couldn't quite capture it in time.

What a crew!

We have loved every minute with her, and are so thankful for the gift of new life that God has blessed us with. It is so special to have a new baby at Christmastime as a visible reminder of the gift of Jesus, who came to save us from our sins so we can have eternal life. This year that reminder was even more poignant, as heaven has been on my mind so much this year. Just as we are blessed with Ella's new life here on earth with us, we are thankful that we have the promise of eternal new life so we can be blessed with a heavenly reunion with Dad someday.

Family Additions

This is our sweet dog Macy and her thirteen beautiful puppies, born Tuesday May 11. She is doing a great job mothering them and the kids can't get enough of them! Give them a few weeks to mobilize and it will be pretty chaotic around here. :)





This was our family Easter picture taken at my parents' house this year. You can't tell in the picture, but we are going to be having a new member added to our family this November. We are all very excited for our new baby!

Remembering Winter

Spring is finally here and I am way behind on winter posts! :) At the end of February I took the kids to a place called Bremen Bounce. It is a very fun place for kids and great for burning much pent up energy from being inside so much. The girls loved it immediately, while Lance needed about an hour by my side before he was off and running. Once he was acclimated, I had to drag him out, kicking and screaming when it was time to go.







The girls wanted to "camp out" in our basement. We figured it was pretty harmless, and they LOVED it. They thought they were such big stuff to be able to sleep outside of their room, in their sleeping bags no less. It doesn't look very comfortable to me, but they had a blast.




Michael found a place in the woods that was covered in sheets of ice. He scraped off the snow and the kids had a great place to slip and slide and skate around.






Above all else, everyone loves riding on the four-wheeler. Lance would live on that thing if I let him (as would Michael, probably!).




Now that our winter fun is done, bring on the warm spring weather and activities! :)

Daddy's little princesses

Michael took the girls to their first Daddy/Daughter Dance last night. They were SO excited! It was the first thing Brooke asked about when they woke up in the morning. I had to explain that they had breakfast, Story Time at the library, lunch, naps, dinner, and getting ready time before they would be going. I'm sure that seemed like an eternity to a three-year-old.






The girls really got into getting ready for their first "date". I painted their nails and curled their hair. They loved being primped and pampered. They couldn't keep the grins off of their faces.



They even got to wear their special gold lockets from Aunt Sarah's wedding. I love that Michael did this with them. Some of my most treasured memories from growing up are from "dates" that I had with my own dad. He often went out of his way to make my sister and I feel like his special girls and, in doing so, we had an amazing picture of our Heavenly Father's love for us as well. I pray that my girls will know they are loved for who they are, both by their earthly father, who would die for them in a heartbeat, and their Heavenly Father, who sent His Son to die for them.

To a "T"...

I have to laugh whenever I look at this picture. The kids were SO excited about some "new to us" chairs that we got the other day. They pulled them away from the table and were just sitting on them in front of the Christmas tree. I was trying to sneak up and take a picture of them, but, as you can see from their expressions, they saw me and "posed".

To me, this picture captures their various personalities to a "t". Lauren is ever the proper one, who wants to do things by the book. Brooke is goofy and quirky, while Lance is a little ham who is always trying to elicit a laugh from his audience. God has truly blessed me with these fun and precious little people. I pray that I will have wisdom and patience to guide them in life while keeping their respective personalities and gifts in perspective. (Sometimes that feels like a very lofty goal...on the days I am just trying to survive! :))

My little Tweeb

Happy birthday to my precious Lauren Renée! It's hard to believe that five years ago today she made her early (although not particularly quick, mind you) entrance into the world. After carrying her for nine months I finally got to meet my sweet child, and my life has never been the same. Early on, Michael thought that she looked like a tweebug, whatever that is, and, although it is entirely fictitious, I had to agree. :) In time "Tweebug" shortened to just "Tweeb" and the nickname has stuck. She has brought us so much joy - the joy of being parents, the joys of new discoveries and childlike fascination with things, the joy of just knowing and loving her. She is beautiful, sensitive, sweet and kind. She is very motherly and watches out for her little siblings, sometimes too much - she is a good tattler! A true first child, she is conscientious and particular and she loves to succeed. I love her excitement and innocence, combined with an enthusiasm for little things that I hope she never outgrows. (Her Daddy hasn't! :) ) I thank the Lord for the amazing gift that she is and look forward to all of the great things that the future holds for her.