Normal Life

Since I haven't posted for two months, and I probably won't have any "deep" or "content filled" posts any time soon (not that I ever have :-) I thought I'd at least get a few photos up of our normal, crazy, fun-filled life!

2 months old ~ Paul is a smiley boy ~ definitely my most easy going baby so far

Sometimes Helen just can't understand why Paul is crying

My "big" girls like to help in the kitchen ~ we were making carrot cake ~ yummy

Reading calmly with some of our cousins ~ this calmness is rare :-)

Paul getting to know some of his friends

"Cuddle-time" with Helen while the other two were napping ~ Very special!

Me and my three sweet children

And, of course, there is nothing more special than "lego-time" with Daddy!

 I am so thankful for baptism and the forgiveness of sins, which can come to me on a daily basis through my husband and friends. Because of this I can really enjoy the "little" things I do with my children, knowing that there is nothing I'd rather be doing then training them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Welcome Baby Paul

Baby Paul Benjamin arrived healthy and hearty, on Saturday night. (August 18th) He weighed 8 lbs and 14 oz, and was 21" long. We all already love him so much. Lucy and Helen try to share their toys and books with him, but we have to limit the amount of "loving" they give him. :-)

Just Because We Like Our Puppies

I made this little video for my girls to watch, because they love our dogs. The song is not exactly accurate, as both our dogs are girls and they are labs, but I couldn't find a better song. (If anyone out there knows a good "doggy" song let me know and maybe I'll use it on our next video.)

Gardening with Daddy

One of the things I like the most about all of Ben's gardening and yard projects is watching Lucy and Helen follow him around. Especially Lucy. She just wants to do whatever Daddy is doing,

whether it's measuring boards to build a flower trellis

or digging holes to plant vegetables

Helen's never far behind Lucy.

Of course, another great benefit is the home grown vegetables, (a fresh salad every day) 

and the beautiful flowers from our yard.

 Yep, Ben's pretty amazing!

Everyday Adventures

Isn't it amazing how something as simple as making cookies can turn into an adventure with a two year old? This afternoon Lucy helped put in the ingredients into the mixer and then helped put the balls of dough on the trays. Of course when she's was done I did straighten out the rows of cookies "a little" before putting them in the oven.

Once the cookies were in the oven I peeked out the door to check on Helen, who was supposed to be happily playing at the sandbox. Well, I guess she just couldn't wait for the cookies, so she scrounged up an afternoon snack for herself elsewhere.

Yes, Helen always has chubby cheeks, but here they were extra chubby from the 12 pieces of dog food stuffed in. Needless to say she did NOT appreciate it when I extricated the food from her mouth.

Is there a moral here? Watch her better? Put the dog dishes out of reach? Hmmm. My conclusion is that maybe I should start buying the "made with real meat" type of dog food, so at least she gets some nutrients...

Big Foot

I'm sure every child since time began has at one point discovered the fun of wearing their parents shoes (or clogs or sandals or whatever the appropriate footwear of the age was)  Lucy recently made this discovery and there is never a day that goes by without her parading around the house "being" daddy or mommy. Helen just follows her around, still a bit wobbly on her feet but wanting to be in on whatever action Lucy is creating.

Girls being Girly

What is it about hair bows and little girls? Grandma Patty sent a package of bright colored hair bows and barrettes for the girls. (along with many other prizes, Thank you again Grandma!) and Lucy just kept wanting me to put in one after the other.

"Another one, please Mama"

Admiring the effect

Helen even wore one bow for about 2 minutes.