The Beginning of Summer or ... finishing off the school year

Of course with the coming of summer accompanies the anticipation of cold yummy sugary treats.  We couldn't wait for school to finish to indulge.  

So we rode our bikes and toys on over for the first summer delight!

Halie, my sister and I made a random, surprise stop at a fun nature center.  of course this is the only pictures we took.  Halie was THRILLED.  Its always fun to make a 4 year old soooo happy so easily.

Miss E did an amazing project on foxes.  The clay sculpture sits in a place of honor on my desk, only a mother could truly treasure such sweet things.  I am so proud of her and how hard she worked to make learn and present these cool little animals.

We will certainly miss Emmas teacher.   She was a blessing for us this year!  Emma sure adores her!  

Big News X3 ......

Are you ready for it? Are you? AM I?

News #1 I am pregnant!!!

wahoo!

News #2

nope, not twins :)

I am on bed rest ...

not wahoo but expected

I am 11 along weeks today.

News #3

We are a home educating family now!!!

Am I crazy?

I think so.

But this might explain the MAJOR lack of blog posts.  Even though everyone that reads this probably knew 2 out of the 3 big life changes that were mentioned above.

for the past 3 weeks, since my contractions began, i have been slowly but busily getting my home set up for bed rest and homeschool.  Now that I am pretty much ready (which is good, since I am now down) I will have more time to update this, here, blog. Over the next few days I am going to catch up from the all the summer adventures we've had.  After that I will be posting what we are doing at school and any outings if I can swing them.  I ordered a wheelchair yesterday, so hopefully I can do a little more.  Like go to church and our homeschool group.

We just had stake conference.  Of course the messages were geared right for us.  "See your trials as blessings."  And that is exactly what I intend to do.  7 months of bed rest? a trial? nope, I'm thinking it will be a blessing.  Help us focus on what REALLY matters in life.   Teach my sweet daughters so many life lessons.  Homeschooling? Hard? Probably, but I am thinking this will give us, (my daughters and I) something to do together while I am on the couch.

We are pretty much all geared up and ready to start our first day of "school"  - Pretty exciting times around here.

But if any of you are looking for something to do ... please swing by and say hello!

 We will welcome visitors anytime!

Any sacrifice is worth having children.  And any sacrifice, after they are born, is worth it to help them grow confident, loved, and treasured.  I love my sweet girls with all of my heart and soul, Miss E needed more that what she was getting at public school, I hope and pray that my Father in Heaven can help me supply her with what she needs!  I am amazed and grateful for the life which our Father prepares and guides us through.

Soccer Season...

Soccer!! It has begun!  Kyle is coach once again!  Here is her star moment!  She was so thrilled.

Easter Posting

Searching for the baskets...

Found!

Breakfast of french toast & mango smoothies  

The easter egg hunt anticipation.

all ready for church

My sister helping Halie :)

Darling Miss Emma

My cherished Emma and Cherished Halie, searching for candy.. ah childhood!

WOW! March 23rd?!

So i can't believe its been so long since I have written on here.  Its been a crazy little while!

Heres what we've been up too...

we repainted and refloored our downstairs!  yay! I love our new digs.

 sorry about the weird orientation.  whoops

Halie's Dance!

 Playing with Chop Sticks! 

A Piano Bench!!

My little brother made it, now I just need to stain.  I LOVE IT.

Sewing Easter Dresses...

And One Broken arm :( Sadness.  Poor little Halie.  She was getting a piggy back ride from her fabulous big sis.  They decided that wasn't good enough and so using a chair, Halie climbed onto Emma's shoulders.  They staggared a few steps and Halie came tumbling down and CRACK went both of the bones in Halie's forearm. She was a trooper.  So that was yesterday, I am sooooo glad its not swimming season yet.  SOOOOO GLAD.

And I have been building a KeyHole Garden.  Wish me luck, I really want to be a successful gardener one of these years.

Leisure time.... aaaahhh....

My little Emma cherishes her leisure time.... who doesn't?  

She likes to .... paint.... make things..... play ponies.....make forts......make more things...... draw..... write stories..... make up puppet shows.... Winter... It brings out the creativity!

And right now she loves spending some quality time with her uncle.  Poor guy tore his knee skiing and just had surgery to put it all back together.  So he is living with THE Mom & Dad to heal up.  But that is a bonus for all his neices and nephews because they get to sit and hang out with their "cool" uncle.  Here he is teaching Emma a few chords on the guitar. 

Miss E and her big moments

Emma at her very first piano lesson.  She has now been doing piano for 3 weeks and loving it.  We are supposed to sit at the piano together.  We do, and I love it.   Its such a fabulous time to praise and build her.  I am so excited that it is going well, I was concerned.

Funny Moment-  we were leaving and Emma turned to me, eye shinning, "I didn't think that was going to be fun and it was!  I thought I was going to be terrible and I'm  terrific!" 

She even asks me to practice, and at times i have to say all firm like, "Stop Practicing Piano And Come For Dinner."  As if I actually want her to stop practicing.  HAH.  I love it.

Next big moment....  She lost her 6 tooth.  She said, "I didn't know pickles could be that hard!"

She was so thrilled and surprised she wanted me to text this photo to grandmas and aunts.  Another cute thing she said was, "I guess when you don't wiggle it, you forget that its loose!"

A big moment that we have been having in our home is the cute new way Emma is interacting with me.  Halie is just starting to learn how to read.  She is learning words like "and" and "the".  At times when Emma is there,  Emma turns to me constantly with a "knowing twinkle" in her eye and a knowing little smile.  Like, "isnt my younger sister so cute, learning things WE know."  Like the two of us are on a team, helping her little sister join the team too.

Adoption Dream

Yesterday I made a huge sign for my bedroom wall.  I thought I made it with the thought of Kyle and I in mind.  I am so blessed to be married to him.  But I woke up with a different meaning in mind.

You know how when you have been working and planning and hoping for some HUGE thing for a VERY LONG TIME ...and it doesn't happen... yet... and it becomes this far away dream. 

 Almost like it is not real?

I have been feeling that way.

I want a big family.

So deeply.

I love with my whole being my two daughters.  We have been promised through a blessing with more Children.  So I know that dream of a large family will happen.  Its just hard to wait. :)

We are ready.  We have enough space in the car, and a crib, empty, just waiting happily to be filled.

Last night, I had the most amazing dream.  It was fabulous.  

We had 4 children.  My sweet Emma and My darling Halie.   We were at church and I was holding our son Kase.  I wasn't really listening to the lesson.  Just admiring the way my son was snug in my lap.  I enjoyed his toes and his eyes and his adorable suit.   The sister over the nursery came and told me that my daughter needed me.  It was so exciting.  I picked up our precious Kase and walked into where Annabelle waited for me.  She was struggling in nursery.  A new  place.  I took her by the hand.

We went out and sat in the green grass.  We played a game to help calm her.  The sun was so bright and my heart was so full.  I love these children.  Annabelle came and sat on my lap.  We sat happily in the sunshine.  It was perfect.

I woke up with the sweetest joy in my heart.  Peace. 

My Father has a plan for me, for Kyle, for my Children.

Then I looked up my lesson for my tiny sunbeams that I teach at church.  Do you know what it was titled?  Heavenly Father Has a Plan for Me.

Then I happened upon this talk.... The Lord really is talking this morning.  I am so grateful.

Miss H and dancing

 Miss H is in LOVE with dance.  

She thought she was a teapot in her dance recital, but actually, she was a daisy.  It didn't matter, she was adorable.  And as always she stole the show.  My girls are always the ones in the dance that stand out.  Always for funny reasons.  This time Miss H's tutu was too big, and I didn't pin it because.... Well, I just forgot.  And so throughout the entire 3 minute dance, her tutu kept falling down.  It was adorable and funny and oh so charming.  She steals my heart every day.

3 funnies relating to the recital...

1.  Day before the recital...

Miss E and I are clapping the rhythm to her piano song.  Miss H sighed, "Tomorrow, everyone will be clapping for me."

2.  Directly afterward, the first thing she said to me (not hi mom, or yay! flowers) ... 

Miss, H says, "Did you see my tutu fall?!"

Me, "yes!"

Miss H, "Did you laugh?!"

Me, cringing, "yes."

Miss H, "Oh Good!  It was SO FUNNY!"

3. Two days later...

Miss E, "Are you going to ever do something other than dance?"

Miss H, "Like what?"

Miss E, "Karate, or gymnastic..?"

Miss H, "but I love dance! So nope, well I will do music too."

I think the girl likes music.  I like her.

oh and do you see that hair bow, i have lost it, if I don't find it by tomorrow, I have to pay 25$.  hmm.