Snow Day

I have a tummyache from eating M&M's all day today! I guess that's what snow days are good for, right!? Caden and Macy have had plenty of M&M's too! Caden is home from school today because the weather is nasty outside.
C & M have been big buddies today. Macy is wearing Caden's old Green Bay jersey in order to match him.

Sliding on the ice was a favorite activity today. I slid around for a little while, but there is a fierce North wind...I don't know how they stand it for so long, but somehow kids manage to have more fun than adults!

Then there's Julia...who changed her clothes three times today because she kept playing in the kitchen sink and getting soaked. The 3rd time she attempted to dress herself. She ended up running around in her underwear yelling "NO" at me, because getting dressed wasn't going so well for her but she wouldn't let me help.

Hmmm...what will tomorrow bring?

A visit to Macy's classroom

Macy is star of the week in her Pre-School classroom this week. I am thankful for a good friend who cared for Julia and Noelle today so that I could be Macy's special guest. I read the book Green Eggs and Ham to her class....it was so much fun! I think I was a hit with the kids :) Macy was especially happy to have me at her side!

This is Macy with her friend Karlie and her 3rd grade friend Sadie.

Winter Concert

Caden had a Christmas singing concert at school this week. We weren't all going to go to it because 7:00 is Noelle and Julia's bedtime and that is what time the concert started, but he cryed and said that he'd worked really hard on the songs and wanted all of us to hear them....so we packed up the tired babies and went as a family. It turned out to be a really fun family outing. The songs they sang were super cute, we sat in the bleachers by some good friends, and we drove around to look at Reinbeck Christmas lights afterwards.
Here is the star of the show and his lucky sister!

Here is his class...sorry that it is a dark picture...he is in the top row.

Noelle and Macy were intently listening.

Lots of Excitement!

Well, we survived a week long flu bug. We ended up having our own "feast" at home on Thanksgiving Day. We had deer meat, squash, sweetcorn, and apple pie. The kids said it was the best Thanksgiving EVER, so I guess having the flu bug in the house may have actually been worth it because a memory was made. The kids made bows and arrows out of sticks and made Indian feather hats...check out the picture of Macy. We traveled to see Josh's parents on Friday and then on to Kirksville, MO to gather with the Romine side of the family on Saturday. The kids loved getting to stay in a hotel and play with their cousins.

This is a pile of 2nd cousins at the Romine gathering. The kids were in heaven!


Caden and Macy love the snow. They spend hours outside...Julia, on the other hand, throws a fit at the sight of her snowpants. Noelle is glued to the window when they are outside. She pants like a dog at the sight of Chief and laughs out loud at Caden and Macy's every move. Here is a picture of the girls watching the snow fall this morning. We are getting ready to settle in for a long winters nap out here in the country!

Thanksgiving Play

Today Caden's 1st grade class had a Thanksgiving Play. It was very, very cute! All the kids had their lines memorized, and they dressed as Pilgrims and Indians. Grandma Karla (Josh's mom) drove three hours in order to attend the play and to spend some time with us. It was really fun having her visit us for the morning.
Happy Thanksgiving To You! Count Your Blessings!

This is a ship the kids made. It is sailing to America! Caden is in the middle with the white on the sleeve.

Cute, Cute, and More Cute...

She's stealing Julia's wheels!

Macy - Miss Creativity - constructed a new friend that can play upstairs with her. Its name is Percy and it is made out of a wrapping paper roll, a papertowel roll, and two toliet paper rolls. She is very proud of her person!

Yep--she still looks just like him!!!

Eekhoff Boyz

Today we drove to Eldora to visit my friend Lindsay and her two boys. We ate yummy pizza and covered alot of topics in conversation. I think Griffin missed Caden's company.....several times we heard Macy holler out, "No Griffin...I don't want to wrestle!" Lindsay's hubby Lincoln and Josh are good friends and both love to hunt deer. Lindsay is my friend of encouragement during deer season. She reminds me that my husband still loves me despite his desire to sit in a tree stand for hours on end. Lindsay even sent me home with an early Christmas present. She is a very thoughtful friend...Thanks, Lindsay! It is sitting on my kitchen counter and it looks awesome!

Tough Guy

One morning while dressed from head to toe in camo and waiting for the school bus at 7:15 AM, Caden claimed to be a tough guy.

He isn't so tough after school when his sister wants to greet him with kisses!

French Fries and Friends!

Today the girls and I took a little road trip to Independence,IA. We met my friend Jamie and her two kids at a McDonalds playplace. Noelle got her first taste of really salty french fries! She'll probably never eat Cheerios again! Isaiah missed Caden, but overall it was a great time of hanging out.

Fireproof - The Movie

If you are married, we highly recommend that you go see this movie!

Pushing A Chair

Noelle's new favorite activity is to push a chair all over the house in order to get from one place to another. She pushed this chair through the doorway in the background in order to find me. She got caught in the doorway for a little while, but eventually worked the chair free without a whine. My baby is going to be a big girl really soon!!

When she got up this morning she said, "Hi Dada" to Julia.

Hearts at Home

I traveled with some friends this weekend to a Hearts at Home conference in Rochester, MN. Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Conferences are held twice a year, one in Peoria and one in Rochester. This is the third one I have been to since becoming a mom. I always come home refreshed and equiped to be a better mom and wife. This year several good friends from the area attended, along with my friends Jamie Steele from Dubuque and Julie Werling from Indianola. Jamie and Julie used to live in the area, but have both moved away in the last few years. It was so much fun to hangout with them and catch up on life. The hotel and shopping time on Friday were just as theraputic (if not more) than the mommy sessions I attended on Saturday. I attended 4 encouraging sessions titled Worn Out Mom, Love for a Lifetime (marriage), Surviving Motherhood without losing your cool!, and A Mother's Touch. I came home with lots of practical advice and new ideas to incorporate into our life. My kids have been telling me that I am so much nicer today. They said, "We're glad you went to a mommy conference, because now you are nicer." (We'll see how long that lasts!!)

This is the crew.

We got to eat several meals WITHOUT sharing our plates!

Christian comedian-Ken Davis-was a guest. This is a picture of him pointing to his mom in the crowd.

I even caught Julie, Jamie, and Mindy laughing!!!

The is me, Julie, and Jamie. Julie is a mom of 4 kids ages 7,6,5,4. She is a great encouragement to me. Jamie is a mom of 2 ages 4,2. She is also currently hosting two high school foreign exchange students in her home. She has an awesome heart for serving the Lord and others.

Here are a few encouraging tips that I am holding close to me...

1)If you were a perfect parent, it would eliminate the childs need for God.
2)Ask yourself,"Will this matter in 15 years?" If so, then fight for it. If no, then let it Go.
3) Ask God everyday,"Restore Me, Lord."
4) Practice joy and choose it daily. Be intentional and delightful.
5) Throw out the tape recorder of default negative messages that plays over and over in your head. Satan wants you to believe that you are a bad mom.
6) Listen as much as you speak.
7) A good marriage is not so much about marrying the right person as it is about becoming the right person.
8)Keep life simple and Biblical.
9) Incorporate a devotional/dessert night once a week for your family.
10) Kiss your hubby for 20 sec. a day and hug your kids 12 times a day (that's 48 hugs for me to give out in a day to my kids)!!!

If you'd like to check out more info. on this ministry see the website.
www.hearts-at-home.org

Not Much...

This has been a very low key week at our house. We had a park play date and bike rides outside at the beginning of the week. The sunshine has been so nice! We are ending the week by baking bread and jumping on the couch cushions inside because of the chillier weather. Josh and I had parent teacher conferences for Caden and Macy this week. No big surprises! Caden is doing well in reading, and Macy is doing well with writing. Julia has been working on potty-training. She has pretty much potty-trained herself in one week. What a blessing! Our diaper usage has been cut in half this week! Josh has picked up his guitar this week for the first time since last Christmas. The tunes have come back to him pretty quickly. Right now he is playing "Glory, Glory Hallelujah...". I bet you didn't know that he was so talented...maybe he'll be in the Orchard Hill worship band before you know it!! We are glad to have the Presidential Election over with. Eventhough the candidate we voted for did not get elected, we are confident that God is ultimately in control of our country.

Have a good weekend!

Happy Halloween

We carved one of our giant pumpkins last night. Noelle got a handful of seeds into her mouth!

Little Legs

Noelle has started to push the walker around. At first she wanted to push it with one hand and have her other hand on me, but she is slowly getting more confidence. She pushed it all around the table this morning and then erupted into a pile of tears -- I think her little legs got tired!

Biblical Perspective for the Election

Psalm 33

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Halloween Fun

The neighbors hosted a Halloween party today. I am sad that Julia is not in this picture. Julia and her Dad went to Bloomfield for Josh to bow hunt and Julia to hangout with her Grandparents. It was great weather today for 30 kids to be running wild outside in their costumes!

This is Macy and her friend decorating pumpkins.

And this is the scramble for candy when the pinata was broken! Caden didn't end up with very much in his sack (too bad!).

...or the mirror

The chair (see previous post) or the mirror are the top baby toys this week!

New Trick

Every chance she gets...this is wear she goes!

Update: Challenges for the Heart

Meatloaf and squash tasted so good at lunch today! I think Josh said "Mmmm" like 8 times! We took a heart challenge this week from our church and lived on a diet of rice and beans in an attempt to connect our hearts with the hungry people of the world. We went to bed hungry and woke up early hungry. We were never full or satisfied by food. We ate our meals only to cure the hunger pain but not for enjoyment or for it to be filling. On Wednesday, I ate only rice because the thought of another bean in my mouth made me gag. On Thursday, Josh said "I need some meat!". Thursday was a hard day. I broke down and added chicken and some garden vegetables to the rice and beans at supper and on Friday we cheated by adding some beef.

Amazing...really amazing how the people in Africa and Haiti live on such little food. We realized how mal-nurished their bodies have to be, how many choices we have for food and flavors, and how much time and energy we put into preparing food and enjoying it. Pray for the people of Haiti right now as they are suffering from a recent hurricane. There was a report given in church today from a missionary serving in Haiti that rice and beans is now a "treat" to the people, because of the hurricane damage. It is hard to go back to our regular eating habits, but it is also a good reminder to be thankful of how God meets our needs on a daily basis- whether that be a need for food or for something else-- we rarely have unmet needs!! Our kids rarely have unmet needs!! America is such a great place with opportunities and good soil and weather permittable for growing healthy food. God is faithful to those who chose to trust in Him. I encourage you to put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and to pray for those in the world who have unmet needs and who could also have their hunger satisfied with His Love. Thanks for reading :)

Weekend

We went to a Fall Fest party. We had a hayride, roasted marshmellows, and got to hang out with Reinbeck friends. It was a chilly evening, but the kids didn't even notice!

My friend Jamie from Dubuque came to Waterloo on Saturday. We met at Panera Bread. It was good to see her smiling face!

Caden wanted some Mommy time, so he joined us. He likes to hangout with me when I'm not taking care of a baby.