2012...Babysteps

A whole new year...wow, where does the time go? As with most people, I've found myself pondering the things in my life that I would like to change. How is that I can be a better "me" in 2012? I couldn't find just one answer, there are so many aspects of myself that need improvement. So, although my desire to change is strong, I realize that if I am too hard on myself, I'll never get my feet off the ground to head in the direction of change. Baby steps...like my little Sarah has done over the past couple of months. She started with just getting her balance while still holding on, then she would let go and maintain that balance. Once mastered she would try taking one little step forward to see what would happen next. Then, she worked up to multiple steps and before she knew it her confidence was soaring and she was running. She certainly had her bumps along the way, some bruises from missteps and a soar bum from landing so hard...but all in all she never gave up. That's how I want to be...like my little 16 month daughter. What an inspiration she is!

Merry Christmas!

Really??

She crawls quickly and quietly. She can stand and pull herself up and over almost anything. She can charm anyone she smiles at, and now, apparently, she can climb stairs. Who knew that could happen before walking and running? Makes we wonder what other little tricks sha has been hiding from us.

Happy First Birthday Sarah!

One year ago today, our sweet little Sarah came into this world so fast that if it weren't for the fact that it was labor we would have wondered where she came from. One moment I was pregnant, in pain, and uncomfortable beyond words, and the next I was holding my precious little girl. Nothing compares to the first time you look into those beautiful little eyes and say "Hello my sweet baby, it's so nice to finally meet you!" Now, here we are and I'm caught up again in the speed of things. No physical pain this time, unless you count my heart. For the first time, I'm sad that my little one is growing up. Where did the time go? I can't quite put my finger on why this birthday is so bittersweet for me. Sarah is growing up so fast and hitting milestones like she knew what she was doing the whole time. She is weaning herself and nurses only 2-4 times a day now, and will only eat food she can stuff into her little mouth...no more baby food. She wants to be right in the thick of the chaos and craziness that is the Ouellette household, and even though she gets stepped on, knocked over, and overlooked, she is loved so intensely by every single person in this house. Nothing compares to the love her older sister has for her. That's why Bekah is in the picture, she wants to do everything Sarah does and go everywhere Sarah goes...you know, just the girls. It's awesome!

Happy Birthday my little one. We look forward to more smiles, laughter, and joy you have brought to our family. We love you!

Twin Time

It's pretty tough to tell them apart even when they aren't dressed alike, so don't worry. Caleb is on the left and Elijah is on the right. They have slightly different smiles, and their eyes both sparkle differently. Caleb often wears his hat crooked and low, while Eli will wear it crooked but high. It's in the details. And being their mom who sees them every single day, I tend to pick up on it without even noticing. I don't dress them exactly the same often. As a matter of fact, I tend to dress them similarly, but not the same. So, if one is wearing a green striped shirt the other one will be wearing the same thing, but in blue. They know which clothes are theirs based on the color...Elijah will wear anything with green in it and Caleb will wear anything with blue. If there isn't a green item and only a blue item, then Eli takes whatever isn't blue. It's very funny how they know their colors.

For this particular day, it was requested that they be dressed the same. Brittany and her boyfriend Dan asked to take the twins out to Charmingfare Farm for the day. So, I chose red so they'd be easy to spot. They wore these shirts for the 4th of July, so I figured I'd get some more use out of them.

The boys were thrilled to be going not only to the farm, but to be going there with Brittany. They have known her since they were 4 months old, and pretty much consider her a part of our family. They LOVE her, and get very excited when they know she is coming over. In addition, they were getting the chance to ride in her truck...a very big deal!

The twins recognize a lot of animals, and love to make the noises they know. But they tend to enjoy them better from a distance. Their curiosity gets the better of them, and they will slowly make their way closer, but I think they are each waiting for the other one to "go first". Sometimes Caleb is the brave one, and other times it's Eli. I never know which one will be the one to do it first, but generally if you can get one to do it, the other one will follow.

Not the case here. Brittany couldn't get either one of them to touch the baby groundhog. You can tell they really wanted to...each picture shows them getting closer and closer, but neither one of them could muster the courage to do it. Finally they decided it was time to move on.

And that brings them right to snack time. Eli is such a clown, Caleb being much more reserved. They switch rolls...often. It's hard to keep up. If you had one pegged as the outgoing and the other one as the more reserved...chances are pretty good they've switched rolls by the time you see them again.

After snack time, they were walking up the path when Dan spotted a very tiny, itty-bitty, brown frog. (At least I think it was Dan, I'm trying to remember everything Brit told me!) In any case, Dan caught it to show the boys. Eli was apparently very interested in the little frog and even dared to hold it in his hand for sometime. He tried to convince his brother that it was okay to hold it, but Caleb wasn't buying it this time and wanted nothing to do with touching the frog. You can see how very tiny it was, as it looks like a little blotch in the middle of his hand.

I didn't hear any stories about this play set area, but seeing the pictures tell me the boys enjoyed themselves. This was their first adventure out without any of their siblings OR mom and dad. So, I'm sure they loved the freedom that came with being the "only ones" to do everything. No getting pushed around, or waiting. For them, having the twin their to wait for isn't the same thing as having another sibling. So, they could figure things out themselves and help each other without a well-meaning, but overbearing sibling doing it for them.

THE tractor ride. It's all my kids have talked about since they went on it last year. This is our third year for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at Charmingfare Farm and last year they gave the kids free tractor rides. Naturally, it's all the kids ask about every Wednesday when we go to pick up our veggies. They haven't done it yet this year, and I think it's because it's been too hot. Anyway, part of the admission to the farm covers the tractor ride. Caleb was less than thrilled about riding on the tractor and had to sit with Brit for a bit to settle into it.

Eli on the other hand...no problem. Bring it on. He was all about sitting on the seat like a "big boy" all by himself. Eventually, Caleb decided it would be okay to sit with his brother, but you can see that he still wasn't all that comfortable with it. I believe he eventually warmed up to it and was fine, but that's usually how Caleb operates.

They left our house around 10:30am and didn't return until 3pm. As you can see they had such a good time, they fell asleep within moments of leaving the farm.

We can't thank Brit and Dan enough for taking the time to make this memory with the twins. It was so great for them to have special time without their other siblings around. But, it was also nice for us to have several hours of only four kids to take care of. The twins were numbers four and five for us, so we've never had just 4 kids...it was very quiet! :)

Happy 6th Birthday Joshua!

Oddly enough, today was Joshua's actual due date. Yes, he came two weeks early, with a bang! A 4th of July baby is very exciting and we continue to tell him that the fireworks are for him every year on his birthday. However, the downfall to a big holiday birthday is the party planning. It is very difficult to find a time to have a party when everyone has holiday plans. Fortunately, Mike's cousin throws a 4th of July party every year up at their cottage on lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford, NH. The funny thing is that Joshua thinks the party is for him! So, for the past two years, we've brought cake and he is able to celebrate his birthday with Mike's side of the family at the lake. He LOVES it and thinks it's just about the most special thing he could do for his birthday. He's already making plans and talking about next years event.

Then, to celebrate with my side of the family, and some of his friends, we have a second party. This one wasn't planned as well, (all my fault), so none of his friends were able to make it. But he had the rest of his cousins there, (Ian and Emma were at the lake) and it ended up being a beautiful day. The kids has a blast running around outside getting absolutely filthy covered in bubbles, watermelon and cake! It's so much fun to be 6 years old!

So, Happy Birthday little man! It's been a great six years and we look forward to watching you grow and mature into a seven year old! We love you!

I know, I know...

Okay, so I was planning on blogging at least once a day, then decided that I would do it once a week. Then I decided I would blog when something fun and interesting happened. Needless to say, here we are and no updates. It's not like we've been sitting around twiddling our thumbs. I have many adventures to share...but it seems that finding the time after the adventure to document these things has been pretty tough to find.

No worries, I will be sure to catch up on things such as Joshua's 6th birthday, our trip to the lake, a trip to the playground (including kite flying) and another birthday party for Joshua that we had here. Until then...

Fire Dept. Field Trip

We took a field trip to the Manchester Fire Dept. on Merrimack Street this past Wednesday. By we I mean Mike, Brittany and myself. I couldn't have done it alone. The boys get far too excited and overstimulated by these huge trucks and all the blinking lights and noises.

Last year, I (with Brittany) happened to stop at a station out of the blue asking if it would be alright to show my (at the time only 5) kids around. I explained that I have one with Asperger and one with many other issues related to sensory and anxiety and wanted to have them see up close and personal what firemen and firetrucks are all about. Those men were so welcoming and so great with the kids that when it was time to leave they told the kids that they could come back anytime. Well, in the world of Aspie's that means...tomorrow or the next day! So, for the last year, every time we've driven past a fire station the kids have begged for me to stop so we can visit again.

Fast forward to Wednesday. I didn't tell the kids about it until the last moment and even then it was difficult for them to contain themselves. Especially since we struck out twice. The first station we went too didn't have any trucks available, and the second station we went to had it's doors all locked. So that left us trying the "big" station. Immediately the kids were in awe at the sheer size of this station. It had not one big truck or even two big trucks but several big trucks to choose from.

Before I brought the kids in, I went inside to find one of the firemen and asked if it would be a good time to bring my 6 kids in to see the trucks and the men. He said it wasn't a problem and they would love to show the kids around. As I was returning with the kids to the station, they were pulling out one of the water trucks and unrolling a hose. They greeted the kids, introduced themselves and went about lifting kids up into the truck and letting them "drive" the big rig. Then one of the men volunteered to go through the steps of putting all of his gear on...right down to actually turning his oxygen on...so they could hear what his voice would sound like with all the additional noises and what his face would look like with the mask on. Mind you, it was kind of hot on Wednesday, but he didn't complain once about doing it. He took the time to make sure they were comfortable and could ask questions. This was great for Josh who was very concerned about the noises. He stood by me the whole time, very rigid but ready to bolt if he got scared. He stuttered through his questions, but managed to ask the fireman why he needed to do all of that, and what all of the tubes for. (They do look kind of scary from a kids point of view) He answered the questions through the mask so that Josh could hear it and hopefully get comfortable with the sound.

Then the fun really began...they "played" with the hose. They put it on the lowest pressure and all five kids got the chance to turn the water on and squirt the water everywhere. After they all had their chance, the men put the pressure up and showed them the true force of the water and how it takes more than one man to control it. Naturally, everyone got wet...and why not? Where's the fun in staying dry on a really warm day when your playing with water. Even Sarah got "rained" on sitting in her stroller watching everyone run around having a great time.

We stayed for about an hour and the firemen were so patient with the kids. Again, they told them they could come back anytime, but this time it was Josh who said, "so, we can come back tomorrow and the next day?" They told him that whenever we were in the area, to stop in again and make sure they bring their fire hats.

We hope to go back again in August and this time the kids want to climb all over the ladder truck too. Thank you to the Manchester Fire Dept. for taking time out of your busy days to educate, and play with my kids.

Johnny the Fish

We have a new addition to our family...no not Brit, although we'd love it if she could move in! :) Nope, I'm talking about the little bright red beta swimming around in the tank behind Brit.

His name, (finally...it only took all night for Josh to choose a name) is Johnny the Fish and he is Joshua's birthday present from Brit. Josh will be 6 years old on July 4th and she thought a fish would be the perfect gift for our on-the-go guy. It is! He even said a prayer for his fish tonight as he went to bed. He is very concerned that Johnny didn't eat his fishy supper this evening, so I'm sure first thing in the morning we will be taking care of dear Johnny's needs before anyone else.

Why a week early? Well, we are going to a family party this coming weekend and were afraid that Josh would be more upset leaving his newly acquired fish if he received it the day before we go away. Now, he'll have a whole week with him and hopefully, we won't have any problems with Josh being overly concerned about the welfare of his fish.

Thanks Brit. Joshua was truly surprised and so excited to take care of his new little friend!

I'm A Big Kid Now!

Our Rebekah has achieved another milestone. She is very excited because for the past 7 nights she has kept her diaper dry through the night. So, tonight she gets to wear her panties to bed.

Potty training, in this house, has been one of the biggest hurdles for every one of the kids. As a matter of fact, if I had to choose only one thing about parenting that I detest more than anything, it would have to be potty training. Out of the three that have been or are going through the process of training...Rebekah was probably the easiest, but it was definitely a case of her deciding it was time to use the potty, not me. I have read, and tried almost every trick, and taken every ones advice, using the most outrageous ideas only to have them fail miserably. I do think it is a matter of the child themselves being ready, not only physically but mentally AND emotionally.

Take Joshua for instance: tonight is the very first time he has successfully pooped on the potty. He will be 6 years old in a week. He has, just within this last week, finally potty trained at home throughout the day for pee, but poop has been a struggle for a very long time. It would be very exciting to have 3 of the 6 out of diapers...and the twins are showing some interest too. Yippeee!

What's In A Name?

Hubby and I were chatting, and have come to the conclusion that neither one of us feel that the title of our blog really suites our family anymore. We most definitely have Celiac, and it does affect our lives every single day, but it's not as life altering as it once was. Eating gluten free is like breathing...we don't even think twice about it. Don't get me wrong, we have our moments, (especially when we leave the comfort of our home), when we wish we could just be free of our dietary constraints. For the most part though, we've learned how to cope in those moments and move on. We have a lot more resources at our finger tips than we did five years ago when we started on this journey. Besides, we've come to a place in our diet where even if we were told we could go back to eating gluten, we wouldn't. Simply because we've found that most of the gluten foods really aren't that great for us to begin with!

So, for those of you who know us well enough...we are looking for suggestions. :) We'd like to continue our journey, it's just taking a new direction.

This Is What 5 Minutes in the Bathroom Can Lead To...

Yes, it's a heck of way to get back into bloggin', but I think it shows you the reason why I simply haven't had the time. My 6 little monkeys keep me more than busy. And they are always finding new ways to surprise me.

Take a guess at which two little troublemakers decided to take a black sharpie to the computer desk, floor, and carpet...

Any suggestions on how to remove permanent black ink?

Coming Soon...

...all new posts with pix and stories of wild adventures in the lives of the Ouellette family. Stay tuned...

Our Beautiful Girl

Sarah Noelle Ouellette was born on Tuesday August 31st at 4:13 am. She came in a hurry as labor and delivery only took about an hour! Weighing in at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 20 inches long she is our biggest baby! We are so thrilled that she has finally arrived. Her siblings are madly in love with her as are her parents. We feel like our family is now complete!

Our Joshua

Our little guy Joshua. We should have known from the moment we placed him in his car seat to take him home from the hospital that Joshua would be the one to confound us. Between the ear piercing screams coming from the tiny purple faced baby, and the nurse saying to us, "Oh, your going to have fun with that one!", our fate was sealed.

Joshua is the fuel to every ones fire in the house. He is the one who will disturb a perfectly quiet, content room of his siblings and turn it into mass chaos. He is the one who has the ability to make the most annoying sound in the whole world even more annoying simply by adding it to the general level of noise that is already a part of a household with 5 kiddos in it. (If you've ever seen Dumb and Dumber...the sound is more annoying than that!) Yet, he is the most empathic, endearing, loving, snuggling child in the house. He is sociable with anyone he comes in contact with, and is more than willing to introduce himself...and the rest of us...to everyone he meets.

Over the past couple of years Joshua has been seen by therapists for speech and developmental delay with a vast array of sensory issues. We've seen great improvements in his areas of speech and since last summer's PT sessions started have seen him improve strength wise as well. (Through a physical therapy assessment it was discovered that he has full body hypotonia with lucidity in all his joints with unknown cause) However, we still see signs of other issues that none of the therapists or his pediatrician can pinpoint the cause for.

So, last Tuesday we went up to Dartmouth Hitchcock CHAD in Lebanon, NH. WOW! That place is amazing...and huge. I think it might be bigger than the Mall of NH!! In any case we met with Dr. Mott who is a Neuro Developmental Pediatrician. After an hour and forty-five minutes of discussion and observation he came to the same conclusions. There is definitely something going on with Joshua but it's too varied to come up with a definitive diagnosis...yet. The doctor is bound and determined to get to the bottom of it. What a relief it was to us. Why? Well, to have someone else see what we were talking about and trying to deal with, removed the fear that we were doing something wrong. Joshua doesn't fit into any kind of category for a diagnosis. The doctor said that at this point he won't rule anything out. The following are all a possibility: Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a metabolic disorder, and mild Ataxic Cerebral Palsy.

Ya, I know...that last one through us for a loop too. But, with my prenatal and delivery history with Joshua, as well as some of his respiratory issues before the age of 2...there is a possibility that he had a lack of oxygen to his cerebellum at some point that would lead to this. AND this form is usually diagnosed around this age due to the mild and rare form of this disorder.

In any case...we are in the midst of getting all of our ducks in a row. We are keeping a sleep log for the month of June, and we have to get him in for his 5 yr. checkup, (which isn't until August 3rd) to have a full blood work panel done. We have set up a full speech evaluation as well as a new sensory profile. He is scheduled to meet with a psychologist in September for a 2 hour behavioral assessment and then he will see Dr. Mott again to reassess. My prenatal and delivery records for Joshua also need to be sent to the doctor for review to see if there was any cause for a lack of oxygen. We will most likely have to do a full hearing and vision screening as well as a sleep study to rule out or include a few other pieces to this puzzle. In the meantime, we are just trying to maintain where we are at with PT, and Hippo therapy in the hopes that we don't have any further regression. Our hands are tied with insurance limitations so we are (again) beginning the yearly process of applying for as many grants as we are eligible for to help pick up where insurance leaves off. We pray that whatever the answer is we will have the grace and resources to handle it. We went through this with Ethan when we were expecting Rebekah and again when we were expecting the twins. Now, with Sarah due in a couple of months, we are repeating the process...but this time it's with Joshua.

Isn't He Cute?

We knew it was inevitable. We just didn't know when. At his yearly eye exam it was determined that because his eyesight did indeed get worse, (R- 20/25, L- 20/40) and he was having difficulty with his left eye straying with fatigue he should have glasses. We had noticed the difficulties he was having with reading and math and could tell that he couldn't keep the letters and numbers together where they belonged when he would do his schoolwork. It was a real struggle for him and he would get incredibly frustrated. Of course, we officially finished 1st grade last week...and he got his glasses yesterday! Figures. At least he'll have them when he takes his CAT next week as well has for his summer reading and math programs we have set up for him over the next several weeks.
He is soooo very excited over his new accessory and because we've told him how cute and adorable he is, don't be surprised when he sees you if he tells you just how cute and adorable he is! :)

Too Hot

We don't have AC in the house, so after a round of coconut milkshakes and a popsicle for Ethan, (he doesn't like milk shakes of ANY kind) it was time for shirtless TV viewing! It kept them from running around and getting overheated!

One Day Surgery for an Aspie

Ethan had surgery today to remove an cyst from his left pinkie finger. We had it looked at in June of 2009, and the doctor told us that unless it gets bigger or becomes an issue for him, to just leave it for now. Well, both of those things happened. Not only did it get bigger, but he began to "play" with it. I would find him chewing on it, squeezing it, and once time saw him poking a pencil into it! His pain tolerance is something to behold. This is the kid who has been known to run around playing quite intensely with a 105 F temperature, yet be bedridden when it barely hits 99 F. He has fallen down the steps and received quite an egg on his head and never stopped as he was on his way to play outside, yet is unable to sit up at the table to eat his meal with a cut on his toe.

Having a child with Asperger has taught us many things. One of those things would be to always expect the unexpected. I guess you could say that about most seven year olds, but with Ethan it is never the same way twice. He generally handles things better than most kids, I think. For the past three weeks, he has known about this surgery and has asked a bizillion questions all which usually ended with "I just can't wait to get this little ball out of my finger and get a lime Popsicle!" He has had three other procedures: two endoscopy's and an adenoidectomy. So, he isn't a stranger to the hospital, IV's, flavored masks and johnnies! He has never had any trepidation about the event, and afterwards wakes up happy and fairly alert!

That was until Tuesday...the day before his surgery. He woke up having wet his pants for the second night in a row, (he's been pull-up free for about a month now) and not feeling well. He refused to eat his favorite breakfast, and ended up running into the bathroom to vomit. After checking him for a fever, not finding one, and realizing that he hadn't had a bowel movement since Saturday night, I assumed he was constipated and made him sit on the potty to try to go...yet again. (Our days consist of reminding him to sit for 5 min. after each meal every day in the hopes of getting his body to fully empty itself within a 24 hour period. Autistic children are known for withholding their bowels for several days, even though the stools aren't difficult to pass...ya, ya, ya too much info!)

After I got everyone else dressed, I began to ask Ethan if he was looking forward to the next day since he'd been asking every day for the past three weeks when it was coming. He told me he didn't want to talk about it. Hmmmm....so I asked him if he was excited about it hoping that a positive question would help make him talk easier, and he answered "ya". Okay, so I put a call into his old OT and his pediatrician. After talking with both of them we concluded that he was having high anxiety about the upcoming event, and this was the result. I tried making some chamomile tea for him, and doing some visual discussions...all failing miserably. He vomited again, and so I called his pedi back. She said unless he developed a fever there was no reason to cancel the surgery unless he vomited again after 3pm...then we'd be concerned about dehydration. Sooo, I started a new strategy. I planted his butt on the couch in the living room and for the next three hours, gave him coconut water. We started the first hour with 1 Tbsp, the 2nd hour with 2 Tbsp, and finally the 3rd hour with 3 Tbsp...all of this every 5 minutes! (Thank goodness for DVD's!) It worked! Not only did he keep it down, but he perked right up, and even had a bowel movement! During dinner time, he wrote up a list of questions he had for the doctor. His handwriting is very legible and his spelling is pretty good, (pat on the back to mommy and Ethan) and we packed it up in my purse to bring with us the next day. His questions were: Will Ineed stitches? Will they (the stitches) be red? Will I get a popsicle? Will it (the finger) hurt? Will it take 15 minutes? Will my parents be here?

After that he ate three pieces of toast, and was ready for the next day.

Which brings us to this morning...and the other extreme of Ethan. We call it "the high". At precisely 5:25am...5 minutes before my alarm clock was supposed to go off...Ethan excitedly came into my room and said, "Good Morning Mommy...today is the day! I'm soooo excited to go in for my surgery today and have this ball removed from finger. And then I will get a lime popsicle. And then we will come home and I will do my school work, and eat lots of food because I am hungry. Can I have something to eat? Do I need to take my shower right now? Do I wear my pajamas to the hospital, and can I bring my kitty and blanky with me?" Mind you, he said all of this in about 45 seconds, and then skipped off to tell his siblings that today was the day!

So, we got everything ready and since we had our incredibly AWESOME Child Wrangler, Brittany, spend the night to be there first thing, we were able to focus better on getting everything done and out the door for 6:45am!! He had to be checked in at 7:15am with his surgery scheduled at 8:15am! First thing, he gave the nurse his list of questions. She was awesome and answered every one of them truthfully...even the pain part. They were amazed at how well he did, and the only time he showed a little apprehension was in the operatory with Dad when he had to put the mask on his face to "go to sleep". He had kitty and blanky with him, and liked the strawberry smell he had picked for the mask, but I think when it came right down to it, going to sleep and not "knowing" what was going to happen next made him nervous. Fortunately, he also choose the "fast" vs. the "slow" way of going to sleep. Basically, two deep breaths and he was down for the count. The slow way would have involved more breathing and awareness of what was going to happen next, which would have aided his apprehension. He sure is one smart little cookie...either that or he just likes to live on the edge!

In any case, he came out of there doing quite well. I haven't taken a picture of his hand yet, but due to the stitches, it needs to remained well wrapped for the next 10-14 days until they remove the stitches. He's not happy that he can't see the stitches, but thinks his hand looks pretty cool! He was very proud of himself, and other than waking up feeling a little dizzy, was very happy to have his lime popsicle, and gluten free buttered toast waiting for him upon waking.

We love that little guy sooo much. He never ceases to amaze us! Now we can relax knowing that this ordeal is behind us. We can only imagine when the next one will be!

As Seen For The First Time...

...our little girl, Sarah. The picture on the lower left is of her attempting to suck all of her fingers at once, and the one on the far right is a side shot. She wouldn't hold still very well, and due to the fact that at this stage of gestation they don't have any fat on them yet...they look different. The top picture is my favorite though because if you look closely you can see her playing with her chin. She kept stroking her chin with her fingers and at one point turned her head toward the ultrasound wand and wiggled her fingers as if to say hi! It was so cool! Already, she is beautiful and we can't wait to meet her face to face!

My due date is August 3oth, but hopefully as with my other singletons, I'll go about 2 weeks early! I'm at 19 weeks now, and am not looking forward to going through the summer chasing after 5 very active little monkeys while carrying one active little monkey under my heart. If the rate of speed at which the first half of this pregnancy has gone by is any indication of the how the second half will go, we will have her in our arms in no time!!

Easter Egg Decorating

For our family, Easter is a time to reflect on what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross. This week being Holy Week, we've spent a lot of time discussing, (sometimes in depth with Ethan and Josh who asked very mature questions) The Last Supper, Good Friday, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. It amazes me how easy it has been for the kids to talk about all of this when Mike and I sometimes have difficulty wrapping our minds around it.

Mike and I decided a couple of years ago that Easter would always remain a religious celebration for our family. However, we would still keep the kids involved in some of the other Easter traditions...like decorating eggs. They LOVE to hunt for the eggs they've decorated on Sunday morning after diving into the Easter basket that is left for them on the table. We only do one basket, and the kids each get one large chocolate, (Swan chocolate is gluten free and incredibly tasty, so we this year we bought one large chocolate cross, three chocolate bunnies, two chocolate lambs on sticks, and three different filled eggs...raspberry, coconut and marshmallow) we also include a Veggie Tales video and some other religious gift. This year they are getting a children's Catholic Picture Bible, and a Catholic Bible of Saints book.

So, I had my Child Wranglers come over after school yesterday, and together with Jaime and Josie we decorated eggs. It was a blast!


Bekah loved picking colors for her eggs, and letting Nicole add some finishing touches. Her hands were also covered in the same colors of her eggs! :)


Ethan was pretty much Mr. Independent with his eggs this year. He was very intent on how long each egg stayed in the dye so as to achieve the perfect color. However, he was more than happy to have help from Brittany!


The twins were less than thrilled with their position...far, far away from the pretty colors and bite-sized stickers...but they enjoyed a bag of veggie bootie and had fun making faces at us.


Joshua loved every minute of his 12 minute egg decorating! Seriously, the kid had a very difficult time waiting on the egg to "hurry up and get colored", so he could move on to the next egg. Due to his impatience, two of his eggs did not make it as far as the dyes. But he was thrilled with the outcome of what he had accomplished declaring himself "The Winner of Egg Decorating"!


This was Miss. Josie's first year decorating eggs, and in typical girl fashion she was very particular about color and style! She enjoyed "tossing" her eggs into the dye containers, to the point that Jaime got splashed in the eye with pink vinegar. Josie was very upset when the decorating came to end, but very proud of her eggs.