Chirps from the Tree~ February

Outside the Nest...

This week our "nest" has been relocated to the Livable Forest which is a great place for a "nest" to be. It is sunny, about 60 degrees, lovely if you ask me. 

I am thankful for...

my parents & brothers. We are blessed by great relationships with each of them, they love & serve us by their hospitality & kindness, they make us laugh & they seem to not get sick of us.

I am thinking about...
how to correct back talk from little mouths.  A friend recently texted me for my advice on handling the same common offense & I laughed (at my feeling so inadequate to give advice) & said I am asking friends the same question. We have been trying to turn the girls back to what God says about the way they should interact with us referencing the verse "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord God is giving you" Exodus 20:11-13 It has been helpful to ask, "did what you say honor mommy or dishonor mommy?" Even Eloise at two and a half can evaluate what she said & place in one of the categories. When we address not doing what God asks when choosing to dishonor mommy or daddy, we talk about how that dishonors God also. My friend said a verse they are working on with their children is "Let the words of my mouth & the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord." Psalm 19:14. That is an excellent verse for me as the mama to run my thoughts & words by as I interact with others during the day. It is still hard for me at times to explain the gospel in the midst of these common occurrences but so necessary to apply over & over & over as we raise our children to know & understand God's love for them.

Another piece of this I have been thinking about is the fact that my children at this point in their life have not made the decision to follow Christ. With this in mind, what should I require or expect of them? I came across this article which provided great insight.... Why Require Unregenerate Children to Act Like They're Good?

a bit of takeaway from the article on ways to lead them to to Jesus...

• Let there be much spontaneous celebration verbally of every hopeful sign of life and goodness in our children.
• Let us forgive them often and be longsuffering.
• Let us serve them and not use them.
• Let us lavish them with joyful participation in their interests.
• Let us model for them the joy of knowing and submitting to the Lord Jesus.
• Let us apologize often when we fall short of our own Father’s requirements.
• Let us pray for them without ceasing.
• Let us saturate them with the word of God from the moment they are in the womb (the uterus is not sound proof).
• Let us involve them in happy ministry experiences and show them it is more blessed to give than to receive.
• Let them see us sing to the King.
• Let us teach them relentlessly the meaning of the gospel in the hope that God will open their eyes and make them alive. It happens through the gospel (1 Peter 1:22–25).

In the schoolroom...

we started on our new reading curriculum & Charlotte really took to it well. She is excited to work on it each afternoon while the three other kiddos are snoozing. Her favorite portion is matching pictures together of words that rhyme & filling in the blank when I am reading a book to her that has rhyming words. Sadly, I was in a major hurry packing up to leave & didn't bring it with us so we will pick back up upon our arrival home. We spent a portion of last Friday with the wife & kids of one of Rob's co-workers who does CC in Dallas. She shared some oh her Kindergarten math & reading curriculum that got me excited to make some plans for next year. I really need to find some productive things for Eloise to do while I need to focus on Charlotte. She is slightly destructive/distracting which is probably the biggest challenge in the homeschooling realm right now.  I have a feeling that by the time Eloise is capable of not being destructive, I will have destruction times TWO ; ) 

From the kitchen...

home cooked meals by my mom are always enjoyed when staying in her home. This morning it was biscuits that just about melted in our mouths. It is helpful to have another mama to tag team with while doing meal prep for the kids as it decreases the screaming by leaps & bounds. I will be honest in saying that returning home & getting back into the swing of things in being the main chef is a little difficult. I am feeling the need to branch out & try a few new easy dishes. Any suggestions?

Mommy by day, nurse by night...

due to our trip, I didn't work too many shifts this month but was able to attend a class the week we were leaving. I love the nursing field because there is always something to learn more about or some refreshing to be done. This class was about position changes in labor to help labor progress & in turn decrease our primary cesarean rate which I (along with many others) are ALL about! We were also filled in on what is being taught in community birthing classes so we can be more in sync with what patients are coming in expecting. We had some good laughs as us labor nurses took turns on a birthing ball while sticking our hand in a bag of ice to simulate contractions while another nurse coached us through breathing. It helped to have some tunes to jam out to while bouncing away but even with that, it was seriously painful!  Over all, our educators provided some fabulous reminders about how to do our job well & made me excited to get back to work once we return home.   

I am creating...

a "Just Married" banner for a childhood friend who is getting married this weekend. These cute banners are all over Pinterest! My original plan was to use my Silhouette Cameo to cut out paper letters but it pushed me over the edge the night before heading out of town when it would not work right. So, plan B was to go wonder around Hobby Lobby & see what came to mind. I ended up choosing burlap, sheets of sticky back felt, bias tape, pearls & adhesive spray. I attempted to print out the font I wanted to cut out & trace but I guess electronics were not on my side this week so ended up doing it the old fashioned way of my own writing (while looking at a font) on the backside of the felt in reverse, hand cutting & sticking it to the burlap.

I am working on...

plans for a mini buckaroo party for two little guys FIRST birthday this coming weekend, two blankies for the birthday boys & multiple other things surrounding the celebrating of Owen & Anson : ) 

Clicking around...

A few blogs I have frequented as of lately are:

jones design company- beautiful printables or prints to be ordered, ideas for home decor

Lil' Light O' Mine- written by a creative mama that lives in the Orlando area who seeks "to empower moms and change little lives through innovation in the home...for families to grow closer to Christ and for those around us to see the light of God." to take the words right off her blog : ) 

I am reading...

The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's example in reaching the hearts of our children

Curious George Goes to the Hospital- a favorite of two little girls 

I am praying for...

the Wallace family- Kate is the older sister of my friend Jocelyn & overlapped our time at Texas Tech for a year. Our kids are stair stepped & we enjoy keeping up via blog & email.  Her husband Dustin was in an accident that caused major damage to his pancreas a number of years ago & is undergoing a major surgery next Monday the 3rd to have his pancreas removed. 

the Dullmeyer Family- Jamie Rae is a precious little girl in Charlotte's CC class. Her family is made up of three biological kids, one adopted & one in the process of being adopted. Her parents are in China right now to bring home Jamie Rae's baby brother Jonah who is about 18 months old. Laurie, the mama has been such a big help with helping me juggle the twins on Thursday mornings at school along with offering plenty words of encouragement along the way.

Lisa & Euan- Lisa is that sweet childhood friend I made the Just Married banner for.  She & Euan are starting their life together as husband & wife this week which prompted the trip to Texas : ) Great reason to come!

I am hearing...

a bit more country since we have been in the great state of Texas for nearly two weeks! There is more coming our way as we head to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo next week. 

Something that has made me laugh...

how Eloise says "pods-tid-dal" for popsicle & "hods-tid-dal" for hospital

Around the house...

meaning my mom's house, it has provided extra fun/heart attacks with the wooden staircase & two speedy crawlers ; ) a fireplace which just makes me happy when lit & a cozy place to sleep every night where we play musical beds. 

One of my favorite things...

watching the girls make the boys laugh. I cannot get enough of all the giggles going on right now. It is frequently at mealtime when the girls start laughing or making funny sounds & the boys just get going with their cute little laughs. Lots of noise, lots of smiles.

Plans for the rest of the week...

Lisa & Euan's wedding, catching up with a couple friends, walks on the Kingwood trails, Rodeo & celebrating the Buckaroo's turning one!

Life via Instagram...

Southern Hospitality

Plans seem to always be changing for us so we are officially used to it now ; ) We were planning to head to Houston on the 22nd but a new project was underway with Rob's company & they needed him on site in DALLAS for the first week.  We decided that rather than send him away for a week to return late on Friday evening only to get back in a car with the family six hours later to drive all the way back to Texas that we should just add a week onto our adventure. It was decided only days before we were to leave & it was a bit crazy to wrap up life in Orlando, pack up a family of six & arrange for Bella girl to be cared for while we were away. Thanks to some kind friends, we had help one day with kids while I packed & another friend that loves Bella and agreed to move into our home while we were away. Before we knew it, we were packed & waking up to alarms at 3:30 am to hit the road. I hit the snooze button once since I had stayed up way too late preparing the house for Heather but I was energized once it went off the second time.  The only hiccup in the morning was when I went to put Eloise in the car & noticed a giant goose-egg on her forehead with a gash & a streak of dried blood down the side of her face. OH MY! We quickly remembered that she had crawled into our bed in the middle of the night (not unusual) & had managed to roll off the bed hitting the night stand on the way down. In my sleep I scooped her up, calmed her down & she fell back asleep. In Rob's sleep he dreamed that I took Eloise into the bathroom to examine her before putting her back in bed. All that to say, we loaded up & kept an eye on her. She is fine by the way even though it took more than a few days for the goose egg to resolve. 

Our drive went well. It was not as much fun as our drive the first time around (over Christmas) but we still survived without any major incidents. We stopped in Baton Rouge for the night, enjoyed a delicious meal (and adult beverages for mommy & daddy) at On the Border, watched some Olympics in our hotel room snuggled up with the big girls & got a good nights sleep. The next morning, we were up & at'em by 7am & I had a lovely time entertaining four kids in a hotel room while Rob packed the car. My goodness, that is the worst part of our time at hotels! We made it to Grandma Shirley's house around 3:30 & were excited that Aunt Sheila, Uncle Ron, my cousin Allison, her daughter Landry, Uncle Joe, Aunt Debbie & Aunt Sharon all decided to join us for dinner. Grandma Shirley made up for all those Thanksgiving's we have missed & made a delicious chicken & dressing with lots of sides. We had a wonderful time watching sweet Landry showing off her newly acquired walking skills & catching up with those we miss dearly while we are away. On Monday, Bob & Jeannine came over for the afternoon & stayed for dinner. It was beautiful weather most of the week so we played outside quite a bit. 

Tuesday we made the hour trek over to see the Boyer family near Ft. Worth. Levi was at school for part of the day but Joel was a great host & enjoyed lunch with the ladies. 

These two almost three year olds together make me melt....

Penny did lots of barking, gave out lots of kisses & even snuck a cracker off the baby's tray.  Philip & Jocelyn got her not long after we got our pups & she has provided just as much "excitement" for them as ours have for us ; )  The girls were so happy to have a puppy to chase!

Once little ones awoke from naps & Levi got home from school they all enjoyed snacks before gearing up in their scooter riding gear.

Look at these four scooter riding maniacs!

Our scooter trip to the park might have been the worst decision we made that day ; ) Jocelyn said it wasn't too far which is a true statement but in reality with two speedy scooter-ers & two new scooter-ers, too many cars, lots of yelling "STOP!! Turn around!"  it felt like an eternity between her house & the neighborhood park. Thankfully she brought her double BOB stroller for O&A to ride in because for the trip home it carried two babies, a two year old, a four year old, four scooters & four helmets with the other two kids walking alongside. WOW! We were beat when that trip was over! All said & done, our kids had a great time playing with each other which delighted us mommy's greatly. I wish this family lived around the corner from us : )

Wednesday was a day of recovery for four grumpy kids after out doing themselves the day prior. There were lots of tears & refusals of naps. Those are the days that exhaust me the most. Thankfully Grandma Shirley raised four children of her own & offered much encouragement & some hugs for all of us along the way. At one point all had been screaming then it was quiet & Anson started saying in his sweet little voice "mamamama." She looked at me & said, "doesn't that make it all worth it!" It's true, loving them day in & day out is worth it & I am pretty sure I will never be this "needed" again as I am in the little years. My friend Brooke & I met up in Richardson for the boys one year old photo shoot & tag teamed on capturing their cuteness. I think we succeeded! I enjoyed playing with her wide angle lens she has added to her collection since our family moved away. More of that shoot to come : ) We were spoiled with a night out for sushi with Brad & Brooke. It was absolutely wonderful with more laughing than I had done in awhile. It is such a gift to spend time with old friends.  Aunt Sharon & Grandma held down the fort with our crew & they were all fast asleep when we arrived home.

Thursday, we loaded up in the morning & made our way down to Grammy & Papa's house where we spent the entire day.  We would have likely stayed there all week but they are in the midst of multiple renovations due to a leak in their home. It was a work in progress & looking good! We were thankful they took the day off to play with us!

Papa & Anson, I think these two look alike!

Grammy & Owen with his little grin

Due to my "schedule" of pregnancy & birthing babies, we had not been to their home in just over two years so it was all new to the girls! They were beyond excited when Papa dumped a bag of sand onto the ground & gave them some shovels & buckets. They played & played & played while the boys snoozed & us adults chatted. We packed a lunch & went to Kidsville a nearby park that was built over 20 years ago. The Valentine family along with four to five thousand others helped build it which made it so special to have our four playing there. It was huge & the areas to climb on/walk through were big enough for me & Jeannine to join in on the fun. 

Look closely & you can see Grammy's name...

The boys love to swing...

although Owen was happier chewing on his swing than enjoying the motion...

My four enjoying "Kidsville"

The rest of our time was spent relaxing at home base with G.Gran. Honestly it took a full day for the kids to recover from the previous full day of fun so it was nice to have a place to get our "grumpies" out. G.Gran got some bubbles, a couple bubble wands & a bubble instrument that Char is playing the in next picture. It provided lots of fun for our little bunch.

My cousin Amy & her two, Aubrey & Luke spent most of Friday with us. It was like a daycare center with Pack n' Plays everywhere for nap time ha! They had a blast with each other & we enjoyed visiting. Again, it was a gorgeous day so we parked it in the back yard & let everyone run (or crawl) wild!

Beautiful Aubrey who is two and a half...

and handsome Luke with the Loftin blue eyes as our family says.....

All the vintage Little People enjoyed lots of attention this week & spent lots of time in Anson's mouth or being finger puppets on this girl.

Amy & GGran supervising the little guys.

And they needed supervision since Anson kept trying to put Luke in a headlock I mean really, where did he learn that move? Not Eloise, I'm sure of it ; )

Kelly kept dropping by for surprise visits throughout the week which was really fun. Friday was Aunt Sandy's birthday & she chose to join our clan for the evening. We decided on picking up some burgers from Flamin' Burger for dinner & they were delicious. I was thankful for all the helping hands which served many purposes such as bathing & dressing the babes in their jammers.

What is better than a clean baby you say? TWO clean babies! They are getting pretty heavy to hold one on each hip but Kelly managed to do it for a picture. Later that evening my Aunt Cindy & Mallory stopped by & we pretty much laughed for two hours straight. It was fabulous.

I was thinking it would be a quiet week since only a couple people knew we were coming...boy was I wrong! We were blessed by the visits & sad to run out of time. We were also blessed by the hospitality of my precious Grandmother that is more laid back about her house being taken over by four mini Valentine's than I am ; ) The week flew by & soon we were loaded up for a four hour trip to Houston that included a stop by Buc-ee's. If you don't know what that is....look it up. Makes us proud to be Texans.

All in a day's work

Work at work, work at home...they are both challenging & rewarding, never boring, sometimes sad & always refining. I spend my night "out on the town" (at least that's what I tell my patients) helping others enter the delightful world of mommyhood or increase their workload with each new addition. I spend the rest of the 156 hours in the week "working" in our little Nest.  

I truly enjoy both roles & see some similarities here & there such as: 

• Serving- the titles of nurse or wife/mommy has "serve others" written all over it. Often times the people you are serving may in fact be irrational (women in labor or two year olds) but are desperately in need of someone to come along side them & help make sense of the craziness. 
• Repetition- life at home is full of repeating the same tasks over & over, diapers, meals, diapers, snacks, diapers, baths, more snacks & a big blow out diaper to finish off a good day. Life at work is full of repeating the same tasks over & over. There are only two ways a baby can exit a woman's body & although combinations of complications run rampant at such a busy labor unit I still do the same thing over & over & over. I find some comfort in that...in both places.  
• Screaming- there is a lot of screaming in my house. Someone told me prior to having the twins "just realize that there might be someone crying all the time...and sometimes it might be you...and that's okay!" I've definitely experienced that over the past year. Similarly there is a lot of screaming on a Labor & Delivery Unit & for a darn good reason! The same advice holds true, "just realize that there might be someone crying all the time...and sometimes it might be you...and that's okay!" 
• Refining- I know God made me the way I am & led me to fulfill the role of nurse & mommy simultaneously for the time being.  At home, I am frequently challenged as I parent four little ones. God reminds me often of my imperfections & his perfection. At work, I am frequently challenged to love & serve patients that are different than me. I am reminded often of how Jesus loved & served to the point of death & how I am called to be like Christ in the way I love & serve others. 

A day's work at work consists of lots of charting but more importantly lots of encouragement, direction & shared moments of joy as babies are welcomed into families.  I have bonded with many patients over the years but nothing quite beats being there to see your own niece or nephew born even if I wasn't the official nurse....

Karis Ann- August 20, 2010

Isaac Haddon- February 27, 2012

I am bursting at the seams thinking about the upcoming arrival of my newest niece Olivia Noel who is due to be born WHILE WE ARE IN TEXAS!! Please join me in praying Jenny will far surpass her due date so I can make it home in time ; ) just don't tell her...ha! Truly though, whatever day she arrives is absolutely perfect & Livi-Lou & I will make up for lost time with lots of snuggles once we get back to the Sunshine state.  Plus my Jenny girl is in fabulous hands with her on-call nurse : ) 

Back to this work thing....

A day's work with a family of six consists of many things including but not limited to: playing, cleaning, cooking, laughing, disciplining, bathing, repairing, tickling, chasing, teaching, reminding & jumping off of a school bus of course....

It was Elo's first go- round with school bus jumping & I was a little nervous due to the "wild woman" factor but thankfully we survived with no injuries! The boys got a kick out of watching their flying sissies. Speaking of flying sissies, Char got some serious air!

School bus jumping led to long naps for all which then led to some playtime outside in the beautiful February weather.

The boys are SO happy cruisin' in the double stroller with this view...

Lolo is getting the hang of scootering and as long as there are no curbs in sight, little Eloise stays upright. Charlotte would immediately say "that rhymes that rhymes!" if I was reading this to her : ) We are playing a lot of rhyming games these days. Anyway, Eloise was making me laugh with her funny little grin...

Charlotte is a speed demon on the scooter but has taken a liking to the tricycle. We do realize she is ready for a bicycle but we haven't gone there yet so the Texas Tech trike is getting lots of use...

It's a tough little trike as you can see...

Rob came out to join us so I passed him the camera to capture me doing my "signature move" where I ride the scooter while pushing the stroller. I figured out I could do this out of necessity one day when Eloise crash landed off the scooter requiring her to hitch a ride in the double stroller....with two other babies. I'm sure I could have laid the scooter across the top of the stroller but then I wouldn't have been able to look so cool...

Robby made more fun of me for calling it my "signature move" versus the actual riding. Eloise decided she would return the favor & give Charlotte a ride except for she can hardly pedal herself. Thanks Daddy...

School bus jumping to nap to outdoor sweaty time to BATH TIME! My favorite part of the day, other than bed time of course ; ) I love my kids SO much but I really do get excited about bed time...if you are a parent, you know exactly what I mean. 

Baths lately are the Fab Four slippin' & slidin' all together which makes for lots of grins! 

The little guys are enamored with the water coming out of the spout. They look a lot alike to me in this picture.  If you can't tell, Anson on the left, Owen on the right. 

And there they are, the squeaky clean Fab Four that keep me "employed" at the Valentine Nest.

I collapse on the couch exhausted most every night by 7:30 & praise the Lord for a few things. 

1. We made it through another day & possibly did more than survive (ie had fun jumping off buses)
2. We have a fresh start upon waking even if there are multiple wakings in the upcoming 12 hours.
3. We have many more years ahead to love & serve these precious blessings as irrational as they (or I) may be at times. 

The night a week that I am not collapsing on the couch I am prayerfully starting a 12 hour shift asking the Lord for wisdom as I walk into room to meet a woman with a baby bump & her own story that effects everything in the process of giving birth.  

It is all good "work" whether home or at the hospital. It is work ordained by God for my mind to figure out & my hands to do. It is work I am thankful for even though the sacrifice is often great. 

Happy Valentine's from the Nest!

A year in review at

The Valentine Nest

February - I think back to last February & can’t help but laugh for multiple reasons….no pun intended ; ) We were on the verge of the biggest transition of our lives, I had a hard time walking uprightwith an “Everest” sized baby bump, my mom had moved in a month prior to care for our family as I rested, Charlotte & Eloise could hardly wait to be big sisters, we made a trip to triage thinking I was in preterm labor, we were beyond emotionally drained & clinging to God. All the while He was providing grace for every step, hope in every moment of disappointment & rest for my tired pregnant body that was trying to keep those baby boys on the inside & growing.  They did just that & made it to 35 weeks!

March- We joyfully welcomed the buckaroos on the 8^th. Owen Marshall was born at 8:04 am, weighed 3 pounds 12 ounces & was 17 inches long. Anson Ellis was born at 8:05am, weighed 5lbs 13oz & was 19 inches long. They were admitted to the NICU where they spent the first 25 days of life. We were overwhelmed with thankfulness to God as we examined their tiny little fingers & toes while they were snuggled in our arms. Charlotte was delighted to meet her “baby boas” in the NICU along with all four grandparents!  We celebrated Robby’s 32^nd birthday crib side. Bella Blue turned 8 & we enjoyed watching her scarf down a cupcake in one bite. Her birthday was bittersweet as we were still missing Bennett after saying goodbye following a quick downfall of illness in December. It was an exciting & exhausting month, many times in the same moment. God was good to give us only one dog to care for in 2013….two may have pushed me over the edge!

April- We started April off with a bang by bringing the little guys home on the 2nd. Eloise was precious when she got to see O & A for the first time.  The adjustments that occurred this month cannot be accounted for in a few sentences.  Two to Four under four was quite the jump to say the least. I am tired just remembering the first few months that seemed to be overtaken with eating, crying & trying to sleep….all of us ; ) Eloise decided she was done with diapers the week O & A came homefrom the NICU, perfect timing right? Thanks to my mom, the three day pottytraining worked well & she has been diaperless (and pantless) since.

 Again, God sustained us & we said “adios” to my mom at the end of the month & began life as a family of six (without live in help). In all the exhaustion there were MANY memorable moments as two sisters got to know the little misters.  I think we said “be gentle” about one billion times. 

May- May is always a busy month & this year was no exception!  Uncle Scott came for a visit & was there for the speedy transition of Eloise to a big girl bed (ie crib mattress on the floor).  Mother’s Day was a reality check with four sick kids to celebrate with but Robby spoiled me with a family flower planting extravaganza in the front yard & a steak dinner for two at the Valentine Nest kitchen table while the Fab Four were asleep.  The following week I celebrated turning the big 3-0 & was spoiled again with a weeks worth of celebrating including a girls night with ice cream involved & a 4 hour nap.  It was lovely. The month ended with sweet little Eloise turning TWO! We took Char & Elo to Magic Kingdom for the day & had Elo Pancakes’ favorite meal….PANCAKES for dinner!  The buckaroos moved out of our sleeping quarters & into their own corral & God blessed our home with a wee little bit  more sleep as the month came to a close.

June-  My mom, grandma &Rob’s mom arrived mid month & we were excited to have helping hands for our lively bunch. We had a Splish Splash Birthday Bash for Char & Lolo. It was bright & sunny as we got The Valentine Waterpark set up but then the skies turned gray & the rainstorm began.  It was fun & wet! The Grandmas loved on our kids while we enjoyed an evening out free of charge. We celebrated Father’s Day by taking a trip to Tampa toplay in the fountains followed by lunch for the unruly bunch at Rob’s favoritebrewery. Outings just aren’t quite the same as they used to be ; )  I went back to work after a six month leave & made the switch to the dark side working Friday nights in Labor & Delivery. God continued to provide precious friends that endlessly served our family by preparing meals, caring for children & praying.

July- We spent 4^th of July relaxing in the backyard with some good friends. We plopped Mighty O & Super A in the baby pool for the first time….they were not amused ; ) Charlotte turned FOUR & we celebrated with picking up Uncle Kyle from the airport for a weeklong visit. We took her on a special birthday date to the movies which was a big hit with her! She also received a tennis racket which has provided for many a date to the courts with Daddy.  The little lady has surprised us with her skills! She ended the month with flying to Texas with Uncle Kyle & spending a week with Gaga & Paw Paw. She loved it & can’t wait to do it again.  Eloise was beyond lonely without her best bud & I missed my number one entertainer. It was a happy reunion when she returned & we were thankful to all be under one roof again.

August- This month we lost our mind & took a family “vacation”to West Palm Beach. We went to visit our good friends & other than seeing them, we had about the worst time possible with our relocated chaos ; ) We recovered quickly & Charlotte had her first day of Pre-K with Classical Conversations (CC) followed up by our first official week of homeschooling. Char loves it!  She does a presentation for her class each Thursday & after 12 painful weeks of nervousness she has emerged confident in the new year!  It has been an exciting adventure for our family as a whole & we look forward to starting Kindergarten at home & with CC this fall.  On the education front, Rob & I began teaching the 3&4 year old class on Sunday mornings at Celebration Community Church. It is much like herding cats & contributes to our joy/exhaustion each week though it is a great opportunity to come alongside parents in helping lead little hearts to Jesus. 

September- This month was pretty low key…we like that around here! My parents came into town over Labor Day & spent an entire week at a nearby hotel with an awesome pool & lazy river. Charlotte taught herself how to swim like it was no big deal which shocked us since she had been terrified up until that week. We took a trip to the Canaveral National Seashore & enjoyed some Florida sunshine. Owen & Anson had their first bites of solid food & loved them as evidenced by super messy faces. We were thankful this month that the boys began to enjoy better tolerate the unending affection of their big sisters. 

October- Wow, this month was filled to the max with fun & illness. We had Robby’s parents & Grandma in town for a couple weeks which included a trip to the farm, something the girls cannot ever get enough of.  Eloise talked for weeks about how she milked a cow & rode a “ho-see.” She also started trying to “ride” on her baby boas backs on a regular basis. She has a little Texan in her ; ) As wild as this little lady is, she has a sweet spot for babies & is a mini mama. We enjoyed an afternoon at a pumpkin patch & finished off the month with four little hoots dressed up for some trick-or-treating.  The illnesses for the month included colds/coughs for all, an ear infection for someone & roseola for the littlest in the bunch. OH MY! In the middle of it all, I called my mom in tears & she made a reservation to come to the rescue the next week.  Praise the Lord for parents that love on us & serve in such practical ways.  I hear you never stop being a parent ; ) I’m glad.

November- This month served as a recovery period from the month prior which proved to be the most difficult since the boys camehome from the NICU.  God sustained usthrough a month of overly needy children & an emotionally unstable mother that cried a lot ; ) It is important for us to remember  (on a minute to minute basis sometimes) that God knit these children together in my womb & gave them to us at the time he chose.  He knows our hearts better than we do & is refining us as we walk through this stage of life. We had much to be thankful for but a few that made it on the “Thankful Tree” were:  “Hearts that are learning to trust God”-  me & Rob, “God makes us strong & fights for us”- Char, & “lizards”-Elo.

December- We bit the bullet & made the trek back to the Lone Star State where we spent nearly three weeks over the holidays. The 20+ hour driving trip went much more smoothly than we were prepared for which was a nice surprise! We had a blessed time with friend s& family, ate lots of Tex-Mex, braved some cooler temperatures than we are used to nowadays & celebrated 9 years of marriage.  A lot has happened since we said “I do!”

January- 2014 is finally here! We made it back to home base a few days into the year & were welcomed by my in-laws who so lovingly took care of Bella while we were away. Before they headed back to their house we had a mini- Pierogi Day & convinced them to join us on our annual Squirrel Hunt. We are considering changing the name to “Picnic at the Hunting Grounds” or something since we have seen only ONE squirrel in four years! The girls are growing like weeds, Owen is officially on the move crawling rather quickly while Anson only has one gear…. REVERSE! Adorable but I have a feeling he won’t continue on like that forever.  Busier is better right? At least that is the long standing motto of the Fab Four ; )

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Robby, Lauren, Charlotte, Eloise, Owen, Anson & Bella Blue

Chili, no beans please

Chili, we LOVE chili! We were excited to be asked to enter a Chili Cook-off at our church over the past weekend. When I say "we" I mean Rob.... the master chef 'round here. I don't cook chili but I am a great taste tester ; ) Our house smelled spicy & not to mention smoky since he also had some pork butts' going on the smoker.  This smell was strong for a good 24 hours & honestly by the time I got there I couldn't sample more than one chili! I was bit bummed at my distaste for all things delicious but I had my hands full with the Fab Four while Daddy manned the table. It was a perfect day for the festivities with chillier than normal temp & a light drizzle here & there. 

Here he is serving our sweet friend Ileana, one of Rob's biggest supporter in the kitchen. She is not a bad cook herself ; ) 

Notice the lovely red, white & blue above, the name below was my one & only contribution, oh & that Lone Star Chili is sans beans for the sole reason that BEANS DON'T BELONG IN CHILI. 

I'm sure there are delicious chili's with beans but when I picture the taste & texture of chili beans are not included. We were on a roll in the kitchen the week of the cook off with a running list of all the jokes/t-shirt ideas in support of no-bean chili. I will keep them to myself so as not to offend all those bean filled chili eaters ; ) 

Rob felt that our table needed just a bit more "Texas" so he added an empty six pack carrier....

The buckaroos were in their cowboy attire in support of the Lone Star Chili...

Chubs on the left had a hard time keeping his boots on. 

They were completely deprived of attention for hours upon hours...

Some of the "big kids" had a blast chasing & tackling for literally two hours without a break. At multiple points I noticed Char was the only girl amidst four boys & was tackling with the best of them...not sure what to think about that but she had a BLAST!

Grant, Charlotte, Alex, Kenzie & Carissa

Precious Piper took a break from the madness in the chair next to me & I had to snap a picture of her cuteness. Too bad we missed getting one of her studly bro Cannon! They are quite the pair!

We love the Ziels....every person in our family loves every person in their family : ) Anytime we have Anna & Clara around I pretty much get to forgo all duties with the two littlest in our family. I joked with their dad that I feel like I owe him some money. This little foursome was happy to pose for a picture.

Josh & RJ manned the booth for a bit taking up entrance fees, accepting donations,

and stamping the hands of those entering. This girl cried when her stamp rubbed off.

The Squires family which is made up of Kevin, Cassi, Grant & Jackson has been such a wonderful addition to our family at CCC. Kevin & Cassi are teaching the five & six year old class Sunday mornings while we teach the three & four year olds. We are always laughing when we are together. Charlotte & Eloise absolutely adore Grant & Jackson talking about them often, saying they miss them & asking if they can come over everyday.  They are sweet boys who play so well with younger ladies : ) One funny thing I want to remember in relation to this family is that following our first Sunday of teaching our classes together (Charlotte was in our class) we were reading the Jesus Storybook Bible & it mentioned Heaven. Charlotte's eyes lit up & she was SO excited saying "Heaven! I love heaven!" I thought, "Wow, me too!" & then she said "Heaven, like Heaven in our class on Sunday!"  So let me correct myself & say, "Heaven", Cassi, Grant & Jackson are a wonderful addition : )

Apparently they had some good chili because someone told Rob that they voted for their's over his. Rob sampled it & told "Heaven" he would be happy to lose to him.

I snuck in to get my picture with my favorite person at the Chili Cook-off.

Little did we know that the first place winner was right next to us. If it would have been a creative name/sign, she would have won that too! Cathy, the mama to Anna, Clara & Alex & a very sweet friend of mine made me laugh out loud with her idea to name it "Chilly Chicken" taking part of her own scarf to "warm up" her chilly chicken!

Not only did my chef husband make some delicious chili but he blew many away with the pulled pork sandwiches. I grew up eating delicious Texas Bar-B-Que & it was nothing in comparison to what comes off of his smoker! Yum! We keep a good supply in the freezer for those days where we just don't want to cook...there are lots of those which means we eat a lotta bar-b-que.

I think I might have died had I been a judge & eaten that many spoonfuls of chili...

The chili I was encouraged to try was called "Gator Chili" & had some good ol' Florida alligator in it. When I say "Alligator" it is with the accent of those lovely cast members of Swamp People.  It was tasty & if I had not already put all our poker chips in the Lone Star mason jar & would have put one in theirs!

Back to Clara, the mini mama of the Ziel household holding chubba bubba. Eloise resembles Clara when she was two so it fun to see how her face has changed & picture what Eloise might look like when she is seven.

Another happy chili eater named Janelle. We have one of her cute little ones in our class on Sundays : )

the tackling continued...

cute patootie Elo Pancakes in her boots which she wears often these days.......

and two mamas with two babies...each...

Lexi, Freddi, Gabbi, Owen, Me & Anson....I spy Sammi (big sis to those adorable twin girlies!)

Freddi & I were pregnant each with identical twins at the same time. We had almost identical pregnancies with almost identical outcomes except hers were sugar & spice & everything nice ; ) Lexi & Owen weighed within ounces of each other while Gabbi & Anson did the same. Lexi & Owen were first to crawl & maintaining their muscular physique while Gabbi & Anson enjoy an extra meal here & there while watching their twin movin' & groovin'. I like that Gabbi is checking Anson out thinking "You remind me of someone I know" : ) 

a reminder of how we looked about 365 days ago....

I gasped when I saw this & then laughed out loud remembering I went about 6 weeks past the day this picture was taken! INSANITY! I loved being pregnant with this woman & keeping in touch through the addition of twins into an already "whole family of kids" has provided lots of laughs. Beyond the laughs, it has provided encouragement to continue clinging to the Lord & trusting His leading as we raise our children to understand the love He has for them. 

One last pic of me & those two who made my belly so incredibly gigantic...

The Chili Cook off had a fabulous turn out with about 20 entries & raising over $1200 for the youth! It was a wonderful afternoon & worth the smelly house to participate. You can't see it but I had my boots on too ; ) Gotta represent!