Happy Birthday, Eden Grace!!!

My little Strawberry Shortcake (who actually isn't short at all for her age) turns 2 years old today.

This overly cheesy grin was displayed while she opened her little gift from Mommy, Daddy and Madison.

And now for a walk down memory lane....

May 7, 2008 at 4:05 pm

6 lb.s 8 oz.s

20 inches long

Seth was thrilled by the fact that she was born in the daytime and not in the middle of the night like Maddie. I was thrilled to have her born. She was induced 3 wks. early due to some minor complications but I was one miserable woman for the entire last month. She was healthy and she was OUT. Who cares what time of day!!!?!!!

Her only "preemie behavior" was that she was excessively sleepy. I could NOT get her to wake up to eat AT ALL for 4 days. I ended up putting expressed milk in a medicine dopper and trickling it down her throat to get something in her. Obviously, things improved but it was bit stressful for a few days.

Maddie was amused by the moving baby doll when she noticed her but for the most part, she still was convinced that the world revolved around her. At 19 months. what else could be expected of her? ♥

Eden's hair has been red from day one, though the curls didn't show themselves until it grew past this duck feather stage.

She was a happy easy baby. She traveled with me to youth conferences and youth activities all summer long. She nursed in some very uncomfortable places! But she and I both enjoyed having the opportunity to sit and cuddle during all the preaching services. She was a perfect baby for take along trips... she was quiet and sleep fairly well at night.

Her first Christmas:

And thankfully, eventually, her hair did grow!!

The name "Eden" means "delightful" and it truly suits her well! We are so thankfully for our little sweet heart!

Love,

The danger of living near your in laws

It's not what you think.



This morning, as I do most mornings, I brought Eden into bed with me to cuddle her back to sleep. She tends to wake up at about 6am and if she stays up at that point, she is tired and cranky way too early in the day. So I try to put her back to bed until Maddie gets up, an hour or two later. Sometimes, I sneak out of bed once she is asleep, but this morning (and most of the time now that I'm a pregnant), I fell back asleep with her.



When I woke up again at about 7:30am, she wasn't in bed. I didn't hear the girls playing or talking so I made a quick tour through the house. I did not find them, but instead discovered that the front door was wide open. I stood at the door scanning around for them and calling their names but saw and heard nothing. I raced back to my bedroom for my phone, grabbing my husband's fleece on the way. I ran around the outside of the house but only found an indoor riding toy in the backyard. Even though it would be impossible for them to manage it, I looked inside the above ground pool to make sure they didn't some how climb inside. Thankfully, there was no evidence of them in the pool.



I assumed that they had gone to my in-laws house, since we walk there often now that we live a few hundred feet away. As I made my way through my back yard and another house's yard, I called Seth. He was leading the opening service at the school so he didn't answer. I wanted to call the church phone but my phone hasn't had a screen display for some time now and I did not want to take the time to locate the church number. So I went ahead and called 911. I knew it was premature but I had no way of knowing how long they had been out wandering around. If I didn't find them at my in laws, they could have been ANYWHERE. I was crying while explaining to the dispatcher the situation. I was also calling the girls and running across the large backyards.



I kept thinking that even though I was positive they intended to go to grandma's house, would Eden keep up or even want to follow Maddie? They could have ended up going separate ways, and Eden would not be able to figure out where home or grandma's house was. They is a thickly overgrown field bordering the neighborhood and as I walked, I keep my eyes in the brush for movement. And then of course the possibility of someone snatching them was in the back of my mind.



Arriving at my in laws house, the door was opened a crack, and there was Maddie's face in the window. Eden was lounging on grandma's couch, with a spoon hanging out of her mouth. They had climbed onto the counter and retrieved the sugar bowl and were helping themselves by the spoonful.



I let the 911 operator know that I had found them and they were fine. I don't remember what exactly I said to Maddie but she said to me, "We just walked to Grandma's house, Mom. Why are you acting like this?"



Maddie was wearing her pajama t-shirt, a tiny pair of shorts she usually wears under skirts and shoes. Eden had on her pajamas and no shoes or socks. Both were as happy as larks and saw no reason for me to be upset.



I got out the defibrillator, restarted my heart, grabbed the little runaways and went home, hoping that the entire neighborhood was not seeing me in my pajamas. Maddie still not understand my wide eyes or near hysteria. She was thrilled with herself since she had watched for cars as she crossed the street. She had just wanted to go see grandma, after all. The fact that grandma wasn't even home didn't seem to matter to her.

And so, we now have high up locking devices on our doors leading to the outside. I've tried numerous times to explain to Maddie how bad and scary that was but she truly is not comprehending. Maybe I should just tie her to her bed after she goes to sleep...?

Love,

Child Labor

You have already been introduced to our work crew for our recent remodel and move. Obviously, a very able bodied group... check out the red headed guy on the end. WOW. Look at those muscles. It must be due to how well hydrated they keep themselves.... notice the second guy to the left. He won't even stop drinking for the picture.

Our two most involved workers:

This one was relentless about her painting duties. We literally couldn't keep the paint brushes out of her hands.

They were assets when it came to heavy lifting:

And this one always worked with a smile on her face:

Sometimes though, it felt like they weren't carrying their own weight.

You might even say they were free loaders.

But since they were always keeping an eye out for bad guys to shoot, we kept them around.

They were careful to test their work.

Here they are undertaking the important responsibility of ensuring the cabinets were study.

Their best quality is that they literally do "work for food". Specifically, ice cream.

If you would like to hire our crew, they are currently available. Well, after their nap time is over, of course.

Love,

Home Sweet Home

We're all moved in! With help like this, you know it went well!

I think we may have had the smoothest moving day ever. By dinner time, we were completely unpacked, other than decorative items and the kitchen. The kitchen isn't yet finished so we have to wait on that. And my family is perfectly happy to live off of sandwiches and cereal! For a while anyway!

I feel utterly spoiled.

Spoiled to live in this house. Spoiled to have it fixed up just how I wanted it. Spoiled to have so much help moving. Spoiled to have Seth's family stay all day to unpack with us and cheerfully put everything in just the right places. Spoiled to have gone to get a massive brownie sundae when we called it a day.

Spoiled. That's how I feel.

I am posting before and after pictures of the remodel so you can see the changes we made. I feel a little hesitate in posting so much about our house because I feel like I am bragging a bit. If anything though, I am bragging on God for blessing and providing for us so well, and on my husband and in laws for all their hard work. I do hope that I am not causing anyone to feel at all discontented with their own home or situation. I don't deserve such a nice home. I am really the most "at home" in a trailer with 70ish wall paper! =) It puts me in the mood to sing "The Brady Bunch" theme song. Although we did some more involved remodeling, the most dramatic changes were paint... which is about $40 for a room... and the most inexpensive floor covering we could find. We searched for months to find vinyl flooring for cheap prices in designs we liked. Now, when the girls realize that I have pulled into a home improvement store of any kind, they start complaining. They are so sick of looking at samples with me! =) Maddie literally says, as soon as we load up in the van, "I don't want to go to Lowe's, Mom!"

We slept really well in our new home last night. We had thought the girls may have a tough time but we were all so exhausted that I think we could have slept in a subway station in NY city.

On a funny note, I was looking through some verses about "home" and came across this one. I shall leave you with this delightful thought:

"Then thou shalt bring her home into thine house, and she shall shave her head..."

There's one idea for a house warming party!

Love,

Before and After Remodel Pictures

Whew! Its just about over! We've had a few delays in the kitchen, which is fine. Does a pregnant woman complain about an extra reason not to cook? So other than the kitchen, here is the run down of before and after pictures. I realize now that I did not take very good before pictures, but you'll get the idea. And in the after pictures, I obviously have more decorating in mind. We've only been moved for a day.





Our bedroom before:



Our bedroom after... we did paint in here but the colors were very similar. Looks fresher now though:

Dining room before:

Dining room after... when the kitchen is done I'll get better pictures of the wall color and floor. For now, the floor is wood looking vinyl and the walls are a pale sage green. :

Living room before:

Living room after... still determining where that machine should go:

Living room window, bad lighting:

Living room/hallway after, detail of carpet and paint colors:

Baby room before, bad lighting but it was neon purple:

Baby room before, better lighting:

Baby room after... obviously that curtain doesn't fit. Was just trying to see if I could reuse that shade. Anyone want a 24" pink roman shade? This room is painted the same beige that is in our bedroom... we wanted a gender neutral color since this is the baby room (whoever the baby at the time is... for now, Eden) :

Hall before:

Hall after... the blue paint looks way too vibrant in this pic... it isn't actually so shocking. We carpeting this along with the livingroom because the hard woods in the hall were pretty rough. We left the hard woods in the bedroom, and plan to cover ugly spots with scatter rugs:

Girls' Room before:

Girls room after:

Girls' Room, cluttered with one million toys and one cute nephew:

Bathroom before:

Bathroom before, details:

Yum. Don't ya want to soak in here?

Bathroom after, view #1:

Bathroom after, view #2:

Bathroom floor, wall and shower curtain (sorry it is sideways!):

Bathroom light plate:

Bathroom ceiling and wall color:

The bathroom was the most extensive part of this project. We... and I say "we" loosely... closed off a second entrance into the kitchen, knocked out a coat closet and closed off that area to add a few feet to the bathroom. Since we seem to producers of girls rather than boys, we thought our growing family would benefit from a nice sized bathroom, with a big vanity for all the beauty paraphernalia teenage girls possess!


Hope you enjoyed seeing the progress and the final result. When the kitchen is complete, I'll post those pics too. Thanks for all your kind words of encouragement during this project.

Love,