...Everything as loss...FOR GREAT GAIN

Ok...this has been an amazingly strange and difficult December. I will list what has happened...Caleb came...AWESOME! Then...my niece goes to ER with croup...then my parents are here for CHRISTmas and Mawmaw from TX is here too...and Mawmaw throws up 2 days after CHRISTmas. We are still at this point going to NICU two times a day to hold him skin to skin and try to nurse. Mawmaw gets better thru the night...then Aaron is sick for 8 hours on his day to be home with me and help while folks are out and about with my sis. Then, little Rachel throws up...not much. And here we go...last night little Rachel is struggling with a cough that brings up pain in her throat and makes her feel like she's going to throw up so we are taking her into a steamed bathroom then directly to the cold air outside...a few times in the middle of the night. And while I finally sit down yesterday to play trains with Isaiah he throws up and can't stop. My mom helps me to get things clean then my dad gets ho...

Wheewww! What a CHRISTmas we have had. I know many of you all know about our surpise gift of delivering Caleb almost 9 weeks early on Dec. 22. But I also know that there are many details we just have been too overwhelmed with this to share. So here goes. This journey has been amazing. It is as if the Lord just said "I want to show you more of me. More of why so many things and people are in your lives. Remember...I am the one writing this story and I have always had something greater than you know planned." No kidding! The minute that the doctor said I was dialated to 6 we looked at each other and a flood of crying came...and came...and came. And then thru the tears Aaron's first words were..."Do you like Caleb Anthony?" Yep, we had not fully decided on his name and this was our top pic for a while we just couldn't hammer it down. Absolutely is his name= "COURAGEOUS". When the time came for the last few hours of real hard contractions this time, i...

Added two more pictures of it set up!! So just a few days ago Danelle let me know we had been asked to make a cake...and get paid for it! WHAT? Well...we made our first Topsy Turvy three tiered cake for Bare Escentuals adn their customer service company, Center Partners as they celebrated 4 years of working together. I would have to say that physically working on this 8 hours straight yesterday till midnight was not our plan but with 5 kids super little between us that would have to do! So here are some pictures...it is not complete because their is a funky chocolate 4 that was put on top and an awesome white chocolate plack with their logo's drawn on it.( just so you know Aaron stepped in and did the logo's on the chocolate and the awesome logo on the powder lid!!) It turned out wonderful...and the homemade sponge cake tasted great! Yeh...we got to sample because we shaved a lot of cake in shaping it! Also notice the great detail inside the powder case...holes and powder...Dan...

Today seems a bit crazy to us! It is so awesome to think back over the past 6 years and 10 months that we knew we were becoming parents and then being them! Malachi David has blessed us so much over these years. Even with the challenges that come with certain ages and stages he is an amazing son. We love his boldness and his passion. He was given the name, Malachi, because of what it means;"Messenger of God." And we have prayed that over him and believed God will use him and already has. He has grown into a very bright and shockingly pretty giving little man. He is pretty organized for his age...sometimes I think he throws things in the middle of the floor just to be like his sister! We are proud and excited for his three little sibling's to learn from him. Even though now they learn some of the bad things Malachi is growing through...they also have seen and will see him change those behaviors for the glory of our Lord. He has an amazing understanding of God's gift o...

Well...with this being our 4th I am trying very hard to make sure things are up to date and "equal" to the things I did for each baby. So...here he is! He is a mover! It has been so fun sharing the excitement with the other kids and having them hear his heart at the doctors. The older two have loved feeling him kick so that has been real fun. I will do my best to keep everyone posted!

Onward...to the pumpkin patch! This has been a fantastic family tradition for us and every year it gets better and better. Wandering the farm...hay maze...petting zoo and watching them launch pumpkins is all free. So we just love to let the kids wander and search for pumpkins. Isaiah really loved it too! It all began pretty peaceful...ha ha ha...just kidding. He really just wanted out! It was heavy but Malachi is super strong! And...Isaiah is getting smashed...he wasn't in there much longer! So while the older kids and dad are way up on top of this hay stack watching the launched pumpkins...Isaiah figured he would try to pull the wagon...... Maybe pushing is easier? It was gorgeous... and baby #4 enjoyed it too! Had to capture his cuteness...except I missed the ear pulling...this will have to end soon. And we found a pumpkin for the baby and one green striped one for Isaiah!

Ok...this cake was really completed by Danelle...our great friend. She did ask if I could help with ideas and making the tiger lilies. Mind you...we've never worked at all with gumpaste...or made these kinds of flowers so these pictures are from the two full days we took to make them the week of the wedding. The other days...not worth taking pictures!! So in this one...thes are the plain petals pre-painted or dusted with color. We did each petal the day before individually crafted then left in their curved shape for 24 hours before we put them together and began to paint. Danelle did all the ivy and here she is steaming them after she dusted them with the darker green. yep...me...building the flowers. These are just with the dots and no dusting or steam yet. And these are them...after dusting with colors and steaming! And...sad I didn't get to be involved at all in making the yummy cake or deliverying it or designing..but Danelle did AMAZING. She also was the maid of honor so s...