Never the same!

3 weeks old...smiles a lot!

2012-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

So we are thrilled at his progress! He is now 4 lbs 11.4oz and last night he drank his whole feeding from a bottle!!! And in 15 minutes...big eater! He is progressing well with nursing and they are just impressed with him...so are we! These pictures are great...and sometimes I forget when I look at the picture how tiny he still is. Yes, those are preemie diapers and they go way way way up his back just to make them fit. He also has been off the cafeine since Sunday and so we are now in the waiting game...it usually takes a week for it to get out of your system and then we will see how his heart reacts and breathing. It is good to come to you with good news and more exciting to hopefully get weeks closer to him being home. We miss him daily. A lot. Lets just say the hospital has been wonderful to us but it is not home.

This is his wall...the kids did birthday cards after he was born and then we made a collage of pictures of the munchkins for him to see them. It will be so wonderful when they get to meet him.

The Lord is so good! Caleb is doing great

2012-01-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

It has been an amazing start to this new year. I am so grateful to our Savior, our Healer, our GOD! He has continued to watch over Caleb the past 19 days of his life and Caleb is doing fantastic. He now weighs in at 4lbs 7.4oz!!! He is growing about 1 1/2 ounces a day!! The nurses tell us he does really great every day. And they seem to all want to take him home with them...yeh, not going to happen! He is loved. And not just by those amazing nurses! He is still being fed through his nose to his stomach but for the last two visits we have started nursing and he is doing just fine. Taking it slowly since this little man really shouldn't be doing this yet.. he should be nestled inside my tummy! His brain function is doing great. He is still taking two doses of caffeine to keep his heart going if it stops...which happens at his gestation so it is good to know that that is helping him. Other than that he is just peaceful. And precious! Malachi is doing ok...been a tough time for him but the Lord has allowed Aaron this past week of vacation to be home and we both have been working on our time with our kids alone and it has helped them. Rachel...well she is doing wonderful! I know she excited to meet Caleb and prays for him daily. Isaiah is just great! He really has no clue and I'm pretty sure he's just glad we aren't in the hospital all day and we get play time a lot with him. So we are praying that by the end of January Caleb will be able to be off caffeine and Lord willing, be tested in a car seat to come home! He is just a doll and so wonderful to hold...and so hard to leave.

It was wonderful to be at church this morning and worship with my husband. God has been so good to us...always is and always will be. He has blessed us so much through this entire experience and we are grateful for the help we've received thus far and that is coming! It is humbling and growing for us! Thank you everyone!

Finally an update

2011-12-31T14:49:00.000-08:00

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 home and while he's helping is getting queezy...they leave to go back over to my sisters where they are sleeping and both are sick all night with diahrea!!! SO our night we got maybe 3 hours of sleep with Rachel struggling and Isaiah waking up starving and crying. So today while Aaron was working Rachel spiked a fever and I rushed her and Malachi to Urgent Care to make sure we didn't have croup or whooping cough and praise Jesus they do not. Little Rachel got a steroid treatment to help calm her down and we are working on the fever. Malachi...just Mucinex and he'll be fine. Isaiah...recovering and keeping his food down...my folks resting at my sisters house all day....Mawmaw, well...lets say this vacation for her has deffinetely been full. And Aaron is doing good at work...me

......weeewhh! I am more tired than I have ever been. We felt it was important that I not go last night or this morning to Caleb because our 3 at home needed me badly. I was super sad and miss him terribly and have lost it a few times when I can't seem to manage the three being sick. But I am reminded...the Lord has never ever left me. He has never put me in anything that He cannot get me through. He has blessed me abundantly and I will not let anything at all make me not praise Him. A few days ago on my way to see Caleb I had the radio on and rarely do I get to listen to it since usually Veggie Tales is playing every single time I am in the car...so I heard this song. It reminded me that I am broken in the greatest of ways. I am humbled in my struggle to not be in control of taking care of my family and I am blessed in it. Holidays...schmolidays...ha! It is just a time that's it. There will be others. And quite frankly I really seem to have been blessed with something greater than a oober present filled and laughter full holiday. I have two of the most wonderful things I really needed right now. I have Caleb. And I am back in a place where I am before my Savior more daily than I have been in a long long time. And I love it, even if it seems I should be upset that all these things happened to put me there...I LOVE IT. Here are the lyrics to the song...and some amazing pictures my sister took on Dec. 26th and 28th , I think...

I was sure by now God.
You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen",
and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember whenI stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on

If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

[Chorus]I lift my eyes unto the hills

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The Maker of Heaven and Earth

CASTING CROWNS

Caleb Anthony Taylor

2011-12-27T11:33:00.000-08:00

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, it was very different for me. I'd had hard labor 3 times...which went much faster...but this time the end result was scary. So, with every hard contraction I shut my eyes and prayed for him. I almost felt a sense of serenity in those moments. I was able to think on scripture and to pray specifics for my son who was coming. It was amazing. And, for those wondering if labor was much easier or less painful because he was little, it was not. I had hard contractions off and on as they tried to stop them for about 14 hours...compared to 2 the last time this was much different. So, anyway....when our sweet boy entered the room it was awesome. My first response was, wow look at that hair!! He cried instantly. It was awesome. Best sound ever! I was able to hold him briefly before he was taken to the NICU and then our room fell silent. It was amazingly intense and quiet at the same time. These past few days we have been so amazed and in awe of our Maker. We are blessed to already know 3 women who work in the NICU which has given us such a peace to know he is not only watched for 24 hours but prayed over by these women. It has amazed me to see how the knowledge I got from college course on specific needs of preemies and from many of our friends who have had them has just given me peace in moments where every 5 minutes we have a new doc/specialist coming to talk to us.

It is overwhelming. I have many moments were I miss him deeply. I was not ready to not feel him anymore inside me. I was not ready to not be pregnant....at least I thought I wasn't. The Lord has been amazing in his ways of bringing guidance, strength, encouragement, peace and rest in this. Well I can keep going. This journey will continue for some time and I will do my best to update you all. But as you know, we have 3 other munchkins who need us and the balancing act has really gone smooth so far but will continue to change as Caleb changes. Enjoy some film and sweet pictures we got today and yesterday.

This is called hand swaddling. It is wonderful for us to touch him but also with preemies rubbing them isn't good. It is really startling so putting slight pressure on their feet and head it is like being in my tummy and he really likes that!

This was yesterday. It was the first time we got to really see his nose and mouth. They had just taken off his CPAP breathing machine so he had the smaller hose and it didn't cover so much of him. AND HIS FACE! YEHHHH! We were so excited to see his whole face. This was during a "Carings" for him where we changed his diaper, took his tempurature and they gave him some of my milk through the white tube in his nose. It was so special and so sweet. He opened his eyes and was so unbelievably calm. And today we made it in to do his "Carrings" and found out we were going to be able to hold him for the first time! HOW AWESOME! We did what is called kangarooing. It's amazing for him. It can encourage so many things for him. The skin to skin helps his temp and his heartrate so much. We both held him for 30 minutes and it was sweet. He was so peaceful. For me he just sucked his pacifier which is so awesome for him to work on sucking and he slept so peacefully. His oxygen level was 100% the whole time...he was happy!

Another fun cake...

2011-12-06T15:26:00.001-08:00

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...Danelle also dumped a small pile when she set it up next to the case...there is dust on the brush tips too! It was cool and super fun...now we need to come up with some business cards because people were asking!

Malachi's 6 years old!! CRAZY

2011-11-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

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 of Jesus and also the stories of the Word have really become real to him and a part of him. He is such a wonderful young man...and we love him. Today we celebrate Malachi!

6 months belly

2011-10-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

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!

Ahhh...Pumpkin patch again!! Yippee

2011-10-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

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!

Another cake...

2011-10-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

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 she was a bit busy and tired after. She said tons of people tried to smell the flowers and some said they would pay us to make another cake!!!! I HOPE!

My kiddos

2011-09-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well...I don't really know where to start but LETS BEGIN! Ha. A few days ago a great friend of mine from my summer project sent me a link on my facebook profile of her blog. She had posted a story...an amazing story.. that I had not sat down and thought about in years. It was of her and I and one day on our summer project in Panama City Beach, Florida with Campus Crusade for Christ. I was soooo humbled and reminded of my purpose. MY PURPOSE! I know...I am a wife and mother of three and soon to be four. It is daunting and busy and sometimes I think...I AM FAILING! Then I read that story and thought a few different things. I wondered if I should be stirring the pot of evangelism in my heart more?? ABSOLUTELY! And then the Lord reminded me..."YOU ARE"....I know that there will always be room for more people to hear God's Word in my life...and many times I miss it...but He has no desire for me to feel as if I am missing out on MY PURPOSE! I love telling people about Him...I LOVE IT! I love seeing Him work in their hearts...I LOVE IT! I love being a vessel and allowing Him to use me in moments I could not orchestrate...I LOVE IT! And so...other thoughts came to mind...and then...God reminded me of some things He is also doing through me...
I was taking the kids into a store real quick...yes...quick...with three kids and pregnant shopping is not my thing much these days!
Malachi = "Mommy...will someone take your keys from you? Will they take your purse?"
Me= "I hope not. I try to carry it close a lot."
Malachi= "Maybe they haven't been to church. Right, Mommy? Lots of strangers don't go to church and hear what they should do."
Me= "You're right a bunch of people don't go to church."
Malachi= "Why? Do they not know where to go? Maybe because their aren't enough seats, Mommy?"
Me= "No...usually Malachi a lot of people don't know they are invited and some people don't know how great God is and how He loves them."
Malachi= "I know mommy. They just don't know how to worship God. They need Him."

I LOVE IT!!!

Rachel is 4!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-09-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

On September 7th our little girl turned 4!! It was a great day. Pretty relaxed. She started the day with many phone calls and opening her few special presents from family. And of course...she had syrup with pancakes...yes....syrup first. It is a treat for the kids to have syrup so that's what she wanted first! HA! And then because of the rain and daddy working, we went with Auntie Rachel and the girls to Chuckee Cheese. It was a blast. Madison totally loved every ride. It was cute. Then some yummy Chick Fil A and daddy met us for lunch. Then he got off early and just our family went to Jim's Wings for dinner as a sweet gift from Auntie Ky and Uncle Tony!
Then on Sunday the 11th we did Rachel's party. It was super fun. I think I overdid myself with her cake but it was fun for me. I made homemade fondant and 280 flowers!! Then created a sweet castle cake that of course was strawberry! It was a princess and knights party that I asked my sister, Rachel, to be the designer and creater of crafts and munchies. It was awesome! Super pretty! The kids came dressed up, ate fairy tutu's( pink meringue with whip cream and strawberries on top) and krispie star wands(rice krispie sparkle wands), then painted cute pumpkins and we hot glued the sparkly silver pipe cleaners for the wheels and made awesome cinderella carriages! Then they also hunted for matching tiny glass slippers outside that had some candy in them! It was fun! SUPER fun. I know Rachel felt celebrated and like a princess!

Here is the table spread...what you can't see is the amazing balloon decorations, hanging silver ornaments and streamers my sister put up!

And the cousins...so cute! One knight to save these princesses!! And then two more princess's and one knight in training came later!

And our PRINCESS!!

I am finally coming back

2011-09-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone...if you are still there? We are back on here. It has been months and months but...a lot has happened. I am now over 17 weeks pregnant with our fourth kiddo and super duper busy with Malachi in Kindergarten and just plain tired from pregnancy. But it's been a great summer and now I want to bring myself back on here to share our lives. So...I am not going to post pictures from the whole summer but we were blessed to have off and on ten weeks with Aaron's folks while they were in the country. We also traveled to Taylor Park with my folks and brother and his family and we traveled to Florida too! It was busy. It all started when we had our best friends, Uncle Tony and Auntie Ky and Annelise from Montana come stay for an awesome week right before summer hit. It has been busy but wonderful. SO.....here we go! ENJOY!

I do not like grieving

2011-02-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

Uggh...I have wanted to write this all week but haven't mustered up the courage to sit and gather my thoughts. I had wanted to get these thoughts out before my emotions were too crazy but this morning all has happened. My pawpaw(grandpa) is gone. It has been a long hard road for him and I am rejoicing that he is no longer in pain and is probably teeing up on the third hole in heaven!! Much deserved. I have spent a few nights this week thinking about him. I think about how as a little girl I would hide behind the corner(instead of playing with my sis and other cousin), trying to hear his stories. That's way more interesting to me. I wanted to take it all in. He saw amazing things. He fought. He flew planes....named after my Mawmaw. Man...who wouldn't want to hear his stories. I respected him. A lot! I never liked being far from him and Mawmaw so I cherished every single trip to see them or time we spent fishing. I remember him at Curecante creek.We'd sit and fish...or should I say..."try" to fish like him. But never could we compare to his natural relaxed skill. I was about 8 and he had a bucket of little brookies. He walked up and asked me to learn how to clean them out. Then...as only a good teacher would do, handed me the bucket and told me to clean them all and then I could come have lunch. I got good at cleanin fish! And I was starving...but you don't have to be starving to salivate over Mawmaws cookin. I wish I could've learned more from him. Never liked "Grandparents Day" at school because I never had any near me to come. I cherish those fishing trips and those long drives to Texas to be with him and Mawmaw. I always bragged about him. He was the most amazing golfer to me...still is. There are two things I loved to hear him talk about but never wanted to be in competition with him in....Fishing and Golfing...never! I loved to hear his story of the game he played against Lee Trevino...and of course how his team won. And the best part is that he kept the $100 bill in his wallet signed by Lee...only Pawpaw! He's amazing. He left so much here to be thought about. He left a legacy. I know there are relatives who lived closer to him and may have seen his mistakes and faults...we all have them and even though I know about some of those things I pray to see him through the eyes of a little child and the eyes of grace and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ whom I know Pawpaw loved. His legacy goes on as I sit with myson and tell him about his fishing and golf stories andsome day his war stories. I thank the Lord that God created G.E. Reed to be my Pawpaw.

His war stories are unbelievable and so wonderful to hear over and over. I am grateful that my folks took the time to record him telling stories for hours years ago so I would have them forever. I have a few other pictures of planes he probably flew...but their names and what was painted on them...a bit inappropriate!! HA!

Gaylon Reed....well earned medals!!!

This has to be my favorite story to hear...it's long and someday I will write it. To tell it shortly...he brought home a bomb!!! WHAT? It had not gone off when it hit the ground next to his plane and he decided to pack it and bring it home in is luggage!! His mom freaked and had the actual bomb burried in the back yard!

This was the last time we got to see him almost 2 years ago...it was a blessing and tough for me. So thankful that he knew who I was...even though he didn't understand that I was married! Sweet sweet Pawpaw...you are amazing to me.

I love you dearly Pawpaw. I miss you.

11 Months OLD!!! Oh my goodness almost 1!!!

2011-02-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

Yep...little Isaiah Aaron is 11 months and soooo fun!!! Here are a few pic's pre-first hair cut! He did so good. He's such a mellow baby who loves to fake laugh, growl like a dinosaur, make hillarious faces at his siblings to get them to laugh and is more adventurous and fearless than his sister was and that freaks me OUT!! Crazy kiddo! He's super close to walking and is determined to climb the stairs even if he falls down them. He's a great eater!!! Man he loves food and so wishes he could eat everything the other kiddos are eating! Loves his big boy sippy cups...yeh NO BOTTLES! And has six teeth(working on two more). So enjoy the fun pictures!!!

Yeppers...our one and only thumb sucker who tugs his ears too! Cutie

Fun picture while Rachel was twirling balloons around!

So this is after haircut...just a real quick buzz to get rid of the mullet...still a line but he looks so much older now! Never cried at all...

Rachel's new hair cut

2011-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

How would this be impactful if I didn't have a before picture...but the newest one is of her on the POT! Ha ha ha. She may not like me when she's in high school for this but it's still cute. So her hair has sweet curls and has been fun for her daddy and I to see but when it gets super long it is so fine that it just goes flat and crazy. So in looking for ideas to keep her still a little girl and sweet as of course she is...we went short. SO FUN! She stayed still pretty well....but we did have to resort in the laptop playing a short movie so I could add layers. So FUN! Enjoy.

Here is the right after pic where it is super curls!

And today she wanted it curled with my curling iron so now you can see the cut.

ok...pre super bowl story

2011-02-06T12:39:00.001-08:00

So...we are awaiting the start to the Super Bowl and I had to share a great story! Last night before bed Malachi's book of choice was "Go Dog Go" a Dr. Suess book and he wanted to read it to me!!! So as I pointed to each word he read...35 pages...HE READ!! CRAZY...he had a few words he struggled with such as "over" and "again" but once he sounded them out he kept reading!! So awesome. I was just amazed that he was reading words. I am of course so proud of this but mostly proud that he spends car trips teaching Rachel how to spell. Cutest ever...sitting in the front listening to him say a word and say each letter as she repeats! So fun.

Toddlers and Tiaras....NOT IN THIS FAMILY

2011-01-31T15:46:00.000-08:00

From the title you might assume I've seen the show...nope...just the preview and that's enough for me. I love this video of Rachel because it's just her. There is no way I would try to force her not to be a cute and absolutely a space case 3 year old. So when folks on those shows freak out because there 3 or 4 year old who still has a pacifier along with fake nails, a fake tan, more makeup then I've worn my whole life and more hairspray then I will ever come to own in their hair....because they just want to be a kid and can't remember what steps to what routine they are supposed to have...just makes me laugh. This video is so funny because I keep trying to get her to repeat what she had JUST said and she can't ....ha! Why did I keep trying?? Don't know.

Rehearsal for Christmas program

2011-01-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

The kids did there first CHRISTmas program at our church, Summitview Community Church, here in Fort Collins. The rehearsal was so fun and I got much better film since they were in totally different places on stage on that Sunday. So...there performance is ages 2 1/2 to 5...yes our church has a TON of kids and it's just awesome!

Ok...here you'll see little Rachel in the grey shirt...and sweet Wyatt next to her...then I will scan to the left and Malachi's in the back row with his favorite golfer hat....

Now...what's even more cute here is that Wyatt is done...no more singing...cutie...just for you Ams!!!

And a little video where Malachi and Rachel are in the same area. CUTIES!!

A great laugh!!!

2011-01-31T14:14:00.000-08:00

This video was the day before CHRISTmas but I just love it....great laughs in this house!

a bunch of pictures update!!

2011-01-31T10:00:00.001-08:00

Ok...here's some pictures from Christmas till now....enjoy
Yep...Malachi was the first awake...after mommy woke up at around 7am...not bad!

The kids were excited to celebrate Jesus' birthday...and didn't realize they would have presents until the night before when they learned presents would be there in the morning.

Malachi's first Transformer car....thanks to Pawpaw and Mawmaw...he loves it!!!

And from Pawpaw and Mawmaw Isaiah got this hilarious zebra!! So fun!

And their gift from daddy and mommy was each of them got a dress up trunk full of costumes we'd collected since the summer...they love them!!
This was at my sisters house where the kids made Jesus' birthday cake...it was a masterpiece.
So...here's the pirate costume...funny how he made such a face and he's never seen a pirate! Rachel is posing in her sweet handmade skirt and hat from Grandma.

And now she's a pirate!

Malachi LOVES to help a lot...and feeding his baby bro is his favorite.

Love this...poor kiddo couldn't keep his pants on!!

So Aaron treated me to a great birthday! He was supposed to head to work because it was Martin Luther so he got up and let me sleep a little extra while he got ready for work and watched the kids. Then I was sitting downstairs after he made me eggs and coffee...then he texted me from upstairs...saying I needed to be somewhere at 9:15...yeh I needed to get dressed. He told me he'd stay home and send me a text of the number to call on my way to old town and find out where I was going. I called and yipppeee....Aveda salon for a facial and full body massage!! AWESOME. Got home and Aaron headed to work and said to be ready by 6pm because a sitter would be here. It was a great day. The sitter showed up and we went to eat at my favorite...sushi!!! Jeju Shushi restaurant. It was great and Aaron even tried some. Then we headed home to a sweet surprise party of a few women I love and a homemade strawberry cake with strawberry icing...AARON made it!! It was awesome. GREAT 32nd birthday!.....and when I got to bed...he handed me an envelope that had two tickets to Toby Mac concert with Brandon Heath opening in Denver for Feb. 3rd!!! AWESOME

Uh....she picked the clothes and I messed with her hair...so fun!

Humbled but incredibly proud of our son

2011-01-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

So...I will tell you the story from the end and then explain how this all came about.....

Yesterday I was alone with the three kids in line at Old Navy to return something. There was a woman and her two kids, a boy who was 5 and a girl 7, in front of us and Malachi asked me quietly if he could tell the girl....I said absolutely.

"Guess what?" Malachi

"what?" girl

"Jesus loves you. Jesus is our God and Savior. Jesus died on the cross for you. Jesus wants you to believe." Malachi

"I know that."girl

Ok...I am welling up with tears as he bravely told this girl something I know I used to not be timid about and I saw in my son that same simple fearless desire...I LOVE IT! Then he saw a lady behind me alone and said, "Mommy, I want to tell an adult." I of course said..."ABSOLUTELY". He turned and said the exact same thing to the woman, who seemed a bit uncomfortable and then just quietly said.."I've heard that before."

This all came about because of a few conversations we have had in the past two weeks about Malachi wanting to be with Jesus. When Malachi asked Aaron what a cemetery was it led to the obvious statement after we said some people who've died are with Jesus....."I want to die now"...ugggh. Not what we want to hear...but we explained that Malachi's job here wasn't complete and explained a little what we are hear to do....so a few days later Malachi and Rachel were talking about flying up to see Jesus with the angels....or butterflies(Rachel's idea). Then he asked me if Jesus could come back now through the clouds on his white horse and get us. I said that it wasn't time yet, to my knowledge, and of course Malachi wanted to know why. I just said that there are lots of people who don't know Jesus, his love and his death on the cross for them. And they don't believe in Him so we have to tell them and pray for them. Praying for them is something Malachi's done a lot for friends he knows don't know Jesus but the idea that he could tell people and that could get Jesus here sooner got him going...HA! AWESOME! I did have to remind Malachi that he could not MAKE someone believe that God would do the work in their hearts but we need to tell them about Jesus to get them to understand what we believe and then hope they too will pray and believe...yep...Malachi is really getting it. And I...well....I am reminded of that fearlessness I had for so long to just tell anyone and everyone I saw about that unbelievable gift of Jesus Christ and although life as a mom of three is busy now...with at least one little evangelist partnered with me we can too share Christ as a team!!! SO AWESOME!!!! Proud of my son.

Oh...and I am sorry I haven't blogged in forever...pictures to come soon!

Happy Harvest Day!

2010-11-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Our October 31st is just a day to celebrate Harvesting crops and the great thing is our church does a Harvest Carnival and it's a great outreach and free for everyone. It was fun..a bit crazy going alone with three kids and trying to make sure not to loose them when they can't hardly walk with costumes on! It was fun for them. Best part of the night was when Isaiah was sound asleep the door began to ring like crazy...yes our neighborhood is crazy that night...usually about 800 people but last night it died down early. I had the two older kiddos put the candy...mostly pencils... into each bag and they greeted everyone with cheers of "Happy Harvest". Aside from the funny look on faces when they got pencils...most liked...one kid gave it back!...they also were surprised at the greeting. It was fun and sweet and everyone that was older, which seems to shock me every year how many mom's dress up and ask for candy, loved the kids costumes. It was fun to see them eager to give...next year maybe we'll be able to give tracks about Jesus. They would be thrilled to give the greatest gift of Christ to others...so fun!
It was very difficult to get Isaiah to smile in the costume. Even though the cute horse outfit seemed like it wouldn't be too uncomfortable...he just didn't like it. Uggh..but he was adorable.
This cowgirl had to be adusted a bit. The front legs had to be safety pinned up so that Rachel could walk in this...and the face reigns were strapped around her neck so she didn't have to hold them all day. She loved it...Yeeehawww!

The racecar driver...better known as Lightening McQueen enjoyed running/racing around all day!

Here's at the carnival with their cousin, princess Avery with wings...it was chaos so getting a photo...well I didn't do well with Isaiah in my front carrier.

And the best part which I wish was longer was the huge blow up castle in the loby of the church...kids had a blast!!!!

Isaiah crawling and...well imaginations and kids being kids

2010-10-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

As crazy as it seems to me, Isaiah has begun to crawl like crazy! So cute. I can't get over how tiny he seems to be moving like that but he really just wants to catch up to his bro and sis. He actually did his first official crawl on October 18 on the web cam chatting with his Nanny and Grampy who live in Hungary and that was awesome to share something with them being so far away! So here's a snip it of video of him crawling and then my crazy older kiddos in the morning and their great imaginations...which lead to no more blocks and no more use of the word "fight".(unless they are talking about being in the Lord's army...Malachi wanted to make sure of that!)

I need to update on my garden...but first

2010-10-31T20:30:00.001-07:00

To end my garden this year I had

picked a bucket of green tomato's before we cut it out...yes I get a ton of tomato's. But this year quite a few had been eaten by some cute little buggars...mice. So this batch of tomato's ripened quickly inside and just like any good Italian/Jewish gal.....I should make a great tomato base for my pasta's and freeze it. Yum!

And one of my childhood fav's, Knox Blocks...the kids loved helping me mix the jello colors before I made each layer. So fun to jiggle in their hands and of course separate every layer and eat each flavor. Just plain fun!

Daddy daughter golf date

2010-10-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

Aaron wanted badly to start taking his daughter on dates....so last week when it was just beautiful outside, Aaron took Rachel mini golfing. They had a blast and she even wore a necklace and dress for her date. Of course...not surprising, Malachi asked for days when he was going to get to go on a date...at least he did want to go on one with Mommy!

Painting pumpkins

2010-10-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

After a crazy week with me rushing to Urgent Care and the hospital for a CT scan for some fun kidney stones floating around...but not coming out yet...and Aaron is short staffed...not surprised. We did not get to carve the pumpkins. So to just have fun we painted them since I was single-mom'n' it this week and this was easier. As you can see we started with some cool stencils they painted..then the pumpkins got covered...but what was cool is a few colors we painted glowed in the dark. They loved that!

So, one pumpkin with the pink blob on top of blue is Rachel's. It's actually a castle stencil that glows in the dark and then Malachi's had a race car stencil and a bunch of others but he is the only one that can tell you what they are or WHERE they are! The little pumpkin of course had to be Isaiah's...and the kids picked his rattle for me to paint. Mine...uhh..well I went old school and painted a violin...yep. Miss playing it so it was fun painting one!

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-26T19:03:00.001-07:00

And the next day...we ventured to our favorite patch...Bartels Farm. It was great. It was not busy at all and of course...it was super cold! But we enjoyed it and got beautiful pumpkins and squash!

Look closely..yeh does she look like she wants to be near the big tractor???

Our try to get someone to take our family picture didn't go as well as when we go with my sis and her fam..but oh well we are all in it!

Denver Zoo FREE day!

2010-10-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Well, we thought this was a grand idea to take the kids after their two morning classes to the zoo because...well it was a free day! HA! Malachi had had his last Amazing Athlete's class and Rachel had had her first Roly Poly's class(toddler tumbling) and then we took off for Denver. Well...we get near the zoo and ended up parking across the city park and taking the fun 25 minute hike up to the entrance of the zoo...with the stroller! HA! It was fun for us in some ways and fun for the kids in some. We soon realized that Malachi is past the "awe" age where he would stand and enjoy the animals. He now had a map and wanted to hit every single animal he saw on it...yep...he is his father to a tee! So we learned to just pause and enjoy the animals we liked. And if the kids wanted to rush off...oh well! It was tiring but we did have a good time. And we saved over $40 by going free!

This is on our trek up the hill...

Here begins the funny pics of the kids...behind them is the king lion...yep they already look bored!

All that Rachel wanted to see were the zebra's and horses...to our surprise there were both! They had some wild horses later on in our venture and she was thrilled.

And the entire time..Isaiah was great! He smacked his gums and grinned at many zoo goers and that was fun to see them smile!

And of course...if she could she'd be over all the fences...no doubt!

Yes...I was there...amazing I know! A pic of mom!

7 months old!

2010-10-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Here he is...yep...7 months old and two tiny teeth and CRAWLING! Yeeehhh! He is so happy that he's moving. It's not super fast but give him one more week and I will loose him in a second.

They are our children

2010-10-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

It is always a joy to look at our children and somehow in some way we see ourselves...so please enjoy this story.
When I volunteer at church in Rachel's classroom I am always watching how she acts and if she pays attention. One big distraction is her sweet quiet cousin, Avery...so almost all the time they sing songs Rachel is clung next to Avery and quiet as can be. So...we leave church and later that even out of the blue Rachel begins to sing the songs...."God's Word is a lamp to my feet. God's Word is a light to my path..." It was precious. Then she sang "James 4:7..." I was confused and said what's the rest of the song? She looked stumped so I pulled my Bible out and started to right it on her responsibility chart...I said..."Submit.." And she followed immediately..."submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." HA! Amazing. So I started to sing one of the other songs we sang..."Do unto others what you would have them do to you..." Rachel cut me off because I got stumped on the sign language and she finishes it with..."this sums up the law and the prophets..in everything you do..." So awesome...so here comes Malachi.

Yep he too learned some songs and wanted to sing them. He begins strong.."God is so mighty, so big and so strong. There's nothing my God cannot do for you." With actions too it was adorable. Then...here he goes..."Listy up when I'm down. Listy up when I'm down..." As he's jumping up and down I'm dying inside. So I try to correct him by saying.."The words are ..He lifts me up when I'm down." Yep...I was told I'm wrong. Then he began to sing another song.."I'm in the Lord's RV. I'm in the Lord's RV. I will never tube tubatubary. Ride in the Calbary. Shoot tubatubary. I may never fly in the tubary. I'm in the Lord's RV."
HA!! HA!! HA!! I seriously looked at my son and thought. You are absolutely your father. It brought my back to the day before Aaron and I started courting...we were driving from Crested Butte, CO back to Taylor Park where Aaron was working and one of my favorite songs from Rebecca St. James was playing..."Wait for me"...about sexual purity before marriage...and Aaron is singing with no shame..."Waitin for you, waitin for you lalee....wait for me too."....Umm yes I know she has a strong Australian accent but she is not singing lalee...she is saying darling..ha!
To top this off...I told Aaron about Malachi's creation of his own lyrics and his response was..."Oh no...he's going to be a 'Wiggle without me" kid.." I looked at Aaron and said..."what do you mean." He responded.."In high school my favorite song was 'With or without me." And he insisted the words were 'wiggle without me...' and he sang it all the time!!!!!!!!! HA HA!
We love our kids...and they remind us of our fun silly and special ways God made us.

Aaron's 29th birthday

2010-10-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yep...you got it! Go Colts!!! For Aaron's major gift he wanted to go to the Colts/Broncos game...so it worked out that my folks were still in Fort Collins after my mom and I and Rachel went to Women of Faith...so they watched our munchkins at my sisters while we trekked down to Denver for the game. It was mad crazy...had to go south of the stadium to pick up the tickets and then hope we found some parking...which we were so blessed to find one right on Federal behind a gas station..we were the last to park there. Then we ran...and it was absolutely worth it! Even the razzing from the people around us was fun...give or take the people who drank too much in front of us we really had a blast and we were super close. So we then decided since the kids were taken care of we would hang out after to see if we could get some autographs...yes we got one...just take a look...So...I painted his face on the way...while driving..yep should be illegal! And what you can't see is my hair is blue! It was worth cheering against the Broncos...I love the Colts and my husband too so for this game I was all blue and white too!

Adam Vinatieri was super close to us...but we missed his autograph barely!

Then Reggie Wayne came out and we just quietly watched him enjoy his family that was there to see him play...and then he came over...And here is Dwight Freeney...he didn't sign much but maybe he didn't have a great "day at work" so who could blame him....

Here's Dallas Clark ...he was far away from us

And then...so nicely and super down to earth Aaron got Reggie Wayne's autograph on his hat and a picture...it was a thrill.

Then the crowd subsided and we got right up to the gate...a few minutes later it was like a rock concert and I thought I was going to be crushed against the fence...PEYTON MANNING...yep he was the last out and of course wasn't given a lot of time to sign and you could see he was a bit frustrated that he had to go...Here you can see Aaron's hand and hat and then...he had to leave. Oh well...it was a great experience to just see him and know he's a great athlete and we enjoy watching him at what he does best.Then...on Aaron's actual birthday came a night never to be forgotten! I had been planning a surprise dinner for over a month and the day before I received a text from our sitter....she got the flu!!! UGGH! So every time Aaron left the house that day I was texting and calling everyone we knew to get a sitter....well...I also had to figure out the "cake" situation. My mom and dad were driving down to surprise him at the restaurant and had thought my mom would be able to bring a cake she made for him but on Wed she told me that they were going to stop and do some shopping on the way and the cake may go bad...I had to pack up the kids and go to Dairy Queen...use the cash I had so Aaron wouldn't see it on our debit card and then try to hide it in our freezer under bags of fish! Well...on Friday morning Aaron of course happened to open my text from my sister....who said she couldn't find a sitter for me for that night. I saw it in his face. He totally read it and I then had to lie....I told him it was a plan for us to go on a date and Taylor, our sitter was sick. So we were going to take the kids to my sisters house and then go to a special dinner...Rachel couldn't go either because she didn't have a sitter and Brian was out of town. So...before dinner Aaron picked out my dress...I tell you this because he thinks it's a private dinner for the two of us and he picks a strapless dress...yep. I am a bit stumped but go along with it. Then I looked in the freezer to make sure all was still hidden...and I saw a dent in the bag of fish! Yep...he saw the cake. MAN! I was a bit upset. We left and dropped the kids off and headed to one of his favorite restaurants...Coopersmiths in Old Town. He figured out where we were going but had no idea what was coming. We were standing in line when he noticed Keith and Tschan were there...and I couldn't hold it in! He figured it out and was glowing! Then of course, praise Jesus we got seated outside so I kept my coat on! HA! (It was appropriate for a dress...I just wouldn't wear it often). So Aaron's bro and sis'n'law were there, our neighbors Joe and Erica Glaze and two couples from our small group; Keith and Tschan, and Chris and Shanole...and my folks then walked in. It was great. After we did go home and enjoy the ice cream cake which he got a hand slap for even looking in the freezer under the fish. But...he didn't know any of these people would be there for him. It was awesome! Happy 29th babe!

Our kids make us laugh...enjoy these videos!

2010-09-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

I love that I've caught my kiddos on tape just being adorable!!! First enjoy Malachi feeding Isaiah...which has become a help and a MESS! But Isaiah loves it.

And then Rachel just kept brushing her hair and brushing it and I was trying to get on tape how she said..."I brushed all my self my hair mom". She's just cute!

And the best for last...Isaiah was done with his bath and Malachi was rinsing his hair with a bucket in the bath and I caught Isaiah cracking up watching him. SOOOOOOo fun and after watching it over and over we realize he laughs just like Malachi!

Rachel turned 3...and had a great party!

2010-09-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

When Rachel came out of her quiet time I had to film her face when she saw all the decorations! It was priceless...especially when she was excited to see a chair....that we'd moved for the party!!! So hillarious. She was so excited.

So here's the spread....the melon is from our garden...and the salsa is tomato's and serano's from the garden also!

Her gift from Daddy and Mommy was this Minnie costume and she loved it!!!

Malachi was thrilled when he got to hang with his cousins. He loves them a ton and got to enjoy some time with Nick on his bike...yes he is outgrowing it fast!
And of course Diane got her baby fix for sure with Isaiah in one arm and my sisters baby, Madison in the other.

We finally got to enjoy the bean bag(that looked like cheese triangles) toss into Minnie's mouth that we had for her party last year. We didn't get to use it or the pinata last year due to weather.

And for a bit Uncle Jason got some baby fix time too!

And the kids enjoyed the purse pinata...Rachel ended up pulling the right string!

And that night we had a special phone call set up...from the real Minnie Mouse and it was precious. We were so busy earlier that morning we missed the call so I hurried to reschedule it online and Minnie called just for Rachel and told her to enjoy her party...which she'd already had but that didn't matter to Rachel!

"Noodle" is 3!!!!!!

2010-09-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

September 7, 2007 10:19am....here she is!!!

And the noodle turns 1!!! 2008

And then she is 2!! 2009

So for breakfast she wanted blueberry muffins...lunch she wanted Taco Bell...and dinner she enjoyed banana waffles...I think my stomach may hurt!!

And for her day she was so happy to just hang with her best friend, her cousin Avery!

Of course she picked her outfit....every single piece is pink...yep. No surprise!

I like squash...really?

2010-09-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

Rachel is one crazy character and we love it! She and Malachi absolutely enjoy making Isaiah laugh and they do the best at it! So enjoy her humor in this and of course there is never better timing then when you have the video running to try some veggies...she once loved....squash!

Malachi's one tooth down....

2010-08-16T19:34:00.001-07:00

So after a little over a week of wiggling this tooth because we saw the new tooth pushing behind it....it is out! Malachi did great...dad struggled a bit with the blood...but mom pulled it out and so here's that precious new smile...you can see the new tooth right behind it. Along with this the one next to it is loose and his 6 year molers are coming in. So in our family we don't do things for our children that do not exist...so with no "tooth fairy" Aaron decided to use this to teach Malachi even more about money and saving. So Malachi sold his tooth this morning to daddy for $1.00 and immediately put it in his Lightening McQueen wallet to save to tip the waiter when we treat him to Red Robin some day.

Day running in the catapillar sprinkler

2010-08-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yep...I would agree...if you're sitting there saying...man they are cute...you betcha! HA HA! I am a bit biased toward them.

Sweet Isaiah

2010-08-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

This video is so stinkin cute. My boys sure love each other!!!

What a funny day!

2010-08-13T19:42:00.001-07:00

I wish I had the video camera running in every corner of this house. It would catch my funny munchkins saying and doing the most hilarious things. This afternoon I saw Rachel walking up stairs with her little talking baby "Lila" which we bought her 2 years ago. Recently she's been super imaginative and is playing along with Malachi and his little dinosaur like a family story or something. Here is what I heard her say..."Hi, Lila...I will help you...you need me...ok. Here's your mommy and daddy...uhhh...and they kissing...(long squeaky pucker sound)." HA HA HA!!! I lost it. I sure am glad my kids know even now after three kids daddy and mommy like to kiss!

Then tonight after I got done reading to the three kids before bed..interestingly enough Isaiah loves sitting and listening to the stories...Malachi had some questions that touched my heart. We had read the story about Jesus going to heal Jarrius' daughter who was on her death bed and also getting stopped by the bleeding older lady who touched his coat/cloak and was healed. When we got done I just asked Malachi what had happened in the stories. He told me about the girl getting healed and the lady and I explained how awesome it was that the woman knew that just by touching Jesus' clothes she would be healed because He was God. Then Malachi said something about Jesus not being here now....it went like this....

Malachi- "Jesus is in the sky"

Me- "Yep...He is actually everywhere. He is in mommy's and daddy's heart."

Malachi- "Naaa. How is that? I don't see him."

Me- "Well...do you believe He is alive?"

Malachi - "Yes."

Me- "Then do you believe that you and mommy and everybody do bad things or sin? If you know that then you say a prayer...Telling Jesus you know you have done bad things and hurt Him and made Him sad. But you believe He died on the cross for those sins and forgave them all. Then you ask Jesus to be in your heart...FOREVER."

Malachi- quiet...thinking

Me- "Then you will never ever ever ever be alone. He will be there to guide you and help you every single day and every single minute!"

Malachi- "I want to say that when I get into my bed. Ok mommy"

Me- "Ok"

We then went to pray all four of us and Malachi didn't want to hold Rachels hand...which is pretty much what they argue about every night...but instead reached his hand out to his right to hold Jesus' hand and told Rachel to do the same. After we hugged and kissed he asked if Jesus would go with him into his room. I said absolutely and you can tell him your prayer and talk to him whenever you want to. He was so excited. Me....in awe of that amazing child like faith I see in the eyes of my children. The realness of my Savior in the life of my son is awesome. I know He is working through Aaron and I daily to lead our little children into His arms and receive His grace, forgiveness and salvation. AMAZING. I just wanted to put my ear to the door and listen to Malachi just talk to Jesus. And he did. So sweetly and so real. It brought me back to when I was 6 or 7 and my best friend was Jesus. I talked to Him alllllll the time. And I still find myself on nights especially when Aaron's away on business I get into my bed. I can't sleep anyway with my husband next to me. So I talk to my absolute best friend. I hope Malachi does that forever!

Mawmaw comes to visit...and dress up time!

2010-08-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have my Mawmaw Reed fly up to visit my parents for a week and stayed half of her time in Colorado in Fort Collins! It was awesome. She got to be with all five of her great grandbabies and even blessed us with some yummy sopapillas the last morning she was here. The best parts for me were going golfing with my mom, mawmaw and my sister Rachel.(Hasn't happened since we were probably 12-14 years old) And the other fun time was going to the flea markets with Mawmaw and my mom where we scored an awesome rocking horse for the kids! It was so much fun. I miss my Mawmaw and am so glad my kids know her. She's amazing and I wish we could visit her more often and see Pawpaw who is now living in a great place for people with Alzheimer's.

This is our try at 4 generations shot!!! HA HA HA!

Ok...so sweet Avery got a suitcase full of dress up clothes for her 3rd birthday and is very nice about sharing her stuff with Malachi and Rachel! THEY LOVE IT! And as usual it was very fun for my sister to dress Malachi in "pink" anything and dresses and earrings and necklaces!(he did ask to wear them)

Ok...this is Malachi as a pink power ranger. He loved this costume...and strangely while wearing the mask he did not speak at all! AT ALL! He walked around doing things without talking for a long time. It did scare Avery though...sweet girl wasn't sure of him.

How to use "L's"

2010-08-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Rachel has been a great little listener and learner...probably because she's the second kiddo and a girl. She corrects Malachi a lot when he speeds through different words and of course does not use every correct letter/syllable. So...here she is trying to say Bologna...and by the end of the video you'll see how she does the "l" sound! So stinkin cute!

Trip to Billings!

2010-08-11T07:37:00.001-07:00

So we did our yearly trip to visit Tony and Ky (Uncle Tony and Auntie Ky to the kids) our best friends/bro and sis we call them in Billings, Montana. It was a blast! We drove up 7 hours to stay a week and enjoy a bunch of cooking, eating, sleeping and fellowship. The kids were great...a few time outs here and there...but they enjoyed some new adventures too; such as playing a video game, eating a lollipop and having desert a few nights. So they enjoyed this trip a bunch! We sure miss Tony and Ky and also got to enjoy Ky's brother Stephen...who's sitting next to Malachi in the first picture here where Malachi got to play a video game!

Yes...Aaron got his video game fix for the year with Tony!

Here is Isaiah and sweet cutie Annelise who is a few months younger than Rachel.

And in the back...yep a teenager no kidding...sleep sleep sleep...eat cheetos/ramen/chips...pizza...and sleep sleep sleep... Love you Stephen!

Man Ky looks so stinkin awesome! She's lost 40lbs!!! She's workin her tail off to loose weight while working almost full time and taking care of sweet Annelise and her home and hubby too!

So we got treated to doing some ceramic painting with the kiddos and of course Isaiah was enjoying every minute!

Yep...we're enjoying the toothless smile these days because he's working on his first tooth and Malachi's loosing his first baby tooth and cutting his 6 year moler at the same time!

This was so cute...Annelise put a blanket on him and sat down to read to Isaiah.

Can you tell we made them smile?

Then we enjoyed taking the kiddo's to the splash park and got to reunite with an old friend, Kari and her newest son Finn...sorry no pics of them this time...next time!

Then we got to go to the Mexican Festival and try not to melt in the heat and look at awesome hot rods!

This was funny because the girls were playing pretend and puting the dolls in time out! And then you can see the kiddos dressed for church...even Isaiah! It was great to fellowship with people from our old Bible study too!

Zuchinni from our garden

2010-07-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Isaiah is 4 months!!!

2010-07-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

WOW! We've reached a great point in Isaiah's growth where every day he really is learning so many new things. And Malachi and Rachel are enjoying it too. He obviously can now roll...and is trying very hard to push himself foward to crawl. He also absolutely loves his rice cereal(just like his older brother did) but I think it's also that he gets to eat at the same time his brother and sister eat and that's exciting to him. He's working on sitting up but has shocked me by pulling himself up to stand when he's holding my hands...and stands a long time. And he is mastering the art of grabbing things and sticking them in his mouth! ugghh. So proud of our little man..and the video is hillarious...totally done with mommy video taping him.

Toddler without a nap

2010-07-20T08:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday when we had my sister over I decided that we'd just keep Malachi and Rachel up through the normal nap time and let them play outside with Avery while I gave my sis a hair cut. Normally...depending on the day...little Rachel will take a short nap but because she's getting a bit older she sometimes just sits in her bed and talks and sings so I thought for sure she'd be fine. Well...I needed some down time so I sent the two to their own rooms to play for about an hour while Isaiah was awake. Then I went to get them out and put Isaiah down while they took baths...yep...I flung her door open and this is what I found!!! My little princess crashed!!!!

Birdhouses

2010-07-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Craft time in our house is only messy on one side...yep that's Rachel! We had fun painting some birdhouses yesterday and then hanging them with some birdseed in our front tree. (after Malachi broke Rachel's and his into many pieces...which took me an extra half our to super glue and make them look like ok houses! But it worked.) So here's our creations....

I did this one for Isaiah....as if he really cares?

We have watermelon's growin

2010-07-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here is our first sign of watermelon...although super small we probably have 20 of them growing right now and more to come....ha ha! It will soon over take our garden and grass...hee hee...This is Malachi's finger pointing to his first melon.

Isaiah ROLLED!!!!

2010-07-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

DUDE! Seriously...he's not even 4 months and just decided to roll...or really it's just the fact that he innhereted the big head that Malachi also had. If you lean one way you're done for!!! And over you go!!!! Best of all Aaron was home to see it and that was awesome. It's always been my prayer that Aaron would not miss out on any special moments with our kids and thus far...every major step has either been at home or even when we've visited him at work!!

I adore what kids say

2010-07-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

There is something special and wonderful about listening to how your kids think and learn. So Malachi has been stuck on this idea..."when I'm (this old...fill in age...usually 16 or 65) years old I can do...that! So I was putting away our Whirly Popper we use to make homemade caramel corn...and he said...

Malachi...."When I'm 16 I can use that silver thing. Right mommy?"

Me...."sure you can."

Rachel....."Mommy..when I'm a boy I can use it...right?"

HA HA! I almost lost it. And then about 5 minutes later out of the blue Malachi said..."Grandpa Bob is old." I looked at him and said "why do you say that?" Malachi..."because he's just old to do all kinds of things." HA! Random thoughts of an almost 5 year old.

Rachel singing to Isaiah in May

2010-07-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is from May but I totally love this video. Our little singer Rachel loves to make up songs and mix them up! We could listen to it all day. And Isaiah sure likes his lullaby's! Of course Malachi has to get his two cents in and bug his sister...of course

First time on Watermelon Jam...gotta try again!

2010-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

So here's a pic of the last of my beets before we roasted them...and ate them in a record 5 minutes! So sad that after roasting they aren't as pretty so I had to take a picture.
Malachi and I worked on a first try at Watermelon jam...yeh the recipe I'd had for about 9 years and never tried. Apparently it's from Taste of Home...and it did not set so....we will try again and post those pictures soon! Malachi was a great help and is still anxious to eat watermelon jam....he and Rachel also loved the beets....I love gardening! It's great for getting my kids to eat new veggies.

Yummy...No sugar added blueberry jam!!!

2010-07-14T12:15:00.001-07:00

So one thing I am a bit of a stickler about is sugar...which my munchkins have had only on special occassions...so here's how I save some serious money... fresh blueberry jam with honey for a sweetener...yum! Half the price of no sugar jams...and it's fresh!

Kids...growing too fast!

2010-07-14T08:02:00.001-07:00

The garden today!!

2010-07-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

So this morning I went out to show everyone what our garden is doing...and also a fun ..my discovery of a robin's nest! CRAZY! May need to get rid of it for bugs...but fun for the kids to see!

come, blackberries..come

yummy raspberries...comin in August

look at these strawberry plants!!!!

Some herbs...

Here's whats left of my beets!

I planted a garlic clove to keep ants away....and its growing!

Here's a sweet watermelon on its way

and the full picture of all my watermelon vines...

my watermelon is going to take over soon!!

A little basil and some big red tomato's coming!

Here is my Serrano peppers...and my companion plants...marigolds and petunias to help the peppers and tomato's!

Roma's

My poor tomatillo plant has recovered from the late snow we had...but I am not sure we'll get any fruit from it.

And another companion for my tomato's and peppers and onions...a geranium...gorgeous pick from little Rachel. Of course it had to be pink!

Red hybrid corn...ummm we should have plenty!

And zuchinni squash which has taken over my blueberry bush which is hiding but not producing...and hidden in their is some sunflowers which will help the corn eventually!!

GIANT beets before I roasted them

Outside and the start of our garden

2010-07-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

This was over a month ago when we started our garden and these fun pic's of the kids just catch my heart! To the right here...if you look next to Malachi's hat is one Maple seed that he had figured how to spin in the air like helicopters!! So cute.

Last day preschool picnic

2010-07-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

And of course...finally pictures of the last day Malachi's preschool got together for the end of year picnic!! Fun fun fun for all the kids...and great times getting to ride the train at City Park for free...even though the driver was a bit of a grump.

Sweet Rachel loves Kenna and Levy...who are also kiddos in our bible study so it was great for her and Malachi to know people in the class.

And Malachi's great teacher, Mrs. Elliott. She was awesome and he sure loved her!

And if you look close little Rachel will quickly attach to any nice older girl...she's holding Brooklynn's hand! So cute.

Children's Museum with Grampy and Nanny

2010-07-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

On May 6th we enjoyed a fun day with Grampy and Nanny at the Denver Children's Museum! The kids absolutely had a blast and so did we...even Isaiah enjoyed the ride in the front carrier!

Malachi still has this sweet little boat( I think it's a catamaran....however you spell it)

And as usual Rachel broke her purse the next day!!!

Man the Whole Foods grocery store was great...it was actually affordable!!! HA!

Malachi was like a pro at checking people out...he scanned the food, hit the button and then asked for money!!!

And Rachel knows what she wants...MONEY!!!

Loved this one ...reflection in the dance mirror

And finished off with story time...and our kids cut in front of everyone to sit right in front!!!

Neighbor's chickens!!

2010-07-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

So about two months ago the kids got to go over to our neighbors, Joe and Erica's backyard to meet the new chickens. Yep...they have a coup and all for their six chickens. The kids were great and didn't squeeze the chicks to death...I'm so glad!

Yeh...we have a swingset(a.k.a. "the park")

2010-07-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

So I am a bit late on these pictures...since Aaron's folks have been gone almost two months! But we were blessed to recieve gift cards that Aaron had won at his work and we decided to get the kids a playset for our backyard so that I won't have to stress about going to a park with three kids! It has been amazing and so much fun for the kids. They call it "the park" and have even enjoyed learning how to dump a bucket of water from the little wade pool down the slide and then slide down it while it's real wet! So fun.

Oh...another moment with my daughter

2010-07-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning when I woke up with Isaiah I took him out of the room so Aaron could sleep some more. I heard little Rachel in her room calling for mommy so I took her to the potty. After she was done I told her to go to her room and read books for a little while till daddy woke up. This is normal for Malachi to sit and "read" his books which means he looks at pictures and tries to read a bit with his TAG pen....so sweet Rachel being one that puts two and two together looked at me and quietly whispered with her puffy tired eyes, "mommy....I can't read the words."

Rachel being....Rachel!

2010-06-29T19:58:00.001-07:00

Oh the day that goes by when Rachel doesn't crack me up is when she's sick or not here....

So in the car on our way back from our week vacation at Taylor Park/Grand Junction...Aaron decides to pull jokes on the kids like my dad did. He drove over the sound bars on the side of the road to startle them. They were cracking up. And so here's what was said...

Me-"Isn't Daddy Silly?"

Kids-"yes, daddy is silly"

Me-"I think he's goofy."

Malachi-Laughing loudly "Daddy you're goofy"

Rachel- Yelling with a huge laugh "No...Daddy you're Mickey!"

Today at lunch I had asked Rachel if she wanted to pray and that's hard because Malachi most definitely feels the need to be the only one to pray. So here's what she said...

"Jesus, thank you for food. thank you for Machi, Rachel, Daddy, Mommy. thank you for baby brother Isaiah. thank you for playing outside. I don't like this tuna melt. ....but I'm going to eat it. bless this food nourish our bodies. in Jesus Christ holy name. Amen."

HA HA! She is hilarious. And just so everyone knows...she ate the bread not the tuna!

Then of course after lunch Rachel had some energy before her nap to run off...so me being me...I began making up a song for her to dance to....amazingly I know my pregnancy brain is gone because I was able to come up with words pretty fast and she was having a blast. After about a 10 minute song I ran out of words so I grabbed my cell phone for her and Malachi to dance to the ringtones(they love them). So they are dancing/running around our coffee table and I am dying. Pretty soon I get the Funky song on which they know is Auntie Rachel's song and little Rachel is really gettin down as she goes around the table she yells at me..."LOUDER MOMMY, LOUDER!!" I was dying. She's awesome...and Malachi's robot moves were amazing..I hope to post those someday soon!

Tonight we met up with my sis and her two daughters, Avery and Madison at McAllisters for dinner because every night is kids eat free so we were absolutely the only ones in the restaurant...which is good because Malachi and Rachel and Avery were super hyper to see each other. And then it happened....a flying object in our corner window booth. At first Avery thought it was a butterfly and the kids were a bit mesmerized by it...and then they realized it was flying near them...it was a moth. A big one! And all the sudden the most high pitch scream came from little Rachel. It was right behind her. Four really loud screams later and a terrified little girl, Auntie Rachel stepped in and killed the nasty moth. I was laughing so loud I had to look away! Little Rachel, who is my fearless and brave, dirt doesn't bother me, little girl was so terrified! Poor girl. It just cracked me up. So...hopefully I will have more stories on her soon...I'm sure I will!

Sweet little Rachel moment

2010-06-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

I just had a sweet moment with Rachel...which happens a lot even though she is super fiesty! She'd gone to bed about two hours ago and all the sudden I heard her crying. So I ran up and found her with a tear soaked face and calling for me. So I held her in my arms and sat down just running my fingers through her crazy curly hair. She looked up at me in sobs with those big blue eyes...so I asked if she wanted me to sing to her. It always seemed to calm all three of my kids to sing to them, especially when they were little babies. So I began to sing "I love you Lord"...and when I'd gotten halfway through it the second time...she stopped me and said, "mommy, why you sing it again?" I said..."because I love that song."....silence...and then...she began..."twinkle twinkle little star..." which she absolutely loves to sing but she hasn't figured out how to end it...she just keeps going when she should finish....and then goes right into "ABCDEFG...." which she used to not know how to end because she'd get to the "now I know my ABCDEFG...." and so on! But she did finish and clapped for herself. She gave me huge kisses and hugs and I reminded her that God is bigger than anything and is watching over her. I told her I was always here but most of all Jesus was watching over her. And I prayed again. Never can do that too much to remind them of what I find comfort in. My Lord and Savior is always with me...always! Praise Jesus!

Big band aide's

2010-06-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

So today as we left the second day of Vacation Bible School Malachi dropped his sunglasses on the floor. Of course in utter terror screaming to get them...he tried to lean forward out of his seat belt and I reminded him to stay buckled. He then tried to unbuckle himself and I jumped at him to buckle and tried again to explain that he could get really hurt. So he responded....like this...

Me: You need to stay buckled so you won't get hurt

Malachi: If we have a accident?

Me: Yes. You could get really big owies.

Malachi: I could just get two band aides and then it would be ok.

Me: Malachi, it would be a lot worse. You could be in the hospital. (Of course I am trying to be super serious because I don't want him, for any reason to unbuckle.)

Malachi: Oh......then I just get a real big band aide and I would be fixed....oh....OK mom!!

So what are big owies to 4 year old boys? Ones that need big band aides. So funny! It is also great that today's lesson at VBS was that God's word is comfort. Nothing like a good way to show them a real example of finding comfort...in any situation with God's Word! HA..love it.

I am coming back

2010-06-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd post a short note to let those who care know I will be back with some photo's soon. It's been a bit crazy the last month....not just in our house but also my sister's with their new baby girl, Madi, stopping breathing one night(she is absolutely fine...after a ride in the paramedics to the ER)...and our own little changes. But now that Malachi's preschool is over and summer is goin we're trying to enjoy the outdoors and the kids are hooked on the new swingset(a.k.a. "the park" which is what Malachi calls it) and my garden is growing great. Just a little late to start due to Isaiah joining our family at prime planting time. So...I will post a bunch of photo's for those of you who care...mostly Grampy and Nanny who live in Hungary and I know they check this and show everyone over there their grandbabies!! Love and miss them tons. So...please enjoy and be patient with me posting more...I am coming.

Painting garden stones

2010-04-27T09:26:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed this morning by painting some garden stones tha the kids helped mix and make....fun craft I found in the awesome $1 section at Target. Should be fun to add to their own section of the garden, once we get more soil added and plant some seeds! Yeh for summer coming.Yes....I did this one...silly!

New pictures of Isaiah!!!

2010-04-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Allright...here's some photo's of Isaiah since he's come home....and hopefully in order!

Here is Grandpa Bob! We were so blessed to have them stay for 2 weeks...it was awesome!
And Grandma after Isaiah's bath...he's really enjoying the water.

Here's Grampy and Isaiah...he and Nanny are here from Hungary visiting for a month! Wish it was even longer. They are so great!

Malachi really wanted to sleep next to him!!! So stinkin cute the two boys!

Here's Nanny enjoying Isaiah as he's found his thumb!

And this is this morning...lovin the hair!

Older brother and sister enjoying little Isaiah

2010-03-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Isaiah Aaron Taylor born 3/20/2010

2010-03-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

And yes....this is absolutely right after he came out!!

WELCOME Isaiah Aaron Taylor

2010-03-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

So early...early Saturday morning we welcomed Isaiah Aaron Taylor to our family. And for those interested I will post the fast coming he had into our world. At 1 am I woke up with some painful contractions and waited a bit to wake Aaron to make sure it was real. At 1:30am woke him up and proceeded to try to call my sister to come over so we could leave our sleeping kids at home....well my sweet sis and left her cell downstairs so she never heard us call. Finally I was in too much pain and went down to the car...where I felt my water break and we had to leave. We loaded the kids up...and they were immediately wide awake..and LOUD! Got to the hospital and found out I was at 5cm dialated and contractions were coming hard....and the kids were sitting in the two seats across the room yelling and playing...and Rachel was sneaking my purse to eat mints...at 2am!! Praise Jesus our great friends in our bible study helped out and Chris showed up 20minutes in and took the kids back to our home to sleep. My doc showed up at 2:40 and said with my fast labors she wanted to check me and see....I was allready at 8!!!!!!! So she set up everything and by 3am...I was to 9 and 100% efface. So she helped me push away a small amount of cervex...and by 3:15 I was ready to push and after three pushes out he came at 3:19am!!!!! He weighed 7lbs 5oz and was 20.5 inches long! And to my surprise had a full head of dark hair!!!!!!!! HA HA HA! That's just what I was hoping for. Fun...so he's here and we are all enjoying him. The kids are doing amazing with him and loving on him too! Oh...and when we were getting ready to leave at 1:40am we'd called my folks in Grand Junction and they packed fast and got into their car and drove 5 hours here right when Chris was taking our kids to the hospital to drop them off...it was perfect!...so enjoy the pictures and the video.

Sickness and Valentines day

2010-03-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

For a full two and a half weeks our house was incredibly sick. Starting with Rachel and ending with her. It also put me at the doctors for an extra three hours/two IV's of fluids and a shot in the butt for a bladder infection...and then it passed to my sisters house...which we felt awful about. We've never seen our kids fall asleep anywhere in the house. They were beat!

And here comes Valentines day. We were on the mend and Malachi and Daddy just had fun giving gifts to mommy and Rachel. Aaron made sure to emphasize that that day is for mommy and Rachel only! So cute!

And the men!

2010-03-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Can't forget to photo the two men of the house (for now)...soon to be three. Of course enjoy Malachi dressing himself for school and had to wear a tie because daddy wears one.

And I love this one...Aaron needed shades while he worked on our french doors...gotta say my sunglasses look great on him!

Little girls, hair and nails!

2010-03-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

Oh Rachel Eliana! She is so adventurous...and fearless...and GIRLY! HA! We have so much fun doing hair and then yesterday when Malachi went to school Rachel asked me what she was going to learn about today. I said "You'll be home with Mommy." And with that she responded, "I learn about princesses?" Of course we can do that! So she got to where her pretty princess press on nails, which were huge on her tiny finger nails. So fun and funny to see her instant change in how she touched things and didn't want to mess them up. What a doll.

Happy 31st Birthday to Mommy

2010-03-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

So my birthday was great! It was so fun to see Malachi involved in making my cupcakes! So stinkin cute. And of course...turning 31...ummm not much of a big deal but I sure don't feel like I'm in my thirties!
And of course a sweet cookie from our bible study!

Hit me with your best shot

2010-01-31T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is hillarious to me. The kids fell in love with these white elephant dolls we got years ago that I pulled out to give again at another white elephant. So here's the deer dressed as a hunter singing hit me with your best shot...didn't end up getting rid of this one, yet!

Aaron's work CHRISTmas party

2010-01-31T10:52:00.000-08:00

So we had Aaron's annual CHRISTmas party at our house and it was so much fun! Almost all the employees showed up and we just enjoyed tons of good food that everyone brought and getting to know each other. So enjoy..

Here's a fun snowman cake I made...which after all the other food we had this didn't even get touched! But it sure tasted good the next day!
Here's the staff...without their significant others...from left to right; Jason, Dave(back row), Trent(front row), Jen, Connie, Carl and Aaron. It was a ton of fun.

Here's Jen's sweet boy Richie...sooo stinkin cute!

And here's Jason's little girl Hannah...super sweet.

Here's the mom's trying to get the little ones to play together.

Kids in December

2010-01-31T10:43:00.000-08:00

We're getting caught up...here's some fun pic's of the kiddos in December being kids.

Ok...here's Rachel and what you can't see super clear but is hillarious is she's gotten her feet in her little baby doll Lila's pants with the footies...and she's walking in them!!!

Yummmy fun. We made some ginger snap cookies and the kids had a blast helping mom.

Ready for church....love the cheesy smiles!

Nice and early in our snowman shirts/jammies

And here the kids are being so helpful with our CHRISTmas tree...mostly watching and trying to get into stuff in the garage! It was also freezing that day so they weren't outside long.

Ok...now we're on to Thanksgiving!

2010-01-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on this so I will update...Thanksgiving I did not take many photos nor did I do much. At that point I'd been sick for five weeks and needless to say had no idea I had bronchitis and pneumonia...until I called the nurse on Friday of that week and she told me to get to Urgent Care as soon as I could. So I packed up and left early to get to Fort Collins before they closed.Yuck...but I did get on a good antibiodic and eventually didn't have my terrible cough...after two tries on antibiodics and could keep the same underwear on all day...yes...it happens when you have a baby weighing down your bladder and a bad cough! So here's our week in Vail with most of our family!

On our way to downtown...super cold!

Little Rachel and Avery just love hangin with each other!Malachi loved playing fish for wheels with his cousins Payton and Michael.And we got to enjoy this awesome pool at my sister Tiff's condo that is soooo kid friendly. Rachel was absolutely herself...FEARLESS...and loved the slide and water...and Malachi did fantastic!Malachi loved the part where you walked over the bubblesAnd he did pretty good on the lazy river...but it will take him a while to be totally comfortableAnd here's the kids hooked on Tinker Bell's movie that Grandma found on You Tube!Like this Thanksgiving pic...ha ha! My kids are hillarious.My sister Rachel created this great box for our dinner rolls and each family member decorated a feather with their name and made the turkey tail...it was great!And again my creative sis Rachel had all the kids make apple turkeys!Here's the cousins...from left to right...Payton, Rachel, Malachi, Reece, Michael and Avery.(missing Kailynne, Dominicque, Blake and Jeremiah from my side of our family)Payton is a love bug...he is super cuddly and kissy...just have to remind him she's his cousinAnd the one thing I did bring was pin the hat on the turkey...so cuteHere's a great pic of my sis Rach and the girls making faces!This is the whole gang on Thanksgiving...hillarious!And I was too sick to go swim on our last day but Grandma and Grandpa Bob had a blast with Rachel and Malachi...until Malachi had a major accident in his swim trunks...and got it on Grandpa Bob...NASTY! Glad I missed it.And right before we rushed to Urgent Care we got to see my brother Nate and sister'n'law Mary. It was way too short a visit! But at least Rachel got some snuggle time with Mary. I think Rachel has great intuition because Auntie Mary and her absolutely love the color PINK!

Very late birthday pictures!! Opps

2010-01-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

Malachi is 4 and I know he'd be sad or upset that I haven't posted pictures of his special Thomas birthday! It was fantastic. It was much more laid back than Rachels and was great for him. The cake was fun but a bit rushed. At least it turned out to look like Thomas and that's all that Malachi cared about. He had a great time with his Grandma and Grandpa Bob and of course his friends. After his party we ate a small dinner and then took Malachi, Rachel, and their best friend Tanner..our neighbor...to Chucky Cheese where Tanner and his parents played their hearts out to win Malachi a great toy! And Grandma and Grandpa Bob got soar from playing all the games themselves...ha! It was a blast.

And our sweet niece Avery seemed to have a blast! Isn't she gorgeous!!!!!!

Here is Shanole and her two kiddos, Sydney and Aucklynd(A.J.) from our small group

And of course...Thomas hats and sweet Tanner Malachi's best friend.

And here's Kenna, from our small group and also goes to preschool with Malachi.

Yep that's Sydney....she's so stinkin cute!

And he got his first real Thomas for his train track!! Thank you to the Gustafsons!

And Rachel...no she's not hyper from sugar. She's just awnry like this...!

Here we go at Chucky Cheese. Aaron had so much fun playing with the kids...and competing with Tanners dad, Tyler..ha! A bit competitive.

This does not look like her favorite ride

No...Rachel loves being with Tanner but she is getting very tired and you can tell!

This is how daddy gets such a good score...yep Malachi is standing in the game!

He is an amazing God...as ALWAYS!

2009-11-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

So I begin this story by referencing what happened almost exactly one year ago. I'm not sure if I posted much about it but I will refresh every one's memory. On Dec. 14, 2008 we were rushing out the door with Aaron's parents and the kids to church. In the rush I placed my bible and notebook on the roof as I buckled Rachel in the car and hopped in. Needless to say the bible and notebook fell off on our way to church across town. I knew it once we got to church but I decided to wait till after church to search for it. After all it's in a huge purse like leather case and even though a foot of snow was on the ground I figured I'd find it. Three days of driving that road...and a few more times the next month nothing! I felt heartbroken. The bible...well...here's that story.

When I was 11 years old I had a pink old Bible my parents had given to me with my name on the outside and I remember sitting before the Lord and basically asking for a sign from Him. I asked that when the man the Lord had promised and created for me to marry came that he would give me a new bible the day he proposed with my name and his last name on it. Pretty specific request of the Lord but I really didn't want to marry someone that the Lord hadn't intended for me to marry and I know my God is greater than this simple request. That request and prayer was kept as a very deep secret that only about three close friends of mine knew about. When Aaron and I began to date I felt the Lord clearly showing me that he was the one....we shared so many convictions and so many of our choices were just laid before the Lord I knew he was the one. So...the night Aaron proposed to me he took me to the chapel at CSU on campus; mind you I lived in Grand Junction at the time and Aaron was still in school at Western State...so he set this whole thing up with friends of mine from college. On the outside of the chapel were white sheets covering the walls of the pergola and red ribbon hanging...red rose petals all over the ground surrounded with little tea light candles lit...and in the middle a pedestal with a bible on it and a red rose in the middle with pictures of him and I placed around the bible. We had never said "I love you" or given red roses to each other because we wanted to protect each others hearts until we were engaged...we waited to kiss till our wedding day and man...no matter how hard that was it was WORTH IT!! So I walked up to the bible and he asked..."do you know what that is?" I said simply, "A bible".....he said look at it. I picked it up seeing the rose, the bookmark that for the first time said the word Love on it and the verses in Ephesians marked about marriage...and I closed it and saw my first name and a space for his last name to be put when we got married!!! I just stood in shock...turned and he was on his knee. Told me he loved me and wanted me to marry him. ABSOLUTELY! Of course my next questions were how did he know about the bible. He just saw my tattered old pink one and knew I needed a new one. GOD IS AWESOME....so back to my story....

That bible was gone. I posted on Craigslist for about six or seven months and just prayed that it hadn't been shoveled into garbage piles or picked up and thrown away. I began to pray immediately that the person who found it would read it. Whether they needed it or not I prayed that the Lord would use it. I hurt for my loss but realized too that I hadn't been devoted to His Word as I should be and still know I need to be even more every day. So last week the day after Thanksgiving I checked my email...and I received something that amazed me...and hopefully you too...

Hello Aaron & Andrea

God is Good! In December of 2008 my wife and I saw what we thought was a purse laying in the road in the snow. So we stopped and picked it up. Well it turned out to be a bible and journal. My wife tried for a couple of months to get a hold of the church in Michigan but they never got back to her. Since then we have both said a few times we need to try to find them so we can return it. Well last week God had me up very early in the morning. While I was going through something in his word I remembered your bible witch I thought was a different version. (I have several different versions) Well it was and I spent the rest of the time in there. You mark and date things and I do the same thing. Things you had marked spoke to me. Right now my wife and I are seeking direction. We recently left a church and working with a ministry. God moved us from Wisconsin in 2005. We go to REZ at the moment but we are waiting to see if we should stay there or go somewhere else. We love the church but its to easy to stay uninvolved at a large church. Anyway, I came across a marriage announcement of a Brian and Rachel. That enabled me to find you. We thought you lived in Fort Collins. We were slow at work yesterday so I was searching on line for you. When I googled "Aaron & Andrea Grand Junction Colorado" I came across your blog. So with all that said please call us at (970)556-6256. I can be reached anytime between 6:00AM and 9:00PM.( I get up very early. Usually 4:00-4:30 somewhere.) Oh yeah one more thing. I thought this was cool. Your daughter and I share the same birthday. Of course mine was 39 years earlier. God Bless You. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. God works in such cool ways. Its amazing.

Do I need to say anything??? Nope. I have contacted Jeff and he will come by on Wednesday with my bible and notebook. It so happens that my bible fell off in front of the church they were going to at the time....right in front of JAX sporting store down the road from my house. I am blessed and really don't expect and didn't expect this much to happen for him and for me since loosing my bible. So I of course will update you if anything else happens but I think this is enough and should be enough to show how great our Lord Jesus is...PRAISE HIM!!!

Woohooo having another BOY!

2009-11-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

So here's our 21 week ultrasound...would have shown the action ultrasound but...our boy was NOT SHY! And I don't want to embarrass him before he's even entered this crazy world. So we are thrilled and really happy with this little boy. He is super healthy and as usual measures a few days bigger than my due date! The kids were with us and really mostly excited about hearing the heartbeat! Ha! So now comes the challenge of picking a name and the first votes from Malachi and Rachel are; from Malachi -"Tiger"...and Rachel - "Rachel"..ha ha! Love it!

A sled, A hill...and bitter cold wind

2009-11-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

And away we go...in the car, bundled up and ready to hit the hills at Epic where...mom(me) went ice block sleding in college. It was insanly busy and unbelievably cold...but to our surprise Malachi ended up being the star...and taking the round sled and going down the big hill all alone!!!

Sweet Shanole, AJ and Sydney joined us and then were freezing so they left quickly!

We tried to find a hill with less wind but it was too fluffy snow for Aaron so his pants were soaked!!

And Avery...ha..we love you endlessly...you just aren't ready for wind or snow!And Rachel, aka miss independent, began walking up the hill alone and making snowballs to carry!Finally my sis just grabbed Avery and took her down...and it seemed she actually liked it!

Going to the pumpkin patch

2009-10-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

So here's our fun adventure to the pumpkin patch with cousin Avery and Auntie Rachel and Uncle Brian. Fun family tradition just gets more fun every year.

This is me showing off my handsome and slim husband who has lost 52 lbs!! He is so stinkin hot...always has been but I just want to say it again and show off his accomplishment.Here's precious Avery...so cute and very unsure of what to do!

Ok..here's the baby belly thus far!

2009-10-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Me at 18 weeks...and growing