sigh

I think tonight holds the record for the most posts I've done at one time. But there's just so much going on!

Today marked the last MOPS event of the year. And the last MOPS event that I'm a part of leading! I've been in MOPS leadership these past 4 four years since moving back out here to the Valley and WOW has it changed me.


I have grown so much as a woman, mommy, wife, friend, and leader and have loved, loved, loved my time with so many wonderful women. I believe so strongly that reaching and caring for Moms is vital to strong families. Nearly all of my close friends here in the Valley came from relationships that were built at MOPS. I still plan to attend, but it feels so strange to be done. MOPS has been so huge and consuming in my life and I've loved every minute of it. Yes, there were a few "bumps" in the road, but as I see it now, have grown me and molded me right along with them.

Let me just name the gals that have meant so, so much to me this year especially. I was too choked up this morning to say any of this to them, but it was on my heart.

Anne-Renee
Rachel
Elizabeth
Amber
Tasha
Chantel
Hannah
Milly
Tiana

The relationships I have with you all are near and dear to me. And I think I'm grieving the closeness of those relationships and time spent together. Late nights spend talking and giggling at retreats and out-of-state conventions, steering team meetings spent sharing our ministry vision and plans together, praying together for the Moms in our group, and the awesome friendships built will be missed! I know we will stay great friends, but I will miss and love you all dearly.

So, what's up next? (other than focusing on my 4 little bits and homeschooling?) Well, a dream I've had over these past years is to see Moms get plugged into a Bible Study of some sort to gain Bible knowledge, intimate friendships, time to share their life with others, and a close relationship to the Lord. And I'll be focusing on that next year, with my new, emptier plate! I'm beyond excited for the chance to make this dream a reality and see our MOPS Moms flourish!


Here are some pictures from last weekend of our Steering Team out on the town for our final outing together. First we went out for a yummy dinner, then it was off to the play Little Women! We love hanging out and cherish the time when it can be just us having girl time with out all of our kids! We have 24 kids between all of us! (including Elizabeth's little girl who will be in her belly a few more months!) Milly, we missed you that night!

my! how you've grown!

Here's my sweet Annika at 10 days old and 3 months old in the same shirt! Look how baggy it was and look how tight it is now! She looks like a different baby! She was wearing that shirt probably for the last time yesterday and I just had to do some comparison pics. That last smile makes me laugh compared to her serious face in the picture before!

a date with Miss Tammy

Gavin's Sunday School teacher, Miss Tammy, took Gavin on a "date" this last Saturday. Gavin earned it for filling his sticker chart in class from saying his memory verses each week! Gavin has been SO looking forward to it! In the days and weeks leading up to his trip, here's what he had in his head that they would do together:

go mountain climbing

get a banana split at "Queen Dairy"

go bowling

see who would jump the farthest!!!!!!!

here's what they actually did:

went for a pony ride (Gavin actually fell off the pony when the pony got scared hearing a gun shot! But he called me and assured me that he was okay!)

went to Carl's Jr. for lunch and playland

went bowling

played at the park (Tammy said that he "mountain climbed" a hill in the parking lot, then proceeded to relieve himself on that very hill in the parking lot! That's my boy!)

had ice cream at "Queen Dairy"

went to Shop Rite to buy wallets for Drew and Morgan just like the one he won in her class

What a memorable day that was for him! And Tammy even took pictures of the day on a disposable camera for us to develop!!! How cool is that? The only disappointment is that I never heard who won the jumping contest! Tammy, you are amazing, thank you!!!

Drew and Morgan ran after them waving enthusiastically. They really missed him!

some precious moments in our home

This first picture was captured as the kids were watching robins out the window. It was a moment that was so warm and fuzzy for me!

Morgan came upstairs after raiding the costume box with this unicorn costume on! We've had it for a couple years and this is the first time she's put it on! It was a fabulous hand-me-down that Marla Kay gave us that was worn by my (now 20 year old) step-sister Alli. Thanks!

And this third special moment in my life happened on Mother's Day, no less. Ever since the ol' milk wagon went dry a month ago, and Annika has been on formula, it is a very, very rare moment that my girl falls asleep in my arms. :( She likes her bed, and falls asleep in a snap without a fuss. Great, right? Right - but I love holding her asleep. So on Mother's Day, after all the kiddos were in bed, I fed her and was just holding her smiling at her and her back at me. Then she started blinking those long sleepy blinks, and she conked out. I about cried! It was so special, so I just held her forever and was so thankful that God gave me that moment as trivial as it may sound. Thank you, precious daughter for that gift.

a four-wheeler!

Well, we've turned to the dark side. Jeremy surprised the kiddos last week with a kid-sized four-wheeler that his company sells. The kids were beyond thrilled, and still are. So for now, they're taking "four-wheeler lessons" as they call it. Drew took me on a ride for Mother's Day. He'd been planning it as my gift. It was precious, he took me back in our neighborhood and on a fun little trail. Grandpa Louie and Gavin joined us on Grandpa's four-wheeler! What fun!

the bobsey twins

The kids love helping Daddy with his outdoor projects. One recent Saturday, they were helping him dig and move some dirt for a landscaping project that is on the horizon. I snapped this photo of them helping out... and about two seconds later, I said, "Hey, Gavin and Morgan, stand a little closer together and look at me!"




And without any coaching from this camera toting Mom, this is what they did. SO stinkin' cute. They look like they were placed, moved, and cajoled into smiling like little models. And they look like little twins don't they?





and about two seconds later, this is Morgan pouting...



and about two seconds later, she's a mess... It runs in the family. But I love that fact that she was captured in a sad moment, I'm sure she'll laugh at and love this picture for years to come!

happy birthday to Jeremy!

Jeremy just celebrated his 32nd birthday yesterday! At the moment, he and the kids are outside working on a treehouse... he's been taking them outside every night when he gets home from work to give me a break and some alone time with Annika. Here are ten reasons (in no particular order and I'm sure I'm leaving lots out) why I love my husband:

1. He takes an interest in our children's spiritual growth and is a great Bible teacher.

2. He melts at the sight of our sweet baby girl..

3. He is always so willing to grow as a husband, father, and friend.

4. He always greets me with, "Hi, beautiful!" I love that, it makes me feel so special, even if I'm not exactly looking so beautiful.

5. He supports me in my decisions, ventures, and sometimes crazy ideas.

6. He's such a hands-on Daddy.

7. He's Mr. Clean and loves to help keep our house lookin' spiffy. It's a great help to this weary and thankful Mama.

8. He works hard to support our little (or not so little) family. And is so committed to whatever he does, he's been at his job for 12 years!

9. He loved me even when I had braces! (He said he "digged" me with braces)

10. He married me! We're celebrating 9 years this summer and still think we're playing house!

the cupcake

The newest addition to Bacon Bit Knits is this cupcake complete with beaded sprinkles on top! I made this one for little Savannah and have since made one more this week for baby Leah as well. Hmm... I'm already dreaming up more color combos. Want one for a gift or for your own cutie? I sell them for $20 and they're made to order!

cute, or what?

I hadn't seen this picture in a while, and just stumbled across it! It's Keat and Gav when they were just wee babes! I just wanna pinch those cute faces.

Morgan Felicity has news!

Thursday night, Morgan decided that she was ready to ask Jesus to come live in her heart! It happened in the car in our driveway as we were getting home. After we prayed, she ran around the yard with her arms outstreched singing, "I'm a Christian!!!!!! I-----'m a Christiannnnnn!"

So that night we had what she called, "a Christian party!" We broke out the birthday box, decorated with streamers, had applesauce and cheese sticks for dinner, and had ice cream to celebrate!

She has often reminded me to pray when things get tough, and usually when I hadn't thought of it yet! Like the time our power went out last winter when she was two... "It's okay Mom, Jesus will help us! We should pray!" So we prayed, and ZAP! the power came on immediately! Thanks for the reminder, sweet girl.

We gave the kiddos Jelly Bellies to munch on before bed last night and they all three plopped down in front of the fire, and were so cute, that Jeremy snapped this picture.

our sweetie pie

Annika is 2.5 months! She's smiling and cooing, and yesterday for the first time gave us a good giggle. Can't wait for more of those! After we got through those first 3 weeks, she's definitely been our easiest baby yet. She is a champ of a sleeper and is happy as can be as long as she's fed and rested. I can't imagine our family without her. It's been so fun to see Drew, Gavin, and Morgan with her. The are absolutely precious as big brothers and a big sister.

I've just today started my first workout on my way to the pre-pregnancy Amanda. This time I'm super motivated to get back to the pre-allfourchildren Amanda, which is 25 lbs! Gulp!!! But it feels different this time. The last three times I've lost baby weight it was to lose it so I wouldn't add more and more each pregnancy. Now it feels like it'll be for good!

This morning, I did a new DVD that I bought called Ballet Conditioning. Smokes, it kicked my tail! I had to turn it off after 30 min. because my wobbly legs couldn't handle it! Whew, if you ever thought ballerinas were wimpy, think again! They're tough. :)

Yikes, I'm on the web!

When I was in Kansas City for a conference in November, I was interviewed for Stonecroft's Generation Now. Go to this link to read a portion of what I said, and see my picture! Jeremy laughs because at this point, I have nothing to do with Stonecroft!


http://stonecroft.gospelcom.net/stonecroft_2006/connect_2006/html/generation_now.html

Great Movie!

Last night, Jeremy and I watched a great new movie! It's called August Rush and it's a new release out on DVD that is worth watching! It's PG and clean, except there's a one night stand that is known, but not shown... and a few G-- D---- thrown in... Other than that, I think you'll like it! (I feel like the movie reviewer at Plugged In Online) :)

It's a super sweet movie, that will leave you in tears at the end. Well, I don't know if it will bring tears to your eyes, but you know me! I don't think I've blogged about a good movie before, so it must be good, right??? Our good friends, the Stokes recommended it to us, thanks guys!

The latest craze in our house?

MONOPOLY! We've played it everyday now for 4 days! Jeremy taught them how to play one night and ever since, they've been hooked! (thanks Shannon, for the idea!) Drew is the Mr. Scrooge of the game hoarding and counting his money over and over, and Gavin is the excitable, happy-go-lucky player who usually wins! It is so hilarious to play with them.

On Thursday they played from 10am-5pm only to break for lunch! No kidding. 7 hours straight, and they never go into an argument! I scratched "school" for the day, I figured that nothing they could learn that day could possibly top the skills they were learning playing Monopoly! Who knew??

Next time we play, which will probably be tomorrow we're gonna video part of a game because it's SO hilarious! They are way into it. Having a boring day? Try Monopoly!

my morning...

I had such a "wow, I have great kids" morning, that I thought I'd share! So Annika woke up at 6am to eat, which is also the time that Morgan felt was the time to wakeup this morning.. Ugh. So I had Morgan lay down in bed with me, thinking she'd go right back to sleep while I fed little Annika. That didn't happen, she was WIDE awake and still is.

After I fed the baby, it somehow ended up being 7:30 before I laid back down, praying for more sleep. The boys are allowed out of their room at 8am, so I figured a tiny bit of shuteye was in the realm of possibility.

Morgan quietly snuck out of my room, and I knew she was heading down to play with the boys who are ALWAYS up around 7-7:30.... then in the blink of an eye, Gavin was standing by my sleepy head showing me a Lego ship he made and then the phone rang! Gavin answered it for me, "Uh, hello this is Gavin...uh, Bacon! Oh, Hi Dad!" I looked at the clock and it was 9:45am!!! Yikes!

The kids were SO good this morning, they even made breakfast (cereal), spilled half a box of Grape Nuts (and vacuumed it up), then went back downstairs to play without me waking up! I couldn't believe it. They were so kind to let me sleep.

So after Jeremy's phone call, I was still laying in bed with 4 little awake critters in my room. Morgan was putting my slippers on me, Drew was putting my glasses on me, and Gavin was entertaining Annika who was now awake in the swing. So I got up, and awarded them all a Golden Ticket for being so good (which is a new fun thing in our home: Job Tickets for being not-so-good, and Golden Tickets for being extraordinarily good!), sat on the couch eating cereal when Gavin opens the fridge door looking for a drink, spies a small carton of Half & Half, and says in his excited Gavin voice, "Wow! Mom, can I have a drink of this? I've never had 3%, I've only had 1% and 2%! Wow! Can I have some???"

So now I'm sitting in our family room smiling to myself with Annika kicking and cooing happily on a blanket, Drew and Gavin playing Playmobil pirate ships, and Morgan playing Calico Critters. Sounds ideal, but I've already broken up 3 arguments about Playmobil guns and such!

updated: I have two more Gavin funnies from this afternoon!

After Drew had figured something out Gavin said, "I told you that, big guy!" He said it in a fatherly-dad sorta way. Even though he says he wants to be a mother when he grows up! HA!

Then after lunch, he wanted to be excused from the table but hadn't finished his yogurt... "Mom, can I be excused? I still have my yogurt, but it's too disgusting for me."

Hi Ho, Silver!

Here's Drew, doing his best Lone Ranger impression. We received a DVD of Lone Ranger episodes that the kids love! The boys immediately wanted to make masks to go with their cowboy hats.

comes with the territory...

Well the not so lovely part about being a postpartum mommy are comments like this coming out of my 3 year old's mouth... (she was so adorable and sweet about it though!) As she was pushing in on my tummy, "It's bouncy isn't it, mommy?"

And she keeps asking why my tummy is still big and I tell her, "It isn't!" And she says with a knowing smile, "Yes, it is!"

My hormones made me cry when she said things like that just after Annika's birth, but now as I try to explain to my cutie pie about just having a baby... I just smile and think she's just perfectly adorable.

not super blog-worthy, but fun!

So I had my first salon hair coloring experience this weekend! I had my hair highlighted for the first time, it turned out great! I was a tad nervous... to spend that much $$ and then not like it. But I love it, didn't go too drastic though, I got a few inches cut off too and some bangs added. Why not? I like things to change so I don't get bored, it had been way too long since I had a real hairstyle.

Uncle Sean here for a visit!

My big brother Sean is here from California for a week! He spent some bonding time with his new neice... she even gave him loads of cute smiles. My Dad, Sean and my cousin Tommy from Indiana are heading up to Arctic Man tomorrow morning. I love and treasure every moment I get to spend with my awesome big brother.

Uncle Sean being bombarded by the kiddos

Tommy and Sean

Easter!

Our smiley girl enjoying her first Easter.

We had a full and fabulous Easter Sunday. While my Mom was up for the month of February for Annika's birth, she made Morgan and Annika matching Easter dresses! What a treat! Here are my girls, looking super cute in their dresses.

Our day started at 5am! Yep, we're pretty crazy for getting the whole family up that early and heading to the Sunrise Service up at a freezing cold Hatcher's Pass, but it was so wonderful. After the service, which was a whopping 5-10 min., we headed to IHOP for breakfast with our good friends Kep and Rachel and their two little boys Parker and Noah. Baby Savannah was there too, but she was still hanging out in her mama's belly. She's due in about a week!

Then it was off to our Easter Service at church, then to Grandma and Grandpa Bacon's for lunch, then off to a super fun Easter Egg Hunt hosted by our friends Kathleen and Emily Dougherty! Our kiddos (and we) had such a great evening hunting eggs (200 to be exact) on their large open property! What a fun way to celebrate Resurrection Sunday!

Here are the kids beginning the sugar high that lasted a few days. :) They just finished off the last of their candy this week.