Merry Christmas to You!

I sit here on Christmas Eve morning in my pajamas listening to Christmas music on our favorite Christian radio station...  the big girls are playing together at the table, we've munched a few Christmas cookies already, and the babies are babbling to each other in their cribs ready to get up.  God has given us so much.  His Son Jesus is the most precious gift that could ever be bestowed upon us.  We accept his good and perfect gift of Jesus as our Savior and Friend.  Happy Birthday to our King!!! 

 Happy First Christmas in our home to Levi!  

He was the happy recipient of his stocking this week!! 

My amazing stepmom has made all of our stockings with loving care, I got mine when I was 16, I believe.

Such a gift.  

Welcome to the family, little buddy. 

I pray this Christmas is unlike any other for you this year.  Put aside expectations of others while open heartedly loving, and expectantly look to the Author of Life to provide your true needs. 

Much love from our family to yours! 

1st peek at our baby!!!

Today, at 14 weeks pregnant, we got an unexpected glimpse of our baby!!!  I've never had an ultrasound this early, and what a treat it was!!!  I had an issue come up over the weekend, and the ultrasound was to see the source of the problem and make sure all was okay.  The baby was perfect, and hopefully the issue that was found will not be a problem in the future.  It may be a bother to me (not the baby), but we're praying it will resolve on it's own.  Please pray along with us!

oh baby! the belly is on the move...

If you've ever had the blessing of carrying a growing baby in pregnancy more than once, you know that your belly pops out quicker with each one... well this 5th pregnancy certainly has popped out in the last week!  With my first I didn't show until 20 weeks, then it got two weeks earlier with each following pregnancy... 

One of the added perks of being pregnant several times, is that you feel the baby's movements earlier and earlier... In the last week, I've started feeling the baby's movements!  It feels like a light flick, and they come just one at a time...  amazing!

Here's the 12 week picture I took this morning... (I'll be 13 weeks on Monday) and then next are my shots taken at 11 and 8 weeks.  Oh baby, what a difference... 

 

today at 12 weeks

Thank goodness for the Bella Band, or these jeans would be a no-go now! 

11 weeks - the difference in one week is amazing!  

Last night, I said to Jeremy, "Just look at my belly!"  

He said,  "I know, it's cute."

I said, "Thanks, but look how big it's getting already!!!!"  

8 weeks

Some of our favorites to share!

For the month of December, we've decided to ditch our normal homeschool read-aloud books, in favor of Christmas stories!  I think this decision has made everyone happy - me the most!

So each day, we're reading from my friend Mukkove Johnson's book Christmas is About Jesus.  It's an advent devotional to be read to your kids, and this is our 3rd year going through it.  We love it.  Grab one for yourself, and those families you love - it makes a great gift.  :)  Each day of December leading up to Christmas has a short devotional, that works well for all my kids' ages.

The best place to buy the book would be directly from the author here:  http://www.kovescove.com/booksthings.htm

Or from the publisher:  http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60799-712-2

It is also available on Amazon (among others) and locally in bookstores!  

 We love the Little House books around these parts... and this last year I picked up a copy of A Little House Christmas Treasury!  If you own the Little House series, you actually own this too - but I loved how the Christmas chapters from all of the books were bundled into this beautiful little package.  So we're reading one or two chapters of this every day.. we've only got two chapters left, the kids love it that much! 

 

Here are the chapters included, so you can make your own Little House Christmas treasury!  Below are the books, then the chapters from the book you should read!  They are in this order in the treasury - in order of Laura's age... 

Little House in the Big Woods

Christmas

Little House on the Prairie

Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus

On the Banks of Plum Creek

The Christmas Horses

A Merry Christmas

Surprise

Farmer Boy

Christmas

The Long Winter

The Christmas Barrel

Christmas in May

These Happy Golden Years

The Night Before Christmas

Enjoy! 

Also, as I mentioned before in a Christmas traditions post a few days ago, we also read the day's wrapped Christmas book during our schooltime during the week (at night on the weekends) - the kids are loving it.  Some are goofy and some are deep, but it's a fun tradition with the kids. 

 

Another book that we own that I read every few Christmases is Max Lucado's Cosmic Christmas.  It gives insight into what may have happened all those years ago, as heaven's angels fought against the powers of darkness to deliver Jesus into Mary's womb on earth and into the world with his birth.  Spiritual warfare is real, and it's so exciting to know who wins. 

Happy reading!

Glazed Divinity

Today, after getting quite sick this morning, (bleh, hoping morning/all-day sickness flees soon!)  I was thinking it would be a good day to make a treat.  I haven't made many treats since last summer around here, so it was high time that I finally tried to make my friend Jody's homemade glazed donut recipe. 

At first, as I was making the dough before setting it to rise, I thought I had ruined it because I had to add a few more cups of flour than what it called for.  It was a gooey disaster without my extra added... not sure if it was my mistake or a misprint, but nevertheless - they turned out SO GOOD!!!!  So lo and behold is the fabulous Glazed Donut Recipe:

Home Donuts

1/3 c. lukewarm water
1 level T of yeast
2 c. warm water
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 t. salt
up to 4 c. flour (I had to add a few more cups to make a nice dough)

Glaze:  2 T soft butter, 2 T flour, 1 t vanilla, 2 c. powdered sugar and keep adding milk until it is the consistency of a soft pudding.  Mix until there are no lumps. 


Combine yeast and 1/3 c. water and let set for 10 min.  Add rest of ingredients and just enough flour to make a soft dough (not gooey).  Knead lightly.  Place in greased bowl and cover.  Let rise until doubled.  Roll out dough to 1/2 in. to 3/4 in. thick.  (I had to add more flour at this point so the dough wasn't sticky.)

Cut out donuts.  (I used a cup with a larger diameter, then a small circular cookie cutter for the middle cutout.) Let the cut out donuts rise again on the counter.  Fry in very hot oil.  (I used olive oil nearly an inch deep on med. heat. in a large skillet.)  Fry until golden brown then flip to fry the other side.  I fried two at a time, then added another two once I flipped the first set.  Set in glaze while still hot.  Flip and scoop out with the handle of a wooden spoon or plastic spatula and let them hang set a bit until the next two donuts are ready to be glazed.  (see pic below)

I laid my finished donuts on cookie sheets to let the glaze set!  Enjoy!!  This recipe made 30 donuts for us. 

cut out and rising again

the first few guinea pigs into the oil

dip in glaze, flip, and hang to drip extra glaze off - my glaze was on the stove directly next to my frying oil

the first two done!

Ooh, they are so good warm!!  Enjoy!  These just may have to become one of our Christmas traditions. 

our Thanksgiving annoucement

Well, it looks like it worked today after trying to upload this video since Thanksgiving!  We broke the news of my pregnancy last week to our children and families... so fun!  Here's how:

traditions old and new

Each year, as Christmas approaches, there are some traditions we love to participate in as a family.  Each year, it seems a new one crops up and maybe an old one dies off.  But this year, I thought I'd start the season off with one of my favorite crafty tradtions:  the fresh cranberry wreath.  My friend Sarah taught myself and a group of ladies how to make these 4 years ago when I was pregnant with Annika, and I've looked forward to making one each year after.  Every year, I embellish it a bit different.  This year, I went minimalist and just snagged a $1 embellishment from JoAnn Fabrics and stuck it in as I was pinning, and stuck cranberries all around it and pinned the leaves down as I went so it wouldn't get blown away in our winter wind.  

So if you've got a couple hours and a desire for a snazzy looking front door, this project is for you!

 I made mine this year during the babies' naptime while dinner was roasting in the crock pot.  

I stood at my counter and pinned while listening to Christmas music and was deep in thought.  Therapeutic for sure!

 Here's what you'll need:

3 bags of fresh cranberries from the produce section
1 styrofoam wreath from the craft section (they were out of my favorite green kind this year, but I fell back in love with the plain white one with the flat backing)
3 boxes of long or extra-long plain silver sewing pins
some felt to pin to the back (take your wreath and measure it against a bolt of felt, then you'll have enough for the next year or two as well!)
 a thimble to save your pinning finger
some ribbon to decorate with a bow, or hang by, or buy an embellishment like I did!

 First, you'll trace your wreath onto the felt, and cut it out.

 Then you'll pin (or glue) the felt to the back of the wreath.  If your wreath is rounded all the way around without a flat back, you can still do this same step, just trace the same way and pin it on.

 

Then just start pinning!  

Smoosh your berries together as close as you can get them, but not so much that you squish them.  This will take about 2.5 bags of the cranberries. 

The photo above is after 20 - 30 min. of work.

  

just keep going....

 

 this is just one idea of how you can put your pin through the berry...

Finished and ready for the front door. 

There have been times when I have run out of pins (didn't have 3 boxes) and I've hot glue gunned the rest of the berries onto the wreath.  This works too!  Though, I actually like the tedious work of pinning them.  I'm not about speed with the project, I'm about process and taking time to make something beautiful and satisfying that will hang (frozen) on my door for a couple months.  

So that's one not-so-new tradtion of mine...

 

 Here's a new one.  

I collect Christmas books for the kids, and now have nearly 30 of them!  

We read them during this season each year, but this year I decided to borrow an idea from my friend Rachel, and wrap up the books and open one each day and read it leading up to Christmas.  The kids are thrilled, even my bigger boys, and they trade turns (youngest to oldest) finding the next day's book and opening it up!  

 

Today, Morgan found and opened Follow the Star!  

Fun, fun, fun!

 

 Now back to the old...  

I think nearly every family has a tree topper tradition, and ours is no different.  Our kiddos take turns putting the star up!  This year was Annie's first turn.  :)  

Drew was quite disheartened to know that his next turn doesn't come up until he's 14!  yikes! 

 

We don't have much hustle and bustle around Christmas, our traditions take place in our home for the most part - but making memories here in these walls means so much to us all... and we pray the memories will stick with our kiddos and maybe continue unto the next generation.  

11 weeks

Every few weeks, I thought I'd post a photo of my growing baby belly!

So here I am, just starting to grow with Levi begging for me to pick him up.  :)  I'm telling you what - it reeaaallly helps starting out a pregnancy after losing nearly 20 pounds.  I feel great, and weigh the same now as when I got pregnant nearly 12 years ago with Drew!  It also feels good to know it can be done, and I can do it again after this little one comes into the world.  But for now?  I'm focusing on not throwing up (bleh) and keeping my belly full of protein-high foods that help with the nausea, and only occasional sweets.  

Have a wonderful day, it is amazingly beautiful here today... the snow is falling, the 4 big kids are in the front yard playing in the snow and the babies are napping.  Ahhh.... bliss!  

Here's a shot of the quarter-size snowflakes that are falling today:

I love how Gavin has his tongue poised and ready to catch one!  

humbling

Now that we told our kids I'm pregnant one week ago on Thanksgiving, they've been discussing it constantly.  Our oldest, Drew (11), from the time he found out is desperate for us to be having twins. A boy and a girl.   (Gulp)  As if I haven't had enough of my own twin imaginings myself. 

Drew has been begging me to pray for twins.  I keep telling him that it's already what it's gonna be. One boy, one girl, or two.  And I certainly wasn't going to ask for them.  But he insists that I need to pray for twins. 

Yesterday, I finally asked, "Why do you want twins so badly? Do you have any idea how much extra work that would be?  I'd be up all night long!!"  (If it is twins, we would gladly welcome the gift, mind you.)

He answered swiftly and certainly, "Mom, that could be like 100 more people who would hear about God."

Humbled.  Stopped in my tracks.  And I had no other reason to argue against twins. 

Wow, these children sure have a way of bringing me back around to God's truth and what truly matters. 

get excited about Karrie Pavish Anderson!

Hi friends,

Today's blog post is a shameless plug for our dear and long-time friend Karrie Pavish Anderson!  She is an amazingly talented singer-songwriter-musician who wrapped up recording an album in L.A. this past summer... which will be ready for release sometime in December it's looking like. 

We'd love for you to get into Karrie's music, she writes from the heart and her experiences in this life with God as her focus.  We love you, Karrie!!! 

Grab the first single "Let Love In"  here:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/karriepavishanderson
or snag it on iTunes as well.

Also, you can head to www.karriepavishanderson.net to sign up for her newsletter and learn more about her and the music she so lovingly shares.  I hope to be able to update you when the album is released! 

We're so proud of you, dear Karrie, and praise God for using you to further his kingdom. 

a Thanksgiving surprise!

I have tried for a couple days now to upload a video we wanted to share here on our blog (after showing it to our families on Thanksgiving, then sharing it by email and facebook with friends and extended family) - but it isn't working... SO... we'll just tell you! 

We are expecting baby #7!!!  I'll be 11 weeks pregnant tomorrow and am due June 18, 2012!!!

It has been a hard secret to keep these past two months, but it has made it go by really quickly!  We are just thrilled that God has seen fit to bless us with another child.  We are getting asked quite often if this was a surprise - - and NO it was not.  God laid this on our hearts, and after much prayer to make sure it was God's voice we were hearing, we said YES.

We heard baby's heartbeat last Wednesday, and that was such a beautiful sound loud and clear thumping away.  I am so excited to be back at the birth center where I had Annika... it was an amazing experience.  Who looks forward to giving birth?  Well, at this place it's quite possible.  I have warm memories and want to hug these midwife's necks whenever I see them. 

This pregnancy so far has also been my "sickest" one yet.  I have all day nausea unless my tummy is full.  It hits the most in the morning and at night.  It's yucky.  But, it's also a blessing because when I'm needed most, during the day, I'm doing mostly alright.  High protein snacks and foods are keeping me running and feeling better. 

Anywho, that's part of why I haven't been posting much these last couple months... it's hard to think of other things to post when the thing that is most taking over my brain can't be mentioned!  We loved having it a secret for a while this time, but boy, is it good to get it out!!!! 

Our kids were SO excited - two of them cried tears of joy!  So sweet. (it also explains for my poor children, why Mom has been feeling puny lately...)   Our families are so supportive too as are our dear friends.  We're so thankful. 

That's all for now, but wanted to share the news here too!!!! 

New munchkin pictures!

I haven't posted pictures of the babies in a while, thanks to a camera that hasn't been working well...  so here they are! 

 

These two are so much fun, and keep us hopping and laughing all day long!  (Except when they're taking their 3 hour nap each day, praise God!)  

 

 Levi, 14 months

Gabi, 18 months

Thanksgiving ideas

I love fall and Thanksgiving time...  probably even more than Christmas.  We've never hosted a Thanksgiving at our own home, even though I dream of the day we have enough dining room space to do so with our families.  We usually celebrate either at my parent's or Jeremy's parent's home not far from here.  We love being with family.  I love sitting around long playing games, sipping hot drinks, and enjoying dessert long after the meal is done.

Since I'm not hosting a Thanksgiving meal this year, I'll pass along this idea just in case you are!  How fun would it be to have fun labels like these on your buffet line? 

http://www.dimpleprints.com/?page_id=82

How about printing some Thanksgiving coloring pages for your kiddos?  For some fun and learning at home or to color on Thanksgiving before or after the meal!

http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanks-color.html
We plan on doing a few of these crafts in the next two weeks as well to celebrate the season.















And we'll be bringing these fun little turkeys to the Thanksgiving meal for a treat!
http://www.ricekrispies.com/#/recipes/turkey-pop-treats

 Hope this helps inspire you as you celebrate with thanksgiving in your hearts the season to come.