Madeline Gayle

We have had a wonderful yet rather challenging first week and a bit with our new addition. Madeline Gayle was borning on Monday morning, Dec 20 at 8:21 a.m. She cause much frustration in the days leading up to this. Much false labour, which lead Drew and I frantically packing kids up on a Saturday at midnight and dropping them off. Found us walking the halls and the doctors scratching their heads, not sure if it was real or not. But, on Monday morning Drew and I headed to the hosptial for our scheduled c-section. A bit of a nervous wreck I was and disappointed that this was the end. But I realize that some things are out of our hands and at the end of it we were snuggling a healthy, screaming little girl. A BIG healthy little girl who weighed in at 8lbs 13 oz. Just over a pound bigger than the other two. My first thought on seeing her was a amazement at the rolls she had on her! Chubby little legs and a round belly.


So proud of her little sister! Kaylin did fantastic being shipped out and has been such a help already.

Its been a rather busy time, a week of little time to do anything else but nurse, deal with temper tantrums from Jacob. He did not do so well with being shipped out and Drew ended up needing to have him at home at night so he could sleep. This little boy has been a bit lost these days. Then the flu hit us. The kids were the sickest they have ever been. High fevers that led us setting the alarm in between night feedings to check on them. Wiping heads with damp clothes to try to cool their skin. Drew and I came down with it. Thankfully not as serious as the kids and so far Maddie seems fine. We've been keeping her high up and away from the kids and I've been pretty much the only one handling her until this passes. We pray it passes soon! On the positive side, once this is over I believe I'll find dealing with cranky but healthy kids a breeze.

He wasn't to sure of this new little one.


Until he discovered something....


She comes with a nose! and eyes....and ears. He's doing well with her, a bit mad at Mommy these days but good with Maddie. I'm thankful his moods are directed at us and not her.




And its hard to believe that we are now a family of 5. What a wonderful blessing to celebrate this Christmas! Even in sickness :)

Hormones and Randoms

Having false labour is hard on the body and dampens your spirits. After a day of thinking "for sure", I realized it wasn't. While sobbing on the couch, Drew put his arms around me and said "Its okay, you can cry all you want. How about I go get you some chocolate". LOVE.


Dollar store stickers and dollar store crowns promise time for me to finish an entire cup of coffee without being interrupted.

Kaylin this morning was telling me this poem...very proud of her reading skills...
"Little McMuppet she said on her puppet eating her curds and whed. Along came big spider who sat down ontop her and made McMuppet run away."



Jacob has learned to jump with both feet off the floor. He's been trying for awhile. One thing we've learned....2 year old boys learning to jump off the ground means hazard for all loose decorations on Christmas trees.

He's also learned to say "no need any more". And has discovered that running away from Mommy when she is breathing between contractions is hilarious. And that trying this on Daddy is not such a smart idea. But hilarious for Mommy.

Have a good weekend!

On Christmas Decor and the truth of Motherhood

Dates. A due date, a date for if the baby doesn't come we're doing a c-section date. Christmas dates. Our calendar feels like it is looming before us and yet all we can do is wait and shrug our shoulders. Waiting for a baby is a test of patience, waiting for a baby in hopes of not having a c-section is a test of.....well..even more patience. Every day brings us a step closer to having surgery. Its frustrating. Poor Drew, he's worried. He tells me I've never been this anxious before, I haven't. We had a bit of a rough weekend, a Friday night confident that we would be going to the hosptial. The only thing holding me back was the late hour and wanting the kids to sleep, and thinking one more hour, hold out for one more hour, which turned into 6 hours and then a sudden stop.



I don't do well with no sleep and no sleep on Friday meant I was rather weepy on Sat and Sun. WAITING, is such a hard lesson. One I struggle to teach the children while knowing how awful I am at it. We try to teach the kids lessons in trust, to place our worries before the LORD. All our worries. I like to have plans for everything, but in Matthew we read "Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself". Drew asked me last night if I prayed about this. I stared at him. In all my worrying and fretting I hadn't. I've been so focused on making sure this baby comes before we need a c-section I have completely neglected to place it before the LORD. So I'm going to try. Funny how easily we think our worries aren't important to HIM. Thankfully I have a husband to remind me. A husband who isn't afraid to tell me when I'm trying to be in control. And who leads me in every way. And who lets me watch Road to Avonlea on a Sunday night.



And on Saturday, in the midst of a horrible Jonah-type weekend we built memories. I'm pretty sure I heard Drew muttering under his breath while fighing with the tree and getting the lights up "memories....we're building memories". Which I laughed at and handing him a cup of tea. I think he was hoping for something stronger:) The kids had a ton of fun. Most of the decorations ended up on the bottom. The breakable ones on top. The sign of little hands helping.



Jacob took his job oh so serious. Cleaning up. Once it was done he nodded at us and ran to the kitchen to put the towel away. Love. And I am so thankful that we put the effort in. I may have shed a few joys of tear watching Drew and the kids.

Christmas Traditions

There were four girls, who started to hang out in grade 12. What started out as highschool friendships have lasted through the test of the last 7 years. The test of relationships and marriages, of buying our first houses, of becoming apart of our church communities. They have stood the test of pregnancy and childbirth. We have annoyed eachother at times, built eachother up at other times. We have studied the Bible and remind eachother of what IS important. We're at a point of holding eachother accountable for our actions. Of reminding eachtother that marriage is first, we have learned from eachtother and we continue to grow.

Every Christmas we get together for a Christmas dinner. These little ones filling up the couch love each other. They celebrate each other's birthdays, they hug and they bite each other. They fight and they play. Every year we take a picture of the kids on the couch and every year the couch gets a bit more crowded. Next year one more will be added, possibly more as a lot can happen in 12 months:) Our get togethers are crazy as the kids have far outnumbered the adults, the best part is that we have learned to talk over and around them, the craziness no longer gets in the way as we are all in this together. To have friends you can lean on is a great blessing. We've gotten good at taking care of each other. We're comfortable at eachothers homes, we all have different strengths and different weaknesses and we know this about each other. There is a lot to be thankful for and I was reminded of this on Sunday!

Almost There!

Soon we'll be doing our victory dance, or at least Drew will be, we'll see how long it takes me to actually dance. I've realized that there are a few indications your ready to have a baby. A - your husbands workshirts are getting to small and B - your wearing your husbands workshirts, there's more, but this is our sign.



We have managed to get through Jacob's birthday, we're setting up the Christmas tree this weekend and then....we wait. Somewhere in that waiting we still hope to paint the baby room. We ended up laying aside that goal and opted to use our (Drew's) time to take out the wall between the kitchen and dinning room. Perhaps today we'll venture out to good old Home Depot for paint....and tonight we have a Christmas Party. Last night in my dream my water broke somewhere between getting the punch and eating cheese. We'll see! Happy Friday to you all!

Birthday Boy

Two years ago a little boy was born. He was directionally challenged as an babe and after a good labour was discovered he was completely the wrong way. By the time it was discovered we had been in labour too long and he was delievered by csection 1:05a.m. on a Sunday morning. He gave us a bit of a rough first year, made us doubt our parenting skills the first year and we have survived. He is our clown, he is non stop action and has his momma wrapped around his finger.


Once we started laughing we couldn't take the hat off...

He has given us so much joy, laughter and yes....frustration. One of my favorite reflections of motherhood is the different dynamics the kids bring. How they work together to make the family complete. Learning and correcting their weaknesses and encouraging their strengths. Watching them grow from baby to child. Seeing their personalities shine through. Jacob is our strong willed one. The little boy who could....do anything he puts his mind to. Last night we decorated the house with balloons and streamers. He has been hyper all day, running from balloon to new truck and bouncing back to balloon. While opening his presents he looks to his big sister to help. We have been greatly blessed with this little tyke. Here's to another year of unexpected challenges!

Lest We Forget

I've been avoiding blogging. Couple of things...mainly I'm a grump, my fuse is short and I'm very very uncomfortable. I'm large and swollen and my rib where a little foot insists in kicking hurts. A foot which I'm sure I will love and stare at in amazement and completely forget the pain it caused. Funny how quickly we forget. One look at this little person and I'm sure the last weeks will melt away but until then.....excuse if my blogging is far and few inbetween, I don't want it to become a place for me to grumble. So...I went to my Moms this morning, put my feet up, had some hot water (no coffee for these swollen feet!) and the kids played and I grabbed some books. Jacob took a long nap, after three days of fighting, and Kaylin played with play dough while I napped and read and sipped more hot water.



Last Thursday was Remembrance Day. Me, the kids and some of the family bundled up and went to a ceremony. The sun was shining and the crowd sung "Abide with Me", we bowed our heads in prayer to remember the soldiers. In a world that is seems to be more and more against Christ, its amazing to be apart of a crowd and witness this. Its important for Drew and I to raise the kids remembering past and knowing about present wars. Kaylin informed Grandma that she wanted to be like the men who wore red (Mounties) and Jacob has decided that the name Grandpa is to be replaced by Opa, its funny, it gets a reaction and he can say it! On Sunday, he ran up to different men of certain ages saying "Hi Opa" and then would throw his head back and laugh.





And since when did Kaylin look so grown up???!

Happy Friday

Its Friday, its rainy and my brain is not completely working. Partially due to a very active baby within who kicks and punches and bounces during the night. I need to go to bed early these nights just so I can sleep until 3....then he/she awakens. Never have I felt so much movement... so today is simply pictures...



We spend a lot of time with stickers, glue and paper in our house. Jacob's interested for about 5 minutes, but oh so proud with his work and so eager to go hang it on the fridge. Kaylin can pass hours doing this.



A family hike. To slowly walk and stop at every tree....to show us every rock and every acorn. Such fun!





Holding cousin Isaiah. Aunt Erika came and saved the day this week by babysitting and letting me drive her car. Driving standard really is like riding a bike and such fun!



Drew's home tomorrow and we've decided on a no work day. He's been gone most nights this week, two meetings, one hospital visit to remove a hunk of wood stuck in a hand. Which by the way can cause serious infection and a ton of swelling. And one night trying to fix the van. Tomorrow he's sending me off on my own, to slowly waltz around to different stores. I'm hoping to buy some Christmas presents, a little outfit for baby and to enjoy a whole cup of coffee while shopping. To remind myself that it is possible to browse, sip coffee and shop all at once:) Happy Friday!

Pure Joy

The last three weeks have been busy. I organized, with the help of several ladies from our church, a conference for 435 women. The theme this year was on Prayer, in the morning we heard a minister speaking on Prayer as an Incense Offering and in the afternoon a women spoke about Prayer as Sisters in the church. Both were inspiring. We were reminded of the importance of prayer. To pray for your husband, your children for each other. The speaker encouraged us to come up with a "list" that is placed in you Bible. For Monday to have a prayer devoted for your children, Tuesday for your husband, Wednesday for your church family, etc. I often pray for my children and I realized that not so often do I have a prayer just for Drew. Something for him to know, that on Thursdays I go down on my knees and remember him. Prayer is powerful.



The Saturday before the conference I attended a financial workshop that Drew organized for the church. And again I left with a full head. A reminder to let the LORD provide and the importance of giving to HIM. That the blessings he has placed on us are also His to take away, and when He does take them away from us what is our reaction. Its been busy but we have been blessed. For among our business Drew and I have been able to continue to communicate. Sometimes late at night with a cup of tea, sometimes right after dinner when we need to kick the kids to the play room so we can have 10 min of us time. To touch base and share our thoughts. The Lord has given us the ability to deal with this business. And as of next week it appears things will slow down a bit. On Sunday our computer shut down, it needed to be repaired and I had no access for 4 days. A blessing perhaps? 4 days to re-energize. To be turned off?


This last week has been good. We've been busy kicking soccer balls in the backyard. Going to the park, we've been walking and gathering leaves. Crafting and colouring and playing games and spending lots of time on discipline. Jacob is rather difficult at the moment. This little boy needs our constant attention, for one moment of ignoring bad behaviour turns into several days of even worse behaviour. Kaylin has been a big help, this morning I said "I don't know what I would do without you sweetie". To which she replied, "I know, you'd cry." I almost choked on my coffee.




Kaylin and Jacob, Jacob and Kaylin. They drive eachother nuts, love each other to pieces and make me want to switch between laughter and tears many times in the course of a day. To scream in frustration one minute and burst out laughing minutes later.

Changing of a Season

Fall. A changing of a season. Gods hand evident as the trees are painted in different colours, their seeds fluttering to the ground. What fun to have children at an age where you can teach them this. To stop and show them the "airplanes" from maple trees, the chestnuts and the acorns. My favorite season. Pumpkin muffins are a favorite of ours which I "reserve" for this season. Zucchini bread and warm coffee. We gave thanks yesterday for so much in our lives. We give thanks for the obvious and so quickly forget the non-obvious. Fall has come and the world changes in appearance I can't help but wonder at what changes are coming for us. Another baby, a little girl who is growing so fast and a little boy who constantly makes me doubt my parenting skills:) The lessons of parenting change as your children grow. Its no longer about being at home for nap time but giving up your spare time to play a game with them, to help with crafts, to teach them responsibility. A changing of a season in our lives. A time to remember God in all that we do. To share him with neighbors and friends and to remind ourselves that as the world changes perhaps its a sign for us to make changes as well. In our personal devotions, the way we reach out to others, the way we offer our gifts to be used.


Excuse the picture, my battery died and Drew used his blackberry and my face is round with child, only 8 weeks to go! :)

This weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving. Yesterday Drew and I found ourselves with a rare and wonderful day of no work, a time for us. A morning spent sipping coffee and admiring the colouring of the Kaylin and the trucks from Jacob. To curl up on a couch and read while the kids napped. And best of all, to go for a hike. Which ended up being just long enough to enjoy the crunching of leaves under our feet and snapping a few pictures. The thunder clouds were rolling in and we managed to get back to the van just before the skies opened. Drew and I made a promoise to eachother to do this more. To take the kids into the "forest" and walk with them, to show them the leaves and the trees. To explain that moss covered rocks are not alligators. Which I'm not sure was believed. To just be us, with no thoughts of work, or obligations or worries that are put upon us. To escape for a little. A season to give THANKS!

ps: this post was written right after Thanksgiving, it just took awhile to get the picture from Drew and take the time to post!

Moments in Life

There's moments in life as a Mom you want to hold close. To remember always. The way the kids look when they get up. The way Jacob sets his jaw when he wants to fight with you. His phrase "my old truck....my old book and lately my old Mom". The way Kaylin furrows her brow when she concentrates, she's a thinker. The way she sits any child that comes into our house and "reads" them a story, which she has memorized. When we get a new cd she'll sit in front of the music player and play the same one again and again until she can sing along and only then does she move on. Even the little hand prints all over my glass windows. The toilet paper ripped and strewed on the floor, the bath toys that get thrown in the bath tub every morning by Jacob, he seems to think this is his duty. The socks that I find in odd places, hairclips everywhere. The more I'm home the more I clean. The little things that annoy me but I know one day I'll miss. I no longer rush to clean the windows everytime the kids press their faces against them watching the world go by. This is our life.

We're down to the last 11 weeks before we meet this new one. This babe within who is showing me already that he/she is different from the others. That this one will add its own dynamic to our family. Kaylin rolled around in my womb, Jacob kicked and punched, this one bounces, from one wall to another. In awe I watch my stomach shake when baby wakes up. This little one who steals my sleep from me before birth, perhaps preparing me for the long nights to come? Kaylin in church on Sunday pressed her little hand on my stomach to feel the baby move. She stares at my growing stomach and is busy practising with her dolls. She changes them and feeds them and puts them to bed. Even Jacob has become aware of babies, which to him is any child under the age of 2. What a wonderful way for children to learn the miracle of life.

Kaylin at 15 months,singing a song while camping. I've been sorting through so many memories as I slowly tackle the large task of organizing our pictures.


Jacob at 7/8 months. His first album will be done by his 2nd birthday. Time is flying past us at such a fast speed.


Thanksgiving is this weekend. My favorite holiday, tomorrow we eat turkey with Drew's family and in a couple of weeks with my family. We're always late with my family for holidays, due to shift work and Laura and her family in Michigan. Its nice in a way that it makes our holiday weekend not to busy, yet we still receive the blessing of all getting together. I find myself these days overwhelmed with all the blessings around us. Monday, Drew and I are taking the kids and the dog on a hike. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

Isaiah Pieter

My little sister had a baby boy on Tuesday. A beautiful, wonderfully smelling new baby with perfectly formed hands and feet. It never ceases to amaze me the miracle of life when you hold a newborn. To their tiny facial expressions and little cries, the wonder that a week ago that babe was snug inside his mothers womb and this is what he look like. Its a beautiful thing to watch your siblings fall in love, marry and then have a new baby and not something to take for granted. Erika and Guido we wish you the Lord's blessings as you deal with all the "firsts" of having a baby!

On the home front, life has gotten rather hectic again. Last week found me with a pile of peaches to peel and can.


These turned into this.


and while at the moment the smell of peaches turn my stomach, come winter having these golden jars are wonderful. They work great as a "thank-you for having us over" gift, they are fantastic as a Sunday dessert over ice cream or yorgurt. Or just on their own.

Saturday night found us moving Jacob's crib into Kaylin's room, giving us three months to finish the baby room. I love the idea of having a space for this baby. A space for me to spend my nights nursing and rocking. Kaylin and Jacob are rather excited to share a room, thankfully. Once Kaylin's a bit older and no longer at risk of falling out of a bed we will get "bonk beds" as she insists they are called. I'm trying to set up the room so they still have their own space, their own storage for the "special" toys. A place that will still allow her to have the quiet time she needs. And slowly the house is becoming ours. One space at a time.

My first September in years that I am not teaching piano. I miss it yes, but I see the benefits in the kids already with my focus being on parenting and being a wife. I thought life would slow down, it hasn't. The Lords way of showing me that it was the right decision. No longer could I put 100% into my lesson prep, recitals and exams. I think of it as taking a break, not something I'll never do again. I was reminded by a women I respect that I have this one time of my children being at home, and our family is happier, more relaxed and more flexible. I'm hoping to use some of this time off to play music I love, not music that needs to be learned but for the enjoyment of it. Kaylin has taken to sitting on the couch when I play and listening and making requests. It seems that music is here to stay with or without lessons!

Letters and Animals

In the last several weeks Drew and I have celebrated 5 wonderful years of marriage, have attended three one year old birthday parties, one family reunion, on Grandma's 90th birthday and I've lost count of all the hamburgers eaten at bbq's. Kaylin has learned to write her name, we've petted animals at the zoo and came to understand that the lions are rather boring and the monkeys are much more fun. Kaylin has changed her mind about having another "Jacob" she has put in a request for a girl, because girls "are better" and "don't break so much stuff". She's discovered that my stomach is growing rapidly and wonders if it will be as big as Aunt Erika's, who is ready to have her baby any day now. And school has started. The first year this doesn't affect us as I am not teaching piano this year. I wonder how I possibly would have been able to and am more thankful for the decision that was made in which I agonized over for weeks.

I sat beside Kaylin, showed her these letters twice, and she copied her name. 20 minutes of time set aside and she's writing it everywhere, with no help. Shame on me for not doing this sooner.



My mother-in-law took me and the kids to a zoo. What fun! To watch the animals through children's eyes. Kaylin's favorite part, a ride on the pony.



The day ended with time well spent at the splash pad, Jacob's favorite. And he fell asleep on me after, my highlight as this never happens with this little boy who never stops:)

This and That

Our dinner conversations are getting funnier as the kids talk more. Our Bible discussions are becoming halarious,in which Drew and I don't know wether to correct, laugh or hold our laughter. Last night we read the story of Moses in the basket. After Kaylin frowns and in deep thought asks "was the princess a flying princess?". The other night reading the story of Mary weeping outside of the tomb when it appeared empty, Drew asked if Kaylin knew why Mary was crying "Of course Daddy, her dog died." and one of our favorites was at story time in church the teacher was talking about the Trinity, Kaylin raised her hand and said "ohohohoh, the Trinity's coming to my house!" And Jacob can be found either sitting with hands folded waiting or growling like a large animal. Or if we take to long he starts putting bowls of half eaten food on his head, or pretends a fork is a dog bone.

Drew and I are often reminded that through this all these conversations are important to have, even if only to have that time with the kids. To have conversations and have the kids ask us questions. Some of my best memories of growing up was of gathering around the table. When we were kids, but then also as teens and young adults. We don't believe in the no talking at dinner (unless a certain Miss Kaylin ignores her food to chat constantly...then she is told to eat for a bit).

And we've been pet-sitting a rabbit named Daisy. The kids love it and Drew and I realize that we are not ready for another pet. Its halarious watching the kids walk Daisy, which is really them being walked by Daisy as she chooses where she wants to go. Its been a good summer!

Superman meets technology

This is Jacob. The rowdy hyper little boy who seems to zap all my energy these days but makes us laught constantly and makes me dream of a nap by 11:00a.m. Who turns everything into a car, truck or monster. Who growls and roars when asked what noise any animal makes. We're pretty sure he thinks horses and cows and chickens should all make the noise of lions and large wild beasts. The boy who makes Drew and I both wonder which one of us is getting the "wait until you have one.."



The boy who has become Kaylin's best friend in the last couple of weeks. Since she has decided that being tackled and thrown to the ground is fun. Who taught me yesterday that rain is a gift from God to be enjoyed and not only viewed as an importance to the vegetation around us. To run around in and get soaked and to splash and come in dripping wet.

House Neglect

The past 20 weeks I've neglected the house. For the first time in this pregnancy I feel fantastic, not just okay but great. I spend no time hanging over the kitchen sink, no time laying on the couch every minute I can and feel guilty if I watch more than 45 min of tv at night. A far cry from the last months, in which all my energy was spent taking care of the kids. And by 7:00 I would be so exhausted and sick that I honestly couldn't even gather the energy to walk around the block. I believe some of this stemmed from not being able to keep a vitamin down, not able to eat any food that was high in iron and basically was living on toast and almond milk. Which ironically can still cause weight gain...

Now the spider webs in the corners are shouting at me, I see signs of dirt in places that I've been able to completely ignore. I've finally put the second coat of paint in Kaylin's room, we're moving Jacob in there soon so I can finish the decorating in their room and then can take the next couple of months to finish the baby's room. This way we're hoping that Kaylin and Jacob get used to sharing well before dealing with the newborn cries during the night. And for the first time in a long time I'm not overwhelmed at how far behind I am. I'll tackle a little each day.



This is real life. In which things don't always get done as we expect them but in which we need to handle one day at a time. And perhaps ignoring the things that are not as important as we deeem them to be and spending time with the little ones that are always to be a priorty. To realize that life does go on even if you can't be apart of some of the organizing. I'v been forced to slow my life down and because of this have spent the summer with the kids and with Drew. The last months have not been a waste. In fact I've had a lot of fun. We got a sandbox which has given the kids hours of play time while I sat beside them chopping on soda crackers and chatted about the different ways of building sandcastles and that no sand is not good for eating or for sleeping on. And no, it would not be good to have an entire backyard filled with sand. And no Jacob, sand is not for pouring on a sisters head or down her back even if you pretend its bath water.



Some of the projects that we wanted down are still waiting to be tackled. But we're learning that is okay. That when the baby comes our lives will be forced to slow down once again. But that the importance is to enjoy these times. The Lord is always good to us and sometimes the best lessons are the ones that are learned when you have to lean on others.

This is also real. In which Jacob sneaks his soother when he's not allowed. And when he yells at Kaylin...

Life Continues

We had a wonderful week of holidays. Just the four of us, a tent trailor some coolers and a fire. The second day in Drew and I stared at each other in complete exhaustion, wondering why anyone would consider camping with small children. By day three the kids were on schedule and having a riot, and we gave up on our idea of lounging around reading during the day. We took turns on who was on duty. That way every other day one of us could pretend to sleep in past 6:30 while the other feed the kids and made coffee on the campstove. Amazing how beautiful it is to stay in bed 15 minutes longer with the illusion that getting up was your choice. It was a week that required work, a week of learning more about being parents and a week for Drew and I sit by the fire when the kids were in bed.

Our pictures start on Sunday, we arrived on Friday but Friday and Sat were simply to exhausting to think about pictures. Saturday night Drew was sick, so sick he slept in the truck, we think it was food poisioning. Sunday morning we missed church, but the afternoon he was feeling better. We packed the kids up and drove 45 minutes to the destination we had punched into the GPS.....and ended up among fields. Beautiful country, cows and freshly painted barns but no church. We arrived back at the campsite after two hours of driving, a little weary but with a little more wisdom than when we left. After about an hour of silence we decided to make the most of it and went back to the campsite for coffee and goodies.

Jacob lived in his yellow rain boots. He had a bit of "when I wear these I am strong" for when those boots were one he was constantly trying to lift and throw anything he could.



Unloading firewood was a blast, Jacob with each piece a bit heavier than the last and muttering "tanks Daddy" every time he received a piece. He was stumbling around and sweating but once the firewood was unloaded he started crying, so Drew knocked over the woodpile and Jacob happily went to work restacking it.

Roasting marshmellows was fun. Although we needed to start the fire right after dinner, Jacob was so exhausted that he would be in bed by 7:00p.m. Kaylin stayed up longer and loved this time with us.


Loved having a trailor to sleep in. We were up quite a bit at night, with either Kaylin or Jacob. One night was so windy that we were worried about a tree over Kaylin's side so we moved her to our side. The beds are a tad small for that. One night the boy who hates to be held would only sleep beside me, very rare! So Drew moved to Kaylin's side of the trailor.

We came home refreshed and energized. And came up with a list of projects that we want done before baby number three arrives. Much painting is required and one wall to be removed....