Jesus is the Light of the World!

Our indian village...wigwams and teepee's

Ian--Twenty four weeks + 3 days

Ian tried to roll over for the first time this week. He can't get his one arm out from underneath, but he'll get there soon enough. He gets stuck, though, and then he gets upset because he can't make it back over to his back, but his sucking thumb is stuck underneath, so he is in a jam.

His head is less wobbly. I still have to hold his back pretty well when I hold him, or he might fall back, but he is definitely getting stronger.

His eating and napping schedule is still the same. I need to weigh him. He feels heavy! He is still a very happy baby. I think he may be getting a tooth. I think I feel a little bump on the bottom. We'll see soon!

Go Ian!!!

Franklin's six year pictures

Six years ago today...

Six years ago today this cute little guy was born around 7:30 pm. It was only a twelve hour labor, and one of my easiest labors. He was 7 lbs, 10 ounces. He screamed and screamed when they took him from me and put him in a bed to measure him. Roger walked over and quietly said in his ear, "It's okay, buddy. Daddy is here." He suddenly became silent. I had never seen anything like it. He knew who his daddy was. We had a doula during his labor and she was stunned, as well.

I was sick for the first 21 weeks of pregnancy. If I could eat a few pieces of cheddar cheese, and some saltines I could keep myself from vomiting...at least most of the time. I only gained 13 pounds during his pregnancy. I guess I was busy chasing Lauren!

Franklin's nickname was smiley when he was a baby. I often called him my "little politician." He would smile and say "hi" to everyone at the grocery store. He brought smiles to many faces! With the exception of when he first woke up in the morning (he was always too hungry to be happy), he was a very happy baby.

He rolled over at 5 months, sat up at 6 months, crawled at 8 months, and began walking at 14 months.

And now he is six! Franklin is my cuddler. He wants to be right next to me with his arms wrapped around me if I am on the sofa. He gives me kisses and hugs all throughout the day and constantly tells me he loves me. He is really well-behaved, and works so hard to have good manners. He is so thoughtful of others. Franklin is very sensitive. He can get his feelings hurt very easily and is quick to tear up.

I love Franklin so much! He is such a wonderful little boy! I truly believe he will grow up to be a wonderful, godly man, and I think he will be an amazing husband someday.

A wonderful dinner

Fresh apples, bell peppers, blueberries, lettuce...and cheddar cheese. The kids were so excited!

Storytime--Lauren, King Ian, and friends

So cute! I walked in Lauren's room to find her telling a story to "King Ian" and others. I love this little girl!

I don't know...I really don't know

They stuffed their pants. They waddled around. They giggled a lot. I still don't know what they were. I love their imaginations!

School--Jamestown 1607

We are really enjoying studying history. This is our Lincoln Log rendition of the first fort built in Jamestown. How fun?!

You are my sunshine!

Cute little Ian

Ian--Twenty three weeks + 2 days

Ian's eating schedule is still the same. He is eating the same amount and at the same times. His pediatrician told me at his 4 month well visit that I needed to start him on cereal by six months. That probably is not going to happen. He is doing fine without it, and he and I are going to Kansas the first week of August, so I am going to try to hold off until we get back. He will be just over 6 months by the time I start it. It would be so much easier if he is only on a bottle than on a bottle and cereal, too. We'll be spending a lot of time at the hospital (my dad is having surgery), so I would much rather find a place to heat up a bottle than to figure out how and where to mix cereal...and the mess that ensues.

His nap schedule is changing. He eats around 7:30 am and is ready for a nap at 9:00. Then he wakes up and eats at 10:30, but has been staying awake until his next feeding, which I sometimes have to bump up to 1:00 because he is getting too tired, and then he sleeps until his next feeding at 4:30. Then he may stay awake until his last feeding, or he'll take a little nap from 6:45-7:15, I wake him up, get him ready for bed, feed him, and he goes right to sleep.

Lauren had him giggling a lot yesterday. I need to get it on video. She loves to play with him!

As you can see from this weeks pictures...he loves to swing, and his sweet sister provided him with an audience on his high chair tray that he really enjoyed.

Thank you, Aunt Cami, for the new high chair!!!

More fun with school!

Today was a fun school day! Yesterday was, too! We have been talking about the discovery of America by the Vikings, where they came into contact with the Indians, and then the later discovery with Christopher Columbus. The kids are facinated by Indians, so we looked on line at what Indians look like, then the kids decided they wanted to dress like Indians...hence the crazy garb! And yes, Ari is wearing Lauren's tights...and no, I have no idea how that makes him an Indian! We also made the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria out of foil and set sail in the bathroom.
I love teaching my children!!! (at least most of the time)

Daddy and the kids

Watermelon!!!

This is from our very own garden!!! We didn't think we were going to have watermelons, but slowly they came, and slowly they are being eaten by animals, bugs, and somehow splitting open.

BUT, here is one that made it!!! We'll be cutting it open later. This is so exciting!!!

Fun with school

We finished our first week of our new school year last week. We ended our week hosting a tea party with two special guests...Grandma and Mrs. Bennett. We studied names last week, so I found the meanings of our guests names, and printed them neatly on paper. We also made cookies and printed everyone's names on their own cookie. It was a lot of fun!

Failure to launch

The space shuttle and astronaut crew have been waiting to launch for quiet a while. It was another "failure to launch" because of the weather tonight. Roger's parents were parked with their RV down by the river, which is the BEST place to watch the launch, so we grabbed a few pizzas and met them at the river. The kids played in the water (I think it's nasty!), and had a really good time. The traffic was terrible. It didn't move for well over an hour, and it was raining, so we all went into the RV to wait. The kids were so tired, and kept asking when we could go home. They all fell asleep very quickly tonight!

Another blog

I have started another blog! Does that sound crazy?! Seriously, I won't be updating it very often, but I think it will do a lot of good for others in the future.

I am part of a Yahoo group called Reese's Rainbow. It is full of a bunch of wonderful families who have adopted a child with special needs internationally, or they are in the process of adopting now. You can check out some of the buttons on the side of my blog to see some of the children who will hopefully be coming home soon. Click on the Reese's Rainbow button, too, and find out more about what led me even deeper into the desire to adopt.

Roger and I would love to adopt a child with special needs. We have prayed about it a lot and even began the process right before I found out I was pregnant with Ian. It is terribly expensive to adopt, so I have decided to let at least part of the proceeds of the sales of my baby wraps to go toward other's adoptions, and hopefully to our own in the future. I also hope to add some other things on my blog to sell, as well. I hope to add cute and trendy baby blankets, and burp cloths, and dresses for little girls. I'm really excited about this new opportunity.

Check out my new blog and spread the word!

http://lilarrowbabythings.blogspot.com/

Ian--Twenty two weeks

Sweet Ian is doing very well! He loves to play with his toes! He wakes up at about 7:00 each morning. I never know where he is going to be in his crib because the past few mornings his head has been at the opposite end of the crib. He wakes up happy, happily takes his bottle, and then happily sits in his bouncy seat while watching Daddy unload the dishwasher and get breakfast together. He is ready for a nap at 9:00, so I either hold him while he falls asleep, put him in his swing, or lay him in bed. He eats again at 10:30, and then he has been staying awake the past few days until he is ready for his next bottle around 1:00 or 1:30, then he is ready for another nap. He generally sleeps until he is ready for his next bottle at 4:30, then he may or may not take a nap before his next bottle at 7:30 and then he is off to bed for the night.

He is such a little love!!!

Ian--Twenty one weeks + 1 day

I got some Ian giggles today. I forgot to do his update yesterday, so I am late again! His schedule is changing a little. He is not sleeping as much as he was. There are times when he doesn't take a nap between bottles, but when he gets to his next bottle he is exhausted, so he will take a long nap. At some point he will move to the 10 and 3 nap schedule, but he isn't there yet. At night he gets his last bottle at 7:30, I put him in bed with a smile on his face, he goes right to sleep and wakes up around 7:00 (sometimes a little earlier) the next morning. When I go in to get him up I say, "Good morning!" and he smiles such a wonderful smile and his arms and legs wave around like crazy. He is just as excited to see me as I am to see him! He is such a happy little guy!

Just my thoughts

If you read this you will experience the rare opportunity of "being inside my head." These are just my thoughts...it's the real me!

I'm anxious. The Bible says, "Be anxious for nothing." That is a tough one for me. I am a very planned, organized, and a somewhat Type A personality. I want to know what is going to happen, so I can plan and prepare for it. When I'm pregnant I find out if it is a boy or girl because it would drive me crazy to not have the crib bedding on and ready, and clothes washed, and everything appropriate for the correct gender.

What am I anxious about?

The campaign. I know it will be a lot of work, and I want Roger to win so badly, but I won't know until a long time from now. I don't like waiting to find out what will happen.

More children. I would love to have more children, but when? There isn't a "good" time with the election coming up, and if Roger wins then we will be living in Tallahasee part of the year, and I don't want to deliver in Tallahasee.

Adopting. I REALLY want to adopt! I don't want to wait. There are too many children waiting to have a family that can take care of them and love them. We're a family...we have lots of love...
let's do it! Roger isn't convinced that now is the time. I've asked him to pray more seriously and diligently about this. I don't even know how we would afford it, but I completely believe God would supply the money. He would have His work cut out for Him because we would need money for the adoption and a new van, too. Our van isn't big enough for six kids! God can do all things!!!

Money. I don't care that much about money, but it's tough for us right now...as it is for so many people.

My dad. He is having some health problems. We should have answers soon, but at the moment it is all up in the air. He's in Kansas. I'm in Florida. Not much I can do to help... That's hard, too.

School. We will be starting school again next week. It will be fine once we get started, but it is a lot of work to get to the starting point. I have to get everything together, figure out the best schedule for us, and figure out our new curriculum. I will feel much better when I figure it all out and have a plan.

It's stressing me out a little just to type all of this out. I'm usually not a very stressed-out kind of person, but I feel like there are so many things to think about all at one time, so I feel a little overwhelmed.

"Pray...and let God worry."--Martin Luther
I liked this quote even though I know God doesn't worry. I think the true point is to pray and leave it at the feet of Jesus, and let Him lift the burden. I need to trust in God's timing and His perfect will, too. Being a planner, I often try to take the reins when I don't feel like I am getting my way, or when things are happening more slowly than I desire.

On a positive note...it is when I feel overwhelmed that I learn to draw closer to God, lean on Him, have increased faith, and learn to trust and obey God.