iphone updates

 I've heard that when you are behind on something, like lets say scrapbooking or blogging for example, the easiest way to catch up is to start from the most current and work backwards. I've got tons of pics from Christmas and birthdays, but since those were so last month, I will start with the most recent...all four in one picture! This is nearly impossible these days....

 My girls! As for eye color, we have one boy and one girl with blue eyes and one boy and one girl with brown eyes. The two oldest are brown, the two youngest are blue...so fascinating!!

Being goofy as always :)

 Here we are at our favorite park on a warm winter day...this is our favorite hill at the favorite park (facing the neighborhood). GG was with us this time, and she attempted a long roll down the hill...no pictures to show it! What a trooper!!

My shadow...

Sammy on the swings...

Gretta too; they both loved the underducks...

And Sy loved the freedom of a big kid swing...he held on for life :) Is Lei still sleeping in her stroller?...

Nope...she's wide awake!

 Sammy LOVES doing headstands, and he is getting pretty good (with a little help)! I think Linds and I lived half of our childhood upside down...there's something about that view :)

 Rooster Leila just woke up from a nap...you should see the curls after a bath!!

 And of course a thumb picture. Lately, her index finger has been her favored one...

And finally, our trip to the Library to read to Keeva (the little dog between Sam and the Lady in red)...I totally thought Keeva would be a golden retriever, so we got quite the surprise when we first met her!

 

Even though we've had a very large dog for 5ish years, the kids are extremely afraid of other dogs...Silas was the most brave, even letting Keeva lick his face....

 

And Gretta...well, she was perfectly content reading to Keeva while she sat on her owners lap.

Four Months

Leila Lou turned four months old yesterday. I was just sitting here folding mounds of laundry and caught her gaze. She giggled and breathed in real deep like she was so satisfied. Then she found her thumb, the one on her left hand (I've been studying her,  and as far as I can tell, she always picks the one on the left hand). I continued to fold, and caught her gaze again. Giggle. Deep breath. Thumb in mouth. Repeat. Daughter, I too, am satisfied. Satisfied in God. And so thankful He chose me to be your mommy.

A Rhyming Story About a Bear along with smelly marker accents

"The bear went up the stairs and he sat in his chair and he ate a pear and stared." -Gretta made this while mommy was nursing Leila in the other room. The only question I got was "MOM, HOW DO YOU SPELL "ch"? 

Substance

It seems like a productive day; at least on the outside. The washing machine is running, the kitchen table is full of folded clothes soon to be put away. The turkey's in the oven, the sweet aroma of french bread will soon be filling the kitchen, not to mention two kids are napping and another two are upstairs (mostly) giggling over a hand-me-down bag of boys dress up costumes from GG.

But on the inside I started to dwell on things that would be nice to have that we don't have, like a warm fireplace, or more bedrooms to fill more little ones, or blinds on our patio door. My "wanter radar" as one of the kids books calls it was running sky high. When my eyes began to fill with a few tears, I knew a heart check was in order. Off to my knees in the most quiet place I can think of right now, my bedroom floor. In that place, I confessed my seemingly increasing dissatisfaction with what we have been given, and then turned to the daily devo I committed to reading for the next thirty-one days. Maybe none of this would have occurred if I would have read it this morning instead of at 1:30 in the afternoon :)

In 'Pierced by the Word', Piper points to Psalm 135:15-18: The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them".  Earlier in the devo he said, "It is our created nature to make much of God....When we fulfill this reason for being, we have substance. Not to fulfill this purpose for human existance is to be a mere shadow of the substance we were created to make. Pray along with me that God would make us "feel the suicidal faith in innocent idols and give us fresh freedom from all hallow gems".

Leila Lou

"Giggle butts" is sometimes what we call her. It is funny to hear the kids say it as I can see the reels turning in their minds, "what exactly does 'giggle butts' mean?" I'm not sure what it means; just that she giggles a lot, and giggles more when you say it.

November News

 Here is Leila's 2 month picture.  It's funny to hear who people think she looks like. I often hear a confident "I think she looks just like _____ " but it's never the same family member. I guess we all look alike!

 

Leila has been such a sweet and happy baby. She is easy to get to laugh, loves taking it easy in her swing, and is never bored with all of the sibling attention around here.

 We had a triple birthday party this month for Tim, Brian and Silas, whose birthdays are all within five days of each other. Sy's latest is counting to 10 but before he gets to 10, he seems to be fond of one number specifically, "1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9.9.9.9.9.9.9.9.9...........10". He makes us laugh!

 For the party, we made homemade pizza pockets. Sammy put a little of everything in his...such a good eater!

 Grandma and Grandma holding their newest grandkids, Grey and Leila.

The only picture I have of the guys, and Tim isn't even in it :( Funny how picture taking by the time the third kid turns two just isn't approached with quite the same effort :)

 Cousins Johnny, Sy, Allison, Leila, Sam, Gretta and Grey all in pjs.

 Play date at our house...thanks Amy, Janelle and Mary for all of the fun!...oh wait, the playdate was for the kids?!

 Cousins John, Amie and Paul...so grown up!

 "Leila Lou" celebrating a Packer win at Auntie Karens :) She will have to wait until next year to try the turkey.

 

 After a few bribes of cookies and gum, they all sat on the same couch for about 3 seconds :)

 

The boys are up north with Daddy, so Gretta, Leila and I had some sweet girls time starting off at Hobby Lobby where we found some paper dolls. We went out to lunch at Mc Ds and finished the day strong with puzzles, Candy Land, window clings and a Christmas movie. I don't remember the last time our house was this quiet! But still, we are excited to welcome the boys back tomorrow!

Welcome, Little One!

Our newest little Gremore...Leila Francine was born on 9/10/11 weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces, 20 3/4 inches long. Leila means "dark beauty" and Francine is after my grandma on my dad's side and means "free". John 8:36 says, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed". That is our prayer for our little beauty, whether she stays dark haired or not :) That she would know Jesus and live free in Him!
I have been thinking of certain memories with my grandma Fran...she would sing to us, decorate little baskets for Easter and hide them around their house, make the best chop suey, and never came home from their trip to Florida without a funky designed swimming suit for my sister and I. We are honored to pass her name on!

Two weeks before Leila arrived, we received a big box in the mail full of activities. We participated in an activity exchange where each mom made 30 of the same activity and then mailed them to the coordinator who divided them up and sent each of us 30 different activity bags.

The snowflake felt patterns is one of Gretta's favorites.

Here is Gretta working on some letters....

Now, unto lowercase :)

Sammy and Gretta both got a kick out of the making their own puddy....

This kept them busy even longer than I had hoped!

One of my favorite memories with Linds and Josh and the kids while they were here. Almost every Sunday that they were in the area, we got together for lunch AND supper....we wondered why don't more people do this more often?!? The kids played to their hearts content and the adults enjoyed each others company. On this particular Sunday, the kids were gearing up for a movie.

And now for some birth stories and pics :) Contractions started at 3am but became more regular around 7. Got to the hospital around 8 in case she would make her entrance quickly; we should have known that wouldn't be the case considering she was due 6 days earlier :) The doctor broke my water around noon and she was born at a little after 2pm.

This was the first time the three stooges met their newest little sister. They had been staying with Grandma Lo and Grandpa Jer for a few days already, and it was past bed time for them when they arrived...I remember thinking that two [quiet] nights in the hospital might be a wise option this time :)

Proud grandparents Gampy and GG

Grandma Lo and Grandpa Jer with grand baby number 4 and one more coming this month...can't wait to meet Bri and Amber's little one!

Great Grandma with great-grand baby #8

Uncle Brian and Auntie Amber counting the days until it's their turn!

Another visit from GG along with Granny....and they brought dairy queen...need I say more?

Olivet and Leila just wanted to make sure they can borrow each others shoes...some day :)

A fun visit from Auntie Amy, Uncle David, Ally and Johnny

Ready for the ride home. As soon as we got home we gave Leila a tour, first to Gretta and Sammy's room, and then to Sy's. Leila will be in our room until we move her down the hall with Gretta in a few months and move Silas upstairs with Sam. How fun to have a "boy's room" and a "girls room"!

A great visit with Aunt Sally and Uncle Jim

Thanks to so many friends and family members for your generosity in bringing over meals. We were definitely spoiled! The cake pops above are from Uncle Mikes Bakery....yummmm!

I walked into our room and found this laying on the bed. Gretta has been Leila's fashion coordinator from day one!

During an attempt to take Leila's 2-week photo...

Despite the face, Leila enjoyed her first bath...especially getting her hair washed; must take after mommy :)

Gretta started her first ballet/jazz class on Wednesday. She finally gets to twirl and dance with some girls her own age and a wall full of mirrors...a little girls dream!

A class of six 4-5 year olds getting ready for 50 minutes of bliss

Finally, a piece of life with four little ones...what does one do when the laundry needs to be put from the washer to the drier and needs two hands to complete the task? Why, find a nice cozy spot for the littlest one to rest!