always kiss me goodnight

Ten months

2012-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

My sweet Oliver is ten months old today. Ten months already gone by since I heard the words, "What is it, Dad?"

"It's a boy!"

I was so excited to hear those words again.

What a happy, easy baby he is. He is such a great addition to our family and makes me happy every time I look at him!

10 month stats:

He weighs seventeen pounds on the dot. My long, skinny baby!
He eats anything and everything. Whatever we are eating we dump on his tray, too. No baby food for this guy! We do avoid dairy since he has a sensitivity to it.
He still has only eight teeth although I am pretty sure the others will be coming in soon.
We seem to be getting his skin under control with the use of pure organic coconut oil applied topically. I also use it in my cooking and baking as a substitute for butter - I even "butter" Ollie's toast with it. It seems to be helping.
He is still army crawling although he gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth many times a day.
He is starting to pull himself up on things to get on his knees. No standing yet, though.
He still nurses many times a day - usually when he wakes in the morning, when he wakes from his morning and afternoon naps, and before bed.
In the last week he has been going to bed around seven and waking around 9:30 and 12:30 to nurse. Sometimes he sleeps until five or six, but sometimes he wakes again in the three o'clock hour to nurse again. I'm hoping he sleeps through the night soon but crying it out doesn't work for this kid so we'll just wait it out!
He can clap his hands and will do so if we say "yay" at the end of a song or book! He also loves to play "pat-a-cake" with us or Ashlynn and Emery.
He loves to go to sleep with a pacifier but he doesn't really suck on it. He just gnaws on it and bangs it on the crib. He also loves his softie to rub against his face.
He sleeps in his crib in his bedroom which he shares with Emery and they do quite well together. I'm somewhat surprised.
He has such an easy smile and is such a mommy's boy - I love getting him up from his naps because he just smiles and laughs. He is always happy to see his mom!

What a blessing you are, Oliver Aaron! We are so happy to have you in our lives and thank God always for you. It is so much fun to watch you grow and learn and explore your world and I love the blessing of be able to stay home every day with you!

Eleven below...

2012-01-19T06:01:00.000-08:00

The temperature on my computer says -11 in Duluth at seven in the morning! Yikes. We have had the most mild winter so far that it seems crazy to even think that it's that cold outside. We have the space heater going in our living room which is keeping us warm and cozy. Seth's mom is coming this afternoon to take Ashlynn to speech so we don't have to go out at all. I think we'll bake something yummy and relax today.

My niece Madilynn is coming over later to spend the night so my sister can clean and then she will come over and babysit my kids in the morning while I take Ashlynn to her visit to the psychologist as we try to learn how her speech disorder might be affecting her frustration level. I want to make sure that she is getting all the tools that she needs to succeed.

Having a sleepover!

On that note, Ashlynn will be starting preschool next week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the elementary school near our house. She is so excited and I must admit that I am, too! It's only 2.5 hours a morning and it will be a great opportunity for her to spend time with her peers, something that she loves. It will also be nice for Emery to have some alone time at home as he is such a loner and does best when he spends a good chunk of the day alone (and by alone I mean without Ashlynn - the babies are too little to bug him yet). It sounds like a win-win situation and at less than ten dollars per class, it's the most affordable I've found. It's considered an ECFE class so they have a bit of flexibility with their "curriculum" which is fine with me. She already knows a lot of her basic things and I can teach her that kind of stuff. What I can't do (on a regular basis) is to teach her how to socialize with a group of her peers. She is such a social girl that she needs a bit of that and like I said, Emery is somewhat of a loner. They play together often but they end up fighting because Emery gets overwhelmed, I think. I'm still trying to figure out what makes that boy tick!

His indoor obstacle course!

Today I am going to try to organize my craft/school supplies in the basement. I am on the lookout for a preschool type table and chairs and I need some more clear bins to sort things for the shelves. We have a lot of stuff that I've been collecting over the years but it's so disorganized that we are unable to find anything! I need to get some printer ink so that I can print out some worksheet type things and laminate them. Our goals this spring are to learn to identify the letters of the alphabet starting with their names, to be able to count ten things, learn shapes and start learning to write their names. I have no idea if these goals are too lofty but either way we'll have fun!

Sarah

New baby!

2012-01-17T05:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't had the time or energy to blog lately because we have a new foster baby in our house! Lexi is thirteen months old and my kids just love her. She is a very sweet girl and fits right in here so that makes things easier. She is sharing a room with Ashlynn and that is helping Ashlynn stay in her room at night. For a while there she was coming into our room every time she heard a train go by (which is often since we live a few blocks from the tracks).

So after a nine month break in kids we are back in action! It was nice to have a good chunk of time to focus on our own three children after Oliver was born and I am thankful for it. I must say that I am super excited to be helping out again, though, and this little girl seems to be a good way to get ourselves back into the swing of things.

As for the length of this placement, we are hoping that she will be reunited with her parents by the beginning of the summer if all goes well. They seem really excited to get her back so I hope this situation motivates them to get some things worked out in their lives. Please pray for them (and their baby girl) if you think of it!

Sarah

Here I come, Mom!

2012-01-13T04:53:00.000-08:00

RIP "Uncle" Wayne

2012-01-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

WAYNE A. YAMRY

Wayne Allen Yamry, 55, of Proctor, passed away Jan.

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Wayne Allen Yamry, 55, of Proctor, passed away Jan. 5, 2012.
Wayne was born in St. Cloud, Minn., Jan. 14, 1956, to Anna and Sylvester Yamry. He worked for Mike Ives Realty since 1980.
He was a member of the Proctor Moose and the Minnesota Manufacturing Housing Association.
Wayne enjoyed ice fishing, yard work, outdoor activities, traveling, and most of all, spending time with his grandchildren, family, and friends.
He was admired and was an inspiration to many people. Wayne will be deeply missed by all of the lives he touched.
He was preceded in death by his father.
Wayne is survived by his fiancé, Nancy Lilliberg; children Eric (Tara) Yamry and Lisa Yamry; grandchildren Blake, Jace, Nahjia, and Hollis Jr.; mother Anna Yamry; brothers Gary (Diane) Yamry and Michael (Gayle) Yamry; sister Linda (David) Solnitsky; former wife Lois Nistler; extended family Sherri (Darin) Lind and Lucas (Kelsi) Lilliberg; he was also known as Papa to Jaycee, Kaleb, Ava, and Asher; and many friends.
MEMORIAL SERVICE:
3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9, in Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 701 Third Ave in Proctor with a reception to follow.
Arrangement entrusted to the Cremation Society of Minnesota, (218) 624-5200.

Stepec sick party!

2012-01-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

Who's this?! Nice disguise, Emery!

Playing with her pretties!

"Crawling" over to mommy!

The Stepec's are sick. It started with Oliver a little over a week ago, but he didn't get it so bad (probably because he's still mostly nursed). Then Emery got it - a nasty cough and runny nose. Ashlynn currently has been up coughing at night and I woke up this morning with a sore throat. Bummer. We are staying home from church (no one wants a couple of coughing toddlers in the nursery) and resting. As much as we can with three babies, that is! The kids are still hyper even though they don't feel well - that just makes them more whiny and sensitive. Maybe we'll go over to "the Grandpa's house" (as Emery calls it) and relax there - I heard my mom just went to the grocery store!

Here is a recipe that I shared on my creative blog recently. A taco bread braid that is SO yummy! Click on the button on my left sidebar to go to the post!

Sarah

No water?

2012-01-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

We got a notice stuck in our door yesterday that our water would be shut off from 9am to 7pm today. That is a long time to be without water with three little ones, don't you think? I got up early and ran the dishwasher and washed the diapers so we should be good that way but what if someone has to go to the bathroom?

I guess we'll have to head up to my mom and dad's house to watch a movie on their projector screen (just like a mini movie theater - the kids love it) and eat their food. Bummer!

I hope my mom is making something good for supper...

Sarah

Resolutions

2012-01-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

In the past I have mocked New Year's resolutions. I just think they are sort of corny. If you need to start exercising or eating well, why wait until January 1st? Just start now, even if it is July. I also feel like I am somewhat setting myself up for failure because usually I haven't put the proper preparations in place to accomplish my goals.

I get the idea of a fresh start. I can embrace that and so at the beginning of this new year I starting thinking about areas of my life where I could use some resolve.

I came up with many things (of course. I'm human, after all.) But the one that stuck out in my mind was my family and my lack of diligent daily prayer for them.

I commit to praying for my husband and children every single day.

My sister (and family) and brother every single day. My mom and dad every single day. My grandmas. My in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Mason James

So, if you are a member of my family know that you will be prayed for every day this year (and hopefully forever after that). If you have specific things that I can be praying for, send me an email or facebook message.

Happy new year!

Christmas in pictures - part two

2012-01-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn singing on Christmas Eve (and Emery joining in).

The family on Christmas Eve.

My niece Ashera.

Ashlynn and her great Grandpa!

Sharon and Justus

Grandma Stepec reading the Christmas story.

Daddy helping Oliver open his gift!

Grandpa and Ollie

Emery and his "BIG BUZZ"!

Ashlynn and her dollhouse from "Santa"!

The family on Christmas morning (at six am).

Merry Christmas!

Lou Lou opening gifts on Christmas Day at Grandpa & Grandma Sundstrom's.

Ollie's new ball!

Uncle Matt helping Emery open his spy kit!

Ashlynn's "pretty" smile and her new LaLa Loopsy doll!

My dad got my mom this hat and we weren't sure if it was a joke or not! It's super cute!

My sister and her new baby boy, Mason, enjoying Christmas Day.

Christmas 2011 in pictures - part one

2011-12-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

Our darling Ashlynn Mae

Our three blessings!

A fun outdoor photo shoot

Sundstrom cousins with Santa

Emery James, my big boy

Santa

My baby boy, Oliver Aaron

Making snickerdoodles. Can you tell I get no sleep with my up-all-night baby boy?!

Madilynn Louise and Mason James, my darling niece and nephew

What a doll!

Pretty girl all dressed up for Christmas!

Family fun at The Edge waterpark the night before Christmas Eve

Cousins watching a movie

One of Madilynn's rare smiles for the camera!

Sundstrom boy cousins - Emery, Oliver, and baby Mason

All grown up eating mac and cheese during the holiday festivities!

Slumber party! They even let Oliver crash their movie party and he was loving it!

More to come...

Nine months old!

2011-12-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

This bouncing baby boy is nine months old as of yesterday! A few highlights of the last month:

He has learned to army crawl and can now move about the house! Watch out.
We found out that he has some sensitivities to some household products so we have had to change a few things up. Hopefully his little body is feeling better now!
He has been waking up every two to three hours at night for a few months now. I guess he's just hungry because we can't find anything else wrong and he doesn't fuss at all during the day!
He now shares a bedroom with Emery and sometimes at bedtime you can hear Oliver laughing hysterically because Emery has climbed in his crib to play with him! Brotherly love.
He really can eat anything now but we've only recently begun to feed him because of the rash on his right cheek that keeps coming and going. I think we've mostly ruled out food allergies (besides dairy, which we avoid anyway) so he's all good to eat and he loves it!
He has been battling with the aforementioned rash again. We saw the dermatologist who prescribed steroid cream again and it went away only to return about two weeks later. I seriously think it's directly related to teething as he's pulling on his right ear often but we have seen the ENT who said his ears and throat look perfect. I think it's molars. Darn things can cut through any time now.
He is the happiest baby on the planet. He can't help but smile at people if they smile at him and he really has a soft spot for his Auntie Jamie. I just want to squeeze him all day long.
His first Christmas was a success. He got a few good gifts and really enjoyed being with his family. He is such an easy baby to take places (if he can nap), so that's nice. Merry first Christmas, baby boy!

I LOVE YOU, OLIVER AARON - TO THE MOON AND BACK!

-Mommy

Merry Christmas from the Stepecs!

2011-12-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2011 was a busy year for us starting with Emery's second birthday on February 24. Ever our busy first born son, Emery James keeps me on my toes! There is literally never a dull moment when he is awake and going about his business. His vocabulary is probably comparable to a four year old and he makes me laugh constantly with the things he comes up with! He is mostly potty trained now at 33 months and just wears a pull up when sleeping (and that's usually dry during nap time). He knows his colors and ABC's and can count to ten. He loves anything Toy Story or Cars. He also loves his matchbox cars - but has a special place in his heart for his several Lightning McQueen's and his friends. His favorite character from Toy Story is Buzz Lightyear and he has been asking every Santa he sees for "the big Buzz from the store". Let's hope Santa's listening! Emery had his first major medical issue in July when he developed a staph infection in his index fingertip and had to be hospitalized for three days which included surgery to take off his fingernail and clean the finger out! Gross. He was a trooper, though, and asks now to go back (except for "no more pokes, Mom"). We are thankful to God for his provision in medical care for our boy. He is a blessing to us every day and we are excited to see what God has in store for him in his life!

Our darling daughter Ashlynn Mae turned three on March 13. She is such a girl and loves all things princess! She has been diagnosed this year with childhood apraxia of speech so she continues to attend speech therapy three times a week and will bump up to five times after the holidays. She is making great progress but will probably need speech for many more years. We are so thankful for her "teachers" and all that they do for her! She is a great big sister and is very helpful around the house. Her birth mom had a baby girl in the beginning of March so Ashlynn has a half sister called Akanna that we take care of every other weekend. We'll see what the future brings with that. Ashlynn loves to color and do art projects. She really loves to cuddle and will take the opportunity to snuggle with anyone that comes over and is willing! She also spent a night in the hospital this summer after she started throwing up blood one morning in August. After some IV fluids and Zofran she was feeling a bit better but was kept for observation. They concluded that she had a hematoma in her stomach that leaked from the force of her vomiting and she was discharged the next day. She enjoyed lots of treats and movies in her bed while she regained her strength. Again we were so thankful that God saw fit to heal her quickly and without long term effects! We love watching her grow and learn as she heads into the preschool age. She is a blessing.

On the morning of March 25 our second son Oliver Aaron was born! Seven pounds and seven ounces of sweetness! He was born looking just like Emery did as a newborn but has quickly evolved into his own person. He is nothing like Emery was as a baby! He only cries when he has a need and you'll know it! He has a loud, shrill screechy kind of cry that makes me jump out of my seat to help him. Emery's cry was so quiet you had to look at his face to be sure he was actually crying! Most of the time our third blessing is happy and smiling, though. He got his two bottom teeth around four months and the top two followed close behind, coming in with quite a space between them which makes his nickname of "Ollie" so fitting! Ashlynn has the smile that stretches from ear to ear, Emery has the dimples in each cheek and Ollie has the sweet, gap-tooth smile! They all melt their mother's heart! Oliver didn't end up in the hospital this summer but while staying with Emery he did catch a staph infection in the excema sore that he has been battling on his right cheek. He was prescribed both oral and topical antibiotics for a few weeks. His infection cleared and after a follow up visit to the dermatologist and some gentle steroid cream his excema cleared up only to return in the middle of November with a vengeance! He is using a bit of a steroid cream and antibiotic cream this week to clear in up again so that he doesn't get another serious infection. Please pray that we could find out the cause of his excema (we have some ideas and are working on them) so that we can get rid of it once and for all! Our sweet boy started army crawling the first week of December - he needed the motivation of the beautiful Christmas tree to get him going. Now he on the move and eager to be near his siblings. They are good about sharing some toys with him. I can hardly believe that my baby will be nine months old on Christmas Day. I can't imagine life without my littlest mama's boy!

Seth is still at United HealthCare and is currently on a six week business trip to Hyderabad, India. He will be home on Sunday, December 19 - just in time for Christmas, thankfully! We are grateful for his job and the experience of a first class, all expenses paid trip to the other side of the world. Wow! The kids are missing Daddy now so we are happy that the end is only eight days away. He is still playing guitar on the worship team at our church, Rock Hill Community Church. He is also giving some guitar lessons at our house in the evenings and is looking to build that up a bit. He really enjoys sharing his love for the guitar and music with others.

I am busy keeping up with three kids three and under! As all of you moms know, that doesn't leave much time for hobbies at this stage of life, but I do get to read a good book when I can or spend a little time blogging at www.sethandsarah.blogspot.com (in case you want to follow our adventures!). I am more and more thankful for our small house as it is much easier to keep clean and to know where my kids are at and what they are up to. Seth and I gave our bathroom a facelift before he went to India and it just needs one final coal of paint when he gets back to finish it off. It was a fun weekend project and we are looking forward to tackling a few more in the coming months!

We are planning a simple and quiet Christmas this year, having Seth's family over on Christmas Eve and heading up the hill to my mom and dad's house on Christmas Day. I am planning our Christmas Eve meal to be a birthday party for Jesus. Our kids love birthdays and parties of any kind at their age and I am hoping that we can emphasize the importance of Christ's birth through something that they can get excited about! We never want to forget that a precious baby was born that we could all live! Praise be to God for the birth of His son, Jesus Christ - the Savior of the world! May you know His love, may you rest in His peace, may you be accepting of His gift, the Greatest Gift, the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ!

Blessings today and always -

Seth, Sarah, Ashlynn (3), Emery (2), & Oliver (9mo.)

Giveaway at the Vintage Pearl

2011-12-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

I seriously want a necklace from the Vintage Pearl. Someday I will have one with all of my kids' names stamped on cute little metal charms and I am hoping that this weekend will be my someday. The Vintage Pearl is giving away five gift certificates on Saturday. You can enter to win here on their blog. Go to their website and look around. You won't be disappointed!

Daddy is home!

2011-12-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

Six weeks without Seth.

There were times when I really didn't think we were going to make it out alive.

But, by the grace of God, we did.

I hope we don't have to do that again any time soon.

Daddy handing out gifts from his travels!

Emery's green bangles

Ashlynn's "sparkly things"

Oliver got nothing :(

Emery's snake...he's a little afraid of it, which is funny!

"No, I'm Tootsie."

2011-12-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

The other day Emery came clumping down the stairs in a princess dress and tap shoes. I saw his and said that he was a very beautiful princess. He said, "I'm not a princess, I'm Tootsie" (a nickname we have for Ashlynn)! How can the kid who makes me laugh so hard so many times each day turn around and make me so angry? I sure do love him regardless.

He has started being afraid of monsters. Ashlynn was at the psychologist the other day (to see how the apraxia is affecting her and to see if she might have some behavioral issues, which she doesn't) and the Dr. said that from about ages four to seven kids imaginations start working overtime and you can't convince them that the things that they dream about or imagine aren't real. She recommended just going with it and letting them outgrow it on their own (like having a bottle of monster spray for them to use instead of just saying "there's no monster in this closet"). That night Emery woke up in the middle of the night in a fit of crying and I couldn't even understand what he was saying. He kept kicking me and I finally got annoyed and told him that I was leaving his bed if he was going to keep kicking me and that he could come in my bed if he was scared. He jumped up still sobbing and followed me into my bed. He settled down for a minute and then started screaming again and I finally heard him say "the monster". I asked him where the monster was and he pointed and yelled "right there!" I asked him if I should kill it and he said yes so I jumped up on the bed and did some karate chops on this imaginary monster. Then when there was no question that he was dead I asked Emery what I should do with him. Then I thought of the toilet and how he could hear that flushing and know that the monster was gone down the drain so I asked him if that would be a good way to get rid of him. He said yes so I grabbed the monster and ran into the bathroom and flushed him. I got back into my bed and Emery said a sleepy thanks before falling right asleep! What a middle of the night adventure! Wouldn't you know that Emery would have the vivid imagination of a four year old at just past two and a half. He is shaping up to be a handful but it sure is an exciting ride. What a blessing my children are to me.

Both of my princesses!

He loves to dress up, sometimes as boy things and sometimes as a princess!

In other news, Oliver saw the dermatologist last Wednesday for his face rash again and was prescribed steroid cream. His face cleared right up (thankfully) but WHAT IS THE PROBLEM??? I am a little stressed by it. Please pray for me (and him, the little trooper).

Christmas presents

2011-12-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

I want to win a fridge!

2011-12-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post about my new fridge. Wait. I guess I don't have a new fridge yet. But I am entering to win one at MommyGaga and I get more entries if I blog about it! So go enter to win if you like and enter her other giveaways while you're at it. Hope one of us wins something!

And he's on the move!

2011-12-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

About to pull himself forward!

This morning Oliver used all of the strength in his little body to pull himself forward about an inch. He is almost eight and a half months old so I guess it's time for him to start moving a bit. I thought he would slowly work up the strength to start pulling himself around over the next few days. Well, within the hour he was able to pull himself all the way across the carpeted living room to the Christmas tree! I should have know - I put that thing up last night and that was all the motivation he needed.

He is also eating solids now and is enjoying some of my egg frittata for supper tonight! Earlier Emery went into the fridge and got the steamed baby carrots and dumped them all on Ollie's lap and Ollie couldn't have been happier with a bite in his mouth and a carrot in each hand! Brothers.

Brothers!

My three blessings!

Santa 2011

2011-12-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to visit Santa down at the Fitger's Brewery Complex. We have gone there since Ashlynn was a baby (excluding last year for some reason) and gotten a picture taken with Santa. It runs every weekend until the week before Christmas and the proceeds benefit a different charity each weekend. Ten bucks gets you a 5x7 and four wallets but unlike the Santa at the mall I feel good about "wasting" my money!

the Sundstrom cousins.

Emery told Santa (again) that he want the big Buzz Lightyear for Christmas this year. Then we came home and he saw it in the basement. I hope he forgets about that but with his memory he probably won't. Oh, well. I'm not completely sold on the "Santa" idea anyway. We'll just see how it goes!

Truth in the Tinsel!

2011-12-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

So, we are doing this advent book this year called "Truth in the Tinsel" and it's aimed at the toddler set. We did day one today and my kids loved it. We did a different craft (found here) than the book calls for because we didn't have tissue paper but the kids really enjoyed it. It only takes about five or ten minutes which is about all that my kids can handle anyway. We'll see how far we get this year.

(I know my links are hard to see, but the title of the book above is a link to the site in case you are interested. It's an e-book so you could still get it and start right away.)

2011-11-30T07:24:00.000-08:00

Things I'm thankful for (in no particular order):

#1. My family. Wonderful, giving husband and perfect, beautiful children!

#2. A warm and cozy house to raise my children in. It's 41 degrees here today!

#3. My sister (AKA my built in babysitter). Seriously, how do women function without a sister? My kids count her as their second mom and she can step right in and parent them in (almost) exactly the same way that I do. I seriously need to get Ashlynn a sister (to grow up in the same house with her - many of you know that she has a biological half sister that is seven months old), one way or another!
#4. Coffee. Yum, especially on a 35 degree morning. I made pumpkin spice lattes this morning for Seth since it's his last morning here until December 17!

#5. Seth's job. Even though he left this morning for six weeks I am thankful that he has a steady income with good benefits.

#6. Sunday mornings. They are much more relaxing when Seth is home (he lets me sleep in and then lounge on the couch with coffee), but they are good nonetheless.

#7. Good sleepers. My kids are all (pretty much) good sleepers. Oliver has put himself to sleep since he was a newborn - he just wants to be in his sleep sack holding his softie with his lullaby machine playing! If he's ready for nap/bed time he will go to sleep without a sound. The older two go to bed between seven and eight (they are still learning how to calm down at bedtime but they are only two and three in bunk beds in the same room) and sleep all night. Ashlynn sometimes wakes up and comes in our bed. Emery never does. Of course, lately they have all been sick and that changes things.

#8. Jesus. This should obviously be at the top of the list, but I haven't been thinking in order. Mostly just what is on my mind at the moment. I am so grateful for the grave price that Jesus paid for my sin so that I can spend eternity in heaven with Him. (He died for you, too, by the way!)

#9. Grace. Because I need more grace than I had thought.

#10. Our health. We have been blessed with only minor issues in the years of our marriage. Our kids are relatively healthy, too.

#11. My van. It sure is nice to have a reliable vehicle that fits all of my kids and stuff comfortably!

#12. Freedom. Yeah, I know this should have been yesterday's, but all of the posts on facebook throughout the day reminded me how thankful that I am that an honorable few pledge their lives so that I can be free. Thank you to all that have and do.

#13. The Whole Food Coop. I do most of our grocery shopping there and am so thankful to have a place to get healthy foods to feed my family.

#14. My camera and the ability to preserve these moments. I am so thankful that I can keep our memories safe!

#15. Medicine. I am so thankful that we have so many things available to us to help our bodies get back to healthy - specifically antibiotics which we have needed several times over the course of our lives (and my children have needed a round or two, including some seriously strong ones for Emery's staph infection).

#16. My grandparents. I have two grandmas still alive and today is my Grandma Vicki's 93rd birthday! What a blessing the older generations are and I am so thankful for the memories I have and am still making with my grandparents.

#17. Friends. It's wonderful to have people to share life's ups and downs with!

#18. The internet. Seriously, what did moms do without it? I suppose they just got together and visited with other moms to talk about their concerns or to share tips. Which actually sounds really nice. But it is really convenient to have all that info at my fingertips!

#19. My daughter's birth mom. Thank you for giving me the greatest gift you could give.

#20. Skype to talk to my husband on. Six weeks would be a long time to go without seeing his face. And a long time for him to go without seeing his children, I'm sure!

#21. Siblings, both my own and for my children. I am so blessed to watch Ashlynn and Emery make up games to play together or to wonder where the other one is when gone. It's so sweet to have a sibling/best friend!

#22. God's provision. Isn't it amazing to know that God is bigger thaneverything and will give us exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever imagine? Wow. God is good, all the time.

#23. My washer and dryer. It would be a lot of extra work to wash diapers by hand!

#24. My dishwasher. What can I say? I'm realizing with Seth gone that it is wonderful to have an appliance to do my dirty work. Ha, ha.

#25. Holiday cheer. I just love this time of year and wish it would last far past Christmas.

#26. Imagination. I know God is bigger than we can "imagine" (ha), but I am so thankful that he thought to give us our creativity and imaginations! I watch Emery play his made up games and listen to Ashlynn sing her made up songs and I am blessed. God is good.

#27. My mom and dad for providing me with a safe and happy childhood. In doing foster care I have seen that a lot of kids don't get that in this world.

#28. Ashlynn's speech teachers for working with her three times a week to improve her speech. For those who don't know, she has been diagnosed with a dyspraxia of speech and has to attend speech many times a week to overcome it.

#29. Books. I just love to read a good one.

#30. Contest giveaways! My sister and I have both won a blog giveaway recently and it is so fun! I won a little girls book with matching tights and my sister won a book (which I will read after she's done). A couple years ago I won a bean bag chair which is still used every day around here.

*****

Here is a picture of Emery enjoying the car wash. I just showed him this and asked who was under the blanket and he said, "Emery." I asked him what he was doing in this picture and he said, "We are going to the car wash!" This was a week ago and he still remembers. He usually gets pretty upset in there (even though he asks to go) so I threw his blanket over his head and he was fine. Problem solved.

a midnight ode to oliver

2011-11-29T04:45:00.000-08:00