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Saturday, January 14, 2012

Spring Wreath

Even though its not spring yet, in fact its the dead of winter in Wisconsin,
I decided I needed to make a fun wreath for spring

I am pretty sure my time for wreath making will be gone
once baby numero three makes his appearance

I was inspired by this picture on Pinterest
(I saved the pictures but did not save the link so I am not sure who to credit for the idea) 


This is what I came up with


I used scrap fabric for the rosettes and wrapped an wreath form
in white yarn..added a little ribbon and some felt leaves..
and its perfect to brighten up these dreary cold days









Monday, January 9, 2012

18 days and counting...

18 days at the most until our little man gets here! 
Even though I am at the uncomfortable, "DONE" point in pregnancy
we are getting so excited to meet our newest addition.



notice that the girls are wearing pajamas and rain boots
maybe every day should start with hot pink and leopard boots..

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Christmas Card Outtakes

While we are looking back at Christmas
(or I am trying to get caught up on blogging :)
Here is the picture we decided to use for our Christmas card this year


We just dressed the girls up, set them on the front porch with some ornaments and lights
and took about 60 pictures hoping that we would end up with some good shots that we could use

Here are some of the ones we decided not to use





















Thursday, January 5, 2012

Christmas 2011

Yes, this is obviously late..

Which is not for lack of time, since we had the most relaxing Christmas ever! 
This is the first year since we moved to Wisconsin that we did not drive back to Michigan
to be with our families on Christmas.
We were home over Thanksgiving and with "little man" coming in January we thought
it was just a little too much

Here is a little glimpse of our Christmas season this year
We bedazzled the house in blue and white lights
and blue, white and silver ornaments
(which involved me trying not to stroke out while Russ climbed around on the ladder
which is ironic if you think about what he does all day for work...)




decorated a little on the inside too..


went to Meadowbrook Farm and picked out a real Christmas tree



and here she is at home all decorated
(after a few mishaps of falling over..)


We even got a little bit of snow and the girls were so excited to play outside
and "play" consisted of walking around eating handfuls of snow..


Cathedral Park downtown Milwaukee


We went to the Christmas Eve service at Spring Creek Church
(Elise just could not resist touching the train at the back of church..)


We didn't take any pictures of the girls opening presents
(we took alot of video, since trying to capture their excitement in a photo would not 
have done it justice :) 

Now the countdown until we get to meet our little boy continues! 
3 more weeks and counting!!!!!! 









Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Big Girl Hair Cuts


My girls have been is desperate need of haircuts.
I have been trimming their bangs at home
(or I should really say that Russ has been trimming their bangs at home) 


I had heard alot of great things about a kids "salon" called 
They have a great kid friendly waiting area with toys and a train table


Elise and Lilly each got to pick out a "car" to sit in




They have kids movies showing at every haircut station
and little toys for them to hold on to as well. 
The stylists were very kid friendly and engaging them in the process




Then they finish off with letting them pick out a hair bow
and sprinkle glitter on their hair


I could not get a good picture of them since they were slightly overstimulated at this point 
And the hair bows lasted approximately five minutes until they pulled them out

But I love how they turned out
(even if I did cry a few tears about how their baby curls were gone)






Monday, January 2, 2012

Happy 2012

I can't believe when I look at my blog how long its been since i have written.
I feel like ever since getting pregnant and somehow surviving the summer i have just had a fog that has set in over my brain. 
Between the fog and the absolute exhaustion of juggling 2 year old twins 
and growing another baby
 I am in bed most nights before nine.
Some how that is changing now and some of my energy is coming back
mostly in the form of nesting. I am taking down the Christmas decorations as fast as possible and getting all of the baby gear up and organized. 
We are pretty much ready for "Little Man" as we have been calling him.

I have been reflecting alot this week on how much has changed in the last year. 
God had things in store for us that we had never even imagined, the biggest being another baby.
It took me a lot of time (and insight from Godly women placed in my life) to come to grips with the fact I am not in control and that I don't know what is best for me. I started a Bible study this past fall called

Hello! Could it have been titled any more appropriately? That is exactly how I felt. That God interrupted my life when it was just getting a little easier. After a very complicated delivery, no family close by, and many sleepless nights I was finally feeling like we were over the hardest part. The twins were over a year old, gaining independence and some cognitive thinking skills, and I felt ready to pick up more hours at work, join a gym, and just in general start making more time for myself. 

I was angry, frustrated, and anxiety ridden at God and at the situation.
How in the world was I going to be able to handle 2 toddlers and a new baby? 
Why couldn't this have happened to one of my many friends in WI who have their entire extended family living practically down the street from them?
Or why couldn't Russ get a transfer back to MI so I could have the help of my family? 

And then Pricilla Shirer broke it down for me like no one else could in her study called
"Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted"

I had no idea that Jonah and I had so much in common..
You may be wondering the same thing.

First,
Jonah was sent to Nineveh, which was a place of hopelessness
God often sends us into the hopeless place because its in the hopeless place that we can see the hope of God


Second,
Jonah was the only prophet who ever ran from God
I can relate to that! When my life and plans have been interrupted, I've wanted to rebel against it.
I am what Priscilla calls an "inside" runner. On the outside everything looks normal but on the inside
I am just going through the motions, emotionally detached, not embracing where God has put me.

Third,
The Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time (Jonah 3:1)
Forgiveness of past sin qualifies us for present service. 
We get second chances. 
Today I am thankful that I love and serve a God of second chances.

I feel like starting 2012 is a "second chance"
Its a time to remind my self of the forgiveness I have received,
to let go of old hurt and pain
and to move ahead with the plan that God has for me.
I know that He has more that what I could ever imagine in store this next year!