Kirk always wonders (out loud) how it seems to take so long for the baby to arrive but how that same amount of time flies by once they are here.

Today Sawyer is 9 months…already!  We love our wispy haired, happy, playful boy!!  Each of the kids adore him.  He is also our fastest moving baby as the others didn’t crawl until 10+ months (they are slow to move, but quick to talk:))…although he isn’t actually crawling…he’s scooting on his butt, but he gets around!

Sawyer, we can only imagine what God has gifted you in and the road that He has planned for you.  We love you!!

Blessings to you,

Living in the Upper Midwest it is sometimes necessary, in May, to go find your brothers hat…

and then head outside…

to help plant seeds in the garden.

Make sure NOT to clean up so everyone knows how hard you’ve been working.

Blessings to your family,

I loved the hand drawn cards, the hugs and all the “Happy Mother’s Day” wishes.  I really appreciate the flowers the the kids’ Sunday School teachers had for the kids to give me…but the best gift of all was on this paper…

and it was this in particular…

“I know my mom loves me because I am me”.  Through all my faults I do pray the each of my children know that I love them because they are themselves.  This was the best gift I could receive…the glimpse that in my imperfections that somehow Cade has gotten that I love him unconditionally…simply because he is Cade.  I love you, Buddy!!

I hope your Mother’s Day was blessed as well!

Sometimes it feels like it takes just as long to get the kids ready to go for a walk as it does to actually take the walk…but it’s always such a good thing when we get out together.

It’s in the 50s today so Sawyer is ready to go with his bear hat.

Addie trotting along…she loves to be outside.

Cade and Ella were excited to take their bikes.

We even met some furry friends along the way…

which led to a fearful Addie with some comforting older siblings.

I’ve never seen her get in the stroller faster…and Sawyer found it humorous.

I hope you’re enjoying the sun in your neck of the woods.

Blessings to you,

We have been working on making ruffley things around here.  Ella is “all-girl”,  and because of that, Addie is into girly things too.  Ella is very creative and is into making and creating and I find that throughout the week I have to put some of that off just to accomplish everything else.  I decided that we would take some time this week to entertain her creative side.

Here’s some of what we got…2 yards of fabric, 2 pairs of $1 flip flops, elastic &  bias tape.

Here’s what we came up with (with a little help from Pinterest).

Ruffle skirt (x 2)

…and matching ruffley sandals (x 2).

I found the free pattern for the skirt here.  (I added a couple inches to the length of Ella’s skirt).

I found the free pattern for the sandals here.

I will tell you that the skirts are really cute and quite easy.  I was really pleased with them.  The sandals were a bit more involved than I thought they would be and they weren’t as durable as I thought they might be.  The girls were thrilled though, and we have fun together.

Blessings to your family,

This spring has been unusually warm for us so the bikes have already been out for awhile.  That’s saying a lot being we still were getting snow at this time last year.

Ella has really taken off on her bike this year, and it seems every morning she is asking first thing if they can go out and ride.

It’s been really fun for Cade to have an eager riding partner too.  He loves it outside.

Addie requires a bit more help.

Thanks, Dad!!

I can’t believe how fast everyone is growing up!!

Blessings to your family this Spring,

Finding ways to celebrate Easter is always fun.  This activity is one thing that the kids really like doing, and for younger kids it can really make it real that Jesus is not in a tomb anymore.

All you need is marshmallows, melted butter, a cinnamon sugar mix and a tube of crescent rolls.

The marshmallow represents Jesus (we talked about white representing his purity).  The butter and cinnamon/sugar mix represents the oil and spices that covered Jesus body after his death.  The crescent rolls are the tomb.

Roll the marshmallow in butter.

Then roll it in the cinnamon/sugar mix.

Place the marshmallow on the open crescent roll.

Then wrap the roll around the marshmallow.

Make sure you seal the seams well.

Then put your tombs on a cookie sheet (I always forget to put some aluminum foil down…but I would recommend doing that).

Bake according to the package directions…and then open your tomb.

This is the part that the littlest kiddos are always so amazed at…”Where did Jesus go?”.  What a great opportunity to share with them that “He has risen, indeed!”.

And Sawyer, well, he was busy playing on the floor.

We did this activity last year too.  It’s here.

Blessings to your family this Easter!

What exactly is Kirk doing with this piece of cardboard???

Why are the kids crowded around?

Wow, whatever it is is interesting!

Well, they were busy saving the bird that decided that our wood stove would be a good place to hang out.

**no birds were hurt in the making of this blog post.

Blessings to your family,

Aren’t people’s stories fascinating?  I have always been intrigued by others’ lives.  I find that I learn so much through others.

Last week I was able to sit down (via Skype) with Becky who is someone that I have learned SO much from.  She shared her story of how her and her husband, Mark, came to have 14 children.  It just so happens that we were able to record our conversation so we could share it with you:).

Becky has been married to Mark for 31 years.  She has home-schooled all of her 14 children, and she has gained her wisdom through surrendering to God’s call in her life.  I have enjoyed gaining from Becky’s wisdom over the past decade.  Feel free to grab a cup of coffee and listen in as I talk with Becky and she tells how they went from having 5 to 14 children.

“From 5 to 14″ ~Interview with Becky

Check out other episodes of “Walking with the Wise” at Family Legacy Media.

“Walk with the wise and you will become wise…” ~Proverbs 13:20

If you have something more that you would like to know about Becky or her family please let me know by leaving a comment.

Blessings to your family,

On Saturdays, Kirk gets up and goes to Bible study.  So here’s what we did at home…

gave Sawyer his first bath in the sink without the baby tub:).

He’s kind of a fan of this.

We also made “Mickey Mouse” pancakes.

It’s truly the little things in life!

And there was still a little time for cuddling…I think Kirk missed out.

Blessings to your family,