Update!

WEll, allot has changed since I last wrote. 

We have moved (yes, again. but lord willing we will stay here for a long time). 

We still have a good amount of painting to do, but here are some photos of our home. 

The kids have the whole attic as a bedroom.

There are a few walls diving on section of the attic, and that is where my craft room and Evilyns room is. It is such a blessing to have so much space for the boys to play... (though I do not have photos of the entire room) 

This is one of the rooms we still have to paint... cuz, this purple just clashes terribly! 

We also need to paint our kitchen still... I love everything about it (especially the double oven!) except the ketchup, and mustard paint. ! (not shown in the photo) 

 We just finished painting the living room... In every house we have been in we have had green and brown... I thought it was time for a change... yellow and grey :D 

Evilyn has  also grown a good bit since my last post. 

she can almost sit up with out help. She is working on rolling over, and scoots pretty well these days. 

her new found thing is putting anything and everything in her mouth! yep! it starts... I will have super clean floors! haha!  

My "chunk-a-mup" has just grown out of her 3-6 month clothing... (she is not yet 5 months) and is wearing mostly 6 months (with a few 9 month thrown in! ) 

(said 9month outfit)

She loves to snuggle! 

Teething! and yet still happy! 

James just turned 4... 

He also just started preschool, and his learning has taken off! 

He and Evilyn seem to just get each other, and love to make each other laugh. 

James is also Jonathan's best  friend. Jonathan is a puddle of tears and sorrow while James is at school. 

(I take this time to cuddle Jon, and Jon only, so he doesn't feel left out. ) 

He Loves to "hold baby sister". 

My handsome 4 year old! 

They really love playing together. 

Jonathan is becoming more friendly and so very funny! 

He loves books, and could have you read to him for hours! 

selfie! hehe! 

This guy loves the camera! 

well, that is all for now. 

Evilyn Elisabeth Rose

this was a couple days after she was born... 

 and this is where she spends most of her time... 

i cant believe she is a week old already! 

on our way home (day 1) 

day 2   her favorite thing to do is sleep! :D 

happy dreams! 

1 week old! 

Update (sort of)

I know it has been a long time since my last post... life has been very busy... 

here's some photos of whats been going on lately... 

Taking Philemon to work is one of our favorite things to do... God always gives us such an amazing picture to look at! 

We recently got a kitten for James... and they love to play together! 

Thomas finished high school! 

i have been setting up Evilyn's side of the room. 

And i have been spending most of my time growing our much anticipated daughter Evilyn! 

14 ish weeks

25 weeks 

38 weeks and i cant wait to hold her! 

there is more, but i will leave you with this for now... 

Sugar and spice

I am sooo pleased to announce... we found out who our little one is!

Meet Evilyn Elisabeth Rose... (well, sort of... she is camera shy... putting her hands in front of her face.  )

We specifically prayed for a daughter... God answered our request... Her names mean Prayed for, and given by the oath of God ... we thought it fit quite well...  the boys call her "baby Eva".
She seems to be a quiet girl... she doesn't kick a lot... but when she does... oy! she is strong!

While I love and wouldn't trade anything for my puppy dog tails.... I am excited to have some sugar and spice in my life!

For the Record....

I am just helping everyone out for the future... i have had  many comments (which i love!) that i could not post as i did not know who they were from... please leave you name! (especially if you are to comment about the appearance of  children in the photos i have taken... (most comments have been sweet, but its creepy sometimes when i don't know who they are coming from and therefore i dont post them... )

UPDATE! wohoo!

I think I am in dire need of updating my blog! yikes! It has been so busy.... 

I've not had much to post as I was lacking photos, and well, I like photos! haha! 

4 months ago we were happy to find out the Lord blessed us with another child! After miscarrying, it was hard to believe that this new pregnancy was real. I worried over every little thing, and I could not wait to peek at this little one just to be sure it was truly there.  I found myself having a hard time getting attached to the idea of being pregnant, almost like I was gearing up for disappointment. I had trouble actually getting into the Dr for all the "required" things. The lord used this waiting period to teach me to trust him more...  as soon as I gave up and trusted, I got my first apt! and... I got to peek at our newest blessing! 

I don't think I have ever been so excited to see and hear such wonder! with my boys, it was special, but honestly, not as much as this time...

In later news.... Philemon and I will be getting away this weekend for our 4th year honeymoon! (that it what we like to call them, always a honeymoon!) 

We have only been able to go on one anniversary get away so far! So I am super excited!  

this will be short....

this is a short post.... 

but... 

I have been thinking about how blessed as a mom i am....  and as a child of God...

i am such an imperfect mom... but i am so thankful to have a perfect father.... who helps me with my children on those rough days... you know, the ones that are messy, and loud, and just plain crazy!... the ones where, you SOOOO just messed the whole day up.... 

God can fix it...

 i have learned in recent days, to ask my lord to help me BE with my children. there are days that i have literally said... "i so messed this up, Lord please fix this," or "i have no clue what to do, so, please let this be the right thing that i am doing... " 

i have found that these days are less and less, as i learn to give everything to God. 

it is the days that follow that bless me... seeing my children learn to love God, and seeing my husband encouraged to be what God wants him to be. 

i guess all im saying is..... im glad i have such a perfect father.. and im so glad i can run to him every day....

because i need him... EVERY day. 

3 years!

It is such a blessing to have had my James for 3 years now! he has made life interesting, fun, and i could not imaging my life without him.

Through all of the mess, and training... he has blossomed into one of my favorite people to be around...
He is such a gentle, caring boy... (when hes not destroying my house and screaming like a dinosaur)

Some of his likes and loves are:
Books, he loves books... he always grabs daddy's theology books and sits with them pretending to read them. he has bible story books, and these are his favorite... he grabs them saying "BIBLE, you read?!"  i think he will love to read. he gives me a reason to sit and read.

He also loves his brother, (from a small distance at times). he does not like when Jonathan is hurt, or crying.
it's funny, he reminds me of being a kid some times.... he hates when Jonathan picks on him ,or get up in his business... but if Jon is hurt or being "trained"  James is a puddle of tears, saying "im sorry!"  or, "its ok"
(this is not because he thinks he is in trouble or because i am a mean mommy... he is just that sensitive)

he likes going on walks with mommy... we walk across to the store often.
he also likes to help me shop, and carry groceries to the house for me.
he is such a great little helper. always cleaning up, or setting things right.


he loves the abc's.... that the only song he will sing...


he loves dinosaurs, and balls, and puzzles, and matching games, and super why! (his only tv show)

he is learning how to communicate a lot better in the last few months... and li love some of the things he says...

after breakfast today it was "um, I dun!"  i said ok...  he walks off to his room, blanket in hand and says "oh good night"  i say, ok i love you baby...  he says "I wub you! good night"


or James: " um, i hab coppie (coffee)" mommy: daddy is making it... James: "oh, i need a cup!"

the potty training has been put off during moving but will pick up easily very soon.

my favorite thing about James right now, is how he always knows just when ineed a hug, and he always says i love you... just when i need it... i love how caring he is.

a sneek peek....

moving has taken a while... but God has perfect timing in it all.... and... i can finally say we have moved in... 

here is a peek at our new home... 

living room before (even before the carpet cleaning)

living room mid way... (we are adding this slowly)

we are excited to get more seating and have people over.... there are many

souls who need the lord, and we pray we can be used here. 

boys room before....

boys room after... 

(we still have to repaint the bed... i had painted it for hadassah's room originally)

our room before.... 

our room after! its like we go on vacation every time we walk in! (and i have already added a few more things since this photo. 

life lately...

life has been a tad busy... but the boys are napping and i have a few minuets to catch up on what life has been this month... 

we finally Got the green light to move! for those who weren't int he know... Philemon has been hired as a live in building manager for a condo place on Kitsap way... God has his perfect timing! 

We are looking forward to all the souls there... ready to harvest! 

Pray with us that we will be a light, and a blessing to these older neighbors, and to the staff there. 

if anyone has boxes or newspaper we could use some...the plan is to move next Friday/Saturday. 

Philemon has also started driver as of this past Tuesday... 

he is very excited about this opportunity, and is loving every minuet of driving for UPS! 

we are so blessed that God has given us these jobs with the ability to work the condo place around the UPS schedule.  WE are looking forward to the ability to help more people with what the lord has blessed us with. 

James has been doing so well with potty training... he is telling me every time he has to go, and just today has gone #2  on his potty 3 times! and has kept his underwear dry for this whole week! even midst our packing things,a nd his playing, and running about... our next hurdle will be training to go while we are out, and nap time dryness. 

His favorite thing is praising himself  "Oh good job!, I get candy!" ... ("candy" is really dried fruit, which makes him go more;) 

though life has been busy, stressful, and a little rough, God has given us many blessing through it all! 

What a God we serve! I pray we may continue to be used and continue to grow. 

9/11

While I am so very thankful to those who died and served and sacrificed on this day.... 

I am reminded of what america as a nation did on this day.... We prayed... 

I pray that America will remember this... 

That we will remember to pray... and turn from our wicked ways. 

May the Lord heal our land. 

whos training who...

most of the time my answer to this question is, i am training my children... but in the case of potty training... 

yep, they are training me... 

teaching me when, and how they go.

teaching me to be patient... 

and they are making huge strides this week!

today James has been in undies all day.... (just undies hehe!) 

James, has figured out how to tell me he doesn't have to go, he just says, no... 

so i wait... then make him go a little later... (he hates to leave what hes doing to go)

well, today, he has been dry! all day! even through nap time!  

he had also been occasionally taking his undies off and running to me. i then would ask him if he had to go, and he would go... he figured out he has to do this before going... so hes been taking his pants off and running to "show me" he has to go..

i finally just decided to leave the door open, and he decided to go on his own! , then! get this! 

he took his undies off again, ran to me, then rushed to the potty and POOPED! yippie! 

i know its pretty silly, but im sooo excited... he is basically teaching himself, and Jonathan is close behind him! 

we have had issues with Jonathan pooping in the bath, every time he bathed! 

i told him hes to go on the potty, and not int he bath... 

today, while this was messy... he realized he had to go, and climbed out of the bath, but didn't quite make it to his potty... but, i will take what i can get... 

this is why the bathroom is bleached at least every other day! heh! 

im super excited to be rid of diaper very soon!

His ways are higher...

Jonathan will be keeping his crib after all... 

The lord knows best... there can always be an next time... 

3's a crowd? i love crowds!

Build up, or tear down...

First , i do not claim to be perfect, or better than anyone in this area... it has just been on my mind lately... 

Im just going to cut to the chase... 

It seems that today, women, sometime unknowingly, are tearing at their husband's self worth and confidence in what God made them to be. 

It comes in the little things, like, "he cant cook" or  "when mom is gone, the kids are a wreck, and the house is trashed"...

I hear it so often lately, and mostly in a joking manner... but it makes me think of when I was first married... 

I wanted my husband to be and do all these things... comparing him to other men,( :O yes, I did that!).

Joking about all the things he couldn't do, and never bragging about his attributes... who he was.

 I didn't realize that it was a huge blow to him... 

He was not the man I wanted because I was not encouraging him to be him, to be who he believed God wanted him to be... I was expecting him to be what I saw in others... 

I was convicted... I asked the Lord to help me encourage him to be what he was made to be... 

It started with the kids... I would ask him to do something with the boys, then intricately tell him how to do it, or leave instructions...   Then the lord pricked my heart, and said... "He is their father! " and I thought... If God gives me the things I need to BE as a mommy, he would give Philemon the things he needs to BE the daddy... right?  I can say, Philemon blossomed as a father when I put away all my controlling concerns, and let him to with them as he saw fit, as he followed the Lord's will in raising them... and he is such a good father to them! 

So they don't have matching clothing all the time, or maybe they had dessert before dinner... 

What my husband needs to hear, is that he makes sure they love the Lord, and they are fed, and that he did a great job doing the dishes and keeping them alive!  

You have to admit, its hard to keep a house clean, with toddlers running around... and WE are with them all day....  but i digress... 

I have found that my husband will pay attention to those little things I ask of him that make being mommy easier, if i am bragging about, and thanking him for all the things he is doing right... It stroked his inner need to be the man he should be...the man God wants him to be.

Proverbs 31 talks about the husband being known in the gates... How do I want him known... How is he feeling he is known... Am I making him a leader? or am I forcing him to be...

Yes we joke now and then about those kinds of things together... but think about it... how would you feel if all you ever heard was how the house isn't up to so and so's standards (even though we do this to ourselves anyway)... or how you just don't know how to be a mommy....You are encouraged to be the woman God wants you to be when you husband builds that up in you....

This is not to say that I never ask him to do things, that i normally do, a certain way. Or that I am perfect in what I am thinking about now... 

This was just a thought and has been on my heart to change in me recently..... 

Let's build up our husbands, to help them be what God wants them to be...

opinions? anyone?

this came to my mind today, as James ate a normal breakfast, took a normal nap, then work up, not hungry... at all! (he didn't even want candy!:O... he then got shaky (which is typical) and so i gave him milk and he then felt hungry, but now he will not eat dinner until around bed time, because he ate late.... 

without judging others, and without hostil coments, i was wondering what you think... 

which is better, keeping toddlers on an eating schedule so they can eat with the family, or letting them eat when they are hungery... 

my reason for asking is, i have been struggling with James and Jonathan on eating with the family, either because they are not hungery yet, or they ate right before we did... 

James as a baby ate when he wanted, and still seems to eat like this... he eats when hes hungry, and that tends to throw off any chance of him eating with us at then table, because timing just doesn't work out... 

since he eats this way, i make sure he is getting all of the proper foods he needs...

he is super lean, and very strong... so im not worried he is not eating the right things... i just wonder if and when he should be made to eat with the family... (he does sometimes just sit there with us, and nibble now and then)

jonathan is a much better eater... he will eat alot at the table... but then goes through DAYS of not wanting anything but drinks... but then he usually grows... or is teething

There are days i feel so lost in what to do about their eating... 

(the days that james is rummaging my house eating things like candles, and egg shells!, but wont eat dinner! ) 

i took James to the Dr about his eating candles, she gave him and iron supplement, but i have run out, and honestly, im not sure how he could be loosing iron. because this is a frequent thing... he has phases of eating super odd things... (sand, shells, candles, are his favorite) i try to teach him they are not food, but i still have thrown away every candle i own, and he doesn't get sand anymore... )

i will be taking him in to get his iron checked again, becuase he has been eating odd things again... 

i was just curious what you all thought...

learning more tricks in photography!

learning how to focus better! and what a pretty pair of eyes i got to photograph!

learned this nifty trick... it required taking the lens off the camera, holding it up to the camera and tilting it... was pretty fun!

learning to make a yummy black and white! (not the yummiest, but it'll do)

Learning to enhance color! (kind of an odd pose, but im loving the purple!)

Learning to better control depth of field... plus.. shes is just sooo cute!



that's all for now...