Happy Birthday Grace

While Grace was at school Faith helped pick out her gift & all the special things we needed for her Fancy Nancy party.
Opening her sleeping bag.
Grace with her birthday cup, Humiston Family Star special red plate, and balloons.

I can't believe my baby is 4! She is getting so grown up. On Thursday Grace took treats for her class. I made these cookies that were a huge hit. If you like peanut butter and chocolate you should try them. She also made a Birthday crown at school to wear. On her birthday we had to take Titus to the doctor because he was sick. She informed me, "Mom, I do not want to spend my birthday at the doctor." I explained that it was important and we didn't really have a choice. That night we went to Little People City and Jo Jo and "Cake" (Josie's boyfriend Jake) spent the night. It was such a busy day we ended up having a special birthday breakfast & opening her gifts the next morning. Grace's main gift was a sleeping bag. She has decided that when Spring comes our family is going camping. She was very worried how she could go camping without a sleeping bag, so now she is all set. (If only I was all sent to camp with 3 kids under 4!) But the big excitement for her birthday this year was her Fancy Nancy party. (future post coming soon)

Little People City

On Grace's birthday we got to enjoy some free fun. The Parents as Teachers program hosted a family event called, Little People City. It was lots of fun and kind of crazy because it was very crowded. Apparently our house isn't the only one with cabin fever. The event was as the school Grace goes to. The kids brought their bikes to ride around the "city." Faith drove her shopping cart. There were all sorts of places to visit. The girls had LOTS of fun. My sister and her boyfriend came with us so we actually got some pictures.

Faith navigates the crowded "road."
Grace checks out pelts at the Fishing & Hunting Store. Below the girls tried to "fish."
Faith loved the Beauty shop. She got her nails painted and her hair turned pink!
The girls made paw prints at the Fishing & Hunting Store
At the police station Grace practiced dialing 9-1-1.
At the park Faith needed some help shooting baskets, good thing Titus is happy in the sling.
Grace and Faith at the Music Shop.
We visited the Music Shop, Art Shop, Fire Station, Police Station, Hunting & Fishing Store, Dentist Office, Hospital, "Park", Beauty Shop, Bank, & Farm. It was so crowded we didn't even have time for everything.

Titus is 1 Month!

I can't believe Titus is already a month old. He is starting to loose his "newborn" look. He is such a sweet snuggle bug. (a.k.a. he likes to be held and sleep in our bed) One of my friends, Liz took pictures each month of her daughter with a bear. I loved it so much I decided to copy her idea. Here is Titus at one month. I specifically took his picture in his "peanut shell" because this is pretty much what he looked like for the first month of his life. He loves to be swaddled. After trying three different brands of pacifiers this one is his favorite. (the same kind Faith liked) Unfortunately we marked one month with Titus getting the virus his sisters had. He has a sad little cough & is very congested. This has made sleep difficult. But a trip to the doctor confirmed his lungs were clear and we would just have to wait for the virus to run its course. While I hate how fast he is growing (he weighed 10 lbs when we visited the doctor) I can't wait for his first true smile and cooing noises.

The girls LOVE their baby brother. Each night they put a kiss in my hand to give to Titus before they go to bed ( a new ritual since they can't kiss my tummy anymore).

Baby Dedication

It happened that baby dedication Sunday was only 4 weeks after Titus was born. Even though I had seen the announcements about it coming up, I was thinking I would have just had my baby. But since little man came early we went ahead and participated. As with all of our kids it was a special day to celebrate the miracle God has blessed our family with. We feel incredibly blessed to have Titus join our family!! Gramy & Papa were able to join us so we have a few pictures. (although not the best quality)

Titus,

I love you so much little man. I continually thank God for blessing our family with you. Your dad and I take very seriously the commitment we made today to raise you to love Jesus. It is our daily prayer that you would love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. When I began this blog I was thinking of your sisters and that they would enjoy reading my thoughts as a mom down the road. I hope that you and your future wife will also be blessed by my attempts to record our family's journey. (I know I love hearing Nana tell stories about raising your daddy) And hopefully in the future I can encourage your dad to write our story from his point of view more often so you will be able to hear his thoughts as a dad. We love you!!

Your Mama

Mexican Mess-Up

I heart Mexican food! I mean I really love it. We seriously have something "mexican" normally like once a week at our house. And don't get my husband started on how often I choose Mexican if we go out to eat (I have a serious love for white cheese dip & chips- oh, and I'm not a snob I love Taco Bell too.) All that to say we have not had Mexican food at our house since at least early fall. The second half of my pregnancy was not conducive to anything spicy. So, last week my husband made a request for enchiladas. They are one of his favorites and my kids LOVE them as well. So, everyone was looking forward to this family favorite when I made them on Saturday night.

Well, we sat down to dinner and began eating. The rice I had made was slightly spicy because all I had on hand was medium salsa. No biggie, my kids actually eat some pretty spicy food. But, when I started eating my enchilada I realized it was really spicy. I asked my husband what he thought...he thought they were amazing. (Did I mention my husband loves spicy food?) But, my kids soon confirmed for me the enchiladas were definitely hot, and not just hot out of the oven. Faith actually stuck her tongue out and said, "Mommy, kiss kiss!" She wanted me to kiss her tongue because it was hurting. (Maybe this is cruel but Jeremy and I were dying laughing- it was really funny) Upon investigation (a.k.a. digging through our trash) I confirmed my suspicion that I had accidentally bought the HOT sauce instead of our usual mild. Opps! Faith wanted to eat them so bad she kept taking bites and then saying ouchy tongue. Even while gulping down milk they were too hot for the kids to eat. So, they ended up eating crackers for supper...

In my defense the cans look exactly alike except for a small banner at the bottom reading mild or hot. It was an easy mistake to make, especially considering I probably had my "helpers" with me when said hot sauce was purchased. As soon as we stopped laughing Jeremy said, "That's going on the blog." I love that we have a place to capture our family's funny memories. (even if it involves me confessing to my cooking blunders) Hey, at least my kids aren't old enough to give me a hard time about it for the next 10 years. But, I'm guessing I can't guarantee the same thing for my husband.

Valentine's Day

My "men" -Aren't they cute?
Could there be a better Valentine than that?
My two sweethearts-I love you!
Well, this year we had a simple Valentine's day. Due to buget, new baby, etc. there were no fancy plans. But, we still had a great day together as a family. One of the things that is really important to me is for our kids to enjoy Valentine's day as a day to celebrate God's love and the love we share as a family instead of the romantic worldly love many associate with this holiday. I want them to realize love isn't flowers or candy one day a year, but the way their dad serves me, protects me, and is commited to our family 365 days a year.

Previously Jeremy has taken us out to lunch. We want our girls to learn how to "date" from going on dates with their daddy over the years. But, this year that just wasn't possible. So, instead we had Mama's McDonalds. (chicken nuggets and french fries in the oven with "homemade" chocolate milk) Our gift to the girls was a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. As you can see from the pictures they were thrilled with this special treat. (and it didn't require me to get to a store to shop) It was a great day.

Below was Jeremy's gift to me:

A Declaration of Love

for Valentines

To: Love of My Life

From: Yours Truly

So before I start let me explain why I am writing on “her” blog. Well, its Valentines and we are short on budget and short on time to shop with 3 kids at home. I got the idea to blog for her. She has dreams of making her blog into a book and this could be a little chapter. Its totally up to her if she makes this public.

Professionally, spiritually, health, house, and vehicle have been........Well, lets be honest horrible. My dear, this year has probably been one of the top three worst years in my life. There have been days where I literally have sat in a corner saying God "No more...I can’t take one more thing." Yet God has seemed oblivious to my cries for mercy. There have been days in the last year where I have doubted my career, talents, gifts, and more.

I say all of this to highlight the whole point of my blog/valentine gift. Never once this past year on my darkest day have I ever doubted my love for you and your love for me. Every day my drive home from work is heavenly. I know as soon as I enter the house I will, see you cooking some amazing meal, be greeted with a kiss, and a question of how was my day. No matter if your day has been lousy or great there you are cooking something good or an experiment. Every meal is full of your secret ingrediant-love.

On my worst day I know you will listen and console me. I know you be honest and authentic. I know if you think I am right or wrong you will supportively tell me what you think. Its funny, you once talked about how you stopped calling your girlfriends when i was home all the time because your best friend was home. Here I am at work and whenever anything happens I reach for my phone and the first person I want to dial is my best friend too.

Nothing makes me happier then your touch. Even the simple time when your hand gently finds mine while driving down the road. When I lay and we talk and you stroke my hair. At church when I lean forward and you scratch my back. Your head how it perfectly fits on my shoulder. Your meer touch makes me happier.

Today, after 2,068.43 days of marriage I love you more at this moment then when you walked down the aisle. Happy Valentines.

Love,

your husband

So, that is pretty much the most priceless perfect gift. Jeremy doesn't like to write but he knows I LOVE any time he writes something for me. He makes me feel like the most blessed girl in the whole world. Not in a "floating on a cloud" kind of way, but in a cemented together by the hard stuff of life kind of way. He truly is my best friend and favorite person in the whole world to spend time with.

Jeremy's Birthday

Jeremy's birthday this year was kind of a disaster. It was one of those days we will probably laugh about over the years- but we didn't think it was funny at the time. There were lots of challenges to making this day special. First of all we have a newborn baby & the flu had once again returned to our house. Faith was getting over having the flu and Grace got the flu that night. I still had yet to even cook a meal for us-we were still eating freezer meals while I recovered. But, I wanted Jeremy to know we at least tried to make his day special. So, I made a pot of chili and we made cupcakes. The girls had lots of fun decorating the cupcakes and making them "fancy." Jeremy left for work very early that morning so we were planning to celebrate when he got home from work. (which with his new job we are never quite sure when that will be) Well, at 5:30 the table was set and the girls were anxiously waiting but Jeremy was not even close to coming home. He didn't end up getting home till 7 p.m. We had a quick dinner because he still had work to do he had brought home. Oh, and I didn't even have a present for him to open because he got a "big" gift at Christmas instead. Needless to say it was a rough day. But, luckily the girls are young enough they were content to eat cupcakes and see their dad smile when they threw the special birthday confetti they made at him. The fact that he had a bad day pretty much went over their heads.

As I reflected on Jeremy's birthday I thought back to previous birthdays and special things I had done. A surprise party, a big homemade meal with his favorite foods, a get-a-way at a B & B, and gifts for each letter of his name. (Yes, most of these were birthdays when we were dating or BC-before children) I realized even though the day wasn't storybook perfect it still contained precious moments as I watched my children truly desire to make their dad's day. I enjoyed decorating cupcakes with the girls and especially watching as Grace attempted to decorate her cupcakes just like mine. I am thankful that I will (God willing) have 50 more birthdays to make special for my husband. Birthdays to be more romantic, do fancy things, or buy expensive gifts. And I totally plan on it because my husband is the most amazing man I know and I love attempting to make his birthday special! (even 3 kids later!)

Its A Boy!!!

I can't beleive my little man is already three weeks old today! No one was more suprised that he arrived three weeks early than me! Here is his birth story:

Sunday, January 24th was my mom's birthday. We went to early church and then headed to my parent's house for lunch with my family. It was a great time eating yummy food and spending time as a family. We ended up getting home between 6:30 & 7. The girls had fallen asleep on the way home after a big day so we decided to put them in bed and see if they would sleep till morning. (something we've never done before) Jeremy and I decided to skip dinner since we had such a big lunch. We watched some TV and decided to go to bed early around 9:30 p.m. since Jeremy has been going to work super early. (something we never do!) I woke up in what I thought was the middle of the night thinking my water had broke. However I was wrong and instead I was bleeding a lot. Well, what I thought was "the middle of the night" was actually only 11 p.m. After calling the hospital Jeremy frantically called friends trying to find someone to come stay with our girls. We also called my parents to head to Hannibal. After what seeemed like forever Jeremy found a family friend to come stay with the girls. I am so thankful Jeremy was able to stay calm. I was not. I was in a panic. The cicumstances were so similar to my miscarriage I was very worried about our baby.

When they hooked me up to the monitor at the hospital I was able to hear our baby's heartbeat. I don't think I will ever forget hearing that sound. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard!! The nurses were very reassuring as we waited for my doctor to arrive. All I could focus on was listening to baby's heartbeat and praying. As soon as my doctor arrived she told me we would need to do an emergency c-section immidiately as the baby was showing some signs of distress. We realized we didn't even have a camera! (Luckily ny parents were able to bring one while I was prepped for surgery) The next hour or so was kind of crazy. At this point I was in quite a bit of pain as I had started having contractions due to the bleeding. It took four tries to get my IV in and then two attempts to have a succesful spinal. I just kept praying!!! But, once my spinal began to take effect my body was at least able to relax. With all the craziness I hadn't even had time to wonder if the baby would be a girl or boy!

Dr. Maple delivered our baby boy at 1:12 as he peed on her! He weighted 7 lbs 3 ounces and was 21 " long. (Not exaclty small for being early) I was so excited and simply thrilled he was here safely. When they asked what his name was we told them Titus. They said Titus what? We hadn't even decided for sure what his middle name would be! I was able to get a very quick glimpse at him before he had to be taken to the nursery by the pediatrician. They promised to bring him back while I was in recovery.

However due to low blood sugar and some respiratory distress he had to stay in the nursery and get some formula from a dropper. After going through the recovery process I was taken back to my room and kept persistantly asking when he would come back. Finally at about 3:30 they brought him to me. I was so thrilled. After having the girls put up on my chest immdiately after they were born I was very anxious to hold him.

I was really fine with having either a girl or boy. In fact I thought having 3 girls might be fun. I wasn't as convinced I HAD to have a boy as other people were. But after holding him I have to admit he has stolen my heart in a very special way and I am thrilled to have a boy. I have fallen hard and fast for my little man!

The gratitute for his safe arrival has been such an overwhelming joy. Every prayer that next few days was simply, thank you!!! My c-section confirmed that I had experienced a placental abruption. This was the cause of all my bleeding. For the first week after Titus was born he actually spit up my blood from ingesting it in the amniotic fluid. After experiencing a miscarriage I am very aware that sometimes God gives and sometimes he chooses to "take away." I found a way to praise God during a time when he choose to take our baby to heaven and it has made me see Titus as a true miracle. When I look at my three kiddos my heart overflows with praise and is filled with a joy beyond words.

Jeremy made this video-I love it!

Happy Birthday Gramy!

Josie's Beautiful Cake- She asked Grace what to put on it. Grace told her Darby, Tigger, and Pooh picking apples. (just a little too complicated!)

My last Pregnant Photo- not exactly a belly shot. (but I'm okay with that)

Making Funny faces/ Grammy's Birthday Necklace

Last Saturday I spent the entire day cooking a big meal. Sunday was my mom's birthday and my siblings and I worked together to make a special dinner. I made homemade rolls, bbq meatballs, greenbeans, and cheesey potatoes. (Little did I know I would be having a baby the next "day" or I would have probably been cleaning!) We went to early church then headed to my parent's house. It was a lot of fun spending time as a family & celebrating my mom's birthday.

Grace & Faith made my mom a special fancy birthday necklace. Grace even drew a birthday cake to put on it. It turned out pretty cute. For Christmas we got my sister some cake decorating supplies, so she did the cake. I thought it turned out great!

Get Well Soon Balloons

Before the baby was born we all had the flu. (actually Faith had it twice) So, Jeremy's mom "Nana" surprised the girls by sending them balloons. They loved it. They came on Grace's first day of school so she got extra bonus points for that. I am hoping they still have a little "get well soon" left in them because when I was in the hospital Jeremy was not feeling well and now Faith has the flu for the third time. The girls have played with them a ton, they really love balloons. Thanks Nana!!