eat sleep and farm

.... Because that's totally not my intention. I came across this very excellent article written by one of the Pastors of our church and thought it was "post worthy", especially since today is Halloween.  I think this is probably the most informative, most well written article about the subject of Christians and Halloween that I've ever read. And I'm not being biased. I've actually never met the man who wrote it - heard of him quite a bit, but I've never met him or heard him preach. So its a totally unbiased opinion, just really appreciated the way he comes at the whole subject and addresses it. If I had the speaking and writing skills he has, this is how I'd sum things up as well :)  And I promise that's the last on this subject from me!  ... for this year at least ;-p 

Kara has been teething the past 2 weeks. She's welcoming her 2 year molars and I think its been the hardest on her than all 3 kids. Her gums have been super red and swollen, often times becoming really white due to being so swollen. She's not been sleeping well at night and also has the typical runny nose that inevitably turned into an actual cold because of it all :(  Which reminds me, I need to buy one of those Amber necklaces for her to wear; hope that helps at least a bit.  In any case, about a year ago I discovered these wipes and I kept wondering how they worked. Because of the price I never did buy any... but felt tempted many times.  About a month ago I noticed our 2nd hand store carries them and they're $1.00 cheaper! So the total cost is $2.99 instead of $3.99 - that said , I'm kicking myself now because had I known how well they worked, I would've spent even $5.00 on the package!! These things are fabulous! Within 8 hours of wiping Kara's nos

We tend to be a culture that's very concerned { though not enough } about what we put into our bodies, to fuel them and to be as healthy as we can be. But I think one area I find people less worried about is the area of hygiene. I hear a lot of "well, if I start freaking out about the soaps and shampoos I use on my kids, I'm going to turn into one of those paranoid women who can't do anything or go anywhere, for fear of it harming my kids." That is true. If you become such an over-the-top freak about those things then yes, you will become a hermit that can never leave your home. But I personally like to do my very best at making sure what I use on my kids and what I put into my kids is the healthiest choice I can afford and find. I do a lot of reading on these subjects, which does take a lot of time, but I think its been worth while, for our family. And I know Jason appreciates it, because he doesn't always have the time after work to soak his brain in all

We often have pictures that I'm not really sure what to do with. I save them, because even though they're random, they're glimpses of our day-to-day life and I know someday they'll be so fun to look through and walk down memory lane.  I wanted to post some of these, because the toys the kids are using, were gifts from their Grandparents. The baby carriers the girls are using here are from my parents. 

My friend posted this article on Facebook and I thought it was an excellent read. I've read posts on Halloween in the past and thought some were well written that were in favor of celebrating the holiday... but none as good as this one :-)  My intention on posting this is simply for those of you who are curious. So if you're not, don't feel obliged to read it.  Our family doesn't celebrate the holiday in the typical fashion, but I've been told over the years to stop saying we don't celebrate it, because to some, we do.  Apparently taking your kids to a pumpkin patch, where God has created and sustained seeds to turn into plants; growing up out of the ground and forming into pumpkins this time of year, is celebrating Halloween. And, going on hay rides, running through corn mazes and making corn husks dolls is also celebrating Halloween and not just welcoming this harvest time of year with harvest type traditions. I used to argue this point with others, but

I was in the kitchen yesterday, doing the breakfast dishes and started hearing all kinds of hysterical laughter and giggling. So I followed the noise......  ..... 

The move is over. Our belongings and bodies are in the new home. We're exhausted, but happy its done. 30+ hours ago we began moving things over and even though it doesn't sound like a lot of time... it sure felt like a lot of time.  We had some awesome friends come help us out. I'm telling you. I didn't believe Superman existed until I saw the speed and skill at which Jason and his buddies worked. And because we are so extremely thankful to them for their hard work, I have to give a personal shout out to................ Josh Clayton David Hoffman David Haidle   and  Brandon Harder.   Also, a huge thank you to our friends Katie Bliss and Heidi Dean for taking care of Ethan and Rachel, so we didn't have to worry about keeping them busy and out of trouble.  You guys are all amazing and we love you lots.  The house already feels like home and for that, we're so thankful. 

So many of you have emailed asking how my health issues are going and if there's anything new to report. First, thank you SO much for the continued prayers and love. Second, sorry I haven't responded to many of you - we've been busy and I think I wanted to respond when I had some great news, but I don't. I will be going to see a Chiropractor as soon as the move is over. My Dr. believes most of my issues are being caused by something going on in my back; possibly with my spine, due to Kara's weird presentation at birth. I am in constant back pain 24/7, so we definitely need to look into that. We didn't realize how bad it had become until the day I realized I live on about 4-6 Motrins a day, to keep the pain from getting the better of me.  I will be going in for an internal ultra sound sometime in November, to check on my right ovary. After the CT scan, the Dr. noticed my right ovary is a bit enlarged and so they want to take a closer look there, to see what

... Someone said that to me the other day, when I mentioned that we're moving, again, and told them we've moved a lot since getting married. Honestly, it doesn't bother Jason, me, or our kids as much as it seems to bother other people. Apparently updating your address book is harder than packing up your home and moving your life to a new home. Who knew?  However true the statement is that your home is just a place where your family dwells {and I do believe that statement}, it still holds a lot . If your family life and its memories hold much for you, then any home you live in will as well. Its the reason when we go to our old stomping grounds, we typically drive by the homes we've lived in. I do, especially, but I'm more sentimental that way than Jason is.  My husband has the gift of being led, going with it, and never looking back. I think it can be a gift and a curse at the same time. I'm the complete opposite {also a hidden curse} and together we make an in

First, I have to show you what happens when Kara finds the  big bag full of her party decorations.  She decided it made a fun pretend car. 

Is two years old still considered a baby ? I don't think so. Not technically at least. We pretend, in our house, she's all baby . But she's not. Not at all, actually. And she tries daily to remind us that she is in fact, a big girl.   She's been talking about her birthday party for the past 3 weeks. Whenever we'd say "are we gonna have a birthday party for you?" she replied with "yes! its gonna be Hello Kitty!" She adores Hello Kitty. I actually think that's an understatement. She loves Hello Kitty more than Jason likes computers. Hopefully that gets my point across :)  Its kind of hard to imagine that two years ago today we were saying hello, face-to-face with our beautiful, new baby girl, Kara Joy. Two years ago today our family of 4 became a family of 5 and man, did those two years feel like they went by in the blink of an eye. Kara's 2 years of life have gone by faster than Ethan's and Rachel's did for sure.  Kara is a