Cecelia Grace...

Today I became an Aunt for the 9th time...and my sister became a mommy for the 6th, giving birth to her second daughter, Cecelia Grace....

Happy Birthday, Caleb!!

9 years ago, Mike and I became parents to our Caleb boy...what a blessing he is in our lives!

Caleb also wanted his party at Tumblebears ,and got the added benefit of having his best buddy, Duncan spend the weekend with us since his parents were out of town celelbrating their 20th anniversary....little did I know, I would accumulate 2 more little boys who wanted to spend the night too!! It was a fun weekend...and the first time we have had a big sleepover...the boys were so awesome...

On the trampoline...this party was a bit more wild than Bekah's with all these boys..but we had a great time!

Caleb and Logan...best cousins and best friends...

Caleb and his newest stuffed animal...Jake the snake...

My crew for the night....6 kids...can't believe we did that...and that they were all so good!

Bekah's birthday weekend...

Happy 7th Birthday, Rebekah girl!!

We started celebrating Bekah on her birthday, and followed it with two more days of celebration with family who couldn't join us on Saturday...

Happy birthday, sweet girl...how time goes by...

Bekah had her party at Tumblebears with lots of friends...we are wrapping her up in the parachute to spin her around...

Some of her good friends, Anne and Emma

Jumping rope...

Daddy and Caleb getting in on the jump roping!

We celebrated at Aunt Beth's the next day since she couldn't be at her party...They hadn't celebrated Elisa's birthday either, so we had a party for all three kids....(since Caleb is coming up on a birthday)

And finally at Grandma and Papa's the next night...They were out of town on her birthday...Bekah made the cake and decorated it as part of her Baking badge for AHG

Grandma made new clothes for Bekah's doll..the nightgown matches the one Grandma made her hits winter....

It's a.....

What a blessing today has been for me. A year ago I was heartbroken, having lost a baby we named Gabriel the month before...I had wanted another boy so bad for our family...


This year when I found out that I was pregnant, I wasn't even concerned about the sex of this baby...girl or boy...didn't matter...I just wanted to get through each day and still be pregnant.

Then there is my son. When I was pregnant with Elisa and he was 3, he told me, "Mommy I prayed that God would give me a brother, but I know he is going to give me another sister." (we didn't find out the sex until she was born) And I think he has been praying for a brother since. Even when I didn't think I wanted anohter child, he would pray for a brother. So, my heart wanted so bad for him to get a brother and hear the words "It's a boy" today at my ultrasound.

What we heard was...."well, there are some boy parts right there!!!" Caleb was behind me in the room so I didn't get to see his face, but Mike did...he said he lit up...! And I, of course, cried! How blessed I am to have been given two boys and two girls...what I wanted even when I was a little girl...and the chance to be a new mommy again...And I thought how awesome God is that he heard the prayers of a precious little boy who has been praying for years for a brother...

So, here are my four!! children...though one is still in a picture...we will meet HIM!! in about 21 weeks!! God is good...and our baby boy is healthy!

(the girls really are excited...but look who has the biggest smile!)

February....

Yippee! tomorrow is the last day of February. It has become my least favorite month of the year. And, I never seem to blog much during the month because, well there isn't much going on around here during February.

Well, except for this....

My Aunt, Uncle, cousin Julie and her husband David came over from N. Carolina to visit with their litlle boy, Lincoln. This was fun for me because my cousin is 10 years younger than me and we have never had a lot in common...now she is a mommy and we had a great time talking and getting to know each other better...

and this....

Our American Heritage Girls had a Father Daughter dinner dance the day before Valentines Day...Here are Mike and Rebekah getting ready to leave. They had so much fun..he brought her back in asleep on his shoulder...a very sweet night for the two of them...

oh yeah...and this...

We got last minute tickets to Riverdance thanks to Smallworld...It is my favorite broadway production...and my kids loved it too!

Last year February meant the loss of a life in me and I could barely function through the rest of the month....then just when I finally thought it was over....I wake up and low and behold it was leap year, and on February 29, Mike came in the house before going to work because he couldn't find our car. The one I parked at the top of the hill the night before. And apparently forgot to put onthe emegency break. And was now parked in our neighbors deck a bit down the hill....but enough on the hill so that we had to have it towed back and then driven down the hill....


Tomorrow ends the month! Yeah, which means March is almost here, and is birthday month around here...and one of those birthday's just happens to land on the first day of spring....hopefully I will be more inspired to blog...

Snow, take two...

Yesterday started with a trip to the doctor in the rain. Elisa was up the night before with a bad, dry cough and sore throat and fever. We had to skip our Monday classes and head over there instead to make sure she was ok and wouldn't get someone else sick! Seems she just has a bad cold... Our pediatrician has also become a friend over the years and I coach his daughter on the same cheer squad as my girls. I asked him if Elisa should go that night and he said, "I don't think we will practice. It is really snowing out there." What? Snow? Again? Here? We left the room and went to pay...it was amazing what an hour of snow can do! Oh my! The cars were covered..trees beautiful...and it wasn't letting up!

Both kids said " Can we play in the snow?", while we were checking out. (side note, Caleb also had a cough...Bekah got to go on with a friend to Monday Fun) I said, "no, we are here because you aren't feeling good...and as your mom, I don't think it is a good idea." The nurse said, "and as your nurse I don't think it is either!" Thank you, Ginger...

So they didn't get to play...yesterday...but today we bundled up and had a great time...

An Elisa-ism

Yesterday, I went downstairs to wake Mike up about 11...a.m., not p.m. He had come home from work around 7:30 that morning and wanted me to get him up so we could go to lunch together. He sleeps in Caleb's room when he works at night, since Caleb sleeps in the basement and has no windows.

Elisa heard me come downstairs and ran into the room when she saw Mike was awake. First, I have to say that Elisa knows how to light up a room and make you feel loved. It could be five minutes, five hours, five days since she has last seen you and she lights up with a big smile and big dimples. She just makes you feel so loved. So, she runs in to see Mike and I, and soon after in comes Bekah.

Mike says, "I have my three princesses here with me. No, make that one queen and one princess."

Elisa says, " Yes, Daddy, Mommy is the queen, Bekah and I are the princesses, and Caleb is the servant!."