What Kimberly knows...

Brrr... it's really cold in here!

When Lucas crawled in our bed Saturday night at 2AM, we smelled a burning plastic smell. It took us a while to figure out that it was from the furnace, but we did and turned it off Sunday morning when we got up. After we aired out the house, we tried turning it back on and got the same nasty smell. So, off it went again. Peter called the heating guys bright and early yesterday morning and we were told that the blower was shot and there were some other issues that we were going to have to fix in the near future. With all that information, we decided to for go the nickeling and diming and just replace the unit. We will finally have heat in the whole house tomorrow afternoon!!! Right now we have the fireplace going and a little heater in the dining room and that helps this end of the house, but the bedrooms are FREEZING!!! I'm so glad its not so cold outside... it could be a lot worse in here!!

I started on Pam's bag last night... I think it's going to be a fun project. And a little more challenging than others, but I don't mind. Keeps the mind sharp. :) I think it's going to look really cute!

Not a whole lot else going on so far this week. Just same old, same old. I am hoping to have Pam's bag done by Saturday and then get some more wallpaper stripping done Saturday... we'll see how that goes though. Peter is planning on being gone for most of the day at an auction, and I'm hoping he can take one boy with him. It's amazing how much quieter it is here with just one kid gone! Pam and I are also planning on getting together tomorrow night for sister time. I'm looking forward to that. We meet up with no kids for a couple hours and just unwind... and enjoy the peace and quiet! :)

Kimberly's teeth are STILL not though and she's getting really cranky this week. I'm hoping they pop though soon so she will be able to sleep better. (And then I will sleep better too...) She has started to say amen automatically when we pray before and after mealtime. She gets a huge grin on her face everytime too. So cute! She seems to have a special bond with Lucas. He can always get her laughing so hard she gets hiccups. lol It's fun to watch them two together.

Anyway, time's a wasting and work isn't gettin' done. Time to get the whip cracking and finish up with laundry.

YAY! Wall paper is off!!!

Thanks to my sister in law keeping the boys occupied, I was able to get a bundh of wall paper stripped yesterday afternoon. Then after the kids went to bed, I finished pulling ALL the wall paper down!! Now I just have to get the backing paper and glue off... not going to be quite as easy, but with a couple days of minimal interruptions, I should be able to get a ways on it. I'm excited to be able to see some progress though. Hopefully within the next month or so I'll be able to have it ready to paint. Just keep plugging away at it.

Liz also got my front yard completely raked and all the dead grass is gone and burned. It looks a ton better! She was here until 9:45 last night.... it was a really long day for her! I am so thankful that she was so willing to help. Reliable help seems harder to come by these days. :) I also got the kitchen floor mopped, so no more sticky spots and Liz folded all the laundry I had upstairs waiting to get folded. So, it was a good day! My new sewing machine also arrived in sound condition. I'm excited to get used to using it... I think I'll really enjoy adding a little extra to my creations. 110 stitch functions is awesome!!! but no, I'm not getting rid of my old machine... how else am I going to teach my daughter to sew? :) And it never is a bad idea to have a back-up.

Today is just another regular day for me... no reason to go out, and always work to do. I am hoping to at least get Pam's diaper bag all cut out, so that can get started on. Apparently her old one is falling apart, so I better get moving on that.

Yet another dr appointment..... blah

So, I had another dr appointment this morning. This time it was with a sleep specialist to see if they had to schedule a sleep study. Well, they scheduled one for April 10th. I'm a little nervous, but I want to know what's going on. And because the dr said that if it's sleep apnea, it's completely treatable and that's reassuring. I am looking forward to finally feeling 100% again. Hopefully soon!

I have my sister in law here working in the yard with the boys, getting some extra cleaning up done today. I do enjoy doing that work too, but when I do, the work in the house falls so far behind. Gotta work on getting a good balance going, I guess. :)

Caleb FINALLY took his pj shirt off. He wore it all day yesterday, and wanted to do that again today, but I guess Auntie Liz was able to convince him to change. I'm so glad he loves his new pjs, but wish it wasn't such a fight to get him to get dressed now! lol

Time to get back to work... I have all 3 boys outside with their auntie and Kimberly is sleeping, so I have no excuse not to get something done!

Pics of the rest of my sewing projects

I finally got pictures of my latest sewing projects. For the play pen pads, I traced the pad to get the pattern and gave the edges a more finished look using piping. They also have a zipper on one side to easily remove for washing. Brenda's shirt and skirt should also be included here, but I'm not going to post those twice...


Caleb proudly modeling his PJ's


Ladybug play pen pad cover

Jigsaw puzzle play pen pad cover

Potty Training... Need I Say More?

Yes, we're at that stage again with Lucas. This time I plan on succeeding though. I can't be lazy and just let him wear a pull-up, and he has enough underwear to last a couple days anyway... Some days he does really good and others he doesn't. I am excited to only have one kid in diapers though. (for the first time since Caleb was born...) When Lucas was born, I had 3 in diapers! I do not want to do THAT again! I have 2 months to have him completely trained before he turns 3... I hope he's easier than the other boys were, but I'm not holding my breath. He likes his new undies, so hopefully that'll give him the motivation to stay dry.

Time to get another load of wash going and the baby fed. Keep ya'll posted on the progress.

Finally Pictures!!!

Sweet Kimberly wearing the outfit that daddy picked for her! I still love it!














Brenda's skirt


















Brenda's shirt FINALLY done!!!











She sits!!!

Our first day of school!!

Kimberly wearing a dress that was made for me by an aunt. So cute!

nursing babies is serious stuff!

Mom, I'm talking to Grandma, see?

Caleb and his friends at his birthday party

Drew, Carter, Caleb, Dewey, Evan and Jake. Stefan was really shy and didn't want to be in the picture, but he was there!

Caleb's birthday cake with yellow icing. It's hard to see, but that's what he wanted! That's Grandpa "hiding" behind Caleb!

What a weekend...

This weekend was not as good as I had hoped. I ended up with a bad cold that about laid me flat out on Friday night and Kimberly and Lucas were both fighting some germs too. Not my idea of a fun time. Lucas kept waking up through the night and wandering the halls aimlessly, leaving lights on. Kimberly was also waking up more often and that doesn't help me get my rest to recoup either. Blah. Last night went better with Kimberly sleeping through the night and Lucas crawling in our bed instead of wandering. At least we didn't have to get out of bed to know where he was! :) All 3 of us feel quite a bit better today, but still not quite 100%.

Caleb is spending the day at Grandma and Grandpa Boverhof's (apparently he didn't wanna come home) so right now I just have Daniel to keep an eye on, although anyone that knows him, knows that it takes at least 3 eyes to watch him!! lol

I didn't get much sewing done, but I did manage to get some pictures of Kimberly in the outfit that Peter picked out for her last fall... Kinda late as it's probably not going to be worn very often anymore because she's almost out grown it already. :( It's the only outfit Peter has picked out for her, and according to him, the last until her wedding dress... lol

But now that it's somewhat quiet here, it's time to start tackling Mt. Dirty Clothes.... It'll be a great feeling to get to the bottom of that mountain!

Busy busyness

Yesterday was a busy day... I brought a meal to a family in our church that the mom is on bed rest at 32 weeks. They have the most adoreable little 2 year old girl with red, curly hair who isn't shy at all. Daniel said she's his best friend lol. That changes so fast with him though. On the way back home we stopped at Walmart and picked up some jeans for the boys. They all three have so many holes in their other ones that I got 2 pair for each one! Who knew that boys would be so rough on their clothes? lol

After lunch, I went outside and got the front flower beds cleaned up and it looks soo much better! I pruned the roses, cut the pampass (sp?) grass down and the dead tops of flowers cleared out. You can see the dirt now! Now, if the boys would leave the dirt in the beds, we'd be all set. :)

This morning I was visited by a dear friend Tammy and her sweet baby girl Taylor. It was a good visit as always and we are of the same mind in so many ways that it's nice to know someone understands what it feels like to be so far from your family. We also talked of having a sewing day and getting some curtains made for her house. That should be a fun day! :)

Now its time to start thinking about supper though. The sooner I get on it, the less chaotic it is here around 5...

Why can't babies stay little longer?

Yes, my baby girl is getting big way too fast. She learned how to wave bye-bye about 2 weeks ago and has said dada then waved bye bye a couple of time, putting thoughts together already! She is so aware of what's going on, it's crazy! Since she started waving, I have been signing and saying milk everytime she either gets a bottle or nurses. Yesterday I said milk to Lucas and she started signing it! I couldn't believe it! I praised her for it and she got the biggest grin on her face as if she knew that she's pretty amazing. I think we're gonna have to watch out with her!

Yesterday was a really busy day for me. I had to get all the stones that got shoved in the front yard when Peter snow plowed this winter off the grass. I was not expecting to take all day, but when you have little ones that need attention, things tend to take a little longer. The boys played outside all day, and even helped me a little! Kimberly hated the play pen outside, but loved to play in the big one in the house, so I opened the window so I could hear her if she started fussing. We got it done, and I estimated about 1000 lb of stone was moved. I was expecting to be a lot more sore today, but other than my back being a little touchy, not too bad! After all that work the boys were begging to go for a walk, and I tried to tell them that I was just too tired... didn't work. Caleb told me "But mom, if you go for a walk, you'll have more energy!" Well, he wasn't right on that one, but at least they stopped asking to go! lol The boys all rode their bikes and Kimberly sat so happily in the stroller. Although I was tuckered out, it was enjoyable anyway.

But now that Kimberly is asleep for her nap, it's time for me to get busy again. I'm hoping to get the flower beds all cleaned up for the spring bulbs to poke through and I hope it'll look a lot better then too. I'm so excited for all the new flowers to bloom this year! We planted a lot of bulbs last fall so we hope that we can have color all summer in a low-maintenance way.

Oh and I got my camera back today, so as soon as the batteries are charged, I'll take and post pics! :) I'm SOOO glad to have it back!!!

Pondering this past week...

Well, another day or rest has come to a close. It was a busy day (as it always is with four young children out of their routine) but it was made busier due to Grandville PRC celebrating our 25th anniversary as a congregation. God has been good to Grandville as a congregation! They moved church to 5PM instead of 6 and had a program after. We didn't stay for cake and ice cream after the program as the boys didn't really have much to eat before church and that much sugar on an empty stomach is NOT a good idea. lol

Last week went fairly well for me, with minimal headaches (yay!) and I was able to get a lot of extra things done around the house. I also was able to have the boys play outside a lot so they were good and tired once bed time rolled around and they also play a lot nicer outside than in. A wonderful example of that is from Friday afternoon. The boys have been playing with the neighbors' dogs Tito and Russell when the dogs are out, and Lucas is a little shy with Tito. I was watching them through the window and I see Daniel go to Lucas and give him a hug, (patting him on the back), and then try to gently guide him with his arm around him. Then Caleb also comes and puts his arm around him and helps Daniel guide Lucas and reassure him that Tito is a nice dog. I really wished I had the camera then. Those are the displays of love and affection that I love seeing my kids to show to each other. It made my heart melt seeing that. I have also heard on many occasions, Caleb telling both his brothers that they are his best friends. Hearing that totally reinforces our decision and desire to homeschool.

I was also able to get my second play pen pad cover finished and a skirt for Brenda done. Friday night I cut all the pieces out for Caleb's red tractor pjs. He said "they have to be red tractors because daddy doesn't like the green ones, mommy." lol Kinda makes me curious to know what he'd say if I did make some green tractor pjs for Daniel or Lucas..... hmmm... they both have birthdays coming up... :)

This week doesn't look too crazy busy, but how fast that can change. I'm looking forward to getting in the flower beds and cleaning up the front yard. The boys are going to pull the weeds out of the sand box to help. lol At least that's what Caleb told me he's going to do to help me. :)

I'm also hoping to get Caleb's pjs done and start on Pam's diaper bag. I can't wait to see what that's going to look like. :)

Right now though, its time to spend some time with my hubby as all the kids are in bed and quiet!

Yesterday was fun!

Yesterday was a fun day for me! I got to go fabric shopping, then the weather was nice, so the boys were outside for most of the afternoon. They also figured out that you don't need snow to have fun going down hills... They use wagons and steer using the handle. I got one of Caleb's runs on video, but missed the rest because I am out of practice using the video camera and couldn't figure out how to turn the night shot off... oops! There will be more oppertunities to capture those fun moments on camera I'm sure.
After the boys finally went to sleep (or rather stayed in their beds), I was able to get some sewing done. I finished the second play pen cover (too cute) and also did a quick skirt for Brenda. I think that was the easiest skirt I've ever made! It only took me about 30 minutes to do!
Tonight I'm hoping to get started on Caleb's tractor PJ's that he's been waiting for, then I'll start Pam's diaper bag. I am excited to see what her bag will look like once it's all done! :)
Once again today the weather is sunny and pretty pleasant. The boys are in the sandbox with all their toys again. They've been itching to go in there since the snow melted, but they haven't had their sand toys out yet. The newness of it should keep them happy for a while, but we're still looking for a large wooden swing set for them as well as a trampoline. If anyone has one they're willing to part with, please let us know!
But I should get this house in shape so I have time to sew again tonight, so adios!

Yea!! Sunny day!!

After too many days of overcast, dreary weather, we have SUNSHINE!!! The boys are finally able to play outside without fears of being blown away or freezing their smaller digits. You never really realize how much you miss the sun until you see it back after days of it hiding.
I'm really looking forward to summer this year. Kimberly is old enough to ride on the back of my bike and the older boys know enough to be able to ride theirs, so we'll be going on more bike rides! I really am excited to get out and work in the garden, flower beds (and see all my new flowers bloom) and play with the kids! I'll be taking lots of pictures too and posting them as fast as I can. The camera FINALLY got shipped to get fixed today, so I'm getting a little impatient to get it back. Once you have a digital, it's a bit of a pain to back to the old 35mm type. ;p
Kimberly has started to wave bye-bye and has begun to make her wishes known with differnt sounds. She knows that dada gets her dad, mama gets her me and nana gets her bed... I would not be surprised if she surpassed Lucas in the talking department. He's getting better, but still has quite a ways to go.
I went shopping for fabric this morning to make Pam a big diaper bag. I really hope she likes what I picked... it's soo cute! I really could spend WAY too much time and money there... Oh well, I just have to restrain my creativity to fit my budget. :) They were having a good sale on patterns, so I got some of them too. That way, if I ever need something to do, I can go through my patterns and pick a cute fabric and away I go! There are just too many ideas out there to get them all though...
Anyway, I better do something productive today... Laundry is always piling up and baking is scarce again.

Getting started

I have started a blog! Never thought I would, but yet, here I am! I can't upload the pics I wanted to because my camera is busted. It should be back, fully functional within the next couple weeks. Gotta love it when your 5 year old knows how to take pics, but drops the thing. So thankful we bought the maximum protection plan! :) I think it will be taken advantage of more often then we'd like.

ANYWHO, I'll post pics as soon as I can!