the many faces of Noah

Oh, my firstborn. He can be bouncing off the walls wacky and silly and then turn around be so darn serious. Do not joke with him ("Noah, we are just kidding. Noah, your sister can pretend to be a cat. We know she's a human and not actually a cat."). 

Here is the typical "smile" we have been getting out of him lately. A very canned Cheese. I can hear him saying it. Eeeeeeeeeee...Are you done yet?

Mischievous, rascally, playful?

Unhinged

"I love you man!"

Now here's a genuine smile. He looks like his mama with those cheekbones.

Channeling his father.  Or perhaps casting a spell (his wand is hidden behind his head)? He's been doing this face a lot. It reminds me of the silly faces I see students posting of themselves on facebook. Or perhaps he's practicing for photo bombs.

Even more so, his father is coming out in spades right here. Manic!

Glad to see he's reigned himself in now.

And this is what Snap is like when the kids are around. "Please, God, protect me. Or take me."

spritz cookies

I have been a bad blogger. Two weeks since I've been here. 

Well, about the last time I posted, I made Christmas spritz cookies with the kids. It's great fun for them because they enjoy watching me pump out those cookies onto the sheet and then decorating them however they want. And they're really yummy.

I set Noah and Evie to work decorating at the same time and Noah was done in like one minute flat. Evie took significantly longer, paying very specific attention to each cookie. 

Doesn't he look so enthused? 

The cookies only lasted for one week! Now we are on to fudge and peanut butter balls. No wonder I feel too big for this stage of pregnancy. Not to mention my mom's three tier bars and nut butter balls...

hooks and books

The same day that we did our Christmas tree, we got a couple other projects crossed off my Honey-Do list. The first were these home made hooks at the front door. There are seven behind the door and then another three adjacent to those. They are all screwed securely in to the 1x6 that I painted to match the kitchen. And would you believe that all the hooks are filled up with coats now? How I loathe using hangers in a closet. And, AS IF kids could do that. Plus, now it'll be easy when we have another youth group party for the peeps to hang up their coats. 

We also brought up our bookshelves that had been simply collecting dust in the dungeon while the books were still packed away in boxes (three months after we moved in). They're in our bedroom now and they will stay there. I really like the whole set up. And it's good to have them away from Destroyer Baby.

And here's our next project. The dungeon! Poor Terry is not so much looking forward to it I think. And the kids don't wanna give up their flying turtle habitat. But I don't care. I'd like to be able to hang out down there without freezing my nose whilst under a down blanket. Muhaha!

2012 tree hunting

Now that we're home in the good ol' Black Hills again, we could once again go on a real hunt for a tree, instead of going to a tree farm like we had for the last four years in Nebraska. Not that Heins Pines wasn't fun, but I sure do love a nice Charlie Brown spruce tree. Makes me feel rather homey and nostalgic. Terry, on the other hand, really could care less. So it was upon my asking nicely that we go up to Hills and hunt. He was okay with it only if we left Samuel at home with my mom (he had been extra naughty and would have made the trip absolutely no fun. thankfully, all the discipline is working and he is doing better now.).

After our initial attempt down a logging road came up empty, we struck gold on the other side of the highway. Here's our winner on the side of a hill. The hill made my legs looks freakishly long, as if my feet were a part of them. Disregard that.

Terry carrying it away. I'm sure it made him feel extra manly. 

I was so relieved to have found a tree so no one could make us go to Menards or something boring like that. I'd like our kids to enjoy this as a tradition! Plus, it gives Terry extra reason to be fond of his beastly Blazer and it's handy-dandy trailer towing capabilities.

We got to work on decorating the tree right after lunch when Samuel was napping. We're pretty mean to Samuel.

Noah did a good job trailing lights behind me and getting new ones hooked up.

Evie just sat around enjoying her bunny tree that daddy made her.

Don't worry. See, Samuel did get to enjoy the tree...once it was all done. We have to keep a close eye on that boy. He'd like nothing better than to re-arrange every ornament he could reach, which he's done a lot.

All done!

Later, Terry succumbed to the neighborhood peer pressure to put lights on the house (the neighbors two houses up were both doing it). Plus, I suggested it. :)

6 Bears

I figured I should make an official blog pregnancy announcement instead of sneakily putting up the evidence and relying on facebook. 

We are expecting baby bear #4 at the end of May!

We found out mid-September and told family right away via this riddle that Terry came up with:

The answer is SIX PACK, if you hadn't guessed before already. 

We had been talking about having one more baby for a while and God just went ahead and made that happen for us. We didn't even have to wait the seemingly "normal" three years in between like with Evie and Samuel. Samuel will be just over two years old when this baby comes. Hopefully that won't be a shock to my system...if four children isn't. 

Wee baby at 10 weeks.