We Love the Pumpkin Patch

Vala's Pumpkin Patch 2011

We took our family pictures this last weekend at Vala's Pumpkin Patch. We haven't gotten any back from the photographer yet, but Nick was able to get some fun ones of the kids while we were there. It has been a family tradition to go to the pumpkin patch once a year since I was datin Nick. I remember going with just him, Tobias and I. Over the years, we've added a few to the crew. :) I love going, but man alive it is a lot of money to go for the whole family. Oh well, once a year we can splurge I suppose!

This year, Julia and I actually got to go to the patch two times-once with her preschool and once with the family. It was really fun just being able to go with Julia and her class. I was able to focus on just her and we made memories together. I enjoy trying to do something special with each kid here and there. They all need that time.



One of the exhibits that all the kids LOVE to play in is the corn! Who would have thought that corn could be so fun and such a cool background for pictures :)

Playing in the hay is always fun too!!

We enjoyed going on the hay rack ride out to pick pumpkins!

And of course, getting pictures taken in the big chair!

I know I complain about this place being so spendy, but the kids love going there and playing! I know it is something they will always remember doing when they were little. Maybe we should be smart and start putting a few dollars away every month to save up for a fun trip to Vala's the following Sept/Oct! :)

Side note-Thank you Tobias for sucking it up and wearing jeans for awhile on our family picture day! I know you thought it "wasn't cool" but it was appreciated! Tobias and his friends are in that stage where it is only cool to wear sporty clothes...jeans, not so much!!! (We did let him change after we took our pictures and it was time to just play!)

Until next year...

We're Still Alive!

It's been quite awhile since I posted a blog post, April was it?! It is crazy how quickly time can get away from us. We have had a few changes since April!

Toby started middle school!

He also finished his 6th grade football season. Started as starter quarterback and also ended the season the same. We're proud of you Mr. Tobias! Way to go!

Julia turned 5 years old and got her ears pierced!

Isaiah turned 3!

Josiah is now 11 months old!

Nick is working full time again! YAY!!! Although, right now it is a little frustrating because he has to work to Harlan, IA every day. I am thankful though that he has a job, a good job at that. It still might be a little tight due to the gas costs for traveling, but at least we're able to have health insurance, putting money in his retirement, holiday fund, our savings will hopefully get back up there, etc. This job that he currently is on is supposed to last until sometime in 2013. If he stays on it until the end, that is a lot of gas money, but that is work for over a year that we can count on! PRAISE GOD!

I'm still going to school full time, but my personal change is I'm no longer working partime. I am able to just be a stay at home mom, wife and a student. With Nick working in Iowa and us not knowing when he'll make it home, espeically in the winter. I am so thankful that the Lord allowed it to work out like this. With the classes I am taking this semester, I am not sure how I would have handed it all. It requires a LOT of researching and outside of the classroom work. I have 3 big research papers due this semester and 2 big presentations. It has been a crazy semester. About a month and a half left and we're on to a hopefully little easier semester for the spring!

These next couple months are not going to get any less busier! We have halloween coming up, Josiah's 1st birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! I'm ready for Christmas break from classes for awhile! Come on December!!!





I'm Going Back...

To school that is....

I've been wanting to go back for some time, but with working full time and then having kid after kid, it just never worked out. Now, things are have changed in our lives and I am no longer working full time, so.... What better time than now with me being home during the day, working part time and a dad who is willing to help me out during class time with the kids?! (I couldn't ask for a better dad, he really does do a lot for us and I am so very thankful!)

Before I withdrew from classes back in the fall of 2005, I was working towards a degree in Child, Youth and Family Studies. I was so close to being done, but with the miscarriage in Sept 2005, I withdrew, always planning to go back (it just took longer than expected.)



This specific program is actually through University of Nebraska-Lincoln, but they do offer (for the time being, but that story I will share later on in this blog post,) classes at UNO.

"Child, Youth and Family Studies

Omaha Campus
We have four majors (programs of study) students may choose from within the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies (CYAF) on the Omaha campus. These provide a unique link to the UNL degree programs.

Those in the department of Child, Youth and Family Studies on the UNO campus are UNL students and follow UNL guidelines. The degree will be from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln upon graduation.


Two degrees of study in the Department may be completed entirely on the Omaha campus. These are:


•Family Science: This degree trains students to work with children and families through the life span.


•Child, Youth and Family Studies in Communication and Mass Media: This degree encompasses coursework in family and consumer sciences, journalism, radio and television."


I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to get this degree, here in Omaha. This opportunity though almost didn't happen!!! I decided about 2 weeks ago now that I was going to make this work, I was going to get my degree. I called UNO and was told to re-apply, complete applications for FAFSA, etc. I was then transfered to the advisor of my department. I was given the news that in a year, the program will no longer be offered at UNO, that all classes were being moved to UNL. Depending on how many hours I had left I had a couple options. 1) Transfer to Lincoln and go to school there (which I had/have no interest in doing.) or 2) Taking the classes I have completed and applying them to another area of study at UNO and changing my major. My advisor said she would look into my file and see where I was at. THANK GOD UP IN HEAVEN, she called the next day and said I only had 24 credit ours left and she was going to ask the chair for special permission to let me back in the department (they are no longer taking applicants in Omaha due to the students not being able to finish at UNO.) I got the good news a few days later that they were letting me back in and I could finish on the Omaha campus in time!!! WOOT!

So starting in May, I will be at student again!!! I am excited, nervous, happy, and anxious all at the same time! I am going to have a lot on my plate with full time student, full time mommy/wife, and part time working....BUT I CAN DO IT!!!! It is only a year and I will have a bachelor degree.

Beginning soon....THIS will be my other home away from home (other than Bank of the West lol!)

I can't wait!

Let's see how long this excitement lasts once I'm actually having to do the work :)

EXHAUSTED TODAY!

This is what I'm used to on a nightly basis when it comes to Josiah and sleep....

He usually sleeps SO well!!! As I have mentioned in previous posts, he is normally asleep by 7:00-7:15 then sleeps through the night, up at 5:30-7:00 or so for a quick bottle and then back to sleep until 8:30-9:30.

NOT LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

This is what I had to deal with last night!

I don't know what his deal was, but he cried off and on, MOSTLY ON from 1:30 until about 4:30, when I asked Nick if he would mind feeding him because I had, had enough and I had been up the entire time. So Nick was nice enough to get up and feed him quick. Little stinker only had 2 oz and then fell asleep until 7, then had a bottle and slept until almost 10.

NEEDLESS TO SAY....I HAVE BEEN SO TIRED TODAY!!! Thankfully, we didn't have anywhere to go today, so the kids just played and watched tv and I lounged. I even took a nap with the kids. I laid down with Julia at 8 tonight and now just up for a bit before I head back to bed!!

Let's hope for a better night sleep tonight. I want my good sleeper back!!!!

As much as I love cuddling my little guy, I would rather do it during the day than during the night. We both need our sleep to be a happy Mommy and a happy baby boy! :)



4 Months Old

Well I didn't get around to taking Josiah's 3 month pictures last month with the sign and using the lion. I just felt really busy and exhausted last month with starting a new job. Everything seemed to get put on hold. So here we are, Josiah David is now 4 months old!!!!

At 4 months...

Height-25.75 inches-78.80 percentile

Weight-15 lb 5 oz- 58.69 percentile

Head-43 cm-69.88 percentile

Josiah received DTAP, HIB, IPV Combined Vaccine

PCV13 Vaccine

and

Rotavirus Vaccine

Is it bad, I really don't remember him getting shots two times?!?! I mean I remember the experiance of getting shots one time, but I can't for the life of me remember doing it again!!!! But I know he did at both 2 and 4 months...I even see it on the sheet from the doctor! Maybe one of the events was so traumatic I have forced it out of my memory! :) Poor little guy! I hate when my kiddos have to get their vaccines.



Sleep-Josiah sleeps from 7-7:30P until about 5-6:30A the next morning, eats a quick bottle and then sleeps again until 8:30-10A. I really do have a good sleeper on my hands. There are a few nights here and there where he may wimper a bit, but if you give him his paci he falls right back to sleep. We haven't had to do that in a few days though, he has slept straight through.

the very first bite-lol

Feeding-Josiah is still on EleCare formula. We did try one time to switch him to another formula but he was not ready. We will try again when he turns 5 months.  Sunday March 6, 2011 Josiah ate his first helping of baby food-cereal and carrots!!! He did very good for his first time. Spit it out a few times, but sure got the hang of eating very quickly. He has had carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, and apple sauce. Oh and yes, he has even had some prumes because Big Brother Isaiah threw them in the cart and Mommy didn't realize it until she got home! Ooops! Josiah gets fed every night for dinner and we just started a morning feeding-today was the first time he had applesauce. Man did he gobble that right up.

Josiah is now off all meds!!! He doesn't have to deal with the acid reflux AND he can dirty his diaper by himself just fine :)

Personality-Josiah David is such a happy and fun baby!!!! He laughs all the time!!! He smiles all the time!!! When he smiles, he looks asian!! LOL. It is so cute! His eyes get so tiny!!! Josiah rarely cries, it is SO nice!! We are so blessed to have such a happy and healthy little man!!! I just love him to death!

Yesterday, March 21, 2011 Josiah rolled over for the first time! YAY! He is growing up so quickly!

He LOVES watching his siblings play and also the dog. He will just stare, smile and laugh at them! I can't wait until he can join in the fun!!!!

He also enjoys playing with his toys!!!

I love being able to be home with him as he is growing up and growing up so quickly. It is nice to be able to spend so much time with him, as well as my other kids. I am trully blessed with beautiful children!!! 

Still alive!

Wow, it has been a month since my last post. Man, I have been so bad about blogging between being on bedrest and now having a 4 month old. Time really does fly!!!

I realized during the last time I posted, that Josiah has turned 3 months and will be 4 months in 4 days and I never did the 3 month pictures or post. I think I will just combine 3/4 months next week. He is getting so big, so fast. I can't believe it. He is sleeping through the night continuously now, "talking" so much, on a great schedule, grabs at his toys and plays with those...I just can't believe how fast it goes! Again, time really does fly :)

On February 7, I started working part time in the evenings at Bank of the West. For a little over a month, my schedule is 6-11:30pm for training. That gets pretty late, but it isn't bad. It helps that Josiah is sleeping through the night, otherwise that would get really hard. In a couple weeks, my real schedule of 5-10pm will start and that will be a lot better. So far, I really enjoy the company and the people that work there. I like what I am learning, but I can't really say if I like the job or not, because we haven't been on the phones yet. With that being said, I took a Customer Service job for the contact center. Seems very interesting, but just learning all the systems is what scares me. I can do it though.

Not really much to share over the last month. I'm hoping warmer weather will get here and STAY here, so that we can start going outside to play. We are all getting a little stir crazy in this house. I am not going to complain though, I have greatly appreciated being home with the kids. I am trully blessed!!!

Time to go get Isaiah up from naptime. He just woke up and is currently yelling, "Mommy, come get me OUT!"

Kids are so fun! :)



Mommy/Daughter Scrapbooking Time

Julia and I have had a lot of fun together lately with our "scrapbooking." Julia will sit with me for hours while I do a page and she does her own little pages. I will give her some of the things I made on the Cricut and don't end up using, some buttons, ribbons, stickets, etc. I've finally decided, I need to get her some pictures and she can stick those on there as well.

I think when we get some extra money next month, I am going to get her a book that she can put all her projects in. She just absolutely loves crafting with me.

This was the very first "page" that she did with me. Since we've been doing more, the pages have also "grown."

Here is the back of page shown above! And for those of you with sick minds (this actually made me sad that somebody pointed this out, just because she's 4 and I just found the picture so sweet, but I forgive you, lol!!!) the little things connected to the heads are the little people's bodies....NO they are not all boys!

As I mentioned before, the simple pages above have "grown," into more creative pages

Above, she even used parts of sicker packages! :)

Below-One night, Julia felt like "making a page," as she calls it and I really wasn't in the mood. So I decided I would make her some things on the cricut machine. I let her pick what "monster" she wanted, "critter," and paperdoll. She chose the colors and all. The monster she chose from "Mini Monsters," is called Squirmy. From the "Create a Critter," cartridge she chose a simple butterfly and from "Paper Doll Dress Up," she chose a ballerina of course! :)

The little explaination point looking things, those are just scraps from another dicut that she decided to place like that. She was VERY proud of herself!!!

I have ENJOYED every single minute of craft time with Julia. It has been so fun. Watching her get so excited about the little things I decide to give her makes me so happy and makes it all worth it.

Here are just a couple pages I have done recently that I think are pretty cute.

She has been asking me all day to "make a page," so I am going to finish up the chores here quick, get dinner ready for when the hubby gets home and then after the grandparents leave tonight, Julia and I will have some more Mommy and Daughter Scrapbooking Time!!

I LOVE BEING A MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!