What a Doll!

Here are new pictures of Hope that Grant and I snapped today. She's stylish in her brown and aqua jumper set, Baby Legs legwarmers, and her super chic headband with coordinating clippie! Baby Legs, headband, and clippie courtesy of Pout Baby Boutique. Isn't she a doll?

Halloween Cuties

Here are some pictures of Grant, Ross, and Hope carving pumpkins. It's hard to believe little Miss Hope is 10 months old today!

Introducing Brady Joseph

As promised, here are some pictures of my precious new nephew, Brady Joseph Stafford. He weighs 8 lbs 2oz and is 20 inches long. As you can see, he's super adorable, and his brother and sisters sure are proud!

IT'S A BOY!!!

Bonnie and Thad just had their baby this morning, and I'm so excited I just had to post the news! When she called me from the hospital they hadn't even weighed him yet, so I don't have any specific details about weight, length, or even exact time of birth (I know it was right around 11:00am). I'll pop up some pics soon...hopefully tonight!

May I just say that with all the busy-ness we experience every single day, there is nothing like the birth of a child to remind me to stop and marvel in awe and wonder at the gift of life. Thank you, God!

Excuse me while I whine

"New Post"...those words have intimidated me for two weeks. I haven't known what to write, so I haven't even surfed over to my own blog in over ten days. How weird is that? It looks like I have it together more or less, but stupid little insecurities nag at me constantly. Things like:

• Am I giving my boys enough GOOD mommy time, or am I letting them watch too much TV/DVDs so I can tend to Hope or get some housework done? Yes, I tend to my children's needs, but they deserve more than just the meal, bath, and bedtime book.
• I don't put Hope on her tummy often enough. Am I remembering to smile and talk to her, or am I too preoccupied as I change her diaper and direct the boy-traffic going on all around me?
• I don't take enough pictures. I NEVER remember to take any video. We don't even have a photo of all five of us together yet.
• We can't seem to get to church two consecutive weekends in a row, at least not all of us. How do all those other families do it? How do they get THEIR kids to behave?
• Don't even get me started on the physical insecurities (double chin and thick waist, anyone?).

My logical self knows how blessed we are with a happy, healthy family, great marriage, wonderful extended family, and successful careers. So why are there so many insecurities running through my head? Is it a female thing? Is it just me? Am I just phasing back into PMS again after a 18 months of pregancy and breastfeeding? I don't know.

Our First Days

We had our first days of school last week. Ross and I began the year at MSUM on Monday, Aug 25. He's in the 2-3 year old room this year and loves it. I really treasure our walk to campus every morning. It allows me to slow down from the hectic pace of the morning and enjoy Ross's company...his dimpled little hand in mine, his fascination with his surroundings, and the way he notices the little things, like squirrels, sticks, bugs, and airplanes.

Grant and Kris started school in Fargo last Thursday. My oldest babe is in first grade! It's very odd to know that he is now the age of the children I used to teach. He seems to like his teacher, his class, and his new school--Lincoln Elementary. He walks to school each morning with the neighbor kids across the street.

They're keeping Kris booked solid at middle school--between teaching, leading his teaching team this year, staff meetings, PLC (Professional Learning Community) meetings, and volleyball coaching, he barely gets time to breathe from 7:45 to 5pm. I must confess, I am thankful that although I am busy at work, I have pockets of time throughout the day to gather my thoughts alone in my office.

Catching up

I just downloaded, labeled, and filed the digital pics on our camera. In one month we took 172 pictures. This process took me almost two hours, and then I uploaded a bunch of them to WalMart photocenter to order. I like having them organized on my computer: I have file folders for Hope, Grant, Ross, and Dory. I rename all the pictures too, so that I have some idea what they are when I glance at the list. When Bonnie reads this she'll probably roll her eyes and laugh. I am so linear in my approach to projects. Actually, I think the time I invest in filing and labeling digital pictures is one of the reasons I don't blog as often as I'd like. Going through all the photos makes me want to write and post pictures.

I took Grant shopping for new tennis shoes on Friday afternoon. Who knew it would be so hard to find a shoe he liked in his size? We went to Kohl's, Penney's, and Herbergers and each time Grant found a shoe he liked they didn't have any left in his size. It was insanely busy everywhere we went, too. I guess we should have done this earlier in August, but I really didn't think things would be so picked over already. Finally, we went to Stride Rite and Grant found a shoe that 1. he liked, 2. they had in his size, and 3. fit well. I plopped down a bit more than I had intended on spending, but Grant is worth it. Besides, where else would we have gone? Scheels? That'd probably cost even more than Stride Rite. And Grant wears his tennis shoes literally EVERY DAY. He prefers tennies to flip flops or sandals. I know we'll get our money's worth.

Here are some pictures of our summer fun...