It's been awhile...

(I almost giggle every time I go back and read past-posts... How much things CHANGE from month to month, especially THIS year!)... Since I wrote this last post... We moved, started home-schooling and are learning this new groove of LIFE!...  PS. My goal is to write more this year... with keeping in mind I DO have a 6, 3, and 1 year old... ;-)



My little buddy started school this year! Samuel attends morning kindergarten (early!) we have to leave our house by 7:30am and he is in his classroom by 7:40am.... But I love that he is home by 10:20am every day.  I really struggled with the best decision for him, and our family at this time... Should we homeschool? Should we wait a year before we start true, structured school? Should we put him in public school? Find an affordable private school? There were/are SO many options, and I worried we would make the "wrong" one... We finally decided to make the best decision for right now, and take one month at a time. We have a perfect little school three minutes from us that is all kindergarten students... we are able to drive Samuel every day to and from his class, and knowing he is so close to home has been GREAT!  I am thrilled at how much he is learning every day.  He comes home singing, talking and explaining all the new things he has learned.  This was definitely the BEST decision for us right now!

Serenity has started ballet every Friday.  She is too cute in her little pink leotard, pink tights and pink ballet slippers :) With mommy being a gymnast and not a ballerina, this is a fun, new territory I am learning about! She loves her class, and listens very well to her teacher.  She also is loving music class every Tuesday taught by her mommy :) She sings all the songs and behaves very well in mommy's class!  She has gotten used to Samuel being gone a few hours in the morning, and I think she is really liking the "big sister" time she is having all to herself! (with no big brother to take over!)  We have been practicing the letters in her name, and she has the letter "S" down completely.(only seven letters to go) ;-) 

I can NOT believe Katerbug is going to be a YEAR old next month!! It has gone by way too fast... Katelyn is busy crawling everywhere and getting into everything!! (As most 11 month old babies do!)  I have to make sure the bathroom door is closed, or she is sure to splash in the toilet (GROSS!), I have to watch the cupboards without locks, or she is sure to empty them out, also there is the computer on and off button she loves to try and get to... We are definitely entering the more challenging/busy stage!  She has also learned to scream (lovely) when she wants something... We are working hard EVERY day to teach her new words so she won't feel the need to scream or shout! (yikes).  Overall she really is a very happy, content little baby girl! :)

Well, that is the update on the kiddos! I have been SO behind on writing blogs or even reading other's blogs! Hopefully this fall I will be able to write in here more consistently! I'm sure as the weather gets cooler, I will want to use this as therapy! Hope to hear from you all SOON!

                                           

Just a little glimpse of right now...

Nurse the baby. Change a diaper. Wipe a nose. Kiss a knee. Read a story. Cook a meal. Answer the phone. Practice our letters. Sing a song. Do a dance. Break-up a fight. Nurse the baby. Change a diaper. Give a snack. Play a game. Kiss a head. Clean a mess. Wash the dishes. Fold the laundry. Nurse the baby. Change a diaper.... Well, you get the idea ;) Life as a mom of three kids is... BUSY!  So busy that I have started to compose at least 5 different blogs, and I just can't find the time or energy to finish them! :) All in all... Life as a mom of three is GREAT! (crazy, stressful, exhausting, challenging, rewarding, amazing, life-changing, a dream-come-true!...) My children are my world... With all the ups and downs of being a mommy, it is worth every single minute.  Quick updates~ Samuel turned 5 in January~ his favorite things in the world right now are: playing baseball and soccer and basketball with daddy, playing anything with his cousins, playing with his friends, collecting baseball cards, mommy reading some chapter books outloud, playing at parks, riding his bike, talking to Katerbug and keeping BUSY!  Serenity turned 3 in March~ her favorite things to do right now are: putting on a fancy dress and being a princess, coloring, twirling, Playing "house", playing games on the computer, playing with her cousins, helping mommy cook & wash dishes, kissing her sister, talking and making up fun stories :).  Katelyn (aka~ Katerbug :)) turned 6 months old April 22nd! She is sitting up completely un-assisted, she is eating rice cereal and bananas, she is reaching for toys, scooting in a circle, rolling over, laughing, smiling, jabbering (she says mamma, dadda, babba...) She is hands down the happiest, most content baby-ever!! (Thank you JESUS!)  She loves being rocked, sung to, cuddled with, talked to, played with, held, kissed, snuggled... (and we love it too!)  Life right now is BUSY, and CRAZY, and going by FAST... but life right now is also so, so, so sweet.  I thank God every day for my husband and children... I have said it before, but I will say it again.... I was born to be a wife & mommy.

~My Moms~

So I decided I needed to write a post in honor of my wonderful Moms!  God has blessed me with an incredible mom AND an incredible mother-in-law!  One of my most favorite things to do is browse really cool blogs.  I have come across some awesome ones that inspire me to get creative, become a better mom, a better writer, a better home-maker, etc... As I was looking through some of my new favorite blog spots it occured to me that I NEEDED to write a blog about MY CrEaTiVe Moms!  Over the last few years I have been blessed with some INCREDIBLE home-made gifts from these two ladies.  I thought it would be fun to share with you all! :)  I have LOVED every single thing they have made... but here are the ones I have pictures of!


QUILTS~ My mom started making a quilt for each new grandbaby of hers that is born... We (the mom's) get to pick out the fabric, and she makes BEAUTIFUL quilts!... Here are OUR three!

~Samuel's Quilt~

                                           ~Serenity's Quilt~
                                                             

~Katelyn's Quilt~

Here is the Quilt made for Serenity's 1st Birthday... It is a picture quilt.  It hangs in the kid's playroom!

Scrapbooks~ My mother-in-law Doris has made beautiful scrapbooks for us.  I know how much time and energy is put into these, and we will cherish them forever!

Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls~ My mom made her first set when she was a new mom... Then she carried on the tradition with all of her kids.  You would not even believe how much time and effort and detail she has put into these. (mom, this brings tears to my eyes to even write... because I know it is SO hard on your hands to make them... but please know that they will be cherished and passed down for generations to come!... what a symbol of LOVE they are to all of us! And, as you always say, "A nursery is NEVER complete without a set of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls!"... And, it's True!)... :)

Cozy, Fun blankets made by Doris~ (the kids love to snuggle with these, play with them, and take them in the car on cold Minnesota days!)

Dresses. PJ's. Dress-up Clothes~ Both My mom and Jordan's mom have made BEAUTIFUL things for the kids to wear.  Here are a few of them!...

(The dresses were hand-made by Doris)

More beautiful dresses!

These were costumes made by Doris~ Amazing! (Peter Pan and Tinker Bell)...

More Costumes from Doris! (My kids LOVE to dress up DAILY!)

This "Princess Dress" as Renny Calls it was made by my mom~ The perfect "Twirling" dress for a little girl!

These are Hand-made "aprons" made by my mom... They have come in SO handy!! We use them EVERY day- whether we are painting, doing dishes, eating chocolate chip cookies... It keeps our outfits clean and less laundry for mama!! :)

Special Books~ Both mom's have made special books for the kids... I LOVE looking at these year after year!

Well, That is just a TASTE of how CrEaTiVe and TaLeNtEd my Mom's are! I love you moms!! Thank-you for all of the Time you have spent making special gifts like these... You mean the world to me!!! :)

11 1/2 weeks old!

Kater Bug is 11 1/2 weeks old already! Seriously, WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?!!!

Here are a few things she has been doing...
 SMILING ALL THE TIME!! She will give you a big smile just about every time you talk to her...

GIGGLES- a few times she has giggled. It doesn't matter if it is your first child or your 10th, there really is something so special about those first giggles that make your heart soar!



Found her fist- it is so cute. She will hold her fist up to her eyes for the longest time, just looking and looking at them!



EATING every 3 hours instead of every 1 1/2 -2 hours.



GROWING- she just weighed in at the doctor this week at 11 lbs 2 ounces- But she still feels so tiny to us :)




TALKING- she LOVES to use her little voice- cooing, "talking", even some singing! (come on, you have to start singing young being apart of the Smith/Lindeen family!) ;)



SLEEPING- She is sleeping longer stretches for us~ sometimes she has even done 9 hours! She doesn't fuss too much at night, and I can feed her and put her right back to bed! (AMEN!)



Earning the Sweetest Baby Award- OK... ALL of my babies were sweet... But, Katelyn really does have such a sweet temperament, and problems are usually solved by feeding, changing, giving her a pacifier, or just being held in the baby sling close to mama or daddy... Over-all, Life is good in the baby department! :)

Christmas and New Years

The last few weeks have been a whirl-wind! I can't believe Christmas is over and behind us... We Celebrated Christmas with Jordan's family the week before Christmas... It is always wonderful when we are able to be with them over the holidays! With Jordan's job still being a manager of a retail location, it makes it impossible right now to get away for Christmas... We are thankful for family that travels to see us! We had a great time opening presents, going down to St. Paul for lunch at Mickey's Diner and then the Children's Museum, and just spending time together.



Christmas Eve Jordan and I and the kids ventured out in the blizzard to a Christmas Eve Service~ my mom and dad met us there and it was a wonderful time to stop what we were doing and just focus on why we Celebrate Christmas in the first place! After the service, we came home and Jordan wrote a letter to "Santa" from the kids... Precious memories that we will cherish always.






Christmas Morning Jordan and I got woken up before 7:00am (while it was still pitch black out!)by Samuel and Serenity... They were SO excited to open up their stockings and presents! We had a wonderful morning opening presents and just being with our now family of five!





Later that evening my parents made their rounds~ first to Jen's house, then over to our house for dinner and games!...




The week after Christmas we spent with my whole family. Erik and Kristin flew in from Colorado, and we spent a great week playing games, going out to dinner, talking, singing, sledding, and opening up gifts. It was so great to have my whole family in one place!







New Years Day we celebrated my nephew Ethan's 9th Birthday by going to see the movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (my 2nd time seeing it~ SO cute!)... However, after the movie we discovered someone had broken into our car, breaking our window, and stealing my purse.. This was a VERY long, draining, emotional day... Realizing all the things that were stolen and trying to get everything taken care of... Through my Fear, Sadness and Anger... I was glad that we had my whole family there to help us...

Today as I sit in a fairly quiet home, Jordan back to work, family back to their homes, and it's just me and the kids getting back to our normal life, I am thankful for such a wonderful Christmas this year. (even with our car getting broken into...) During Church yesterday the message really hit home to me about what is important in LIFE... And this morning I am clinging to that message. It is NOT about how much money is in your bank account (Thank-you Jesus!)... It is NOT about what title you have at work or in life...(Mine is at the moment just plain mommy)... It is NOT about what kind of car you drive, (or in my case, having no car at all!;) )... It is about how you lived your life. Did you LOVE your children? Did you LOVE your husband/wife?... Did you LOVE Jesus and take the time to tell everyone that came across your path about His Love?... This past year had been a hard one for us... And many times all we had was the strength to CLING to Jesus and not let go for one second... And yet while we were clinging to Him, there was no room for us to cling to anything else, we had to let it all fall to the way-side... We have realized (and are still realizing) the important things in Life do not consist of Job Titles, Mortgage Amounts, Pay-check numbers, or earthly possessions... It is Family. Friends. And Our Lord. 2010 may have it's struggles (this we have already seen played out!)... But our prayer is that we would do our best to remember what is important in life. That if we only had 30 days to live, we would not spend it worrying out all the other details of life, we would only focus on the things that TRULY matter... I know that it is MUCH easier said than actually done... But this is what I will be striving towards in the year of 2010... To worry less, and to Love MORE...