Tinker Bell Is 6!!!

Today was a day spent celebrating Bell's life! She turned 6 today-how is that possible! She is a gentle spirit filled with thought and laughter and always sees the best in others, I am so moved by that in her. Each time we sat today , she was spilling over with thanks to Jesus and had so much to share with Him about her birthday. Her faith and trust in Him is precious and she has taught me so much about Him!

We started the day with donuts-sprinkles of course!!

Cole made this scarf for Bell and she just absolutely adores it!! What a joy it was to see him work on this for her. Matt and I came home from our anniversary trip and he had been crocheting it for her while we were away. She wore it all day-I had to convince her it was best to take it off when we were eating!

Bell had her heart set on getting some calico critters for her birthday, and I was finally able to locate some yesterday-whew! I remember my sister playing with these when we were little. They are really such sweet little toys! The quilt she is playing on was my gift to her. I was able to make it while Matt and I were away for our Anniversary. I made a matching quilt for Elizabeth, her doll who comes with her everywhere.

Lots of fun making the cupcakes together!! Everyone pitched in at some point. I love these days when we are all together and focused on the same thing! Such a blessing!

We even lit the candles a few times for Noah's sake. Everyone wants to blow the candles out right!

And we ended the day with sprinkles:) It is the simple things that bring so much joy!

Talking with Grams and Gramps and sharing all about her day. It was a good day.
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All tucked for the night and I have to mention this-it just cracked us up. After Matt and I's lunch with Bell today(Red Robin-yum!), she wanted to stop at the "treasure" store(aka the thrift store-can't imagine why she likes thrift stores-LOL) Joslyn had given Bell some birthday money and that is where Bell wanted to look. See that red monster in the corner there. It is halarious-it was still in it's box, brand new and it sings "Sugar Sugar" that super fun oldie but goodie! We giggle everytime she presses his foot and he begins to dance and sing.

Someone Who Touches Me So Very Often....

I do not get the time to sit down very often to read through the blogs I like to follow, it is unfortunately a rare pleasure that I wish I could do more often. But today is my birthday and I am attempting to slow down a bit to enjoy some of those things. I received a few little notes from friends today, but my heart has been aching as it will be my first birthday without a phone call with my Grandma Lucy singing happy birthday to me. Today, out of all days, it has really hit me that she is gone. So, I decided to read some of Lora's postings on her blog( a precious friend who the Lord brought across my path through etsy) postings on her blog. The kids walked in and asked what it wrong, as tears were streaming down my face, they wanted to know if someone died. Which I chuckle at a little because it is not like seeing me cry is a rare thing-they usually giggle at me because of how often I cry. But this morning I was deeply touched by this post of hers. The Lord has blessed her with a way of sharing her journey with Him that always speaks right to my heart of His faithfulness and the personal love He has for us individually. So I thought I should share her with you. She has blessed me so deeply-more that she knows, I am sure. I crave a relationship with the Lord because of watching her grow in hers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALE TODAY...

IN HONOR OF MY 35TH BIRTHDAY TODAY, ANY PURCHASE OF $100 OR MORE WILL RECEIVE 35% OFF OF THEIR ORDER. SHIPPING IS NOT INCLUDED. HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

The Littlest Man is 3!

A very sleepy and happy boy full of evidence from the day's activities. Fresh raspberries popsicles and chocolate cake still gracing his face . Life is good!
No more riding on his sisters pink Barbie Hot Wheels;)
Noah is captivated with Thomas and trains right now and it has been a lot of fun to add to his collection.
Grandma and Grandpa Watkins, and Aunt Molly came out for the day on Wednesday to celebrate his birthday. Noah chowed on Grandma's yummy brownies!
The Thomas quilt is in the works for Noah-I may just finish it if Noah allows me to take it away for awhile.

Three years ago-yesterday, it was a Sunday afternoon and I was taking a nap with Bell who was not much over 2 years old. A strange thing woke me from my sleep-something that I had never experienced-LABOR-THAT STARTED NATURALLY! Noah was our fifth yet to arrive and with all four of our older kiddos, I had been induced-I had never had the excitement of being able to say-This is it! I was pretty excited, with the likelihood of Noah being our last, it felt like such an incredible gift from the Lord to be able to have a moment like this. I still just cannot begin to express how precious this was to me. And how peaceful the transition was into Noah's entrance into our family. I waited for about a half hour to see if these contractions were regular, and while I paid close attention, I cleaned of course:) Still makes me laugh. I was still in quite a bit of shock because it was two weeks before his due date(another oddity-the other kiddos were always late). Well... I got the fun oppritunity to call Matt, who was in a meeting at church, and say...."I am in labor, you better hurry" We always knew that if I were to go into active labor on my own, I may just end up delivering at home with how quick my labors were(with the exception of my first). And of course to make the story a little more interesting, Matt did not pick up his phone the first few times I called and I was just imagining packing up all four of the kiddos myself and hauling them into the hospital while in labor-could have been interesting;) So, as I waited for Matt to call back, I called Mom and said "Can you come now?", Finished packing for the hospital, and had a friend come over to watch the kids till Mom arrived. Matt and I had such fun being able to walk in to the hospital and say, We are in labor! And sure enough as soon as I was settled into a room, they discovered what we already knew, Noah would be arriving very soon! Finally we would be holding the child I had known we had yet to meet since Cole's birth.

Noah turned 3 yesterday! I am amazed at how watching a little man grow can carry with it such tremendous joy and ache at the same time. Anxious to see who he grows to be, loving the new stages but wanting him to stay cuddled in my lap forever too. Yesterday, Noah was especially cuddly, I went out in the backyard to play with him, and all he wanted to do was sit in the grass all cuddled up in my lap. Thank you Jesus! What a perfect day for me to capture in my memories.

Happy Birthday My Love!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVE!!!! I AM GLAD THE LORD HAS BLESSED US WITH ANOTHER YEAR TOGETHER!!

TACO BELL IS 5!!!!

Our Beautiful Bell is 5 today!!! And she is more lovely with each new day. And for those of you who do not know this-"Taco Bell" is Noah's name for Bell. When we were choosing where to grab lunch one day, we asked if the kids wanted Taco Bell and Noah became quite excited and pointed to Bell and said "Taco Bell?" and it stuck! So we do not need to eat at Taco Bell any longer, because we have one right in our home! Even better, the one we have at home does not make us sick!!!
She awoke with great anticipation for those presents. Simple requests...Gum, art, webkinz, a crab and glow fish! Yes-I did say a crab:)-See uncle Ben started a trend with a hermit crab for Joslyn at Christmas and we now have 4!!! They are fun little critters for the kids to investigate, giggle at and care for. So Madi and joslyn bought Bell her first crab.
Bell, Noah and I were home from church this morning-again! Noah was the one this time with a cold-no nursery for him:( So we made the most of our quiet morning together.
Pretty roses from Daddy when he got home from church!!
Such a silly little bundle of joy! She really loves when I pull out the camera.
Bell cannot go an hour without saying "I love you" to whoever may be around her. She loves to love on others. She smiles and lights up the room. She prays to Jesus for her birthday to come and than spends the rest of the days thanking Him for her birthday. She wanted to know this morning if her birthday was already over or if it was going to be forever. When I told her it would be her birthday until she went to bed, she was overjoyed, becuase that is FOREVER to a child. i love to think like my children think! They keep me young and full of wonder!
Bell and I spent some time this morning making a new crown for her birthday. When I put the one I made last year on her this morning it was too tight. So she had fun digging through my fabrics to find the right ones. She also came across a few other things...I had two of these sweaters waiting to be repurposed and she could not part with them. So we cut the arms off of one of them and made them into leggings and she put the other one on. She wore it until she covered the top in cake and ice cream.
We made her cake together.
Time to sing happy birthday!!!
Bell went to cubbies tonight at church and was able to bring Cubby Bear home for the week! She is looking forward to some adventures this next week with cubby.

A good end to a great day! Thank you so much Jesus-for our little Bell! We will praise you all the days of her life for you have so richly blessed us with her!

MY JOSIE IS EIGHT TODAY!!

THIS JUST ABOUT SAYS IT ALL...THE LONG AWAITED BUNNY HAS ARRIVED. JOSLYN HAS BEEN ASKING FOR A BUNNY FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. JOSLYN ADORES ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS AND WANTS TO BE A VET WHEN SHE GROWS UP. SO MATT MANAGED TO BUILD A HUTCH AND SNEAK IN A BUNNY TUESDAY NIGHT THAT I KEPT HIDDEN IN MY LAUNDRY ROOM UNTIL THIS MORNING!! I THINK MATT AND I WERE ALMOST AS EXCITED AS JOSIE AS WE IMAGINED HER RESPONSE WHEN WE BROUGHT IN THE BUNNY. SO "THUMPER" IS THE NEW ADDITION TO OR CLAN. HE JOINS 6 GUINEE PIGS, ONE BETA AND TWO HERMIT HERMIT CRABS:).

Joslyn had her favorite dessert-turtle cheesecake...
Whenever a birthday falls on a Wednesday or Thursday we celebrate in the later afternoon since Matt is gone in the evenings. So it is desert before dinner-isn't that what every kid wants anyways:)

Joslyn spent a good portion of her day on the phone with many many birthday calls from Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles. It was fun to hear her share about her day. Matt came and kidnapped her at lunch and took her on a lunch date.

God is so good and has created such a magical little lady in Joslyn. It is fun to spotlight her for the day . My life is so rich having her in my life. What a treat to wake up to her whistling each morning and great big hugs throughout the day. She shares her heart openly, laughs without reserve, finds humor in almost anything, senses when someone needs encouragement, and spends hours creating what is blossoming in her precious mind. A true gift to us.

A Blessed Day...

Today was a very good day! I am looking forward to another year!


A great way to wake up!A surprise delivery from my little sis.

Time with my Bell! Who is my cuddler and joy.Time with my Madi who is my warrior and helper.

Time with my Josie who is my laughter and peace.
Time with my strong and wise not so little man.

Time with a sleepy little ray of hope.Late night dinner with my love when all the wee ones are fast asleep!

A very sweet handmade card that is priceless.
A little masterpiece from a wee artist.
Chocolate from around the world-Yummy!!! Hum, how long can I make it last.

A dozen roses -never will I tire of this!
Some nice phone calls-Grandma, I am sorry I missed you! Mom Drietz, thank you for your message! Oh, it is hard to get to the phone sometimes!
CROSS COUNTRY SKIS!!!!! THANK YOU SWEETIE-I CANNOT WAIT TO GO SKIING AGAIN! And a surprise dinner date to Mid Evil Times last Saturday-so fun!!! AND I ACTUALLY WAS SURPRISED!!! A KNIGHT EVEN THREW ME A FLOWER!!