2 months old!

We love Oliver!

We are loving our little Oliver.  He is so sweet.  Definitely not in the "sleeps all the time" stage anymore, but sleeps enough and is pretty content when awake.  Been smiling for a long time now!  Almost two weeks old.  Funny to think about how much Brandt and I went back and forth on having a fourth kiddo or not... now I can't imagine our family without this little guy.  He completes us :)

Happy 7th Birthday, Addison Noelle!

 2007

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2014

Happy Day to our sweet Addie!  You bring so much JOY to our family!  We are so proud of you!  

We love you very much :)  Happy Birthday!

one month old!

Our Oliver is one month old.  Crazy how fast it's going.  And for the first time EVER I'm telling him to slow down!!  I absolutely love this baby stage.  I am head over heels for this little man.  He's amazing.  I also know it's our last babe cause I"m taking it all in this time, instead of wishing it away :)  Maybe it's because he's the fourth, but Oliver is pretty perfect.  Hardly cries.  Super chill.  Eats and sleeps well.  Not too needy at all.  Praising the Lord for this blessing.  Praising the Lord we get to raise another one of His children!  Praising the Lord for the joy this little boy has brought into our lives already.  Love.

Oliver

We love our Oliver!  He is quite amazing.  He sleeps well, eats well, poops well ... ;)  The other kids adore him.  Izzy is a little too helpful at times, but also very sweet toward him.  She constantly wants to know where he is.  She has to be able to see him at all times.  The kids have adjusted well this first week and a half.  I am LOVING the baby stage (which has not always been the case)!  I know this little man will complete our family of 6 so I am taking in all of these moments, not wishing them away.  We have been blessed by phone calls, cards, gifts and meals.  We have some amazing family and friends in our lives.  So grateful.  Welcome, Oliver Dale!  We think the world of you already :)

My little loves :)

Enjoying the few days of warmth we had outside!  Now we're back to 40 degrees and windy and cold!  But warmth is on the way, I'm sure of it!! 
Due date for baby boy is this Friday.  Hoping to go in labor on my own, but scheduled induction is next Monday, the 21st.  I am trying to enjoy these last few days of just having the three, sleeping well, quiet time with Eli every afternoon, and playing Ticket to Ride with Brandt in the evenings. This will all change very soon!  But as much as I'm trying to soak in the "easiness" of today, I'm crazy excited to meet the little man, not to mention crazy uncomfortable.  So, it could be today, and I'd be a happy camper :)  Next post will for sure be introduction of baby Oliver :)

What we did today!

 The Sorbel family is trying to get an audition for The Family Feud.  We took this pic and sent in bios and reasons we want to be on the game show.  If they like us, auditions are next weekend :)

 The kids wanted in on the fun as well!

 Uncle Aaron and Jess babysat for us tonight!

 Sweet Iz :)

Eli and his uncle Aaron :)

three weeks!

Three weeks to go before we meet our little peanut!  Seems crazy fast!  Brandt and I were just chatting the other night about how we seem to be in a good routine right now... kids are sleeping 11-12 hours a night, they are getting along well and playing well together, very little behavior problems, etc.  Feeling good about the groove we are all in... just in time to throw another one in the picture and mess it all up!!  ;)  We remember feeling the same way before Izzy came along... 
So as excited as we are about meeting our baby boy, we are ok with waiting and enjoying these last three weeks with just the three.
Never know... my next post could be pics of our new little man!!

Ready for #4??

 This was our attempt at a belly picture with the three kids... not successful :(  But also very realistic!!

This is my bestie!  

We are crazy excited to add another to our family, even though some days we feel like this!!

Happy Birthday, Izzy!

 One Year

 Two Years

Happy Birthday to our sweet, stubborn, strong-willed, and incredibly precious little Iz.  We love everything about you.  So thankful that the Lord has entrusted us to raise you up on this earth.  Praising Jesus for YOU today!

Winter!

I haven't posted in forever!!  Since we are feeling sick of winter and very cooped up in the house, I decided to embrace winter in this post :)  This was our 2014 highlight, thus far...  Brandt taught Addie and Eli how to ski.  So much fun!  They did really really well.  Izzy and I were the spectators, but mostly I just worked on not losing her in the crowds.  She has a mind of her own and is strong-willed, to say the least.  Anyway, we are hoping to get them out on the slopes one more time this winter.  So exciting to picture our family years from now (many years... we should stop having babies!!), hitting the slopes together.  :) 
Brandt is in India for work this week.  I'll feel better once I know he's landed safely.  This is his last travel before baby comes.  We will miss him this week, but we have lots of people taking us in for meals.  I am grateful. 
At Target tonight I noticed the Easter section was out on the shelves.  I immediately felt a surge of excitement and anxiousness!  We are due with this baby boy on Easter weekend, so seeing that stuff made it feel close.  I'm ready.  B is ready.  Our older two are ready.  Nervous about the Iz, but she'll have to be ready :) 
That's my winter update.  Short and sweet.  I'll try and post more frequently.  I should start taking more pictures, but who has time!!?? 

exhausted

I love this little man with all my heart, but wow, he can be difficult sometimes!!  We've gone through a season of tantrums lately where there's lots of yelling, hitting, throwing and destroying.  They don't last long and they are always followed by sorrow for his actions and a different, changed attitude for the remainder of the day... but still exhausting to deal with.
We started a sticker chart for chores, playing by himself, and acts of kindness and he's really made progress!!  He's taking ownership of this chart, doing his duties willingly, and seeming eager to do good.  Haven't had a tantrum in over a week.  Really proud of him. 
He's a boy.  Still expecting tantrums as a way to express his anger, but maybe he's got a handle on ways to deal with it a little better.  Can almost see his wheels turning when he's about to get upset over something silly.  Seems to help him overcome it. 
I do think the Lord blesses us ...when one child is exhausting/hard, the other kiddos seem to be in a pretty good place. 
Anxious but excited to bring another man into our family.  13 weeks to go :)

Baby bump- for my dear friend, Michelle

Alright lady... this was at 24 weeks.  I look 8 months pregnant.  Brandt looks about 4 months along ;)  Love you!

Merry Christmas!

Baby Boy

 Anticipating the news...

 It's a boy!

My boys were CRAZY excited they were getting another boy :)

The best part of the story though, is that after the 30 seconds of sheer joy and jumping around by Addie and Eli, my little Eli looked back in the box, then at me, and innocently asked, "But Mom, where's the baby?"  He thought we were bringing home our little man that day!  Love this innocence!  Gotta wait 20 more weeks, buddy!  But we are all thrilled with the news of having a little boy.  Praise the Lord for the miracle of birth.  It amazes me every time I see an ultrasound.  What a remarkable miracle!

My hubby is home!  After 11 days of travel overseas for work, we picked him up from the airport tonight!  I couldn't be happier :)  I need him!
The 11 days went ok.  We have our routine down, so the days went smoothly, but evenings were hard at times and the weekend was tough.  Plus, we all passed around the stomach flu (including me, which never happens!) during the course of the 11 days, so that made matters worse :(  But we survived and yes, we could do it again.  But it's nice to have him here tonight, wrestling with the kids, helping with bedtime... just being here! 
I love this time of year. I love the two holidays ahead and all the family time that comes with them.  Baby O is doing well.  Feeling more movement all the time.  Making me smile :)  We find out if baby will be a boy or girl next Friday.  This pregnancy is flying!  Probably cause I"m so busy I don't have time to think about the one in my belly :) 
Happy Thanksgiving!  Very thankful for my family and friends :)