HaPpY 1st BiRtHdAy PAISLEY!!!

Our lilacs are blooming. That smell takes me right back to the week Paisley was born. I had cut some blooms and placed them all around the house. I like to have fresh flowers nearby when I'm laboring. Makes me feel peaceful. I had a bouquet right next to our bed.

I came upon this video and it literally feels like yesterday to me. It's taken an hour after she was born. Somehow, 365 days and nights have come and gone since then!!! I can still feel the cozy warmth, grateful joy, relief and peace that flooded our bedroom that early morning as we were introduced to our daughter.....smelled her newborn freshness, listened to her little "sounds" that babies make when they're first born....stretching themselves into the world, thanked God for the strength to make it through and heard her LOUD cry for the first time!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR PAISLEY-GIRL!!!

Moments after her birth with our dear midwife Maribeth, (who delivered all our children).
xoxo to you Maribeth! We love you!!
First Touch.



2 weeks old, her first "photo shoot" by Adrienne!!
Some things we've learned about her the last 365 days and nights:
Paisley has spunk.
She's joyful and playful.
She is quick to smile.
She loves her Daddy.

She loves to eat anything you put in front of her:
salmon, asparagus and homemade bread are a few of her favorites!
She is 23 pounds. (My left bicep is very toned).
She is wrestled by her brothers and could care less! If she doesn't like something, you will know it!
She has a set of lungs on her....and they are STRONG!
She is content to sit back and watch the action around her.
She is daring.
She is feisty.
She is charming.

Our hearts continue to be grateful for ALL we have been given through her.
She has captured our hearts.

"She is my joy and heart's delight."
~ Robert Wever~

Luke's 3rd Birthday Party BASH!!

I come from a very large family so when we have a party with "just" the family,
it's BIG!! If you frequent this blog you are surely sick of hearing about all Luke's parties,
but hey, you only turn 3 once and around here we celebrate well.....and often!!

Making homemade, freshly churned ice cream on the front porch!

Grammie helping Luke eat the ice cream!

The birthday cake reveal!
He was delighted.
So was I.

"A gar cake Mom!!"
(That's how he says guitar).

He didn't want us to sing happy birthday to him
and tried to hide under the table.
So, I said we can sing happy birthday
to me or to Paisley and he was fine with that.
He actually joined in with the singing!
Also, I had to convince him to cut it,
he didn't want to hear of it,
but after a bit he said it would be okay!

This picture is hilarious to me.....people everywhere you look!
That was pretty much our night.....if you know our home, it's not a mansion.
But a house is made of brick and stone,
a home is made of love alone!!!!
People everywhere in this
picture!! Can you count them all??
I see 17!!

Tyler wasn't feeling so good,
so his friend Nya joined him on the
couch. So precious of her.

just a FEW of his cousins!!!!
It was awesome.....and loud!!

"Present time, present time,
open the presents and see what's inside!!!"
(a little diddy that they say on "blues clues" that we
say when it's present time).

a real microphone from Daddy!

And so, the party came to a joyous close with Luke leading us all in a jam session to
"You're the giver of all good things" song! It was great!!!!

Thank you to everyone who came!!!

Luke sure is loved.....

"And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen."
~Terri Guillemets~

Our First Garden

Okay, what?? It's Thursday!! I've been a busy bee this week and my body feels it!!! I am so sore from working outside in the flowerbeds, giving massages, cleaning houses and just working in general! I thought a lot about my Amish neighbors this week and the way those ladies work so hard....physically speaking. I know there are A LOT of women who work hard all day long, but the physical labor I see them doing....it makes me tired just watching! Anyway, my body is sore because I'm not use to working like that.

We have officially planted our first garden. The Master Gardener, (Jake's Mom) was the fearless leader who shamelessly put us all in our places and gave us step.by.step instructions NOT to be ignored. I can't remember the last time I saw Mama so IN CHARGE. Hey, I don't know a thing about planting a garden and for goodness sakes she grew up AMISH and had a garden the size of an acre.....
A
GARDEN
the
size
of
an
ACRE!!!!

The kids frolicked like kids should!
Paisley ate grass. The boys wrestled.

My brother Tom joined us as well, and our friend Jess,
they are our neighbors and have a true appreciation for community living.
That's just one of the things we like about them both.

Mama on her throne of glory!
She is beyond thrilled to be back in the garden.
"It's been 15 years since I had a garden, oh, it feels so good to have my
fingers in the dirt."
Bless her soul.

Jake built a fence around the garden.(*wait 'til I post the pics....)
It's **darling.**...like everything he creates!
He is AMAZING!!! He said he's going to put lamps on the posts.
My garden will have lights.

Lest I choose to pick a tomato in the dark,
I will not go blindly picking a red or a yellow...
I will turn on my lights
and see clearly!!!! Hilarious!! I love him!!!

My daughter and I hung out on the hammock and watched Superman!

Each morning when I come to my kitchen sink which overlooks our garden,

I look out and can surely say it has grown overnight. I can almost hear it growing!
My garden roots are taking me back to my roots and I like the way it feels.
Jake put up a wash line for me. I'm considering turning off the TV for the Summer, (Jake could care less). I would like to purchase chickens to have here, but don't know if "undomesticated" animals are allowed within the borough!
I am even considering making my own yogurt....do any of you do that?
Advice for a beginner??
I think I have more "prairie" in me then I once realized......

"Many things grow in the garden
that were never sown there."
~Thomas Fuller~

Final update on Tyler~staph infection.

* Helping Daddy build a fence around the garden.*

Last Monday Tyler had blood drawn so it could be tested for any residue of the staph infection. We waited anxiously this week, hoping to NOT hear from the Dr. If his Dr. would have called it would have meant more treatments/hospitalization because the infection would have been back!
Thankfully, no Dr. has called and we just returned from what was our LAST Dr. appointment. TYLER HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN DISCHARGED FROM MEDICAL CARE!!

His improvements will continue and be measured in weeks, rather then in days and hours. A full recovery, (internally) is expected 1-2 months from now. We are encouraged to build his system with probiotics and children's multi vitamins and rest. Our bodies are AMAZING and take great care of us most of the time. His body is working hard to recover and rebuild what was destroyed during this antibiotic treatments.

I see our normal little boy again.

The only remaining issue is the rash on his arm where the picc line was. This is not a concern to the Dr., but is annoying to Tyler as it heals. The hole where the picc line went in is closing nicely as well.

This morning at our visit with Dr. Furman, the infectious disease Dr., he asked Tyler, "how are you feeling?" "I'm feeling much better, I can run and jump again and nothing not even hurts!" he happily replied. "Oh that's wonderful news Tyler, do you like to eat food? What's your favorite food? If you could eat anything you wanted, all day long, what would it be??"

I held my breath.

"Lettuce."

My eyebrows rose with pleasure! Seriously? Lettuce!!'

Good boy Tyler, goooood boy!!

Tyler ended our time with one more question directed toward the Dr......"And did you know I had 11 shots?" Raising his hands up to the Dr. Furman's face, and flicking each finger toward the sky, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, (two pointer fingers up) 11!!!!

"I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could."
~The Little Engine That Could~