Cousins

Lydia (4) and JoAnna (7) daughters of John and Diane from Virgina.

The girls had a sleep over at Grandma T's. It is hard to believe E is older than Lydia.
Auntie Dawn embroidered their names on to these hats. Thanks Auntie Dawn!
The Worden family left here yesterday. We will miss them. The kids got along so well and they made some wonderful memories together. I know that I will miss my conversations with Diane.

We are making special plans for Nancy and Dwain's 50th Wedding Anniversary this December. That was the main topic, since we had all the sisters together (except for Heidi). I think that we came up with some great ideas. Now, the trick will be getting them all in motion :)

Our Easter

To begin our Easter weekend we were able to get together with 2 of my most favorite girls ever; Whitney and Katy. Whitney and Nate (Whitney's boyfriend) came over first and we spend the afternoon catching up on past weeks. A little later Katy came by and we all had a wonderful time chatting and catching up. Creed let Whitney feed him and enjoyed being the center of attention.

Whitney holding Creed

Aren't they cute!

I am a little embarrassed to show you pictures of the kids in their new "spring" outfits. I snapped the pictures of my darling children (the 2 older ones) and thought to myself-Gone are the days of real smiles and cute poses ;( But, nevertheless, here they are...

I never did get a shot of Creed. I can still pose him and it is much easier to get a smile from him these days, so I will post one in his outfit later.

We had Sunrise Service at the church at 8 am. The BYG (Beltrami Youth Group) is responsible for that part of the Easter service. We were a little late this year and apparently missed out on a superb re-enactment of the Crucifixion. What we did see of it was really good. Good job guys! After the service they serve us a quiche breakfast with a sweet roll, coffee or O.J. Then the regular service starts. This year Katie, Hannah and Isaac sang a trio, I don't recall the name of the song, but it was fantastic, they sounded so good together.

After church we headed to Randy and Susan's for Turkey sandwiches, this was the precursor to the Easter meal which we had at our house for supper. At Sue's we hid jellybeans for the kids and dyed easter eggs. Everyone came over to our place for a Ham, homemade bread, corn from our garden and potatoes. Later that night the kids hid plastic eggs filled with jelly beans for the adults. The kids got a kick out of being the ones to hide the eggs and they are really good at finding some tough hiding spots for us. It was a blast.

John and Diane and their 4 kids, Philip, Stephan, JoAnna and Lydia are here from Virginia. Val came up from Nebraska and Ron and Sandy, Kristen and Chad came from down by the Cities. With everyone here except for Hiedi and her family we had 30 people. The house was full and lively, just the way I like it!

Here Auntie Val is having some cuddle time with Creed.

Auntie Dawn wanted in on the Creedo.

Isaac and Hannah enjoying the conversations going on with Kristen and Gabe.

Gabe, enjoying conversations with Isaac, Hannah and Kristen

Kristen

And a good time was had by all!

Wordless Wednesday

This is not Minnesota! :)

A Poem for Creed

My MIL Nancy is a very talented woman, one of her many talents is writing poems. She wrote this sweet little poem for Creed, I thought I would share...

"Lord, for this little one we pray

Keep him 'neath Thy care alway.

Bless him as he learns to walk

Smile at his baby talk.

As he learns to feed and dress,

Bless him with your Joyfulness

Bless him as he's growing, too

May he be both strong and true.

For baby Creed, now we do pray:

Lord, guard and guide him every day!"

What is in a name...

So, many people have wondered were we came up with the name for Creed. Honestly, I wish that it was a more spectacular story, but the truth is...it came from a baby book of names. One morning I was skimming through the pages of this book, like I had done for many mornings before (this was my mission). I read the name Creed and it's definition: belief, I thought..."hmmm...that is cool", so I said to Rob "what do you think of Creed for a name?" He actually paused, did his little head thing that he does when he is really thinking that it is a good idea. But then he was like "let me think about it." The days turned into weeks (at least that is what it felt like to me), I had already made up my mind that this was going to be his name, but Rob was going to have to agree. Finally he said "yes!"

But when you think of this name~Creed~it is different (I don't know another person with this name), but it isn't too weird. It is a word that you are familiar with, and it stands for something strong. Creed is what you believe. What do we believe as Christians? These lyrics say it all--

Creed

by Rich Mullins

"I believe in God the Father
Almighty maker of Heaven Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I didn not make it no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe that He who suffered was crucified buried and dead
He descended into hell and on the third day rose again
He ascended into Heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand
I believe that He's returning
To judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I didn not make it no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe it (repeated 4 times)

I believe in God the Father
Almighty maker of Heaven Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit

One Holy Church
The Communion of Saints
The forgiveness of sin
Ibelieve in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it no it is making me
I did not make it no it is making me
I said I did not make it no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man.

I believe it (repeated 10 times)

Dad and Mom

Here is to many years of selfless giving and loving. Your example to me has been uplifting and encouraging for my marital journey. May God bless this year and the many more to come. I love you both so much and my life is richly blessed because you loved each other.


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It is so Quiet...

Usually having 3 children the word "quiet" is only a little "happy place" that I sometimes need to think of when things are getting a little out of control. But not this morning...we only have one child, and he is sleeping. Micah and Emma were invited for a sleep over with Noah and Ella. It is such a blessing to know that your children are well behaved enough to be welcomed not just for the day, but for then night! Christian and Lisa had us over for supper last night and Micah and Emma stayed. The ride home was quiet (once Creed adjusted to his car seat after being plucked from a nice, warm pack and play), there wasn't any whining and no "quick now, run upstairs brush your teeth and put on p.j.'s, it is time for bed". What a nice treat to come home, feed Creed and get ready yourself for bed. Creed even slept through the night (he has been ill, so for the last couple of nights he was woke up for some comfort). Then the best part...the morning. Not having to get up to make oatmeal for the 6th time this week. Once I fed Creed and gave him some wake time I put him back down for a nap and returned to my bed for then next little while...Ahhh! Thank You Lisa and Christian!

Poor Creed

Creed turned 3 months old on Monday, and he caught his first cold Wednesday. I think he caught it yesterday and that is why he had such a tough time with naps. He woke me up around 5:30 this morning just stuffed and wheezy. You feel so bad for him; he is nursing and making so much noise, but when he is done with that job he is so happy and smiley, but then gets a little excited and sneezes then coughs~poor baby :(

Tomorrow should be a little bit more relaxed for Mr. Creedy. Today we took E to dance and then quickly came home to eat a bite before heading to church for KFC. He did really well; didn't sleep a wink, there was way to much to see. As soon as I put him back in his car seat to head home, he was out. Once we got home it took him a bit to settle down, but now is asleep and hopefully can sleep comfortably.

Rob was hoping to make it to Indianapolis tonight. He didn't get as far as he thought because he was able to see his sister Heidi. She took time to drive 90 miles to see him, bless her heart, with 3 kids. They grabbed a snack at the Cracker barrel and had a nice time catching up on a surprise visit. So far the only problem he has run in to is one of his blinker lights is out, but that should be an easy fix at one of the truck stops. He hasn't had a problem at any of the weigh stations (he has only had to stop at one & they gave him the green light).

I am going to grab a snack and watch Becoming Jane, which I "rented" from Netflix. This is amazing. I had been thinking about signing up for this Netflix for a while, when our local movie store closed down the end of last month. That made my decision, and finally yesterday started my free trial. I order yesterday and I got my movies in the mail today...How did they do that?! I am impressed!

3 sleeps

Is how long Rob will be gone. Miss Gayle, Emma's School Readiness teacher, helps her kids know when the next time they will be back together by counting their "sleeps". I think it is cute. So when the kids and I were talking about when daddy would be home, all I had to say was "you will have 3 sleeps." She understood perfectly, Micah looked at me like "huh?" It was funny.

The Crookston girls basketball team are going to State; so the public schools wont be having school tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. Our kids go to a private school so they will have school except for Friday. I was hoping that they wouldn't have school because then I wouldn't have running around to do while Rob was gone. He has spoiled me and has done alot of the running around for me. It is easier to keep Creed home.

Our Minnesota Snow

Since Emma will be home and moms will have their kids home, I thought to have a play date at my house tomorrow. So, I spent most of the day cleaning. It is always a great way for me to do the little things that don't normally get done. Then Micah reminded me that I have to make his lunch for tomorrow. I got all that needed to be done done. We are ready for the chaos!

2 of the "crazy" moms that will come over tomorrow

I can't believe how nice it is out! We should see 40 degrees tomorrow!!! Do you know how long it has been since we have seen 40 degrees? The snow is melting so fast and we are beginning to see the grass! This is all very exciting to me. However, I am not excited for the MUD!!! But that is only for a short time...then we will have SPRING! I am trying to not catch spring fever, but I know that it will be hard not too when I go out tomorrow and feel that nice warm sun beat down on my face. The birds are excited too; I have to say that is when it hit me, I heard the birds sing their spring song and I thought...It wont be long...Ahhh Spring!

My thoughts are random, I know this...I am sorry. I just miss my hubby ;(

To match my thoughts, here are some random pictures I thought you might enjoy...

Look how young we ALL are

Micah has always been so gentle
M~15 months, E~3months

Emma at like 5 months (i think). Creed looks so much like her.

I nearly forgot to mention this...Creed rolled over today, from belly to back. He is really getting the hang of it, he did it alot.

Rob's New Purchase

Rob will be heading to North Carolina on Tuesday to pick up his newest purchase from Ebay. He is kinda hooked on buying large items off there ;)

It is a 1991 Freight liner FLD 120 Cummins 350 HP. His goal is to get rid of all the Brigadiers (we have 5 of them) and replace them with Freight liners. Dad if you are interested in seeing it you can click on this link http://www.ebaymotors.com and enter in 300202124804 and it will take you to the page with pictures and details.

So, he leaves really early on Tuesday morning and will get there around 8 ish. His plan is to get in the truck and drive, stop and rest and then drive some more until he gets home. I hope that it wont take him too long, but I want him to be safe. The way he will be traveling is a dangerous stretch of highway at this time of the year. And, I hope the truck can make the 1500 mile trip. So, keep him in your prayers, please.

Creative Junkies...Unlike their Mother ;)

Micah is writing another book. He has already completed 3 others.
Emma has really gotten into drawing and coloring pictures of princesses. She won first place in the preschool coloring contest on Friday and received a $5.00 gift certificate to the book fair. She is eager to purchase the new Barbie book.

Look At Me!

It is so hard to believe that he will be 3 months on Monday.
He is so strong and alert.
He loves to watch his big brother and sister, you can tell he can't wait to do all that they a can do. Right here he is intently watching his daddy make faces at him.

Wordless Wednesday

What Ever Happened to...Hint, Hint,Wink, Wink?

Funny story happened at the dinner table tonight. We were enjoying our meal and conversation when the 7 minute lull happened. Micah who was trying to be coy about this next subject wasn't quite sure how to approach it, suddenly blurted out "So, when is Hannah going to come and hang out with us?" then Emma not so bashfully, "Yeah, don't you guys need to go out on a date?" Rob and I just looked at each other and laughed. I guess we should take the uh hum, hint. Aren't they cute?!

Oh, and if you are watching American Idol, just to pass on the information that my 5 year old daughter told me tonight...she thinks that David Cook is handsome. I asked her what she thought was so handsome about him- "his eyelashes".

Creative Writing

How about that for some independent writing from a 6 year old. I can't believe that he is only in kindergarten. There is such an advantage when your child is 1 of 3 in his class. He told me today that they are learning about punctuation, he has already completed the basics they learn in kindergarten so they are now in 1st grade reading.

Micah's new thing has been that he wants to learn how to type, so he has a small book about Samuel and he is typing the words on Windows to learn where the keys are. He has even sent his first e-mail, actually he has sent out two, one to Leyton and the other to Noah. He even go a response back.

Poked...Again!

So, for my 29th birthday, I went and got my nose pierced. Loved it! I didn't think about what I needed to do before I went in to have Creed. Because it was a major surgury I couldn't wear any jewelry at all, so the nose ring had to come out. By the time I got home 4 days later my hole was closed. Today I went to get it pierced again. You can see that it is a little red, it is kinda sore.

I am bummed, I can't find my picture of me getting my nose pierced the first time. It is a great picture. If you want to check it out you can go to http://www.myspace.com/mjen0102 and click on pics, it is in the my pictures folder.

Pinewood Derby

Our Church holds an annual derby for the kids in KFC (Kids For Christ, a program like Awana's). This year Micah and Emma had the chance to participate. They both had the same car (dad wrecked Micah's). Emma was #16 and Micah was #24. I didn't go on Friday night, but Rob told me that it was a lively group of kids ranging from preschool to 12th grade (the BYG, our youth group) wanted to be apart of the action, and of course, the dad's that wanted to see their work pay off ;). It was very technically motivated and all of the stats were up on the big screen. There was a total of 45 cars some just your standard racing model and then there were the creative flares, I do believe that Quin Hasler won the prize for most creative; she had a pencil on a notebook (wish i had a picture.) Micah and Emma came home with a ribbon, they just missed being in 3rd place by a hair.

Snowmobiling...Again :)

Rob is in the UP again for another snowmobile trip. He left on Saturday and will return on Tuesday. I am barely writing about it and he will be home tomorrow. This trip went by fast, it is amazing what one day will do (last trip he left on Friday). He says that the snow isn't the best because it is like in the 40's. They got in a short day yesterday--only 140 miles put on. LOL! They should have a nice day to ride today.
Danell said that I was a "nice wife" to let my husband go on another trip so soon. My reply was "it will pay off." Heehee.

A little bit about Baby Wise

I wanted to wait about a week before I said any thing-I am so excited-Creed is sleeping through the night. He can go from about 10:30-7:00. All I had to do was rearrange his schedule a bit so that he was still getting 7 feedings. He is doing great. His naps are amazing and I am loving it. He seems a bit more tierd after sleeping all night (kinda strange) his morning nap comes about 45 min. after he wakes to eat.
I have found a few places on the web with others who are BW (babywise) just to gain a bit of support and have a place to ask questions when they arise. It is a bit harder when noone understands why you put your child on a schedule. Even though I have been a BW parent since before we had Micah there are things that come up that you aren't sure about and it is nice to have some advice that is guided and will have the end effect that I want ( which is to have a child that is getting the sleep that he needs to grow healthy and strong). There is, of course, more to it than that, but for now at the age that Creed is that is the main goal.
So I am thankful for Growing Kids God's Way or if you prefer, Baby Wise. If you are interested in knowing more about it you can check out their web page http://www.growingkids.org/ or you can ask me.

Creed is 11 weeks old today. That is so hard to believe. He is growing so big and he is really strong. He hasn't rolled over yet, I am not sure when that is supposed to happen. He loves his little play mat with little dangly thingys that he likes to pull on and make noise. He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his mobile. He can talk and coo to his friends for 20 minutes. I have even put him in the walker, just to sit him up, while I am in the kitchen and he is starting to like it. Of course, when Emma is home she is running him around in it (good thing we have alot of carpet). He tolerates the swing; I like it for right before his 4th nap, it has seemed to help with that 45 minute intruder (he was waking up 45 minutes into his nap). I have put him in the pack and play a few times in the morning, but he doesn't seem to care to much for that. He will sleep in there though, which is important for when we travel.

So as you can see, he is doing great. He is a joyful little guy with a quick smile (a beautiful one at that). Micah and Emma are so good with him. That has been so fun to watch. I am so blessed.

First Giggles

We officially have 3 very ticklish children. Today at 4:44 Creed giggled for the first time...I mean really actually laughed. He is getting better at it all the time. He has been making attempts at laughing for the last week or so. Today he must have just felt like he could let it go.

Now, just imagine what it would sounds like...it is 100 times cuter than that :)