Aaron & Jen, Kayla, Madeline, Savannah, Sophia
Savannah turned three yesterday! Since it was her birthday, she chose the birthday breakfast (oatmeal) and also helped me plan the party menu (homemade chicken nuggets, cheesy potatoes, peas, vegetables and dip, fruit salad, cupcakes and ice cream). We also played a lot of hide-and-seek that day and even did a little imaginary crocodile hunting. She’s such a delight!
Grandma Mayes also brought a death-by-chocolate cake. :)
We’ve been waiting for the day we could see the baby via ultrasound and hopefully find out if we’re having a boy or a girl. Early on in the pregnancy I thought we were having a girl because I felt the same as I did in my pregnancies with Kayla, Madeline and Savannah. But during the past few weeks I began to think it might be a boy. My mind knew there was still a 50% chance the baby would be a girl, but I guess after having three girls, it felt like the odds of having another girl were less.
The girls, Aaron and I piled into the ultrasound room Tuesday afternoon, and the technician quickly found the baby’s legs. We had a good view, and right away Aaron and I knew we were having another GIRL! I couldn’t believe it, and I just kept laughing. Savannah, on the other hand, was crying. We thought she was sad that the baby is a girl, but she was actually crying because she didn’t like the way the pictures looked. I guess it wasn’t what she was expecting. :)
So here she is! We are so excited to meet her in July!
The fresh snow gave us the perfect opportunity to make a favorite treat of Mary and Laura Ingalls–molasses-on-snow candy. Here’s how we made it:
1) We mixed one cup molasses and one cup brown sugar in a large cast iron pot. We then boiled it until the mixture reached the “hard crack” stage–300 degrees F.
I didn’t get a picture of the mixture boiling, because my hands were full as I stirred constantly and held the thermometer.
2) Kayla scooped fresh, clean snow in two 9 x 13 pans. We then dribbled spoonfuls of syrup onto the snow.
3) Once the syrup was hard, we lifted it off the snow and set the candy on wax paper.
4) Time to eaat–if you dare! We’re not huge fans of molasses around here, and it’s also slightly possible that the molasses mixture began to burn while I was cooking it (though I never let it get above 300 degrees). The girls sort of liked it, but I tried it and thought it was horrible. The smell drove Aaron nuts, but overall we had fun experiencing life as Mary and Laura did.
Kayla and Savannah were super excited to play in the snow after the blizzard on February 1 & 2. Madeline, also known as Anne or Cordelia, tried going outside twice, but it was just too cold for her. Here are some pictures of the oldest and youngest enjoying the fresh snow.
The weather was crisp today, just 8 degrees when we left for sledding, but the sun was shining. Plenty of snow had fallen in Grand Rapids over the past few days, and the girls were excited to try their new sleds on a hill larger than the one in our back yard. We drove to a nearby park and took the girls sledding for the very first time! Yes, believe it or not, Kayla is six and a half years old and has never been sledding. (It probably wouldn’t be fair to blame Mt. Pleasant for the fact we didn’t sled while we lived there, but we may have been more likely to if it would have actually had some hills!)
Saltine crackers. Crumbs in bed. Sea Bands. Peppermint tea. Munching all day long. Preggie Pops. Food aversions.
These are just a few of the words and phrases that describe the last eight weeks of my life. It’s a familiar place–this first trimester–though I never thought I would see it again. Three girls made our family, and with that we were content. We were ready to move out of the baby and toddler stage and grow older with our three precious daughters.
Little did we know, our story was about to take a major turn.
In my heart and in Aaron’s, the Lord was moving and preparing us for the next step. And one day we knew without a doubt what He wanted for us—to have another child.
Today we joyfully announce that I am 12 weeks pregnant. This little baby inside me is wiggling, kicking and squirming, and I love it. I can’t say I love the unending nausea, but that hopefully will not last much longer.
The baby’s due date is July 16, 2011.
The girls were thrilled this morning when they inspected last night’s snowfall and found it was packing snow! Together we created this beautiful snowwoman and named her Lumpy.
First, to find the perfect tree.
We searched and searched and searched …
At last we found it.
Nine feet tall, and perfect for our living room. Our first tree in our new house.
Time to decorate.
All done! Well, minus the tree skirt. :)
For all who have been praying for Madeline, thank you! I can’t show you a picture of what her legs looked like a few weeks ago–it would make your stomach turn. Here they are now, looking the best they’ve looked in 1.5 years.
Madeline wants you to know that the two red spots on her knee are not a result of eczema. She fell while riding her bike. :)
