I don't want to miss this!!

I don't want to miss snotty nose kisses and messy faces and food streaked through freshly washed hair...

I don't want to miss belly laughs, tickle tackles and squeals of delight as daddy walks in the door...

I don't want to miss mountains of laundry or baby clothes soaking in the sink to remove poop stains from an outfit or middle of the night bonding sessions...

I don't want to miss answering a million 'Why?' questions or repeatedly telling a certain toddler to stop doing this or don't touch that...

I don't want to miss the moments when my children are proud of themselves or the sound of little feet running through the house because they just took a toy from their sibling....

I don't want to miss the 'Oh, I'm so cute!' looks or playing dress-up or superheros...

Nope! I don't want to miss a single second in the lives' of these little blessings! I want to be witness to it all-good and naughty/not so good! I am so thankful for my children and that they have good health to be here to do things that need corrected! My heart aches in realization that this time is going by so quickly, and I NEED to soak in and relish in every single second that I am blessed to be mommy to these 3 children! It isn't always pretty or fun and I may complain on the tough days, but my heart's prayer is that I am present in every moment of their lives' and that I enjoy every second with them because I am blessed beyond measure!!











Time for a change!

Well, there have been TONS of things that have changed since the last time I posted. And thanks to my friend, Julie, my blog design has changed as well! I just love it! It is much more fun and much more what I wanted in the first place. I also changed the name of my blog to Svennes Punkin Patch....cute?!?!?! I think so!! I have to dote on my sweet little ones of course! :)

We have moved back to Sioux Falls from Des Moines. The move happened toward the end of March and we are happy to be back! Travis is working with the company that he previously work with as his p/t job before we went to Des Moines. He loves his job and the people he works with and works for-it is a wonderful company!

The kids are doing wonderfully! Little Miss Lorelai is 5 1/2 months old. She rolls all over the floor and is getting very close to being able to sit unsupported. She knows just how adorable she is and how much she has daddy and mommy wrapped around her finger! We are just so very thankful for her as she is our little miracle! :) Miss Bella is doing awesome! She loves to give kisses and loves to dance to some of daddy's music. She talks a lot and loves to cuddle her baby dolls. She is very cute and very sweet with her sister-always giving tons of kisses to her! And my big boy Landon is just that, a big boy! He turned 5 back in February and has completed kindergarten. He can sound out and read any 3, 4 or 5 letter word and is doing better and better with his addition. He loves to help out, whether it is making cookies with me or mowing and spraying the weeds with daddy.

I am completely and 100% a stay-at-home mom! Woohoo!! It is wonderful and I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to be with my kids all day, every day. Things that have been filling my time since we moved back consists of finishing kindergarten with Landon (yay!), swim lessons for Landon, lots of initial appts for the kiddos once we moved back, the normal everyday stuff to keep bellies full and smiles on faces and keeping house. Just recently I have embarked on a whole new way of eating-a gluten free diet! It was a bit overwhelming at first but I am feeling more and more confident with my food menus and groceries lists. I went gluten free for my health due to problems that I have had for at least 10 years but never really knew it was abnormal until recently when talking to more people and finding that people typically feel normal and ok after they eat, which I never did! I am already noticing symptoms lessening and feeling better after I eat and it has only been a week and a half. Praise the Lord that I found out about this and could finally start to feel normal!

This summer is flying by already and is proving to continue to be super crazy and busy with no end in sight. So, we are all just hanging on and enjoying each other through this hectic time. Life is good and we serve an amazing God who is constantly blessing us even though we don't deserve it....I certainly have no complaints!!

Happy Tuesday! :)

Randominity....

I have no clue if randominity is a real word, nor do I plan to look it up! I'm feeling a little random in my thoughts and what's been going on.

*We have been in Ankeny (Des Moines area) for 5 weeks now!! We are loving being back here, and so feel like this is where we should have been all along. We definitely feel like God is blessing relationships/friendships as a result of us being where He wants us.
* We LOVE our church, Willow Creek, and are so psyched to be back there as well! Landon is in AWANAs on Wednesday nights and is doing so well. He has memorized 6 or 7 verses already since we've been here, and just last night he got his first patch on his Sparks vest.
*Bella (Izzabella) has been sick 2 -3 of the weeks that we've been here. :( However, she is now on the mend and hopefully it will be a few months before she gets anything else!!
*Bella is pulling herself up on to her feet now and is loving her independence with crawling, which she started at the end of September. She is a happy, sweet 10 month old, and we are enjoying her!
*Landon's school work is going well-he can spell a few words and can tell you what almost any word begins with (as long as it isn't one of those tricky English words like knife or elephant!)
*Landon has made LOTS of friends, most of them being with the daycare kids since the people we are staying with do daycare from home. He has one friend, Victoria, who is the granddaughter of the people we are staying with, and he just LOVES to play with her. She is 6 and they get along so well! I was nervous when we moved that Landon would struggle with making friends right away and feeling lonely. Again, God has blessed in that area too. I ask him after AWANAs each week (mainly because he is the youngest one to be in Sparks-he should be a Cubbie but since he is in Kindergarten then we chose to put him in the higher class) if he has made friends in AWANAs and he always says yes. I ask who his friends are, and he always replies that they are ALL his friends...and there are like 30 kids in there. I am so proud of him the way he walks right into the room each week and finds a chair by another child and sits down like it is no big deal. I wouldn't have been able to do that as a 4 year old! It is becoming evident to me how BIG my 'little' boy is these days!
*I have had 2 baby appts since being here-the last being yesterday. I did the glucose test and the drink wasn't as bad as it was with Landon. I got a call this morning from my dr.'s nurse to schedule my C-Section. It appears as though Baby Svennes will be born on Tuesday, January 24th, if he or she doesn't come sooner. I was hoping that it would be on a weekend but they don't do C-Sections on weekends. So, it will be one day before his/her daddy's birthday. I doubt I will be making my hubbie's birthday cake this year for some reason. ;)
*Travis is loving his new job. He is learning more each day and really liking the extra responsibility he has there. He (and we) are LOVING that he only works 1 job. HALLELUJAH!! We have more time together as a couple and a family...it is wonderful! (And I am loving being with the kids all day as well! :)
*Our house STILL has not sold! :( I am definitely discouraged about it. While I know that God has a plan and purpose for everything (and no, I'm not trying to talk myself into it-I do KNOW that), it does feel like nothing will ever happen. The logical side of me says that since it hasn't sold yet then it won't through the winter. I know, however, that God can do anything, but I remind myself too quickly that it doesn't mean He will. We are frustrated with our realtor and how lazy he is, especially with us being away. I keep praying boldly that God would bring a buyer by a certain time/date and then that date is here and gone and nothing has happened. I know that God hasn't forgotten about it-it is done and dealt with in His book-we just don't know when that is going to be revealed to us. So, we are here doing what I am WORST at-waiting...patiently! Ugh! I don't like those 2 words together! God is in control and His way is perfect, regardless of what I want or think I know to be better. I just try to remind myself of that each time I get frustrated or down about it.

Well, that ended up being A LOT LONGER than I had planned, but I guess that's to be expected when I haven't posted in over a month.

Happy Thursday!

I have no excuse!!

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted last! It seems as though our world has been twisted and turned upside-down since May. Things have been good since we got Izzabella. She is a sweetheart and is blossoming daily, which is SO wonderful to see after everything she has been through and been witness to in her short little life. I am noticing how different raising a boy is from raising a girl! Landon was very content to be on his own (he still wanted us and to be entertained by us but it was different), while Izzabella NEEDS that feeling of knowing someone is there. It reminds me of how women always go to the bathroom in groups while men prefer to go alone. It is just funny, a little frustrating, but mostly funny to me. Landon ADORES her and is so sweet and loving toward her. He even let her play with his big puppy stuffed animal that he got for his 1st birthday, and he NEVER lets anyone play with it! He is very helpful and just such a sweetheart! We never would have planned for our children to be so far apart in age, but I love how it is working out!

And four days after we got Izzabella, we found out that I was pregnant! GO FIGURE!! It was just too crazy to believe and try to understand! We couldn't be more excited and ecstatic about this pregnancy and about this sweet little babe that God has blessed us with and is allowing me to carry. I will be 23 weeks on Saturday and am due on January 28th. So Izzabella and this baby will be just about 13 months apart! Yikes!! Things have been super crazy as a result though due to everything happening at once. I feel bad that I have been so distracted and exhausted and just not feeling well while trying to adjust and get to know Izzabella and I feel like I've hindered that process a bit due to everything, but I know God is in control and He planned to allow us to get pregnant and have Izzabella at the same time and He is working it all out.

Along with getting Izzabella and being pregnant, Travis got a job in Des Moines as a Senior Accountant for an insurance company. We are SO blessed for him to have this job as I will be able to quit daycare (actually, today was my last day of watching the little girl! Yay!) and he will only have 1 job instead of 2 and working very early hours everyday. Our only obstacle right now is getting our house sold. I'm getting pretty discouraged about it because we have had it on the market for 6 weeks or so and only a few showings and no offers!! We spent this summer updating and changing the house to make it look really nice and modern and this is just a bummer! I have been praying boldly that we would have an offer by Sept. 19th, which was Travis's original start date but he moved it back to the 26th, and nothing! I know that God has a plan for all of this but I just wish I knew what it was because we need to get moved to Des Moines since winter is coming and another baby and holidays and so on and so forth! I remind myself daily that this 'detail' of selling our house isn't one that has escaped God's attention. He provided the job and the salary for exactly what we NEEDED and so we know He has a plan for this too because He knows we can't carry 2 mortgages or 1 mortgage and rent. He knows!! And I do rest in that. I just get anxious at times since I have a little person growing inside of me that kind of needs a home, plus creates a lot more emotional responses from me! ;) And as of right now, Travis is in Des Moines finishing up his first week of work while the three of us stayed back to finish up some things. Next week we will join him in Des Moines. The only way that we are able to do that is due to the generosity and kindness of some very dear friends! I actually met Doug and Becky Taylor when I came to the Midwest in January '03. I didn't know anyone and my sister, who was in Peru during that time, knew them and loved them and they picked me up from the airport and let me stay at their home until school started. They helped me move in and I'd go over there and watch American Idol with them and Becky would make her DELICIOUS meals and they hosted a surprise b-day party for me. They really opened their family and home to me since mine was back in AZ. Anyway, Doug and Becky so graciously decided to let us stay with them as a family so we could be together while our house is on the market. We are so thankful for them, and are praying that the house really does sell soon so they aren't packing our bags for us! ;)

Since I updated last our family has grown even more! Trav's brother and his wife had a baby the beginning of June. They had a boy and named him Mason. He is growing like a weed and I have missed most of it due to again, the pregnancy, exhaustion and changes with having a 4 1/2 month old at that time. He is pretty cute though-got to see him last week and he was just giggling like crazy!! Such a sweetie! And then one of Trav's sisters and her husband had a baby just the beginning of this month. Her name is Chloe and is such a doll! She is so stinkin tiny and cute and sweet! I've gotten to snuggle with her a few times. One of the times I put her to sleep on my chest and her little ear made an imprint on me because she was snuggled in so well! I will definitely miss being in Sioux Falls with all of these sweet babes and our family!!! We also got to see my sis, her hubbie and my niece, Aniya, (they live in KY) over Labor Day weekend, which was awesome!!! My other sister's little boy, Krispen, turned one on Sept. 9th and so we made it back over to Rochester for his birthday.

So many things happened and so much fun was had! It really has been a busy summer and I'm hoping that things calm down! Ha! Oh, I forgot to mention that I also began homeschooling Landon the beginning of September. He is doing wonderfully! Today we have been going over letter sounds and figuring out what words start with what letter. I am thoroughly impressed that he figured out some of the words on his own since we are only working on the letter 'S' and sound that 'S' makes, but he knew non 'S' words even. I am really liking the curriculum we found. It is called My Father's World. I highly recommend it! We will get to observe an ant farm and watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly! What better hands-on science and nature work could he get?!?!? Plus, it is all centered around the Bible, which is important to us and was the main draw to this particular curriculum.

So yes, I've/we've been busy and I know it will remain the same for months to come. Looking forward to what God has in store for us! Bring it on! :) Oh, no we don't know the gender of our baby because we want to be surprised at the birth...just feels right this time around! :)

Sometimes a good spanking is in order!

Ok, so I know I've been quiet for over two months-and for good reasons of which I won't be diving into today. And I don't like talking politics or anything, nor do I want to use this blog as my soapbox. However, today I am making an exception.

I have to say that I am disgusted by the politicians that can't seem to get their acts together in order to come to an agreement by next Tuesday. I am a Republican through & through. That being said I honestly believe that both Democrats and Republicans are at fault for this standoff. I keep hearing the word compromise being thrown about by both parties. Compromise means that both sides need to give-not one taking & the other giving-and both parties are guilty of taking with no giving.

I told my husband last night that they are all acting like toddlers who don't want to share & who only want what they want & they only care about themselves. We don't let Landon behave that way, and if he did he would have a spanking. So, yes, I think that all of those politicians need a good old spanking to make them straighten up, get to work & quit letting their pride and egos take over & start representing the American people and what is actually best for our nation & quit worrying about their own individual agendas. I mean seriously? Am I asking or expecting too much here?

And DONE!

Life is about to get really interesting!!

I said last week that we were possibly taking an unexpected detour on our adoption journey. This detour is actually the very situation that got us thinking about now being the time to adopt. I mentioned in one of my first posts that my sister, Crystal, and her husband, Chris, had contacted us about a child but it didn't work out and we were moving on. Well, about a month ago God re-opened that door. There is a child that is in foster care right now-he is 5 months old. We were contacted by my brother-in-law, Chris, about social services needing to have a Plan B (adoption plan) in place for this baby boy in the event that he would not be reunited with his parents. This Saturday we are going to Eyota, MN, to have the Plan B meeting. This meeting will determine who will adopt this little boy if his parents don't do what they need to do in order to get him back. If we leave that meeting with Travis and I being chosen to adopt him then we will work with social services here in SD to complete background checks and a home study and I'm sure lots more! That won't guarantee that we will get him even if we are chosen because it all rests on his parents and what they do/don't do. Oh, and his mom is pregnant again and so we would need to agree to take that baby as well (which we SOOO do)! So, that in a nutshell is the other situation without giving away too many details since we don't want to be too forward with all of this since it is a sensitive matter.

Another thing that will make things A TON more interesting is Travis and I will be caring for my niece, Izzabella, starting next week. I fly down from Rochester to AZ on Tuesday and then I will fly back with her and my mom, who is down in AZ for work right now, on Wednesday. I am closing daycare all next week to help her adjust as much as possible before I have to jump back in with caring for other children. Travis is also taking off of work (both jobs) as well to make the transition as smooth as possible. Izzabella is 4 months old and has been through plenty in her few months. We really feel lead to take this step and know that our families are supporting us in this. My family, since it is my sister's daughter, knows this is the step to be taken and Travis and I are in the best place right now to take on a 4 month old since both of my other sisters just had babies within the last year. It will be for an indefinite amount of time-basically until my sister does what she needs to do and can have her back.

I am definitely having some anxiety and stress along with peace that this is God's plan and His will for us right now. I'm stressing about finances because we've never had the cost of formula and we will now for Izzabella and diapers again. Then we are looking to get this other baby and his sibling. We would have to get a minivan. And for those that have them-NO OFFENSE INTENDED but those that know me really well know how much I don't like them!!! They have great features but I want to be a SUV mom, not a minivan mom!! I will have to surrender to it though. Then Travis's F/T job is becoming less and less stable. We are actually heavily looking at any accountant positions here in Sioux Falls, the Twin Cities and Des Moines-we have ties in all of those places. Travis's family definitely doesn't want to see us go and we don't want to leave our friends and family either, but we feel we need to be sensitive to where God may be taking us. We have just so much uncertainty in our lives' right now that we know God is working on something big and they are all kind of associated-all of the uncertain things God is working for one main goal and one big picture...I don't know how much sense that makes being written out but it makes sense in my head! All that being said, we do have a peace because we know it isn't a coincidence that all of this is happening all at the same time...it is clear God is working!! It's an awesome feeling to be in a situation and to feel Him at work...like nothing else!! :)

So, that is 'us' and where we are right now. I'm excited to see where God takes us in the coming months!!! One of my sisters-in-law said yesterday "When it rains, it pours...babies!!" We laughed because this is such a crazy, wonderful situation to be in right now. Having been faced with infertility and the idea that Landon's feet would be the last to do the little 'pitter-patter' on our floors just broke our hearts. Now we are almost being faced with too many children...what a blessing! We know God will work out the finances and give me the patience that I will need to watch so many little ones if that is the route this goes. We are just waiting....anxiously waiting, but waiting nonetheless.

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was wonderful! My hubbie got up early and made french toast, sausage & eggs for breakfast. Then Landon and Travis gave me my presents-which were a new coffee rug for the kitchen, red canisters for baking ingredients and wall plaques with the coffee theme (I'm changing the theme of my kitchen from roses to coffee). I was so excited!! Then after church we went over to my wonderful sis-in-law's, Karla and her hubbie Kelly, for some ribs & chicken, cheesy hashbrowns, rolls, an awesome salad and I made some cute spring themed cupcakes. We spent all afternoon over there with Karla & Kelly and Trav's brother, Darin and his wife, Jerilyn. Karla, Jerilyn and I spent the afternoon talking labor and babies because Karla and Jerilyn are both expecting their first children this summer. It was lots of fun! It really was a great day!

Even through all of the goings-on of the day, one main thought kept running through my head. That thought was about how blessed I truly am. I started thinking about it that morning when my husband was praying for our breakfast and thanking the Lord for me and all that I do and he had so much praise for me. In that moment, I was truly humbled. I felt humbled because it was through that praise for me that I realized just how inadequate I was and how gracious my husband was for saying I did this and that and was this and that but I really didn't see that. All I could see was my intense need for Christ and how I am utterly dependent on Him to try and fill the shoes that my family needs me to fill. I see my need for a Savior even more because I know I can't live up to the expectations put on me without my Savior. I fail every time when I try to be a wife and mother in my own strength. When I complain, gripe or have a bad attitude about serving or ministering to my family, I pray that God will work in spite of me to show them Christ. I feel unworthy of the praise and feel even more of a need to praise my God, who is worthy and who is everything that we sing about. One song that demonstrates this is the Aaron Shust song, "My Savior, My God". So, now you can see why I am so humbled and so blessed-I have a wonderful family and an Awesome God!!