House Cleaning Gift

After having my 4th daughter, some family members were unsure of what sort of gift to get for us. They figured we already had enough toys and clothes, etc. My grandmother, a mother of five, came up with the idea.....a gift certificate for a house cleaning service!

Some aunts, uncles and my grandmother all pitched in. One of Micah's grandmother's had also given me some money to use in whatever way would be most helpful, so I added that to the pot too. I had exactly enough for two complete cleanings.

I just had the first done. I'm so glad I waited until after Christmas because now I have nothing to do but sit back and enjoy it. My house is so clean and sparkling that I can't wipe the smile from my face.

What a tremendous gift and blessing!!!

Arnold Fashion House

One of the best "toys" I ever bought were a few yards of fabric in various colors on the clearance rack at the fabric store. The girls have spent countless hours creating fashions for the other - wrapping the different pieces every which way to create a new look every time.

#1 got a book on the history of fashion from one of her grandmothers for Christmas this year. Now, they have started working on the fine art of recreating the fashions from the days of yore.

Here, #1 has worked her magic to turn #2 into an Egyptian Queen circa 1800 BC

My wonderfully crazy last few months....

I am behind on everything in every aspect of my life. You name it, I'm behind on it. Why? We welcomed our fourth baby into our lives about 2 months ago. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of love, sleeplessness, new adjustments, dirty diapers and did I mention love?

Her three big sisters absolutely adore her. I'm fortunate to have not had to deal with any jealousy from any of the girls as each new sibling has come into the picture. With the birth of each new sister, they continue to think it's the greatest thing ever. The result is fighting over who gets to hold the baby, constantly kissing her and petting her - especially when she's sound asleep - and lots of singing to her.

I'm tired. Very very tired. Every time I sit down, I nod off, so sometimes it's better to not sit down. 4 kids threw me for a loop. I had no trouble adjusting to 3, so I thought it would be no problem. Not so. I have my theories as to why, but who knows.

For the first few weeks, I stayed very close to home. The baby wanted to be held all of the time and screamed for the duration of every car ride. My potty-training, not quite two year old is the most active child I've ever had (and that's saying A LOT) and frankly, I just didn't have enough hands.

However, Christmas break came at the PERFECT time and everything is getting easier. Micah took a week off and we could work as a team. Not having a firm schedule was wonderful. Most importantly, #4 "aged" a just enough to make things more manageable. Car rides are much easier and I don't have to hold her 24/7. I've had a chance to get my bearings and things are looking up. We also got to do fun things like visit the Children's Museum and take a family hike - Micah had #3 in a backpack and I had #4 strapped to my front. The big girls hiked the 3.5 miles all by themselves without complaint! We were quite the site on the mountain and I laughed at the guy who stopped to count.

Today was the first day back to school for the two older ones and I'm feeling refreshed and capable again. I'm still behind on everything, but at least I can start catching up.

We are so incredibly blessed and filled with wonder and awe at the gifts we've been given. Thank you God!