Sibling Love

I thought I had better write this post while I still think it is true. :)  Before Olivia arrived we wondered how the older two would react with a new baby in the house.  We have been pleasantly surprised.  Both Micah & Rebecca have taken to Olivia and are always wanting to help calm her when she gets upset.  We have been able to capture many precious moments on the camera so I wanted to share them with you.  I will probably look back at this post in the years to come and try to remember when the kids "liked" each other.

Farewell

My sister and brother-in-law (Melinda & Brian) left on Monday night to start their mission work in Maldonado, Uruguay.  It was a heart wrenching moment when we had to say good-bye to them, but God has asked to send them on their way with our blessing and so we are doing so.  They arrived safely on Tuesday night, but their 10 pieces of luggage are dragging their feet and decided that they didn't want to arrive on time.  While we will miss them terribly we are so thankful for the modern technology that allows us to stay in contact.  (Facebook and Skype are wonderful!)  Here are some photos from the airport and the final good-byes. 

 Melinda finishing the taping and zip-tying of their totes.  We wanted to weigh them before we sealed them all shut.

The kids playing on their luggage.

 A final photo with my them.  Olivia has loved having Uncle Brian across the street - not sure what she is going to do without him!

Up the steps to security they go.  We miss them already, but we love them and know that they are following God's plan for them!

Baptism

Last Sunday we had the privilege of baptizing Olivia.  It was a special time for us to commit ourselves to raising her to follow our Lord and Savior.  It was extra special because friends of our baptized their twins who were born just a month before Olivia.  It was wonderful to share the day with them!

 Olivia wore the same dress as her grandma, mom, aunt and big sister. 

It was also special because Micah & Rebecca were able to sing in church with their Sunday School classes.  I actually got some good pics because we sat so close to the front! :) (Micah is 2nd from the left in the back and Rebecca is in the 2nd row about in the middle.)

Trick or Treat

This year we had a pit crew member, a mouse and a little tiny puppy.  Not much candy, but they still had tons of fun! :)

Poor Baby

Those of you who know our family, know that we have a history of ear troubles with our kids.  Micah had several (& I mean several) ear infections prior to his first (& only) set of tubes.  Rebecca has had the same difficulty but to a higher degree.  More ear infections and 2 sets of tubes along with her adenoids being taken out.  (Both of them are doing much better, but I do anticipate that Rebecca will have at least one ear infection this winter.)  What I can't believe is that our littlest member is heading down the same path as her brother and sister.

Just over a week ago Rebecca came home with a cold.  No big deal for her, but for her 2 week old sister it is a big deal.  Try as we may to keep them apart, Olivia came down with her sister's cold starting last week Friday.  Of course I was concerned that Olivia would come down with RSV just because she is so little.  We kept a close eye on her all weekend and with no improvement I decided to take her to the doctor on Monday just to make sure everything was okay.

On Sunday evening I had said to Nick, "Watch, I bet that she has an ear infection."  I really just said it in jest and we both dismissed it because we had never heard of a 2 1/2 week old with an ear infection.  Besides she didn't act like her ear hurt.

Monday morning came and I took her to the doctor.  After closely listening to her heart & lungs he checked out her teeny, tiny ears and low and behold - fluid and redness(!) - a sure sign that there is an infection.  Both the doctor and I (and the student doctor) were so surprised.  Here it is only October and the smallest member of a family with a history of ear infection has an ear infection - sounds like it could be a long winter....

A round of antibiotics was prescribed and Tylenol on an as need basis and things seem to be looking up for little Olivia.

Sleeping has posed some interesting situations and Olivia has slept in several different positions in the hope of getting her to sleep.  Here is a photo from yesterday.  I smashed the Bobby pillow into the cradle to both prop her up and hold her tight. Big brother has also been great at holding her and comforting her.

We hope that it was just a freak one - time occurrence, but we will have to see what the coming months bring.

Welcome Olivia!

Olivia Faith was born at 7:45 on Wednesday, October 6.  She weighed 6 lb 6 ozs and was 20.25 inches long.  She is a wonderful addition to the family and her big brother and sister are absolutely in love with her.  Here are a few snap shots from her first days of life.

Getting closer!

The kid's paper chain is getting shorter and mom is soooo thankful!  Becca was sitting on the couch by me earlier this week and she rubbed my stomach and said "Mom, I think it is time for the baby to come."  All I could do was sit and agree with here.  We are all getting a bit impatient, but we know that God has everything planned.  Hopefully this little one will be arriving soon!

Tooth Problems :)

Someone is going to have a hard time eating in the next few months! :)

Fishing Round 2

Uncle Brian & Aunt Melinda got Micah a fishing pole for his birthday and since Micah's parent's do not fish that means that they have to take him! :)  Thursday afternoon after school was a perfect afternoon for a little bit of fishing.  He had a marvelous time even if the Lighting McQueen fishing pole didn't bring any fish in.

Checking out the afternoon's catches.

The kids were very curious.  Becca even touched one!  I was so shocked!

Micah holding up the fish (even though none of them belonged to him).

Great photo with Uncle Brian and Aunt Melinda!  Micah had a wonderful time again and Becca was just thrilled to be there for 5 minutes! :)

Birthday Party Fun!

As in the years past we celebrated Micah & Rebecca's birthday at the same time.  (Both August birthdays - it is a lot easier to do just one party!)  It was a fun night with the family and, of course, food! :)

Recent Flooding

I finally find time to do this post now that the rivers are going back down.  It is hard to believe that amount of rain that we received a few weeks ago.  One Sunday we were going to go to Nick's parents for the evening and started to hear reports that there was water over the road.  So we headed out like normal. :) Fortunately the water never made it over the road, but as you will see from the pics it was as close as anyone had ever seen it. 

What I find crazy is that there shouldn't be any water in any of these pictures!  There should be crops growing where there is water!  At least it stopped raining, but not before many farmers lost their crops and many homes were damaged. :(

Ozarks Fun

Last weekend we had the treat of heading to the Ozarks for a long weekend with Nick's family.  A lovely relaxing weekend was had by all!

Becca first trip down the waterslide.  She was terrified, but she went 2 more times! 

Micah slipping and sliding his way down.

At one point we shared our pool with a large frog.  Micah was not to excited about this swimming beside him.

After much commotion and work, Nick was finally able to capture the unwelcome guest and threw him far into the timber.

My handsome men after a hot night of mini-golf!