August Fields

the treehouse.

this past spring the kids were out in the woods with my dad (opa) and they all got the big idea to build a treehouse.  
my dad was all in from the beginning.  he had boone draw a plan and asked all the kids to think about what they wanted the treehouse to look like.  
then opa went to the bookstore and bought some books about treehouses.  he drew up the plans himself, considering the input he received from his grandkids 🙂
one day when opa was out in the woods measuring and putting string out between the trees, my neighbor walked over.  he is a retired builder.  he struck up conversation with my dad and before you know it, he too was all in on this project.  what a blessing!
just like during the garden project, the kids were outside watching and helping every day!

such treasured memories were being captured daily.  as a side note, these experiences help solidify our choice to homeschool.  being with each other through the building process, sharing excitement over the latest completed section of the treehouse during lunch,  helping opa with cleanup and tool fetching as well as fixing and serving lunch.

countless hours have been logged into the playtime in this treehouse already!!!

and every single day (unless its raining) the kids have been in the treehouse.  such a fun project that has proved to be an awesome investment!  thank you opa!  WE LOVE YOU!

first day of homeschool. 2012-2013.

this is our 7th year homeschooling!  
here are our pictures of our first day.  (please notice hank’s dress shoes….love him!)

dubs.  3 years old.
hank.  5 years old.

boone.  7 years old.

dancy.  9 years old.

deanie.  11 years old.

our “conservative” school picture 🙂

and our “we’re wild and crazy!!!” school picture.

day one.  baby A is adjusting well to his bouncy seat and swing.  these are two things we use to keep him occupied during school.  or i’m holding/feeding/wearing him 🙂

dubs is PUMPED to be involved in school this year!  i’m finding a lot of fun ideas on pinterest.
and can you see the workboxes in the background?  i’ve figured a way to make it work for our family and i reallllly like them!

the nursery.

i finally found some time to snap a few pictures of the nursery!  
the furniture stayed the same from the last baby and we just layered some new colors and decorations.

jeremiah 1:5 is little A’s life verse.  
the kids and i had enjoyed a cool summer day creating this painting.  they are so excited that i actually hung it on the wall as a focal point!  i think they did great 🙂

the crib bedding is from miss polly’s piece goods on etsy.  carolyn was so great to work with and i am very happy with the way it turned out.

the musical cradle was mine when i was a baby and the wooden helicopter was a gift from our small group at church.  little A’s name is carved in on the other side.

my dad was my decorating hero during the pregnancy.  he came over and hung several items on walls for me!  including everything in the nursery.

we just had little A’s black and white pictures taken and we’ll be adding them to the gallery wall soon.

one month.

little A is one month.

we are all in love.  again.

he is a champion eater and is, at this point, still waking up 2-3 times/night to nurse.

he has piercing blue eyes that love to look around and seek out his surroundings.

i love to hold him and he loves to be held.

we use a halo swaddle blanket to snug him up tight and it calms him almost immediately.

the other kids all love on him.  i am so thankful that my children have learned to love each other and take care of each other.

i get my jammies on when the kids do.  i wash my face and am done for the day when the kids are put to bed.  i follow shortly after.

this past month my mom has come over often and has helped with laundry, general cleaning and helping with the older kids. i am so thankful.  my mother in law has helped with meals, snacks and the older kids as well.  they both continue to teach me how i want to be a grandmother some day.

baby is here!

its a BOY!  
our 9lb. 10oz. little miracle made a grand entrance into this world.  while we did make it to the hospital,
he was born just under an hour after we arrived!
for now we’ll refer to him as little A, here on the blog, until a more suitable nickname emerges 🙂

he was a big baby, but not my biggest!  hank (the blonde) was 10lbs. even.  and deanie (our oldest) was only 6lb. 4oz.

so i’ve experienced it all 🙂

we are all adjusting very well at home and all the kids are smitten with little A.  

for the past couple of days little A has been in a feeding frenzy!  i’m nursing about every 2 hours…yikes!  i’m also pumping in the mornings and he takes a bottle and a paci.  bonus!

this was his first bath at home 🙂  now he practically sleeps through his baths and loves the warm water. and i love a delicious smelling newborn! 🙂

look at those lips! 🙂  little A tends to be a bit gassy so holding him face down on our arm and swaying brings his little tummy relief and as you can see, a very sound sleep.

the girls are having too much fun taking pictures of all his funny expressions!

i hope to post more but must honestly say that for awhile they may be far a few between.  we just have to wait and see how it goes. 🙂

thank you for all the kind comments throughout my pregnancy!!