Abbey Frances turns 3!!

My little Abbey turned 3!! We had her to the doctor yesterday. She weighs a whopping 23 pounds and was 36 inches tall. That puts Abbey in the 1% for her weight and the 25th% for her height. Our doctor asked if I was always small like I am now. I pretty much always was, and Trent is also very thin, so he was not concerned. He said that he did want to make us aware that if we are interested she could go to Hershey to have growth hormone shots. He said he doesn't really recommend it but he makes his patients aware of the option because he has had some people get very upset that they didn't know this was an option. I love each of my children just the way they are, and at this point in time, Abbey is small and that is just a part of who she is, and we love her just the way she is and wouldn't change her!

Abbey has learned a lot in the past year. She is excellent at memorizing and has memorized quite a bit of Scripture. We are also working on writing her name. I made the mistake of teaching Anne to write her name using all capital letters since they are easier to write. Now I am finding myself trying to re-teach her to write her name using the appropriate letters. To make things simpler on myself I am teaching Abbey the correct way to write her name. She can write "A-b-b..." but struggles with the lowercase e, but can sometimes do the y.

She obviously loves Annie, and when asked who her best friend is she answers, "Annie!" without hesitation.  Recently Abbey and Magdalena have become great chums. Sometimes Maggie is the first awake from naps and when I ask her who she wants to wake up first she answers, "Abbey!" Just last night Abbey and Maggie were hugging each other so tight they would fall over onto the floor and roll around laughing. They would get up and do it again. If Abbey is crying, Maggie will go over to her and hug her and comfort her.

It is a lot of fun for me to see the children getting along so well. Of course, this isn't always the case, but in general our girls get along great.

We are thankful to have a good prescription for Abbey. At her last check-up she was seeing 20-20. Sometimes when we put her glasses on her in the morning she will say, "There! Now I can see better!"

Abbey continues to enjoy puzzles. She also enjoys books, and owls. Her most recent obsession is picking flowers.

For her daddy-daughter birthday day they went for a wild morning out. You know, crazy things like taking the car to get the oil changed. While they waited inside she got to drink root beer and have a huge gum ball. Then they went through the car wash. They stopped at Toys-R-Us and she chose to buy a little toy puppy with her birthday money from Nana & Great-Grampa. She is so thoughtful and also wanted to buy one for Annie and Maggie. She was excited because it cost $3, and she is 3!! Then they went to Long's Park and she wanted Daddy to push her on the swings for awhile. They ate lunch at our favorite place in the city, Splits & Giggles. She had "gwilled cheese" and "weawwy chocowate ice cweam cone."

Abbey lives up to her name and brings joy into our home. We are so thankful for this little sweetie!

Home Pre-School

*Sisters-Best Friends*

Home Pre-School. I had been kicking around the idea of working with the girls some more with their letters (mainly Abbey since Anne already knows her alphabet), but thought I should probably do it on a more regular basis and have some new and creative ideas to put with them.

Thanks to Trent's cousin, Dana, who blogs at Growing by the Sea I was introduced to ABC Scripture Memory. I thought a simple thing to do would be to do a Letter of the Week (starting with A) and correlate the Scripture memory to go with it. I thought this would also give me a good idea if homeschooling while having toddlers and babies would even be feasible for me.

Well, I love it. I try to have fun craft to go with each letter. For "C" we colored an upper and lower case "C" to look like the spots on a cow. Then we went to our local dairy and looked at the cows. (We actually do this almost every week when we get milk, but we focused our time there that week with making the sound that "c" makes and looking for other words that start with the letter "c").

The children love it (even my crazy Magdalena!). Maggie likes to trace the letter of the week with her finger, the other girls have practice writing their letters, they have some activity books that they find really enjoyable. And, the best thing that I have found about teaching them at home is that we can go outside and have "Adventures for A", pick "Berries for B", go see the "Cows", we bought a "Dresser" on craigslist. So really, everywhere we go that week we focus on finding words that start with that letter. The children are really encouraging to one another. It's not uncommon to hear Anne tell Abbey, "Great job, Abbey! I didn't even think of that. Yeah, crow starts with "C"!!"

We still have about a year to decide what to do for school. After this brief trial run I think I could not only just homeschool, but I could love homeschooling the girls. Our local public school has Kindergarten just 1/2 day and provide busing in the morning and the late afternoon. So I would be responsible to either pick Anne up from school at 11:30 (toting all my other little kiddies with me right before lunch), or I would have to drop her off for afternoon kindergarten around 1:00 (you know, nap time). And I'm sure I could do this, even though it seems like a lot, but the other issue is that I would have to do this 3 years in a row.

So, we're still undecided at this point. Maybe I would just homeschool for Kindergarten. Although I'm sure it'll be hard to let her go after that. What can I say? I love being a Mama and a teacher.

Passing it Along

I somehow stumbled upon this wonderful blog "Big House in the Little Woods" written by a homeschooled high school girl.

Her post called Doors closed, Opened, and Indefinite is a must-read.

Trent and I have talked endlessly of whether we are following God's will or not for our lives, and how do we know?? Most recently these discussions take place because of how we have been feeling that God is leading us to foster care. But, is God really leading us there or did we lead ourselves there?

Right now we are in the paperwork part of foster care. We are waiting for some clearances to come back, Trent still needs to get his fingerprints done, and we are aiming to have our homestudy completed in June.

We have purchased things that we need to get our home ready for more children and we are praying that God will put the child or children in our home who need to be here. Will you pray that for us as well?

Completed Crafts

As promised, I am posting pictures of crafts I have recently completed. Obviously, some of them take more time than others, and I will attempt to be true and honest and give credit where credit is due. Many of these are not my own ideas or patterns and so, whenever possible, I will be linking to the source I used for directions but will insert any modifications I did to make it my own.

First up:
A cable-knit baby blanket. I found this pattern at LULUKNITS.


Some modifications that I made as opposed to the pattern she provided is that I used size 10 straight needles and the cable needles that look like safety pins. She used a thin yarn (that is beautiful) but i went with a chunky weight green called "After Dark". Since I went with a heavier yarn I did not pull from 2 balls. I did use 4 balls of yarn totaling about 400 yards. Her pattern created 8 cable patterns but since I used a chunky yarn I went with just 6. The finished blanket was about 24" wide and 36" long.


It definitely isn't perfect. I made a couple of mistakes that always seemed to happen when I was trying to talk and knit at the same time (as I said, I'm not super-skilled!). But, I think the end result was nice and I hope it'll be a nice soft blanket for my nephew who is to be born April 26! And, cable-knitting really wasn't as difficult as what I thought it would be!

Next: The Hallway Bench

This project originated from something I found on Pinterest. I must admit, I had quite an addiction to that site for awhile. Anyway, it led me to this gem of a project. When we moved to this big old farmhouse I decided it would be a good idea to have a hallway bench for the kids to sit on when they come in the door to take their shoes off right away. So I found this beauty on craiglist for $30. I also got lost trying to find the place and it took much longer to get there than it should have.


When I brought it home, I noticed this strange odor coming from the bench... Never a good sign. I wasn't a fan of the pattern on the bench anyway, and when Trent helped me carry the bench into the house the back started to come off.



I was fearless in my ambition regarding this smelly bench. I would reupholster it. Had I ever done that?? Of course not, but with Sabby in Suburbia as my guide, anything is possible right??


I had my trusty helpers sand down the legs once I got off all the disgusting old layers. (Is this child labor??)



I found the cause of the smell during this process. At some point in its existence the bench must have gotten soaking wet and the foam got moldy and nasty.



As you can see, I painted the legs what I deemed a country green.



Then upholstered it according to Sabby's directions. I chose not to put the back on the bench since I thought it would just hit against and scuff up the wall and make the whole project more difficult.




I also went with 2 inch foam from JoAnn's (50% off) then did the batting, then a lightweight cream colored fabric, and then finally the burlap top. I did the cream fabric below since burlap is see-through. I also chose not to do the button tufting since I thought that seemed like a great way for dirt and crumbs from the kiddos to collect on my pretty bench.



I did this whole thing while the kids napped. It was like running a marathon. If I were to do it again I would take my time with it so that I didn't feel so rushed. But anyway, I think the end result was real pretty and it suits its purpose. (Please note, this is NOT a cheap craft. I'm not positive, but it may be cheaper to just buy a pretty bench. You don't get the same satisfaction of creating your own, but if you're looking for an inexpensive craft, this is not the one for you.)

The signs:
The credit for these is two-fold. First Pinterest - specifically Down to Earth Style gave me the idea of the name sign with the year we were married. But my dear friend Angie has created many lovely signs with old barn boards, often putting Bible verses on them using hand-painted words in the style I used (long and narrow letters). So I borrowed the idea from both sources and I'm very pleased with how they turned out.

One is for me! I used an already painted & chipped board I found in our chicken coop.



Then I cleaned it up. I wanted a country green and only had a bright green, so I put my degree in elementary education to the test. Yellow + Blue = Green.

and painted our name on it.



I tried to match it to my country green on our bench and the sign now hangs above the bench. Eventually I'd like to get a large photo of our family to hang beneath the sign.


Then I made one as a gift for my sister. I did my sister's second and I do think the writing on her sign turned out prettier. Her house has more of a beach theme, and her board was completely unpainted. I went with a bright white for her background and then a dark blue for the lettering.



The flowers:


There really isn't much to say here. I just thought the combo of the forsythia and whatever these adorable little white flowers that grow on a bush are was lovely. Plunked them in a Mason jar and was done. (But I must say, the girls LOVE having flowers and weeds to pick. Abbey is her ever-diligent self in picking, picking, picking.)

The Key-holder:


I'm not sure who to credit this project to, other than my mom. She always loses her keys when she comes to my house, so I thought it would be appropriate to have somewhere to hang them. I found this piece of wood in the chicken coop and cleaned it up. Then I used some of the leftover spray paint from the bench (Valspar "Leafy Rise"). The star hooks I purchased from Kruenpeeper Creek Country Gifts. Since the wood was much darker than the legs of the bench the green looks a little different, but I like it. I also sanded it lightly to give it a distressed look.

I'll wait for another day to write about Preschool. All I will say for now is that we are having a lot of fun!!

updates

A few random Hess updates:

At Maggie's 18 month check-up she was 32 inches and weighed 20 pounds. Believe it or not, this is EXACTLY what Abbey was at 18 months. When Anne was 18 months she was 33 3/4 inches and weighed 24 pounds. It's kind of interesting to think of Maggie and Abbey being the same size at that age because Abbey always seemed so much more petite.

We're gearing up for Easter and Abbey's 3rd birthday. Since it's nearly impossible to shop for the girls since they're always with me I've done all my shopping online this year. It's beautiful! There's no trying to hide stuff in the cart so they don't see it and packages are being delivered to my doorstep. What's on the menu for this big 3-year-old?? Mac & cheese and Owl cupcakes. Could there be a better meal?

I don't know if you all know this or not, but I like to pretend I'm crafty. I don't feel it's right that I actually claim to be crafty since I use Pinterest or other people to find ideas and I mimic them. But anyway, I'm hoping to have some time next week to upload some photos of some projects I've recently completed. As you can see, I'm more of a Jack of all trades, master of none type of person. I just like to try everything!

Just to tease, here's a sample list of what I've done:
- Knitted a baby blanket for my up-and-coming nephew
- Reupholstered and painted a hallway bench
- Painted a sign or 2
- Tried my hand at flower arranging
- Made a Key holder rack thingy (real technical, I know)
- Started a preschool program with my girls
- Cut and donated Annie and Abbey's hair

Look for me to update with pictures next week!!

Life in the Country

We are so excited to be out in the country. This house is old and it's big and it's outdated, but we love it. We're starting to feel a little bit more settled. I have shades or curtains on most of the windows.... On a side note, do you know how many windows this old house has? 15 downstairs and 15 upstairs. That is 30 windows for those of you who are not skilled in mental math.

I've been having too much fun slowly choosing items to put in our house. We wanted to get a night stand for our bedroom and I found one I liked on Craigslist. When I went to look at it the "table" was bigger than I thought it was going to be. But, it was perfect for a phone table which we were also looking for. The gentleman I bought it from is retired, probably in his 70's and enjoys making furniture from old things (tables, dressers, etc) so the legs and the drawer are old, but the top is new. It's beautiful right?


But now I was left without a night stand and all the way in Ephrata. The man told me that he sells some of his furniture to a little *5 & dime* called "Treasure Nook". He warned me that they really mark up the price. I figured I was already far from home and this little place was just a mile down the road. I stopped in. I noticed the furniture that was Richard's right away. (He does beautiful work!) But, this little piece caught my fancy and the price was right. I think it fits nicely in our old farmhouse.


We were also looking for a dining room table and chairs. We never intended to take our old one with us (it was Trent's when he was living with his guy friends while in college. Need I say more??) If I had my wish (and unlimited $$$) I'd have something like THIS from Old Barn Star (only longer). A farm table, chairs & bench made from an old barn?? That sounds perfect to this old soul. But, since I'm living in real life I had to settle for something else. I found something that I think will be good for our family for several years to come.


Another perk of living in the country is the smell of manure. Okay, just kidding. But since we have an Amish landlord at least the kids get to see him plowing the fields with a team of horses. Jake (our landlord) was at our house just this morning to fix a pipe in the basement. The girls were bugging me to ask Jake if they could pet his horses (he drove down a team of 2 Belgium horses named Mike and Mack--- yes, I also had to ask this question). When Jake was cleaning up and preparing to leave, I asked if the girls could pet his horses. He said, "Yeah, of course!" So, we walked down to where they were tied and he lifted Annie up to pet them. (Did you know Belgium horses are huge?) She was so brave and excited. He lifted Abbey up next and she also was very, VERY brave. Maggie just kept saying "hause, hause!"

Then Jake said, "Do you want to sit up on his back?" Annie's eyes were shining like she had won the lottery. Jake lifted her up onto his huge back and Anne was on cloud 9. I said, "Oh man, I wish I had my camera!" Jake said, "Do you wanna run in and get it?" I couldn't believe my ears. I mean, I thought Amish didn't approve of pictures? I'll have to ask him about that someday, but not this day. I ran into the house and back out with my camera on low-battery. Jake said, "What if we put them both up there together?" Oh my, how precious would that be? He put Abbey up first and she held on tight. While he was lifting Annie the horse took a couple steps forward and Annie bumped her head on a wire holding the telephone pole up. Of course, tears ensued. I snapped a picture quick of Abbey. Can you believe this girl? I mean, she weighs 24 pounds fully dressed with her boots on. I couldn't believe it!


Jake was continually apologizing to Annie for accidentally bumping her head and was asking her forgiveness. She did forgive him, and he said, "It would make me real happy to see you get back up on that horse again. Do you want to try? Mommy can lift you up and I'll hold the horse so he doesn't move." Ummm.. did I mention my children are braver than me??? I was a little nervous being that close to the horse, but I lifted her up as best as I could (did I tell you this horse is enormous?) and she wriggled herself on so she was steady. I stepped back and snapped the picture. Can you see Jake's hand holding the horse tight as promised?


Yes, I love life in the country.

Moopsy turns 18 months

**One of my favorites. This is a very typical look for Magdalena:
A little mischievous, ready to run, grin.**

I know a lot of people don't use nick-names for their children. In fact, some people purposely choose names that cannot be shortened or request that people do not attempt to change their given names. I have no problem with that, but I'm definitely not one of those people. I think our kids each have 10 different nick-names.

(Cheese!)

Some of Magdalena's names are: Mags, Maggie, Magdie, Moopsy, Sissy, Baby, and Magda. I'm sure if A&A were awake they could think of more.

And this is a Magdalena post.

As I always say, "Where did the time go??" We have reached yet another milestone for this little girl. This precious bundle who started out so small.

Here's what Magdie likes to do:
~Run
~Chase sisters
~Play Magdie-Monster (a game in which she chases sisters)
~Close doors (this drives me crazy)
~Sleep in her toddler bed
~Climb on things that she shouldn't
~Yell (especially when she knows it is upsetting Annie)
~Wake up big sisters from their naps
~Read books
~Look at tractors out her window
~Hold Petey's leash
~Holding/sleeping with "big teddy"

(Mags and "Big Teddy")

Here's what Magdalena does not like to do:
~Sit still
~Stay in her crib
~Be looked at too closely by children who are not her siblings
~Sit at the table after she's finished eating

(Hold still?? What does that mean?)

Maggie is really starting to talk a lot. She can put about 3 words together to make a short sentence. These usually start with "I want..." and can sound like, "I want Mommy", "I want down", "I want tractor", etc. At this point she is definitely a Mama's girl, to a fault. She is really good when I'm not in the room. As soon as I come into the room she wants me to pick her up. If I don't pick her up she will usually scream and cling to my leg. So in general she's attached at the hip. I have to remind myself when I go to compare her to her siblings that they were both "big sisters" by this time, so they didn't really do what Magdalena is doing. They were already in big sister mode. I think it's high time this little girl has someone younger than her so she's no longer "Baby".

(My baby... can you see my hands in the picture?? I had to hold her because she wanted to run away!)

Trent, Annie, and Abbey often like to point out to me how big Magdie is and how she's really growing up quickly. I know it is true, but it is a little hard to swallow. Not that I want her to remain a baby forever, but it just makes me a little sad to see how quickly these years are going past.

Love those feet!

I know Maggie weighs 21 pounds since we were at the doctor last week, but I'm not sure how long (or short) she is. We'll go in a couple weeks for her 18 month check-up. I'll do a stats-comparison whenever we go!

Look at this little stinker!