John Deere

At the beginning of the year Mike made the decision to begin pursuing a job at John Deere. It was a hard decision for us to make as we loved the company he was working for but our family grew much faster than we had anticipated and our bank account was running dry. The decision was made solely because of money. It was one aspect but not the cause. As much as we loved & believed in the company he was working with we were feeling led to at least check out what John Deere had to offer. It has since become a little clearer as to why God was leading us this way but I'll save that for another post and another time.

The interview and hiring process was super fast and efficient and they were very, very interested in him which, I think, was a great confidence boost for him. He started February 27. Adjusting to a new place and a new schedule has been interesting but we're getting into the groove. The biggest adjustment for me has been having to take Elliot to pre-school and pick him up. Everytime. This is probably old hat to most other moms but I was super spoiled with Husband's old job since he was able to set his own schedule & come and go when he needed to. This was great for me since he would take him to school on his way to work, then pick him up & meet me somewhere so I didn't have to unbuckle, unload, load, unbuckle all the girls each time. We've gotten into a pretty good groove now but we're still kind of a circus. Elliot is usually bouncing off the walls excited, Hadley is usually being a drama queen & 75% of the time she's throwing a fit on our way in in the morning. I wear one of the girls in the Baby K'tan & push the other one in an umbrella stroller. I've recently started bribing Hadley with treats just so she'll get out of the van and come with us. After having her almost get run over by a van in the parking lot I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep her from going into full fledged drama queen mode in the middle of the parking lot. Yesterday Mrs. J told us we only have 8 classes left. WHAT?!?!?!? Last night I signed Elliot up for a couple summer programs to help keep him busy :)

Anyway, back to John Deere. It's been a good move and one that we believe was in the best interest of our family. Hopefully soon we can elaborate on why we believe it was divine leading. I know. I know you're all probably sitting on the edge of your seat ;) But until then you can enjoy a picture of the kidlets in their John Deere get-up.

Easter 2012

Easter was a bit strange for us this year. We kept it very, very low key and didn't overload on places to be and stuff to do. Husband played bass at church for the five services we had at our main campus which meant he was gone all of Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. We did manage to get a few eggs colored, an egg hunt done, 'baskets' opened and attend church. We didn't have a huge spread out Easter dinner but grilled out instead. It was actually really nice to keep it super simple and just be. I felt really wiped out - probably from getting up in the middle of the night with K several times the week before. I'm not sure what has been up with her but she seems to hate sleeping in the middle of the night. She doesn't even want to sleep on Mommy! Crazy girl.

A couple weeks before Easter I took the kids to a local photog for some Easter pictures. I LOVED them. She's taken other holiday pictures of the kids and they always turn out great. This time they were outside so Mum-Mum & Papa came along with us to help corral. She had live baby chicks and bunnies! E was really into the bunnies while they were in the cage. As soon as it was loose he freaked. A, however, was a grumpy-puss when we got there (& you can tell in the pictures) but as soon as that bunny was set down in front of her she was EXCITED. Poor bunny :( She desperately wanted the fur off that rabbit (it was super, super soft) and she kept reaching down and touching and grabbing and pulling. H & K just looked at it but as soon as it made one move E was up and crouched into the fetal position behind his sisters. One of the funniest things I have ever seen! It was awesome. So....without any further ado I'll share some pictures of the kiddos from their Easter session. I think they're all pretty darn adorable - not that I'm biased or anything.

This was seconds before E freaked out about the bunny. A is reaching for it - she apparently loves animals. Or bunnies at least.

My first two babies caught in a rare moment.

E - 3 years old

H - 2 years old

My littlest loves

K & A - 10 months old