Happy Birthday Janie

We had so much fun celebrating Janie's special day.  We feel so grateful for her.  She is such a blessing to our family.  I feel so humbled in this whole process of birth and bringing little ones to this world.  It is just so hard to imagine my life without them once they have come and I think that is why I think the birth day of each of my children as a parent means more to me than my own birthday ever did.  Because on this end you know the depth of the sacrifice.  You also know the depth of the joy that has come to your life because of them.

This morning I watched George sneak into Janie's room and whisper, "Happy BIrthday, Jane!"  in an expressive, tender voice.  It is such a privilege to be a parent and watch who they become.  I have just loved getting to know Janie the past year and watching her grow.  And I just get so excited for all the time we have together ahead.  Happy Birthday, Janie.  We all love you so much!

Below are the pics of her birthday party; making root beer with our "October Fest" menu of bratwursts, saurkraut and french fries, eating/ attacking the cake etc.  Thanks so much to all my family that came to celebrate our little Janie's 1 year old birthday.  She loved the attention and we loved giving it to her! 

Walking to Church

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We were able to walk to church on Sunday for probably one of the last times in a while.  We sure had a great time.  Family walks are the best.  Actually, we had such a nice time we ended up getting bundled up and going for a late night walk as well before bed.  Janie felt so relaxed on the walk she fell asleep on me in the carrier, stayed asleep for the transfer to her crib, and slept soundly till 6:30 the next morning!  

The Fun Run

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George had a PTA sponsored fundraiser for school.  He worked really hard actually going around the neighborhood asking for donations.  I was really impressed with his diligence and drive.  I was embarrassed initially for him to ask our neighbors but they were all very gracious about it.  And he was ecstatic for one dollar or even 50 cents.  His tag line became, "any money would be great, even one dollar."

The actual event, called the Fun Run, was just the other day.  It so happened to be my day for our weekly lunch with him as well.  We had a great time watching him run and doing the various activities.  He was especially proud of his performance during the "slow motion" running station.  And Oliver was especially proud, to say the least, to be George's guest with his friends at his school.  In fact, the first time we began meeting George for lunch and recess I was so excited to see him.  I noticed immediately that there was no grand welcome for me but he was quick to recognize Oliver and make sure he saved a seat for him.  They were both so excited to be with each other.  George was eager to ask a teacher if his brother could come to recess to play with him.  I was there at recess to make friends with all the little girls that surrounded me oohing and awing over Jane.  The boys were off and I was reminded how blessed they are to have each other.  

Little Sister

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The boys are so good to Jane.  I am really impressed with the way they want to be with her.  George took really good care of her for us on Saturday while we cleaned the garage.  We gave him a walkie talkie to let us know how things were going.  There were lots of things he asked for help with, but it was super cute to see him excited to take charge and be her care taker.  This morning when I dropped him off at school he made sure to lean over and give Janie a goodbye hug and kiss.    

Oliver loves to be with Jane as well.  Tonight after we finished scripture time I left Janie with the boys to go get her bottle.  When I came back Oliver was crying.  I couldn't figure out what happened.  I asked him why he was sad, he answered "I wanted Jane on my bed!"  It was so cute how much he cared.  So of course I moved her onto his bed.  Oliver will get a bit bothered when I kiss him goodnight (of course that doesn't stop me) but a little kiss from his sister, on the other hand, is more than welcomed! 

Regardless to say, this little sister is beloved.

Hanging Out

I had such a nice afternoon. We got to visit George at school to have our Thursday lunch, followed by his school "Fun Run" during recess. When we came home I postponed Janie's nap, put off the dishes and laundry, and just hung out in the playroom with Oliver and Jane for 3 hours. It was just what I needed. Those kids are the best. We had such a good time. Oh, and thanks to Robby for delivering me a yummy lunch so I didn't cook either. Such a great afternoon off!