Jolie's turn!

So my sweet daughter and I got to have our photo date this morning.  It was a perfect overcast morning and she, a very willing subject, did great!

Awwww, my baby girl.

This is the look she gives her brothers.  :)

Gotta jump! 



Asher is a natural.

It was Asher's turn this morning.  He really did a great job and was comfortable with the camera!  I have such a sweet and loving boy.

Mr. Cool

Awwww.

Here comes the crazy!

They must get it from somewhere.  (Daddy!)

Hee hee hee.  :)



He did take some sweet ones...

Zaddok and I had at photo date this morning.  We had so much fun and got some sweet shots.  He is such a silly and happy boy.  I am blessed to be his mommy.

Precious face.

Oh those eyes!

He was getting tired of smiling here.  :)

Maniacal laughter?  Yep, that's Zaddy.

We can't be serious all of the time!

You are such a joy you crazy little man!

My husband's mommy.

My husband's mommy :) came to visit last week.  We always love to have Grandmolly here.  It was a blessing to have her use part of her vacation with us to slave away over some curtains that I really wanted to have in my 10-year-old daughter's room.  (I saw them on Pinterest.  Of course.)  She took on the task for me because I think my brain might explode if I ever tried to learn how to sew.  Put me in the garden any day! 

She was an animal!  I had to make her take breaks.  She wanted to sew all night.  Crazy lady.  But she did a great job and got them done pretty fast.  Thanks Grandmolly for taking care of all of us!

Asher is following in his daddy's footsteps to be the capable mender in the family.  I love this picture.

He probably asked her a million questions.  She answered them all.

AN IRON????  Oh man.  This is really not my kind of work.  Did I say thanks Grandmolly?

Hands at work. 

What a terrible picture!  They are really beautiful in person.  I had a hard time getting a good detailed picture of the black fabric.  You get the idea!  They are called waterfall ruffles.  Very girlie!

I am so proud of the way they turned out!  They are really beautiful and well-made.  Jolie is thrilled with them too.  I did put in my order for a set for the new baby's window.  :)  I almost got slapped.  It's okay Grandmolly.  We have lots of time for you to get those done.  Hee hee.

We had another blessing recently.  RAIN!  It has made everything so green and fresh.  Here are my little onions soaking it up!

See the little bits of green?  Lettuce!  Yes, soon we will be feasting on fresh greens.  I can't wait!

Because you asked...

Ready to be afraid?  Remember, I still have 6 weeks left.  Seriously.  6 weeks.  But lots of you have asked to see the belly and I WILL NOT post it on Facebook.  Those who are really interested can visit here.  :)  Thanks in advance for not making any, "Oh my gosh!!" comments.  You may also keep the, "Are you having twins?" comments to yourself.  I'm glad you all love me...

Photo courtesy of Jolie!

Matt made me take another one to see if a different angle would help.  NOPE!  Even bigger this way.

Yep.  That's real life!  I am so happy and thankful to have this giant belly.  God has blessed us more than I can even say.  Thank you Jesus for my body and it's ability to stretch to such mammoth proportions.  :)

Mama look!

Levi has been in front of the camera many, many times in his short little life.  He has grown quite fond of the spotlight.

Mama look!

Mama look!

Mama look!

Mama look!

Mama look!

I love my job!

Steps to a healthier home-Part 2, You can clean your house without wrecking your body!

About 8 years ago, I started researching chemical exposure.  I found many different methods of environmental exposure.  One that disturbed me was the exposure to many toxic and harmful chemicals through the products I was using to make my home clean and safe for my children.  I couldn't believe the disinfecting sprays I was layering on my kitchen counters could have a harmful affect.  I couldn't believe the product I used to clean my baby's highchair could cause lung problems.  It was almost more than I could handle.  (You can read in the following link about some of the most dangerous cleaners and their side-effects.  Some of them include; skin and lung burns, exposure to highly toxic chlorine gas, increased allergy-sensitivity, hormone disruptions and some that are neurotoxins.)

 http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_279.cfm

I know that is a scary article but there is truth in there.  It took a health scare for me to make me get serious about my research and about the things I was allowing in my home.  I began looking at more natural alternatives to my toxic cleaning supplies.  What I found was that there is really NO REASON to stick with toxic cleaning supplies.  In addition to the many homemade recipes I found, there is an entire industry devoted to natural and non-toxic cleaning products.  So if you are not into making your own, you can buy something that works for you!

   Wonderful list of natural cleaning supplies to have on hand.

This has a great list of toxic products and some natural products that you can buy to replace them.

In our home we started with some simple replacements.  I threw out my daily spray bottle full of chemicals and replaced it with good old vinegar and water.  I have been doing this for years and really love it.  Now, if you have a greasy mess or a stubborn stuck-on stain, you may have to let the spray sit or use some elbow-grease.  But I find that it works great for a daily cleaner.  I have used all sorts of proportions, but prefer a half and half mixture for my kitchen and bathroom.

I also replaced a toxic ammonia cleaner for my floors with vinegar.  It does the job and never leaves streaks or residue.  It is a very clean cleaner! I also use vinegar for a number of other things.  (It is a fabric softener and weed killer also! :)  

Some people worry about the smell.  Does my house smell like a pickle?  Only for a few minutes until the spray dries and then it just smells fresh.  No chemical fragrance here.  Just clean! 

Some people worry that it's not killing germs.  There is research to show that a vinegar solution is not a complete antibacterial or a germ killer in the way of bleach.  However, a 5% vinegar that is not diluted will be strong enough to kill germs, even on the toilet.  I am not an antibacterial girl.  I believe that you can be "too clean."  In fact, there have been studies to show that there are good germs out there and wiping them all out is actually harmful to our bodies.  So what nature can clean, I want it to clean!  What I need a chemical to get rid of, I may just let stick around. 

Useful vinegar tips

The next easy switch for me was my dusting spray.  I found a recipe for an easy-to-make spray that works great!  It uses Murphy's Oil Soap and water. 

 I put about an inch of the Murphy's in a spray bottle and fill the rest with warm water.  Before each use, I give it a gentle shake to mix and get to dusting.  It is great because it really cleans and conditions the wood too.  You just want to make sure that you don't saturate the wood or leave the spray to sit for very long.  It is water-based so it would cause damage if you left it on too long.  As a bonus, it smells great!

There are a few things that I am still having trouble getting rid of.  Comet has been in our house forever.  I really only use it in the toilet bowl.  I have felt guilty about the powder left hanging in the air every time I use it.  So, that is my next step.  Get rid of the Comet!

One other cleaning supply still has me in it's grasp.  Do you remember the foamy spray that your school janitor used to clean everything?  It is the best window and stainless cleaner ever!

I know, I know.  But it's so fun to spray!  It makes my kids want to clean the windows.  This one, I may keep.  Or, maybe I will try an alternative.  It won't be near as much fun to use.

Bottom line, like everything else, do the best you can.  Try to replace just one item.  Or throw out the air-freshener.  Or take the steps to find a replacement for every cleaner in your arsenal.  Do your research and make the choices that will stick! 

          

Our last hoorah before the baby.

As a fun treat for our family, we decided to take a little vacation.  Well, our initial plan was to take a last BIG vacation but due to lack of planning, we settled for a small vacation.  We drove to Oklahoma City to spend a couple of days in a nice hotel and to enjoy some kid-centered fun.  We did some really fun things while we were there.  But of course, the highlight of the trip was the hotel pool.  We treasure our time together and are glad we were able to do it before I get tied down to nursing for hours on end.  :)

My Ashy-man.

She is growing up so fast.

Be still my heart!  I love these boys.

Super-Zaddy!

This may or may not be a dunking attempt. 

Crazy kid had no fear of the pool.

Splashing brothers.

Levi planning his next move.

My goal is to get another Healthier Steps blog this week!  See you then.  -Little Wife

Finally...

It is that time again!  Time to become better acquainted with the dirt.  But first, I have to show you something that we did this weekend.

This is the sweet little chubby hand of my 2-year-old.  He is feeling the popcorn kernels that we grew in our garden last year.  They were so cute!  But I questioned if they would actually make popcorn.  We got brave and decided to give it a try.

It worked!  The popcorn is not like what you get at the movies.  They pop up tiny.  It is much more like a grain than a fluffy crunchy snack.  We still ate it with butter and salt.  It was very good!  I was just so pleased that we were able to grow and pop our own popcorn.  Thanks Papa for giving us the seed!

Okay, back to the dirt.  We have had a very early Spring sneak up on us.  There are blossoms on the trees and the grass is coming back to life.  I always get kind of sad when this happens because I know we will have another freeze or two before Spring is really here.  So we pray that our little apricot tree will hold off a bit longer!  The warm weather did make me realize that I had not planted my early garden.  So yesterday, through the blowing wind and dirt, my family and I got some things in the ground.  I do love this part!  This is the front bed with our tiny onions.

I know this looks like a mess but it is really beautiful pink tulips!  You will see.

 

This is where the lettuce, carrots and green onion will come alive! 

 I can't wait to have fresh greens.

 This little guy was thrilled to get his first time to play with the hose this season.
 I was not so thrilled because I had to seek refuge in the house. 
He was determined to get me wet.

 SEE!!!

 I guess I can't blame him.  It was pretty fun!

 Plus, the joy in his little face is contagious. 
(He has his Daddy's smile wrinkles already!)

 My older boys were content with bikes and Rip Sticks. 
Asher is perfecting the cool factor of Rip-Sticking.

 Zaddy is doing bike tricks and hair tricks.

 Our Daddy, who still loves to play, got a Rip Stick for his birthday.
 He is just one of the boys.  I love that about him.  It keeps us young!

 He keeps us young and these guys keep me happy!  I love you babies!