3 Bugs in a rug... Olivia A. with Olivia P. and Kate =)

Kathryn, 9 months and ready to "pop"

Little Maggie looking very much like her biggest sister

This is where we spend the majority of our day... picking up and playing with rocks

Kathryn: "Mom, can I push Maggie in my stroller?"
Me: "Oh, Kathryn, I don't know."
Kathryn: "Oh please, Mom? She'll LOVE it!"
(I put Maggie in the stroller)
Kathryn: "See, Mom? She loves it! Don't you love it, Maggie?"
(Maggie starts crying)
Kathryn: "She's okay, Mom." (looks at Maggie) "You're okay, Maggie."
(Maggie screams)
Kathryn: "Mom, I don't think she likes it. Can you get her out?"

Hard shoes to fill

I know everyone who has kids has pictures of them in their daddy's shoes... so it's not original, but when it's your own little girls, it's still pretty sweet. And it's true! This Daddy's shoes would be very hard to fill - and not just because he has big feet =). He's a pretty special DAD!!!

Dad 'n Maggie - hangin' out

The pouty lip...

Livie: "Hey, Mommy, watch dis." And this is what we got... She's such a little ham.

Thank you, Magic Eraser

Last post for the day

Finally, here are some shots of our sweet little Maggie. She'll be 7 weeks on Wednesday.

Before and After...

I haven't taken any shots of the house because it's not completely decorated yet... will it ever be?!? Here is one that I took this morning, though and I realized I had taken one from the same spot a couple of months ago. Kind of a fun comparison...

Our month in a collage

Here's a very short summary of the pictures. They are in chronological order, so just follow along...

Brad's parents came to see baby Maggie for the first time! Brad's Mom stayed the week and helped me get packed up and moved out of the Babcock's basement. The night before she left she took the girls "shopping" and Kate got a baby doll car seat just like Mom's. Livie got a puppy dog carrier just like Paris Hilton's =).
Maggie looked so sweet all dressed up for her first wedding at three weeks old.
Then our big girls got sick.... that was no fun.
Then they got better and started acting like sweet sisters again.
Maggie loves her bath - it makes her sleepy =)
We closed on our house!!! We had SO MUCH help, and everything went so smoothly. Brad Berthold came and painted for us. Several guys from church pitched it to help him out. Adam and Rosie came up to help out on their "vacation". Adam hung all kinds of lights and fans for us. The wives and kids just hung out and bragged on their work =).
After the busiest month of our lives, it was just "us" again. Kathryn kept asking "where Nana and PawPaw were" and "would Chelsea be here at our new house" and "could Corbin come live with us". It was quite an adjustment to just be "us" again, and it took a lot of explaining to remind the girls just exactly who "us" was =).
Maggie is starting to really enjoy her Bumbo seat (when the big girls aren't sitting in it :-O)
And last but not least, Livie misses being "the baby", so she just pretends every once in a while =).

The only reason we are where we are is because of all the help we have had getting here. We pray every day that we will use our house to be as much of a blessing to others as others have been to us. Thank you all, so much, for your hard work, love, support, and prayers over the past 8 months. We are so thankful for every one of you.

(you can click on the picture to make it big)

Menu Plan Monday

I know, I know, my first post in a month and the last thing you wanted to see was my menu plan, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. Finally. The past two weeks have shown me how important a plan is. I feel totally lost and discouraged when 4:30 rolls around.

We have a lot of staples that we need to pick up, so we're not going to even try to hit our $40/week budget this week, but next week hopefully, we'll be back on schedule.

I'm going to do like Alaina and post my menus but not assign a day to them. That works better for us...

-Tacos, Bean Dip, Veggies and dip

-Grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, Garlic Oven Fries, corn on the cob, fresh fruit (this will be for Tuesday night. We have a big crowd coming over)

-Hot sandwiches, chips, fresh fruit (most likely Wednesday night since we need something fast to get to Bible class on time)

-Steak, parmesean potatoes, steamed broccoli

-Italian meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans (this is one of the freezer meals that the ladies at church made for us when Maggie was born)

I've also started having some kind of a plan for breakfasts and lunches. I've found that if I don't, I end up running out of supplies =). I've also noticed that my girls prefer big breakfasts and hardly any lunch. That suits me fine too, so we have eggs with something else almost every morning, then snack around at lunch.

Breakfasts: omelets, french toast, pancakes, baked oatmeal, cinnamon rolls

Lunches: PB&J, fruit, sandwiches, granola bars, left-overs

I promise to post some pictures soon. Maggie is growing like a little weed. I can't believe she is already 6 weeks old! We are loving our new house. It is just perfect for us!

Be sure to check out Organizing Junkie for more great menus!