Who made this mess?

As the kids and I were trudging our way through 2 inches of wet snow on our way into church Traeger asked,"Who made this mess?" After I finished laughing out loud, I was able to share that God delightfully made this "mess". It was Traeger's simple comment that turned my perspective around and helped me see the beauty in the mess that God made. I guess my son just has to ask the tough questions to draw my eyes back to the truth.

Happy 29th Birthday Lucas Hatfield!

So Wednesday was the big day for Luke's birthday celebration. He woke up to the typically decorated birthday chair at the kitchen table and the birthday poster with streamers hanging up in the kitchen. We went out for lunch and then he was off to the youth center for the night. Thanks to Chelsea and Brock for making his birthday extra special by making him birthday cakes to share for the night. Luke, you're loved by many!

Yahoo, for a pile of candy and a 6 pk. of soda from the Arndts...I'm not sure who was more excited, Luke or the kids :O)

Happy birthday daddy...we think you're the best!

We took Thursday to enjoy a kid-free day! We chilled at home, headed to Wausau for a little shopping and supper and then came back to town for a movie night at the Youth Center. So thankful for a day to hang out with and celebrate the man I love.

Joy

I'm grateful for the joy these kids and their amazing Daddy bring to my day!

Thinking summer

Traeger had a grand idea to pull out their swimsuits and have a little fun with it. I was all over the idea of thinking summer.

Strike a pose.

Jumping for joy

Are you ready for some footall?

Sorry for the blurring picture but you get the idea. Here's to having a big brother with a little flair of girl added :O)

No shame

Ataly proudly wearing Traeger's underwear. I guess that makes her feel just like big brother. Now we'll see long it takes to transfer the idea to the real deal :O) From the looks of it, we have a long way to go.

Visit with the Oldbergs

Thursday morning we packed up the car and headed west to see our friends. They moved from Medford for a job change 1 1/2 years ago and our time to connect was long overdue. The travel time went by quickly. Luke and I love car time as it affords us time to connect without the threat of interruptions. The kids got their naps in the car so when we arrived they were off and running.

It took no time at all for the kids to jump in and start playing together.

The kids sitting well (for the moment :O)) for our evening devotion time together where...

Andre played the guitar and we sang songs....

and then Luke read the Bible story for the night.

Friday morning Traeger took some time out to connect with Ethan.

Coming in with red cheeks from our brief time out on a walk to get a little fresh air.

The kids having a little bonding time in Ataly's pack n play before it was lights out.

Then it was game time for the adults.

Smiles despite the late hours we kept.

Color time...

game time...

and then the time came all too quickly to say goodbye.

What a special treat it was to take a little break to reconnect with friends.

They blessed our hearts as they listen well and play hard.

Baby Hatfield

Baby Hatfield #4 is on the way. (Ha, did I get you thinking it was us :O)? )

John, Nicole, Annabelle, Maddie and Jack are excited to welcome their new addition to their family sometime around August 14th. Nicole...I wouldn't mind if you held out for the 17th, but I'm thinking there's no chance at waiting an 3 extra days. We are super excited to find out if the boys will even up to the girls. But either way we look forward to meeting this new little miracle and will be praying God's blessings for the pregnancy-birth.

Rock Star

I went up to check on the kids before I crawled in and found Traeger curled up with his guitar. Maybe not my first choice of things to crawl up with for bed but I also don't like falling asleep to music and Traeger's new favorites to fall asleep to are Skillet or Switchfoot. Oh and he does have a full size bed to sleep on but often opts for the floor (not even the crib mattress we have on the floor for jumping on) It's just not a battle worth fighting and he sleeps just fine. Maybe he's practicing up for his debut on Survivor.

Diner Tour--Part 2

The Thorpedo was a big hit, but El Norteno may have just taken the cake. We enjoyed our second stop on our diner tour with the Zenners. The food was authentic and we had service with a smile. We shared that it was Jeremy's birthday (a few days before) and they came through with this mighty fine, gigantic dessert. All four of us dug in and did our best to finish it off. Stayed tuned for our 3rd installment of the Diner Tour

A Princess

Today at nap time Traeger layed this dog by me and said I could sleep with it because I was a Princess just like she was. I'm not sure about comparing me to a dog but I guess I'll accept the Princess part as a compliment :O)

Christmas with the Hatfields

The kids were so excited to keep on moving south on our vacation and couldn't wait to arrive to Nana and Grandpa Tim's house.

Ataly running to find Tim while they played peek-a-boo. She insisted on just calling Grandpa Tim, Tim.

The biggest present for all was this super sweet jump-o-lene. It was a huge hit and will be there for our next visits.

Daddy unloading the balls for more to pick up, er I mean to entertain :O)

Meal time is always a special time to be around one table, saying prayers, and sharing life. It will only get better as the kids get older and we can sit still for longer than a few minutes at a time.

The sea of presents.

Grandpa and Nana do a great job making sure the gifts are fair for Christmas and birthdays. So they get each kid an outfit, toy and book. It's perfect! So Traeger has made a habit of tearing off his current outfit ASAP just to get into the sweet new outfit.

Traeger's new outfit that matches his buddy Jack AND he pointed out it's just like Grandpa Tim's too. (We're thinking he was talking about Grandpa's football shirts) Great picking out the outfit to match Medford Raiders team colors too.

I fell ill while we were at Nana and Grandpa Tim's. It was a huge bummer. I felt like such a party pooper. Here's my best smile despite the aching tummy and feeling like I was going to throw up.

Big kisses.

Nana, Traeger and Grandpa Tim involved in a intense game of Sequence.

A huge thank you to Tim and Laura for always graciously taking on the challenge of watching 5 kids under the age of 3 so that us kids can get out for some time to connect without the demands of little ones for just a few hours. It greatly blesses our hearts and our relationship.

The four of us headed out for a amazing meal at The Cheesecake Factory (takes me back to our Texas days). Super tasty and the conversation always entertaining. Then we were off to see the Sherlock Holmes movie. We love you guys and look forward to our times together, just the 4 of us.

It was a super fun, entertaining, and exhausting time for all.

All too quickly our vacation came to an end. When we got in the car and told Traeger we were headed home, he wasn't interested in any part of it. We won and I know Traeger will look forward to our next visits with family. Praising God for our healthy, loving and God fearing families.

Bowling

My dad's sister and her daughters were in town from CT to visit my Grandpa that just had surgery. The timing worked out perfectly and they were able to meet Ataly for the 1st time and hang out with our family for a few nights.

I think they get an A+ for form, what do you think?

Aunt Nancy, Jillian, Ataly and I

Thanks mom for entertaining Ataly. She thinks her Non is pretty special.

I have to brag a little and announce that the champion for the night was.... Me.

I miraculously bowled a 144 (without gutter guards folks :O))

Sledding

This is how it started....about 15 minutes of crying.

I felt like we were torturing our daughter but you'll see in the end she came to terms with it and loved every minute of it.

Auntie Cori and Traeger playing in the snow.

Nonnie and the little kids watching the big kids being wild and crazy.

Grandpa and Nonnie's backyard provided varied sledding terrains. We started out here but decided it was a little too steep for comfort/safety.

G-man

Breck

Kieran

Traeger thrilled to be playing in the snow.

Ataly coming to terms with this snow. I guess it takes her a while to warm up to the idea of snow just like her mommy :O)

Before long she was asking to go sledding and didn't want to stop.

And do you see that tongue sticking out? She gets that tongue gene from her Daddy.

Mommy got all nostalgic taking Ataly sledding on the sled I used as a little girl.

Life is good!