Rambo's Kids

1st Grade

2011-08-15T20:53:00.002-04:00

Here's a quick post of J-man's first day of 1st grade!!!! It's hard to believe that I have a first grader. He started at a new school. We are super excited about it and he really loved his first day. I asked what the biggest difference between his old school and his new school was and he said "that we can talk about God at my new school." That was hard for him to understand last year. He thought he would get in trouble if he did. But, another big difference is that he has 1/2 days 3 days a week and goes full day 2 days a week. I know he really likes that too. Well, here's to more posts!!! Hope to get our summer posted soon.....

Birthday Post #2

2011-01-18T22:16:00.004-05:00

My baby turned 2 in November. I have realized that I don't have a baby anymore and this baby is dying to potty train! What's my problem! Change....I always think it's going to be harder then it is.

Yes, I'm a little late in posting these. But, I just must. Can't miss a bday post. They are too precious to miss. I'm not good at putting pics in albums, so at least I can look back on my blog posts that have and will journal some of our crazy, fun, maturing, great, frustrating, and whatever else times as a family.

If you're wondering what this child's personality is like, you've probably guessed it.
She's crazy!

As always, our family parties always end with a dance party.

In case you were wondering, the party was a PJ party and we showed a movie on a projector. It was super fun. These are all the cousins on my side of the family. They're a crazy bunch!

J-man's 6th Bday

2011-01-11T20:43:00.004-05:00

Star War's
Jedi Training

J-man's 6th bday was a blast. He of course wanted a Star War's party. We did Jedi Training and Jedi Master Jon led the young jedi's!

Lil' Princess Leia was a hit! Isn't she cute?

The party ended with the Jedi's using their skills to defeat Darth Vader!

Summer 2010

2010-11-03T19:57:00.009-04:00

LU

Camp Wabanna

Couples Get-away with Jon's prayer guys

A Friend's Fabulous 40th Bday Get-away!

Family Vacation with the Luebb's

We ended the summer with a birthday bash weekend for my dad

Thanks for going down memory lane with me for our summer!

This kid LOVES it!

2010-08-14T20:57:00.006-04:00

I LUUUUVVV Kindergarten!!!!!!

These were j's first words as he got into my car at the end of his first day.

I knew he would, but didn't know to what extent. He seriously can't wait to read and be a big kid. He actually is getting frustrated that he doesn't know how to read yet. I guess I should have been working on it with him. Oh Well!

I am really liking his school. And he even got the teacher I was hoping he would get.

Mom is doing good too. I was a little weepy on my drive home, but as the day went one I realized this is a new phase for me too! Who knows what the Lord has. I still have 2 at home, but it's amazing what taking 1 of the 3 out of the situation does to the sanity. Really, it doesn't matter which one. If there are 3 of them, they feed off of each other and it's a little more chaotic.

We'll see how his excitement does as the weeks go on. He's been real tired at the end of the day, but I know he'll adjust.

Big News!!!!

2010-05-18T15:16:00.005-04:00

So, our eldest son graduated Pre-k. I can't believe I will have a kindergartner in the fall. We have decided to send him to a half day school, 5 days a week. I'm excited for him and I think he will love it. Last week I heard him tell M that he can't wait to learn how to read so he can read to her.

Our middle child, who is posing in the picture above, is now officially POTTY TRAINED!!!! Once again, I was reminded that they do things in their time. For her, it took me talking to her about not being able to do Day Camp at our church if she's not going on the potty. She's such a processor/thinker. I love it. She's like her dad in that way.

Now our youngest. All I can say is that she cracks me up. She is full of personality. M was her age when we had O. So, I feel like I kind of missed out on enjoying how fun she was at this age. I'm really trying to stop and take it all in this time around. In this picture above I had turned my back for 1 second (literally) and she climbed right in the tub. Her other favorite place is the dryer....

I was thinking this morning that I understand how you can love all your kids the same. Before I became a mom I always wondered how that would work. But, they each have a special place in my heart and have different things about their personalities that I love (and of course things that DRIVE ME CRAZY!!!).

She's 3 or 5!

2010-05-13T20:33:00.006-04:00

If you ask M how old she is, she will put up 2 or 3 fingers and say 5. We had her party last week and she wanted, of course, a princess party. I will have to admit that I loved it. It was fun to plan and fun to see the girls all dressed up. I love my girlie girl! I wasn't much of a girlie girl growing up...more of a tom-boy. When ballet, tap, or gymnastics wasn't my thing, my mom says she finally gave in and let my dad put me in soccer. I think it's safe to say that I am more girl-i-fied now. I think my daughter has helped that! Ha! She wears skirts way more than me.

Her party was fun. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Princess Amelia showed up at the party to read the girls and story and do a craft with them. PRICELESS!

Princess Amelia with the birthday girl

M with her cousins

The knights!

M's little friend was a royal peacock!

Little princess

I know, I know

2010-03-22T14:44:00.002-04:00

I have not blogged in sooo long. Well, I'm at the point now that I feel like closing it down because I never do it. But, then I'm reminded why I'm doing it...for the grandparents to see things about the kids, for me to "journal" my kids lives right now, and for ME to blow off some steam!!!! HA!

Some highlights:

I'm tired right now - emotionally and physically....I'm potty training M. Now, it's actually going great, but even a great potty trainer is exhausting!!!!!

O is a mess. It's fun to watch her become a little person. She loves, loves, loves her brother and sister.

J is going great. He's been super supportive of M going on the potty! It's been cool to see

My photo program is driving me crazy on my computer right now. I need to figure it out....one of the lame reasons why I haven't been posting

2010-02-02T14:57:00.003-05:00

Well, my life right now is filled with a preschooler, toddler, and a baby. I'm just starting a bible study called "Freedom for Mothers" by Denise Glenn. So super good. It's exactly what I need. It's taken from John 15, where Jesus talks about him being the vine and we are the branches. I've come to admit over these last 5 years of motherhood, that I'm not very good at it. Now, I'm not having a pity party. I truly mean that I am not good at being a mom. Meaning, it's hard work and I fail daily. In my life I had been pretty good at most things. How do I say that without seeming arrogant? What I mean is, most things (before motherhood), came easy for me and I took on life pretty easy and laid back. But, motherhood????? Wow! When I had J, life turned upside down for me and it has continued to do that. Having 3 now is a whirl wind. But through it all, it has made me realize that I NEED Jesus. I am not good at this and it's a GOOD thing. I can't do this raising kids thing on my own. Not in any strength of mine for that matter!!! My love bucket needs to be filled with Jesus because I can't TRULY love unconditionally without him.

I share all this while battling through the decision of school for J in the fall. Up until this past year I thought it was a "no brainer" that he would be going to public school, five days a week. But the Lord has brought me through a process over the years of giving MY desires and wants over to him in that area. For those of you who have known me for a long time, I've never thought of myself as a homeschool mom. I can't even believe that I've just typed that word! But as we are raising kids, I am more and more challenged and amazed at what sponges they are! I'm also searching/asking God what my child needs right now. J is a pretty emotionally driven little guy. He has lots of energy and I'm constantly reminded how much he soaks in, listens to, etc. We are praying and seeking to see what this next journey of school will look like. It could change from year to year! I'm visiting schools to see what doors the Lord opens and closes. We'll see! Thanks for listening...whoever you are! :0)

Guess Who?

2010-01-08T22:09:00.008-05:00

ME!

My son was looking at me sheepishly yesterday. And he preceeded to say, "you look like a rock star". LOL!

But, then continued to say that he didn't like my hair. Oh, the mind of a 5 year old!

Christmas Letter

2010-01-04T21:08:00.003-05:00

Check out this to see our Christmas letter! Make sure you check out the video at the end.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T22:14:00.006-05:00

So, the Christmas days have come and gone....so sad. I've got a little bit of the after Christmas blues...plus my hubby is gone for the week....now that's a double downer! Here are the highlights of Christmas and some highlights of life right now!

Christmas Eve at my parents is always fun. Yummy food and lots of tradition. We missed my bro and his family this year...all were sick :o(

So, I'm not big on matching the girls, but Christmas dresses are a must!

One of the traditions - an adult gets sucked in to dressing up as Santa. This year...Pop Pop! M doesn't talk much and she studies people. By the end she figured out who it was.

No, its not a real 4-wheeler! - I would be on it if it were!!!! One day folks, one day.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit! We loved having them here and the kids had a blast seeing them.

Our freezing day at Stone Mountain! But, it was fun!

Other big news.....

No, I'm not pregnant.

O is officially walking! Yesterday, January 3rd was the day that she walked more than she crawled. She is so proud of herself!

And Jake is riding a bike without training wheels. Since he is pretty tall, he now looks like he is riding a mini bike. His legs are pedaling really fast...I guess it's time to get a new one. No picture. Sorry!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

2009-11-28T22:14:00.003-05:00

Now, who wouldn't want to just eat this little turkey up! Here is O on Thanksgiving. Such a big 1 year old (birthday pictures will be posted after her party next weekend). Enjoy some pictures of our Thanksgiving. It was a nice slow day, watching the parade, sitting in pj's, and then going to Mimi and PopPop's to stuff our FACES! I can't decide if I like T-Day's food or Christmas food better. Some of my Fav T-Day food is sweet potatoe casserole, my mom's stuffing (best in the world and of course has italian sausage in it), and my mom's gravy!!!! Enjoy these pix:

Buddies!

M loves her Aunt!

Love that face!

He's 5!!!

2009-11-03T21:23:00.005-05:00

Hard to believe, I know. That boy turned 5 about 3 weeks ago! Well, this was probably my last year of doing "just the family" party. With having 6 cousins that live close by, it's easy to do! But, this year he kept asking: "why aren't my friends from school coming?" We did a Nemo party. It was a bast with using a video projector and making the downstairs of my parents house a movie theater. The kids loved it. Here are some pictures of the birthday boys celebrations!

The movie theater eating popcorn

The cousins

I love school parties

birthday dinner, loves his new baseball glove, random picture of happy "O"

Hope to be blogging more....we'll see :0)

My mom is cool

2009-08-28T22:03:00.003-04:00

So, just found out a GREAT deal for all of you Bank of America card holders. Check out this and look to see what museums will be free to you the first weekend of every month!!! Yes, FREE. If you are a B of A card holder, you will get in free. You can look up your city and they will have the listing. I think it is even more than museums. CHECK IT OUT! I'm excited, can you tell?

My little O is now 9 months old....crawling...she's our little explorer.

Then and Now

2009-08-17T14:38:00.007-04:00

My sides hurt from laughing so hard. Last weekend I was able to see my LU friends. SO FUN! I have not laughed that hard for that long in years! Most of us had not seen each other in a long time. Some of us, not since college (11 years ago) and I kid you not...we picked up right where we left off. I felt like I was 18 again. These are girls that I can be myself with. Girls that it's mostly about being goofy and playing pranks on each other. We all have different lives now. God is teaching each of us about trust in different ways. Some in harder ways than others. But, in some ways we haven't changed a bit. It was really refreshing and I thank God for these friends. He put them each in my life for a specific purpose. And the older I get the more I see why too. We serve an awesome God and I love that he created laughter as good medicine (Proverbs 17:22). Can't wait till we do it again.

Have we changed much??????

Stay-cation ending in Savannah

2009-08-02T21:39:00.014-04:00

It's hard to believe that the summer is ending for those of us in the south. For some reason, even though my kids aren't in school yet, when school starts it just feels like the summer is over. AND for some ridiculous reason the schools around here go back at the BEGINNING of August. ARGGHH! Seriously ridiculous. It's SOOO hot! Well, we've had a fun and eventful summer. Many things I didn't share here because I just never go around to it. But, I did want to share our STAY-CATION. My hubby took time off last week and we decided to stay in town. At least that was our final decision. Of course we went back and forth about what to do (decisions for us don't come easy), but finally decided to stay close and do things around town. WELL...little did we know that we'd get to go on a little get-away just the two of us for 3 WHOLE DAYS. Thanks to one of our pastors and his BRAVE family.

I'll just tell you with pictures about our week. We had a great one!

Started the week off with a nice bike ride at the Chattahoochee River. So fun! This is our new thing we do as a family. J's bike is actually attached to mine.

The girls love riding in the trailer.

BABYLAND to HELEN-LAND

Here is a picture in front of Babyland General...Home of the cabbage patch hospital. We decided to stop there on the way to Helen. My husband was THRILLED!!!! J was not too excited either.

I know one day my son will not like me to show these pictures. Notice M's thumbs up!

Our next stop was Helen. But J keep calling it "Helen-land". It's really funny. I've been there so many times that I didn't take pictures of the Alpine village. But here's a picture of us after we hiked to see Ruby Falls. It's just outside of the little town.

The Chattahoochee runs right through the town and there are great places for the kids to play in the water. They had a blast!

Big bro and little miss priss...

Here's a sequence of some of my FAVORITE pictures from our week:

"O" loves her big brother. Before he layed down she was serious and focused on that bottle...

SAVANNAH

The city was beautiful. We loved the architecture and the trees.
Relaxing is the word for our trip!

Our day at Tybee Island was wonderful! I haven't gotten to read a book on the beach in a LONG time. It was blissful!

We stayed at the Planters Inn which is in the historic district and we walked everywhere. Jon planned this whole trip without me knowing and surprised me. It was a much needed trip and we had a great time.

After 3 long days together...Thanks guys!!!!

Summer Fun

2009-07-09T14:25:00.007-04:00

Doing the tomahawk chop

Here are some highlights of the life of Rambo's kids

J's first Brave's game - he loved it and was in awe!!!

4th of July parade that has become a tradition since we've moved here! The kids LOVE it, but it has way too many politicians and pageant girls.

BarBQ at Mimi and Pop Pop's - always a fun time with the family
Fireworks that we watched from our back yard! Our city puts on a great show and we live in walking distance to it. As the kids slept we watched the show!
Rambo's kids parents are looking for a house. No finds yet...no one ever told me how hard this is!

Vent

2009-06-06T14:07:00.011-04:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. I do think about posting almost everyday, but when the time comes to do it (which is usually after I am exhausted from putting the kids to bed), I decide not too. Let's see...what does a mom of 3 have to say....one thought...I don't think adding more kids would increase the chaos at times TOO much. But a mom of 4 might disagree. Sometimes I wonder if people watch me and think, "wow, she is really overwhelmed" and other times maybe they say, "wow, she's got this mom of 3 thing down!". So, whichever category you fit into, you are right. I feel like both is true at different times throughout my day. But, then I try and sit and be thankful to God for his grace.

It truly is by his grace that my sanity does stay with me at times...HA! My sis and bro-in-law can attest to that! They stayed with us last week. Let me tell you, what a week it was. It was just one of those weeks as a mom that you want to crawl up on a ball on the couch and lay under the blanket...can I get an amen??? I call it going into my cave. The reason was my middle child has problems sometimes being constipated. Without going into much detail, she had several days where she was in A-GON-Y. I literally had to sit with her on the floor for hours. Poor little thing...but is fine now. I also have a game plan to make sure this doesn't happen again. But what a blessing my house guests were!

So, I guess I will name this post "vent" because I feel a little better now...hmm, maybe I should post more!

A little side note: we have begun the process of looking for a home to purchase. We are in the waaay beginning. I've seen some I like from the outside, but haven't gone in yet. We'll see. If you pray for us, there are some things I'm asking the Lord for: 1. a house that is close to the church (no more than 10 min.) 2. one that is no more than 15 minutes from my parents 3. a good backyard for the kids. Of course there are other things I would like (like a front porch - I've LOVED ours in our rental house), but most are negotiable - well, except what we can afford. So, we'll see what the Lord provides! He is good and he knows exactly what we need - our current residence is proof of that! He provided in amazing ways with it!

Some fun summer things we are doing:
1. J in swimming lessons 2 days a week
2. Play group at the pool - crazy with 3 kids...
3. Day Camp for J in 2 weeks - yippee!!!!
4. Enjoying our evenings reading books on the front porch (until it gets too hot)
5. Hanging with our cousins who are finally out of school!!!

Favorite picture! neice at M's bday party

"Ee-ya"- M pronounces it like that.

Playing in the rain - look at outfit closely

5 Months Old

2009-05-02T23:04:00.004-04:00

I'm a little late in posting this. O is 5 months and it's hard to believe. She's doing great. She is finally, finally, finally getting into a groove. I do feel like the clouds are parting and I can get a grasp on life! She is such a joy. Her face lights up when she smiles. And she has two teeffees!!!

April 5, 2009

2009-04-13T22:21:00.007-04:00

I've been contemplating exactly what I will share for this post. In July of 2006, we dedicated J to the Lord at camp. It was such a special time for our family. I wish I blogged then because I never put into words what that service meant for me. On that day, our dear friend and mentor led the service. He challenged not only us as paretns, but all our friends and family who were there, to bring up J in a God honoring way. I remember, as they all laid hands on us to pray for us, that my prayer was that J would come to know the Lord at a young age and others prayed the same. Even as I write this, there are so many emotions and memories from that special service. It's a moment in my life that I will not forget.

Last Sunday, my little 4 year old accepted Jesus into his heart. J is very inquisitive and asks questions about everything. As we were passing a cemetery, he asked about the people who where in there. So I began to explain again (we've had this conversation before) that when people die they are buried there. Only there bodies go there, but there spirits go to heaven if they have Jesus in their heart. He then asked me "Mommy, do I have Jesus in my heart?" I said, "well, you have to ask him to come into your heart." And then as a full of faith 4 year old, he said out loud, "Jesus, will you come in my heart?" So, we spent the next few minutes talking about exactly what that means. At the end of our time, he said he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart.

Obviously there is so much a 4 year old doesn't understand. Only the Lord knows his heart. But I am so encouraged and I rejoice! There are so many teachable moments throughout my day with my kids. I love the time I get to spend just explaining life, explaining how things work, and teaching them about God's amazing love for them.

Disney bliss!

2009-04-13T21:29:00.010-04:00

watching the princesses at the castle

Our day began at the park at 9:00am. We were all so excited. The weather was beautiful and the crowds not too bad. I think us adults were more excited than the kids!

Donald's boat was the kids favorite spot!

The kids loved the rides. J even went on Splash Mountain...so freaked out.

Our day ended at 9:30pm. The kids went strong all day and did great! M & M took naps in the strollers. We were all beat at the end of a great day at Disney. Thanks to our friends for helping us with the kids...there were a few "hairy" moments that come with having a pre-schooler, toddler, and a newborn with you at the happiest place on earth.

Because of cell phone mix ups, we finally found the M's at the end of the night. Look at this cutie!

WE SURVIVED.

Laughter is soooo good for me

2009-03-31T14:57:00.002-04:00

Check this out. For those of you who share my love for Chick-fi-la will relate.

It was really a vacation.

2009-03-28T22:02:00.009-04:00

A week ago today we got back from our vacation to Orlando. Now, my hubby and I have come to realize that vacations with young kids are unpredictable. We have learned the hard way several times. We finally know to have low expectations because you never know who's sick, who's cranky, who's cutting new teeth, etc. Well....WE HAD A WONDERFUL TRIP!!!!!!! Thank you all who prayed for us. The kids did great! Of course it's not relaxing when you vacation with 3 young kids. But, I did honestly come back refreshed. I have truly been blessed throughout my path of life with wonderful friends. You know who you are. On this trip, 2 special families joined us. G & B invited us and the L's to come and share their vacation with them for the week. It was so refreshing to be with long time friends. We relaxed at the resort everyday except the day we went to MAGIC KINGDOM! Again, we went with low expectations and it turned out to be an awesome day! We got there when it opened and pretty much left when it closed. A great day to see life through the eyes of a kid. Here are some pictures of the trip.

The pool area was great! So beautiful. You also felt like you were at the beach because of an area with hammocks and sand where the kids loved to play!

*Since Magic Kingdom was a day of lots of pictures, I decided to do a separate post of our day there. Stay tuned....

A weekend getaway

2009-03-13T21:15:00.006-04:00

Jon and I were blessed to have a weekend away without the kids last weekend. Thank you to my WHOLE family who pitched in and each had a kid. We could not have done it without them. Our church had a Marriage retreat at Winshape. We were pleasantly surprised with how beautiful the place was. Jon and I never really thought we would do a marriage retreat, but let me tell you it is great to do. Marriages need to be focused on. It is so easy to put aside your husband or wife while you are raising kids. You don't even realize it's happening. It was great to just spend time together and talk. Who'd a thought....communication. These days, communication is tough when 3 kids are fighting for your attention. The weekend highlights for me were
1. riding bikes all afternoon with Jon
2. yummy cookies
3. food was wonderful
4. tranquil room with great music
5. laughing with Jon
6. star gazing (don't get to see stars anymore since moving here)
7. FULL and complete conversations with friends
8. sleeping for 7 hours straight and not waking one time!!!!!
9. taking walks/hikes

It was constructed after French architecture.

*notice something about the picture of Jon and I? I was trying to get a nice picture of us. After several tries with him making some obnoxious face, I gave in.

It's been a while...

2009-03-13T20:49:00.007-04:00

It's been a while since my last post. Honestly, by night time, when O is finally in bed for the night, the last thing I want to do is use my brain. I just want to be comatose in the recliner. Is it weird that sometimes I stay up late just so I can be awake with a quiet house? No one is crying, no nose to wipe, no diaper to change, no snack to get, no sippy cup to fill, no shoes to put on, and I could go on. BUT even though they are long days, I do cherish these long days. I hear they go by quickly. As my brother says, "little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems". I'll take the little problems for now. Does anyone remember that commercial "It's 9 o'clock, do you know where your children are?" It was a NY commercial when I was a kid. Anyway, right now I DO know where my kids are and for that I'm thankful for this stage.

O is growing!!! It's hard to believe she will be 4 months next week. She's a happy baby. It's amazing how all three of my kids have been completely different babies. You'd think they'd be the same, but no...of course not. She's sleeping through the night - Praise the Lord! But naps are inconsistent. She's kind of a cat napper. I'm trying to just go with it.

And of course, my almost 4 month old is trying to cut her first tooth. AND my almost 2 year old's molars are coming in. Oh, what joy! Today was just one of those days. God is good and his grace ABOUNDS in my life. His grace makes up for all my weaknesses. And I thank God for that daily.

We head for Orlando tomorrow!!!! Yippee! We are meeting friends there and are so excited. We'll be going to Disney one day! J does not know yet. I know he's going to LOVE it. M on the other hand will probably be scared of everything. I'M SO EXCITED! I'll post pictures when we return.

Pictures of our week...

At Dekalb Airport picnicing at the playground. So fun to watch the planes coming and going.

After J's face plant into our cement patio. Turned into a nice black eye.

Happy Valentine's Day Grandma and Grandpa!!!!

2009-02-13T23:03:00.005-05:00

This post is dedicated to Jon's parents. The kids want to ask them a question...Will you be our Valentine's?

Jon has not lived close to his parents since he lived at home during high school. Last year, they lived 2 hours from us for about 5 months. It was great!!! We were able to spend many weekends with them including J's 3rd Bday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and M's dedication. It was a really special time with them and we are so thankful for it. They now live in North Dakota and we miss them so much. Happy Valentine's Day Ma and Pa! Here are some pictures of your grandkids...and M is not left out. Dad, I know she's got a special spot in your heart.

We're just calling to say we love you!!!

A CHILDHOOD DREAM COME TRUE

2009-01-29T22:15:00.004-05:00

J's great tricks

Jon showing us his moves from his cheer leading days

So, as a kid I always wanted a trampoline. Well, at the age of 32 I finally get one. That reminds me, I also would always ask for a "snoopy snow cone machine". For years I had asked for one for Christmas. Well, my parents decided to get me one when I was in the 7TH GRADE. I'm sure they thought they were pretty hilarious. I actually still loved it. I'm pretty sure it's still in their basement too. Seriously.

A family that we know gave us this great gift! As you can see there is no net. My mother probably prays for J's safety every night. We love it and J's having fun with it.

Look at my "sweet skills".

She's gettin old

2009-01-21T21:07:00.005-05:00

O was 2 months old yesterday!!! She is doing well. Letting mommy sleep at night!!! Praise the Lord. It's amazing how a full night of uninterrupted sleep can make for a better mommy. We do have some tummy issues. So it has been a continuous guessing game of what is going on. J and M are adjusting to their new baby sister. We had a rough month or so in December. Things are much better. It's amazing how when my kids go through "tough phases" that I think it may never end and this is the new kid. But they eventually come out of it. I've wondered how a chart would look if I kept a record of what is going on in all of our lives during these growing pains that my kids have. I'm sure when I am struggling with things or major change is going on or J is not around as much, would show a jump in the growing pains chart. Hmm, I wonder. But, we survived another phase. God is good.

By the way, who does she look like?

Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T21:43:00.008-05:00

I know I'm a little late in making my New Years post. I would bypass it and just not post anything about my New Years Eve, but it was just too fun to not post about. For the last 4 years, the night has always had my kids involved. Well, this year we GOT A BABYSITTER! Our night out was joined by all my siblings, their spouses and my parents. We started the night at our favorite Maggiano's. Since we all have kids around the same age, it's always so nice to go out without them so we can have an adult conversation. We then decided to head back to my parents to ring in the New Year (yes, we stayed out past midnight!!!!). But before we rang in the New Year, here are a few pictures of what we did.

Here's mom and dad. My dad sometimes is mistaken for mafia...
Yes, my bro being a die hard fan!

Go Dave!!!

First time playing and almost was the top winner. Of course here is my bro adding a little spice.

playing with ease of course...he kicked all our butts.

*In case you didn't know, we played a game called Guitar Hero. So fun. I have more fun watching and laughing.

2008-12-20T14:43:00.003-05:00

I know it has been a long time...well here is our precious O. She is doing well. She's a good baby and we are really enjoying her. Now, life with 3 is a different story. Wow, there's never a dull moment. All I can say is, laundry is out of control. My friend Gangsta G had her 3rd about 6 months ago and she is constantly talking about her laundry ever since. Now I know why. For one, it's just another person to add to the laundry pile, but you also have no time to do it. I hear ya G. Mommy (that's me) is doing good for the most part. It's definitely day to day balancing everything. I'm more relaxed this 3rd time around with the baby. But meeting the needs of 3 is a challenge. I need wisdom, wisdom, wisdom. And I need to be praying more for my children. I've been more and more convicted about that. It has become more evident to me that they each have different needs and different ways I need to love on them and try to meet those needs. Motherhood is constantly challenging me and showing me how much I need Christ's love to shine through me so my kids can see it. That's hard on those toddler tantrum days!

I think

2008-11-21T20:23:00.009-05:00

I have officially hi-jacked Di's blog (cue evil maniacal laugh)! She was born Thursday, November 20, at 12:42 pm. She was officially named at 1:05 pm. We had a little indecision about what the final name was . . . She was 7 lb. 14 oz, 19 inches long with dark hair and puffy eyes. The doctor let me announce whether it was a boy or a girl, and, after incorrectly identifying body parts for about 20 seconds, (it's not as easy as you may think) I told Di "it's a girl!" Turns out Di was fully expecting a boy; I think I was expecting a girl. She has a much softer cry than J and M, but she does share the "natural gas" trait with them. (Whenever M passes gas, she looks up and says "toot toot" - it's hilarious) So we're now sitting here in the hospital, trying to wake O up so Di can feed her. This will be our life for awhile, so I'm sure Di will post something when something in our life changes - which may be awhile. Here's some pics of the kids and the newest edition to the madness.

Here's the kids before O entered the scene
- they seem so much bigger now!-

The newest little peanut . . .

Momma and O immediately after the surgery

Our latest family portrait

Curious kids

4 and counting...

2008-11-16T21:19:00.006-05:00

Tonight is one of my last of four for a while that I will get to enjoy a quiet evening doing what I want to do. This Thursday at noon we will welcome into the world kid #3 of the Rambo Place household. So, we all know the games will begin of sleepless nights, feeding schedules (arghh, keeping track is so fun!), nursing (doesn't come easy for this chica), understanding the different cries, hormonal decisions (good thing I have a non-hormonal husband), and life is just a blur for a while. With the upcoming holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas I have been thinking about what it will be like with a newborn. I love the holiday season! Shopping, decorating the tree, making cookies, listening to Christmas music, being with family, and eating, eating eating. What can I say...we're Italian. My prayer has been that I will enjoy this next month with a newborn.

Little side note: This stage is probably the hardest for me. I am a schedule person when it comes to certain areas of my life. One of them being with my babies. I try and get them on a schedule. But, it takes time and much effort. So, the unknown if they are hungry, tired, or wet can drive me CRAZY. When the schedule formulates, it's much easier for me. Because it's all about me, right? Learned THAT lesson early in motherhood...

I am hoping that this baby will stop and make us really reflect as a family on what Christmas is about. You all know, it's so easy to get all wrapped up in present buying, seeing Christmas lights, going to parties, etc. None of these are bad things. But they have consumed us as Americans. I just read a statistic on this website that we (Americans) spend 450 billion dollars on Christmas. That is crazy!!!! Put it this way, this organization is saying that it will only take 10 billion to provide clean water for people around the globe that don't have it. Now that is sobering. We take clean water for granted. We have no idea what it's like to not have clean water flowing from our kitchen sink, but yet we still use Brita's. HA! I know, I sound like I'm going green or something. I'm rabbit trailing. So, I've really been challenged to simplify things at Christmas and this year we have to. I have no choice. The first weeks of a newborn living in your house makes you do that. There are a few things Jon and I are praying about changing with how we celebrate things at Christmas. Just things we've been challenged with to help us bring our focus back on worshiping Jesus and teaching our kids that. When we come to a conclusion about it, I'll share. But this year a few things like a baby are making us simplify and I am so thankful. Please pray for us as we embark on this journey. I don't want sleep deprivation to rob my joy of this precious gift of a baby and the most precious gift of celebrating Jesus Christ's birth. Check out her blog. Some good things to think about with simplifying during the holidays. Thanks Cottage Girl for posting that!

My post about M a few weeks ago talked about her crazy hair. Well, here she is with her new hair style. I went in for a trim and it didn't get rid of the mullet in the back, so we did a bob. Now it will all grow in evenly. Thought you would enjoy the update.

Worth every minute!

2008-11-03T21:54:00.002-05:00

Here is a clip from Youtube that my friend TP posted on her blog. This is so powerful. Not only because of the message of partial birth abortion, but Gianna's passion for Jesus is so contagious. Don't you want to be like that? I do.

oohhh, yummy candy

2008-11-01T14:43:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures from Halloween! Ever since leaving camp we have carried on the tradition of roasting hot dogs over a camp fire and then heading out into the neighborhood. I was praying this year for someone to let us borrow a 4-wheeler so we could take the kids on a hay-ride through the neighborhood (a long time tradition we did at camp...so many memories) and give out candy, but none became available. One day we'll have one. My parents and the Fox's joined us. We had fun and the kids had a blast! My J and H were so excited running from one house to the next. Lots of yummy candy. Not good for a woman in her 9 month trying to not gain any more weight...arggh!!!

J was suppose to be a pirate, but decided at the last minute he wanted to be a baseball player. I was in no state to say no (rough preggie day). We had everything, so what did it matter? He's wearing Braves attire and we're not really even Braves fans. I guess we are now!

Soon our two families will equal 7 kids. We over doubled in size in less than 2 years. Figure that one out.

Finally got M to put a pirate hat on.

My little girl

2008-10-28T20:27:00.014-04:00

I decided to title this post by her full name because I don't get to use it much and I think it's a beautiful name (I'm biased). But also her name has special meaning for us. Her namesake is representing my mom and Jon's mom. M is my grandmothers (my mom's, mom) maiden name. The story behind the name is that my great grandfather grew up in an orphanage (so did my grandfather, but that's another story). When he got to the orphanage he came without a name. So, they named him after the orphanage. It's Italian and I'm proud of that heritage. Her middle name is taken from Jon's mom. M has two Godly grandma's. Grandma's who pray for her. Grandma's who would give up most things to spend time with her. I'm so glad she carries their names.

With the upcoming birth of our son or daughter, I've been thinking about how M will no longer be the baby. We call her "baby girl" alot, so what will we do if we have another girl? I'm sure we'll think of something. But, I decided to have a post dedicated to her before she becomes the middle child. Plus, after your first, each one after that gets the shaft a lot. J had hours of video taken of him. M..., well not sure. I just got her one year pictures done (she's 17 months). I wish I could post it (no scanner). It came out great!

Here's some highlights of what she loves to do or a glimpse of her personality:

Loves her dolls - it's fun to see her be a mommy to them
Talking a lot and repeats everything you say
She LOVES to dance. This girl shakes her booty every time she hears music. Even if she hears some type of beat and it's not music.

Loves her daddy - a daddy's girl and I love it. She lights up when he walks into a room or she hears his car.

One of my favorite things she does right now is if she doesn't know where I am she'll yell, "Momma, whe a ooo?" interpreted: Momma, where are you? Love it!
She's got crazy hair. It's calmed down a lot, but now it falls into her face. Her first hair cut will be soon.

She is a fun little girl and makes us laugh all the time. I've been praying for her little heart for when the baby comes. She'll be trying to figure out who's this alien that came into our house. I know she'll be a good big sis. M, I love you sweet girl! You are a joy to us.

Pancakes and Pirates

2008-10-20T20:55:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe that J is 4. It has been fun to see lately how he is growing into a little man. So many things he does on his own: fills his water from the fridge, completely picks out and dresses himself (finally not putting his clothes on backwards), getting up at night (all by himself) to use the potty (out of pull-ups!!!!!), helping me around the house, holds M's hand to get her to a certain place and so much more. And now and then, still a 2 yr. old temper tantrum. Will he ever out grow that? It's fun to watch him grow and really wonder about the world around him. So many great questions have been coming from him lately. He even keeps Jon and I accountable with our devos...seriously.

J really understood his birthday this year and it made it really fun. I asked him what he wanted to eat for dinner on his actual birthday and he said pancakes. So, a pancake dinner it was. My parents came, along with his cousins J & H. They were a surprise and he loved it!!!!

J's buddies/cousins

Saturday was his pirate party. We combined his and D's (my nephew) parties. All the kids dressed up as pirates. It was a blast. The boys loved it and so did the moms. I was completely exhausted and I am still today recuperating from it. 3rd pregnancy is way different than the first and even the second.

J (4) and D (3)

We had fun dressing up as pirates! Even Mimi and PopPop dressed up - sorry no pics.

Game master "you're still the one" (see previous posts) led the kids in "walk the plank" and "treasure chest toss". His motto was "all kids are winners" - which means all kids are losers. A fun token they got to make was a pirate telescope made out of toilet paper rolls. What 3 & 4 yr. old wouldn't love that!

The party ended with a bang smashing the pinata! Go M. A tradition that "you're still the one" and I have is the making of the birthday cake. It all started with J's 1st cake. It wasn't until that night of decorating his 1st cake that I realized I married a cake decorator. Aren't you girls jealous? Well, here is the 4th bday cake. We have fun planning what we will do and then it always takes us way longer than we think and by the end of decorating we are annoyed at each other. It has happened every year. But, it creates memories!!!! We love it!

Read 2nd post first...bear with me.

2008-10-13T22:03:00.001-04:00

I couldn't figure out how to do it, so I posted it on it's own. J loves playing in the backyard. There's nothing to play with, but he has a ball!!! My theory that kids are more content with nothing than with everything becomes more true everyday.

Rambo Place

2008-10-13T21:07:00.000-04:00

Rambo Place

The kids love playing on the front porch and there is a swing on left
side of porch that you can't see.

Living room/den as you walk into house - room to left is dining room, room to right is "reading room"

"Reading room" - you can see it from previous picture

From "reading room" walking into kitchen

Well, here is my first post. Please bear with me as I begin this. It has been long coming. Being 8 months pregnant slows the process down tremendously. I also did not have much support from "the one who will remain nameless". My first post will be of our new home. As most of you know, we moved in the first weekend of Sept. Which, by the way, is exactly 2 years to the weekend that we moved in with the in-laws in 2006. The Lord completely dropped this house into our laps. It is everything that we prayed for, including the rent being very affordable. Another amazing thing is the same week the house dropped in our laps, our church offered "the one who will remain nameless" a job to be on staff there. So, many changes have taken place. We are also 5 minutes from the church. So, here are some pictures of the house. It is in a historic part of town. Beautiful trees, houses with lots of character, and train tracks about 2 miles away that we hear all day. It reminds me of my childhood in NY (my grandma lived close to the Long Island Railroad). Thanks for reading. Posts of the kids will be coming soon. Oh yeah, and who doesn't want to live on a street called Rambo...
p.s. I tried to post another picture of the backyard, but couldn't figure out how to add it to the end of the pictures. It kept going to the top...any suggestions?