Menu (Gluten Free)

I haven't done a menu in a while and I'm really getting in a rut. We've had Landon gluten free for the last couple months since he was always complaining about tummy aches. He has really done great since we took him off of gluten! I'm so thankful to seem to have figured it out. Here is our menu, hopefully I can follow through with it - I'm thinking the baking day should help with that.

Breakfasts:
Banana Bread
Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Pancakes - I absolutely love these pancakes for a gluten free option!
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Eggs and smoothies

Lunches:
Quinoa Pizza Bites
Cucumber sandwiches and fruit
Rice and Beans with fruit and carrots
Apple peanut butter sandwiches
Leftovers

Dinner:
Ginger chicken stir fry lettuce wraps
Chili Maple Glazed Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans
Sweet potato black bean enchiladas
Crock Pot Pad Thai Chicken over rice
Patty Melts with salad
Broccoli Bacon and cheese soup with salad and bread
Melt in your mouth chicken with steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes

Snacks:
Easy Snack Bites
Trail mix bars
Fruit/veggies
Smoothies

Baking day:
Gluten free Bread
Refried Beans
Pancakes
Easy Snack Bites
Trail mix bars
Quinoa Pizza Bites
Banana Bread
Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Gluten free chocolate chip cookies

James at 4 months

Here is my sweet already four month old. His shirt is wet because, well, it is always wet with spit up... Oh well, he is happy and it doesn't seem to bother our sweet little guy. It is starting to get a little better, I think we are uphill on this battle! Olivia and Landon are always smothering him with kisses and hugs. No lack of love or attention for this little guy!

 Here's his favorite thing to do. Watching his hands and feet :) He just loves to, I love when he gets cross eyed trying to follow his ever moving limbs! He loves anything with a pattern too, his world is really starting to open up.

Here is his sweet smiling face. I just so wish I could sit and hold him more and soak up his babyhood. Whenever I do have a chance to hold him, he just stares at me and is all smiles. He's really starting to laugh too, he's so ticklish especially on his tummy. 

The three of them laughing at their daddy. He can really get them all going! They love him so much and I'm so thankful they have such a wonderful daddy.

Landon has been wearing a tie around saying that he's a prince :) Olivia has all her princess things to wear and Landon wondered what princes wear, so I told him he could wear a tie... He wanted James to be a prince too, so here are my two "princes"

This is a crazy phase of life I am in right now, but I'm truly trying to treasure each moment as I am realizing more and more just how fleeting time is. I started a devotional called, "Opened Treasures" by Frances Ridley Havergal and the other day it was very fitting. Here is an excerpt:

"I suppose nobody ever naturally did like the idea of getting older, after he had at least left school. There is a sense of oppression and depression about it. The irresistible, inevitable onward march of moments and years without the possibility of one instant's pause - a march that even while on the uphill side of life is leading to the downhill side-casts an autumn like shadow over even many a spring-birthday. 

But how surely the Bible gives us the bright side of everything. In this case it gives three bright sides of a fact which, without it, could not help being gloomy. First, it opens the sure prospect of increasing brightness to those who have begun to walk in the light. Even if the sun of our life has reaching the apparent zenith and we have known a very noonday of mental and spiritual being, it is no poetic western shadows that are to lengthen upon our way but 'our age is to be clearer than the noonday.' 

The second bright side is increasing fruitfulness. Do not let us confuse between works and fruit. Even when we come to the days when 'the strong men shall bow themselves,' there may be more pleasant fruits for our Master, riper, fuller and sweeter than ever before. For 'they shall still bring forth fruit in old age.'  The third bright side is the brightest of all, 'Even to your old age, I am He'...'even to hoar hairs will I carry you.' For we shall always be His little children and doubtless He will always be our Father. The rush of years cannot touch this."

Christmas

We had a wonderful full month of Christmas! The homeschool group that I'm a part of did a little play a couple weeks before Christmas. Olivia was a lamb and Landon a shepherd. They were all so cute and did such a great job!

We went to see Christmas lights - the kids were just in awe of all the lights!

Here's Olivia all decked out at Sophie's 5th birthday party (She's such a girly girl) - I wish I would have got a pic of all the cute girls in their princess dresses - they were adorable!

Speaking of... she got a new one for Christmas and was very excited :)

We spent Christmas in Iowa. It was a really nice time. It was spread out over a few days, spending quality time with different family members. The cousins had so much fun playing together. Dad got out his special train that he had received as a christmas present when he was a little boy. These two train lovers just sat in wonderment of it all. I remember when I was little and dad would get it out - sparks flying as the train "wooshed around the tracks" as Landon would say - it was so cool! 

We had such a nice Christmas Eve together. We ate, laughed, sang a lot of Christmas songs and decided to go ahead and open presents (which we never do!). I'm so glad we did because I woke up in the middle of the night with the stomach flu :P Landon and Olivia were so excited for Christmas. Landon got Edward the train, a sleeping bag, a tool set, and books. Olivia got two princess dresses, a sleeping bag, books and many pretty pink things :) It was so fun to see their excitement as opened their presents. It's so funny, as a kid I never got the whole, "it is better to give than to receive," but I truly realize it now - that statement is to true!

A few of the cousins together - it's hard to get a good pic of them all!

We just finished our Christmas with some of Seth's family. Olivia was very excited about her Cookie Monster kitchen set! She's been playing with it constantly...

 and Landon absolutely loves his Blue Mountain Mystery train set that he got!

And here are a couple family pics that Rachelle snapped while we were in Topeka :)

We are so thankful most of all for our Lord who came to this earth as a baby - that just blows my mind! God in the body of a little baby, a human body... Having a little one this time of year truly makes me ponder what it would have been like for Mary. Did she truly comprehend that she held our Lord in her arms? That as she touched his little fingers, that they were the very ones that formed her? Such an amazing thing to think on. I am so thankful that He did come and even more that He chose to die for me. He loves us so much and I am so thankful for the reason we celebrate! 

James is 3 months old!

Our sweet little baby of the family is already 3 months old. A couple weeks late on this, but I have come to accept that I just can't keep up on these things like I used to. Having three little ones has made things a little crazy :) but I truly am enjoying every minute of it! I'm just realized that we need to stay home a lot more than before and it's been nice spending so much time with these sweet kiddos. 

Here are some stats: on 12/3 he was 11lb 6.5oz (25%) and he was 24.5 inches long (85%) - he's really growing! He is always staring intently - it really seems like those wheels are turning. I really think he's going to be a deep thinker. He's starting to laugh more, I just love to hear that sweet sounds and see his precious smile - it just melts my heart! He's been sleeping from about 10-6:30 so that has been wonderful! Although last night he woke up at 11:00pm and was wide awake until 1:00am. I think he has his daddy's tendency of being a night owl ;) 

Here's our little reindeer 

and our Livy girl

and our sweet Landon 

Jamesy boy staring at his mama :)

and this was so cute - they fell asleep watching Thomas together <3 br="br">

I am truly blessed...

Christmas Tree Farm

We had a great time getting our Christmas tree. We have continued the tradition that I had growing up. That is, going to a Christmas tree farm to pick out our tree, riding the hayrack ride, and drinking hot cider. The kids had a blast! Olivia did not want to get off the hayride. The kids loved looking at the trees and trying to pick the perfect one. The weather was gorgeous too! It doesn't quite feel like Christmas when it's 70 degrees, but I am not complaining :)

Family picture - Too bad Olivia's not smiling, it's so hard to get a good shot of everybody!

Here's the tree the kids picked out!

Landon helped daddy cut the tree down

Watch out Olivia! She said she liked the trees with the pink on them, 

unfortunately those are the ones that are sold...

Daddy and James - I love this picture!

Olivia wanted a picture with the "rabbit" ;)

James' 1st Bear

We have a tradition, that each of our kids get a bear from Samuel on their first Christmas. Since this will be James' first Christmas, I took the kids to Build-A-Bear to pick one out for him. They chose this white bear, which I'm sure won't stay white, but that's beside the point. It was better than the red, white, and blue star one that Landon was considering :)

Giving the heart a kiss...

Putting the heart in. They actually let us put three in, one from Samuel, Landon, and Olivia

Stuffing the bear, they loved this part! Olivia was just in awe of everything at this store.

Giving the bear, which the kids named "Snowball" a bath

They picked out a Thunder outfit for Snowball, which I had a hard time buying, but since I had a good coupon and a gift card and the fact that this is probably James' only Christmas gift and it's from Samuel, I went ahead and bought it :)

 I think James will be excited about his special bear. Olivia takes her first Christmas bear which she calls, "bear bear" everywhere and Landon snuggles with his at night. It's hard to find ways to include Samuel during these special times, but I'm thankful for this little way that the kids have something from their big brother.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Kansas this year with Seth's family. We have so much to be thankful for and it was good to be reminded of all of the blessings in our lives. The cousins had a great time together. I got to take my nieces Black Friday shopping. I can't believe they're already at the age that gets excited about shopping! I had so much fun with them and got some great deals too.

All of Rachelle's family joined us as well, it was a lot of fun! Here's a shot of the table during our Thanksgiving feast. My was it a feast!

Landon was so excited about his special blueberry pie. He was telling everyone about how he was going to have blueberry pie on Thanksgiving. This started by reading the Olivia the pig Christmas book that had blueberry pie in it and he asked me in a sincere voice, "mommy, is blueberry pie good??" I told him it was, and since I have him on a gluten free diet right now, I asked him if he would like me to make him a special one for Thanksgiving. Of course he did, and apparently it was pretty good, thankfully he's not very picky ;)

 Camryn holding James for the first time

Landon and Miles holding James - sweet boys!

Iowa trip

The kids and I took a trip to spend some time with my family. Landon actually got to go a week early and spend time with my parents. This smile shows how much fun he had! 

Landon and Olivia got to spend time with my childhood friend's kids which was fun to see :)

All the cousins got together and made Christmas cookies, they all had such a good time :)

...and we got to celebrate my niece, Gwenyth's 1st birthday! 

She is such a doll and was so excited about her party!

I also got to spend some time with some awesome friends. Ten years ago we all spent our freshman year together at Emmaus. We had a great time catching up and picked up right where we left off...

It was so nice not to feel rushed, but to have plenty of time to spend with everybody. I was so thankful for a relaxing week with my family and friends. I was planning on driving back home by myself, but mom insisted she help me do the long drive. We didn't know how she would get back, but she said she was trusting the Lord to get her back. The very next morning, back home, I went to BSF and ran into a friend who was headed north and was willing to take my mom along. So thankful for the Lord's faithfulness!

James is 2 months old

Our sweet little James is already 2 months old, and he's changing everyday! I'm not sure how much he weighs or how long he is, but he's definitely a lot bigger than he was last month. I went to pick him up in his bassinet tonight and he had rolled over! I can't leave him on a bed anymore to nap because he wiggles his way around so well. 

He's smiling a lot now and is starting to squeal and coo a little bit. I just love seeing his sweet personality start to shine through. He sleeps pretty well, still wakes up once or twice, but he goes right back to sleep so it's really not bad. He loves to snuggle, which I love and wish I could sit and do more of with him, but I treasure the moments that I can. He's so alert and bright eyed and just seems to be taking everything in.

                             

Landon and Olivia just love their baby brother. He's going to have no concept of personal space! He seems to really love them as well :)

Love how Landon always asks to snuggle with James.

Landon and James doing their grumpy faces