Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Eagle Marsh

Here are some pictures of our recent outing to Eagle Marsh; it is an area put aside in Fort Wayne to be... well, marshy! Actually, the farmers got sick of fighting nature (flooding) and have given it to be used as a natural wildlife preserve of sorts. We really enjoyed visiting!


Here are David and Christiana walking along one of the dryer paths between prairie grasses.


Joseph
Christiana and a cat tail =)
David... looking a bit grown up!
Samuel with a cat tail that is beginning to shed...

Noah =)

So how many tries to get a good shot????? Weeeeeell...


It took a few...
But I thought this one turned out pretty good ;)



Looks a bit sneaky, doesn't he? The cat that swallowed the canary...
Lucy, trying to uproot what she was sure was a wild carrot...And of course, the boy! I'm not sure he enjoyed the outing as much as the others...

Monday, October 26, 2009

fall =)

We have been inundated with rain and cold this fall... well, actually this year. It was a COLD wet winter, a cold wet spring, a cold wet summer... the tradition continues, apparently. One brief break in the gray sky let some of us get out and enjoy some leaf raking!



Here is a view of the back yard... the sun was on its way down... hence the shadows and poor lighting...
Christiana enthusiastically embraced the concept of throwing leaves and jumping in =)
Joshua is still anti- camera. He rakes well, though!
Noah =)
Everyone's favorite duck, Lookie. By the way, 6 eggs yesterday! woo hoo! How did 5 girls produce 6 eggs? hmmmm....
Erin still enjoys the leaves (and posing...)
More leaf throwing...

Is that a great smile, or what?
William had to come out and enjoy some fresh air, too! Isn't he just kissable?
Back inside for a tea party!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

catching up!

Well, haven't I neglected the blog?

Here are some new pictures to enjoy!

First up... apparently faeries inhabit our yard... Samuel found this evidence; appears to be normal mushrooms, right? hmmmmm maybe not....
A wider shot reveals the truth! A faerie ring!
And if that isn't exciting enough for ya... check out our first duck egg! =)

Now, these ducks apparently don't know what is good for them, because they are only producing one or two eggs a day. Perhaps they know that I can't figure out who to cook for Thanksgiving dinner if they take turns slowly producing eggs... They had better pick up production! They are giving Khaki Campbells a BAD name!

In other news, here is a picture of a movie star who dropped by one day for lunch. Charming lady...


Because we know everybody really just wants to see the boy:

No babies were harmed in the taking of this picture, honestly!

David loves holding William =)



These pictures are so sweet =) Noah just loves his baby!


Grandma and Grandpa have arrived! Luckily Grandma can hold William; he has been trying to keep his weight down so she can hold him even though she just had neck surgery. ;)

Below is David on his 8th birthday!
Alright, now that the camera memory stick is empty, perhaps we can get some good pictures in with Grandma and Grandpa... maybe apple picking? Stay tuned!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

Not the best of update, but a few pictures anyways =)

Oops! I guess I should rotate pictures first, huh?





Here is some of the requested information on William's birth:

Yes, 31 hours to be exact. Water broke at 11:30 at night Tuesday, and he was not born until 9:25 AM Thursday.

Yes, you would think by number 9 that they would emerge faster! However, William seemed to have his head askew, thus not putting enough pressure to increase the intensity of contractions. We labored with contractions anywhere from 5- 10 minutes apart for most of that time. He has slightly swollen right side of his face and eye. We assume that his position is responsible for the late pregnancy back pain I experienced.

Midwives are FABULOUS. Mine was with me form 4 am Wednesday until noon Thursday. We had 2 follow up visits at our home over the next few days, one of which included her bringing us dinner (oh, and she brought dinner for our neighbors who lovingly took our kids over the whole of labor as well). How is THAT for healthcare reform????? Not to mention that our birth cost approximately 1/5th the cost of a typical hospital birth...


No, they don't keep getting bigger. Our largest babies are still Joseph and David at 9- 2 and 9- 4. William was only 8-15 =)

He looks like our other dark haired babies.. Cute. Fuzzy head. Puffy cheeks. Little old man look. I assume he will get cuter with age ;)

Lastly, but perhaps most significant, the name...

William was named quite early if he had just been a girl! We were blessed with a new van earlier this year, and Bob promptly suggested the name Grace if the baby was a girl. God is so lavish and undeservedly good to us. It fit. One of my favorite and most influential ladies I've known was my grandmother... Grace Margaret. So, it was decided...

A boy's name that came close... hmmm... that was harder!

The name John means God is gracious. John Newton wrote perhaps one of the best known hymns around... Amazing Grace. He was a slave trader before coming to faith in God... by his own admission, not a nice guy. He struggled with his sinful nature even after coming to Christ. Perhaps it is those who truly know from what they have been saved who are most grateful for their salvation?

William means defender, and for us directly refers to William Wilberforce... who not coincidentally was greatly influenced by John Newton. He fought a losing battle in Parliament for 20 years to outlaw slavery in England. His perseverance changed history.

It is our prayer that our son would know the grace of God, and that he would be ready to stand for what is right, no matter how long or hard the battle gets.

Thus, William John.


Ok, we are still working on the picture thing. His first few days were kind of blotchy and purpley ;) His color has improved greatly, as has his puffy eye... maybe tomorrow we'll get better pictures up! Here are a few from day 1... one of these days I'll remember to rotate first...

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Welcome William!







Here area few pictures... more info to follow...