New Do!

Little boys....

...always look cuter with spiked hair, no?

**Hair do courtesy of his big sister Sarah... aka me! :)

Lovin' the Vacuum!

Yesterday we discovered Jonathan's LOVE for the vacuum! :)

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!!

I have just a minute as a couple kids are already buckled in the van as we are heading out for a Valentine's party, but this is IMPORTANT.

A wonderful family is in country right now and need us all to storm heaven on their behalf. A judge is not sure they should be named the parents of two very special orphans after court today, but will meet again tomorrow. One of these little guys has a very fond place in my heart as he was in Elijah's grouppa. He has since been transferred to a nearby institution - the same one Elijah would have been transferred to if he had not been adopted - but this is the first international adoption from this facility. PLEASE PRAY for a softening of the judge's heart and that the Evensons would be named Gideon and Micah's parents. They desperately need to come HOME.

See Sarah's blog http://matthew18vs14.blogspot.com/2012/02/please-storm-heaven.html for pictures and more details. And most definitely stop by the Evenson's blog http://addtothebeauty-evensen.blogspot.com/2012/02/court-bad-news-and-good-news.html and leave them an encouraging comment to let them know you are praying for them.

Just a reminder - THIS IS WAR!

Handmade Potholders by Anna For Sale

My daughter, Anna, made potholders to sell for money for a girl named Ellie. Ellie is an orphan with Down syndrome in Russia and recently turned seven years old  Of course, she desperately needs a family! Anna has really developed a heart to help the orphans and this is one way she feels she can help raise her grant fund. Anna did a guest post on Sarah's blog about Ellie. You can read it HERE.

The potholders are made from 100% cotton loops, so they do not transfer heat or melt like the nylon loops (from W*l-Mart) would. Anna gifted me with one of these potholders and I love it! I use it all the time. It is just the right size to grab a cookie sheet out of the oven or to used a trivet under a hot pan. They measure just under 6" square each. They are very thick. She is asking for a $3 donation to Ellie's grant fund for each potholder. They are $3.00 each. (Although I do know the paypal fees would be less for RR if the donation was over $5.) Shipping is free.

Please email me at contentmentathome @ gmail.com (remove spaces) with your preferred choice from below and your address. Click HERE to donate to her account and we'll get your potholder out to your right away. Anna designed the potholders herself and took the photos too. :-)

Note: More coming soon!! :)

Potholder #9

Potholder #8

Potholder #7 - SOLD!

Potholder #6 - SOLD!

Potholder #5 - SOLD!

Potholder #4 - SOLD!

Potholder #3 - SOLD!

Potholder #2 - SOLD!

Potholder #1 - SOLD!

Please help Anna earn money for Ellie's grant! Thanks for your help!

Can YOU do this?!?!?

Elijah is ever so slightly addicted to Leah's farm, a Signing Time episode. So much so that he's constantly asking for it, and when he does get to watch it, he watches it like this -

Yup, he is doing the SPILTS, with his legs flat against the cabinet, craning his neck up to see the TV. And if you look closely, his right arm is also twisted around so his palm is facing up.

Can YOU do that?!?!?

Ya, I didn't think so. That's ok, I can't either! :)

Here's a segment from the song - 

Mom's goal is to learn all the signs. :) I'll be sure to post a vid of her doing it here when she has it down... hehe

Random Pictures - Part 1

Hi Everyone! Sarah here... Just wanted to share some random pictures that are on my camera from the past few months. There are a LOT, so this is Part 1, which is Elijah's birthday party in September through October. Enjoy! :)

Elijah's Birthday Party!

YAY! Pants! :D

"Is there something for me??"

A new dress!

Isaac and his identical cousin, Keenan

My little gangster with his tank top

Oh nevermind, he's too cute to be a gangster, and that's a bib!

Who says's he's not a chunky monkey???

And people think I look dangerous with a hammer!

I think it's lil Rachel, not me! Or maybe she gets it from me...

Smartie! Thinks she can get outside!

"Oh rats.. everyone's watching me now!"

Monkey see, monkey do!

"Elijah did it too!"

Funny thing is.. Elijah can reach the handle just fine WITHOUT a chair. :)

"Let's lock it so they can't get out!"

Double trouble!

Rachel at Caleb's Spaghetti Dinner Benefit

Elijah's new shades!

Rachel and Rebekah's Birthday Party

Isaac trying to play the nose kazoo, and Ben looking up how to do it on his phone. We're working on making our own nose kazoo band to play special music at church... ;D

Pastor Dan and Jonathan!

Little princess!

Jonathan, Rachel, and Elijah modeling some Owl Hats I made. (Psst... get your own here!)

Crawling, Clapping, and Blowing!

Videos of J baby! :)

Look at that big boy go!!! He's really moving!

And because his smile is just too cute!

Elijah and Rachel Milestones too...

They have each hit a new milestone. It seems the older a child gets, the less dramatic they are. But they are still just as important!

Just yesterday, Elijah walked (not crawled) up the stairs! He was hanging onto the railing, but in the past, he always needed someone to hold his other hand for balance. Not now! He has had orthotics in his shoes for about a month now and they have REALLY helped his balance. Walking up stairs, marching during therapy as well as some other body movements he needed help with before and walking in general...his feet are more properly aligned now. Yes, it was on my list since last May to get them for him, but May and the rest of summer became a complete blur. :-) Good news is that Jonathan already has his orthotics. I just have to find some shoes for him. The earlier, the better. Live and learn. It helped immensely to have a "traveling PT" come to the house to do the casting and fitting for the orthotics. LOVE that!

And Rachel...well, she is becoming increasingly independent each day (if that is possible) but she now uses the big potty most of the time!  YAY!!! I'm so proud of her! I guess that's one of the reasons my blogging has been sparse since Christmas. She is soooo grown up now that she refuses to even use the potty seat on the big toilet..."Big girl" she says and pushes it aside. Independence is a good thing, right? :-)

Another milestone!

Ya, I know...neglectful blogger here. We had a very nice Christmas and enjoyed spending New Year's weekend with my parents. It was only the 2nd time Elijah had been there, so it was time to visit. :-)

Anyway, Jonathan has pulled off another little trick. Not only is he crawling ALL of the way across the living room, he pulled himself to standing in his crib today!!!! GO Jonathan!!! :-) He is getting stronger and stronger every single day. Oh, and his little personality is getting stronger and stronger each and everyday too. LOL Today when I laid him down for a nap, he was watching me and smirking at me as he popped himself back up from his sleeping position on his tummy. Back and forth we went...little stinker! I keep reminding myself it is a good thing he feels safe enough to be a little "naughty".