details!

....I am busy balancing my new schedule. I am in Ankeny 2-3 days a week to babysit for friend's kids....I work from about 9-2:30 and then head back to home and pick up the girls and do the Mommy thing here!

Also, we have been very busy with our college kids....2 weeks ago we were in Chicago for Moody Founder's week. We enjoyed seeing some sights and hearing Tony Evans and Josh McDowell speak! and last week we had a Valentine's Day dinner at our home. It has been a BLAST to get to know them and serve them. Riding the El/ Easting at Portillo's

Tim comparing himself to Michael Jordan

Tim has had a busy week this week too....after work he has had something almost every night...Monday he was home, tuesday he went to the Drake b-ball game, last night he had college leadership meeting 9he got home about 7:30, put the girls to bed and left and was home about 10...but I was OUT!), and tonight we have Ethos (the college ministry mtg) @ church. THe kids are missing him quite a bit, but we have a few fun things planned for the weekend...we might take them to RECESS tomorrow afternoon after Tim's done with work! Saturday Tim and I have eye appts in the morning and then we head to Gma & Gpa Stout's for a while to hang out and then Tim has a b-ball game at 4:00 and then home,,,,Masona nd I may skip theb-ball game just come home and get some laundry done....if I don't get much done today!

The kids are good...still fighting some colds. Morgan's preschool teacher was diagnosed with Influenza A yesterday and so I am watching that VERY CAREFULLY!

Mason is a chatterbox, "daddadadadddadada, daddy!" ARGH! Everytime he starts that I say. " MAMAMAMAMAMMAMA!!!!" He loves to play with his toys and chat away to himself and sometimes I put a mirrr in front of him and he will then chatter more loudly and rapidly! SO CUTE! He is still nursing every 4 hours and eating 3 little meals a day.

Madison is doing very well in school! She is still working on her facts, but we are just continuing to press on! She is very sociable and very compassionate! She is always concerned about her friends who are sick or hurting!

Morgan is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her glasses...They should be here in the next few days! She has about 20/80 vision and stigmatisms in both eyes...basically she sees completely blurry...poor thing, bless her heart! We took her to the eye doctor b/c school had done a vision screening...thank the LOrd! We were planning on taking her for her first visit before Kindergarten anyway! This may explain a lot about Morgan's personailty! She handled getting glasses great! Her only request was that they would be BARBIE glasses! and so they are a turquoisey-blue colored frame, she looks adorable and they totally bring out the blue in her eyes! Praise the Lord for our tax return and our FLEX account to cover the cost of her lenses and frames! It will interesting to teach her about caring for them...Tim and I plan to chat about that tomorrow so we have a plan of attack and a special place for her to put them at night when she goes to bed! I think she will do well, and her new glasses toatlly fit her SPUNKY personality!

Okay- now to brag on the hubby! He is GROWING so fast! J/k! He is doing well at work...he just got a 6% raise...PRAISE THE LORD! and yesterday his district manager pulled him aside and told him that in the next few months he will be on the "fast-trac" to becoming a branch manager b/c they know he will be GREAT at it! So in the next few months, when an area branch manager is out of town for 5 days, Tim will go in and be the acting manager. This will be tough b/c hew could be anywhere in Iowa...for 5 whole days! Oh well, maybe we will just live in Mmm and Dad Stout's basement for part of the time or maybe it will be summer and we can head to MN to see my family! Extra hands is the key! Anyway...I am SOOOOOO excited to see Tim's hard work paying off....and he is an amazing man...confident, bold and focused these days....it is soooo neat to see him have success in providing for our family! God is really bringing him along...and it is wonderful to see!

Well- now that this is a book, and it's time to get back to mommyhood!

updated family pics....

Madison's Baptism...Tim was able to participate in the event...it was very awesome...and they wore matching Hawkeye t's......Tim's doing

The girls in the hats and scarves made by Gma Stout

Madison, Mason and Morgan in their new PJs on Christmas Morning 2007

My parents came to spend Christmas with us and Morgan was not happy about picstures before presents.

Mason and his favorite toys, his toes!

way tooo long!!!!!!!!

I know this post is long overdue, but here goes.....

Thanksgiving: Went to MN to see the Shogren family. We stayed with Phil, Heather, Zak and their soon-to-arrive (in may) little lady. Amanda, Dan, Dheaven, Mom and Dad Shogren and all of us played games, hung out, ate a ton...yummy soupd and lasagna, breads, etc....

CHRISTMAS: We stayed in Iowa. Went to Christmas Eve service at Grace Church and came back to our home and got ready for Santa. Christmas morning we opened presents. The girls got Barbie's, High School Musical 2 Dolls, coloring books and crayons & pjs. Mason got Pjs, socks, a few new toys and sippy cups and bowls. After that we headed to gma nad Gpa Stout's in Ankeny nad opened presents. Morgan got a horse stable, Madison got a veterinarian kit, and Mason got some new little toys, Also Mom STout crocheted hats and scarves for the girls....awesome! We ate dinner and then Dan and Amy came up with Kylie and she opeened her presents...she was a little interested in presents, but what can you say, she is not even 2 yet!

NEW YEAR: We had the coolege kids over for the night. We had appetizer and desserts. We played Guitar Hero, Presidents/ Vice President (couch game) and chatted until the ball dropped. The girls stayed the night at Gma and Gpa Stout's house...they love going there.

NOW: two weeks ago was a bit rough.....Madison and I had the tummy flu, Tim had a tooth pulled, Morgan's hands were all chapped from all of the handwashing at school....and Mason is/was teething and fighting a cold. This past Wednesday I took the little bubba to the doctor and he hada double ear infection and STREP! Poor kid....he isn't sleeping or eating well....and he loves both of those things! He is really growing...he weighed 19. 12 lbs and was 27.5 inches at this check-up.

Other than all of that mishap...we are doing well... Tim is doing great at work...I am working 2 days a week watching the Boyds' kids up in Ankeny (gets me out of the house). the girls are busy with school. Madison is working on her +/- facts, learning about Jamestown and she loves reading! I cannot keep enough books in stock...thank the Lord for the LIBRARY!
Morgan is getting taller....she is outgrowing all of her pants in the length, but she is toooo skinny to move upa size, even with the adjustable waist! Poor thing. She is going to pre-K 3 days a week, all day. She likes taking her own lunch and playing "homework" when she gets home!

Besides his cold, Mason is teething, he is working on his top two teeth...the bottom two arrived a few days before Christmas. He is a rolling machine and I have to be careful of what's on the floor....he likes playing on his tummy and the rolling to his back to "scooth" to get something that is out his grasp.. Also, for a while each day I set a mirror in front of him (on the floor- he is either next tro it or in his exersaucer) and he jabbers away to his "friend." He's so vain!

Hopefully the pics will post....okay...Ican't that to work right now...so Stout pics will come later when I have more patience!