Surprise! We're having number 3/4 (depends on how you're counting) This baby will be due end of July. We are of course excited but kind of in denial and a bit overwhelmed. But, we know God's best is what we want and He is in ultimate control of this stuff so here we go. I am already feeling nauseous and tired but it isn't too bad yet - maybe I'll get lucky and it won't be as bad as the last two. We told our family on Sunday at Josh's birthday party. I walked in with a pillow in my shirt. They thought we were just being funny because we had just spent a weekend without kids. Little did they know we were serious. They are all excited too. Josh and I did have a great weekend relaxing.

This is one of James' favorite activities - blowing bubbles in colored milk. He is still major into Star Wars - we actually sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Death Star last week.

This was movie night but once I put the snack out it was all over. They fought over the chocolate chips, turned the bowl over, crunched the pretzels in the carpet...maybe we'll wait a few years to do that again! Kinley has ANOTHER ear infection so the ENT put her on a low dose of amoxocillin until her surgery Jan 7th.

We went to the ENT Monday with Kinley and found out that she does have yet another ear infection (I think that is number 11) and that we are definately going to do the tube surgery. We are waiting until January because of insurance issues. Please pray with us that her eardrums will not rupture and that she would not have to have another antibiotic between now and then. They found that she does have minor hearing loss and they think it will be repaired with the surgery. She has started talking more - she says whoa, baby, Jada, bubba, uh oh. I think I put this last time but she is also signing milk, more, eat and please.

These are the girls on Halloween night. They really liked this little girly couch.

Silly picture of Kinley at the Butters' dressing up in Super Why stuff. You can keep praying for me parenting these crazy kids. I have been having a hard time not being overwhelmed all the time and overcoming my feelings about Jada. I have got some major sin to overcome and it feels like God isn't doing anything to help me except opening my eyes to more and more ways I sin. Josh could also use some prayer for work and discipline to keep doing what he knows is his part and trusting God for the rest.

James and I made a volcano in the sand box - it was really fun to work together on but we made the sand smell really bad and it was over really fast. James has decided that he is really into Star Wars even though he knows nothing about it. He is scouring toy magazines for pictures of Star Wars toys and making up songs about Jedi's. We decided to watch episode 4 (the first one made) with him. He was in boy warrior heaven. He asked 1o million questions. I think he needs a light saber for christmas now.

Needless to say he has been very into fighting, war, weapons, evil, etc. Josh and I decided to educate him on spiritual warfare! It has been very interesting and beneficial. We told him there is a war going on between God and Satan for peoples hearts and that in the end of the world God will win and that people who aren't on God's team and don't believe in Jesus as their savior will go to live in hell with Satan and people who do accept Jesus and hopefully choose to fight for Him will live in heaven with God forever. We also explained that fighting for God does not involve weapons like swords and guns but things like faith and scripture. We told him that real (toy) weapons are to remind us to use our spiritual weapons. Like when he wants something Jada has, satan would want him to scream yell hit and take the toy but God would want him to be patient and selfless so when he feels the urge to be mean he would say 1 Cor 13 love is patient, kind, and gentle and that is like shooting a bullet at satan and giving God's team a victory. He has been really into it and it seems to be helping us get some motivation for him to do right. I am just worried about him telling some kid at school that he is on satan's team or running around church shooting satan and his demons.

We are finally recovered from our camping trip! My phone even came back to life 14 days after the "incident"! We had a fun Halloween but managed not to get one picture! It was that crazy! We woke up and made cupcakes, then carved a pumpkin, then Josh, James and I went to the TU football game, then the kids and I went trick or treating with some friends. The kids were skeletons - they had glow in the dark skeleton pj's Nana got for them. It was so easy, comfy and warm! Jada and James have been having diarrhea from all the candy and everyone is sleepy and cranky from the time change and all the activity.

Isn't she lovely!

We had a leave throwing party

Kinley has been giving the attitude this week - these pics prove it. She has also finally started signing! She does more, eat, milk, and please. We are going to the ENT on Monday the 9th to talk about tubes for her ears.

These pics turned out really bad but they would have been so cute - these are the hula outfits my parents got from Hawaii.

Kinley has figured out how to slide and loves it but she has fallen off the top of our slide twice and landed on her face!

fall family pic we tried to take at the zoo - again unsuccessful!

We went on our 2nd annual Beaver's Bend camping trip this last weekend. We left Wednesday at 11:30 and got home Sunday at 5:00. It was a disastrous and eventful five days. We are pretty sure there will be no more camping without help until the kids are much older! Wednesday we left, the trip was about four hours. It was misting, hot, humid and cloudy when we got there. We got our stuff set up, made hot dogs on our new Coleman stove and went to bed. There was heavy rain, wind, thunder, lightning and tornado warnings from 1am - 5am. We woke up in a puddle - the tent's rain fly didn't to repel water it absorbed it and dropped it on our faces. James slept in his own kid tent but ended up with us as well as Jada. (side note - we put James and Jada in the kid tent together to try to go to sleep the first night and they played without need of intervention for over thirty minutes!! We ended up having to move them because they were having too much fun to sleep but it was wonderful hearing them having so much fun together).

Thursday we woke up with just about everything we took wet. We ate oatmeal and headed into the town of Broken Bow to look for dryers. We settled on Suds N Such. We didn't wash anything just dried it dirty - lovely! Then we went to McDonald's for caffeine - because the coffee we made on the stove was terrible - and Wal Mart to replace supplies that got wet. We then went looking for a trout hatchery that ended up not existing and went back to the tent to take a very long nap. We woke up rested and went on a little hike and made Hamburger Helper for dinner. We were invited to the Wagner camp for Uncle James' birthday desert. As we were getting in the car to go I realized Kinley was poopy and when I got in there saw that it was explosive. She had probably been poopy for hours and I didn't know it. Once I got that cleaned up we got back in the car and James began arguing with Jada about whose mommy I was and ended up slamming a rock into her face causing her to cry so hysterically that she threw up (multiple heaves) all over her car seat. Josh and I were in disbelief that we were having to clean poop and puke at a water spicket while all three of our children screamed bloody murder in the car. We finally made it to the party and eventually to bed!!

Friday we woke up dry and had pancakes for breakfast. They turned out weird because I forgot to take the recipe so Josh had to do it by memory but the ham was delicious and the coffee was better. We made our routine morning trip to the heritage museum AKA the closest bathroom for #2's and teeth brushing. After that we went to the river bank and watched workers take beams out of the low water dam while we threw rocks in the water. We had PBJ for lunch took a nap. When the kids woke up Kinley had a 103 fever. We gave her an insane amount of Ibuprofen and went hiking up a mountain to a beautiful scenic lookout. We had a catfish fry for dinner which actually turned out well but it took way too long to get finished so the kids were crazy and starving while we were trying to cook. As I was carrying water to do dishes from the spicket to camp unbeknownst to me my iphone (in my jacket pocket tied around my waist) was dipping into the water with every step. It was completely fried when I realized it had gotten wet. TOTAL BUMMER!! Then we went to take our one and only shower. Kinley's fever was back and she was shaking and pathetically lethargic. Josh took James to the guys bathroom and I took the girls - it is so unfair that we have two girls and one boy. I proceeded to get us all naked in a freezing bathroom and in came Aunt Samantha - she had no idea we were there she just came up to go to the bathroom - boy was God taking care of me!! I bathed sick Kinley then Sam held her in her towel and she fell asleep on her while I bathed Jada and myself. Had Sam not been there to help we would all have been crying the whole time. We got the showers done and put the kids in bed. Around 11:00 Jason, Emily and Kate arrived.

Saturday I got up and started the fire and coals to cook breakfast. I would deserve an honorary Eagle Scout except that I used and insane amount of lighter fluid because the wood we took was terrible and wet and wouldn't catch for anything. We had biscuts, eggs, bacon and YUMMY coffee for breakfast. After breakfast we hiked to an island in the river and James almost fell in but thanks to Uncle Jason's crazy fast reaction he was spared. Jason made him an awesome boat out of a piece of wood and a leaf. Josh and Jason went to a lodge to watch the OU/Texas game while Emily me and the kids had lunch and took naps. Then we we went on another hike into a forest and rerouted a stream and raced hand made boats. James was trying to jump from one rock to another and fell in the river. It was tragic and cold but he lived. We had Chili and cornbread for dinner and put the kids to bed at 7. Jada began crying around 9 and cried off and on for an hour. We had no idea why so she finally ended up between us. The low that night was under 40 but I think we all stayed warm waking up Sunday morning was the hardest part.

Sunday we got up and had oatmeal for breakfast again. We stared packing up right away and left the site around 11:30 so we could have a picnic by the main dam spillway. The boys rerouted another stream and raced boats again - Josh and Jason spent a lot of time growing up doing this and little James is already majorly into it. Then we got in the car and headed home. The kids fell asleep a little while after we started then we realized we had to stop for gas - which always wakes them up. Thankfully we managed to only wake up James, the girls slept for three hours - I guess they were tired. When we were thirty minutes from Tulsa our power steering went out then the car started dinging because it was overheating. We were stuck on the side of the road exhausted, dirty, cranky and in disbelief that the weekend was getting worse. A great friend Brent Tate came and took us home then went back with Josh to try to fix it. They weren't able to and we had to have it towed to our mechanic this morning. The up side is that we didn't have anything to unpack last night and we got to relax. Come to find out something about the fan and a hose broke and it's going to be about $600 to fix it. And we have the problem that I have no phone and no calendar $$ thankfully James and Sam have an old AT&T phone I can borrow until we figure out what to do.

So I guess we learned we are stronger that we thought were. We will never go camping with three kids and no help again. We can still have fun when our world of comfort doesn't exist. Josh and I love each other more than we did a week ago. James and Jada have bonded. God is always good and no matter where we are or what we are going through we can find His goodness even if it is only in knowing Him.

In other news - Jada has been asking for her mommy at least once a day usually more. We are going to see her this Friday just Jada and Mom no siblings or workers or other foster parents.

I have noticed a difference in James' and Jada's interaction. Their good times are really good. Their bad times are not as intense and I actually had to get onto them for breaking the rules so they could be together and have fun. They have been laughing more and crying less. I feel like I'm going to jinks it by talking about it???

Josh's new office administrator is doing great which is a huge blessing.

Kinley is going to the doctor Wednesday and if she has fluid on her ears, which she probably does because of the fever and fussiness, then we will have to go to an ear specialist for tubes.

I think that's all that is going on right now! Enjoy the pics - Beaver's Bend is beautiful and you should go! They have cabins too!!

A couple of weeks ago we babysat for the first time since we've had three of our own. It was crazy but we did it. For some reason I thought it would be good to have spaghetti for dinner that night?? It was a mess! This was the line up - Kinley, Levi, James, Ezra, and Jada. Derrick and Rachel (Levi and Ezra's parents) are returning the favor tomorrow night..we'll see if they survive

James wore his construction safety glasses everywhere we went one day. Oh how the pride of a mother takes a beating!

My mom took the girls for a few days and while they were gone James and I went to the 3D double feature of Toy Story 1 and 2. Then we went back to Turkey Mountain and hiked for two and a half hours. We had a great time together and enjoyed doing things we can't do with sisters. I also introduced him to the old cartoon Inspector Gadget - he loved it! He's been pretending to be MAD cat a lot. Theses were the new 3D glasses we got to wear for the movie. It's a bad picture so you can't see that we are holding up Buzz and Woody - they had to go too!

One of the kids' favorite activity is to have a pillow pit. We move the ottoman back (by the way a big soft ottoman was the best purchase ever) and fill the area between the couch and ottoman with all the pillows in the house then they jump off the furniture into the pillows. Great gross motor activity for rainy days!

This cracks us up because of James' face and how it depicts his attitude toward his life as a big brother these days.

Kinley has officially learned to blow her nose and loves to practice - it is adorable in person.

We have been incredibly blessed in the last month by me getting cleaning jobs and DHS paying us for taking care of Jada. It has been neat for me to be a part of contributing to our finances as a stay at home mom. One day while I was cleaning Josh took this pic of the kids - so sweet. Jada was perplexed at Josh's circus throwing to get Kinley to smile.

We got to go to Abby, Joshua, and Caleb Butters' birthday party at the pumpkin patch. It was great fun. Kinley loves carrying things around as if they are a purse.

There was a petting zoo at the pumpkin patch - Jada and the goats got along great. She was covered in animal drool when she was done. She fed the sheep her paper bag when it was empty!

We got to go on a hay ride too!

My friends Katherine, Kari, Chandra and Shelly surprised me with 3 1/2 hours with a cleaning lady last week. I was so humbled and thankful for their thoughtfulness and generosity. James said "do we get to keep this cleaning lady forever so you don't have to clean and you can play with us more?" So sweet...but no! I also forgot to tell a funny story a few weeks ago - when Jada and James were playing in a puddle and took off all their clothes James told Jada that God cut her penis off!! Things aren't really any better and my concern for James and Jada is growing but we are consulting books and counselors for tips so hopefully we will see some growth soon!

We went to a Tulsa city park called Turkey Mountain today. We had a great time. I made little scavenger hunt lists (pictures of nuts, leaves, dirt, grass, etc) for Jada and James and if they found everything on the list they got a treat. So they collected all their goodies in a cup and got candy pumpkins for all their work. Then after hiking and eating we just stopped and played on the trail making mud and painting the rock.

Jada really enjoyed filling her cup with the things on her list but she kept dumping it. She, like every two year old, was very slow at walking and would periodically yell "I'm commin!!"

James was proud of his hiking pack. It was very heavy and he carried it for a long time - such a stud!

As usual Kinley really enjoyed eating the dirt.

These are the bugs we caught while hiking, isn't the green one cool? I am really growing in my ability to give my kids nasty science experiences! Alicia was the expert butterfly catcher!

Jason, Emily and Kate came for a visit a couple of weeks ago. Isn't baby Kate beautiful? We played dress up while they were here, Kate was a ballerina and the big kids wore my old tap recital costumes. James has been having to wear girl dress ups but we now have two male oriented options for him. We'll see what he chooses?? This is what Kinley does every time we ask her to smile - isn't it pretty and feminine?

We went to the OKC fair with Gigi and Bop. It was fun but very busy with all three of them so I forgot to take very many pictures. This is James having the camel ride "he's always wanted".

This was a freakish animal at the petting zoo that we thought belonged in a Dr. Seuss book.

Josh and I dressed up to go to the anniversary party and James asked if he would get to wear a tux when he was big - it was really cute!

The day Josh was fully in charge of dressing Jada?? :/ I had to razz him a little!!

Here is a sample of Kinley's adoration of James - he still gets her best laugh! It is also a sample of our everyday craziness - someone being "bad" someone laughing at the one being "bad" and the other one talking incessantly. Things are continuing to get a little better here. Josh's new branch office administrator started Monday and it is going really well. Hopefully she will stay for a while and they will be a good pair! God is dealing with a lot of my deep down sin and I can see some light at the end of the tunnel as far as growing as a mom and being able to better handle kids. The girls are going to stay at Gigi's next week so James can have some alone time with us then the next week we are going to Beaver's Bend for our annual camping trip. Lots of fun ahead!