the crisp connection

this one we like to call "charlie asher, in his natural environment." i dont do this anymore, but i there have been times in the past that i found it difficult to wake up with the kids, especially charlie. (he's an early riser.) i would shoo them away, hoping they wouldnt wake up caroline, back when she was always in bed with me. they would go downstairs and basically have the run of the house. as i've mentioned, he is a picky eater but loves sugar. so he often wakes up super hungry because he didnt eat supper. on this particular morning, he was stuck up on the counter, and he had to pee. so he did. all over the counter. (not sure where his diaper was. he's potty trained now, but wasnt at the time.) so i came downstairs and this is how i found him. patrick said, and i quote, that's the funniest thing i've ever seen. i begged to differ! 

the other day we had a very very special outing: patrick flew us to douglass (just east of wichita), and we had supper with the inlaws. i hadnt flown with patrick in such a long time, and this time was more special than ever before, thinking about where we're going to be flying one day soon. (that would be east africa, if you havent heard! more on that later.) it was also the first time charlie and caroline have flown with daddy. all in all, i was just overwhelmed with the goodness of God. with peace and excitement all in one. there's been a significant chunk of my life now that i completely gave up my dream of going back to africa. and patrick didnt know he'd be flying again. now here we are, our family together, trying to be obedient, in the center of God's will for us, and it just happens to be our dreams coming true. What more could you ask for?

she did pretty well, her ears didnt seem to bother her at all.

what a beautiful sight! i am trying to make better choices than i have in the 8 wks since breaking my foot, i figure i dont have any excuses anymore. so bring on the fruits and vegetables! i'm pretty sure i buy more produce than anyone else in pratt. the cashiers always look at my cart a little funny ;-)

sometimes i still cant believe i live here. the other day patrick asked me to drop him off at "work." he was loading a truck. and the night before he asked me to pick him up at the

we've been doing cereal for a few weeks now, and she likes that. the other day i tried introducing vegetables. green beans. it didnt go over well! every time she took a bite, she screwed up her little face in this grimace, it was really funny. patrick said, jana, you're starting solid food with JARRED baby food? i said dude, if it werent for me, you wouldnt even know people made their own baby food. but yes, things have been a little different with the third. at least we're still nursing, even though its much more of an inconvenience when having to take into consideration the needs of the others as well. and potty training while nursing, wow. that's fun. charlie's doing really well, though. after a few really messy days!

the kids were very blessed (spoiled!) at christmas by our families, as usual. the racetrack is charlie's and the dollhouse hannah's, but they both have fun with both.

this was our first christmas at home, but because of the foot, it was different than it would have been. patrick and i really worked hard together, and it was special. not bad for our first one, i think! we hope to have some of our own traditions. i think patrick making the turkey should be one. he did the most amazing job. really. amazing. (also, we enjoyed cheese ball and crackers with venison summer sausage, earlier in the day. so he has to get a deer every year, for that tradition.) the rest was a simple meal, relatively speaking. it sure took us enough effort, though. alvin and loretta joined us for christmas dinner.

i got this dollhouse off amazon, it was marked down from $100 to $30. pretty sure its because it got such bad reviews from customers, the silly thing comes apart every time they play with it. you do get what you pay for. its still fun, though. except all those little pieces just waiting for the baby to get in her mouth.

my little man loves helping me in the kitchen, and he always borrowed hannah's frilly apron. so i got him his own. he wore it all day.

the boy and his dessert, its something else. he had been wanting a candy cane, so i got him a little one. he kept calling it candy corn. just getting his holidays confused, i guess!

we have lots of exciting things coming up, that really deserve their own post. and since i am uber organized these days, maybe i'll get around to doing it soon :-)