Dear Naomi, I can’t believe we are celebrating your fourth birthday already! This week I asked you a few times what you wanted for your birthday. You told me that you wanted “balloons, cupcakes, a doll bed, and a ‘little sweep’ (a broom).” I love how simple your requests are. One night this week I […]
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July 1, 2013: Dear Evelyn
July 4th, 2013 
Jessica Dear Evelyn, Despite having the most difficult pregnancy to date, you are by far our easiest baby. You are mellow and happy and sleep well. Your smiles, giggles, and coos make the tougher moments with the older kids easier to bear. You’re ticklish and love to be snuggled and cuddled. You smile at everyone, and […]
Toddler Tuesday: Washing Dishes
July 2nd, 2013 Jessica Any mother of little ones will tell you that 1) it doesn’t take much to amuse them, and 2) they like your things better than their things. Case in point: my kids love to wash dishes. They rush to grab rags, play with bubbles, scoop, pour, scrub, sort, and rinse whatever is in the sink. […]
Toddler Tuesday: Legos
June 25th, 2013 Jessica When my husband was cleaning out his office this past winter, he stumbled on a box marked “Kids Toys.” He opened it up to find hundreds of Legos inside. He brought them home, and our kids have loved playing with them ever since. We keep them in the garage, and then when we want to […]
Toddler Tuesday: Leaf Rubbings
June 11th, 2013 Jessica This past autumn I spotted a Pin of “Leaf Rubbing” on Pinterest. Although we did this activity in November, it also makes a great summer activity! I remembered that my mom did leaf rubbings with us when we we were kids, so I decided to give it a try. I think this activity would be […]
Pinterest Inspired: Frugal Bathtime Fun
June 1st, 2013 Jessica Recently I spotted this Pin on Pinterest, and decided to try it with the kids. We filled our ice cub trays with water and then added a drop of food coloring. That night, we added the multi-colored cubes to their warm bath. The cubes didn’t last for long, but the kids had fun chasing and […]
Morning & Nighttime To Do Charts for Kids
April 5th, 2013 Jessica With Brad out of town for the last week, today I desperately needed to do some grocery shopping. I had been putting it off though, because who really wants to go shopping with a 3 year old, a 2 year old, and a newborn in tow? Today we bravely conquered not only WinCo, but the […]
January 28, 2013: Evelyn’s Birth Story
February 28th, 2013 Jessica Evelyn Grace was born one month ago today, on January 28, 2013 at 4:57am, 86 minutes after I was registered at the hospital. She was 6 days overdue, which makes her the earliest of my three children. She weighed 8lbs 6oz at birth, her head was 14.5 inches around, and she was 21 inches long. […]
January 21, 2013: Evelyn Grace
January 21st, 2013 Jessica Our dearest daughter, Today as I write to you, we have been living and working in California for 16 months. After two dark and difficult years in Minnesota and Maryland, our new life in sunny California has been a time of great blessing and encouragement. California is our Eden, and our town is our Garden. […]
Toddler Tuesday: Autumn Window Collage
November 20th, 2012 Jessica When I saw this Autumn Window Collage over at Frugal Family Fun (now Inner Child Fun) I just knew I had to try it with my kids! First I found some salvaged tissue paper from last year’s Christmas gifts and Christmas sales. I chose 3 colors/patterns that reminded my of fall: red, yellow, and a […]
