Emma Kate

Our Emma Kate came into the world on Friday, July 10th... her due date!  I had been to the doctor on Wednesday, and, even though baby's head was really low, she thought that I was going to go past my due date. Thursday was a busy day for us.  David had gotten some firewood the night before, and we all helped unload it into our garage.  Then David filled up our sandbox with sand, and took Micah with him to his brother's work place to do some work on our car. (It's making a very loud, obnoxious noise!)  All throughout the day, I noticed that I was having intense Braxton-Hicks contractions about every 10-15 minutes. Yet, I didn't say anything to David, as I wanted to be sure I was going into labor before I got him all excited. :)  

As I was thinking that the baby could soon be coming, I so badly wanted to get a good nap that afternoon. Well, for some reason, little Timothy just would not settle to sleep, when normally he sleeps really well for nap time. I was only able to rest for about 10 minutes, which left me very frustrated indeed, but I couldn't really do anything about it.

As I was making supper, I noticed that my contractions began to feel a bit more 'crampy', and I began to think that "this really could be it"! I fed the children, and soon afterwards David and Micah returned from trying to fix the car. David mentioned that he had ordered a part for the car and that he needed to get it fixed ASAP.  I told him that we may just need the car yet and not to put it in the shop!  He was quite surprised when I told him that I thought I was going into labor, and couldn't believe I hadn't told him sooner!

We then quickly got all the kids their baths, washed their hair, and put them to bed. I was getting quite agitated during bath time, as my contractions were getting stronger, and I just wanted to have some peace and quiet. David was ready to call his parents, asking them to come. But I did not want to go to the hospital yet. At this point, I was just so tired, and all I wanted to do was sleep. We both showered, and went to bed. David was able to sleep, but as my contractions were getting stronger, I could not. They were about 10 minutes apart, so I was able to rest in between them, which was so nice! I knew that I should get up and move around in order to help labor progress quicker, but I was just so tired, I wanted labor to stop a bit so I could sleep!

Well, stop it did not. At 10pm, my contractions quickly went from 10 minutes apart to only about 3 minutes. During a contraction David woke-up, and I told him to call his parents. They arrived in about half an hour, and we were on our way to the hospital. Oh, but David was so disoriented, he could not find the car keys, nor could he find his wallet! He was running all over the house trying to find them, all the while I was contracting and was not impressed! Finally, he just grabbed our spare keys and we were on our way. (Must I remind you that our car was making a very obnoxious loud noise? NOT something you want to be hearing as you are dealing with contractions in the back seat of a car!)

We arrived at the hospital around 11pm.  When the midwife checked me, I was only about 4-5 cm. dilated. But that quickly changed as my contractions became even more intense.  I kept watching the clock, as I knew it would soon be midnight, and then our baby's due date. I really wanted the baby to wait and come on her due date, as I always thought that it would be neat to have a baby born exactly on the due date. Midnight came, my water broke, and our Emma Kate was born at 7 minutes past 12!

We were absolutely thrilled to see our new baby girl!  And we are so much in love with her!

(sorry, I have no idea why this picture was uploaded upside down)

Emma Kate and I stayed at the hospital for 2 days, 

and David brought the kids in shifts to visit us.  :)

(Yeah, David just might be the only person here in Germany who wears a Stealers cap!)

All the kids were just so excited to meet "baby".

Yes, Micah was hoping for a little brother and was a bit disappointed at first to hear he had a sister.  But, ever since he has seen her, he has been fascinated with her!  He loves to hold her, constantly says how sweet she is, and says he just loves his baby sister.  He'll make a good Papa some day!  :)

And these three little Mommies... oh my goodness... 

Timmy... I just love how he says "Emma Kaaate".  :)

Emma Kate

We have always liked the name "Emma".  It is simple yet nice.  Our former co-workers' daughter is also an "Emma", so perhaps we took the name from them???  (We love you Jameses!)

We chose "Kate" as a shortened form of Katharina, which is David's mom's name. 

On our way home!

(Say "good-bye" to peace and quiet, Emma Kate!)

And then there were '8'!

Oh, we love these little people so much!

David's mom has been a huge help to us!  Not only did she help David with meals and taking care of the kids while I was in the hospital, she spent most of the week cooking for us and doing our laundry. She is a true servant, and we are so thankful for her!

And our precious Emma Kate, our Baby #8, we are all just enjoying her immensely. 

Words cannot describe how much we love this precious one. 

Welcome to our family, little miss Emma Kate!

Heavenly Father, thank-you for blessing us with such a wonderful gift!

Introducing...

 Emma Kate

Birthdate:  Friday, July 10, 2015

Time of Birth:  12:07am / 00:07 Uhr

Weight:  3.550 grams / 7 lbs. 8 oz.

Length:  52 cm / 20 inches

Our hearts are overflowing with thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for blessing us with this precious little girl.  Children are such a wonderful gift straight from Him.

Thank-you dear Jesus, for blessing our family with Emma Kate!

An Update (one that is long overdue!)

Hello family and friends!  

For those of you who read this in order to stay some-what connected to us, my deepest apologies for not updating in such a long time!  I will try to catch you up a bit with our family life with some pictures of the children and what we have been up to lately.

As of this past Friday, the older three are on summer break, so we are all pretty happy about that!  Unfortunately, David doesn't have break quite yet. He's busy studying for some upcoming exams, and we are all looking forward to when they are done!  

Here in Germany, we don't have the typical hot weather all throughout the summer. One day you can be wearing jackets, the next day splashing around in the back yard.  But, we try to enjoy the weather that is given to us each day.   

Here is our little almost 2 1/2 year old Timothy.  He really enjoys riding his bobby car around outside,  playing with any type of ball, and making little pistols out of legos, sticks, etc.  Yet what he really enjoys is just running alongside his big brother and sisters and doing whatever they are doing at the moment. His papa is definitely his favorite person right now, and Timmy's day is just wonderful if he can go anywhere with his papa in the "auto" (car).

Our little princess, Madelynn is now 4 years old.  Out of all of our children, she is definitely the most independent, insisting on doing things "all by myself" and running around like one of the older ones. She enjoys playing with her baby doll, but can sit and color for hours on end (or so it seems).   She just loves it when her older sisters bring their friends home and they let her play with them.  She is definitely our little sweetheart!

And since I missed posting a picture of her on her birthday (May 17th), here is one now.  

She asked for a chocolate candy cake, and so that is what she got.  :)

Heidi is now 5, and what a cutie!  I call her our little encourager.  She can often be heard praising her siblings for doing a job well done on drawing a picture, or saying how beautiful someone looks.  Her baby doll, coloring books, bike, and the sand box are some of her favorite things.  She also just loves to "goof around" and be silly.  :)  She is not afraid of people or new situations, and I can always count on her to clean-up the playroom.  We are so thankful for her smile!

Our Hanna, also 5, although at first appearing a little shy, enjoys playing with her neighborhood friends and making new ones.  She too enjoys riding her bike, taking care of her baby doll, and coloring.  Yet, she also really likes to play Fussball (soccer) with her big brother.  She can often be found kicking a ball around with Micah.  She will be the first one to tell me if someone is doing something they shouldn't be, and she loves a good cuddle.  She is definitely a blessing to us all!

Our H&H will be starting kindergarten this fall!  

Even though they play with all of their siblings, and Madelyn is practically like their "triplet", they still enjoy having "twin time".  

Our Micah is now 7 and is so glad to be finished with first grade!  Although he will say that school is boring, I think he enjoys it.  :)  He especially likes playing Fussball with his friends outside during recess or during gym class. Although reading may not be his favorite thing, he seems to enjoy math a lot better.  He especially likes 'tagging along' with his papa and helping him with any project he may be doing around the house.  Recently, he just lost his 2 front teeth. (One his Opa pulled out, and the other his Papa.)  I had to get a picture of him with Emily, our neighbor girl and one of Micah's classmates. She is also missing her two front teeth.  :)  These two play so well together, and can spend hours just talking and being silly with one another. It is really quite cute.  :)  Emily doesn't have any brothers, so Micah is like one to her.  We hope that their friendship can continue, even as they are getting older and the idea that "boys and girls don't play together" begins to enter their minds.  :)

Our Nina is now 9 and just finished the 3rd grade.  Her favorite part of school is definitely the social aspect.  She has lots of different friends, and enjoys spending time with them all.  Recently, she has discovered that she really likes to run and is quite fast.  She has tons of energy, and is therefore always moving, and extremely competitive!  She really enjoys making different crafts and projects, and often retreats to the quiet of her room to work on something. She is our "early morning bird" and it seems like she is always "hot". We contribute this to the fact that she was born in the cold Siberian winter.  :)  We sure do love our Ninichka!

How can it be that our oldest is now 10?!  Aria just finished the 4th grade, and with that, she will be going to a different school this fall. (Similar to the middle school in the States?)  She enjoys having friends over to our house to spend the afternoon with, yet also likes playing with her younger siblings. (She's a good big sister!)  She enjoys painting pictures and doing crafty projects as well.  I really treasure the times when she comes to me in the kitchen, or wherever, and we just talk.  She has a gentle and sweet spirit, although she loves to goof around and tease her siblings too!  Aria is such a blessing and can be such a big help to me (when she wants to :D).

Today, David and I are celebrating 12 years of marriage!  

We sure are thankful for one another and the gift that He has given to us in each other.

And yeah, it has been a while since I've updated this!  Yet most of you know already that we are expecting our 8th little one practically any day now!  We are so thankful for this pregnancy and for the health and strength that He has blessed me with to keep up with the children and household. Here I am today, at exactly 38 weeks + 2 days.

The paper chain we have hanging in our kitchen which the children use to count down the days till the baby's due date, is getting shorter and shorter!

Perhaps what makes it even a bit more exciting this time around, is that we have chosen not to find out the gender of our baby.  I have always wanted to be surprised, and my loving husband finally "gave-in" to the idea (he doesn't like surprises so much :D).  The kids can hardly stand it, not knowing if they will be getting another little sister or brother!  Of course, the girls really want a girl, and Micah is really hoping it is a boy. (Timmy just knows there's a baby in mommy's belly.) Actually, Micah has been praying for another little brother for over a year now.  The other day, Heidi said to me with a sigh, "mommy, I know the baby is going to be a boy."  Why do you say that, I asked.  "Well, Micah prays so much for a brother, and I know that God hears him."  So cute. Really, we are totally fine with either a boy or girl. Honestly, if we could choose, we don't know which gender we would choose, boys and girls are each just so special!!!  So, we are content to leave it in God's hands, knowing that He will give us whichever baby He wants to bless us with. And that baby will be just wonderful!  

I prepared little treat bags for the kids which I have packed away in my hospital bag.  7 little bags filled with pink treats, and 7 little bags filled with blue.  I told them that they will know if they have a little brother or sister depending on the treat bag that their papa brings them home from the hospital. They can't wait! (Neither can David and I!)

So, the next post will most likely be introducing you to our Baby #8!

Micah turns 7

Several weeks ago, on Feb. 15th, our Micah enjoyed his 7th birthday!  The Friday before his birthday (which was on a Sunday), the children did not have school due to teacher-in-service.  Therefore, we thought it would be the perfect time for Micah to have some of his friends over for a little party.  Micah really wanted a Piñata, and him and his friends really enjoyed making it "kaput"!

After lunch, Micah and his friends all piled into our van, and David took them to a local gym where they spent several hours just playing soccer together. They absolutely LOVED it!

After all that running around, they came back for some birthday cupcakes, and a good round of playing "cops and robbers" throughout the house before their parents came and picked them up.

David and I both agreed that it was so much fun having a bunch of little boys in the house!  They had so much fun playing together, and we totally enjoyed watching them interact with each other.

Then on his birthday morning, the traditional Mickey Mouse pancakes.

In the evening, Oma and Opa came over for a little birthday supper and some cake.

We are so thankful for our Micah and that he is a part of our family.  He really enjoys kicking his soccer ball around, riding bike, his remote control car and nerf gun, making his sisters scream, discovering how things work, and going on special trips with Papa to the local "Lowes". 

Micah, we love you so much and are so proud of you!  Have a wonderful year being '7'!

Our little boy is two

I know that this post is a month late in coming,

 but I still wanted to post some pictures of our little two year old...

Timothy John.

This little boy is such a gift.  He brings all of us so much joy.  And he has it so good.  Not only does he have parents who love him dearly, but he has six older siblings who would do anything for him.  Seriously.  His siblings love him to pieces and "spoil" him like crazy!  

Here he is on his birthday, Jan. 12th, with his chocolate-banana-animal cracker- fruit pizza.  :)

At two, his favorite toys are balls of any kind, and he also really enjoys looking at books. He can be heard kicking his little ball throughout the house, yelling "Tor" (Goal) with every kick.  It's not unusual for him to want to fall asleep while holding a ball or a book.

He is quite interested in things that fly in the sky, such as airplanes and helicopters.

He shares a room with his older brother, and Micah is definitely one of his favorite people. Whenever Micah returns from school, he gets lots of hugs from this little guy.  They really enjoy kicking a soccer ball around together.  And Timmy is getting pretty good!

He spends most mornings here at home with three of his older sisters.  So, he is known to be seen walking around with a barrette in his hair (hey, all his sisters get one!), and pushing baby strollers through the house.  (It's not hurting him though. He's definitely all boy.)

One of his favorite things to do, is to explore his papa's tool room in the basement.  He has gotten into too much mischief in there though, so we now have to keep the tool room locked.  (I found a hammer laying beside a smashed light bulb on several different occasions!)

Yeah, we love this little guy and are so thankful for him!

Have a wonderful year being '2', Timmy John!

Happy 9th Birthday, Nina!

Our Christmas baby turned '9'!  

(Has it really been 9 years since she was born mid-Christmas day 

on a very cold Siberian wintery day???)

We celebrated her Birthday with friends a week before, and I think they all had lots of fun.

Nina and her friends each made a little gingerbread house.

They also enjoyed making their own bookmarks.

Breakfast Christmas morning is when we celebrate Nina's birthday together as a family.  

Everyone is already done opening their presents, and she gets to open more!  :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NINA!  

We love you so much!  

Right now, you really enjoy anything having to do with arts and crafts, and you think baking and cooking is just the best!  Remember how you made cupcakes to take to your classmates, just for fun? You also like different sport activities and find a special enjoyment in running.  According to your teacher, you are also very proud of your siblings, and you will talk very often about your family.  You are a wonderful big sister, and it shows as your younger siblings love following you up to your room and playing with you there.  Nina, we are so very proud of you and so thankful that we have been blessed to have you as a part of our family.  Have a wonderful year being '9'!