A little about Henry :)

My sweet little Henry is 3 1/2 and I am finally realizing that he is not a baby :) I mean, I have known he is a big boy, but man, it's really kicking my butt when I see him keeping up with Owen as doing things not all 3 year olds do!! I have always looked at him as being the baby, even after ellanore was born! Probably because he is the baby of the boys :) 

Henry is calm. Henry is encouraging. Henry is a lover. He goes in for big long kisses and long squeeze hugs:) He loves to be encouraged and affirmed and he loves to send that back. He can get mad, but he usually is quick to move on. He can typically see the wise choice and come to understand we only want best for him. He is always interested in attempting new things.  He seems to be a natural althlete , as much as a 3 year old can be and he enjoys it :) He tries so hard to be as fast as Owen. It usually results in Owen arriving at finish line first with Henry on the groud halfway there, sad because he didn't win. But we encourage him to finish and try try again :) It might be a tough lesson to learn, but your not always going to be the best at something, doesn't mean you should ever give up though. His best friend is Owen. He loves that boy so so much. I love when they play and they create new worlds and games. Lately everything is turned into a video game. They are watching a movie, let's turn it into a video game, laying in bed, let's grab a stuffed animal and pretend to play Video games! Oh the sprinkler is on, let's be Mario and luegie and fight bowser, andthe yard is filled with differnt levels :) I just love how their friendship is. 

He fights with Ellanore the most, but she still brings him such joy and laughter! He is a great partner for her when she might be a little nervous or needs some extra help. They being only 18 months apart, might be challenging in years to come, but I think mainly it is a blessing. 

Henry is smart. He knows more than I I realize :)Henry is funny. His big brother Owen has taught him some

Pretty crazy faces to make :) Henry is a buddy. Like all my kids, he takes a while to warm up at first, he is not just going to start chatting with you the moment you meet him, but maybe the next time:) 

He loves pizza :) before I plan out my

Grocery list  and meal plan I ask what they would like for dinner and he always

Shouts PIZZA!!"with macaroni (pepperoni) and pineapple!! And cheese!!"  He would eat it every day. Thank goodness too because I make it A LOT!! He will eat carrots straight from the bag. He does it so much he got Owen and ellanore hooked too !! He loves a good dance party and prefers Roar by Katy perry or What does the fox say :) amoung a few other favorites. 

It's a blessing to watch him grow but bittersweet. He is the baby boy!! His baby-ness is slipping away and I want it to hold on as long as possible.  But I know  that's not how it works :) 

Henry Fielding Reed, you are a gift , a treasure and I love  you, love you so. 

"Farm" life

So yes, we live on a farm, however, we are not farming :) we are enjoying the beauty that is surrounding us though. The first weeks we moved back, everything was still dead. No green on the trees, no flowers about to bloom open. It was rather sad. But spring quickly came and beauty is all around. My favorite thing so far were the lilac trees. We have 3 giant ones. I anticipated them blooming and finally when they did , our home and yard were filled wih their perfume :) 

The tress are bright with green leaves, and right as I type this the boys have picked their spot and are sitting up in their "tree house" having a conversation about ants, ticks and mosquitoes :) our pear tree flowered and now is bearing bright green leaves. I am not sure about our apple tree, I will have to check :) we have a huge peony bush and I cannot wait for it to bloom! We had peonies in the garden we were married in and they are beyond beautiful. 

Also, are ants attracted to this flower?! I really don't like ants and they are ALL over these flower buds. 

Our garden bed is just sitting , staring at me, begging to be tended too so I can attempt a garden. I am just to intimidated to try!! I will keep you posted on that venture! 

The grass is growing at an insanely fast rate. Poor Shane, 3 hours every weekend is spent mowing the yard. Aside from th sweating in the heat, I think he kinda likes it :/ The farm fields I believe are being planted or prepped, but we haven't seen them in the field directly behind us and we haven't checked the other fiends in a while. It will be fun to watch the fields grow. 

Speaking of growing, our chickens are getting so big! And are getting quite the personality. They must think it's hilarious to dump their food container over:) we thought we were going to loose one of the chicks, but it pulled through and is staying strong with the other ones! I can't wait for them to be able to run about the yard and then go into their coop at night.... Praying that will be an easy training transition for us all!!! 

1st day we picked them up 

1 week

2weeks 

Pretty soon they will be hopping out of this box!! Yikes! 

Ellanore Belle Reed

Our little belle is 2!!! Over the week we celebrated her birthday :)  we decided to get a zoo membership as her gift this year and my parents pitched in, so we made a trip with them and then also on Mother's Day :) it was hot and busy both days! Next time we go, it will be on a weekday ;) 

Ellanore is 2. And I find my self thinking , "only2?!" She seems to do everything ahead of schedule! She started walking at 8 months, running at 10 months it seems :) she wrestles and keeps up with her big brothers, she decided to start using the big girl potty at about 17months , and she is having full conversations with us till her hearts content! She just seems so much bigger than 2! And that is just developmental milestones. She also is about the size of a three year old , she is just a smudge shorter than Henry and a few lbs less! She eats like a 12 year old boy some days too, a healthy 12 year old boy :). No, please don't think I am hinting that she is fat or on her way. She is so active that she needs to be eating!! She worlds just as hard as her big brothers so she needs the fuel:) 

She is very sweet and kind. Usually willing to share, if it is talked about first . Give her the chance to be kind and your heart will melt. However , do something she doesn't approve of , catch her off guard, and watch out! She has already had her brother in a few headlocks! :/ it's a serious issue, I try not to

Laugh, we are working on it:) 

She loves her baby dolls, all of them she likes to play with. However her favorite is a baby belle doll that I believe was given to her from grandma and grandpa, before she was 1, I think. Well that has been well well loves. Shane and the boys got her a new one for her birthday:) she is ok with the replacement, but still keeps the old ratty one close by. She tucks the baby doll under her arms while she falls asleep. It is pretty adorable. 

She loves being outside and loves the dirt! Or sandbox, but since ours is still being built, she digs in the dirt:) hurry up uncle Jon ;) 

She used to have these crazy bow legs that made her waddle as she ran, but

Those days are gone. She is almost as fast as Henry, maybe just not as balanced :) 

She likes to throw and play catch. Mainly she likes to throw :) her best friends are "ooowwweeee" and "hnry" and she is a little momma to "posey" which is the most adorable name she says, in my opinion. My days are filled with the words "comeon momma""toys, let's play" spoken in her sweet voice. She loves to belt out to the song of LET IT GO. We love that :) she is exploring other songs at the moment , which include Everythjng is Awesome from Lego Movie, What does the fox say, Shake it off, and Happy. Emmitt is her favorite Lego to play with and only 1 of the 800 we have will do :)  she loves to have dance parties, where she does 'shake it off' like t-swift says.  My absolute favorite thing she does right now, and has been doing for about a month and a half, is she fills notebooks with her drawings. It's intense. She is focused. She gets excited when she sees a new notebook or pens to draw with. She sometimes even tells me who or what she is drawing. And the act of it is not just scribbling. She is purposefully putting lines there or circles over where. I love it when she is so enammored with it and her face is almost touching her notepad and you can just see her big beautiful brain at work. It's pretty amazing ! We all love her so so much. She has blessed our loves beyond words.i love having her as a daughter and I am so incredibly excited to see what her life will unfold !! 

The kids helped me make homemade chocolate cake with homemade whipped cream, it was devine. And also homemade coconut milk strawberry ice cream! Also , delicious!!

Ellanore Belle Reed you are our sunshine , all the time :) 

"glory of your goodness"

Lately the song that had been playing on repeat at our house is "Holy Spirit". I know of a few artsts that cover it but I think my favorite version is the one Byran and Katie Torwalt do. The words just stick with me and are something I desire for our family as well as every being on this earth. 

There's nothing worth more that will ever come close

No thing can compare, You're our living hope
Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord
Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen, of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free, and my shame is undone
By Your presence, Lord
Let us become more aware of Your presence
Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

The last two lines are really what my hearts prayer is, well should be.

Let us become more aware of Your presence:

 It is so easy to become overwhelmed with business in my life, that I rarely ever take the time to acknowledge that the presence of God is with me. He is wih me! He says he never will leave me or fore sake me!

 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 He is always with me... While washing dishes, chasing after children, while I am playing with them, disciplining them, running away from them ;) ALWAYS He is with me. His presence is near, it's there to help get me through the days, to remind me that I am a light for this dark world, that I am an example of Jesus' love, to my children. He equipped me with the Holy Spirit to go boldly into my day and to share the gospel with others. So I say, Holy Spirit come flood my home, go with us, may we acknowledge your presence!!  It is there that we find such freedom from our sins and shame. We realize that you,God, love us despite our human error. It is the sweetest love. Your presence gives us hope, a possibility that our day won't be weighed down by all our guilt caused by our actions days before. How reassuring it it to know that my yesterday's are all undone and my shame can be gone! Being aware of his presence is such a powerful thing. 

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness: 

I think of this in two parts. First part is this: 

Let's be real, life is hard some days. Might even seem too hard. We don't always see the goodness in our lives. Rather than seeing rain as the source that is feeding this great earth, bringing the beautiful flowers to life and growing food for our families to eat, we sometimes look at the rain and think about how it will slow our drive to work,  create muddy feilds that postpone our sporting events or even just meaning a whole day stuck inside with crazy loud kids. All that God created is good. Bad things happen, yes. Sometimes really bad things. But maybe, just maybe ,in those times , God is protecting us from something even worse. That fall that my kid had, yes it resulted in a bruise , but could it have been worse? That ticket you got really sucks, but did it save you from a devastation car crash? God's goodness, I believe, is protecting us. I know many people that will just think that because something bad happened, that God is giving that to him/her. And I don't habe all the answers for that. I like to believe that God doesn't make bad things happen to His children, especially unwarranted.  But like any parents know, discipline is a part of parenting, and it's really really hard , but often times best for the child. God himself is what is good!! If we can rest in that goodness, in God, we are drawing nearer to Him, growing in Him, and living in His will for us. When the bad things in life happen, His goodness, if experienced, if we believe it, keep our eyes fixed on Him. The ultimate goodness, the only real good there is!

Second part is this : Jesus. Simply Jesus. God showed His ultamite goodness and sent down His son Jesus to save us. All of us. The entire world. If we can get our minds around this, and experience Jesus in our lives, how our need for a savior is so massive, than we can truely experience the goodness of God! It such a great place to rest in. Rest there when you are in the battle, rest there in your sickness, rest there in your exhaustion and weariness. Just rest there. He is longing for us. And he says to come now and come as you are!! 

17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow (James 1:17).

I love this song because it grounds me. It starts my day off asking for the Holy Spirit to work in me, to take over and to dwell in me. So those times when I want to freak out because my child won't stop asking to play Lego Movie video game, I won't. Instead I can remember to pray with Him, to point him to Jesus and just simply show him love.

 It also makes my heart ache for those who do not understand the importance of God, not just Jesus. You can't just take the Jesus part and reject God. For they are one. God came seem scary and like you can never measure up to His standards, but He sent Jesus! And with Jesus, we can:)  It is the ultamite glory of his goodness. 

I hope this wasn't too preachy. I just really have been enjoying this song! And maybe this song if not even close to what I interpret it to be. I think I am close ;) but I didn't write it. 

Everyone enjoy your day! 

Posey Charlotte Reed

                        

So I thought I would post a few entires about each of our kids and what this stage of their life is like! I will start with the youngest :) Little miss flower, Posey Charlotte, is already 3 months old!!! Goodness when did that happen!? I haven't even completed writing her birth story yet! It's been a busy few months :)  She is sitting in her bumbo seat like a pro, giving deep belly laughs, adorable coos and gurgles and the biggest smiles you ever have seen!!!  She is beautiful:) she loves eating her hands, and she had recently started to drule like crazy! I am sure teeth are in her near future. She likes to be on her belly and look at her siblings toys, head in full control, looking around. She is on her way to being able to roll back to belly but she has mastered belly back no problem. Her hair is just peach fuzz and very blonde, I think we have another white haired baby on our hands :) love it:) her blue eyes sparkle and light up when one of her loved ones walk into the room. And she is a great sleeper, I truely am getting pretty good sleep!! But she is more than welcomed to nurse all night if she needs to, momma has to get sleep, so she comes and snuggles in bed with us. She is chunking out nicely :) she pretty much skipped the 3-6 month size and is in a full on 6 month and some 12 month!!!! Most of her clothes are hamidowns, so they have shrunk a tad but not enough to make a huge difference!!! 

Her siblings all adore her, especially Owen and Ellanore. Ellanore is amazed when she laughs, eats her hands, and very badly wants to play with her. She is constantly trying to put toys in her hands and make her play :) Owen can not walk past her without kissing her or nuzzling her(yes, like a cat). He loves loves babies and is already asking when the next one is coming. Slow down kid and enjoy the one we have :) he is a great brother and they seem to have a great bond already!  Henry loves her just as much and when he does love on her, it is so genuine and sincere. his eyes grow so big eith love though when he does give her special attention, it's very very sweet. It's not constant and can sometimes go all day without noticing she is her :) they all are helpful with giving her the paci is she needs it, holding her hands, running and getting me is she cries or is she smells poopy :)! 

This summer should be pretty fun, I am excited. She will be walki around in a blink and crawling around even faster than that!! Even though my kids are all under school age, I feel like this season we are in, I am the "old" momma, the "experienced" momma and that from here on out everything Is going to go double time !! So I am trying to enjoy the days of not going out and just hanging with the kids. This 3 month old will be an adult quicker than I can believe it, it's a bitter sweet thought, but I am going to enjoy each season with her and see what God has in store for our sweet flower, Posey :) 

Spring is finally here

I think Michigan is at long last having  Spring!

 

It's kinda nice to enjoy two springs this year. Richmond is already entering into the crazy hot that is their summer, so we had a whole beautiful season of spring there and now get one here :) 

He kids have been loving it outside. The moved one giant dirt pile over to a new spot, we have been having races in the pasture, and we walked our 85 acres of land.  

 

They have been playing gloriously in grandma and grandpas yard :) swing, slides, hammock, fort building , sling shooting and bird watching are among the favorites of grandma and grandpas back yard:) Owen is insists that he needs a sling shot for his birthday and little white peas to shoot out of it! I am fairly certain he means beads :) I can forsee many fun accidents with that, but what little boy doesn't want a slingshot ! It is almost a right of boyhood I am sure. 

they spent one afternoon being pirates in their hammock pirate ship:) it was so fun to see and hear them giggle with grandma as they were in their pretend world. They are 100% convinced that Michigan is only Grandma and Grandpas house and I think Henry still believes we live in Virgina :) 

Grandma and grandpa came down to our place one day after work this week and Shane and I had a nice little date. It felt differnt than our dates in Richmond. Small town on a early Tuesday evening is not the recipe for crowds of people or even just a full amount of people :) but it was a good time and the one on one time was needed! I am thankful that date nights can happen much more frequently than the once every few months it had been!! 

I started school back up for Owen. We had been doing some lessons since Posey was born, but the closer thr move came , and the more adventuring we did, school took a backseat.

I still have that luxurary being that he is not officially kindergarten age and I am fairly certain he knows must of what is covered in kindergarten. But it is nice to get school done first thing in the morning and back into the habit of it. He really does thrive better with it in his life :) 

We decided to paint the school table with chalk board paint. So that was our first project since living here at the farm. I have many other pieces of furniture to paint and hoping to get them done ASAP!! 

Our biggest and most exciting development is that we ordered baby chicks!! 6 little chicks should be here by the end of next week!  I am terrified and excited :) Owen excitedly stated that "we are farmers now!! Well I am anyways""!! :) he has everything planned for me and has been telling me what exactly needs to take place!! He is he chicken expert you know :) 

So expect to read lots about our chicken raising adventure ;) 

Happy weekend y'all;)