Always in Need of Grace

Farewell, old friend......and "N" is for noodle necklaces

2012-02-10T07:58:00.000-06:00

Well, a dear family member is with is no more. The Millennium Falcon, our minivan of the past three years broke down and was unable to be repaired. I'm sure to some it is silly to have attachment to a car...but I tend to see them as family. :) So, we will miss you, old girl...thank you for all the vacations, for bringing two of my children home from the hospital, for all the drive-in movies and trips to church. The McDonald's drive through just wont be the same without you!

On another note, Peter and I are studying the letter "N" this week...so we made noodle necklaces! Here is our process:

You need baggies, food coloring, rubbing alcohol and pasta of your choice. I chose the biggest I could find.

Then combine 1 cup pasta, 1/2 alcohol, and desired amount of coloring to the baggie.

Let the baggies sit a few hours(on a plate to catch the excess coloring) and turn them every 30 min or so to get coloring even. Then dry on paper towels over night.

In the morning, string them on ribbon or yarn. (side note, I found that taping down one end of the string was REALLY helpful!)

Then tie it up and show it off!

So fun. They wore them to lunch and even made a few for some friends. Ta-da! :)

Osterberg happenings...

2012-01-22T20:59:00.000-06:00

Well, just a quick update on the past few weeks...we have had some pretty significant things occur. First, Justin has officially moved into Peter's room. We got him all ready for bed, draped his blanket around his shoulders and sang the graduation march as he walked into the big boy room. He was thrilled. :)

Roomies!

Then, little Jane got her first bite of cereal....well, cereal water. :) She did great, so the food introduction has begun!

Jane had her five month birthday! Such a doll.

My sister had her 27th birthday....I'm not sure how my baby sister keeps getting older, because I'm not! Haha. Anyway, we went out to celebrate with mom and dad. Happy birthday, kiddo, we love you bunches!

We are so thankful for the wonderful stage we are in. Our kids sanctify us daily, our needs are met beyond our expectations, and our family love continues to deepen. Thank you, Lord for your grace toward our family!

Pretty in pink!

2012-01-16T16:14:00.001-06:00

2012-01-10T08:10:00.000-06:00

All right kids...here are the pictures from Christmas. Hang on because there are a ton of them! Since my last post was only words this post will pretty much be only pics. I think all of the pictures pretty much speak for themselves...therefore I will narrate as little as possible. Ok, here we go!!!

We will start with our little family Christmas in Fort Worth.

Reading the Christmas story...

We stopped at Sam Houston to take a walk around the campus and share some memories....

So many pics taken in front of this fountain.

This is the building I practically lived in for 5 years...the good old music building.

We had to drive through Wendy's....This is where Brent proposed that I be his wife as I worked my shift as the drive-thru girl. :) So here he is, about 10 years later, hold my ring in the drive thru again.

Ok, now it's an Osterberg/Davis Christmas...

Onto Webster for a Butcher/McCorkle Christmas...

We spent our traditional time with the Murrells and Aragons too!

We got to see my 2nd cousin, Simeon, be baptized my his Daddy. Such a sweet time!

Chipmunk movie with Grandma and Papa Jon

We went to see my Dad's train layout and run the trains. :)

So thanks for looking at all the photos! I took about 664 pictures over Christmas...probably because I had a new camera to use. :) So there are many many more, but these were the best. Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's and I'll see you on the next post!

Resolutions and convictions of a house-wife

2012-01-01T20:57:00.000-06:00

Well, it's a new year. And with it comes the desire to make resolutions. I'm all for making resolutions and here are four reasons why: (Stick with me, guys...this blog is more words than pics this time!)

1) If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Therefore, resolutions help you make a plan to discipline yourself for godliness. You should be able to look at the person you were last year and the person you are today and see a change. You should be more like Christ today than you were at this time last year.
2) Making resolutions help you to see God's faithfulness. This is only true if you do what I do and that is to write down your resolutions and revisit them. I look at the ones I made last year and evaluate my ability to keep them. I know that I did not do any good this past year apart from what God allowed and empowered me to do. Therefore, He and He alone gets all the glory for my success. If you keep a running record of your resolutions from year to year, you can see God's faithfulness to you and thus you will be lead to worship Him all the more.
3) Make resolutions to see your sin. Your heart is deceitful and will tell you that you are doing OK. Without resolutions or goals to keep you in line, you may not see how you are falling short in your walk with God.
4) Resolutions allow iron to sharpen iron. You should have someone keep you accountable for some, if not all, of your resolutions. This allows for more fellowship and community among believers.

And here are four short ways to make resolutions, now that I have convinced you that you should:
1)Prayerfully (Ask God where you need to change)
2)Specifically (So you are more likely to do it. Vagueness leads to laziness.)
3)Attainability (Not so hard you loose heart, but not so easy that you do not have to change)
4)Categorically (Everything from spiritual, to "one another", to personal)

So here are my resolutions. I want to share them with you because I want to live transparently before my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want you to share in my success that God gives me and to keep me accountable on the things I struggle with. You have my full permission to follow up and ask me about any of the following resolutions...and I would love to hear yours as well!

In the area of parenting:
1) To speak to my children with a loving tone and never let them see if I am annoyed or exasperated with them. I know that the tone I use is a choice and I can choose to be loving and patient with my words. Proverbs 31:26 - "She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue"
2) To use every opportunity to share the gospel with them. Using everything from the pretty trees out the van window to the fight between brothers to show them the need for Christ and His sacrifice on the cross.
3) To stick to doing preschool at least three times a week with Peter, using the "Learn your letters, learn to serve" curriculum from Heavenly Homemakers. (I really cannot say enough wonderful things about this...ask me more!)

In the area of the house:
1)I made a schedule of chores and have laid it out for the week. If I stick to the plan, I have a list of things I do each day and then a "chore of the day" that I do right before Brent gets home. I have also looked at the app called "Motivated Moms" (thanks, Steph!) and I may use that to keep me cleaning without being overwhelmed. I was doing great at keeping to my chore schedule before Jane was born and then....well, a baby changes everything! I want to get back on track.

In the area of being a helper suitable:
1) I want to greet my husband when he comes home every day. I know he has had just a crazy of a day as I have had and he too is tired. Yet, he still hits the door with a smile and energy that I know he has to make a choice to conjure up for us. I think he deserves a smile and a kiss from his wife when he gets home. I usually just shout a greeting from where ever I am in the house and then eventually see his face when it is necessary for me to go into the living room. This is shameful to admit! My husband has one wife, and therefore, one place that he is going to get love, compassion, and sweet kisses. I want to set a loving and happy tone for the evening and I think a way to do this is to meet him at the door (remembering to brush my hair and teeth....and maybe even a swipe of lip gloss) and smile him into the house with a happy heart.

In the area of prayer:
1) I want to pray more for other people....therefore I want to pray every time I do a mundane and repeated task. I chose changing diapers....I do it a lot, I can multitask while I do it, and my kids get to hear me do it. So every time I change a diaper, I want to pray for some one that needs it. :)

In the area of self:
1) To work out. Not for the purpose of weight loss or anything...but simply because God gave me this body and I want to take care of it. I have chronic back problems and if I exercise I am in less pain. So I want to boost my energy and take care of myself....and this leads to taking better care of my family and having more energy for them.
2) To always have a godly book being read. At any given time I want to be reading an extra-biblical book that is pointing me to Christ. I recently had a dear friend ask me what I have read lately...and I want to have a good answer that is going to bring about God-honoring conversation. So please ask me what book I am reading!
3) To journal more. I want to be able to look back over the years and have a first hand account of how God has blessed me. I want a clear reminder of the trials and blessings that I can use to show generations after me what a loving, powerful and wise God I serve.

So that is most of them. I really hope you find some encouragement to write your own resolutions and to worship our God more deeply! To Him be the glory for ever and ever!

Candle Light Service

2011-12-20T22:05:00.001-06:00

Peter sang in the service on Sunday night. It always brings us such joy to see the littles praising God. :)

Downtown Christmas tree

2011-12-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again! It has been our tradition to go to Sundance Square in the heart of downtown Fort Worth and see the big Christmas tree. So here we are, soaking up the lights, the cool air and the general cheery atmosphere...

Happy birthday, Jesus

2011-12-12T17:21:00.000-06:00

So Peter and I are studying the letters of the alphabet for pre-school. This past week was the letter "H". And it just so happened that "happy" and "hat" starts with the letter h. So, we made "Happy birthday, Jesus hats"! It kind of snowballed from there into a full on party for His birthday. Which I was very tickled with. Anything that can convey the true meaning of the season to the children is welcomed as a good idea. The kids really got into it....

Justin's hat....

...Peter's hat. I had a hat too (not shown) :)

We made a cake and I told the kids to go to their room and pick the toys that they thought Jesus would like on His cake. So cute what they came up with...

Jane celebrated too! :) Happy birthday to the One who was born to give us life and rescue us from our sin!

Decking the Halls

2011-12-06T09:19:00.000-06:00

As soon as we got home from Thanksgiving we decorated the house for Christmas. After the fiasco of the real tree last year, we opted to pull out the sweet little fake one from the attic.

Baby's first Christmas...watching all the boys

I think they thought the boughs were swords.

Time for ornaments...

...and beads and lights.

We put lights up outside too....hard to see, but I think they look pretty.

Watching Charlie Brown Christmas....always a classic!

And we had the first fire of the year. So cozy to be together on the couch while the temperature drops outside. :)

And the stockings are up! Jane finally got an official one, so the mantel is complete.

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

....my BIRTHDAY! I must say that turning 32 has been one of the best birthdays yet! My husband wrote an amazing blog post just about me and he sent me 10 thank you cards in the mail thanking me for the all the things he loves about me. The day was full of other surprises in including a million sweet Facebook messages, emails, phone calls from family, yummy Starbucks and lovely candles from my friends. I got to spend the day doing just what I wanted to do including.....

.....snuggling with my newest blessing. Snug as a bug in a rug!

And I didn't have to cook! The boys and my sweet girl took me out to dinner. I got to choose. I chose Chili's. I love their chips and salsa and the boys love chicken and french fries. Everybody wins.

I even got to hear "Happy Birthday" sung to me by the waiter!

And got chocolate molten cake....mmmmmm.

My parents bought me a super sweet new camera. I have spent many hours taking pictures of everything from the moon to the carpet fibers to learn all the settings. All but this picture, of course, are the ones I took with it....it's wonderful!

And Yeeehaaaaw, ya'll! I got me a pair of cowboy boots! I have been breaking them in around the house and they were finally ready to wear out for my birthday dinner. Brent, Brent's parents, and GG all pitched in to get them for me. Love! So this birthday was a wonderful day of celebrating God's goodness to me and reflecting on how much I love the friends and family he has placed in my life to strengthen me and for me to pour out on them in return. Birthdays are great. I think I'll do it again next year!

Giving Thanks

2011-11-29T10:02:00.000-06:00

So many, many things to be thankful for this year. If you have read Brent's blog lately then you know that we are trying to look at being thankful from a little bit different perspective. (pewtopractice.wordpress.com) I think the thing that has resonated the most with me is that God gives you all that you need. That includes the hard things....get in a wreck on the way to work? You needed it. Only get three hours sleep last night? That was all you needed. If you really had needed more, God would have provided it. Have a head cold? You need it. Have crazy, disobedient children? You need them. God gives you all that you need to be conformed into the image of His Son. So whatever you have, you have it because you need it. Whatever you do not have, you do not need. God knows more than I do whatI need...and I am very thankful for that this year. God freely gave us His Son to die in our place....so how could He not give us all else that we need? (Roman 8:32)

So this year we celebrated with my side of the family first. Mom and Dad took us to Galveston...one of my favorite places on Earth! How I missed the salty sea air and the sparkling ocean waves! It was so refreshing to stand on the shore and take it all in.

The boys had a blast....too much, perhaps. We had to go buy them some new clothes at the store afterward, but I think it was all worth it! I kind of wanted to go splashing in with them!

Showing off our new Star Wars shirts!

Then to the gift shop....always a fun stop. You never know what you are going to find!

Feeding the birds from the Ferry boat. It was Jane's first boat ride!

On Thanksgiving Day we went over to my Aunt Diane and Uncle Larry's house. My cousin Sara and her crew were there too. Here is Sara and the adorable hat that she made for Jane...so sweet!

Nursing and eating my turkey lunch. :)

It was such a beautiful day outside...perfect for playing! Elijah, Peter, Justin, and Moriah found the sand box. :)

Then it was on to the Osterberg's house. Another great time of eating and giving thanks.

Jane was not wanting for attention. :) Everyone is just in love with her sweet smile.

Jane got a bath - squeaky clean!

On black Friday I went shopping with Nancy and Courtney and we met the guys for lunch at James Coney Island...mmmm.

Fun with Jane

2011-11-04T16:24:00.000-06:00

My little sweetie! We are loving every minute of our sweet girl. She went to the doc for her check up and he said she weighs 11 pounds and 4 oz....right in the middle of the growth chart. She's perfect! :) These are just some cute pics I took while getting ready for bed last night.

Haha! I thought it would be funny to take a pic of what she sees us doing....no wonder it makes her crack up! We look pretty goofy...

And THIS is Peter at about the same age, 11 weeks. Wow, they look a lot alike!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:45:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween and Reformation Day! We had a great time this year with all the festivities. It is a big season coming up for Jane....first Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all in a row! :)

Peter started out dressed as Indiana Jones/Cowboy....

...and Justin wanted to be Spiderman.

Earlier in the day we took Peter on a date to see Real Steel with us while a babysitter watched the littles....the movie was totally awesome! Peter got the robot from the movie as a prize from Mama and Daddy for working so hard at t-ball this season.

We got together with our close friends, the Lambs. Cooper was Iron Man, Jaxon was Batman, Peter changed into Black Spiderman and Justin was Spiderman. I love all the super heros, boys are so much fun!!

We went to a Trunk or Treat at a church down the road.

After that, we did take the kids door to door for candy, just down our street to the neighbors that we know.

Then it was back to the house for pumpkin carving!! Laura made yummy candied apples and sugar cookies to munch on while we worked.

We passed out candy and gospel tracts to the trick or treaters that came by.

The families and their pumpkins....I love it!

I love the outside shot of the pumpkins too...they all came out so well! Left to right: Cooper, Jaxon, Brent, Keri, Peter, Justin and Jane. :)

After the kids went to bed we separated out all the candy that they couldn't eat....and uh...had a few samples. :)

2011-10-30T19:29:00.000-06:00

More tball pics....Peter played catcher this game. Too cute to not take a pic. :)

This is how Justin fell asleep the other night. So funny...he just sits up and plays and plays until he crashes.

Pa and Nana came for a visit. We hung out a lot in the backyard. The weather is finally nice enough and we have that awesome new swing set!

2011 Blue Knights!

Uncle Shawn got to come to a game and cheer Peter on! So wonderful to have family in the stands showing Peter the love. :)

While Pa and Nana were in town we went and had a yummy dinner with GG, Randy, Tobin, Faith, Jaxon and our family. It was so fun to get the group together.

Nana and Pa stayed in a hotel down the street. They had a huge bath tub in the middle of their room! So of course, the boys took a swim.

Go Rangers! We took this pic before game 7...we were really pulling for them to win, and most of you know that they didn't....but we still love our team and will keep cheering for them!

Random silliness. Peter called me into the bathroom and hid his face. When I walked in he turned around and showed me his face to try and scare me....he totally got me! Little booger. :)

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-18T16:38:00.000-05:00

I always love our trip to the pumpkin patch. It has this certain charm about it and we love being outdoors. Maybe it is also because I love pumpkins so much. :)

There is a section that has many beloved characters....here are a few favorites...

Justin's first time in a bounce house. He loved it! I was a little nervous, but he did great.

Peter just gets braver each year....

Pumpkin house! We love to take our pictures here....

Justin either wanted to sit on them or try and pick them up.

There was a little "jail house"....don't let the sorrowful expression fool you, they were acting for the camera!

...of course.

Brent really like Finnias and Ferb. (I have no idea if I spelled that right) It cracks me up that he wanted his pic taken with them....and no kids are to be found. :)

Snow cone break!

Aaaw. Little pumpkin. We tried to sit her up more, but she wouldn't have it.

Yay, train ride! Peter got to sit by himself this year since I couldn't take Jane. He's just getting so big!

Hayride....must always do the hayride.

They each got to pick a little friend to take home. Justin named his "Baby" (I think) and Peter named his "Jake". (He names everything Jake these days, not sure why.)

2011-10-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

My family got to come in town a few weekends back to visit and see Peter play t-ball.We had such fun, as you will see... :)

Jess and Shawn got to meet us for a few meals...always adding life to the party!

Hahahahahaha...silly Dad! Love it.

The girls. :)

We took my parents to "Robot Park". It's one of our favorites!

We also rode the Trinity Park train! Woohoo!

Then on to t-ball. Peter got to play "pitcher" this game. So adorable! I posted a lot of the pics (thanks, Dad for being my photographer!) I just couldn't pick the cutest one!

Duck Pond

2011-10-06T20:34:00.000-05:00

Recently I took the boys to the duck pond. Feeding the ducks was definitely fun, but the walk afterwards is what you will see pictures of here....

Justin was walking and collecting these little acorn things...I just thought his little fist was so cute full of his little treasures. :)

Peter wanted a picture by this tree. He said it looked like a dinosaur.

Mama and Lady Jane, sticking together.

I love this one! I told him to "peak around the tree at the camera". :)

The other side of the ducks....a few seconds later Justin would squeeze between the gap in the fence and take off for the water. That's when Mama has a heart attack. He came back...on his own good time of course.

Right after this one, Justin found a bunch of "grapes" (strange, random berries on bushes) and attempted to eat them. Again, Mama has a heart attack.

Walking on the tracks...first as Peter....

....then as "SUPER PETER"!

Justin was felt very strongly that I was not to take his picture...but I got one taken anyway.

First smile!

2011-09-27T18:39:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure that this was one of Jane's first smiles...She smiles the most when she looks at Peter. I thought up until now that she didn't know what she was doing. But after this morning I think otherwise. Look at that sweet face! I just love Peter's face as well. He cried, "Mama, she's smiling at me!" He was so thrilled.

They talked together for a while. I can't wait to see this relationship develop.

It's that time again!

2011-09-24T19:43:00.000-05:00

T-ball time! Peter is part of a team that is made up mostly of his little friends at church. Our good friend, Matt Scheffler is coaching and we are loving it! We had our first game today...a double-header actually. It was a lot of fun! I especially like it because I have all of my friends to talk during the game. :) Here is Peter in his new uniform! I am so proud!

Warming up and looking good!

Brent is not a coach this year, but he was filling in as a coach just for today's games. He did a great job too!

Aaaaw! They all looked so precious in their little uniforms.

We're number three!!

Peter did great at hitting. He did hit a few foul balls, but he also made it on base a few times, got an RBI, and also a run. So proud of my little man!

Here's what the other two were doing during the games:

On first base!

And we made it to snack time! Shew, what hard work! :)

On the way home....Justin was sooooo dirty! All three boys needed a bath!

Nothing like a trip to Sonic to hit the spot....

2011-09-23T10:40:00.003-05:00

"Cleaning and scrubbing will wait 'till tomorrow, but children grow up,as I've learned to my sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs! Dust go to sleep! I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep." -Ruth Hamilton

Life is good...

2011-09-18T20:57:00.000-05:00

Aaaah...the sound of children sleeping. :) Peter fell asleep reading.

Mama's little burrito. :) I don't have a pic of Justin sleeping because the little booger usually doesn't fall asleep until way after I am up and walking around with the camera. LOL.

We love our after-dinner walks. The weather is still a little hot, but we just need to get out of the house.

Peter wanted his picture taken with the moon. So sweet.

Haha! Peter took this picture.

I love it....basketball goal turned Star Wars speeder bike. They played like this for a long time.

Bath time for Jane

2011-09-13T21:23:00.001-05:00

Prepping...

here we go!

We let Peter take video...I'm sure the footage is a hoot and a half!

She really didn't even cry that much....squirmed and fussed a little, but the girl liked getting clean.

After bath lavender lotion...aaaaaah.

It's the end of the world as we know it....

2011-08-31T21:20:00.001-05:00

.....in a very good way! We are settling in to having Jane at home. We were very blessed to have my mom stay with us until Friday and then Brent's family came up for the weekend. Brent was given a few days off from work....so I am having tons of help, and LOVING it! So here are some action shots of the week...looking back I should have gotten more pictures that were posed and planned. Next time, ya'll, next time. We were all just a little busy I guess. :)

We went and had some fun shopping with Gramma. She took us to Super Target and got us all hooked on strawberry lemonaide icees. YUMO!

Justin gets a good look at "bebe". :)

As a treat one night we popped some popcorn in the microwave. We don't usually do this and the kids were amazed!

"Cool!!"

We love Dr Howell! He delivered Justin and Jane. We just love how he cared for us as patients and parents. We really felt taken care of under his watchful eye and sweet bed-side manner. It's going to be weird not seeing him every month!

My sister got to come over too and even brought us a yummy dinner one night...thanks Auntie Jessica and Uncle Shawn!

Haha, I just love this pic. Peter sat with toilet paper on his head and when we asked him what he was doing he said, "I look like Noah!" Funny boy.

Hehe. :)

Aunt Courtney got some special bonding time in with Jane....

...so did Pa. :) Look at that adorable face!!

We got to have dinner with Uncle Randy, Aunt Tobin, Faith and Jaxon too.

Peter loved playing with his cousins! So fun to see them having a blast and playing together. :)

Love to see those big blue eyes! I wonder what color they will turn into to...

Jane's birth part II

2011-08-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

My very talented sister took these pics. She has such an eye for beautiful photos! We have been home with Jane for 9 days and life is good. She has been sleeping well, for a newborn. She has already added so much to our lives and we can't imagine things without her. My mom and Brent's family had a nice visit these past days and I will post pics of those adventures next. :)

Jane's birth part I

2011-08-23T23:18:00.000-05:00

Well folks, it happened! Our sweet Jane is here! I am so amazed and grateful for God's grace and provision through this. I was so nervous and felt like I came to Him so many times with the same anxieties and the same prayer requests. But He is my Father and loves me so deeply that He patiently calmed me time after time and reminded me through His word how He alone is sufficient for me and how He has it all under control. SO many prayers were answered so specifically in the birth of our sweet girl and I am so happy to be on the other side of it all. So here are some pics to help you live through it with us...Brent says I take a long time to tell a story and that I tend to elaborate too much, I assume that my blog posts are no exception.

On the table...waiting to hear that sweet cry! Praying over and over for comfort, protection and steady doctor's hands.

Brent bravely took a picture over the curtain when we heard her cry. We were talking to each other, taking bets on how big she would be, when we suddenly heard her cry without warning. Our eyes flew open in surprise and Brent shot a picture as I burst into tears. I couldn't believe that was my sweet baby girl, just feet away!

She came out at 12:52 pm....6 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches.

First bath!

I was in recovery for about 5 hours. Toward the end, they let Peter and my mom come in to see us. Peter was so proud!

Mama and baby totally beat after the surgery. We needed a girl moment to rest together. :)

Love at first sight!!

Jane, you might want to check your little finger for the permanent marks of Daddy's heart strings. :)

Jane bought Peter and Justin presents....little airplanes to zoom around the hospital room...they thought that was way cool. And they were so proud to wear their "big Brother" shirts that they decorated themselves.

So happy to be together!

Proud Grama too! :)

Peter being goofy. You can see the beautiful flowers that Nana and Pa sent - they added a wonderful cheeriness to the room!

Papa Jon got to be here for the birth too! I was so happy to have all of my family there to pray and to witness such a miracle.

Girl time!! :)

Getting the foot prints done.

Justin was fascinated by my weird looking hospital socks.

Riding in sister's stroller...hehe.

The nurses make you get up and walk when you have a c-section...helps healing and so forth. So we took a family walk around the floor.

So sweet! I bet she gets anything she wants.... :)

They FINALLY let me eat real food....and boy was it ever a meal! I don't know if you have ever gone 2 and 1/2 days without solid food, but let me tell you, that first meal is WONDERFUL!

Justin was very interested in my food too....of course I had to share with that sweet boy!

We had some sweet visitors! I wish I had remembered to take pics of them all. But here are a few, I am so sorry to the ones that I didn't get a pic of... Above is my sweet friend, Lisa...

...and Jaime...

...and the Lambs. :)

Night night!

It took her days to open her eyes...but it was worth the wait. Isn't she beautiful?!

My friend Stephanie and her family came too...

...as did our dear friend, Ken.

Emily Scheffler and her daughter, Annie, came too and brought the cutest door decoration. I always wanted to decorate the hospital room door. :)

Hanging out...

My sis came to take some pictures of Jane with her really good camera and amazing eye for detail....I'll post those soon.

Time to change to get ready to go home!!!

Into the car seat you go, Lady.

Good ol' room 2238...

WEEE! Wheel chair ride to the car!

And we made it! All three kids have their homecoming picture taken on this bench, in front of this house. :)

These are out of order...on the way home we stopped to have lunch together at Pei Wei....her first outing! Woohoo! And look at that adorable car seat, GG! :)

That's all for now...more coming later, I promise. Thank you all who prayed for us and pray for us still. We are so blessed and so happy in the Lord. We love you all!

Checking off the check-list

2011-08-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

Well, we are down to the wire! One of the last things we had to do was to go ahead and put the carseat in the car. So we took the boys to the do it yourself car wash, got the van all nice and clean, and then rearranged all the car seats. Peter helped vacuum too...so proud of his big boy job. :)

GG bought Lady Jane a new car seat! We are so excited! I wasn't really that thrilled about my baby girl riding in a blue car seat. :) This one is very girly and will be perfect for her.

Brent getting it all strapped in....

Ta-da!! Perfect fit. Thank you SO much, GG - we love it and know that she will too!

As we approach the birth of Jane we would really appreciate your prayers for my nerves, the steadiness of the dr's hands, the health of Jane and the hearts of our boys. God is good and will carry us through the next couple of days and beyond, but James tells us that the "prayers of a righteous man accomplish much"...therefore we ask all of you who have your hope in Christ alone to pray with us during this amazing time for our family. Thank you, and love to you all! Stay tuned for pictures of Jane Elyse Osterberg!!

Prayer date

2011-08-15T15:59:00.000-05:00

Jane's birthday is two days away. We are really excited! However this is about the time that I start to get a little nervous....and nothing remedies that like a good time of focused, uninterrupted prayer! So Brent and I got a sitter for the boys and went to the church to pray together for Jane, for the delivery, for the boys and for anything else that came to our hearts. It was wonderful to pray to the God of all creation, knowing that He cares for us and that He is in complete control of our lives. He not only knows the future, but He wrote the very plan for our lives and that is very comforting. What a privilege to take all of our cares, worries, stresses and requests to the God who gave His own Son to save us from our sins and promises to give us everything else we need.

Probably the last belly pic to be taken...here we are at 39 weeks, days before delivery!

It actually RAINED on Friday night. This is the first time in about 3 months that I can remember it raining. We have been in a heat wave as well with day after day of temps in the triple digits. So the rain was a huge relief and answer to prayer. I told the boys a long time ago that when it finally rained again I would let them play in it. So, true to my word, we let them go crazy in the front yard. :)

Haha, I love this one! The boys started to pretend that they were dinosaurs in the rain....Brent couldn't help joining in. :)

Virtual Tour of Lady Jane's room!

2011-08-11T19:17:00.000-05:00

Well, it's finished!! Her room was a 5 month work in progress, but we made it just in time. We have one week until her birthday so we are cutting it kind of close! Here is a tour of her room in pictures because I realize that many of you will not be able to visit for many weeks if not months. I am really proud of her room. God was very gracious to us and provided many things to make her room special. Pretty much everything in her room has a story behind it - and I can't wait to share it all with you. Read on!

View from the door....

The chandelier was a gift from Nana and Pa Osterberg. So glamorous and girly, I just love it! Thank you both for shedding light into her life! :)

The crib is the one that my Grandmother, Corrie bought for Peter. Justin slept in it too....we just painted it white for Jane. I love that all three of my children slept in the same crib! And it converts to a toddler bed and then to a twin sized head board so we will have it for many years to come. And the fact that it came from such a sweet and loving person makes it all the more special. I think of Corrie every time I lay down the kids to sleep. The canopy was a gift from Gramma (my mom) and the sweet blanket was Calynn's; Brent's cousin's baby girl. The bumpers I found at Goodwill for $3.00 (!) and the skirt my mom and I found at a garage sale for $1.00. It is a twin size so she can use it for years to come. I can't believe how well it all matches coming from so many different places!

Her dresser belonged to Aunt Courtney (Brent's sis). It was brown, but I sanded it, primed it and painted it white. Shew! A ton of work, but worth every minute. I even repainted and distressed the hardware on the drawers. It came out so well! The cute letters were made by cool Aunt Jessica, my sis. She is so creative! I love how it has that girly flare, but a touch of vintage too. I can't imagine how long it must have taken her to do, but I know each minute was spent in love. :)

The lamp belonged to my grandmother, Gwendolyn, whom I never got to meet but I hear she was a spectacular lady. The picture frame I found at Goodwill and spray painted it to match the color scheme. My sister took me out to Botanic Gardens at about 22 weeks and took some really beautiful maternity photos. Here is one framed with Jane's sono picture. The book in the middle is a wonderful children's book based on Proverbs 31 for little girls....enough to make any mother weep. :) The little purple box has a cute story. There was a hobby shop near our house growing up called "Hiedi's". My dad loved to build model railroads - still does- and when my mom would go out with my aunt Diane sometimes we would go to Heidi's. One time Dad told me I could pick out a little present just for me from him. I picked this little box. :) It sat on my dresser for years growing up and now it will sit on my daughter's. So special! The candle was used at my baby shower and the stand I bought at Goodwill and painted/distressed it to match the decor.

The corner shelves I also got at Goodwill for about $1.50 a piece. They were blue....you guessed it, I spray painted them to match the room. The figurine we bought when we were pregnant with Peter....the picture frame I got from Goodwill and painted....it will hold a family picture after she is here. The little booties were the cake topper to the cake at my baby shower. The growth chart...yep...I bought at Goodwill for $1.00 and I painted white then stenciled. It holds her sono pics now, but I'm sure I will changed them out.

I love the curtains! The fabric was $30.00 a yard....so all the fabric I needed added up to like $90.00....but with a coupon and right timing I hit the JoAnn store and got it all for about $30.00. Whoohoo! I love a good deal! So I hemmed up the sides and hung them.....

I lined the bottom of the curtains with pieces from my wedding dress.

Here is a close up of the fabric. It is this very delicate stitching of flowers in a pretty cream color. Perfect.

Above the window hangs the banner my friend Laura made, which also hung at the baby shower. Didn't she capture the vintage/ shabby chic look perfectly?!

The rocker was the one my mom rocked me in for many, many nights.....the baby doll was my favorite as a little girl - Baby Rachel. The pillow is also made from my wedding dress. I figured I would rather her have it in her room this way than save it for years and years hoping she will wear it. Too many factors such as size, style, and season depend on it being handed down successfully. This way we can see and enjoy the memory of it every day. The sweet blanket was made for me by one of my dear Sunday students that has since graduated from my class; Katharine Long. She has made a blanket for all three of my children.

Adorable dress!! My sweet friend Emily gave it to Jane. I think it is perfect - so girly, so feminine. I will probably have a picture taken of her in it at some point, but right now I think it adds the perfect touch to the room. Emily has such a great eye for all things sweet. Hard to believe she will be so tiny as to fit into it.

The vanity was a gift from Gramma and Papa Jon Butcher. SO CUTE! Every girl needs a place to sit and comb her hair, listen to music, and hopefully study her Bible one day. This is perfect. What a timeless touch to the room and the perfect thing to have for years to remind her of her grandparents. The picture frame, painted to match, will hold her foot print picture in a few days. The pitcher belonged to my sister in Christ, Annie Dorin. She is currently on the mission field with her family....at language school in France then off to Africa. Annie is such a special friend in my life and this is a wonderful way to remember her and her family and to remember to pray for them as they serve Jesus across the sea. The little book was made by the same friend, Laura, that made the banner. Laura is my crafty, yet incredibly humble friend. She always has a fun project up her sleeve and I have benefited many times from her creativity! The little pink milk glass bowl I bought in Austin on vacation this summer.

Lastly is her shelf....bought it black, painted it white. The bird house was just cute and at Hobby Lobby...the sign was made with love by our sweet piano player at church, Marcia. She just recently discovered her gift of making adorable signs and Jane was one of the first recipients! I think she should go into business, don't you? In fact I have already lined her up to make a scripture sign for the boy's room! The ballet shoes were the first thing we bought for Jane when we found out she was a girl. Hehe!

One more detail is this necklace I made. I got the idea for these cute little things at the Ft Worth Indie Bazaar...it is made from a Scrabble tile and some scrapbook paper...add a sticker and a loop to the back and you have an adorable homemade piece of jewelry. I want to wear this during her birth and then pass it on to her later. If they won't let me wear it in surgery, Brent can just keep it in his pocket and I'll put it on after. I love adding personal touches.

It would be unfair of me not to show you the boy's room too. I redid most of it before I did Jane's....and I must say I'm just as proud of it. The matching comforters are from Gramma and Papa Jon....

...the baseball picture of our home town stadium is from Nana and Pa. I liked the bed sheets that I picked for the bed so much that I bought an extra one and made the window valance.

I wanted shelves above the bed, but boy are they expensive! So Brent and I raided the scrap bin at Home Depot and found two matching pieces. All it took was some brackets and some blue spray paint to finish it off - voila! Custom shelving!

Gramma bought the cute star lamps from Ikea and they each have a book by their name sake authors : C.S. Lewis for Peter and Charles Spurgeon for Justin.

I wanted to be able to show off their artwork without giving up the space on my fridge....so a few furniture knobs and picture hanging wire later, we have a way to showcase their work and make it look neat. I just love it when a plan comes together!

The baseball shelf got a fresh coat of paint to match the other shelves and we added hat hooks. On the shelf at the top in the middle you can see Peter's first t-ball trophy and a few pictures of him in action on each side. My big boy!

Well that's all for now, I will post pics of our new living room as soon as we are done....I still need to build a few book shelves for the wall and hang a few more pictures. Thank you for reading this far - I know it was a long post. But I want to say again - to GOD be the glory for all the ways He has blessed us, including this beautiful home that we love and precious children to fill the rooms. We are blessed.

2011-08-01T23:01:00.000-05:00

We pulled out my old trumpet from the closet and Brent started to play...Peter said he wanted to try and he made a sound on the second try! Which is more than I got out of most of my 6th graders. :) Maybe Peter will be our musical one.

It has been so hot!! The high this week is 110 degrees....yikes. So we have been thinking outside the box for things to do with the kids. We decided to wash the cars after dinner...And had a blast!

Peter thought it was hilarious to spray other people...

...and himself. :)

Even Mama helped! 37 weeks pregnant and washing the car...

Ta-da! Nice and shiny!

2011-07-28T16:41:00.000-05:00

Well folks...just three weeks, 21 DAYS until Jane comes. :) Here is the latest belly pic. I can't believe it is so close to the end. I'm feeling a little nervous about it but I know that the Lord is good and that He will give me all the oceans of grace that I need to handle this. On a different note...Peter was watching Iron Man on tv and he came running into find me frantically asking me to put on his super suit because he was going to miss the fight. :) So we got him into his suit as quickly as possible...

...I think the green shoes make the outfit. :) So of course Justin came in asking "suit, suit" and pulling at his clothes. So we got him dressed up as Batman.

You know that one suit can never last long and soon they were trading and asking to change. So Justin became Iron Man and Peter chose to be Spiderman. So fun.

Happy birthday, sweet Justin!

2011-07-26T21:05:00.000-05:00

So Justin turned 2 on the 17th. We just now got to celebrate due to big brother being sick. :( But it all worked out ok in the end... Justin looooooves Veggie Tales. He calls it "Bobby". It may help you to know that one of the main characters is Bob the Tomato and we think that is where he got this nick name. So we had a Bobby Birthday. I think Peter was just as excited as Justin was. :) Sorry the pics are a bit grainy. I just now, after taking these pics, found the charger to my good camera. So I had to take all of these with my phone.

Justin actually got lots of presents...but I didn't wrap them all. So here he is just opening the few that I did wrap.

Cake time! Yum!

So sweet to share with Daddy. :)

"Bobby" cake. I never claimed to be an artist...so yes, he is a little lopsided...oh well. He tasted good.

Brent getting it all on camera.

Butcher/Osterberg stay-cation!

2011-07-13T21:01:00.001-05:00

My parents came up last week for a staycation...we just stayed around Fort Worth, but found some fun things that were out of the ordinary to get into. :) Like dressing up as Star Wars characters!

It was my mom's birthday last month so we all took her out to dinner to celebrate...Macaroni Grill, yummo!

Then, as it turns out, the Lord had planned for our air conditioner to go out. So we decided that we would rather be in a hotel than in a hot house. I love staying in a hotel! You can crank down the AC, you don't have to make the bed, and there is usually free breakfast. :) Here are my parents and the boys getting an early bite before a morning dip in the hotel pool - oh yeah, another perk!!

After we checked out of the hotel we went to downtown Weatherford. We shopped at the little antique shops and had lunch at the charming Yesterday's Cafe.

Shopping!

The next day (our ac was fixed with only a slight adjustment - praise the Lord!!) we ventured out to Dinosaur Valley.

Shock!! The river was totally dried up! This is the only little patch of water we could find. I can't believe it was so dry. I guess that just tells how dry Texas has been lately.

Some of the dino tracks of Dinosaur Valley! How cool!

This picture is not funny because Brent slipped and fell right in the water. But what IS funny is that seconds before he declared what little desire he had to get wet. :)

Finding the perfect skipping stone....

I took all these pics with my iphone due to the fact that I can't find my camera charger. I bought a new app that give your camera different effects....the one above and below are the result of my experimenting...

Shopping at Target, of course!

My parent bought Lady Jane a vanity for her room as a new baby gift. :) They (mostly mom, honestly!) put it together. I think it is just adorable - every woman needs a vanity!

Osterberg and Davis vacation in Austin

2011-06-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we went to Austin with Nana, Pa, Courtney, Marty and the four of us. We had a great time as you will soon see...

When we first got there we hit the pool. It was nap time and Justin just couldn't hang.

But we gave him some chocolate cake at dinner and he perked right up.

On the Colorado River.

There was an opportunity for kids to ride a pony. Justin was too small to ride but he loved petting and talking to the pony. If you ever hear him do his pony noise you will agree that it is one of the cutest things ever.

Peter got to actually ride. He wasn't too sure at first, but after we told him he looked like Indiana Jones he became brave.

Then Daddy got to ride a horse. They made him ride in the very back because they told him that they gave him the rowdy "dominant male". Sheesh.

Relaxing by the pool...one of the best treats for a pregnant lady is to float! Feels so good on the feet and lower back!

Of course my Justin found the rocks.

We went into Austin and rode the Zilker Zephyr; a little train that runs around the park. It was so hot so Nana bought us sno cones......mmmmmmm.

I love Justin's face in this picture. I think he's saying "choo-choo". :)

The ride back to the hotel was full of hills and Justin started saying "woohoo" and holding his hands in the air.

Ahhh, back to the cool water.

My little dare devil. He became very accomplished at holding his breath and swimming under water. He even coined the move the "rolly poly" where he would hold his breath and curl into a ball under the water.

31 weeks! It won't be long before we get to meet Lady Jane!

Peter got one of the biggest lollipops ever....

I love this pic....watching early morning cartoons in Momma and Daddy's bed.

Downtown Bastrop had a soda fountain....great way to cool off!

Teeball time

2011-06-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

Peter is loving his tee-ball experience. Here are some great photos that my sis took at one of his recent games. You can see him above in the grey shorts, about to enter the pile-up. :)

Getting some encouragement from Daddy as we change to bat.

This is how Momma and Justin spend game time. In the shade, feeding Justin any snack that distracts him from wanting to get down and play.

Peter in line to bat...he really doesn't like that helmet.

Last minute tips from Coach Mark...

...and a great swing!

Go Peter, GOOO!

He's back in out field, waiting for the ball. He does best when he plays "pitcher".

He is really good at stopping the ball and getting it to first. Signature "Peter play". :)

Getting the ball to throw to first.....Brent cracks me up in this one! :)

"Great play, Mr. Peter!"

Throwing to first again. He was throwing underhand so Brent taught him how to throw "bear claw".....overhand that is.

Another great swing! Good form, Pete!

The team. Aren't they all so cute in their hats?!

Let's go fly a kite! ...er, sort of.

2011-06-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

Some of our friends gave us a kite for Peter to fly. He was so excited and talked about it for days before we went out to the church field to fly it.

We put it together....

...felt for the wind...

...got a running start...(dramatic pause) and nothing happened. Nothing. We couldn't get it off the ground! Brent and I both tried for a good hour and it never left for the skies. We couldn't believe that we were not able to do this! I mean, we see kids on tv and at the park flying kites, why couldn't we? Oh well. Peter has never really seen a kite fly high in the sky so he thought it was very cool just to run with it....

...so he did. And had a blast. :)

Random...

2011-06-03T22:43:00.000-05:00

Peter fell asleep in the car....

We found him in his room like this...we asked what he was up to and he said he was preaching to his toys about Jesus. :)

Justin with the after-nap stares.

Hail...lots of hail

2011-05-29T11:03:00.001-05:00

So last week we had one of our famous "North Texas Hail Storms". The spring is known for these storms that contain hail, lots of rain and sometimes a tornado. I am not a good severe weather person. I have been known to crouch and cry in closets and to sleep clutching a flash light. Over the years, with the help of my husband and a closer walk with Jesus, I have come to control most of my anxiety. I now sit on the couch smiling and twisting my hands....which is a step up, believe me. So, last week when this storm came through, I held it together pretty well and even laughed with the kids when the ice started pelting the ground, cars and house. There was a break in the storm and we went out to look at the sky. Peter and Justin ran around eating the hail and thinking it was a blast. I hope they always think of it that way and not the way I do!

Peter kept running around exclaiming "I LOVE this!" Silly boy.

Ok. Time to get out...

2011-05-19T08:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry this isn't the best pic....but here is a rough idea of the baby bump at 26 weeks. :)

Yesterday Peter had a particularly disgusting potty training accident, Justin was very fussy and I was just (in my favorite phrase) "done". So I decided on the spot, its time to get out. So we drove through Sonic, got some dollar menu items and headed to Botanic Gardens. My kids always seem to act better when we are out of the house. We had a great time talking about all God had made and walking on the board walk. This has to be one of my top 5 favorite places ever.

Peter showing off his mad jumping skills.

And Justin found a stick, so all was right with the world. He loves his sticks.

They took turns screaming "I am THOR!!" into the 'telephones'. :) Peter's idea....Peter loved the movie and Justin loves to copy Peter.

Peter actually took this one...not bad for a 4 year old!

I just thought this one was cute...he took a pic of his feet.

Spring has sprung

2011-05-10T10:40:00.001-05:00

So it's time to do the annual egg hunt! We do not do this on Easter weekend as we do not want to do anything to take away from the death and resurrection of our Savior. Therefore, we hunt our eggs on the weekend after. The kids....well, Peter at least, had a great time. Peter found almost all of the eggs that Brent hid. He proclaimed himself to be a "good seeker". :)

After Justin realized that there was candy in the eggs he lost all interest in hunting and just wanted to eat.

So it is the end of the year for Cubbies. I was the Cubbie director for this year and it was Peter's first time to be in the program. What fun we had! So here is the end of the year awards ceremony...all the kids that completed the first book received a cubbie bear to put on their vest. So cute. We are so proud of our Cubbie!

This spring is also the start of Peter's first teeball team! He is a member of the Rangers. Hehe, so adorable. He got a pair of cleats, a jersey and a hat. He did a great job!

Peter is FOUR!

2011-04-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

So my little guy turned four. Wow how time flies! :) Many of you know that Peter has a love of race cars...so we decided to take him to Texas Motor Speedway for a behind-the-scenes tour. We started off the day with a blue donut.

During the day so many of you called to wish him a happy day. On the phone in this pic is Aunt Jessica and Uncle Shawn. Thank you everybody for calling, it made him feel so special all day.

Start your engines!

We got to take a guided tour in a 15 passenger van...

...with no kids seats, which made Peter very excited.

The guide drove us around the track....we got up to 100 miles per hour!!

This is the winner's circle...and all the plaques that honor the past winners of the races.

We got to go up to one of the specialty suites to see the track from above. Pretty cool.

After the race track we went for pizza and video games.

At home, Brent and I decorated while Peter was down for his quiet time. Hard to see in this pic, but Peter requested a Star Wars bday...so we had balloons, napkins, cups, table clothe and wrapping paper that all reflected the theme.

I had a great time making his cake for him...he wanted a blue Star Wars cake...so here is my take on the Jedi Temple. :)

Holding up four fingers. :)

His presents were all super heros and Thor's hammer....I think Brent and I loved the toys just as much as Peter. Boy, we are all a group of nerds! :)

The "4" candle on top was actually a sparkler. Very fun to watch!

Mmmm, blue icing!

Zoo.

2011-04-21T19:27:00.000-05:00

Flamingo-inspired dance. :)

Not too sure about the dinosaurs...

...yes dinosaurs. A special traveling exhibit at the zoo...they move and growl and everything. :)

Fun in the sun? Why not!

2011-04-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

Well, first let me just brag on my vegetables....we already have 6 tomatoes in our garden! Yum! And they are all so pretty and green. Won't be long until we can eat 'em.

It hasn't quite been hot enough for the sprinkler...so although Peter has been asking to run in the water, we haven't yet. But today it was just so hot...in the lower 90's....that I set it up for the kids. Justin was such a little guy last year and he wasn't walking...so this was his first time in the sprinkler. He thought it was a hoot! He kept running in circles shouting "whoa, whoa, whoa!!" :) So fun.

Big weekend!

2011-03-28T17:16:00.002-06:00

First of all, Brent turned 30 over the weekend! Such a big birthday to celebrate! Peter and I made him a banner and birthday brownies. :)

The candles melted....oops. Should have taken the pic first. But you get the idea.

Justin trying to smile with a mouth full of brownie....

The next big event is that we had our second sonogram that revealed that we are in fact expecting a GIRL! I know!! I am so excited and thankful to the Lord for the precious gift of another life.

So of course we had to go to Target and buy her something pink....ballet shoes seemed fitting. :) We have decided to name our sweet baby Jane Charlotte Osterberg. Jane is after Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen of England that was beheaded for her faith in God. Her biography is wonderful, convicting and very God honoring. We hope that our Jane stands strong in the faith no matter the circumstances. Plus the name actually means "God is gracious"....and He IS! Charlotte is not after anybody, we just thought it was sweet, old-fashioned and girly. It actually means "small petite woman with feminine features". :)

Here is me from my favorite angle.... :)

Here she is lying on her left side and looking right at the camera...so the big black space on the far right is her forehead and the two black spaces beneath that are her eyes.

Yep, no mistake....

Sweet Lady Jane, we love you so much already!! Praise the Lord for His grace and kindness toward our family.

Mini vacation to Fredericksburg!

2011-03-23T18:38:00.000-06:00

This past week we were so blessed to have my parents stay with the kids while Brent and I went to Fredericksburg. This was part of my birthday present back in December but we wanted to wait for better weather and shopping conditions. :) We ate at a cool brewery for lunch the first day, Brent had cheddar-ale soup. So yummy!

And what day is complete without a visit to the local icecream/candy store? Definitely a highlight.

On Main Street....tons of cute little stores. I found some really neat things for our new decorating scheme.

The antique stores were really neat as well. This is a huge antique store that had only old books in the basement.

Our cute little room. We stayed at Haven Inn in Comfort, TX just about 30 minutes outside Fredericksburg.

This was some of the best pizza I have ever had. It was just a little hole in the wall place with only out door seating. It was called Fredericksburg Pizza Kitchen. Going back here for sure.

On the deck in the morning...great view, great coffee, great time to relax!

View of the front of the B&B...

Again, some of the best food ever! Man, those country women can cook!!

We went to the Settler's Museum. This was called a "Sunday House" because the early farmers only came in town on the weekend to get supplies and go to church. They needed a small place to stay while in town, thus the Sunday Houses were established.

Cute little school house...reminded me of Anne of Green Gables. :)

Old barber shop...Brent is laughing at the maniquin. We have something of a history with those...ask us sometime. :)

Replica of the oldest city building in Frederickburg. It was originally in the middle of Main Street and was used as the town hall, church, and school.

Here is an old pic of the above building....this was the towns 50th year parade and celebration.

Behind the B&B. This is the Guadalupe River.

Bubbles!

2011-03-10T10:14:00.001-06:00

I bought a bubble machine for the backyard and the kids loved it! And I love that I don't have to stand there and get dizzy blowing the bubbles. :)

The kids had been playing outside all morning...so sorry about the huge mess in the yard!

Our pear tree is in full spring bloom right now. It was so pretty that I cut off a few branches and brought them into our bedroom to brighten up the space.

Here is the tree itself...so pretty!

Our friends gave us a Mr Potato Head. I hadn't let Peter play with it yet, but he found it when I cleaned out the closet. He did really well playing with it, here is his creation!

Good morning! My sweet baby. :)

Snow, snow and more snow....

2011-02-10T21:12:00.000-06:00

We have had so many snow days up here! We thought it was cool at first, but honestly it is a little old now. The kids really didn't like it at all...they are just too young and we just don't have the right "snow gear". We are painting pretty much the whole house right now. So the above pic is where we moved the furniture to reach the wall and Peter could sit in the window sill. You can see the dark brown it used to be and the light taupe it is now. Pretty big change, but I think we like it. :)

"I can't put my arms down!"

nothing special about this post....

2011-01-27T11:02:00.002-06:00

...just thought some more pics were in order. I love this one of my jammie boys! Dana bought them matching jammies for Christmas and they look so cute! We saw Sam Houston on the way down to Houston for Christmas. This brought back a lot of college memories for Brent and me...so happy to share it now with our kids.

Sorry for the lack of pics....I havent really been taking many. But Praise the Lord I am feeling a little better pregnancy wise so hopefully the picture taking will resume in full force over the next few weeks. Love to you all!

2011-01-18T16:26:00.002-06:00

Oh goodness, dear readers! I am so ashamed that it has taken me so very long to post to you! But hopefully you will forgive me after you see the reason why...

We are indeed expecting baby O the III! We are so overjoyed at the blessings that the Lord has poured out on us! We had our first appointment yesterday and everything looks great! Here is a sneak peek at God's handiwork....

Our little jelly bean! The head is to the left and the 'rump' (as the doctor put it!) is to the right. So cute already....Looks just like Brent!

2010-12-12T21:54:00.002-06:00

Peter sang in the Candle Light service at church. I was so proud of him standing up there and singing his little heart out to Jesus! He sure can work the crowd, too. :)

2010-12-02T08:48:00.004-06:00

Time to decorate for Christmas! We got a real tree this year - so fun! Enjoy the pics!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T14:43:00.003-06:00

So many things to be thankful for this season. We had a very eventful week....my sister, my mom, my aunt and Justin were all in the emergency room within a few days of each other. We had two incidents with the van and Doug had an accident with the weed eater eating his leg instead of the weeds. Everyone is fine now, praise the Lord! Mom has a broken foot and Justin has stitches, but we are all on the mend. I am so thankful for the reminder that we are all such fragile beings that rely on a good and sovereign God. What a timely reminder to love and cherish our sweet family. We are so in need of His grace all the time and I think we tend to forget just what a blessing those "uneventful" days are! GG singing Peter a song as they rocked, such a sweet picture.

Getting things ready to eat at the Osterberg's house....turkey carving and sweet potato mashing!

Peter and Uncle Marty had a great time "fighting" like men. :)

On to my parent's house....and their big pile of leaves! We had such a blast playing in the fall foliage!

Geromino!!

Aunt Jessica got to come down from Ft Worth too! Yay for outside pictures!

Making dinner with Jessica....we took over the kitchen this year to give Mom and Diane a break. So fun to get to spend time in the kitchen with my girl! :)

Brent got to carve his first ever turkey!! Such a milestone in his life....hehe.

After dinner we all just relaxed....I love this pic for many reasons, but do you see Justin's little face in the back ground? :) So cute. And Peter is getting to be such a big boy!

Even a broken foot didn't slow Gramma down on Black Friday! We still got out and scored some great deals. :D

2010-11-09T14:40:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post to let you know how we are doing. It's all baths and playtime! :) Peter got some of these little tablets that change the bath water colors as you bath. So fun to have turquiose water!

We carved pumpkins with Peter's cubbie class....what fun these little guys are! :)

Brent usually teaches Student Ministries , but he had the night off from that, so he got to help me with the Cubbies class - Praise the Lord!

Such a smarty pants!

2010-11-01T16:54:00.004-06:00

I didn't even know that Peter could do this! I overheard him singing in his room and he surprisingly agreed to do it for the camera. He's is just getting so big!

A peaceful moment

2010-10-22T20:03:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-04T16:19:00.015-05:00

So this past weekend we made our yearly trip to see the pumpkins. Grama was in town so she got to come too! We had such a great time seeing all the pretty fall colors and thanking God for the cooler weather. :)

Justin was very little the last time we went to the patch and it was fun watching him discover the pumpkins.

This year Peter was old enough for the bounce house. He had no fear as he climbed up the tall walls......

...and slid down the HUGE slide! Go Peter!

Hay ride time!

My favorite - posing with the pumpkins. I just LOVE pumpkins!

Grama and her punkins! :) So sweet!

Right after this picture, Peter jumped straight down! He even landed on his feet....my little kitty cat!

I think this is one of my favorite pics of the day...sweet brothers.

Racing through the patch!

Have to sit on it to get the full effect. :)

Woohoo! Train ride! It sure was bumpy, but really fun!

Pause for a break and a cool drink. Aaaah!

Justin kept holding out the little pumpkins and saying, "this, this..."

On the way home, totally worn out!

We're number one!

2010-09-25T09:11:00.002-05:00

Justin has started to stand up on his own....and boy is he proud of himself! :) The pictures uploaded backwards, but you get the idea. Yay, Justin!!

Announcing....

2010-09-20T09:54:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday, the church voted Brent to be an Elder of our church. (to clarify: he is already associate Pastor and deacon, but not an Elder) We are so excited and humbled to begin this new stage in our ministry. God is so good to us and blesses us far beyond what we deserve! I am so blessed to stand along side a man that is so devoted to the Lord and that chases God's own heart with such passion. I love you, Brent and I am so thrilled to see where God leads us next!

Chuck E. Cheese!

2010-09-11T17:13:00.006-05:00

We finally decided to brave the world of Chuck E Cheese. We had a really great time! Peter thought the games were so cool and Brent and I got to run with our inner child around the place collecting tickets. :)

Chuck E. himself came out to sing and dance....Justin was paying close attention....but I don't think he was impressed.

Mmmmm pizza! I love how Justin's little hand it trying to sneak in.

Peter collected enought tickets to "buy" a lollipop and a soccer wrist band! Go Peter!!

Hahaha! This pic makes me laugh! It looks like Justin in saying, "Come on, Dad! Enough goofy faces!"

What to pick, what to pick....

Boppin' the gophers...

...reeling in the fish....

....and taking a drive with Chuck E!

Peter was brave enough to hop in the helicopter, but I think that it went a little too high for him.

We had such a great time being together. Praise the Lord for people we love and time to bond with them!

Peter goes bowling!

2010-08-26T11:21:00.002-05:00

Eating out

2010-08-19T12:28:00.004-05:00

Eating out has become something of a challenge these days. Justin is at the screaming phase. He is not mad or unhappy (well, most of the time) but he just screams out of glee or because he can. But we love McDonalds and Chic-fil-a so much that we just go out anyway. :)

Justin has discovered the world of Chic-fil-a icecream! He loves it and knows that when we go he will usually get some.

Oh it is so sad when it is all gone!

Houston trip

2010-08-14T10:02:00.005-05:00

Here are some more pics of our trip to Houston....we got to go and see Grama at her office where she is an Assistant Principal. Her office was way fun with lots of colors and toys! The boys loved seeing where Grama speaks into the life of children and is a loving influence to her students.

Paperwork time!

Whenever I am in Houston I try my hardest to see the water. It was raining the only day that we had available, but that didn't stop us! We just parked along the sea wall and looked out the window. I love the smell of rain falling into the ocean.

Justin loved it too!

While we were visiting Pa and Nana, they had a little birthday party for him since they couldn't make it to Fort Worth for the actual day. Nana made him a chocolate cake...I think he liked it!!

Nana and Pa also let Justin open his presents. :)