Sarah 8 months

It is hard to believe that our sweet Sarah Jane is eight months old today. In the past few weeks two of her teeth have popped through and she has been sticking EVERYTHING in her mouth. She likes to do some funny things with her tongue as well. She bring so much joy to our family and we all love to watch her grow and develop. I love my sweet little Sarah Jane.

Vote

What more is there to say?

Trick or Treat

We had a great time on Halloween. This was the first year in our new neighborhood and it did not disappoint. The kids were a hit in their costumes.

Andrew's costume had a few wearability problems and I even ended up wearing the Wii for a short time. One kid even told me that I was "sick". I am pretty sure this is a compliment, that is what my kids told me. ;)

Sarah was a trooper as we toted her along in the stroller.

All in all we had a great time. The best part of the night was spending it with some great friends that will be heading to California in a few months The kids and parents had a blast together.

The Art of Carving

Yesterday we carved our pumpkins.

Here is what we ended up with.


The happy gourd



The spooky ghost


Boomer Sooner


The Wink

Half Birthday

Our sweet little Sarah was born six months ago today...that is hard for all of us to believe. It has been a crazy and busy six months but we are so thankful that Sarah is here to add so much joy to all of our lives.

Here are a few pictures of the adoring big kids and their little sweet girl.



If the next six months are anything like the first it should be a fun adventure.

Little Lego Laura

In the spirit of the "year of the box" Laura decided to be a Lego. It is simple but adorable and she LOVES it.

We are all very excited about Halloween and can't wait to show off our new costumes in the neighborhood. I have a hunch people will know us by our boxes. For years we may be known as the family with the box costumes.

Game on

As I mentioned in my last post, our Halloween costumes are taking on a theme this year...BOXES.

As we were brainstorming what we could make with a box, we got a wild hair and thought it would be fun to make this:



He loves it and is convinced he will have the coolest costume this year. What do you think?

Stand by for Laura's sometime in the near future.

Recycling

Emma has a passion for recycling and has caught the "green fever". She thought it would be fun if we used some of our moving boxes for Halloween costumes this year. I thought that was a great idea. So all of the big kids are going to use a box for their costumes. I haven't decided but if we have time I might even get into the fun.

Today Emma had her good friend Regan over and they worked on their costume.


Here they are. They were so proud of their work.

I will post Laura and Andrew's when we get their costumes done. Wait until you see Andrew's, it is hilarious.

Home Sweet Home

We are really enjoying life in Maryland. I am so proud of the kids, they have made such a smooth transition. They have been so brave and courageous and have jumped right in and made new friends and tried new things.

Here is a picture from the "cracker barrel house". I was at Lowe's the other day and they had just marked the white rockers down fifty percent. Like any other bargain hunting woman, I snatched up two of them for the porch. We are loving them!

Anchors Aweigh

Yesterday we drove up to Annapolis for the afternoon to watch Navy play Rutgers. It was fun to go up to visit Adam's alma matter and spend a fun afternoon as a family.



When we got there we parked and made our way over to the stadium. As we approached the stadium we heard tons of sirens and quickly figured out that there was a HUGE motorcade of about fifteen vehicles. All of a sudden we saw John and Cindy McCain step out of the car and the kids were so excited. Apparently he was there for his 50th reunion from the Naval Academy. We also saw him one other time walking through the stadium, he walked right by us on the way to the VIP section.


It was a beautiful afternoon and we had fun watching the Navy take a much needed win. The bummer was that we realized as the day went on that Laura was feeling worse by the minute. One the way home from the game we took her to an urgent care clinic and it turns out that the poor girl had strep throat. For being so sick she was a great sport and as cute as can be in her cheer leading outfit. Here is a picture of both of the girls in the waiting room at the clinic.


We are missing our friends and life back in Oklahoma but being close to the Naval Academy is one of the things we love about being back in Maryland.

In a word...

Andrew wrote this poem recently at school. I loved it and wanted to share it with you.

That little guy melts my heart, I tell you. This is his autobiographical poem.

Andrew
Funny, nice, giving, honest
Brother of Emma, Laura, and Sarah
Lover of family, dog, world
Who feels happy, tired, hungry
Who needs a brother, a nice sister, a car
Who gives jokes, happiness, and love
Who fears fires, bridges, earthquakes
Who would like to travel, win a game show, have $1,000
Resident of Maryland
Scott

And there you have it, Andrew in a word.

Sarah 5 months

Today our little Sarah is five months old. It is hard to believe that weight was ever a concern. She was in the 95th percentile last month for weight and 90th percentile for height at her four month appointment. She is almost off the charts, in a good way.

I am so thankful for this little girl, she brings so much joy to our family. It is fun to see her little personality emerging. She is a little extrovert. She is very vocal, especially at dinner time when everyone else is talking she has to get a word in. She talks almost constantly in her waking hours, I have a feeling she will have an extensive vocabulary at a young age like her oldest sister did.

Now that all of the big kids are in school all day, Sarah is my little buddy. The only bad thing is I have a hard time getting anything done because I would much rather just play with her, can you blame me?

Finally

Well, it has been way too long since we have posted anything.

We closed on our house a month ago and they kids are now in school, most of the boxes are unpacked and we are feeling more settled all the time.

The one big detail that is left is where to go to church? We were spoiled in Oklahoma by one of the best churches we have ever attended. It was the biggest blessing in our lives for the past two years. Well, now we are feeling very unsatisfied and know that there is nothing like it here in Southern Maryland. We know we will find something but we are not sure where yet.

The kids have done an amazing job adjusting, I am so proud of them. Adam is enjoying is job and getting back in the cockpit. As for Sarah and I were are having a fun time hanging out and trying to figure out what our day to day routine will look like. Cooper seems to be loving his new domain chasing squirrels, deer etc.

We are missing our Oklahoma friends a lot but at the same time we are coming back to some wonderful friends in this area.

Little Sarah is growing like a weed, a big weed. She will be five months on Sunday, that is hard to believe.

So Excited

In a nutshell things have been CRAZY for the last week or so.

We had a contract fall through on the house we were buying in Maryland which left us wondering where in the world we were going to move in a few short weeks. The even more stressful part of that was not knowing where the kids would be going to school and not having an address to be able to enroll them.

Well, yesterday we worked out a new contract on a different house and we are thrilled. This house is bigger than the other one but has some issues on the interior. The house is great and the issues are merely cosmetic (wallpaper, carpet, fixtures, etc.). These are all things we can change eventually. The best part is there are 5 bedrooms one for each kid, two full baths for the kids to share and lots of room to hang out as a family. Yea! We are so excited!!!!!

Here are a few pictures of the exterior. I can't show you the inside yet, it needs too much help. If you have a knack for home repairs and renovations let me know. :)


Here is a picture of the front as you drive in. I think it has great curb appeal.

Here is a closer view of the porch. I have always wanted a porch swing and it is hard to see but there is one on the far end. I also love the stone porch.


Here is a view of the back of the house, there is a nice deck and it is a wooded lot. The steps on the right lead up to a hot tub.

This is side view of the house. We feel really spoiled, we have never had a three car garage. Over the years, we were lucky many times just to have a car port in base housing. :)


I am not as excited about the inside of the house, it is quite dated. I know that in time we will be able to change things and make it more suited to our tastes for now we will just deal with the "country" decorating motif. The kids have not been to the house yet and when Emma saw it she said the porch reminded her of Cracker Barrel. I told her that the inside would remind her of Cracker Barrel as well.

If you ever make it to Southern Maryland let us know we will have plenty of room.

We might even hand you a paint brush.

Three Months

Look who is three months old today.
Isn't she a cutie?

Craziness

It has been way too long since I have updated this blog. Let's just say that life took a little turn and I was hanging on by a thread.

I have lost track of how many weeks Sarah is (poor fourth child), I do know that she will be three months this coming Monday, the 14th.

Let me try to recap the last month and a half or so.

-Adam got deployed
-kids finished school
-Charlotte had a near mental breakdown, really.
-Adam came home, thankfully.
-had VBS at church
-showed house any opportunity we had, it was never convenient but we wanted it sold.
-packed for a mega road trip.
-needed to buy a car topper to fit everything in car for trip.
-drove from OK to VA with four kids, two crazy parents and one big furry Golden Retriever.
-fed countless DVDs into the rear entertainment system of our road worthy vehicle, so thankful we splurged for the GPS and the DVD player.
-participated in wedding festivities for Amy, Adam's sister. Laura was the flower girl and Adam was a groomsman.
-drove Emma and Andrew to camp in Pennsylvannia.
-drove back to Virginia.
-while we were in the car we got a call our house in Oklahoma had an offer on it, yipee!
-celebrated my brother, Matthew's 21st birthday with him.
-drove to Maryland to house hunt.
-drove around for three days looking for houses.
-spent some time with some great friends in our new neighborhood.
-finally decided on one to make on offer on.
-drove back to Virginia.
-spent a few days relaxing and negotiating for the new house.
-left Cooper with the Stringer Zoo until we return in August..
-drove back to pick the big kids up from camp in Pennsylvannia.
-headed back west to the great State of Oklahoma driving for three days.
Whew! I am tired just writing about it.

It is good to be home and sad. We have really grown to enjoy it here and hate to think we have to say good-bye yet again.

I will try to post some pictures but can't promise much. I am trying to enjoy my last few weeks as an Okie. :(

Sarah-week 5

Our little girl is 5 weeks old today and she is finally back to her birth weight. That seemed like a minor miracle two weeks ago.

Here she is:

9s

I think I have rubbed off on Andrew in a number sort of way.

I told you how I have a thing for even numbers, weird I know. My bloggy friend, Jennifer had a good point, even numbers are just so divisble, which makes them neat and tidy, and I like neat and tidy.

Well Andrew loves numbers in a different way, he loves all of them. He can remember any random fact that involves a number, he has been known to sit for hours and read the Guinness Book of Records.

Yesterday when we were talking we made a few observations, they all seemed to involve a 9

-He was turning 9
-At birth he weighed 9.9
-His bday is the 18, a multiple of 9
-He was born in 1999
-At 9:07 pm

He loves that kind of thing.

The best news is Sarah is just shy of 9 pounds, weighing in at 8lb 15 oz this morning. That's right folks that is one ounce more than her birth weight. I will post pictures of the little fatty later. I know you don't believe me, I really will try. This mama is one busy woman and I really do run out of time or just plain forget.

Happy 9th Birthday Andrew

Today our little man is nine years old.

It is hard to believe. I remember when he came into the world tipping the scales at 9lb 9oz, he was one big boy.

He has grown to be a caring and sensitive young man. We are so proud of him. I love to see him caring for his sisters. At this point in time he has a soft spot for his youngest little sister. He loves any chance he gets to hold her in his arms.

Andrew has a great sense of humor and has been known to play a joke or two on us. In short, he is just one great kid.

We love you to pieces and our so glad to have you as our one and only son.

Happy Birthday Andrew.

Sarah 4 weeks

Our little girl is tipping the scales today at 8lb 2oz. She should be up at her birth weight in no time.


Here is her 3 week picture from last week. It was hard to find the time to upload this last week. You can already see the difference in her weight from this picture last Monday.

I hope all of you mothers out there had a great Mother's Day yesterday. I have found the transition to the mother of four to be a fun but challenging one.

I can't promise much on the blog this week but will try. If you haven't checked in on the Stringer Zoo in awhile, they are on the move again. Go pay them a visit, tell them 60 toes sent you.

Life School Musical

I knew once we got home it would be harder to find time to blog...and it has been. I haven't even had a chance to upload the three week pictures of Sarah. One of the reasons we have been so busy is because the kids were all in a big musical at church. The put on a great show called Life School Musical which was a take of on the ever so popular High School Musical. All three of the big kids had special parts and they did a great job.

Emma was one of the main characters and performed the sign language to one song that was so graceful and beautiful.Laura was the cutest "bug" you have ever seen.
Andrew was the friend of the healed man and had another part where he was part of the basketball team.


All the kids did a great job. If you would like to browse more pictures of the show you can view them here.

Packing on the ounces

We took Sarah in this morning for a follow up with our pediatrician.

She was up to 7lb 12 oz. Although she is not yet up to her birth weight, she is getting closer with every ounce.

I never had a chance to post the three week pictures, but I will try to get to that today. I knew things would get crazy once we got home, but it is great to be home. Crazy but good. It doesn't help that we are getting our house on the market later this week. If you know anyone moving our way, send them over. We are motivated sellers. :)

Have a great day and look forward to some more pictures of our little one.

Homeward Bound

We are going home today, yahoo!

Our little Sarah has gained two more ounces since yesterday. We are so thrilled.

There is paperwork to do and orders to follow, but we are on the way home.

I expect the blogging to slow down a little bit when I get home. After all, I have three other kids to take care of and I am thrilled to do it. I am so excited to spend time with them and find out what has been going on in their lives.

I will try to post a three week picture at some point today. This little girl has had a busy three weeks, that is for sure.

4 ounces

The doctor came in this morning with a big smile on her face. Our little Sarah has gained four ounces since yesterday. We are all thrilled. We thought she looked fatter but then again it is really hard to tell.

If she continues her trend to gain weight we will be going home tomorrow. That is great news!

As much as I am excited to get home, it is a little nerve wracking. We will be taking her to the doctor often when we get home to ensure the weight gain continues.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers, I know they have been heard. I feel much more encouraged today and feel confident our little girl is going to be alright.

Time to go fatten up our little angel.

Blessings

Wow, we are so blessed to have so many people helping us. As hard has this time has been we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love shown to our family. From the practical needs that are being met, to the encouraging emails and blog comments, to the prayers being lifted up.

We are truly humbled by your generosity. We can not say thank you enough.

I have an amazing nurse for the night who is ready and willing to help me with the feeds, yea!!!

I am going to pump one more time and then hit the hay. I am praying about heavy things and "super sizing" as one friend put it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you. We feel so loved and it has been a better day thanks to so many of you.

Good night, I am hoping to bring you some great news in the morning.

Sweet Sounds

The sweet grunts and groans of a baby feeding are music to my ears.

Sarah has given me the oppotunity to enjoy an aspect of being a parent none of our other three children gave me. She has given me the opportunity to feed her. Charlotte always talks about how much she enjoys the time she gets to spend with our infants when she feeds them. It's an opportunity for her to slow down, sit, relax and just plain love on them. Our other children never took a bottle. Which was fine but this meant Charlotte was the only one who could hold them close and watch and hear them eat as infants. Well, Sarah has given me a treat. She takes a bottle and I have regular opportunities to feed my little princess.

The sounds she makes when she's taking a bottle make me smile. They are very rythmic and soothing. The sound of her suck, suck, suck, exhale, inhale, suck, suck, suck, take a rest....

Now the question becomes, where are the calories going in running off to? Our prayer is that they run off to be stored and to make her a healthy fat little infant.

In the Hospital

Our little sweetie

Laura after her spill.

Teamwork, I tell you. Adam feeding Sarah and Emma feeding Dad. :)


Laura enjoying some ice cream.