When Friends become Family

So I would have to say many of the greatest gifts I have received in my life come in the form of amazing and wonderful friends. I have always been so greatful for this and wonder how people make it through life without close friends. Our time in Columbia has been incredible, and we are so amazed that we have been given the chance to associate with so many wonderful people. They truly have become like family. Our kids are already asking to always stay in Missouri. They too recognize how fortunate they are to have so many great friends.

These past few months have been extremely trying on our family as we anticipate the arrival of the babies and as Moss has gone through the application and interview process for fellowship. Needless to say none of us has fared super well and we have just been "getting by". Well, our dear friends the Spriggs came to the rescue (it's not the first time of course) and lifted us out of the depths of helplessness and hopelessness. They cheered our spirits and recovered our home.

Angela had the kids working in full force and relocated all the clutter back to where it belonged, did laundry, cleaned bathrooms and bedrooms, and mopped floors. (And still had time to paint little girls' toenails.) Not to mention prepared all the meals of the day! What else could you ask for?

Dave and Moss on the other hand had their own list of projects to finish up. They spent the day painting the living room, the stairwell, and the bathroom. They also stayed up into the wee hours of the morning adjusting light fixtures and setting up our wireless modem.
We are so grateful for their kindness and generosity with their time and talents. They truly are family.

The Kids

Brooke- 2 1/2 years old- is a creative, determined, humorous, capable, talkative,lovable girl.

Jacob -nearly 5- is an inquisitive, particular, loving, tender, bright, enthusiastic fun kid.

Anna- nearly 7- is a helpful, creative, sensitive, friendly, shy, animal-loving, artistic, bright girl.

Mary- 8 years old- is clever, quick, focused, persistant, tender, helpful, outgoing, school-loving girl.

Family Photos

Fenberg Family 2008

(we included the twins in this photo)

We are very fortunate to have a friend (thanks Jessica) who was willing to haul her own 4 kids out so she could take our family pictures. It turned out to be a rather pleasant experience. Of course we were prepared for the worse, but warned our kids that we would be taking at least 100 pictures. Being outside instead of in a tiny little studio helped a lot. They were able to throw rocks and run around in between turns. (Not to mention, the company of the Beecher boys is always a big plus.)

3 months to Go

Well, many of you who do not get to witness my daily growth have requested a picture of my progress. All I can say is that I have a lot of very kind and convincing friends who had me totally believing I wasn't all that big yet. I guess I should have taken the disclaimer "for having twins" into greater consideration. Somehow I have never really viewed myself from this perspective, and I think I will continue to avoid it. I can only wait to see what the next 10-12 weeks brings.
Lets just say I only get to see my ankles once a day and that is when I get out of bed. I have to admire them for a brief moment before they are lost to the ever increasing edema. On the bright side, the increased water in my legs does seem to decrease the pain associated with the varicose veins I have been blessed with. My guess is the water retention must be acting as a compression mechanism. There is a bright side to everything!

Trick or Treating- The Grand Finale

Some how "trick or treating" just isn't the same after days of festivities (at least for me). The kids were thrilled to have some friends over to enjoy the festivities. Moss was out of town for interviews, so it was a huge blessing to have other families over. Right in the middle of all the fun Brooke broke a glow stick and the liquid got in her eye (I am firmly believe that a mom should never go anywhere alone with multiple children). I can't even imagine having had to haul all 4 kids home to wash out her eye. Luckily no harm done just some tears, which were cured with a little candy:) and the rest of the kids didn't miss a minute of candy collecting.

Halloween Fun

Our Little Lamb

Our little white poodle (last year and the year before she was pink)

Our fall tree fairy

And of course Batman. (Somehow I didn't get any other pictures of Jacob in all his muscles.)

The latest ultrasound

This little profile is so cute I had to share it. The girls were excited that even they could make sense of it.

More Halloween

Jacob refused to stick his hand in to the slimy insides of the pumpkin. He did his best with a spoon, but Anna finished it for him.

The Annual Halloween FHE

Every year we have our carving of the pumpkin Family night. It seems that it gets better every year as the kids get older. This year we even planned ahead and cleaned them out before hand.

Anna's personal Design

The finished product. We love our pumpkins so much that we brought them back in for the first freeze we had last night.

Camping and Food

"The Hike"

For our Grandpa

We hope our songs will brighten your day. We love you.

A Few More Ideas

These are fleece boas that are a fun form of a scarf. I also traced an ear warmer to make a matching headband. Of course the girls love them and are begging for their own. They are really easy to make, and if your kids are old enough they could even help out to make one.
Supplies: 3- 6" strips of fleece. (for a very small child you might want to go to 5")
I used one solid strip in the middle of two pieces with patterns. Solids just aren't as fun.
*Fleece is usually 60" wide on the bolt, so for a smaller child you can cut it down to 45" or to whatever length suits you.

How to: 1. Make sure your strips are cut evenly to 6".
2. Cut off selveges (the ends of the strips)
3. Layer the strips in order of how you want them.
4. Sew right down the middle. (My machine has a special stretch stitch,
which helped avoid the breaking of the seam when I shook out the scarf,
so if you don't have this stitch option you will need to make a couple of runs down
the fabric.
5. Lay the scarf out flat, and make cuts about 1 inch apart.
Make cuts down the entire length of the scarf through all three layers at once.
(I prefer the cuts a little closer, than farther) I didn't use precise measurements,
but used my finger as a guide.

Here are the Tutu's I made. The girls also helped with these and thought it was super fun. Brooke is getting hers for Christmas but had a fun little sneak preview. Needless to say I have been neglecting other duties, but have had a lot of fun creating! But if you listened to Elder Uchtdorf's talk at women's conference that is what he counseled us to do, Right?

"Memories" the Game

I made this game as part of a christmas present, and thought they turned out super cute. Of course I got the idea from a friend who did a different variation in a file folder. The cards are made with wallet size photos, which you get 2 of when you order from Sam's club. I then mounted them and laminated them. My kids are already loving looking at them and playing the game. I also think they would be a good item to take to church to keep kids busy. Is there anything better than looking at a picture of yourself? All the pictures are from our recent family reunion. I am hoping to make a set for each of my siblings and their families.

(the crayon is just to give an idea of size)

Bike Adventure with Dad

Moss and the kids had a great time Saturday evening on a bike adventure down by flat branch park. It is a great place for the kids to ride because they get to go through tunnels and explore off the trail (as seen above). Brooke got to ride in the backpack on Moss' bike and had a blast. I guess she was too small to get up on the tree. The biggest news was that Jake beat Anna in a bike race. He was ecstatic. Unfortunately Anna desperately needs a new bike. She pedals like the wind, but to no avail. The diameter of her sprocket is so small that she had no chance against Jake. She was a good sport and is anticipating a bigger bike very soon!