A photo dump

 So, I'm having a hard time figuring out this Dropbox thing so these photos are a bit jumbled... but here's a long overdue update from the Weights. 1 -- We moved the fence in our yard which DOUBLED our back yard space and is so nice because previously the back yard could be accessed through my bedroom only, and since that's where I like to put my newborns to sleep, this will be great because I can send the kids out the side door and they are STILL in the back yard. HoOraH!  Then this pic here is my Dad reading to Amy and Esther. They love having him visit and having books read. My dad is a great reader and really engages them in whatever he's reading.

 View from the front of our yard now, with the large chicken coop Ryan built for our 6 chickens peeking up above it. They are starting to lay now which is great to have fresh eggs again and Amy and Esther LOVE collecting the eggs. It's a treasure hunt every day. It has been a fun experience to raise them from chicks and it will be nice to know they're all the same age and know their breeds. We'll have white, brown, red brick and green eggs. :) And I love that they eat our kitchen scraps.

 A blurry photo of us at the County Fair with one of the largest Sunflowers I've ever seen. The photo doesn't even do it justice, because it's leaning backwards. It was at least 20 feet.

 Checking out the other chickens (doesn't my bun look awesome by the way? My hair really is getting insanely long. I need to learn some fancier things to do with it, but buns and braids are so easy that I usually have my hair like that)

Lena loved ALL of the animals. She's a big enthusiast for all animals and makes an excited "Ooooh ooooh" noise. What a ball of sunshine!

UPdate

Boy howdy, I'm bad at staying up to date. Read my Mom's blog on the right (Jill) she has pictures from when we went to the Zoo last week (which was awesome and well worth the drive) and of Lena's 1st birthday and generally documents my children's growth. :) Thanks Mom.

SO, my girls have been waking up earlier and earlier... so that I have to get up at 5 or 5:30 in order to read scriptures before they're awake... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I normally would be made tired by that, but because baby #4 is baking in there, I'm exhausted by it. I just am going to try to hold on today until Lena's afternoon nap, and then I'm putting on an hours' worth of Curious George and laying down. Wish me luck!

The Perfect Mile

I've listened to Neal Bascomb's "The Perfect Mile" recently, about the first few men to break 4 minutes on the mile run. I have enjoyed it. One of the men, John Landy, is self paced. Training at night, after school, he only competed against himself and the clock. It was a great strength to him, because he wasn't dependent on anyone else to push him forward.

I think we need to learn to be self paced. Often we're "competing" with those around us -- my friend and I were talking the other day and she said how she was reading a blog of a mother who cloth diapered, made zero waste, recycled everything, kept a clean house, made wholesome home cooked meals, and seemed to be a great mom. I sometimes read books by women who are homeschooling and having 10 kids and still juggling it, and we talked about how sometimes we feel overwhelmed when we read those things because we wonder if something's wrong with us... if we could be doing that, but aren't.

Ultimately, we should be competing with ourselves. I recycle a whole lot more than I used to and only have to take the trash out twice a month, where I used to take it weekly. I don't cloth diaper right now, but I suppose I could. I garden -- my gardening skills are getting better and I hope to have my best garden yet this summer. I often make wholesome meals, but sometimes we eat top ramen, and I'm okay with that. I love my kids, though I don't know if I'm a perfect Mom. I hardly blog anymore, but I am right now, so that's something. I am keeping a journal... it really doesn't matter what anyone else is doing because they don't live here -- they don't play with my kids, they don't water my chickens, they don't clean my house... I do. I don't do it all perfectly, but I do the best I can, and am okay with that. I think God is too... God doesn't love us comparatively -- He loves us individually and it proud of improvements we make and doesn't judge us by comparing us to someone else. Thank goodness!

Christmas and New Year

So, I don't often get around to blogging or emailing out photos like I mean to. I am quite busy with three very energetic girls and battling the never ending battle of cleaning house and keeping up with laundry.

Here's a three second update: We've had a wonderful year with many adventures, and are grateful to God for the many blessings and miracles He's given us. The girls are growing up too fast and are as cute as cute gets. Ryan continues to be an amazing husband, father, and provider and we look forward to his graduating with his bachelors in IT this year. HOORAY for Ryan!! We enjoy our little home, yard, and taste of urban agriculture with our bees and chickens, though it's mighty cold to be getting them water this winter on a daily basis.

Here are some pictures my Mom took when we visited after Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

An update of the girls

 Amy and Esther were rather quiet one day while I was nursing Lena. They were in the bathroom, and when I finished I found they'd found my make up. I think Amy was the leader and Esther was the groupie, but this is what they did:

 Going outside to play in the snow with their new "gubs" as Esther calls them

 CLASSIC Esther cuteness

Amy had a cavity in her back molar and this was her smile after the Dentist's office.

Esther's birthday

 Enjoying Cupcakes outside on a beautiful sunny October day

 All her little friends...

 Cutie patootie

Painter extrordinaire...

 Schwester Ilse Hardel -- best cook in Kiel! She made Ryan draw a pig in her book too (a tradition she has of blind-folding you and making you draw a pig, and then she makes fun of what your pig looks like. :) )

 Maria Zouaiter and her now oh so grown up daughter (she was a little girl when I was on my mission, now look at her -- growing up and taller than me to boot)

Uwe and Sabine Zickler

What are the odds that my friend Anike knew Ryan's cousins. :)