These kids need a home! Please go here for information. All adoption fees have been waved.

Yesterday was Madelyn's Thanksgiving Feast at school. Her class did the cutest little play and sang several songs and then we all went and ate in the Cafeteria. My grandparents were able to come along as well which was really special. Madelyn said her line perfectly and then all the kids each had a turn to say what they were thankful for. Madelyn said our dog, Sadie.

Madelyn has had a rough couple of weeks. Two weekends ago she got sick on Sunday and started running a fever. Jason took her to the doctor on Monday and they diagnosed her with pneumonia. She was fine by Tuesday but progressively got worse all week with a really bad cough. I took her back to the doctor this last Monday. They changed her antibiotic and added on an oral steroid and an inhaled steroid. She still was not getting better and went back on Wednesday and now is doing nebulizer treatments 3-4 times a day. Bless her heart! She insists on going to school, she is not sick, but has not been able to stop coughing. This morning it finally sounded like it was breaking up when she coughed so hopefully she can get rid of all the junk in her chest. I have asthma and Madelyn has definitely inherited that from me.

In addition to the asthma, Madelyn and I are very similar in other ways. We have very similar personalities. Caroline looks and acts like Jason, Madelyn looks and acts like me. Madelyn is more reserved, but social. She loves activities and wants to be involved in everything. She is doing ballet and piano this year, but also wanted to do gymnastics, brownies and soccer! I always want to do lots of things too. Raising her is showing me my areas of weakness and where I need to change. I find myself frustrated with her more often that Caroline just because we are very similar. Things that she does that irritate me are the areas in my life that I wish were different. I have a hard time teaching Madelyn things because we seem to butt heads - it's just because we are so alike.

Madelyn is such a joy as a daughter. She is very sweet and is such a good helper to me even though she is only 5. She is a great big sister to Caroline and Silas. It has been so fun to watch her personality blossom this year now that she is in school. She is confident and fun to be around and I am so proud of her! She is making good choices and working hard in kindergarten. Madelyn, I love you and am so proud of you! I am so thankful Jesus chose me to be your mommy.

Here is the menu for this week!

Wednesday - Me - P.F. Changs - yummy!!! Everyone else tomato soup & sandwiches
Thursday - Crockpot Thai Chicken, rice, broccoli
Friday - Date Night
Saturday - Chicken Soup, corn muffins (recipe below)
Sunday - Hosting my family Thanksgiving - all I have to make is mashed potatoes though!
Monday - Leftover Soup
Tuesday - Clean out the fridge night

Chicken Soup - This is a family favorite. Forgive me if I've already posted this recipe!
1 box chicken broth
2 diced chicken breasts
3 diced carrots
3 diced celery stalks
1 diced onion
3 chopped garlic cloves
peas
egg noodles

Saute veggies in a little oil until soft. Add chicken and start to cook. Add chicken broth. Cook chicken through and add peas and egg noodles. Cook until noodles are soft. I think this is Silas' favorite meal, he can eat about 3 servings!

It is so cold here! It rained all day and just kept getting colder and colder. There was a big football game tonight and I think everyone who went is crazy! We are watching it on TV, nice and cozy in our home with a fire. That is the way to do it!

We had a pretty good week. I worked extra and missed my babies! After next week, I am back to just one day a week. Silas seems to have gotten over his latest stinker pot phase. He had a good day Thursday and today. He is starting to naturally say a few more words. The new ones for this week were hot and stinky. : ) If I put food in front of him, he'll say "hot?". One day this week he came to to find me and said "stinky." He was! Isn't he smart??!!

Today we saw two of my friends from college. It was great to see you Brooke & Danielle! I'm sorry if my children scared your precious babies! When Danielle brought us dinner several months back, her little Colin and Silas were the same size. Today Silas was WAY bigger than Colin! I could not believe how much he has grown. He was at least 4 inches taller and I know he has gained 5 lbs. All in 4 months - I had no idea he could grow that fast. He does love to eat though...

Tonight Caroline said the most precious prayer. It went something like this - "Thank you Jesus for Mommy, Daddy, Madelyn, Silas and Sadie. Thank you for the beautiful trees. Thank you for the birds, ladybugs, butterflies, flies and ants. Amen." Keep in mind Caroline for some reason is deathly afraid of flies and ants. I mean bloody murder screaming if she sees one and I to keep from laughing that she was thanking God for them.

Madelyn had a good week. She is getting to be a really good reader and it is so fun to watch her learn. Next week her class is doing a little Thanksgiving play and then we are all eating the "Thanksgiving feast" at the Cafeteria. I can't wait! She is also doing really well with piano. She is learning her songs quickly and I think she has a natural talent for music. Well, she should considering her family background on both sides!

Oh - I made the Crockpot tortilla soup for dinner tonight. It was a winner! Really yummy and everyone ate it. I highly recommend it. Easy and perfect for a cold, rainy day.

Here is our menu for this week. I'm using the crockpot a lot this week. It is such a time saver! Things here have been going pretty well. We've all had colds and Madelyn's turned into pneumonia. She is fine and back at school, but still has a cough. Silas seems to be regressing in terms of behavior so that has been really stressful. Adding on not feeling well and we have one grumpy boy! Praying today will go more smoothly!

Thursday - Baked Chicken in the Crockpot, acorn squash, green beans, salad
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Crockpot Tortilla Soup
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Sweet & Tangy Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, green beans
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Out with friends

For the baked chicken in the Crockpot, just take a whole chicken and put it in. Add a little water or broth and a few sliced onions. Cook all day - so easy & yummy!

My friend Jeanette is giving away a CD on her blog. The singer is a friend from hers at church and she describes her as a mix between David Crowder, Chris Tomlin and Jennifer Knapp. Click here to enter!

OK....So I have to admit what an AWESOME wife and mother Cara is! Today was one of the Saturdays out of the month that Cara worked and I had the kids at home for a "Daddy Day". Silas was not feeling well so I was trying whatever I could to make him feel better. One of the things he likes is being attached to Cara and carried in his Ergo Baby. I tried this once in China and it worked well. Cara has used it numerous times since then but I never really paid attention to how she puts it on. I can figure it out, right? Wrong! Here is a photo of my attempt. Silas loved it because it was like a supported piggy back ride! Cara - you are fantastic and I am blessed to have you as my best friend and wife! I'll leave the Ergo up to you!

Guest poster - Jason!

I love this little girl. She stole my heart from the moment she was born and I have loved her every minute since. The first two years of Caroline's life were hard. She was a very fussy newborn and then was rather sick until we figured out she had tons of food allergies at 12 months. Praise the Lord, she is only allergic to milk now and are hoping she outgrows that one soon! She has the sweetest spirit and has always taken everything in stride. Her rough start has made her full of compassion at the tender age of three.
I wanted to devote this post to my girl because she often gets lost in the shuffle of life. Only 18 months younger than big sis and only 20 months older than little bro; she is the middle child. But what a precious middle child she is! She is full of life and has the funniest, friendliest personality. She just seems to draw people in with her love of life. She loves to cuddle and be held - she always has. She'll come up and tell me she hasn't had enough hugs or that she just wants me to sit and hold her. For those of you who have read the "Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman, Caroline's are definitely physical touch and quality time. Both of which can be hard to always provide with three little ones vying for mom's attention!
The addition of Silas has been the hardest on Caroline. She was used to being the baby, and I admit to probably babying her a tad too much. : ) She and Silas are getting along much better but they are so competitive! I'm hoping as we continue to settle in this will get better. They do play together some now and also love giving each other hugs, but when it involves mommy - watch out! Her world probably changed more than any other and maybe I did things wrong. She moved bedrooms, her car seat position was changed, etc... She was more willing that Madelyn to offer up her things, but I think that is just her sweet personality. I'm trying to make an effort to spend quality time with just her. It's really hard though! I feel like I am being pulled a million different ways and everyone needs a part of me. Feel free to offer suggestions in the comments!
Caroline, CJ, C'gers, Ceej, Jay Bird, Muffin, Muff Puff (Caroline has LOTS of nick names! Her personal favorite is Muffin.) I LOVE YOU! You are my precious baby girl and always will be. You are a special girl and God has great things planned for your life. My prayer is that you will grow up to love God with all your heart!