Friday, December 18, 2009

Christmas is almost here!

Christmas is almost here!! Here's what we have been busy doing...





Doesn't look so high in this pic...but....


Now you get the idea why I was so nervous!



Thursday, December 17, 2009

Baby + Tissues = Fun











Here's what happens when you aren't watching the baby every second of the day. She found the box of tissues...need I say more? She was so proud of herself, I couldn't help but laugh and then sit and watch her play.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Getting Excited...


Today I was able to schedule Lily's adoption hearing and we can't wait!! It's such an exciting day for our family. On Monday, December 21 at 8:30am, we will be heading to the courthouse to make Lily and official Hubler!!

To Grandmother's House We Go...





Ella went to stay with Grandma and Papa in November. She had been begging me for weeks to go all by herself and stay over night for a few days. I can't believe she is getting so big and wanting sleep-overs already! How the time flies.

We picked our dates and Ella counted the days down. She had spent weeks packig and re-packing...making sure she had exactly what she wanted. We drove to Fergus Falls and met my parents there...loaded up their truck...and off she went. I kept trying to hug her, tell her I was going to miss her...and she just pretty much wanted to get on the road so she could get there. I'm pretty sure it was harder on me than it was on her!

She had a fabulous time!! We talked every night and emailed every day. Ella got to make home-made playdough, have tea parties, and do crafts with Grandma. Papa played oodles and gave her lots of 4 wheeler rides. What a wonderful experience to make all those memories with her grandparents. She got to feel special and was shown so much love. Ella was reminded just how important she is to her Grandma and Papa. She's already got her sights set on another visit...and this time her little brother is determined to go too!

Get ready Grammie and Papa!!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

My Newest Creation


Here is a pic of Ella modeling one of my newest hats. Can't necessarily see the hat so well, but isn't Ella beautiful?!? And oh my, doesn't she look grown up??!
I love that girl.


I'll get more pics up of the hats soon.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Great Grandma is SOOooooo funny

Lily couldn't contain her laughter!! I have never seen her laugh so hard. Grandma would bounce the ball on the floor and Lily would laugh so much that at times she would literally fall over. This went on for over 10 minutes!

Great Grandma
























We invited my Grandma to come down and stay with us this week. We had such a fantastic time!! The kids enjoyed spending time with her. She was so good with them....reading books, coloring, and playing with them. Actually, I'm pretty sure that Grandma could recite a few of the books by heart now as Ben asked for the same ones to be read over and over and over again. Never once did I hear her refuse...but instead would snuggle up to him and start reading.

Grandma was such a huge help to me, keeping the kids busy all day long. There was even one point that she came into the kitchen with Ella close on her heals, Lily following behind her, and Ben bringing up the tail. It was like a mama duck and all her babies trailing behind.

We also enjoyed lots of laughs...mostly from Grandma...while watching Andy Griffith and Dick Van Dyke movies. Heehee. It could be the worst and most boring movie ever, but her laughter is often quite contagious and we would all end up laughing hysterically. (Most of the time I wasn't even sure what I was laughing at...maybe just the fact that she was enjoying herself so much).
We all had a hard time seeing her leave and having to say good-bye. Hugs were given and tears were shed. We can't wait to have her back down again in January!! Ella specifically asked Grandma "Next time...will you stay a whole week please!!?!"
Thanks, Grams, for such a wonderful week. We absolutely enjoyed every minute and feel truly blessed to have you in our lives and in our home. It was a treasured time full of lots of memories made with you. What a gift not only for me, but for my children...to spend so much time with their Great Grandma. You are so dearly loved and we miss you already!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

An Amazing Thing...


An amazing thing has happened at our house...something I've been waiting for for 3 years now...I can hardly believe it myself, but's it has actually happened. Are you ready for this? Ben can get his gloves on all by himself!! Yes, it's true. No more fighting to get one finger in each hole, no more painstakingly pulling 3 fingers out of the same area, no more trying to get him to understand that the thumb is the only one that is meant to go in the thumb hole. No more falling over in frustration as I watch 10 minutes worth of work go down the tubes as he pulls the glove off and I have to start all over.


Yes today, folks, Ben showed me that he can do it all by himself. What a big boy. My winter has suddenly become much easier!! Whohoo!!

Where did the time go?

I'm sorry all my blogger friends. I haven't updated in awhile!! A great friend of mine reminded me so I am going to make a point of posting some pics today...I promise.

These last few weeks have been so busy. Between the holidays, Jason traveling to Boston for 6 days for work, and Lily's ear infection...well to say I'm sleep deprived is an understatement.

Check back today to see what's been going on in our lives here on Hubler Planet.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Adoration







Ella absolutely adores her little sister. She loves this baby like crazy and follows her around most of the day. It's so precious to see her reading books or playing on the floor with Lily. I hope they will grow up to be the best of friends some day.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween!







It was a bit cold outside tonight, but the kids got dressed up and went around the neighborhood. Ella was Donald Duck, Ben was a pumpkin, and Lily was a fairy. The costumes for Ben and Ella were made my Nana many years ago for her own kids. The kids had a lot of fun going through her costume box and picking out what they wanted to wear. There's nothing like a Nana with a costume box!! Thanks Nana!


The kids got lots of candy and also enjoyed running to the door each time the doorbell rang to hand out candy to their little friends.


Whew, I am learning all to quickly how hard it is to get 3 children to stand still for 2 seconds to get a single picture taken! The older two wanted their costumes off right away so they could start sorting through their candy and trade back and forth...so I was only able to get Lily in a single shot. Oh well, she's pretty cute, I guess!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Cubbies





Ella and Ben have started Awana Cubbies. We are taking them to an evangelical church called Constance. Our church has changed ciriculium and they start it at kindergarten...which meant neither Ella or Ben are old enough to attend. We found Awana at this great church and so we enrolled them right away. They were so excited to get their new handbooks and vests this year. Ben was so jealous of his sister last year when she got to go. He couldn't understand why he wasn't old enough to be in it yet. But this year is a different story. Ben is a wild man in class. He joins right in with the other boys being loud and crazy. He loves it. He was even able to recite his verse back to me last week when he got home. It's going to be a great thing for him this year.
Ella likes it too although she is still working on making new friends. The room is new, the teachers are new...so we are going to go this week and meet some new friends together. I think it's just what she needs to get comfortable and start to really enjoy being there.
I saw firsthand how big of a roll Awana can play in a child's life. It generated so many questions from Ella last year...and from it grew a seed in her heart for the Lord. Ella asked Jesus to be her forever friend at the end of summer. It's truly what a mother lives for...it's why I'm here...to help guide her to Jesus. It's a prayer many years in the making and I'm so grateful to God that He allowed me to see my firstborn come to accept Him at such a young age. God truly is GREAT. Being a mother is a big job with a huge responsibility...afterall, God has entrusted me with an eternal soul. If that isn't the most important job in the world...then I don't know what is.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Bad Eggs




"I do not like them, Sam I Am, I do not like green eggs and ham!"

Well, "Sam I Am"...you are not alone. Lily doesn't like eggs either...no matter what color. Blue, purple, pink, green, or yellow!!

Last Wednesday night, I fed Lily some scrambled eggs for supper. A few minutes into it, she started to rub her eyes. "Poor baby", I thought..."not a long enough nap today, I guess". But as she continued to rub her eyes more and more...harder and harder...I started to look at her more intently. I could see all sorts of little white welts starting to appear. They went all the way around her eyes and upon further investigation, I saw that the bottom of her chin was covered in them too. Her eyes were starting to swell and she was definitely uncomfortable.

I immediately scooped her up to make sure her breathing was labored. Whew! She was doing fine in that regard...but I knew I needed to find out some information fast. I called Urgent Care who put me right through to a nurse. I told her I suspected an egg allergy and she advised me to give her a dose of benedryl and to watch her very closely for the next hour. Her instructions were pretty simple..."If you notice any breathing difficulty or any weazing, call 911 immediately".

The benedryl helped tremendously. Within 20 minutes the welts started to disappear. I did, however, watch Lily all through the night...setting my alarm to wake me up at different intervals where I would quietly tip-toe into her room and watch the rising and falling of her chest.

I called the dr. that we had just seen 12 hours earlier as soon as morning came. They had done a blood draw on her to run routine tests and they agreed that they would also order a cap rast test to see if her blood reacts to eggs in any way.

I got a call yesterday afternoon with the results. The conversation went something like this:


Nurse: We got Lily's results back from the cap rast test. We tested for both egg yolk and egg white allergies. Lily is definitely allergic to eggs! Don't give her any, nothing that has eggs baked into it, and don't let her touch them either. The dr. will call you in a few days when she returns from out of town meetings."


Ugh. My sweet Lily is allergic to eggs. I'm not sure what this all means or where we go from here. I'm guessing that the dr. will tell us we need to see an allergist and we will get more information at that appointment. Until then..."I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them, Sam I Am."

Monday, October 19, 2009

Sunshine...

















Wow...what a fabulous day outside today!! We spent a good part of the afternoon enjoying a warm, fall day. The kids enjoyed every minute of it. It was great to get back to bike rides, wagon rides, and walks.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

A Princess Party




























Ella turned 5 last Friday. I can harldy believe that I am the mother of a 5 year old. How the time flies. I feel like it was just a short time ago that I was pulling that IV cart around. I remember like it was yesterday that first moment that I held my baby daughter. Her eyes opening and closing so slowly...looking up at me. She was so beautiful...and she still is. I can't believe what a lovely little girl she has grown to be. What a blessing she is...she makes me a better person. I couldn't imagine my life without her in it.

On Saturday Ella had her first ever friend birthday party. She was so excited. I wasn't sure she was even going to be able to get to sleep the night before. Ella invited 4 little friends over and they all arrived in their favorite dress-up outfit. They made a necklace as well as their own lipgloss. Then they got their hair fancied up. The girls also played "place the jewel on the crown" ...a princess twist on the game of pin the tail on the donkey. Then they all sat down for "Princess Tea". I even whipped together a quick princess birthday cake per Ella's request.

It was so much fun to see her enjoying herself. At the end, she just dazed off into space...lots of excitement and 2 full hours of stimulation. I knew it had been a good day.

A big, giant thanks to Auntie Jill for helping make the party a success. And for wearing her own princess dress to the party! You're the best.