First Snow

We had our first official snow the first weekend of November. We didn't get very much but Kiera had a lot of fun playing in it. By now it has all melted away and Kiera is eagerly awaiting more snow and "Christmas Time" so we can turn our Christmas lights on!



This is what happened when we came in the house to warm up after being outside in the snow. Kiera decided to pick up one of Sheri's books, get comfortable, and give it a read. I wonder where she learned this?

Hodge Podge

We are posting a variety of pictures from the last month. We aren't so great at getting things up weekly. Hope you enjoy. I'll start from the top:

Sheri 8 months pregnant...even I couldn't believe how much I had grown in the last month. Compare the size from the previous blog entry and you'll be amazed! I am a little worried where these babies are going to go in the next month. On Wednesday they were 4 pounds each and should start gaining a half a pound a week! Yikes! I am definitely hoping for 2 turkeys to arrive for Thanksgiving rather than Christmas! We are so thankful they are doing well and growing strong.

The next picture is of a baby shower our church gave us. Because our church is so big and someone has a baby almost every week, they only throw showers for twins. We were pretty excited about this as there were some larger items we needed yet. It was a success and we feel so blessed by all the outpouring of support and generosity. Thanks everyone!

The next couple pictures are of Ryan and Kiera "carving" a pumpkin. We decided to skip the mess this year and go with a princess potato head that sticks in the pumpkin. Kiera loved it and did it over and over until the pumpkin literally fell apart!

We took Kiera to a local apple orchard/farm to pick her pumpkin. They have a little animal area there with ducks, rabbits, and horses as well as train rides, pony rides, and apple/pumpkin picking. We took a horse drawn hayride out to the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkin. Kiera had a blast and it was a beautiful day! She was a little unsure about getting a free apple from the live scarecrow!

Long Overdue...

Well, this post is definitely long overdue ( no pun intended). I notice that it has been almost two months since we wrote anything!!! We sure have been busy! Kiera and I took a trip to WA to see my family...a road trip mind you (2 adults and 3 kids). My sister and I went together and had a fun time driving out there together and the kids did great! It was lots of fun to hang out with the family. Now we have just been busy with church activities and day to day stuff. We included some pictures of Kiera and some of her cousins (who she LOVES hanging out with! ). Ryan was in charge of putting a festival together to kick off the new year and that's why the kids are riding in the train. Kiera could have ridden in that all day. She loved it! Now that all our traveling is done, we are quickly preparing for the twins to arrive. So far everything has been going great and I have had no problems. I am 28 weeks now (7 months), look 9 months, and feel about 13! I included two pictures of me. One is of me 9 months pregnant with Kiera and the other is as up to date of a picture as you can get (today). So, any guesses which is which???? Sadly, the bottom one is of me right now! Quite the difference in size! I no longer fit in any of the clothes I wore with Kiera my ENTIRE pregnancy. The scary thing is that I still have 2 months to go!!!! Where are these babies going to fit??? Maybe I have a hollow leg....I am definitely slowing down and have boycotted cleaning my home or doing anything that involves bending over or getting on the floor. A twin pregnancy definitely takes it out of you! I told Ryan that if I had started with a twin pregnancy, we may not have had any more children. What a difference it makes and a toll it takes on a person! As of my ultrasound today, Baby A weighs 2 lbs. 10 oz and Baby B weighs 2 lbs. 8 oz. People deliver 6 pound babies!!!! Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are just so thankful that everything is progressing well and it looks as if we should be able to make it to 38 weeks (my doctor won't let me go past that thankfully). We appreciate your continued prayers and will try to update more frequently.

One year ago...

It was exactly one year ago that we finished taping up the boxes, loaded up the moving truck, and said our last good-byes to 6 years in Ripon. It is so hard to believe that a year has gone by! This last year seems to have flown and we feel very settled here in Sioux Falls. We definitely miss the close friendships we had which always take time in a new place; and can be frustrating at times. We definitely enjoy having family close by and Kiera loves having cousins to play with. Ryan has enjoyed his first year and continues to appreciate the close relationships and friendships that come with a large staff. I have enjoyed the numerous parks and family oriented activities that Sioux Falls has to offer as well as being able to stay at home full time and spend time just being a mom. We are scrambling to get ready now for the next life change and are so amazed at how much can change in just a year! We praise God for all the blessings we've had over the last year as well as for his continued guidance and direction in our careers, personal, and family lives. Thanks for sharing our journey with us this far!!!

Summer Fun

Kiera and cousin Eli hiding from the fireworks!
Sheri and best friend Val...black covers a lot of things (ex: pregnancies)
One of Kiera's 2 year pics.

At the zoo with cousins and aunties
Waiting for the parade...and the candy!
What a haul!!!! She got soooo much candy (thankfully she's forgotten about it all)


WOW! It has been over a month since we have posted anything. We sure have been busy! My (Sheri's) sisters Lisa and Tami were here for a visit. We had a lot of fun swimming, being together, and doing random activities. One day we took the kids to the zoo. They had a blast! We spent the 4th in Prinsburg with Ryan's family and enjoyed all the festivities there. We even took in a ski show! Had a short staff retreat at Green Lake, MN and then Sheri headed to Pella, IA for a wedding while Ryan headed to Michigan on SERVE. We have put a lot of miles on our car (we bit the bullet and traded our truck in for a minivan. 3 carseats would NOT have fit in any of our current vehicles). Between all our trips Ryan stays busy at work and manages to keep the lawn mowed and the garden weeded. Kiera and I have been babysitting a couple times a week along with spending time at the free wading pool down the street and staying cool in the basement from all the humidity. I continue to grow every day and am amazed at how big I am already at almost 5 months! So far the pregnancy is going well and I am able to do my normal day to day activities. My doctor has pushed my due date up to Thanksgiving time as with twins full term tends to be 37 weeks. I can't complain about that! We do have a lot to do in the meantime to prepare and look forward to things slowing down a little so that we can tackle some big projects before our lives change drastically! We are excited and continue to ask for your prayers that everything will continue to go smoothly and we will be able to carry these twins full term and without any complications! Enjoy these snapshots from the last month! I'll try to add some more later as our camera's batteries died and we couldn't upload all of them. So more to come...

More Surprises!!

Yesterday we were blessed with being able to hear the heartbeat of our baby. This morning we were surprised to find out we are expecting Twins!! Sheri went in to have an ultrasound done and was shocked when the nurse informed her she is carrying twins. I think it may take a few hours (or days) for this news to sink in but we are very excited (and a bit nervous)!

Merry Christmas...6 months early!!!!

We want to share our exciting news with all of you. On December 26 we are expecting Baby #2!!! Today we were able to hear the heartbeat for the first time and are VERY excited to finally be able to tell people. We praise God for good health for both mom and baby so far and we covet your prayers in the coming months. Feel free to celebrate along with us!