Cookie Monster

My babies are getting big! Cort has become quite the talker lately. He is starting to use more short sentences and he has the sweetest little voice and the funniest inflections. He likes to shorten words.

Monst = Monster
Cook = Cookie

The other day he told his first complete story that I understood. He found a cookie on the counter and then proceeded to tell me ...

"Where cookie go?"
"All gone!"
(both of those said in a very concerned voice)
"I eat"
(And then he laughed and ran away)

I love my little man!

Craft Hope Project

I discovered this A-MAY-ZING craft blog a few months ago - Craft Hope - through my cute friend Angela. Angela was also one of my roommates in college and you can see from her blog that she can make darling things!

Anyway, I am not the crafty type, but I am always trying to find ways to incorporate more charity and giving into my and my kiddo's lives. Do I succeed a lot - oh no - but occassionally I happen upon a project that is perfect for us.



Craft Hope shares handmade crafts with those who need them most. They've sent newborn kits to Africa, scarves to Haiti, and now they are collecting handmade bracelets to send to orphans in Russia.



The statistics they shared were staggering:

Every day 5,760 more children become orphans.
Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but…
Every year 14,050,000 children still grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system.
More than 1 million orphans are waiting for a home in Russia.
In Russia, 60% of girl orphans become prostitutes and 70% of male orphans become hardened criminals.

Broke my heart. After college I had planned to serve in orphanages in Russia or China, but life had other plans and I met my honey instead. These little ones still hold a place in my heart. Of course, they need donations for money, food, clothing, etc. But what I love about this project is that it is something that is just for each little girl to call their very own. That is special!

This project was so incredibly fast and easy! Just a quick trip to the store for the beads my little girl picked out and then half an hour out of our family get together on Mother's Day. Many hands make light work, right? I love that this is a project that everyone from the preschoolers to the grandparents can do and enjoy. Even the men got involved! In fact, they were the best at tying the knots onto the beads so the bracelets didn't fall apart. It was a good feeling to be serving together as a family - definitely something we want to do more of.




I 100 perecent recommend doing this with your family! It's a great project for little ones! I plan on making some friendship bracelets on our car trips over the next month (that totally take me back to junior high - love it!). Whether you can do a few or a lot, you will definitely have fun with your family! My daughter was so excited to do it for the little girls who had no mommies or daddies. In fact, she was quite sad when we had to drop them off at the post office instead of taking a trip to Russia to see the little girls.

So head on over to Craft Hope and check out the details! The project goes until June 15th. They are also now collecting hand made blankets for tornado victims in the South.

Third Times the Charm!

Yes, I disappeared from the blogging world for a few months, but I have a FANTASTIC reason! We are expecting Baby #3 in September! Very, very, very excited! Lily is 100 percent convinced that the baby is a girl and she has already named her Isabella (still in negotiations on that one ....). Cort is indifferent and was just happy the Dr.'s office had books.



This is how Lily feels about a new baby :)

I am now 13 weeks and looking forward to the second trimester energy. We've been in survival mode since January. Since I have been pregnant, the kids and I have had the 24 hour flu, RSV, colds, sore throats, coughs, etc. We come out of quarantine just often enough to pick up the next bug going around. You can bet that we are ready for sunshine and the sickie season to be over!

Now I need advice from all you mommies! This is my third time around, but I feel like there are so many things that I want to improve about my pregnancy and labor and delivery. So I would love any helpful tips! I do have to give birth at the hospital because of the preeclampsia problems I have had with both pregnancies. But I know that a lot of the natural ideas work because I was able to stay off the preeclampsia meds with Cortland. The Hypnobirthing tracks and getting massages during the third trimester helped immensely!

So here are my questions:
1. How do you prepare for having three kiddos ages 4,2, and newborn? lots of freezer meals in advance? fun activities for the kids?

2. Nursing advice? I would love for the first six weeks of nursing not to be absolutely stressful and a pain. What resources helped you?

3. Is a doula worth if even if you plan to get an epidural?

4. How do you find more energy?

5. Any other advice you have!

Kids Christmas Camp

This year I decided to start a Kid's Christmas Camp for all the Trost grandchildren. We got together at noon on Christmas Eve day and read Christmas stories, played Santa/Santa/Elf aka Duck/Duck/Goose, made star ornaments, and made our own reindeer food. Cami has all the pictures from the camp itself, but here are a few from Christmas Eve when they put out the food for the reindeer.


Lily decided to dump all of her's in one place. From the picture below, it looks like Daddy or someone tried to move it!