Author Archives: sarabethgrace

About sarabethgrace

Christian-saved by grace, wife, mom of three. My passions: family, parenting, serving others,working with kids with special needs, photography, being crafty.

Week Eleven

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March 11: Beautiful day for a walk! We walked up to Petsmart (Does anyone really know whether it is Pets mart or Pet smart?) and got Kingsley’s nails trimmed. This dog is a riot getting his nails trimmed. He is all nervous and it usually takes a least two people to get the job done. We also looked at the other animals, and if it were up to the girls we would have come home with a fish, but I say nay to a pet fish. Honestly, I just don’t want to clean the water, just another thing on the to do list.

March 12: J decided to try to brush her own hair without asking, here is the end result. She used a round brush and got it severely tangled. She was patient in letting me get it out, my guess is this won’t be the last time this happens.

March 13: We got out in our yard today and played on the swing set. L LOVES the swing, and J LOVES being a big sister.

March 14: Back outside for more fresh air and playing! I like that we can all swing at the same time. I am in the middle and can give the big girls a push when they need it. I like enjoying small moments like this with my girls.

March 15: The second dilemma for J this week. She thought she needed a bandaid for this teeny tiny scratch on her arm, so I gave her one. The problem: she wouldn’t let me or Joe or anyone for that matter remove the bandaid later on. She screamed, covered it with her hand, ran away. It was pretty humorous listening to and watching her get so upset over removing a bandaid. I even put one on myself and let her take it off, that didn’t help. Alas, the next day it started to fall off and I was able to get it the rest of the way off without much of a fight.

March 16: Our sweet Meggers (one of her many nicknames). Her smile is contagious. It doesn’t matter what I have going on or what might be on my mind, she smiles, and I can’t help but smile.

March 17: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Slow going morning with some errands, I went to Capernaum in the afternoon, and then we all went to our friend’s house for a little St. Patty’s Day get together. It was great visiting with friends, we had a lovely dinner, and there was never a dull moment with 11 kids around! Everyone got along, and no one got hurt. It was a WIN of a day.

Week Ten

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March 4: Today was the first Sunday that we had new Grace Church programs and heard a sermon from Pastor Jeff (previously recorded). Big changes ahead for our campus. God is really, really BIG.

March 5: Miss M and I journeyed down to Hamilton Ohio to attend the service for my dear friend Melissa’s grandpa. I was glad I was able to support her during this time. She loved her grandpa dearly and I have heard many fun stories about him and the fun times they shared.

March 6: Joe was home this morning because he went into work late in order to stay through what is called “down time” at Aultman. Unfortunately, this “down time” lasted entirely through the night and Joe didn’t get home until Wednesday afternoon. However, we had some fun prior to his departure. Large remote control truck+ 3 kids (Aiden was over this morning, well technically, 4 kids then, but one is too little to get excited just yet)+snow=a good time.

March 7: We went to the zoo today! The weather was great. A little breezy, but still great! We are so happy to have such good friends to go with :)

March 8: This is J’s drawing of our dog. We have a budding artist!

March 9: We were finally able get together with some friends that we have talked about getting together with for awhile. It is a small world-my friend from childhood, we grew up on the same street, married a guy that Joe knows from MCA. Jessica and I and the kids have gotten together several times, but we had yet to get our families together, so finally this friday worked out. Our families hit it off and we look forward to getting together more often.

March 10: Back to work I go! Well, I just filled in this Saturday, but it was a real treat. I truly enjoy the kids I work with. They are smart, funny, and capable of so, so much! I have missed them. ‘Sorry’ is the beloved game of the boy I worked with today. It is very rare that I have a session with him in which we don’t play this game.

Week Nine

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Hold up, wait a minute! This past week’s post is actually up in a timely fashion!

February 26- My dear friend Melissa sent J a birthday present. It was a scrapbook for little girls. Lots of pages to document this year of her life, places for photos, for her to draw and put birthday cards. I think Melissa knows me all to well. J is super excited to start her first scrapbook!

February 27- Mr. Aiden was over this morning. We made race cars out of tp rolls. Aiden wanted to be number two, so naturally it made sense to have the big girls be one and three.

February 28- We went out to dinner, thanks for the gift cards Aunt Mich! This was the last day to use the cards and I was not at all upset that I didn’t have to make dinner. Unfortunately, my food didn’t come out completely cooked and it took awhile to get it all taken care of, but it ended well and we got some cupcakes! The girls were especially excited about this.

February 29- Happy Leap Day! Daddy left a surprise on the kitchen table this morning- DONUTS! Yum, yum! It was a real treat. Usually we just have cereal.

March 1- Today marks the first day of a bit of a weight loss challenge for Joe. He has decided to make strides in watching what he eats and getting in shape. Today was weigh in. I am proud of his positive attitude and his desire to make changes.

March 2- Well, M isn’t showing off her cute smile in this picture, but they do all have matching PJs! We had a quiet evening at home, which included a movie. Good times.

March 3- J is wearing one of my tutus from when I took ballet when I was little. She is WAY, WAY TOO CUTE in this tutu. She absolutely loves dressing up and pretending she is a princess.

Week 7 and Week 8

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I fell behind a bit, it feels good to be catching up! I had the pictures all ready in separate folders and just needed the time to sit down and create the pages.

February 19: J’s third birthday!!! This page is very pink because her birthday is on here and it is her favorite color. We had a quiet day, overall. Church, home for lunch, nap, opening presents, and dinner at Diary Queen (her choice). She is really excited about her hopscotch rug she is opening :)

February 20: Mr. Kingsley taking it easy in the sun. This might be his favorite past time. Whenever the sun is out he is happy to be outside. He is such a good boy.

February 21: The girls enjoy the library. We have gone to story time a couple of times and afterward we stay to play and read in the children’s area. L enjoyed her time “reading” in the big comfy chair.

February 22: The girls love piling in together and sitting on my lap. I think it is mostly  because baby sis is being held and they want to see her and love on her. It is such a blessing and privilege to have them.

February 23: We discovered a fun activity today-removing the couch cushions and playing on the couch. This kept J and L busy for quite some time! We built a little fort, they jumped and laughed a lot together. Good times.

February 24: My friend Jessica and her son came over to play this morning! J and Des got along so well! We love having little friends to play with.

February 25: Cousin Jacob participated in the boy scouts Pinewood Derby. I made signs for J and L to hold up and cheer him on. He was in the first heat, so after that we waited quite awhile, but the girls were well behaved and Jacob ended up winning ‘Most Patriotic Car.” Go, Jacob!

February 12: I love crafting! I finally got a chance to get some crafting time in and made a clip holder for the girls. Undoubtedly, there will be A LOT of hair clips around here.

February 13: L, M and I went to Target while J was with Gran and Gramps for the afternoon. As we were leaving, J, Gran and Gramps came into Target to look for J a birthday present. We went back with them and L saw these little doggies. Of course she wanted one. I let her carry it to the checkout, but had no intention of buying it. I handed it to the cashier and L began to cry, “My doggie!, My doggie!” Just about broke my heart. We left without the doggie, but after dinner her and I went back to get one. How can you not when said said to Daddy, “My doggie at store” in a very pitiful voice.

February 14: Happy Valentine’s Day! We had a nice party over at the Vollers. I posted about it with some other pages already. We had lots of fun.

February 15: The girls love snuggling up in Mommy and Daddy’s bed. It has become part of our bedtime routine, to snuggle in, watch an episode of Busytown and read some stories.

February 16: Happy two months to Miss M. She had her appointment today. Already up to 12 pounds! She is growing so fast!

February 17: Painting with our good friend Aiden. Aiden was over this morning and we busted out some paints and had a good time.

February 18: I had the opportunity to help out at Young Life Capernaum (Description of YL Capernaum taken from their FB page: Young Life Capernaum gives young people with physical, mental, or developmental disabilities the chance to experience fun and adventure, to develop fulfilling friendships and to challenge their limits while building self-esteem through club, camp and other exciting activities. Young Life staff and volunteers model Christ’s unconditional love and acceptance as they walk alongside these young people— filling their lives with love and support.  events have been hosted at Shepherd’s Grace Church). The monthly events have been hosted at Shepherd’s Grace Church. This month was an 80′s party. The kids had a great time-lots of excitement, dancing, smiling, running around-an all round good time.

Happy Third, Baby Girl

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Our baby girl is three, yes, THREE! Already! Three just seems so much older to me, not sure why, but it does. J is such a sweet, smart, happy, caring, curious, loving, silly, and sometimes a bit unkind (mostly to L) little girl. I know that last one is hard to believe :) She has been such a blessing to our lives. I treasure the three years we have already had with her and look forward to watching her grow and learn more and more.

I saw these fun 20 questions to ask your child each year starting at 3 years old, so here it is, J’s answers (she answered on her birthday, might ask again in 6 months and see what has changed):

1. What is your favorite color? PINK

2. What is your favorite toy? PINK DOGGIE <–I don’t know that we have a toy like that, but that was her answer.

3. What is your favorite fruit? GRAPES

4. What is your favorite tv show? THOMAS

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? SALAMI, BANANA, AND GRAPES

6. What is your favorite outfit? BLUE FLOWER DRESS

7. What is your favorite game? SLOBBY, I then asked, “What is ‘Slobby’?” Answer: “An old game that as whole houses.” I have no further response to this :)

8. What is your favorite snack? BANANA

9. What is your favorite animal? ELEPHANTS

10. What is your favorite song? THE HORSEY ONE <–I don’t know this song, but maybe Aunt Ally knows, since I hear that there is a dance party from time to time when the girls are over there.

11. What is your favorite book? GIRL ONES

12. Who is your best friend? LEAH

13. What is your favorite cereal? FRUIT LOOPS

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? BE COLD

15. What is your favorite drink? LEMONADE

16. What is your favorite holiday? PUMPKIN DAY <–I was surprised by this. I guessed she would have said her birthday or Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? NEMO (her favorite stuffed animal)

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? CEREAL

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? DIARY QUEEN <–And yes, we did take her to Dairy Queen

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? THREE! (This was said with great excitement)

(Daddy also answered the same questions, I’ll save those answers for another post)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Jilli!

Just Busy

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We have been busy. Most days seem to fly by. By the time we get up, have breakfast and play, then it is lunch time and shortly after nap time, more play, dinner prep and daddy gets home. We have a pretty good routine going, but are always up for change and adventure!

One day soon I catch up with Project 366 pages (Week 7 was last week, and this week is Week 8) and all the other scraping I have planned out and just need to find time to complete the pages. For now, here are our cuties:

Week Six

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I downloaded several new templates from Simply Yin, and I am super excited to use them! I used one for Week Six, and I am loving the look! She makes some awesome templates. Can’t wait to scrap some more!!!

February 5- Big day for Shepherd’s Grace Church. Today we voted to accept the recommendation of the elders to move forward in joining with Grace Church. God is really BIG, really cool, and we are excited to be a part of this plan.

February 6- I am loving Miss M’s expressions lately. She smiles SO much and her little eye brows just make me smile. She is such a sweetie.

February 7- First time the girls and I went to story time at the library, and guess who we saw there? Aunt Ally and Aiden! Story time was fun, 30 mins of stories and songs, just long enough for little ones. We played for a little bit afterward, picked out some books for the first time, and then got home for lunch and naps. After naps it was  quick drop off at Grandma and Pa’s and Miss M and I went to see Daddy graduate from his leadership class at work. Good day.

February 8- I finally got the girls to participate in this Valentine craft I have had planned and sitting out on the counter. Contact paper and cut out hearts, some ribbon to frame it, and viola! We have some cool artwork. The stickiness of the contact paper provided some sensory, all in all, good project and we will try it again with some other cutouts.

February 9- Uncle Paul came over for dinner. I made some yummy chicken, the recipe courtesy of Jill Heese. We had some good conversation and the big girls were excited to play with Uncle Paul’s shoes. I remember another time L had someone else’s cool footwear on :)

February 10- Miss M is loving her swing. She snuggles in and peacefully watches the little animals while her sisters bring her all kinds of toys and blankets.

February 11- MILKSHAKES! Yum, yum. We made milkshakes after dinner. They were pretty tasty. J wasn’t a big fan of the noisy blender, but she did enjoy her milkshake, as did L. They both wanted seconds.

Week Five

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Well, week six is more than half over and I am just now posting week five. Ah, well, we are busy around here :)

January 29- Yeah, laundry, not all that exciting, but I do a lot of it around here. It seems like I can rarely catch up. By the time i get laundry put away there is another load to wash.

January 30- My grandparents got the girls a fish awhile back. His name is Nemo, pretty much every fish is named Nemo if you ask J and L. They LOVE this fish, it is crazy. They get so excited to see Nemo every time! They haven’t been over to Gran and Gramp’s house as much since I am home right now, so they have gone through withdrawal. This was an exciting visit for them.

January 31- The weather was wonderful today! We played outside after Ally came to pick up Aiden. These two are (usually) such good buddies!

February 1- Another beautiful day and we took advantage of it! Jillian drew herself on the driveway. How adorable is that?! Her first self portrait. I love it!

February 2- L had her 18 month check up, we were a little late since she is 19 months. We were a little busy is December :) Of course we had to check out the fish at the doctor’s office. One thing I don’t understand is why they decided to put the fish tank on the sick child side of the waiting area. Did they not think all the healthy children would want to see the fish?

February 3- I absolutely love these three girls!!! And I love this photo. Two smiling faces and one rather contemplative one. Big sisters adore their little sister. Don’t they look so proud to be sitting next to her?

February 4- My best friend Kristine came home for the weekend and we had the opportunity to get together. I always enjoy my time with her! She is such a sweet person. We went to Target, shopped around a bit and then sat and chatted in the cafe. It was a wonderful start to my Saturday!

Week Four

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January 22- Sweet M wore this super cute sweater dress to church. All three girls wore dresses today. It is fun to dress up a bit :)

January 23- New wall decor for the kitchen! The wall had been bare for a few weeks. Now it feels much better and warmer in the kitchen. I spent part of the morning making the prints on either side of the photo collage. The printing out was easy, securely attaching the ribbon to the frame, not as easy as I thought it would be. Not to mention there were three lovely girlies to care for while attempting some craftiness.

January 24- J didn’t take a nap today. She was pleasant, so no nap was needed. While sisters slept, we had some fun with play-doh, coloring and cutting.

January 25- We were playing before bedtime and I was able to snap a few pics of all the girls on the iPhone.

January 26- Rough morning at the Clarke house! J spent the morning with Nana, and I was very grateful that was already set up when L woke up sick. Multiple throwing up, changing clothes (both hers and mine) and a bath was needed. By afternoon she was feeling better and more herself.

January 27- Dinosaur lunch! Mr. Aiden was over to play this morning and for lunch we decided to have PBandJ dinosaurs. They are always a hit!

January 28- Finally decorated our little mail boxes. I have high hopes that we will use these. There is one for each family member and the hope is to leave notes for one another and the girls can make things for each other and mommy and daddy :)