Hey Mom & Dad!!

This is the coolest thing ever!! Mom & Dad are on vacation up North, and they are visiting Yellowstone National Park as we speak. Mom called me and told me to go to the Yellowstone website to see them live from the Old Faithful Geyser WebCam. Well, I captured some images of them sitting on a park bench waiting to see the geyser, so here they are (Dad is wearing a dark blue zip up jacket, jeans, and white hat and Mom is in green next to him--they are on the park bench toward the right side of the pic--except in one pic they are standing up). According to the website, it's 55 degrees there. Mom said it was cold--and I think she even said they got snowed on at one point on the trip. Brrrrr!! Hope you two are having a blast! We miss you!
Mom is waving in this one--Dad pulled his dark blue hood up
Sittin' on the park bench...
Still sittin....
Standing by the bench lookin' at Old Faithful

Another Project....

John worked a 24 hr. shift yesterday (Sunday) at Pantex, so of course I couldn't sleep. :) I just HAD to stay up and work on some more sewing. I made this dress for Caroline---it's called a pillow case dress. Normally, you make them out of--you guessed it---a pillow case, but I just had to buck the system and use regular fabric. I put her name on the front and then her nickname (Sunshine) on the back. It turned out nice, I think. Caitlin was more than happy to help hold her for the pics.

Next project....shoes for Caroline! Coming Soon!

Memorial Day

We had a very relaxing Memorial Day. John was off from work, and we took the children to the Panhandle War Memorial. They had so many questions! It was neat to see "real soldiers" walking around too. We were able to give them a history lesson and let them know what today was really all about. Then, our dear friends Tommy & Dianne came over for a hamburger cookout. They were great burgers--thanks John! :) It's wonderful to have friends that can just come hang out with the Haskell gang and not run away screaming...just kidding! LOL

They Say It's Your Birthday...

*Singing*

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthdaaaaaayyyyy Miss Miiiiisssttttyyyyy...
Happy Birthday to you!

Love you much, my friend! Hope your day is great...and say "hi" to your Mom for me!

Reflections

Well, this is the last day of 2nd grade for Caitlin. Although it is exciting to see her grow up, it's a bit sad at the same time. You know the saying about how children grow up way too fast and you need to cherish every moment with them? Well, that's becoming more and more true in my life.
There are times that I wish all 3 of my babies would stay--well--babies! :) Unfortunately, Caitlin will soon be interested in name brand clothes, makeup, BRAS, cars, and eventually boys.

Uggggg.

As nice as it is to have Christian pottytrained, it just means that he is growing up. In just 2 years, he too will be thrown into the whirlwind of school, and I don't know if I am really ready for that. I love being with him at home during the day, but I know he needs to be challenged, and the umbilical cord must eventually be cut. :)

Then there is Caroline. Now that she is crawling and exploring her little world, she is that much closer to talking and walking. Where does the time go? How is it that I can so clearly remember her birth as if it was yesterday?

I am so thankful every day for my children. I pray over their lives constantly, and I know our Father has a wonderful plan for each of their lives. I just hope I can enjoy each and every moment I have with them before time takes over. They are the most precious gifts I have ever received.

Blessings to Caitlin, Christian, and Caroline. Momma loves you more than you could ever imagine.

Thought For The Day

I was browsing a collection of images on the internet, and one of them jumped out and grabbed my attention. As I looked at it further, the Lord put a verse in my heart that went along with it. Here is the image as well as the verse. I hope you find it as encouraging as I did.

Hebrews 13:5

"Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.'"

Yeah Caitlin!

We just got back from Caitlin's 2nd grade award ceremony at Arbor Christian Academy. Caitlin got the Helpful Servant Award, and she was on the all A Honor Roll. Also, she got an award for reading over 100 books this year. We are so proud of her! Honestly, I can't believe that this school year will be over on Friday. She will be a 3rd grader before I know it!

This Is The Day

I woke up this morning with a song in my heart that will not go away. I just love when that happens, because it is usually an encouraging song that I can sing all day long. Here is what it is:

"This is the day,
This is the day,
That the Lord hath made,
That the Lord hath made.
I will rejoice,
I will rejoice,
And be glad in it,
And be glad in it.

This is the day that the Lord hath made!
I will rejoice and be glad in it!

This is the day,
This is the day,
That the Lord hath made."


I wish I could let you hear the tune, but of course, this is the internet. :)

Bunco!!

So last night I got to learn how to play Bunco (the group I played with actually spells it Bunko). It was so very fun! John kept all 3 kiddos while I went, and it was so great to have just those few hours with other women. Jill invited me, and the entire group was so accepting and kind...I DEFINITELY want to go back. Also, to add to the joy, I had the most wins! WooHoo! I got the first pick of the prizes, and I got a gorgeous cross to hang in my house. Also, I rolled a Bunco and grabbed all 3 dice (for those of you who play, you know how exciting that is)!! Hopefully, I can do it again sometime. Thanks to Jill for the fun outing! :)

I Make Milk--What's Your Superpower?

Alexis is 3 months and Caroline is 6 months

The nice thing about breastfeeding is that it allows me to get out of the house for one evening a month and socialize with other new moms. BSA has a breastfeeding support group on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, and Caroline and I don't miss it! We get to sit around and discuss breastfeeding issues/successes and find out about the latest and greatest products/ideas for moms and babies. Jill and Alexis go as well, so I took the opportunity to get an updated pic of the girls. I am also able to pass out cards for my business, so hopefully I can get some income from that. Nothing like spending the evening with a bunch of other lactating women! :)

Just In Time For Mother's Day

Well, ladies and gentlemen....Christian has finally made it through a WHOLE DAY without peeing his pants!! WooHoo!!!! :) Can't you see I'm a tad bit excited?!? We told him last night that we were throwing all of his diapers out. At first, he was mad about it, but he came around to the idea. Today, he wore real underwear (he calls them underpants) and didn't have one single accident! He even slept in a training pant with plastic pants over it for naptime and woke up dry! I have now had the best Mother's Day present possible---besides the birth of my kids of course. :) Here's hoping he will keep it up!

More of C3's Friends

We got to go to lunch today with my good friend, Tasha, and her sister, Taryn. It was nice to get out and have adult conversation. :) The last time I saw Tasha was when she was in the hospital giving birth, so it was a long overdue visit. This was also the first meeting of Caroline and Miss Laney Nicole. Laney is about 5 weeks younger than Caroline, and I know it will be so much fun to see them grow up as friends. Caroline is very blessed to have SO MANY little girls her age! I was so proud of this picture. It was very hard to get 2 little babies smiling at the same time---and catch it on camera! WooHoo!

Awww, I Feel So Special!

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to my darling little brother, Josh. He took the time to send me flowers! :) They were beautiful French tulips arranged with other little flowers. I just feel so special when he does stuff for me...so here ya go---*Mwah*---a big kiss from your big sister! Love you Joshie!

Circus Circus!

The Haskell bunch had a great time at the circus!!
Daddy really didn't want his picture taken with the nose...but I got one anyway! WooHoo! :)
Christian and Mimi watching
And here we are with the lovely lady and her elephant...
Man, that isn't right in any shape or form--those contortionists rocked!
This is what Caroline did throughout the show...poor Pappaw's tired arms :)
It was time to go...no more bubbles :(
More bubble fun!
They were wanting the audience to sympathize with them when John took the bubble wand away
And here they are "getting into trouble" by the ringmaster, John, for blowing bubbles
Tom asked her to twirl around the ring with her finger on her head
This is Caitlin with Tom the clown at the beginning of their act
The gymnast group--I think they were from Hungary
John and the kiddos at the pre-circus show...it was a meet & greet


The Haskell family was blessed with the opportunity to go the circus last night. Mimi and Pappaw were kind enough to take us, and we had a BLAST! We got VIP seats down on the floor; we were only a few feet from the all of the action. It was the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus, and it had cool stuff like horses, an elephant, trapeze artists, contortionists, clowns, and much more!
The highlight of the evening was when the clown, Tom, picked Caitlin to participate in his act!! She was so cute! In their act, Caitlin and Tom wanted to blow bubbles, but the ringmaster, John, kept coming up to them and taking their bubble wands away. Tom made Caitlin do funny things like twirl around the ring, dance, and interact with the audience. She was such a trooper, even though she admitted afterward that she was horribly embarrassed. So, here are the pics that we got of it all---enjoy!!

Waskily Wabbits

Caitlin with a shirt full of babies!
Here's Christian's rabbit, Thomas
Let's be careful and put them up!
Can't you tell Cait is just thrilled to death?
See what we have!!


Caitlin and Christian had a blast yesterday at Grandma Duke's house. She discovered a nest with 6 baby rabbits in it recently, and the kids got to go play with them. According to the internet, you can play with them as long as you put them back in their nest and cover them up. Christian named one Thomas, and Caitlin named one Claire. Christian was so torn up about leaving them that he cried for a long time after coming home. They both keep asking us if they can have one as a pet--sheesh!! :) Thanks to Grandma Duke for sharing your baby rabbits and for taking the kids to get ice cream!

We Love You Bo

Today is a sad, sad day in the Haskell household. Our sweet black kitty, Bo, passed away this morning. He had a seisure around 5am in the bathroom while John was in there getting ready for work. John yelled at me to come quickly, and we were able to hold him and love on him until he slipped away quietly. We don't know what caused the seisure at this time. Bo was the BEST cat ever, and we will all miss him dearly. I am including the last picture taken of him. Rest in peace Bowtie Kitty Pawskins...

My Busy, Busy Week

Other side of car seat cover-baby Aubreigh
One side of the car seat cover-baby Aubreigh
More fun embroidered onesies
Fun embroidered onesies
3 burp cloths for baby shower--baby Aubreigh
Tutu onesie for baby shower-baby Aubreigh
Diaper/Wipes case for Alexis


Ladybug crib toy hammock for Alexis
3 Breastfeeding Cover Ups-I have decided to name them Peek-A-Boobs :)


I totally enjoy sewing, but usually don't find the time to do so. However, this week was different. I didn't take naps (for all of you that REALLY know me, you know that's a feat within itself) and I accomplished everything I set out to do. I made some things for Jill's baby, Alexis, as well as some items for a baby shower. So, for those people that requested pics of what I have been doing, here ya go! :) Oh yeah, I worked on 3 more things, but they must remain a secret until Mother's Day...sorry! HaHa

You Can Leave Me Comments!

Just wanted to let everyone who reads the Haskell blog to know that you can leave comments by clicking on the comment link below each post. I had originally set it to only accept comments from blogspot users, but I have since changed that. It's open to everyone now! :)

How Sweet She Is!

So I was watching tv last night when Caitlin came up to me with a piece of paper in hand. She put it on my lap and told me to look at it. She explained that it was something she had written at school that day, and she thought it was very important that I see it.

I was totally surprised by what I read on the paper. It was SO SWEET and cute that it brought tears to my eyes. I am going to write it here as it was written on the paper, spelling mistakes and all. I will also include the picture that was drawn on the back of the paper. She is a budding artist for sure! :)

Here is what the paper said:
"I wont to be a sower like my mom rily rily bad! But I know it is bad to be jelis of other people. But I wont to be a sower because you get to make stuf that is rily cool. When I grow up I wont to make prity stuf like my mom dose. I want to be a sower." Caitlin Haskell

I just thought it was precious they way she wrote it. I am also amazed to know that my children actually pay attention to what I do! :) If she wants to be a "sower," more power to her!
Here is the drawing that went with the paper. I couldn't believe the detail she used. She even included the ceiling fan! LOL