David has been hanging around at the stronghold after work a few days a week usually with Matt.J. David has like the perfect body... (for climbing too:) He is taking a few courses on ice climbing and other aspects as this may be something that he will use in Siberia. Apparently the Siberians are really into extreme sports so it will be a great outreach for David. I may get into it too...  

Hudson usually has this rather bored look on his face. It is pretty cute though. 

I asked Hudson how old he is and he stuck up his finger! He is a very smart one month old today! He is wearing the clothes that Josiah wore when we were in England when Joe was 3 months?! He really looks like a mixture of the other two to me. Emma's hair but his face is really a lot like Josiah's was. 

Josiah at 13 months going on 2 or 3. He looks so much older all of a sudden. He acts like a 2 year old frequently now too:) He is a sweety though, he gives Hudson kisses all the time and the rest of us too:) 

Josiah's long overdue first haircut at 13 months. It was very tricky as he sure doesn't like to sit still and I did it here at home. He looks very different to us, takes a while to get used to. More of a boy than a baby or something... I like seeing his eyes and ears again though. Yes he has a bit of bedhead going on :) 

Russia, here we come! We now have our tickets booked! We fly to russia on May 20th out of the Chicago Airport at 5:30pm. We arrive May 21st in Moscow about the same time:) It will be an interesting flight with the three little ones for sure:) We are very glad that Peter and Jon (2 of David's brothers) are coming with us to carry a kid or two (and all our stuff!) We could actually use his whole family I bet... This is pretty exciting for us as it has always been so far off in the future and having the tickets makes it so much more real or whatever. We have so much to do before that time with passports, visa's, immunization, paperwork, packing, dental work... on and on. Better get busy! 

Blondie! Josiah with three teeth on the bottom. I hope the other 4th comes soon cause he is a little cranky:) 

Josiah (13months) running very fast... (can you tell?) I really like his long hair but it may have to go as he soon will start bumping into things:) 

Hudson Ezekiel- 3 weeks old 

Emma's hair do after going to beaners. (well, guess you can't really see it:) Emma went with her cousins Ocean and Sierra to get their hair cut and washed and done up. Hudson didn't get his hair cut today but he did get circumcised! Both emma and hudson were very brave... Josiah needs to get his haircut next. Hudson had his passport photos done yesterday so we have to get at that now. 

Happy Valentine's Day! from all three. Still need batteries so I can get better pics, cause it only lets me take one at a time now:) 

Happy Valentine's Day!!! 

Cinderella!! We have a mouse problem here... There are probably about a dozen mice here so what we have done is put poison upstairs in the kitchen and these high frequency noise things elsewhere to keep the mice out of our living space. Well the poison seems to work but unfortunately down here in the basement (where we live) is where the dead mice hang out:) This one I noiticed in the middle of the night (it is hanging out of a mouse trap which david put up there). There was also the one that fell out of one of these kind of holes onto the tea kettle and dying on the counter. I discovered it and all its blood as well. And then there was the strange smell which was coming out of the vent in our bedroom which I was sure was a mouse. I would get down on the floor and smell right up next to the vent for days. When David opened it up I was horrified that I was indeed smelling a dead mouse. Right there 1 inch from where my nose had been. There is now a strange smell in the closet. This is great missionary training isn't it.... I still have 9 or so left to find I guess. I'm sure most of them are just lying up in the ceiling which will go unfound but not unsmelled:) Well. I try to picture them like the cute little helpful friendly mice from Cinderella but then if that were true we wouldn't be killing them off like this would we... 

CRAVINGS! Today I was just craving some teddy grahams and apple juice (not wine). Everything tastes so much better to me in a wine glass. I don't like drinking milk and I don't like drinking water. (I think I inherited meme's inability to drink dad) But I find if I put it in some sort of fancy glass it is much easier to drink... Anyway so we went to get some apple juice and teddy grahams at the grocery store. It was the first time I went for a walk with all three. Glad it was a warm day cause it sure took a long time to get all three dressed and ready. I had Josiah all ready to go and then I got Emma ready and then Hudson but I had to get Josiah ready again cause he needed a change and then I thought I should feed Hudson so I did and then the other two had their jackets off cause they were hot and then I had Hudson in the carrier and then he pooped......you get the picture. And when we were outside all ready to go i realized I didn't bring any money so I had to run back in. But so we got going and even emma noticed that the cars would slow down when they passed us and stare at us like you would think I forgot to put pants on or something (which may happen sometime in all the excitement:) or it was like we are famous or something. Maybe it is partly our cool double jogging stroller but it sure was funny. We walked and walked and then I realized that I had to go back just as far as I'd gone already. so my legs are a little sore tonight. Hopefully they will still work tomorrow. I showed emma the huge house we lived in when she was born and some of the houses we used to clean back in the day. Even met a lady we cleaned for who was blown away by the three of them... Anyway. I guess we will really stand out in Russia so it is good to get used to the attention. And people shouting out from the cars "Are those all yours!?" "You are a busy lady" etc. I like being this kind of busy:) I wonder how far I'll have to walk to find teddy grahams and apple juice in Moscow... And no, I'm not pregnant... I don't get cravings when I'm pregnant! 

His Eyes are OPEN! Hudson is now 2.5? weeks. He went for a long walk with me and the kids today (see next post) but he slept the whole time. He actually just woke up to eat and now he is sleeping again.  

What is that Emma?

So David is camping today leaving me all alone with the kids for 36 hours! Aaaah! It's actually been pretty easy. We had 20? kids here last night for a hot tub, movie on our big screen/projector class party (Jon Keatley's Party) which kept my kids all entertained. THe girls in his class carried around my boys and Emma watched the boys in his class. ANyway... I told emma to go listen to tapes in her room this morning which she loves to do for hours. Usually she listens to story tapes or kids songs but I guess she is tired of her 4 tapes... As I laid in bed resting for a bit all of a sudden I heard Lenny Kravitz playing, and I guess she doesn't like Lenny as much as me cause she took it out quick and stuck in my old Pearl Jam tape which she left in for much longer. Maybe I should get rid of my old tapes, probably not very appropriate for a 3 year old... I remember when Robin, as a new Christian often does, got rid of all his favorite tapes... I believe he later bought most of them back again? So mine have just sort of traveled around with me. Emma seems to have found the stash. When I get the urge to listen to that type of music, usually when I want some exercise or when I'm trying on clothes:), I listen and then realize that it ain't so good after all. Well, Except Lenny, i always like him. And Bob Dylan. But I must clarify that the Lenny and Pearl Jam that I have are from the late 80's not now that they are 15 years not wiser.

Ok, last one. I could take off a few but I can't decide which one i like best:) He isn't at all jaundiced anymore, just a nice golden tan:) Beautiful, oops... Handsome! 

Ok a couple more... I guess if the camera sits for a few minutes it has a little power left. This pic shows that he isn't that big. I realized that all the close ups make his head seem big when it is infact quite small. I think he has the smallest head yet of the three. But I'm sure he'll be just as smart...  

Here is the other picture I got before the camera shut off.  

The camera had enough power to turn it on fast and take two pictures. He was starting a wake up stretch... Today is Hudson's 2 week birthday. I can't believe it's been that long already. I am back to my starting weight now. (Thankyou hudson for being big:) Last week I was really skinny but this week I seem to be getting bigger again. Maybe it was just the sudden difference that made me feel skinnier and now reality is here...Anyway. Hudson is starting to be awake more, someday I'll get another open eye pic. He eats lots and lots and is getting cuter everyday. He is starting to look more like the other two now. 

1 hour later:) (kidding) 

Sorry, it's been 4 days. need new batteries for the camera:) I'll put in an "old" picture. The kids were watching Singing in the Rain. Emma never takes her eyes off it, all 4 hours of it:) Josiah really likes it too, but he gets up and dances to it which is very funny. Hudson likes it too I think, but finds it a little long. (He always falls asleep) Josiah is getting pretty good at being a big brother but you can see here he is sneaking a little pinch I think!  

Hudson- 10 days old 

Proud Big Sister 

Sometimes I'll put my milk in a bottle so Emma can really help out:) She loves little Hudson and takes really good care of him. 

Josiah Elliot- 12 months old