The Skillmans

Madelynn Turns 5!

2012-01-30T12:49:00.004-07:00

Today is Madelynn's 5th bday but we celebrated both Saturday and Sunday. Today she got to eat leftover bday lunch and cake. She seemed pretty happy about that and playing w/ her new toys too. :o)
First, my parents and Jacki came over Saturday and celebrated...

The red pillowcase she asked for from Gpa and Grammie Skillman-she said she slept so well on it that night. :o)

Jay loved having people over and wouldn't take a nap but he finally petered out.

Great picture together...baby and a gun. Don't worry it wasn't loaded (obviously). :o)

He had to get in the picture too!

Sunday afternoon she invited two friends over...Brenna and Ada

First, they painted some frames and decor for themand then opened presents

She did have a cupcake cake but of course I forgot to get a picture of that and her blowing the candles out. But Justin did video it at least!
She had a lot of fun at both parties and of course, we love her sooo much!

PC 6 & 7

2012-01-23T19:59:00.002-07:00

Day 6: Your Shoes (Our Faves- J's Boots, My Simple Loafers-so comfy, MJ's NEW running shoes-she is super fast in these!, Fin's snow boots, and Jay's lil' ones.
Day 7: Your Sky-Kind of a boring cloudy day

And just a funny picture of Jay getting stuck under a chair...

PC Day 4 & 5

2012-01-16T16:37:00.002-07:00

Day 4: Something you adore-chubby little baby thighs (how can you not!) :o)

Day 5: Something that makes you smile-my hubby pulling the kids in the sled. He runs and quickly turns so they whip around.
And our cat hiding in the chiminea (sp?) thing

Photo Challenge Days 2 & 3

2012-01-12T15:04:00.003-07:00

Day 2: Breakfast

Here are the kids in their pj's eating breakast (please excuse the messy pantry behind). Very boring but tasty cereal this morning and Madelynn had a leftover waffle from yesterday (when I should've taken a pic so you'd be impressed by my waffle making). :o)

Day 3: Where you sleep
Yes, this is where I sleep when the bed isn't bombarded w/ toys. I have big plans for this room this year tho'. I would love to make a headboard, make new curtains, pillows, recover my red chair, and paint. We will see if that project ever happens tho'! I need to find a color palette/pattern I really like and I am terrible at making decisions like that. I may have to call in some reinforcements for help-Candace?

On another note...the weather has been soo nice here that Madelynn brought her and Finley's winter coats to me and said that I could put these away now. Wouldn't that be kind of nice? I would like one really good snowstorm sometime this winter tho'.

Photo Challenge

2012-01-10T20:48:00.003-07:00

I just saw this on my friend Ashley's blog and I thought it was a cute idea. You may remember I tried doing something like this last February and I didn't do too hot! Anyway, thought I would give it another try and not start on January 1st like you are supposed to but start today the 10th. Change it up a little, you know! And I wouldn't focus entirely on myself but include the whole family and so the gparents would get their gchild fix! Also, I may clump a few days worth of photos into one day...
So the first photo is
1. YOU (our Family)Photo by Kristen Hartzler Photography

Christmas Trip

2012-01-07T15:56:00.005-07:00

We were able to spend the week of Christmas through New Year's traveling to see both our families. We started in Billings on Christmas Eve and celebrated Christ's birth at the Faith E's service-was able to hear my cousin's wife sing which was a treat! On Christmas Day we went to my Aunt's for lunch and some presents and that afternoon we were w/ my family. We stayed in Billings til Wednesday and then headed north!!

Kylie and Fin taking a spin

Grandma Lund gave all the great-grands sock monkeys

Chaos at the Wall house!

These two have so much fun together (as do Fin and Tyler). Sometimes I am amazed at how totally opposite they are physically-in this pic they look like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty

Jay opening his present- he did love the wrapping and tissue paper!

Tyler and Finley got one of these from my parents-I am pretty sure they played w/ them for 3 days straight (when they weren't bugging of the older sisters)

Lustre....

Jay is getting better at sitting on his own...he is getting his second tooth right now but pretty content and he is rolling every where! At the Skillman's house I think he made about 20 laps around their living room.

Brothers resting together

Papa and Fin playing w/ his new trucks

Grammie and MJ checking out her new magnetic dress up doll book

Lookin' good before Church

Grammie and Jay-he loves to touch faces (gotta keep his nails short!)

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-21T19:41:00.002-07:00

I decided to let the kids make the color of the frosting and ALL 3 bowls turned out green! Oh well, I am sure it won't make it harder for us to eat them! And also, the reindeer turned out more like bunnies and the hearts are circles....

When they should be napping...

2011-12-01T15:13:00.004-07:00

I find them looking at a cat book and drawing whiskers and such on each other. One of those times when you really want to laugh but really don't want to encourage this sort of play either! We got this out of storage a few days ago for Jay but I think the older two have had more fun w/ it so far. Every morning on of them jumps in and starts bouncing in it. I am not sure what the weight limit is!

The faces babies can make...

Finley's 3rd

2011-11-08T19:42:00.003-07:00

Presents

This was Justin and Jonathan's when they were young...Justin sanded it and repainted it! Fin loved getting it!
5 month old Tyler
Uncle Jonathan, Jay, and Tyler

Uncle Justin and Tyler

The cake...he wanted to blue frosting and we just decorated w/ some animal shapesHuffing and puffing....

Jay w/ Uncle Bill and Aunt Char

Pictures-finally!

2011-11-05T13:55:00.004-06:00

Justin was able to figure out a way to transfer the pics from the camera to the computer so here are a few from the last few weeks. I will have more tonight to post b/c today is Finley's 3rd birthday!

Jay likes to suck on his lower lip or his hand...I guess they are always available!

Showing off his little rolls

Finley followed Justin around the entire yard mowing w/ his mini mower...unfortunately he must have worked it too hard b/c it broke. :o( It was on its last leg when I had bought it at a garage sale so it wasn't too surprising.

The kids were football players for Halloween and Jay was a bear but of course didn't get a pic of him!

Adoption T-shirts

2011-11-02T19:03:00.001-06:00

Our good friends, who are also the youth pastor and wife at our church, are in the process of adopting siblings from Ethiopia. Anyone who has adopted or knows of someone going through the process knows how expensive it can be! Andy and Katie are trying to raise funds in a variety of different ways and one such way they found is the site Wild Olive Trees
The site has really cute shirts with a word/design in front and a corresponding verse on the back. The shirts are very cute and would make great gifts! When a person buys a shirt they need to insert the Powner's code so they can receive part of the funds to go towards their adoption! Their code is POWNER1019.
So if you are Christmas or birthday shopping or just want a cool new shirt check the site out and buy a shirt to help bring two precious children to a loving home! Thanks for checking it out!

You can also click on the picture on the side of my blog to get to the website!

My Favorite Things

2011-11-02T13:06:00.002-06:00

Ok, since I don't have a camera, per se, to put pictures up I will have to write more. Although since I have had babies I don't seem to have quite as large vocabulary- I seem to just say things in the simplest of terms that may be due to brain cells being on vacation and talking to under 4 year olds all day! Also, I notice my grammar is terrible on this blog- I have also forgotten how to use commas and other types of punctuation and I use exclamations a lot. Oh well... please don't judge! :o)

Alright some favorite things! First I will start with food!

1. NUTELLA - I have heard about this for a couple of years but I always thought it was this other spread (Veggie Mate) which I think is really gross so I never wanted to try it! But last month at my parents' place I spied a jar and thought I would give it a taste...and I LOVE IT! It tastes just like one of my favorite candy bars -Toffifay -so I love it! I think I may have to purchase this from Costco from now on since it will go fast! or maybe not since I am trying to lose weight!

2. Ramen Noodles-this is more of the kids new favorite food. Again, while we were at my parents' place Jackie made a bowl of this and the kids wanted to try it...they loved it! So I found a very cheap and easy lunch for them-on occasion of course-and they don't like the flavoring just a little salt and maybe I will have to add some veggies for nutrients!

3. Couponing! This has become more of a hobby for me (great since it is shopping but cheaply). I usually never buy stuff that is full price but now I have discovered the great world of combining coupons and sales! Genius! (just so you know-as you can see from the above Nutella experience- I am usually a few trends behind the rest of the world-you will see it soon in another favorite!) Although, I am not as crazy or organized as the people on Extreme Couponing (show in TLC about people that get $1000 worth of groceries for like $50), I have found a few great steals!
Examples: Body wash for 4 cents, $10 worth of makeup for $1, 10 packs of juice for free and $8 shrimp for $1.

4. http://faithfulprovisions.com I first heard of this site on the radio when Janet Parshall (In the Market) interviewed this woman, Kelly, about her new book about saving money. I went to her website and it is most helpful-she posts about great deals and coupons. I find her website so easy to use and helpful- I recommend you check it out!

5. Hats- this is the trend I am like 2 years behind on. I don't know what the hats are called but they look like a baseball hat but have a very small bill...I hadn't bought one until a month ago and I love it! It is so nice to just put on when my hair isn't cooperating (or I haven't showered). Now watch as they go out of style this year!

6. Hippo keychain- I wish I could put a picture of this up b/c it is so cute! Deidre sent me a beaded hippo keychain for my bday and I like it soo much! Thanks Dee! Why a hippo, you may ask...well, as most young kids do, I had to have a favorite animal growing up and for some reason I chose a hippo! I am not sure why I was drawn to it but I have been a fan ever since. I used to have a lot of hippo stuffed animals but they all drowned at our last place when the our crawlspace flooded ( I think Justin was secretly pleased that they met their demise-he didn't understand my need for hippo). We did have a couple survivors- the male and female stuffed hippos that Mom gave me at my bridal shower (she said those were the last though).

8. Angry Birds-with every baby Justin seems to need to purchase some sort of new technology. With Madelynn, he bought a mini DVD/TV, with Fin- I can't remember, and now w/ Jay he bought an IPod touch the week after he was born and on it is the game Angry Birds (another trend I came to very late!) My playing has slowed down now after weeks of passing all levels but it still is something fun to do while nursing Jay (which is one reason Justin said we should get it so I could be on the internet or play games while nursing-ha!).

Anyway, those are some of my favorite things -thanks for reading and hopefully I will have pictures to post soon!

Adoption T-shirts

2011-11-02T12:53:00.003-06:00

What's Happenin'

2011-10-22T10:49:00.002-06:00

I would love to post some pics of the kiddos but are camera will not upload the photos on our computer...so that is a little frustrating. So I will just give a brief update on what has been going on w/ us lately.
We were blessed w/ being able to spend time w/ both of our families two weekends in a row. First, John and Sharon came down on Justin's bday and stayed until Sunday morning. It was a great time- I was able to get my hair cut & colored ( it had been about 6 months since the last time!); Justin, John, Jonathan and Finley all got to go the 'Cats fball game and had a great male bonding experience :o), Madelynn and Sharon were able to spend an afternoon shopping together (they both loved the time together!) and I had a quiet afternoon to myself! I wish they lived closer to us but I also am happy they are still in Lustre so we have family connections there!
The week after the Skillmans left we headed over to Billings to see my family and get some family pictures done. Addison and Nessa were able to come down so my parents had a very full and loud house for the weekend! It was a great time and that time went way to quickly also!
The kids all seem to change and grow each month. Madelynn is loving our kitties (she calls them kittlins) and coloring. She aspires to be as good as colorer as I am...yesterday she said I was "the best colorer in the world"- made me feel pretty special. :o)
Finley keeps stretching out and will be turning 3 in two weeks! He is just a fun little guy.
Jay is almost 4 months old and is just the happiest and chubbiest little man...he is starting to grab everything (especially my hair-ouch!) and is almost rolling over.
Justin is out hunting today...if he is successful I will definitely posting a picture of his big kill!
Anyway, hopefully I will be able to post a few pictures soon!
Happy Fall!! I am loving the colors and feel of fall but have to admit don't want winter to come!

Brothers and Sister

2011-09-26T13:28:00.004-06:00

The Three-Finley looks so skinny but he really does eat A LOT! :o)

Finley & Jay (11 weeks)

MJ took this one

I am trying to be more creative in the photos so I am using our Photoscape to enhance colors and use borders etc...I am still learning and some look funny but it is fun to change up the pictures a little!

I have been trying to think of some new ideas for the blog-trying to be a little creative. I have all these ideas floating in my head (mostly come at night) so I thought on Fridays I would do Floating Fridays which would be the random things that I find floating in my head and I would write them out here (hopefully clearly) and then I thought I would try Tidbit Tuesdays where I would share different things I have learned the past week -it could be about anything- cooking, household, spiritual, garden etc...anything that I have found to be a helpful tidbit or bit of knowledge! I will have to hone these ideas a little and as I read this it doesn't really make much sense. I guess we will see what becomes of my trying to add something to this blog!

Having 3

2011-09-12T13:42:00.007-06:00

When you have another child, there are certain questions that are asked by most people you come in contact with. I thought I would take the time to answer those questions here...so here are the top questions I seem to be answering these days about the children.

1. How is Jay sleeping and is he a "good" baby? Jay is a pretty good sleeper, probably the best of all 3. He probably wakes up about 3x a nite to eat and falls back to sleep right away. He does seem to always wake up about 4 a.m. to try to get rid of gas so that is tiring. I hate to say it in these terms but he probably is the "best" baby I have had. And when I say that, I just mean he is the most content. Also, he may seem to be the easiest since Madelynn was my first so I had no idea what I was doing and Finley was a much "needier" baby. But of course I loved them all and each baby faze went by too fast!

2. Is three harder than 2? Well, 3 doesn't seem that bad since Jay is such a contented little guy and the other 2 are pretty independent and potty-trained. The second baby I think was a harder transition since Madelynn was younger than Finley is now and as I said Finley was a very "needy" baby. And honestly, the baby part has been easier this time and disciplining takes more time and energy now!

3. Who does Jay look like? I would say Jay is a good blend of the older 2 but has some attributes that are really different than the other 2. His head is smaller, his eye shape appears to be different and his eyes may be blue and the other 2 have green/hazel eyes. He sometimes reminds me more of my niece Kylie more than anyone which is sort of weird to say! :o)

4. How was this labor/delivery compared to the others? This by far was the easiest-so easy that if every delivery was this "easy" I could probably have about 6 more kids! I am not saying it was pain-free and just bliss but it went very well.

5. How are Madelynn and Finley doing w/ a new baby? They both did really well w/ Jay's arrival. I think there might have been some moments and needing some more attention but neither one "regressed" or was more naughty than usual! They both want to hold him a lot although Madelynn really loves to be a big sister and tries to dress him and give him a pacifier!

6. Am I going back to work? As of now, I am just going to be working a few Saturdays...so only about 8 hours a month. We will see if it is worth it.

*We didn't realize this until after we named him but all 3 of our kids and all of our nephews and niece have y's in their names! Two other names we had been considering had y's in them too!

*On a side note, Jay had his 2 month check-up yesterday and he weights 14 lbs 6 oz and is 23 3/4 inches long-that makes him 75th percentile in everything. His shots went well and I think they made him sleep pretty much all day today
Pictures by Laura Veele Photography

Fall Activities

2011-09-10T10:38:00.006-06:00

This past week the kiddos and I went to Rocky Creek Farm w/ my friend Ashley and her daughter Brenna (5) and son Beau (2). A person can pick different veggies and fruit here and just pay for what you got! We only got a few raspberries and cukes as it was the end of the season but it was still a lot of fun. And I guess Ashley did get a bag of apples too.

The kids picking raspberries

Trying to get everyone to look at the camera and smile was pretty much impossible!

They got some icee pops from Rocky Creek Farm to enjoy after our picking and the farm had a huge beautiful tree w/ about 6 swings the kids could play on. I think we will try to go back in a few weeks and pick out a pumpkin and go on a hayride!

Madelynn and Finley really wanted to watch the combine harvest the wheat behind our house...Madelynn got a front seat view!

Gettin' Dirty

2011-09-05T20:01:00.004-06:00

We moved our strawberry patch earlier this summer and were using the spot as a fire pit but Justin decided to clean it up. Well, it turned into a mud pit and of course the kiddos were instantly drawn to it!

Needless to say, after we rinsed them off a little outside the tub still had a good layer of dirt on the bottom after their shower!
Oh, my sis Jacki said in Billings they have a "Mud Run" at the Metra in the spring...I am kind of tempted to get in shape and do it-and let my inner child out a little! :o)

Pics

2011-09-01T18:48:00.005-06:00

Jay is starting to smile a lot now...he has chubby little cheeks that make is smile even sweeter

Madelynn in her Sunday bestFinley and Justin have been practicing "catch" at night lately

Uncle Tim and Aunt Melody gave this to Jay-very fitting! :o)

I have been slacking on this blog thing lately...I just don't feel very creative but I am going to try to be better - I know some grandparents and aunt and uncles expect some current pictures and updates once in awhile! :o)

Some Pics

2011-08-17T18:32:00.003-06:00

Tyler and Jay getting to know each other

A co-worker's daughter made this for Jay...unfortunately I think he can only wear it for another week-it is already too small and we just got it yesterday!

The three amigos...I can only imagine what mischief they are thinking up together!

My Boys

My Thoughts on Dieting Right Now

2011-08-05T09:22:00.000-06:00

Hanging Clothes

2011-07-31T19:57:00.002-06:00

Madelynn received a "I'm A Mommy" book from my Uncle Walt and Aunt Susan...in it a little girl does all sorts of Mommy chores and one chore was washing clothes and hanging them on the line. Madelynn loved the idea of this and wanted her own line so I hung up some string for her and Finley and they washed and hung some, actually a lot, blankets up to dry. Maybe I need to put my clothes line lower so they can help!

Things They Say

2011-07-25T09:16:00.002-06:00

Yesterday at church, Pastor Randy called all the young kids to the front of the church for a hands on teaching. Our kids didn't want go up at first but finally meandered up a little while later. Pastor Randy was asking the kids for examples of things we did that separate us from God...kids were offering different examples and then much to my surprise I hear him say "Madelynn?" and she replies "Sometimes my brother hits me". This got a laugh from the congregation but then a few minutes later Finley raises his hand and says "My sister hits me back!"

More Current Pics

2011-07-20T14:14:00.002-06:00

Finley got new shaded this past weekend-wears them all the time

2 weeks old-and gaining weight every day!

Popo and Jay
Papa and Jay

Finley learning to weld

Tyler and Finley having fun together

He's Here!

2011-07-20T14:01:00.004-06:00

I suppose most people that read this blog know that our newest bundle has arrived...over 2 weeks ago! The little girl I was so expecting turned to be a little BOY! Jay John Harry (Jay is Jonathan's middle name, John is Justin's Dad, and Harry is my Dad) arrived on the 5th weighing in at 7 lb 9 0z and 20 1/2 in long at 5:28 pm. He was our smallest one and our easiest so far too!! We went in to be induced that morning and was a fairly low-key labor and delivery. I did get an epidural around 3:30 but could still feel the contractions. I relaxed for an hour and half and then the doctor announced I could start pushing! His actual delivery was such a breeze compared to Finley-those 2 pounds and inch or 2 around the head make a huge difference! My recovery has been so much faster and that has been a blessing that we have 3 to care for now!

Water Fun

2011-07-04T14:21:00.002-06:00

Wheee...down the slip n' slide!

Daddy had to try too...I thought I might get a Funniest Home Video from him going down it but no luck!

Chillin' in the pool

The kids had fun going down the slide into the pool...Finley went up and down about 20 times in a row!

Pics

2011-07-02T08:42:00.003-06:00

How to keep the kids contained...strap them in their car seats on the porch (they actually did this themselves)

Making funny faces

Introducing the newest Skillman...Tyler William! He was born May 31st and is just so cute and sweet! Jonathan and Laura are doing a great job at being new parents too!

Checking him out-Tyler didn't seem to mind the inspectionFinley was pretty happy to see him!

VBS

2011-06-22T09:23:00.004-06:00

Madelynn was able to go VBS this past weekend in Churchill. She had been looking forward to it since last year-mentioning it almost every time we drove by the church. She also was in a group with one of her best buddies, Will-that made her week even more fun! On Friday night, the kids put on a program and sang songs from the week. The preschoolers sang How Great Thou Art with hand motions. It was so adorable...it just made your heart melt.

With all the rain, we have had a couple really pretty rainbows right outside our backyard.We have six kitties right now that the kids love. We are trying to give them away too but Madelynn is especially attached to the runt so maybe we will keep one this time.
And we only have about 2 weeks to go until we meet baby #3...I decided against getting induced early but probably won't go much past the 5th. I really just want to meet this little one!! I am feeling alright but the "'bump" is really starting to get in the way and my allergies just kicked in and the hot weather is starting...but I mentioned how uncomfortable I was and how everyone is having their babies early to my doc at my last appt and she told how in her final weeks of her last pregnancy she was still delivering babies and how much it made her want to be in the patient's position...so hearing that I feel I really shouldn't complain! :o)