Trick or Treat

Our Littlest Pumpkin

All of our Pumpkins

Ready to Go Trick or Treating

Dressed up with some of the neighbors

A Busy Day 3

Day 3 of Jonathan's life proved to be very eventful. He had his follow-up appointment with the pediatrician, had bloodwork done to check his jaundice levels and attended two Harvest Parties at the kids' school. James and Abby couldn't have been more proud to introduce their new baby brother to their classmates.

Abby and Mr. Thompson

James and Ms. Lutes

Jonathan Daniel Finnestad

We are so thrilled to announce the addition of Jonathan Daniel to our family. He was born at 10:21 am on Tuesday, October 28th weighing 7 lbs 11 oz and measuring 18½".


His birth was filled with so many emotions...too many for me to be able to blog about quickly. I was most overwhelmed with gratitude, deep appreciation to God for allowing Jonathan to enter safely into our arms - especially after some very scary moments during delivery.

His older siblings can't get enough of him. We love watching them cuddle him and take so much delight in him.

Timely Devotional

A couple of days ago I blogged about God's Sovereignty and timing. I should further explain what prompted that conversation with our family. Every night when we put the kids to bed, we read to them from our family devotional. A couple of nights ago I had to smile as I heard Jimmy reading the following devotion:

"He will call upon Me, and I will answer him." Psalm 91:15

Every night at the end of her prayers, Mimi said "And please God, let me have a bike for my birthday." Mimi's mother didn't have alot of money. Mother wanted to get Mimi a bike, but when her birthday came, she still didn't have enough money.

Mother worried that Mimi might not trust God anymore if she didn't get her bike. She had prayed so long for one. After Mimi opened her birthday presents, mother said "Honey, I'm sorry you didn't get a bike. But don't blame God for not answering your prayers, I just didn't have enough money."

Mimi replied, "God answered my prayers Mom. He just said, 'No, not yet,' He'll give you the money when He wants me to have a bike."

God doesn't always say yes to our prayers...sometimes the answer is no or wait. God knows the best answer for us. Like Mimi, we must trust that He loves us even when He says no or not yet. God always listens to His children's prayers and in the Bible He promises "I will answer."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As a family, we can thank God that He knows the best time for Jonathan to arrive.

Soccer Season Finale

This morning marked the official end of the boys' soccer season for 2008. They both played hard and enjoyed having Grandma & Grandpa Hirst and the Currey family come watch. James' Soccer/Trophy party was held after his game today. His coach commended him for his excellent performance as a forward, a defender and even a goalie. She said "He does it all and loves it all!" He is very proud of his new trophy. Josiah gets to celebrate with his team next Saturday, so be on the lookout for his pictures.

Anxiously Awaiting

Much to the surprise of many, we are still anxiously awaiting Jonathan's arrival. With Aliya arriving 2 weeks early, we were fully anticipating her new baby brother would follow suit...that and the fact that this is Baby number FIVE and as of Thursday I was already dilated to about a FIVE. And yet, here we remain. Patiently waiting. It's becoming slightly comical. I can only imagine the smile on God's face as He further cements a very important truth into our minds...HE is Sovereign. HE is in control. HE has fashioned Jonathan together and knows the perfect time for him to officially join our family. Only HE knows when that perfect time will be.

And so we wait excitedly for Him to reveal it to us!

Carved Creations

Last year's pumpkin carving day proved especially challenging for Mom, who was asked to carve things like flamingos and palm trees. This year I was delighted to hear the kids wanted to carve out their own designs on their pumpkins. Josiah designed his pumpkin and then helped with the carving. Abby and James were basically on their own and were so proud of their masterpieces.

Pumpkin Patch

Today marked our annual trip to the Scholtz Farm with none other than the "Pumpkin Patch Crew." This has become an annual tradition that our family looks forward to with much anticipation. We love the kids area full of toys, corn maze, farm animals to pet and feed and of course, the sea of pumpkins we wade through in search of that perfect find. Following our Pumpkin Patch adventure, we typically meet back together at someone's house for more playtime, dinner and of course football! This year's expedition left none disappointed. The weather was excellent and the memories priceless.

Ready, Set, Bowl!

This evening we celebrated our next door neighbor's 4th birthday at ACME Bowl in Tukwila. What a great place to take kids bowling! If you've never been there before, you can pre-program each lane to lift the bumpers up and down depending on who's turn it is. There are little bowling ramps for the smaller ones who aren't able to roll the ball down the lane on their own, so even Aliya got to play. The kids had such a great time and Abby even got a few strikes.

Aliya "ramp bowling"


Josiah in action


James picking the perfect ball


Abby gearing up for another strike

Aliya's Special Baby

Breaking News in the Finnestad Household...After a 15 second labor, Aliya has officially given birth to the "baby" she has been carrying around everywhere this past week. Although to most of you this looks like the same pumpkin she decorated at last week's Octoberfest, in reality it is her baby...appropriately named "Tiny Pumpkin".




Tiny Pumpkin has occupied a special space in Aliya's bed every night this week and has gone just about everywhere with us. Tiny Pumpkin has been introduced to many of our neighbors and has proven quite resilient, surviving numerous falls off the kitchen counter and rolls down the driveway.

One can only hope baby Jonathan arrives as quickly and painlessly as that! Well, maybe not quite that quick!

Another Bouncy Birthday

We got to bounce another night away at that awesome Bouncy Place. This time we were celebrating James' buddy Marcel's 7th birthday. He chose the Sports Themed room, which provided ample opportunities for obstacle course races. So much fun!

Octoberfest

It certainly feels like Fall...the crisp cool air, with colorful leaves decorating the trees and lining the streets.

We love this time of year and had a chance to celebrate it during Meridian Elementary's annual Octoberfest tonight.

Abby and James have been saving their money for a special occasion...apparently tonight was the night. They refused to let us pay for their pumpkins, popcorn or tattoo's. At least they let us buy their hotdogs and drinks! They had fun decorating their special pumpkins and spending time visiting with friends and teachers. They are all just growing up so fast. Makes me treasure these family times together all the more.

Mega Cook (and Heather's Bday) Celebration

Tonight Kelly, Heather, Lisa, Stephanie, Denise, Jennifer & I met at Red Robin to celebrate a successful mega cook expedition. Throughout the week, each one was responsible for preparing 14 (or 30 if you were Jen, ha ha) freezer meals to be exchanged with everyone else in the group. The goal was to come home with multiple different recipes and a minimum of 14 freezers meals all together. Our menu included:
- Lasagna
- Tatortot Casserole
- Applesauce Porkchops
- Cashew Chicken
- Taco Meat
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Breakfast Casserole
- Cranberry Chicken
- Chicken Bruschetta

At the same time, we were thrilled to celebrate Heather's "21st" birthday...much to her surprise.

Curreytime!

Today we are enjoying playing with the Currey Crew. The kids have been so busy playing Marble Run, Littlest Pets, Dollhouse and Treasure Hunting, although I think the highlight was getting to walk to the mailbox to deliver our bills to be mailed. Josiah was quite pleased to get to show Emma where the outgoing mail is placed.

Earnhardt Entertainment

What a great morning of playing with the Earnhardt cousins (which includes our "half-cousins" as my kids call Stephanie Earnhardt's children). While us moms had a wonderful time visiting, one of the highlights had to have been the fabulous entertainment provided by none other than Isabella. If you ever have an opportunity, please ask her to sing/perform her Bella Ballerina song. Just make sure you have a camera handy...she enjoys the stage. I wonder where she gets that from?

After our wonderful entertainment, it was time to do a little painting. The kids made marvelous masterpieces...and memories!

Birthday Bouncing

We bounced the night away with our neighborhood friends at the Bouncy Place tonight - in celebration of Conner Green's 4th birthday. The kids had a blast, despite the influence of two dare-devil dads (Jimmy and our next door neighbor Craig). It was actually quite comical!


Though it's hard to tell, Jimmy is actually dragging two children along behind him. He's holding the feet of Josiah (who's holding on for dear life) and hanging onto Josiah is the birthday boy Conner!