Quick prayer request (Gracie)

Just a quick post to ask for your prayers for our Gracie. All four of our kiddos have been sick with fevers and croup since Tuesday, but it has hit Gracie particularly hard. After spending all night up with her last night trying to get her raspy breathing under control, we finally landed in an emergency room. (Isn't she so cute even when she is sick?) The doctor gave her some steroids, but by this afternoon she was doing horrible all over again. Croup is supposed to be worse at night, so the fact that she was having so much trouble breathing during daylight hours was concerning. We headed back to an urgent care where she received oral steroids to take over the next few days. Tonight she is still sick, but much better. Please pray that she would recover and not have any more ER visits!

18 months!!!

It is hard to believe that our Jacob is 18 months old already! He is growing up so fast, yet is still such a baby. It is even harder to believe he will be a big brother soon! Jacob has his moments of being a stubborn toddler, but on the whole he is the most easy going, laid back little guy you will meet. He is still a total cuddle bug, with just a sweet, sweet temperament. Jacob is a great eater, and can out eat Gracie most meals. He is wearing almost all 18 month clothes, and size 5 shoes. He just had his 18 month well check up this week. He was 24 pounds, 6 ounces (28%) and 32.5 inches (55%).

Jacob has a grin that can melt hearts. He loves to be a Mamma's boy, but is utterly in love with his Daddy too. 

Jacob likes just about all foods, I think blueberries are the only food we have found that he does not care for very much. If he wakes up on his own in the morning (ie, Gracie does not wake him up early) he is happy and playful and smiley. The minute he wakes up he starts asking where his siblings are located.

Jacob LOVES to read, much like the rest of the Morgans! He loves to cuddle up with a blanket on the couch and read his books while we are busy with our morning school routine. He also would probably sit in our laps and have us read to him for hours on end. He LOVES his books! He also has developed a current love of all trains!

Jacob has a special bond with each of his siblings that is so different. He adores and looks up to Luke and Ben. He loves to play rough, run, and play blocks and trucks with his big brothers. He is lost without Gracie, and always asks where "Dacie" is if he can't find her. He loves to play babies with his big sister and cuddle while reading books. He also knows how to yank hair pretty good if she is not doing what he wants! We are working on curbing that habit quick!

Jacob is a sponge, and loves learning. It is so fun to watch his inquisitive nature explore. He likes to think he can keep up with all his older siblings! He loves to help out and will help set the table, sweep the floors, and empty the kids silverware from the dishwasher. He also like to throw anything he deems "Yucky" in the trash.

Jacob has had a language explosion over the last few months. He repeats everything we say, and on his own uses probably close to 30-40 words. One of my favorite phrases he says is "Hold you" when he wants to be picked up! :) He is a talker, just like his older siblings. The Morgan household is never quiet!

Thank you Lord for this sweet joyful little boy in our family!

Butterflies!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old is gone, the new has come."
 II Corinthians 5:17

We finally decided to go ahead and order our new set of caterpillars for our belated summer butterfly study. What better time than when we are finishing up studying God's magnificent creation? We studied the life cycle of the butterfly and have various projects to help us remember the stages and vocabulary. I found a ton of great resources on this website for project ideas and printables.

Our whole family has enjoyed watching these amazing creations of God.

These are some of the books we enjoyed:






 




Once our caterpillars were safely in their chrysalises, Daddy helped us transfer them into their new home to await the arrival of our butterflies!

Will they ever come out?

 

We finally have our first butterfly!

 

All four were thrilled to watch our new short-term pets, but Jacob and Gracie were particularly enthralled.

One of our butterfly art/crafts was a lesson on symmetry. The patterns of butterfly wings are symmetrical. We tried to make our own symmetrical butterflies by painting on one side and folding together to make a matching pattern.

 
Our cousins Jack and George were here visiting us the week our butterflies emerged, so they were able to enjoy them as well. Before Jack and George left, we decided to free our beautiful friends.

 

Daddy helped us, and we had fun watching our friends take flight!

Thank you Lord for the gift of new creation that you offer us, and the reminder of that through your creation of butterflies!

More cousin time....apples!

One fun trip we took with Aunt Kamie, Jack and George was to a fall apple harvest festival. Here are a few pictures of our day. It was actually quite warm that day and did not feel like fall at all! We still got to pick and bring home some yummy apples though!

It is so hard to get a picture of six kids all looking the same direction!

Hayride to the apple orchards.

Apple Picking 2012! The only year we have missed it was 2009 when I was pregnant with Gracie and on crutches!

Ben and Jack had a blast together this week. They both are tough and loud and busy, two peas in a pod!

 

Despite how busy it was all week with so many little ones, it was so worth it to get some time with my sister. We saw everyone at Christmas in Arizona, but with so many people it was not the same amount of quality time. I miss her already!