Vera is 1! Everett is 4!

We had a birthday party for Vera (1) and Everett (4) and it was a blast! We had nice weather and we were able to have a sprinkler and other fun water activities.

 We are so blessed by these two children God has given us. Here is a song that I really love lately and reminds me of my children and what I hope they will always remember in their life. Have faith, hope, love REPEAT! It's so true that life can be very hard but we have a God that is bigger than all our fears. I love my children with all my heart and I can only begin to imagine the love God has for us.

https://youtu.be/NoO8POz2gtE?list=RDNoO8POz2gtE

Vera at 11 months:
-Loves head rubs
-Eats anything! We often feel like we need to cut her off from food before she gets sick!
-Sleeps through the night (finally)

Everett at 4:
- We went to see his first movie in the theaters "Incredibles 2".. when we came out of the movie he thought he was a real life superhero.. it was so cute and funny

Spring 2018

Well it is Spring time in MN which doesn't mean a whole lot :)... There is still snow on the ground and the temps are still in the 20's and a few days even lower!! Tommy has started his new career as a logger and is loving it. He's had some hard days but he is home every night with us and that has been such a blessing. Tommy's job at ITS was very life consuming and we knew we needed a change. We started praying that the Lord would open a door for a new opportunity and He did. It is so clear it was God working out every detail to transition him from ITS to logging... We are so blessed. We are looking forward to having him home more and enjoying our summers! Camping, fishing, swimming..... Oh the possibilities!! Here are a few things happening in our life!

Everett at 3 1/2:

- When asked what his name is he says "Everett Thomas Leaper big boy!!"

- Says "lasterday" instead of "yesterday"

- Finally Potty Trained!!

- Everett was being naughty one day and I asked him "what's wrong?".. he said "I'm angry." I said "why are you angry?" He said "because I work too much!" HAHA

- Everett is very independent and one day I was getting after him because I needed to help him with something and he wasn't letting me and I told him "you are not a grown man! You are a little boy!" And he started sobbing saying "I'm a grown man!"..... At 3 years old..... 

Vera at 7 months:

- 1 tooth

- rolls to get around

9 months: 

- crawling!

- 2 teeth

A sidenote that I jotted down one day::

Thank you to my children.. you changed me... I used to be selfish.. I used to only care about me.. you gave my life purpose.. you filled my heart with so much love it could explode.. you are a gift from God.. I know that so deep in my heart because only God could create such fulfillment. It wasn't always easy for me.. becoming a mom was one of the hardest transitions of my life.. but I knew one day God would bless it.. and I sit here with tears in my eyes because that time is now.. I realize my love for my beautiful kids.. even when things are hard.. and they can be hard!! So my advice to my kids if you're reading this.. Don't live based on your feelings.. Keep seeking God's will and what He wants for your life.. and know that parenting is HARD but so amazing at the same time. Remember we reap what we sow... Sowing life into our kids is hard work but the reaping is a beautiful life with so much love... 

Love you so much,

Stefanie

Throw away the negative

I wanted to share something that the Lord has put on my heart recently. It's something He has brought to light in my life. I speak a lot of negativity and doubt into my life and heart. I ALLOW negative thoughts to invade my heart regularly. I believe it's something that can creep into our lives very easily and I recently saw an activity that made a lot of sense to help with "throwing away the negative" and seeking out the positive. Every day, I have been writing down these doubts/negative thoughts that I have about myself and others. I also take each thought and in my mind "throw them away" and turn it into a positive affirmation for myself. I write "doubts" at the top and list them. Then I write "affirmations" below those doubts and turn them into a positive thought that I can speak over my heart and mind daily. This has been LIFE CHANGING for me! I don't think I was even aware of all the negative things-- big or small-- that I whisper to myself throughout the day. I'm realizing I can have these negative thoughts and get rid of them and not allow them to consume me or change who I am in Christ.

Answered Prayers

When we had Everett I struggled with a lot of anxiety and fear. I was always worried and anxious with him and it stole a lot of my joy for the first few years of his life. I worried that I was doing the mom thing wrong. I worried because I didn't feel like we were bonding. I was so focused on the struggles that a newborn baby brings that I didn't see the good. It was such a struggle I remember not knowing how I was going to get through the next minute of the day. I didn't want to change his diaper. I didn't want to be stuck at home with a newborn. These are such selfish things but that was how I felt. I felt like there was something wrong with me and that I just wasn't meant to be a mom. I know now that it was postpartum depression stealing my joy. Thank God I didn't live based on my feelings. I can say that I look back at those times and I want them back. I want them back but with me having the right mindset. When we found out we were pregnant again I was excited but the fear came creeping into my mind... Was it going to be better this time around? Was I not going to be able to take care of 2 children? Was it going to be me wishing away the minutes of the day because it would be that hard? Would I bond better with this baby? So many fearful questions flooded me.... but this time around I refused to give into them... Instead I prayed. I prayed that I could enjoy this time around. I prayed that it would be ok having 2 children. I prayed that I would feel joyful this time around. I prayed that He would help me with those anxious thoughts.... I am so thankful that those prayers came true. I have felt so much joy and it has been wonderful having 2 kids! Everett has been wonderful and has somehow become better behaved since his sister arrived. I know I owe it all to God and I'm so thankful. I look at my children and have SO much love for them that I could cry. I'm so thankful for this wonderful family the Lord has blessed me with!!

A few things I want to remember:

Vera at 2 months: 11lbs 15oz.
She rolled from her tummy to her back at 6 weeks!

Everett at 3: Cried because Pluto ran away from home on the movie "Mickeys twice upon a Christmas"...
- he says "Oh my Josh!" instead of "Oh my gosh!" LOL
- While rubbing his elbow one day he said "My boob hurts!" Wrong body part!!
- He is constantly telling me he has to "go to work".. then gives me a hug and a kiss and marches off to head to "work"...

XOXO,
Stefanie

Vera Mae Leaper

Vera Mae Leaper entered this world on June 21, 2017. She was 6 lbs 3 oz and was born at 8:17AM. She has already blessed us in so many ways and big brother has been in love from the start! He has been such a sweet big brother and I love looking over and seeing him gently giving her kisses and saying "hi little sister"... Being their momma is the best gift in the world!

Thing to remember

Things to remember about Everett at almost 3 years old:

• occasionally pooping and peeing on the potty!
• He peed in the fridge once 🙈
• He pooped on the floor in his room and like a good boy tried to clean it up by himself with paper towels 😂
• He peed in his toy box
• He pooped into his hand 🙈.. we keep him naked to help with potty training but this time he didn't make it to the potty!
• He's SO excited to meet baby sister in three short weeks!
• He loves doing anything with his daddy.. S10 rides, playing with trucks, picking worms, etc

Baby Girl

We found out on February 17th, 2017, three years previous to the day of finding out we were having a boy, that we are having a baby girl in July!!! We couldn't be more excited for this blessing... After the appt we went to Target and Tommy describes me as being on "cloud 9" as we walked through the baby aisles and dreamed of what our little girl would be like. I'm so thankful for everything that God has blessed our little family with. We have a beautiful home, good jobs, two babies, and a lot of love. Sometimes I forget all the blessings when I'm wrapped up in the busyness of life. I'm so thankful that I've been able to be home with Everett part time and full time when he was a baby. There are many moms who only dream of having that as a possibility this day and age. I'm thankful for Tommy who has instilled in our family the passion to be financially secure. If I wouldn't have had his advice, I would have most likely put myself and our family into a lot of debt and would be forced to work while wishing I was home with my babies. He is a man of wisdom. I know Everett will be just like him and that makes me very happy. 

Here are a few thing Everett is doing that I don't want to forget! (2 1/2 years old)

• Sleeping in his big boy bed (yay)
• Peeing occasionally on the big boy toilet
• Saying "that's nasty" after every time he sneezes!
• Says spoon "poon"