I'm back!!!

Hey there blogging world! I'm back. I've taken so much time off, away from here that I figured I should get back on the ball since a new school year is about to kick off. Only one and a half days left till the school bell rings. I can't say I'm too bummed. The older two seem to be on each others lists. Lots of fighting going on around here. Not fun for the rest of us. I hear this is normal, even though at times, I wonder how can it possibly be....didn't my siblings and I always get along? Ha! I'm sure my mom and dad remember things a bit differently.
Hope all of your summers where filled with fun and laughter! I know ours was!
Have a great rest of your day!

(((Hugs)))

36 Weeks!

I'm so happy to report that I'm 36 weeks along and all is going so well! I have non-stress tests done every friday and they have all been good. Beau continues to pass all tests with flying colors! (Lets pray that he's like that when he arrives!) Yesterday was no different. Beau moves like crazy during the tests and my body has definately started adjusting to being 'REALLY' pregnant! No contractions! Praise God! Dr. Friesen said that he's more confident that I'll make it to my delivery date now more then ever! Not to mention that he's guessing Beau will weigh in at about 8 1/2 pounds at delivery. Praise the Lord! The bigger the better! It will be interesting to see how close Dr. Friesen's guess is to Beau's actual weight. If you saw how huge my belly is right now - I would have to agree with the docs estimate. Beau is gunna be a big boy!

Thank you all for praying! God is good and we are continuely reminded that He is in control and that there is nothing to worry about. Dave has actually said that he's getting really excited to meet this little boy. Before this, it's been really hard not to think that something is going to go wrong. Laying it all before the Lord has really given Dave and I an unexpected confidence that all will be okay - whatever Gods plan. Praise God!

**I have a good friend who had a beautiful little girl on February 19th named Aubrey. She is still in the NICU with difficulties in keeping her oxygen levels up without assistance. If you think of her, please pray. Christy and Sean are anxiously awaiting the homecoming of their little girl - so please pray that God will allow this to happen soon! (Her blog is to the right. It's called The Vontz Family**

31 Weeks and Counting...

I'm 31 weeks today and feeling great! All is well and the non-stress testing that I started on Friday was a breeze. You never get tired of hearing your baby's heartrate. It was surprising for me this time around, because I didn't think there would be much difference between this baby and Lily, but there was! I remember with Lily her heart rate jumping around everywhere and on occasion - dropping so low that you couldn't even hear it on the monitor. So not the case with this guy! His heart rate was strong the whole time, even through the 2 contractions I had while being "strapped". I was in awe. Shocked really. I didn't realize that it would be different. As I sat there, I reflected on that difference and praised God. The fact that I could tell a difference is just more re-enforcement that this little boy is healthy. His little body isn't having to adapt to a defected heart. He's not struggling to "function" as we know. Knowing what I know now, after dealing with the ups and downs of Lily, I'm still amazed at how life is created and how God perfectly forms us, even if it's not to our perfect specifications. God is good and never - not even for a moment done working on us. I was reminded of the amount of things I am so thankful for. I personally know a God who never sleeps, who cares about me enough to die for me, who knows my fears and my weaknesses and yet everyday shows me how He can use those. I'm encouraged to know that even though we have been through alot in the past, there is always hope and that His plans for me are to only make me better! Lord, thank you for this miracle of life and for the amazing ways you are showing your ever presence. Thank you for never letting me down and for the health of this little boy. Continue to work your perfect will for my life and for the lives of my babies. You are so awesome and so full of grace.

Fun playing with slideshows!

Just to warn you, I wanted to get some of these pictures up in a slideshow format and have never tried it before. After doing some googling (and viewing other blogs that I read) I tried the Flickr and the Smilebox types. I definitely prefer the Flickr over the Smilebox. It takes awhile longer to download, but the upload onto the blog is much easier and you can view it right on the blog! How awesome is that!

Enjoy the pics. We had a great Christmas and are looking forward to ringing in the new year with great friends!

Have a great night!
Season

More Christmas Pics!

Christmas Slideshow

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Delivery Date!

Well, we have scheduled this little guys delivery date! Mark your calendars for March 16th! I'm so thrilled to actually have a date and to share it with everyone. My appointment went good. My glucose test was good and I'm measuring right on, which is great. I keep telling Dave that I feel like this guy is going to be a big one. I'm already pretty uncomfortable, but I'm not complaining! That's part of pregnancy! I'm not supposed to be traveling and still have to take it easy, but I'm getting the hang of that. This baby is constantly moving, which is great because it is just a reminder that he's doing just fine in there. I have a growth scan on December 31st, to check on this little guy because of the Parvo Virus exposure, so please pray for my nerves and for a great scan. There is really no reason to be worried, but I'm in constant fear that something will show up. I feel like a first time pregnant mom, who worries about every little thing and questions my sanity along the way. I've apologized to the nurses at my doctor's office and they just laugh and smile saying that they know that I'm one of Dr. Friesen's top priority patients and that I can call whenever I want. That was comforting to hear that my doctor has my best interests in mind. Dr. Friesen is a great doctor, and I thank God for him everyday! He has made this pregnancy go a little easier, by being on top of everything!

I will post some ultrasound pics after the first of the year! Have a great Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was great! We were able to spend the day with my family, eating wonderful food, and playing games. It was fun. Today we were able to have Dave's parents come and enjoy food and football! It doesn't get much better then that! It was the kind of game that put you on the edge of your seat, but we won in the end! Go Huskers!

When you spend time with the ones you love, you really get a feeling of true joy. To know that we are all so loved puts you in a really great place. To think that the greatest love is the love we have from God just blows my mind. Family for me is a great reminder that no matter how much we love our families, God is loving us even more! Seems impossible, I know!

I pray that this finds your family happy and healthy. I pray that you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Half Way There!

Well, I've made it to the 20 week mark! Praise God! This past weekend was a little interesting. I had been having mild contractions for the last 2 weeks that started to hit hard on Thursday. Friday I called the doctor and was told to sit on my rear with my feet up and drink plenty of water - the WHOLE weekend. Now, for those of you who know me, this was probably the hardest thing I've had to do in a long time. I'm in the middle of painting the kids' bedrooms, putting new furniture together and nesting like I've never nested before. So, thankfully Phil and Roma got the game on Saturday. (The game that I was supposed to be attending! It was too cold, but it still would have been fun! Dave still went - crazy!) The kids and I went over to their place for that and I did just as I was told - sat. It stinks! But I'm thankful, because the game was a nice distraction. It took until Sunday late afternoon before the contractions slowed down. Hopefully this was just a mild bump in the road in this pregnancy. It seems to have gotten a little better, so please continue to pray that they go away until delivery! Also pray that I learn to slow down. Easier said then done!

Halloween 2008

Fun at the Berean Fall Festival

Hunter, Abby & our cutie

neighbor - Delaney

Hunter, Abby & cutie Avery

My spiderman & Woodland Fairy

Halloween this year was alot of fun. Dave and I had decided rather then walking the neighborhood we would venture out to the Fall Festival at Berean. It was a blast! We were able to go with Dave, Courtney and their cutie - Avery. The kids had a great time and got plenty of candy to last the rest of the year. Our neighbor, Delaney was so awed by Hunter's costume, because with his mask on you couldn't tell that it was him, that I'm surprised I got a picture of her without her pointing and laughing at Hunter. It was really cute. If you ever need an idea for Halloween that is fun and safe - check out Berean's festival.

The Epp Family

Hello! I decided that since our family is growing that it would be only fair to change this to the Epp Family blog instead of Abby & Hunter adventures. I will still be posting all the adventures that those two bring us on, but so much more!

There is so much to be thankful for! We are expecting our 4th miracle at the end of March. We were told a few weeks ago that this little one is a boy! Hunter was thrilled and couldn't be settled down all day, but Abby on the other hand was a little bummed. She was hoping for another sister, one that she could grow old with, but God has bigger plans. Now she will enjoy the thrill of having two brothers that will antagonize her boyfriends and sneak up on her and her friends during sleepovers. Oh, the memories will be great! She has warmed up to the idea after having her things moved to the other room and completely made over. New wall colors, bedding and even a new bed that includes a trundle for those many sleepovers. It's not so bad being the only girl! It turned out really cute. A room that a girl can love!

Please keep our family in your prayers as God continues to have his hand on this new baby. We have faith that God is good and his plan is perfect, but there are those days when the devil tries so hard to bring that feeling of doubt and worry into our life. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

Thanks for visiting!

With love,

Season

Lego Land and Mall of America

We have finally arrived to the Mall of America. The kids did so great hanging in there with us as we shopped. We really shopped until we dropped - literally. We discovered that Hunter loves legos and has no problem what so ever putting them together. We bought him a Bionicle guy that he put together with ease (and no help I might add). We were really impressed.

Cabelas Pics

It seems that we always have to hit the local Cabelas where ever we are traveling. Here we stopped at a Cabelas on our way up to Minnesota. We have some cute pictures of the kids about 4 years ago with Dave. So we decided to get some new one's! They turned out really good.

Hunter's First Field Trip!

I got to drive on this field trip, which was great! They got to go to the Martin's Apple Orchard. The kids had a great time exploring all the different area's. It turned out to be a really warm day, which was great! All the kids kept having ladybugs land on them and Hunter got a few of them to hang around on his fingers!

Each kid got to pick 2 apples and a small pumpkin that they got to bring home. What a great way to kick off the fall!

Hunter started Preschool!

My baby is 5 and off to preschool! He was so excited and more then ready! He wanted his pictures done just the way we do Abby's, so here they are! He is thriving in preschool. He is at Lincoln Christian which is great, but I find myself parked in their parking lot majority of my days now. He's going Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. He has made some friends that took him about 3 weeks to remember their names. He was so funny, because at first they were mentioned only if they had a cool show and tell item that they brought. The mind of a 5 year old. We've been working on it and he now has some friends that he finally mentions by name. Pretty exciting!

Abby's First Day of 2nd Grade

So grown up!
Sibling love!
Her new desk!
Here she was ready for me to leave. You can see it so plainly on her face! (ha ha!)

I have to apologize first off that I had totally forgotten that I made a sign for Abby the previous year that said "1st Grade 2007". I wish I hadn't forgotten that! There is always next year!



She looks so grown up! 2nd grade already! She has Mrs. Garcia at Lincoln Christian this year. Mrs. Garcia is great! We figured out after talking with her for awhile, that she is the aunt of a friend we both graduated with in high school. So it was fun making a connection there. She is a wonderful teacher and we appreciate all she has done so far this year! Abby so far has enjoyed going back to school. I think she really was starting to get bored with being home with mom and Hunter. She needed some new faces to look at!

Our First "Official" Family Vaca

Hooray! We are finally here!




We knew with school just around the corner, we needed to get away with the kids. We really had never taken a vacation with just the 4 of us, so it was great! We drove down to Kansas City for a Royals game. We were able to get tickets for the Friday night game which always features a fireworks show after the game. It was great fun and I hope the kids will remember it.

Summer Swimming

Back Floating
Jumping with NO FEAR
Don't forget to plug your nose!

We swam ALOT this summer. We have such gracious neighbors that let us swim whenever we want, so we took full advantage this year. The kids are little fish, and Hunter has even learned to swim on the deep end with no floaties. They also figured out the diving board is pretty cool!

VBS Program

This was their first year at Berean's VBS and they LOVED it! The program was really fun too, but man, there were alot of kids. It was really hard to get any pictures of them during the performance. Each group of kids were asked to dress up in a certain theme. Abby in cowboy attire and Hunter in summer wear. Don't they look so cute!

Who is that old lady?

You guessed it - it's crazy Aunt Kathy! She was going out on a "Leader Scavenger Hunt" with the youth group at church. She called and wanted to surprise the kids. Needless to say, she did just that! The kids went to answer the door and they didn't want to, because they didn't know who that lady was! You got 'um good Kathy!