This Is What I Do...

So besides running a household of 8 people (can't count Wesley anymore, as he doesn't live here) and homeschooling my children, and shuttling people hither and yon, I spend much of my "down time" planning parties. Lots of times I just make the invitations for parties friends might be throwing, but occassionally I get to do the whole shebang. This is the case with my friend Janine's bridal shower. Please enjoy the following photos of this event (and there are plenty of them, because photography is another activity I enjoy :))...

Practice Makes {picture} Perfect

Kori Friesen, the photographer who took Livi's awesome newborn pictures, does photography workshops periodically, and I was fortunate enough to get to participate in one this week. She taught me how to use my camera to its fullest potential. Of course, I have A LOT of practicing to do...and a lot of experience to acquire...but here is my start. The following photos were taken by me, setting the functions of the camera using my newfound knowledge (meaning not using any of the automatic settings). The first one is Joe and Janine, and I did manipulate the colors a little on the computer after downloading the image. The other 2 are my Livi Claire with no doctoring whatsoever.

Wit Via Text

I have some of the best conversations via text message with my sister-in-law. The following is an example of one such conversation:

Marianne: I have a mouse living under my desk in my room and he's been keeping me up at night :I
Tara: Oh no! The rustling?
M: Yes! And the little booger seems to know I can't get to it! It's fearless
T: Ack!...and what starts as fearless may become cunning. If he starts leaving you little threatening notes you may have to move!
M: It sounds like he's chewing thru wires with the express purpose of causing a devastating conflagration.
T: So who is he exacting revenge upon? Is he a vigilante mouse who lost the only female he ever truly loved? Did one of you perhaps kill a mouse recently?
M: Rascal!! And I think he may actually be the Joshua Mouse scouting out the Promised Land... the rest of the rodentalites are waiting in the laundry room for his report.
T: Better a mouse scout than a mouse scorned!
M: Hahaha!!! Duty vs. Passion. Love for his mouse-god and his mouse-people, or Love for his mouse-mate. Which is more dangerous?! When Rascal serves him up I will interrogate him till he squeals!

Look At This Face!!

Livi Claire, July 24th, 4 months old...


I challenge anyone to hold this baby girl and NOT plant a kiss on her. It's simply not possible.


Love, love, love this picture!! Such a happy girl... and she just loves her mommy :)


So content :) Yes, she's as sweet as she looks. She's almost always happy, never fussy. She melts the hearts of all who come in contact with her. Strangers offer, nay ask, to babysit her :)


Look at these bright eyes! Oh, precious girl!!

August 7th- my friend Amy just taught me how to take a photo into the sun... Livi still outshines it, though :)

Rid Me Of Myself

I KNOW my purpose in life. Why don't I live like it? If I am here to further the kingdom of God, why do I not spend each and every moment doing that? Any other action or endeavor is a complete waste of time, of my life, of me. But it's me that's the problem, me that gets in the way. If I ask God to rid me of myself, and fill me with the Spirit, to do His will, not only do I like the me I become, but I am happy, too. But my nature (my human-nature, my sin-nature) clouds everything, confuses the simple truth. If I follow my nature's lead, I think of myself, my wants, my needs, my time, what I want to do, how I feel, how I'm being wronged, how I'm giving more than I'm receiving... I'll tell you where it doesn't lead: to happiness and fulfillment. If I am made to serve my Maker, to do the work that He has set apart for me, then I pray that that will be my focus every day, every hour, every second of my life. When I pray God to rid me of myself and make me an empty vessel to do with what He will, I become more loving, more kind, more patient. I become the me He created me to be.

Newborn Photos!

Check out Livi's newborn photos! I'm soooo excited to share these. Livi looks angelic and the photographer (Kori Friesen) was awesome, the marriage of which produced these AMAZING pictures! There's really nothing more for me to say...the pictures speak for themselves...

This is in her room :). The background is part of the mural Todd painted.

Kori Friesen's company is called "Captured Memories Photography" and can be found online at http://www.korifriesen.com/. As you can see, she does amazing work. I'm so glad we were able to capture these once-in-a-lifetime moments of our baby girl :)

Official Introduction

Finally! It's been a whopping THREE WEEKS since our lives were blessed with Livi Claire...and she's finally making her appearance on "Hiester Family Antics". I have no excuse. I am not sleep-deprived, as I have a wonderful sleeper and a helpful husband. I'm not overwhelmed, as I have Kurstin and Elissa, my round-the-clock Robben Handlers. I'm not lacking in energy. Quite the contrary. I have as much energy as I did when I was pregnant, which was nothing short of superhuman. I prayed for it to continue post-pregnancy, and it seems God saw fit to answer that one in the affirmative. In any case, we're here now...

The Hiester Family is proud to introduce

Olivia Claire Hiester

Born March 23, 2011 @ 7:58 in the evening

6 pounds 3 ounces, 19 3/4" long

With a full head of hair :)

Livi is a good little girl. She eats well, sleeps well, soils her diapers well... At night, we've gotten up to 4 1/2 hours of sleep at a time! As you can see, she has LOTS of dark hair (which has already lightenend considerably since birth), which is a catalyst for the #1 most common comment from friends, family and strangers alike: "Look at all that hair!" She also has some pretty long eyelashes, which, ironically, are blonde. She has super long fingers, like those of a concert pianist (or a basketball player, though I'd prefer the former). And her toes are even longer. Not normal long. I mean LONG! Her daddy says she'll be able to perch on things...branches, telephone wires, etc. The general consensus is that she looks like Mommy (yippee!), especially if you see my baby pictures. I'm thinking the eyes might be Todd's though. She certainly has my lips: shape and color; but thankfully not my ears :/

A quick Mommy report: the pregnancy was easy, as pregnancies go, blessing me with a mere 16 pounds and no stretch marks... and leaving my belly button intact :) I was scheduled for a C-Section on March 28, but went into labor on the 23rd. I didn't really believe I was in labor because there was minimal pain involved. The only real clue was the consistent intervals between the contractions. After some coaxing from the doctor's office and an extracted promise to go to the hospital (now, NOT when my husband gets home from work!), I drove myself, in the rain, while filing my nails and texting (mostly at the stop lights) to let people know what was going on. My doctor came and declared it Livi's birthday, set up a date with the anesthesiologist, and, in his own words, went and had a couple shots of Tequila before my surgery :) Livi was born at 7:58 pm on Wednesday night and we got to come home on Friday afternoon to a housefull of excited siblings. My recovery has been swift and actually hasn't felt like a recovery at all. I feel no physical limitations and my energy is actually better than it was a year ago from now. This time around, having a baby has been very easy!! Robben is officially a BIG BROTHER... and a proud one at that! He loves his baby sister so much. Though I can't say the transition has been completely smooth and painless, Robben does NOT exhibit any signs of jealousy with the new addition. He loves to look at her and touch her (not always with permission), and is greatly distressed when she is unhappy. He admires God's handiwork in her "small ears" and "little bootie". He likes to discuss with me all the things he is looking forward to teaching her "when she is bigger", like jumping on the trampoline, playing with monster trucks, and going up on the roof (which, for some reason, is his measure of "being big"). He coos to her in a very high-pitched voice, saying things like, "it's okay Honey, Big Brother is right here." Now if only we could eradicate this sniffle/cough of his, he'd be able to spend more of this precious time with "his baby".And naturally, Robben is not the only proud older sibling. All three of the girls wait ever-so-patiently for their turn to hold Livi; they all stare at her endlessly, proclaiming her cuteness ad nauseum; and they are all willing to help in any way possible and, I think, consider it an honor when called upon. Most surprising to me is Tyler's interaction with her. I don't know why- I know the kid, I know his sensitive side. I guess I just get lulled into ignorant oblivion by his INsensitive side, which is the more common of the two. He, like the girls and Robben, loves to look at her, marvels at the little quirks (like the obligatory post-meal hiccups), and exclaims over the concentrated cuteness. Last night, when he arrived home fairly late from a track meet, he was to be found in her room, leaning over the cradle, just looking and, I daresay, admiring :)

The other Hiesters are comparably enthralled with the new hatchling. The first time we took her to their house, all 5 of them stood around oohing and aahing over each little expression that crossed her sleeping face. I think some may have been moved to tears at the pouty face that preceeds a bout of crying (which, when sleeping, doesn't actually come to fruition). Sydney, Brooklyn and Payton have a hard time forming a sentence other than, "she's so cute" when Livi is in their midst. The twins are nothing short of enthralled by their new little cousin: Brooklyn asked me today if Livi Claire is full-grown :)

In addition to family members who will remain NAMEless (my mom and sister-in-law), several people have threatened to take her home with them. I've had a few people even politely ask if they could have her :) We all knew that Livi would be a VERY LOVED LITTLE GIRL, and we see evidence of that all around, even in her first 3 weeks of life!

The Little Things

On a regular basis, lately, I've been taking mental note of the little things in life I'm grateful for. I think I should start sharing these with you. It'll be another series, I suppose...

* With 3 weeks off of school, I have 5 kids in my house that have been getting along swimmingly. There has been very little bickering and virtually no fighting. They are enjoying their time together by riding bikes (even though its freezing), painting popsicle sticks (random), and other mysterious activities in their rooms which have them eyeing each other and breaking into fits of giggles.

* My home is one in which a game of Hide-and-Seek is still considered good fun...and even Dad gets involved - though he has to be reminded of the rules!

* I have a slew of kids that are willing to patiently play a game of Candyland with a preschooler who doesn't yet get the concept of staying on the path. And when he gets bored, they play make-believe with their "guys".

* I have a 16-year-old son (Tyler), who describes red as "the antithesis of blue" in a game of Catch Phrase.

* The aforementioned son is currently struggling to light me a fire in my fireplace so I can get warm without having to do the work myself.

* Said son buries roadkill when circumstances necessitate.

* ALL of my kids are super excited about the impending arrival of their baby sister and involved in my pregnancy (as much as kids can be). They talk about her like she's already here :)

* When I have a "quick errand" to run, my older kids are always willing to watch Robben for me. Mind you, when you live 20 minutes from civilization, no errand is "quick".

* I have a 13-year-old daughter (Kurstin) who offers to make dinner when I don't feel like it. This may be motivated by a desire to eat, but I'm thankful for it, nonetheless.

* Previously noted daughter has been doing her schoolwork for the past two weeks without prompting or prodding. She has spent time in her room each day preparing for her biology class, which resumes today, and completing the homework for her writing class, which doesn't meet until next Thursday.

* Same daughter, who is known for her self-consciousness and lack of confidence, has been able to laugh at herself and not get her feelings hurt lately. Today she even had a full-on normal conversation with an adult on the telephone!! I'm sure the adult knows of what I speak!

* I have a husband who will work all day, pick up dinner on his way home, and NOT make me feel guilty when he arrives to find me still in my jammies in the same spot I was when he departed in the morning. Two disclaimers: 1. I was productive. I painted birdhouses ALL day for the baby's room. 2. I feel guilty enough without his help :)

* My 3-year-old has taken a new interest in cuddling me and gives some of Creation's best hugs.

* I have a sister-in-law on whom I can inflict my wit, expand my vocabulary, and try out new tricks with the English language... and she appreciates it!

Sure Sign You Have A Toddler #11

There is Sharpie all over your white duvet cover. Luckily you were smart enough to have bought the super cheap one.

A Record of "Dates"

*January 7, 2005: Todd and I celebrated our PRE-anniversary by dressing up and going to dinner at Campagnia
*January 7, 2006: Todd and I got married at Harris Ranch... we celebrated by throwing a huge party and inviting everyone we know and love :)
*January 7, 2007: Todd and I celebrated our first anniversary in our wedding night room at Harris Ranch.
*January 7, 2008: Todd and I cancelled our reservations at Harris Ranch and instead celebrated our second anniversary with dinner at Fridays (conveniently located across the street from St. Agnes Hospital) and a visit to our little 33-day-old Robben Carey in the hospital. We got to bring him home 2 days later.
*January 7, 2009: Todd and I celebrated our third anniversary in our wedding night room at Harris Ranch (the price had about doubled, though!), leaving Robben overnight for the first time.
*January 7, 2010: Todd and I celebrated our fourth anniversary at Tanaya Lodge, just outside Yosemite National Park.
*January 7, 2011: Todd and I will be celebrating our FIFTH anniversary in Pacific Grove, California (in the Monterey Bay area)... I might even get to eat at Bubba Gump's...mmmm!