tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38061562441112966332024-02-18T21:06:40.297-05:00The Ortlieb FamilyNH EditionCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-11863757368385412842015-07-23T11:20:00.001-04:002015-07-23T11:20:25.207-04:00Ortlieb Family Photos!Yes, I fully realize it's been like 2 years since I've posted to this blog. Life goes on, what can I say? However I want to give you a glimpse into our life by posting our most recent photos taken by a tried and true professional photographer - Erin Moore from Mercy Street Studios. It was so long overdue and we finally have our youngest in our family portrait - only took us 5 years! :)
Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-36127346974380501602013-04-09T09:46:00.000-04:002013-04-09T09:48:25.200-04:00Violin RecitalAnother six months of violin practice, another violin recital. The boys had the chance to show off their skills once again this past January. It didn't help that they had spent the two weeks before sick and so hadn't practiced to their usual effort. But without further adieu...
Mrs. Anderson's (far left) class of musicians
Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-68786096222752913912013-04-08T08:47:00.001-04:002013-04-08T08:47:54.677-04:00Halloween '12Here's a quick snapshot of the boys in their Halloween costumes. If you haven't noticed by now, the Dumbo costume has gotten its fair share of use starting with Jayce. It has been worn almost every single year now for 9 years with an average of 2 years' use per child. The other costumes, typically the superhero ones, have also gotten much wear and care. Luckily for us, Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-43493017173925775582013-04-07T10:56:00.000-04:002013-04-07T10:56:09.309-04:00Damien Walking?It's hard to say exactly when Damien's first steps were. Like everything else in his short life, Damien refuses to be pigeonholed into a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g! He technically took his first steps by his first birthday and was even caught cruising around the living room holding onto furniture. But it would be a very long time before he actually became an independent toddler. We're Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-70718273108526941642013-04-06T11:48:00.000-04:002013-04-06T11:48:16.389-04:00CelebrationsAfter finally downloading all the images captured on our camera in the last few months, I realized I had a bunch of pictures to share with you. So I'll get right on that and start with the boys' birthdays. Here are some pics from both Jayce's, Reagan's and Landon's birthdays.
Not sure why Jayce felt the need for sunglasses...lol
Make a wish and blow!
Reagan Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-72534700081838689602012-11-19T18:55:00.001-05:002012-11-19T18:56:00.942-05:00Happy (early) Holidays!I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. Even more, I can't believe I actually just ordered our Christmas photo cards! Thanks to Shutterfly's holiday card sale ending tonight (and yes, I know they'll have many more sales between now and Christmas), it put just enough pressure on me to get on the ball early this year. Maybe most of you will actually receive our Christmas cards Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-34280326245112275562012-10-14T18:11:00.001-04:002012-10-14T18:12:15.995-04:00O Happy Day!Though Lauryn has been a born again Christian for many years, she's just recently decided to take the plunge and be baptized. I think many people questioned her sanity when she announced she wanted to be baptized IN THE OCEAN ONLY, and here it was the middle of October! So on a bright, sunny day with a high of 55 degrees, we made our way to the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Maine to Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-18870201825829722352012-07-30T09:44:00.003-04:002012-07-30T09:44:54.503-04:00Judo!
Every year, we sign the boys up for the town's local indoor soccer program, and they love it! However we've had a difficult time finding out whether the program still exists or signing them up in time for it the last couple years so the boys have been missing it. This summer the boys were invited to take some classes in Judo, and since the price was right, we jumped at the chance toCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-81623995465140486202012-05-24T16:13:00.000-04:002012-05-24T16:15:41.060-04:00Two Wheelers
One of the things I've always disliked about the places we've lived is they are not good places for kids to learn to ride a bike. Maybe my perception is a bit flawed since I grew up on a dead-end street which is a *perfect* place to ride a bike. But trying to teach a child to ride on a road where one is constantly keeping an eye out for traffic can be a little nerve-wracking. &Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-13312722975805693952012-05-06T11:21:00.000-04:002012-05-06T11:21:48.260-04:00Violin Recitals
I want to make good citizens. If a child hears fine music from the day of his birth and learns to play it himself, he develops sensitivity, discipline and endurance. He gets a beautiful heart. ~Shin'ichi Suzuki
While attending the annual homeschool convention in Massachusetts two years ago, I sat in on a workshop that, at first, threatened to bore me to death, and I almost walked out. &Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-14464177154889452182012-04-05T10:34:00.000-04:002012-04-05T10:34:57.445-04:00Easter's Here!I came across an online article showing how to dye eggs naturally. Since I hate the idea of my kids having their breakfast consist of Eggs a la Red #2 and hate the idea of throwing out the eggs even more, I decided this was something we should try. However I only had a couple of the suggested food items to make a couple different colors. The rest would have to be soaked in Blue Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-92123592733881531662012-03-28T20:06:00.000-04:002012-03-28T20:06:50.370-04:00Happy Easter!I took advantage of a great little offer from Shutterfly and decided to create Easter cards for close family to enjoy. You can see it below. May you too have a wonderful and blessed Easter!
Stationery cardView the entire collection of cards.Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-84480912647219603342012-03-19T12:13:00.004-04:002012-03-19T20:48:47.661-04:00Handling HaikusThis year we have been studying geography pretty in depth, thanks to Expedition Earth homeschool curriculum, and we love it! In our study of Japan earlier in the school year, we came across the practice of writing haikus. (See definition below.) The boys wanted to share their haikus with you so please enjoy.
*hai-ku
noun, plural
1. A major form of Japanese verse, written Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-49954867189945039392012-03-05T23:29:00.000-05:002012-03-05T23:29:01.457-05:00LMNOPsAs most of you know, Landon has from birth struggled with verbal skills and been tentatively diagnosed with speech apraxia or as having a speech motor planning problem. This is why for about a year, he attended weekly speech therapy sessions and still would be had it not been for the birth of his young brother and the subsequent stage of colic limbo in which he put us all. It is also Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-37974266103533284892011-12-22T10:28:00.000-05:002011-12-22T10:28:49.284-05:00Book ReportJayce has been really into a graphic novel series from the library and wanted to share about it on our blog. So here's his mini-book report:
I just finished a book series called Bone by Jeff Smith, and it took me a year! It's a 9 book series. It's about a small creature named Fone Bone. He meets a Princess by the name of Thorn. Bone and Thorn get in a war with things called Rat Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-1788225871896194022011-10-08T19:50:00.006-04:002011-10-08T20:35:29.432-04:00Been There, Done That!I've been asked many times about comparing all the birth experiences I've had. And since I've had everything from tranquilizers during one labor to a water birth in another and a Cesarean section for another, I've pretty much run the gamut. Here's a rundown of my experiences and the comparisons:
My first labor was almost 20 years ago with my oldest daughter. Because I was so Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-27535848604659663852011-08-31T22:31:00.006-04:002011-08-31T22:31:00.143-04:00God-given GodparentsI never grew up knowing much about godparents nor the concept behind assigning godparents to one's children. As far as I knew, it was a Catholic thing so naturally, as a non-denominational fundamental Protestant (say that 5 times fast!), I didn't have a clue. But once Michael and I started having children, I just knew that somehow in someway we had to publicly and symbolically includeCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-12446439981185263822011-08-28T13:16:00.002-04:002011-08-28T22:06:09.043-04:00Landon's Newest HobbyLandon, being 3 1/2 years old, is stuck between being too young to for his older brothers to want to play with him and not being the baby of the family anymore. So his interests have led him to more independent activities such as playing on the computer and on the Wii. Since electronics are on a very limited schedule in our house, he ends up being bored a lot. He doesn't Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-44180233992237312892011-08-27T20:54:00.000-04:002011-08-27T20:54:46.778-04:00Baby UpdateWell, things are starting to get a bit calmer and happier around here. I said, "starting". Damien still won't let us put him down for long periods of time, but Michael was so excited when he was able to make breakfast without interruption because baby was content being in the exersaucer for 25 whole minutes! And two days ago, he rolled over for the first time. I only know Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-75336260196390046182011-08-18T17:58:00.005-04:002011-08-18T20:12:57.232-04:00The Hell of ColicNever before have I had a baby with colic. After birthing and rearing four children, this one was my first experience dealing with colic. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Ok, maybe on my worst enemy. If I had one. But colic breeds a different kind of baby, and after four days of it, I started checking the return policy on this new baby. It wasn't that he was Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-51072364244671929732011-08-18T12:27:00.000-04:002011-08-18T12:27:13.334-04:00Damien's ArrivalDamien Berube was born on February 2, 1647 in Normandy, France. In June of 1671, he sailed to North America and arrived in Quebec as the first Berube to settle on this continent. Twelve generations later, his great-grandson Damien made his own arrival to this world. This is baby Damien's birth story:
With my previous history of HELLP syndrome, the doctors were keeping a Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-24700249550935361492011-08-14T19:01:00.002-04:002011-08-15T10:13:25.196-04:00Everything We Learned, We Learned from CartoonsSo our best friends took their family to France and swapped houses with a French family...for a whole year! Anyway, Michael and I started talking about the differences in nature between France and New England. It all started when he offered the French family produce from his garden and handed them a veggie they had never seen before. It was summer squash. So it brought up Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-45083730236556923312011-08-09T15:33:00.001-04:002011-08-09T15:54:35.928-04:00My Baby ShowerBaby showers have been an elusive or tough event in my life. I've been pregnant 5 times now, and I've had your traditional big baby shower twice - once for my daughter 20 years ago and another for my firstborn son 9 years ago. And hey, I completely understand that's typically one more than most people! However since my firstborn son arrived in 2002, each pregnancy has Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-83511423826419862642011-05-25T09:56:00.002-04:002011-05-25T11:40:41.425-04:0038 Weeks & CountingNow that I'm nearing the end of this pregnancy, I have to say I'm fairly surprised at how well I'm doing. This is, after all, my fifth child and I'm no spring chick anymore! With the exception of being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, there have been absolutely no problems with this pregnancy as of yet (I say "yet" because I know HELLP doesn't typically show up until around now soCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806156244111296633.post-88799312581644765432011-02-16T09:26:00.006-05:002011-08-28T15:57:45.512-04:00Baby #5After months of searching for a midwife/doctor who would not only take me as a patient but also subscribe to my birth philosophy, I'm happy to say we've found one! Because of my previous history with HELLP syndrome and then the resultant C-section, it was impossible to find a midwife willing to help me with a home birth which was my ideal preference. The midwife I was in communicationCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03917444230479505568noreply@blogger.com1