Living for Later

Potty Training

2012-01-27T16:59:00.000-08:00

So, I'm in bed tonight because I'm not feeling great. This means my sweet husband has offered to take over the evening duties of parenthood so I can rest.

After resting in bed for a little while, Chase opened the door and said, "I just want to let you know you're doing a good job with the potty training." Well, that was a nice compliment!

Why, you might ask, did he feel the need to stop and offer his quick congratulations?

Because apparently ALL THREE kids decided to take it upon themselves to go on a group visit to the potty. Emmy used the little potty. Evan used the big potty. And Olivia waited in line until one of them was done and then she pottied. Did I mention they did this all by themselves?

ALL of them.

Daddy, of course, was standing back supervising but not interfering. He was the observer and less of the participant I often find myself being. He couldn't believe they were being so independent, so grown up.

Of course, the kids did need help with one thing. They needed their daddy to provide their treat for having gone to the potty.

Wow, they get big fast.

After a long week of spending much time and energy intensively potty training, this made my night!!!!

Surgery Numero Uno

2012-01-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it through our first official surgery with one of our children this last week. Our son, Evan, had to have tubes put in his ears, and he had his adenoids removed. Chase's mom graciously helped us with the girls so we could take our little man in. She stayed the night before and she and I both slept very little that night. There is something about pre-surgery anxiety. I told Chase I felt like I did the night before I delivered both times. Chase, myself, and Chase's mom were all up at 5:30 a.m. to start the day and get little man ready to go. We arrived at the surgery center at 6:30 and at 7:45 he was in surgery. We literally sat down for two minutes and the nurse brought us the toy he was allowed to bring back with him and told us he was fast asleep. Crazy how fast that happens. Within fifteen minutes, the ENT was giving us a full disclosure of how he did and what he saw. The hardest part of the entire morning was when we got called to the post-op room and I could hear our little boy crying before I could even see him. I saw a nurse holding him, wrapped up in a blanket, and everything within me wanted to scream, "Give me my baby!" I was a little more composed than that. Not much. But a little more. Evan was pretty out of it still and confused. I rocked him for a little while and he fell asleep. I would have been more than happy to stay in that chair all morning long and just rock that baby, but apparently after he was monitored for a while by the nurse, we had to leave. This meant he had to wake up and cry again. Ugh! Thankfully, Ev got home and curled up in bed and slept for hours. He was fussy on and off most of the day and very, very tired. Guess who else was beyond herself with exhaustion?!? I cannot begin to tell you how fast I fell asleep that night. The next day, Evan seemed tired again. He felt okay, but was just really tired. We decided to keep him home from church today and let him rest one more day before we started up with another week. Overall, the surgery seemed to be a success. We all survived it. Our little boy is doing well, and Lord willing, we will have less sickness this coming year because of it.

All Three In

2012-01-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

My resolution for January is just to be more consistent about potty training. We need to stop every hour to hour and a half and use the potty. We just do. Being consistent makes all the difference.

With that being said, I have a 19 month old who wants to do what her big bro and sis are doing.

And so she does.

Today, she asked to go potty. I honored her request. And she pottied all by herself!

This is huge, people.

I plan to be diaper free after 3 1/2 years of having more than one child in diapers by this summer.

Hold me to it, please. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it.

So proud of my little "big girl!"

Ditto

2012-01-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

Take the title of my last post, but apply to my youngest daughter instead. Last night, she climbed out of her crib. She proudly walked out with a "big 'ol smile" (big 'ol is a saying in our house...kind of random), and pranced around.

It took me a minute.

I asked Chase, "Um, honey, did you take her out of her crib."

He replied, "No....."

I started to cry. Yes, I did.

I'm not ready for her to be able to do this. Not at all.

But here it is. Unlike Emily, who climbed out twice and then decided it was over-rated, and unlike Evan, who rarely has ever tried because he desperately loves his bed too much to do so, I highly suspect this one will run with it. That's just my Olivia. Full of zest, and always wanting to be a big girl.

She climbed out again today.

I suppose we need to do something about this.

Again, I'm not ready for this. Not at all.

One of those moments you realize she is growing up.

One of those moments when you realize she's growing up

2012-01-09T04:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, after church, Emmy couldn't wait to hold my hand and talk to me about what she did during her Sunday School time. She went over a list of all the things she did. This was the FIRST time I have ever picked her up from spending time elsewhere and she could tell me all about what she did in past events. Growing up, growing up.

Tour de Tejas

2012-01-07T05:32:00.000-08:00

After Christmas this year, we saddled up the kids and the 500 pounds of stuff kids come with, and headed to Texas. Chase and I share family that lives in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, so when we visit Texas, it really is a tour of the eastern side of the state. On the way to San Antonio, we stopped for dinner with some of our favorite people, Chase's brother, Grant and his wife, Jen. They were gracious enough to provide one of my favorite meals ever....Taco Cabana! A bean and cheese taco with their delish salsa....cannot be beat! We absolutely loved our short visit with them. The kids ask for Grant and Jen often, so it was a nice treat for the kids to lay eyes on them as well. The kids were also able to get some energy out, and so we were all ready to get in the car and finish our trip to this beautiful place:

La Cantera in San Antonio is gorgeous!!!! It is set on the north side of San Antonio where the hill country starts to shine. Chase and I remarked how everyone thinks of Texas as flat, and yet there are these beautiful, rolling hills that are so picturesque. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.

We stayed there for three nights before we headed to Austin. While in San Antonio, we got to visit a couple of days with my dad and stepmom. My grandparents came up the first day we were there and we all just sat around the table and visited and caught up. That evening we had a Christmas with my dad and stepmom, and the kids LOVED the surprise that another round of opening Christmas presents was happening!

The next day, we all went to the Witte Museum which had tons of fun activities for the kids, including a huge treehouse:

We went back to my dad and stepmom's home for a little while after the museum. The kids' napped and then woke up and played with toys and played outside for a little while. Then it was time for us to head back to the hotel and to get ready for the next city in our Texas tour: Austin!!!

We stayed at the Domain in Austin. I couldn't find a real great pic to show. Although it was super nice, I wouldn't recommend it for kids. The hotel room was organized beautifully for kids and they provided toys for the kids as well, but it was more of an adult type hotel. For example, the lobby had a floor to ceiling display of lit candles. Pretty? Yes! Childproof? Absolutely not!

We spent two days with my mom and stepdad. The first day was more of a quiet visit and then the second day with them, we started off the day by going here:

Round Rock Memorial Park. To the left is a fun playground area and to the right is a small river that had tons of ducks who could care less about being fed. I guess they are fed so much, they aren't even hungry. The kids LOVED playing outside and it was just such a pretty day.

After we got back, my sister and her two boys and my stepbrother and his wife all came over for lunch. We had what I believe to be the best BBQ ever made: Rudy's BBQ. My mom orders the brisket extra moist. Um, more please.

Needless to say, after our tour de Tejas, mama needed to lose a couple of pounds. :) But it was enjoyable while we were there, for sure! We had a great visit at my mom's house and then we went back to the hotel for the night. We woke up the next morning ready to leave after we did just one more thing:

Give the kids a full breakfast before we left. I asked my mom if we could eat somewhere where we could keeps the kids in their jammies. So IHOP it was! We all filled ourselves up and got the chance to visit with my mom and stepdad one last time before heading home.

It was a great trip! We were all ready to be home, of course, but it's always nice when you have a trip that you know just went well (did I mention the kids slept!?) and you leave just feeling like it was a good time.

What I should (and shouldn't) be doing

2012-01-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

I should be unpacking after our tour de Tejas. But instead I'm blogging.

I shouldn't be eating french fries with honey mustard after eating bad all week. But instead I'm thoroughly enjoying them.

I should be planning to work on our landscaping. But instead that will wait another day or two (or three or four).

I should be drinking a lot of water. But instead I'm loving my Sonic diet coke.

I should have all my end of the year paperwork organized. Instead it is sitting in a big bag and I honestly don't know when I will get to that.

I shouldn't be in pain right now, but apparently all that candy I shouldn't have eaten over the holidays has caused what I suspect to be a cavity. The dentist will let me know on Wednesday what's going on with this painful tooth. Thank goodness for Advil.

I should have made resolutions for 2012. But this year, I am boycotting resolutions.

I'm sure there are many other things I should (or shouldn't be doing), but that's all I've got right now.

Happy New Year!

The Name of Jesus

2011-12-22T04:02:00.000-08:00

I just had to write down a special moment I had yesterday.

All three of my kiddos are sick. Evan has a double ear infection and a respiratory infection and both of the girls have ear infections. This means we have lots of meltdowns. I have grown more calm over the years with all of the sickness and with the meltdowns as well. That's because I know they pass. It's just one of those bumpy rides you hold on for but is soon over.

So yesterday we were in the car and both of the girls start to majorly meltdown. They were crying and screaming, screaming and crying. They didn't feel well and were ready to get home.

In the midst of all the noise, our son was very calm. This does not always happen as he has the tendency to get worked up over others' screaming. All of a sudden, Evan just started to sing. He sang "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" over and over again. It was beautiful! He was so at peace and happy to sing between two crying girls.

I honestly think it was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard.

I have no doubt that was the Lord bringing His peace to a stressful situation. I have no doubt it was the Lord alone that called a two year old to sing out his name. I have no doubt it was the Lord that made it sound so beautiful.

Seriously, what a blessing.

Olivia Claire

2011-12-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

I wrote a post for each of the twins when they turned 2 1/2. I decided to wait until our littlest, Olivia Claire, was 1 1/2 to write her post. So, here it goes....

Olivia Claire, at 18 months......

1. We often call you "Lia." Olivia is still hard for all of you to say. Emmy thinks your name is "Lia Claire."

2. You love, love, love your "Minnies." And a baby doll named "Coco Baby." I made up the name "Coco" a while back. You added "baby." And she is officially a "Coco Baby." Coco Baby is need of serious repair. I wouldn't be surprised if she is replaced this Christmas with a more healthy looking baby doll.

3. You are our techie. You are only 18 months, but anything technical you already love. Cell phones, computers, vtech toys, etc.

4. You are a talker. You are already often speaking in full sentences.

5. You love to laugh. God gave you the gift of joy, for sure. I often tell you your name should have been "Olivia Joy." You are full of spunk and like to have fun! You can make a game out of most things. It's a delight to be around you.

6. You are busy, busy. That's the beauty of your age right now. I've lost my cuddler for a season. While you are quick to give a short hug or kiss, you do not want to sit still. There is a whole world out there to explore and you are ready to go! If you are anything like your sister or brother, though, in about six months you will be ready to cuddle again.

7. You want to go to school. You cry most school days when Emmy and Evan leave the car and you can't go with them.

8. You are friendly. When you and I shop in the grocery store after Ev and Em have gone to school, you wave and say "hi" to almost everyone. And when we leave, you also say, "Bye!"

9. You have curls and curls and curls and curls. It's still growing out instead of down. But the curls are precious. You get so many comments on those curls!

10. Your big brother and sister love you! You play with both of them so well. You love to play trucks with Evan or play dress up with Emmy. You like it all and they have a special affection for their little sister.

Olivia Claire, when your brother and sister were born 15 months prior, the Lord knew that our family needed one more person in the mix. And so he blessed us with our fun-filled, joy-filled, baby girl who we cannot imagine our family without. You add something to our family that only you could fill. You are a blessing beyond words and we love you!!!!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

This is only our third Christmas as parents, so we are still working on establishing what Christmas looks like for our family. This Christmas, in particular, is the first Christmas where we haven't had an infant since our family has grown. The twins' first Christmas, they were twins and I was pregnant. On the day after Christmas, I got so sick (food poisoning, we suspect), I ended up in the hospital. The twins' second Christmas was also Olivia's first Christmas. She was six months old. I got so sick on the actual day of Christmas we really didn't celebrate much that day. This one appeared to be a not so pretty stomach bug.

So....this year I am hoping, hoping, hoping that I am not sick anywhere near Christmas. Although it would appear this has become a not so welcomed Christmas tradition, there really are a few others we have started to establish in our home this time of year.

1. Jesus' Birthday Party--Christmas is the day of his party. We talk about his party, we prepare for his party by decorating, Jesus gets a birthday cake, and his is the only birthday party where He gives gifts as well.

2. Give--It is important that we expect the children to give during this time. The only way we can do that is by expecting that of ourselves. We look for opportunities for the children to take part in showing generosity.

3. One I have not yet started but will probably start next year is the Advent Calendar. I think next year all three kiddos will be able to take part in discussing a little piece of what it means to celebrate Christ during the month of December.

4. Daddy reads from the "Big Bible." My husband reads the Christmas story from the Bible to all of us on Christmas morning. You can imagine how well that went last year with a six month old and two 22 month olds. But we did it anyway!

5. Church on Christmas Eve--One of my favorite of the traditions. Let's get our worship on! It is all about Him after all!

So those are our Christmas traditions to date. It's such a fun and special time of year!

Recently....

2011-12-09T15:39:00.000-08:00

--Evan fell down and hit his two front teeth. They are turning black. We went to the dentist for the first time yesterday after watching his teeth turn colors. The appointment went so well. The ladies were super nice and Evan felt very comfortable. We are having to watch his teeth to see if the coloring improves over the next six weeks or so.

--We decided to use a live Christmas tree this year. This, Lord willing, will be the first of many live trees for years to come. I think we are retiring the fake tree unless I decide to use two trees at some point. How fun would that be!?!

--I could not keep my eyes open last night. I slept like a baby last night. Had there been a house full of crying children, I do not think I would have heard them. Thankfully, the hubs is a light sleeper.

--We finished our Christmas shopping. Done and done. Now it's time to assemble the kids' gifts and wrap, wrap, wrap.

--We have started playing Angry Birds. The kids love it! Mommy loves that it is a nice change when having a particularly long day. Evan asked the other morning if he could play it. I told him no and that Angry Birds was reserved for those special times when Mommy was tired. Evan thought that answer was a fair one. :)

--I have learned I have lots to pray for and lots to be excited about. Some are heavy on my heart and some are fun and filled with blessing and promise.

--I have gained an interest in Pinterest. When the kids begin their formal education and I have (if the Lord wills, of course) a little more time on my hands, I would like to do two things: organize my home and cook. I want to cook all sorts of fun things, and Pinterest is a great platform to discover all kinds of pretty dishes.

--Olivia has now grown attached to her Minnies during the day. She has slept with them at night for a while now, but she has now started asking for them throughout the day. Emmy has her piggies, Olivia has her Minnies, and Evan has his trucks. Evan is the hardest to keep track of. When he wants his trucks (which is often), he remembers ALL of them and asks for them by name when they are not all accounted for.

--Emmy has started "talking cute." Her "blankie" has become "bwankie." "Pray" is now "pway." "Please" is now "pwease." She can say these words correctly, however someone must have indicated to her how cute it was to change the sounds. And so she has!

2011-12-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

I have had very little to write recently. Life has recently melded into a sort of calm. A calm I am grateful for. My littlest baby girl is no longer a baby. She is just weeks away from being 18 months. She is talking and communicating and trying to be as big as her almost three year old brother and sister. My eldest children are working on potty training. We use less diapers now (woo-hoo!) and they can take their pull-ups on and off all by themselves. Tonight Emmy both took it off and then said, "I'll go throw it away." Um, okay. Our children are essentially growing more independent. It's soooooo nice! We are leaving a stage that felt so long and yet went so fast. And now life feels like it's going fast too. All of sudden, with the start of preschool, our weeks fly by. We are already a semester down and just weeks away from another Christmas. Really!?! How did this get here so quickly? I'm very aware the Spring semester will be over before we know it as well. So, that's all I really have to write at the moment.

Life is good.

Kids are growing.

Time goes quickly.

The end.

Remembering Victory

2011-10-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to clean out my some files on my computer, I came across this little gem. It was a simple document with a list of Scriptures on it. I found the Scriptures to be both powerful and apropos to situations I am currently praying through. I instantly became interested in when I had typed out these Scriptures.

As I searched a little further, I learned that I had written these out on July 20, 2008--just 13 days after learning I was expecting for the first time. Just 13 days after learning that my three year battle with doubt, fear, and sorrow had ended. And yet, I found that each Scripture was about fear. Hadn't the Lord just done a great victory on our behalf? Hadn't we experienced for ourselves a miracle? And yet still I struggle with doubt and fear.

It's interesting how timeless the Word of God is. It's interesting how often I find myself having to cling to His Word over and over again. It's also interesting that my greatest victories are not the ones I see physically. They aren't the obvious miracles that everyone else sees. They are the ones done in my heart. When the fear is removed or the peace is present. Those are the greatest victories of all.

I remember getting to a place in our infertility journey where I became completely and totally okay with God's plan, whatever that looked like. I knew that He and He alone could provide children. I knew that He and He alone had the answer and plan for our lives. I got to a point where I had joy again. That joy was not in circumstance. That joy was in the Lord. But it took me a long time to get there. I sometimes feel so discouraged when I look back on that season. I have a tendency to be stubborn. VERY stubborn. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get to that place. I wish I'd laid my idols down so much sooner and found joy and confidence in the Lord so much sooner.

I can't turn back time and relive that season. It's just not possible. But I can learn to take hold of the Word of God sooner when new fears or sorrows or situations arise. I can choose to be different.

Obviously, just because we got pregnant doesn't mean that life suddenly got easier. If anything else, life got more complicated. The very fact that I can still relate and need these verses as reminders of Who God is in my life should be a testimony that my need for Him and for His power is still very great.

Here are the Scriptures I found. May they minister to you as much as they do to me.

“O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You.” Psalm 84:12

“You come against me with the sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:45-47 (bits and pieces)

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14 (bits and pieces)

“Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.” Proverbs 3:25-26

“You are her daughters (Sarah’s) if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” 1 Peter 3:6

“When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Proverbs 31:21,25

“He (a righteous man) will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.” Psalm 112:5

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91: 1-2

So far so good

2011-10-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

Two days of working out in a row down.

Can I make it three????

Moving on to other things

2011-10-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am writing this out as a form of accountability. If I say it, If I write it, then I will do it, right?

I need to work out.

I love doing it but it requires me to wake up early, and I am no longer a morning person. I used to be the annoying kind of morning person who woke up at ridiculous hours just because life was too much fun to miss.

Then I had kids.

Life is still fun, but when I wake up now, I am at work. For the next twelve hours. So somehow I have trained my body to sleep much later. But sleeping is not helping me get my post-baby body into shape. And I really can't use the words "post-baby body" as an excuse anymore. I mean Olivia is 16 months after all. She is on her way to almost being a year and a half.

So tomorrow I have plans to get up and run again. I LOVE running. I really do. But the waking up. Oh, the waking up.

6:00 a.m.

I can do this.

I want to do this.

I really will feel better. Right?????

Well at least I said it. Now let's see if I do it!

Deleted Previous Post

2011-10-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

I wrote something very controversial earlier this afternoon. Although I do feel the way I do about the subject, my sweet husband read the blog post and felt like it could have come across as judgmental towards those who don't feel the same way I do.

This is not my desire at all and, therefore, I decided to delete the post.

Having a hard time knowing what to blog about

2011-10-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

We are in a routine.

We are busy, busy.

We are loving cooler weather.

My babies are growing up day by day.

Chase and I still enjoy our weekly Tuesday night dates and have even had a couple of weekend dates recently.

Em and Ev are loving school. They keep singing "Jesus Loves Me." This makes my heart very happy. Because Jesus does love them. And they are learning it now.

Olivia is busy! She doesn't want to be held long right now because she is very focused on exploring. She is so much fun! She is sixteen months right now. When the twins were her age, she was about three weeks old. Crazy!

We love, love our church. The Lord moved us this time last year to a new church. I can't begin to describe how much we are loving this place, this body of believers. Such a sweet gift!

We are surviving October. This is the most wonderful time of year for us. I mean, it is Fall after all. And it is the most awkward time of year for us. Our family abstains from Halloween. The Lord has laid this conviction on our hearts for years now. But now we have kids. And there are lots of scary things on t.v. Even on the Disney Channel. Just a little awkward. Thanks so much to Nick Jr. that keeps things much lighter.

We have plans to take pictures as a family soon. This will be beyond fun! It is such a great way to take a snapshot of the kids' stages each year. It's amazing how much they have grown in the last year!

We need to make it out to a pumpkin patch soon! There is a great pumpkin patch about 45 minutes away. It is an experience. Animals. Rows and Rows of Pumpkins. Toys. We tried to take the twins there when they were like 8 months old, and I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Olivia. They were just a little too young. The twins just sat on the hay. And that was our experience the last time we went to a pumpkin patch. I'm assuming two 2 1/2 year olds and an almost 1 1/2 year old will be a little more interactive. :)

Friday nights are often Family Nights. We like to watch Phineas and Ferb as a family and/or get ice cream. Or Gelato, which is our new favorite treat. Words cannot express how much I love gelato. Yum!

My thoughts for October are not too cohesive. But all of my separate thoughts indicate one truth. We are very blessed, and life is full of joy right now.

Grateful, grateful.

Homeschool Preschool Web Resources

2011-10-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some great websites I've used to help me organize a curriculum for my tots. I have used bits and pieces of all of them to help me plan things to do with the kiddos. Check them out!

Letter of the Week

Impress Your Kids

One Plus One Plus One Equals One

Changes are a' happening

2011-10-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

One of the MOST fun (and, to be honest, also sad) things about being a parent is that change is inevitable. It just happens. Kids don't stay in the same size clothing and they say new things and understand new things and do new things. We can't keep them the same age or size or ability level all the days of our lives. And we probably wouldn't want to.

Sunday night, October 2nd, we had a very big change around here. It's called the Big Girl Bed. Emily moved into a toddler bed and she did GREAT. When we changed the crib into a toddler daybed, I got a little emotional, I confess. I mean, I've been using cribs for the last 2.5+ years. And now we are one crib down. It is so funny, because I think Emily heard us say we were going to give her a "Big 'ol Bed!" Now, anything that she finds to be large, she calls it "Big 'ol and then the word." We will be driving down the street and she will say, "Look at those Big 'ol cranes, Mommy!" Such a goofball!

Evan doesn't seem too ready to move to a Big Boy Bed. He is happy to be nestled in his little cocoon. And he can stay that way for a while longer. I think I can take only one Big Kid Bed at a time.

On top of the changing bed situation, we are also starting Homeschool Preschool. I have taken bits and pieces of websites and blogs I've found (to be shared very soon) and adapting them to our needs. I am then creating a curriculum for the kids.

I am doing this mainly for one reason: so I can be intentional.

It is SO easy to let the day get away from me and to find that the t.v. was on a little longer than I wanted and that I didn't take advantage of obvious teachable moments. The Lord provided an opportunity for me over the last week to just get organized. I reorganized some of the spaces in our home and I made a plan for the kids. And it has been WONDERFUL!!! I may not get to everything I have planned, but if I get to something, then I'm already ahead of where I was a week ago when no plan existed at all. I am teaching the kids Bible verses and letters and numbers and songs. It has been such a sweet experience already and I'm looking forward to what we all learn together in the weeks ahead.

So that's it for today. But with kids, a new change is on the horizon, and I'm sure you know I'll be writing all about it once it happens!

And then there was Tuesday (warning: TMI)

2011-09-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

I may have felt like I had super human powers on Monday, but then Tuesday arrived.

And my powers felt like they may have faded.

We had some very strong points, but we also had projectile vomit (TMI, I know), a child that would not nap, a run in with swarming wasps (ONLY by the Lord's grace did we not get stung!), lots of "potty" issues, a child who thought it would be fun to fling bathwater across the bathroom, and three babies who ALL pretty much wanted to be held at the same time.

It was a balancing act all day until about 5 pm. The kids hadn't eaten much all day and I caved. They each got a nice helping of BBQ potato chips, and I placed them in front of the computer with the movie Cars. They all sat around the table and were quiet for a good fifteen minutes. It was WONDERFUL!!!

We did have some highlights, though, too. Yesterday was the first day we were in a car and Evan asked if we could go home so he could potty. Sure enough, we head home, I take him to the potty, he pottied, and then said "ALL DONE!" just like a potty trained child would!!! I was thrilled. We are still slowly working, but he is progressing well!

Also, yesterday was the first day the kids worked on brushing their own teeth at the bathroom mirror. Chase and I have been doing it for them. Yesterday, they got to use these fun toothbrushes that has a blinking light for a full minute, and the kids used "big kid" toothpaste AND they had to rinse afterward. Of course, I still helped, but they loved it!!! This was one of those times when the healthy competition between the twins helped. Evan was not interested in my helping in any way until he saw Emily do it. After he saw that I helped her a little and then she got free reign to brush her own teeth, he was all about the process!

Olivia also upgraded from the blue "finger brush" to a toothbrush. She seemed to like it too!

Our day ended with each of the girls crying after they'd been put to bed, and with each of them spending some time with us. Olivia cruised around the living room while Chase and I ate dinner, and Emily later cuddled with me in bed for a while.

These poor babies already don't feel good with strep and now the antibiotics make their tummies feel bad as well. :-(

So, with each day that I might feel victorious, there are days when I barely struggle through. The great thing, though, is that each day is made by the Lord, and His grace is sufficient for both kinds of days. Through it all, I'm so grateful for this time with my children. I feel so blessed!

Fun in a Bag

2011-09-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

You know how it seems like every so often, you're in some sort of organized group setting, like a Bible study or a professional development class, and there is an icebreaker? And you know how sometimes you're asked that question, you know, the one about the super powers?

"If you could have any super power, what would you have?"

And then there are some very ingenious answers like, "I would fly. I would disappear. Etc. Etc."

Well, I have come across my very own super power.

AND, I don't have to wish for it. I actually have it.

I may not leap tall buildings in a single bound, but I can take three sick kiddos to the pediatrician's office.

ALL
BY
MY
SELF

This is indeed a great feat. One might say it is even, well, super. :-)

And I did it today.

And God was good. He provided in innumerable ways. In particular...the bag o' fun. Also known as my purse. Except let's be honest. I haven't used a purse in a while. It's a tote. And by tote I mean a diaper bag that looks like a tote.

This diaper bag/tote/purse o' fun is an amazing thing!!! There are books to read the kiddos that turn in to coloring books for the kids when they just get too antsy they can't stand it. These books weren't meant to be colored in but after so much time in the docs office, sure, color!

Of course, plenty of pencils.
Plastic cups for the one year old to play with.
And some bracelets.
And I found a baby doll bottle somewhere at the bottom.
And random cards that Emmy in particular loves to hold.
And smarties to eat.
And lots of pop tarts we call "cookies" around here. I'm sure the doctor was impressed with the healthy selection of items I was offering my crew.
And three sippy cups.
And this amazing antibacterial handspray from Bath and Body works. The word "handspray" kind of gives it away. It smells like vanilla, and the kids hold out their little hands and I pump sanitary freshness on their little hands. And I do this many, many times. Thankfully, the kids love it.

And when the little tots just can't take the waiting or the breathing treatment or the poking and prodding anymore, the big guns come out. That would be the smartphone. With live Disney Channel streaming in.

What did mothers do before the smartphone?

They probably didn't take three sick children under the age of three to the doc all by themselves. :-)

Evan Charles

2011-09-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

At the age of 2 1/2 our Evan Charles....

1. LOVES people! He gets energized by social situations, and he has yet to meet a lady he doesn't like. :-)

2. Is quick to pray. All we have to do is say the word, and his hands fold together and his head bows. Melt my heart!!!

3. Is an organizer. He loves to line things up, especially his trucks and cars. He definitely got this from his mom!

4. Loves to cuddle.

5. If you ask Evan to give you five, he will most likely hold out his fist and say, "Knuckles!"

6. Football, Mommy! Football Daddy! Any sign of football is met with these words by Evan.

7. He points out every boat he can possibly find while we are driving. He definitely got this one from his dad!!!

8. Asks almost daily if we can take a ride to the beach.

9. Shares very well with his sisters. He is VERY kind.

10. LOVES the movie Cars. We could seriously watch this movie every day, and he would be thrilled! He loves Lightning McQueen!!!

Evan Charles, it is an honor to know you. You are no longer a baby. You are a full-fledged little boy. If how you are as a two and a half year old is any indication of the man you will one day become, then you are going to be an AMAZING man! We love you beyond words, and your two sisters are so blessed to have you as a brother.

Emily

2011-09-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

At 2 1/2, our Emily Grace:

--She doesn't put on a bathing suit...she puts on a "baby soup."

--She is SO sweet!

--She isn't much of an eater. She often says, "I no like it!" or she tries to get out of eating things by saying "It's too spicy!" (even when it clearly is NOT!)

--She loves to play independently.

---I caught her playing teacher the other day by reading a book the way her teacher does.

--She LOVES her piggies, and she named them. One is named "Kitty," and the other is named "Sissy." The names do not change. Except on occasion, they are "Piggy" and "Udder Piggy."

--She loves stickers! Our pretty dining room table can attest to that! I can't even get all the stickers off at the moment. :-)

--She is learning that some people are boys and some people are girls. She knows all the genders in her immediate family. When asked if her "Baba" (grandmother) was a boy or a girl, she said "Baba is pretty!"

Oh, my eldest girl, how I love you let me count the ways! What a blessing you are in our lives! We ALL love you!

The Calm after the Storm

2011-09-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived victoriously the first full week of school this last week. The kids were well enough to attend both days and, contrary to my prediction, they wanted to go back both days. Their teachers said that Ev and Em are doing very well which just blessed my heart!

Of course, seeing as how this is their first official "child care" setting, sickness found it's way to our home. The kids seemed healthy enough to go to school but we spent the majority of a week with fussy, fussy kids. I was beyond exhausted caring for three children who didn't feel great and who weren't sleeping well. It very much reminded me of the early infant days with twins.

Thursday was meltdown day in our home and all my attempts at keeping the house clean went out the window. There was much t.v. watched, one mama was very tired, and the kids probably didn't eat too much that was healthy. This was not my brightest moment, to say the least.

All of us were not feeling well by that day and we all crashed. Poor Em cried almost the entire day. Chase and I took all three to the urgent care center that night. Em had a severe ear infection, Ev was fine, and Liv had a mild ear infection. It was funny because with three little ones we had two choices: bust out the triple stroller and take them all in at once or take them in one at a time. We opted for option two and Chase took in each kiddo one at a time. I'm sure the receptionist was probably wondering by the third child just how many small children we had! I drove the kiddos around with ice cream in hand and waited for a text from Daddy stating the diagnosis and that they were ready for the next one.

After a chaotic day on Thursday that looked only like I was only trying to survive this whole parenthood thing, we had a GREAT day on Friday! We played outside twice, the kids colored with chalk, I made spinach milkshakes (recipe to follow!) and we danced and danced and danced! I'm so grateful the Lord blessed us with a happy day after a rough week.

I have to say, now that I'm two and a half years into being a parent, I am taking things more in stride. When the storm comes, I know that it will pass, and that normally, just like our Friday, there is a sweet calm at the end of most storms. So glad the Lord provides those!

Overplayed T.V. Movies

2011-09-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

This is one of my most random posts ever. My husband and I took a "cable break" for about four months earlier this year. It was refreshing and frustrating all at the same time. We loved having a little more control over what we watched, and we became more aware of all the junk on t.v. However, when you've worked a long day and are tired, tired, tired, it is so nice to put the little ones to bed and mindlessly flip. We missed some good stuff on t.v. too. We are fans of many of the Discovery shows, and we feel these shows are a little more wholesome than most network T.V. shows nowadays.

One of the things I noticed once we returned to cable was that the SAME movies are still playing over and over, most of which I do not like. There are very few movies I enjoy watching multiple times, and they simply do not play them on cable channels.

So, here are a few I noticed just don't seem to be going away:

1. Sweet Home Alabama--it may be a chick flick, but I'm kind of over this movie
2. Braveheart--too much testosterone
3. The Patriot--same as Braveheart
4. The Devil Wears Prada--I really liked this movie the first twenty times I saw it. :-)
5. Man on Fire
6. Movies with The Rock in them--I try to avoid these at all costs
7. Oceans 11--This one I don't mind. I still like it even though I've seen it more than I've seen The Devil Wears Prada.
8. Goodfellas--I've still never seen how this movie ends, but it's on all. the. time.
9.The Matrix--I have to be in the mood.
10. Office Space--tolerable. That's about it.

I know there are a handful of other movies, almost all of which I flip through without batting an eyelash. I guess it's good they don't play movies I'd LOVE to see over and over (Sense and Sensibility, anyone?), otherwise I'd just waste time.

Like, I said. Very random post. But it was on my mind. :-)

Firsts

2011-09-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

We have recently had many firsts for our brood here. Last week, we had our first open house for the twins' school. They had the opportunity to go see their classroom and meet their teachers. Their class is the Believing Bugs, and their classroom was ADORABLE!!! Their teachers centered the decoration around The Very Hungry Caterpillar book and there were caterpillars everywhere! They also had the most adorable books made for every child based on the Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? books. Each book was designed in a ladybug pattern and when you opened the books, it had a picture of each child in the class, twelve in all. Each page read something like, "Emily, Emily, What do you see? I see Evan looking at me." And Evan and Emily's pics would cover the two pages. SO creative!

Then, yesterday, this mama dropped her two sweet little babies off to school for the first time. I almost completely lost it before they even got out of the car. Drop off is like ripping off a bandaid as quickly as possible. Their teacher picks them up at the car, is super excited and energetic, and then she leaves holding your babies little hands faster than you can say, "I don't think I can do this!" Thankfully, I had another little munchkin in the back seat that helped me keep my cool. I took one look at her and thought, "Well, it's me and you, kid. Let's enjoy this time."

So, with that being said, Olivia was given her first yesterday as well. The first haircut. We went to a children's hair salon, the same one we went to for the twins' first haircuts. The stylist seemed to be an expert on curly hair and she basically said that Olivia's "Napoleon Dynamite" hair was going to get worse before it would get better. Basically, it will grow out first, then down. But she said when it finally does grow down, she said she would have long, beautiful ringlets. So fun!!!

Lastly, Olivia got her own "first" yesterday. Because she is the baby, she often gets her own "first" experiences after the twins have already experienced it. But not yesterday. She was the first of all my children to go shoe shopping for the first time. Her Baba (grandmother) was able to come in to be there for her first haircut and then wanted to get her some shoes. So we went to Dillard's and tried on shoe after shoe until we found two very adorable pairs that fit her little feet. She walked out of that store with one of the pairs of shoes on and she could not have been happier. After our shoe shopping, we went to the Food Court of the mall and ate and just enjoyed being out. Olivia didn't know what to do with all of the one on one attention. She LOVED having her mommy and her grandmother focus solely on her. Her cup was full, and it blessed my heart to see so.

When I went to pick up Evan and Emily, my hope was that they'd be happy to see me, not because they hated their first day of school experience but because they'd just had a great day. My hope was fulfilled, and when their teacher dropped them off at the car, she had only the nicest things to say about my two little people. Praise God! I pray that remains for the entire year! :-)

We have had many firsts recently, and I know there are more to come within the next few months. Lord willing, potty training will be one of them!

Smells Like Fall

2011-09-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

There are three signs of Fall in our household:

1. Watching Football on T.V.

2. Hearing the sounds of Football from the T.V.

3. Smelling the most amazing cinnamon and cloves concoction from the stove

This sweet and spicy smell is my husband's FAVORITE smell ever! Although he would like for me to put this on the stove all year long, I reserve it for one time of year--Football season and/or the Fall.

Yesterday, I surprised my hubby with this on when he came home. He loves a house that smells good.

Here are the easy ingredients:

Whole Cinnamon Sitcks--about four at a time
Cloves--At least a tbsp. (maybe a little more)
The peel of an orange--not the entire orange!

Sitck all three ingredients in a small saucepan and fill with water. Simmer on the lowest setting possible and within about ten minutes, there will be the most amazing cinnamon spicy smell emanating from the stove.

Warning: Make sure you watch the stove. The water will evaporate and you will have to add water periodically. Make sure you do not burn your base ingredients. This may cause a fire!

And now my house smells like Fall! Yum!

Dip Dip

2011-09-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

My children love, love, love sauces they can dip their food into. I know they get this from me because my husband is not a fan of sauces at all. I am now excitedly anticipating the day we can take them all to the Melting Pot and dip away! This is a place the hubs and I have never been because it just doesn't suit his food interests, but my, oh my, it will suit the rest of ours. :-)

So the kids' favorite "dip dip" (as it is often referred to in our home) is honey mustard. LOVE it! So I decided to make homemade honey mustard. I found it surprisingly easy, but even more surprising was that it was the best honey mustard I have ever eaten outside of a restaurant (which I'm assuming may also be homemade). It was beyond yum!

I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com, which is one my faves.

Here are the ingredients. Fairly Simple.

Take 1/2 cup of Mayo, 2 tbps, of Yellow Mustard, 1 tbps. of Dijon Mustard, 2 tbps of Honey and mix, mix, mix.

Add another tbsp of lemon juice. The recipe called for only half a tbsp. but I like a little more lemon to break up the mustard taste a little more. A full tbsp was perfect!

Mix in a larger bowl and then transfer to a smaller one like this for serving.

And there you have it.

Dip, dip.

This will be gone by the end of the day.

Disney on a Budget

2011-08-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

So, my husband and I have a great love for Disney. We aren't the kind of family you'll see all wearing matching Disney t-shirts :-) (although that's great if you are!), but we just love to visit Disney. We went several times before having kids, and now that we have kids, we love that there is a very kid-friendly place to travel. Disney can be very expensive, though, and while you can't curb costs altogether, there are some strategies you can use to have a more cost-effective time.

1. Go in with a plan and stick to it. If you don't have a plan as to how you will allocate your money at Disney, then you will definitely get "caught up in the moment" once you get there. It is the "happiest place on earth" after all, and all that happiness can make you more spendy once you get there. :-)

2. If you sign up for a credit card that offers hotel points (of course, paying off that balance monthly!), then you earn points towards your chosen hotel chain when you charge the card. It may take a while to earn those points, but if you plan in advance, it will pay off! If this isn't a viable option for you, check out the All Star Resorts on the property. They tend to be the most cost-effective Disney property option.

3. Look for airline promotions. Airlines are having promotions all the time for free or discounted flights. If flying isn't a viable option, then drive! If you have a long distance to go, use your accumulated hotel points to stop for free at a hotel along the way!

4. Buy all Disney "paraphernalia" elsewhere. Once you get in the parks, the sticker shock is amazing! Buy the Disney princess dress ahead of time at a toy store, TJ Maxx, or a Marshalls for around $20.00. Inside the park, it will cost you $64.95. No lie!

5. Don't park hop. Although we have enjoyed the park hop option in the past, park hopping isn't the most cost-effective route, and to be honest, it's easier NOT to park hop with kids. Traveling from park to park takes a TON of energy. It's much cheaper to buy single park options and thoroughly enjoy that park for the day than to get a little of several parks.

6. Take a day off. There is SO much more to do than just go to the parks. There is the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, and a plethora of resorts to visit. I highly recommend taking a day off not just for financial reasons. Many a cranky kiddo have passed through the park gates beyond worn out. The parents push them because, well, they already paid for the tickets, but Disney is "no longer the happiest place on earth" for those little ones. There is nothing wrong with sleeping in a little later and then taking a slow day to enjoy some of the other places provided within the Disney resort.

7. Bring the food. Contrary to what you might expect, Disney does not have a policy about bringing food in with you. While I highly recommend indulging in a Mickey Bar and in the most amazing cupcakes I have ever eaten at Starring Roles Cafe in Hollywood Studios, bringing in your own drinks and snacks will save a lot of money. And I mean a lot. Again, there is a premium for everything once you enter the parks, so plan ahead and save.

8. Take your own pics. Disney will provide many options for your picture to be taken by their professionals. What you might not know, though, is that those same photographers will be more than happy to take your family pic with your own camera. All you have to do is ask and you will be greeted with an emphatic "yes, of course!"

9. Visit during the off season. This just makes good Disney sense. Not only will you maximize your time at Disney by getting more out of the parks with less people, but you will also probably get better hotel rates. You may need to call a Vacation Expert at Disney. Ask them when their off-peak times are. It might surprise you that there are certain weekends in February that are super busy. Ask about large conventions coming in within the next year. They will be able to guide you to the most optimal time of year to visit.

10. Pass on the Character Dining. Now let me preface this point by saying we LOVE the Character Dining, and we will do it again. But, if you're trying to save money, this is not a cost-effective way to see the characters. Every park has a variety of characters that your children can see for FREE (well, the cost of the park ticket, of course). You just have to check out the times guide at the front of the park for where the characters are located and what time they will be out to meet their tiny fans. And, if you go to the parks during the off seasons, your wait will be much less than if you go during high time. Just something to consider.

Okay, those are my ten suggestions, but I'm sure y'all might have some good common sense ideas to add to the mix. If you do, please fee free to leave a comment. I'd love to learn from you!

Cast of Characters

2011-08-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

I can't really say that my children's haircuts are at their all-time best. In fact, each of them have a haircut that reminds of us characters from movies.

Napoleon Dynamite--our little Olivia Claire has not yet had her first haircut. This is primarily due to the fact that it keeps growing outward. Thus, the Napoleon hair.

Dumb and Dumber. Gotta love the very bad haircut our son recently got. We were hoping it would look better once it grew out some. Not yet. Definitely not yet.

Kingpin. Our little Emily Grace got her hair cut at the same place. The lady insisted her bangs needed to be cut differently than they had in the past. Thus creating the Kingpin haircut.

I am seriously considering paying for the expensive children's hair salon after our bargain haircuts. Until we get our next ones, though, we will thoroughly enjoy our cast of characters. :-)

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2011-08-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

I wish I could remember ALL of the fun things the kids say! For example...

Evan is fascinated by every truck he sees when we are driving. But he doesn't use the "tr" sound. He replaces the "tr" sound with a "ph" sound. Tee-hee! We giggle so much every time Evan points out a truck.

Emily doesn't put on a "bathing suit." She puts on a "baby soup." :-)

Olivia just started saying "Luw yu." Melt my heart!

I always ask the kids prior to doing most anything..."Ready!!!???!!!" I most often get an emphatic "Weady!!!!"

I was disciplining Emmy the other day and she whipped out her two year old little finger and shook it at me. She said "Calm down! Calm down, Mommy!" Had to. try. so. hard. not. to. laugh. Thankfully, I was successful. :-)

There are many, many more. I will have to try to remember to write these down more often.

Tenth Anniversary

2011-08-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

Our marriage is now a "tween." We've made it into the double digits. Like true grown-ups, we went to Disney World. Without the kids. On our last day, we found a hammock and decided to sit a spell. It was glorious.

This is what I saw when I looked "up."

And then, we saw this in the sky.

Happy, Happy Day!

Ballooning

2011-08-11T13:45:00.001-07:00

It was a FUN family night. Hot air balloons. Being outside. Going out to eat afterwards and eating our weight in hamburgers. Staying up late. Summer. Gotta love it!

You Know You're a Mom to Irish Triplets When....

2011-08-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

1. Your triple stroller is the size of a Mini Cooper. It is PRICELESS, though!
2. You feel like a celebrity every time you walk into the grocery store. The people stare and talk to you about your kids and stare and stop you to talk about your Mini Cooper stroller and then they just stare some more. :-)
3. Three doctor's appointments within a 24 hour period.
4. Your sippy cups fill up most of the entirety of the top drawer of the dishwasher.
5. Strangers have a hard time telling which two are twins...or they think they're all triplets!
6. You have three boxes of diapers (close to 600 diapers) and two boxes of wipes (14 packs of wipes) delivered to your house monthly.
7. The days are made easier by adding MORE kids to your house. It's a party anyways. Friends make it more fun!
8. You fill up your pantry at the beginning of each week and are amazed at how fast the food goes.
9. Three gallons of milk a week. Need I say more?
10. You have heard the saying, "My, you have your hands full!" exactly 1,246 times.
11. Your idea of some time off is getting to shop at the grocery store by yourself.
12. A daily Sonic run is a must. And if it's a hard day, it's a Starbucks run.
13. You know of every errand you can possibly accomplish via a drive through...prescriptions, drycleaning, dinner, the bank, etc.
14. You are amazed how you can have three little people with all VERY different personalities all from the same gene pool!

PW's Braised Short Ribs and Olive Cheese Bread--Yum!

2011-07-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

One of Chase's faves so far. He wants it on Focaccia bread next time. Where do I buy Focaccia????

The ribs were very tender. So, so good.

However, the best way I can put it is that it just wasn't in either Chase or my "flavor profiles." We thought it was good. I probably won't make it again.

Tonight is date night. Yay! Tomorrow I will be making PWs steak nachos. Looking forward to it....

Potty Training

2011-07-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

Doesn't it look like it's going well????

I heart Pioneer Woman

2011-07-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

I cook a lot. And it is pretty much always for other people. I decided I would start cooking things that I may or may not be the only who likes it. Because it's for me. So, I decided to start with a recipe from Pioneer Woman's blog.

Here it is: Coq Au Vin

It sounds all kinds of fancy. And it has veggies. Which I love. But also, it might entice my children to eat veggies. too.

I cooked it for me. But everyone loved it. I also made the pasta she recommended and added cheese, of course. SO glad I did. I had planned to take a pic of my pretty pasta, but my camera died.

Oh, well.

It was delish.

Can't wait to make something else.

Hair

2011-07-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is the back of our youngest daughter, Olivia's, head.

After we wet her hair, it is very, very curly. But after she sleeps on it, it is a fro.

We call her Napoleon Dynamite.

We ask her if she wants her tots.

Lots and lots and lots of hair.

Color Walk

2011-07-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

I clearly have not been documenting the summer as consistently as I would have liked. This actually is a good thing because it means our days are full, and while I had anticipated a summer that would drag on with all of this summer heat, instead it has been fun and filled with all sorts of experiences and adventures. We have not been short of activities to do or people to do them with.

In the midst of all of our busyness, I am still trying to work on various skills with the twins. Numbers, letters, and colors are our main objectives right now. One of the ways I have been working on colors with the twins is to take a "Color Walk." This can be done anywhere....outside, inside, or while on a drive. It feels very much like we are playing "Follow the Leader" and the twins love it! I tell them to follow me and we stop at a particular location. I ask them, "What color is this picture?" Then they get to answer. Whether it is the right answer or whether it is incorrect, we still will go over the color. So I will say, "This picture is red. What color is this picture? It is a red picture." The kids will often repeat what I say, and then we are off to the next item.

One of our favorite things to do pretty much on a daily basis is to go for a ride. They love to just drive and point out things they see. We have seen green trees, red cars, white trucks, etc. It is really encouraging when they recognize both items they see (which helps build their vocabularies) and when they correctly identify the color. It makes a game out of learning, which is the best way to learn at any age!

I have some other fun things to share in the days ahead about ways I've been teaching them various skills. This season of their lives brings out my background in education, which has been a great love of mine for years. I'm looking forward to stretching those muscles once again, except how fun is it that this time it's with my own kids!!!!

Sanity

2011-07-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

So my plan was to write about our happenings over the ninety days of summer. Um, yeah, that didn't happen so much. Like so many things I plan to do with my Irish triplets, a lot I end up having to let go. I saw an attorney the other day because Chase and I had been working on having wills drawn up. When I explained to the attorney the ages of our kids, he said "Oh! You have Irish triplets!" Ha! Why, yes....yes, I do!"

Whenever I go into a grocery store, it's like I suddenly become a celebrity. I talk to more people about the ages and stages and number of children we have. I think a lot of people are curious as to how I do it. It is true that most evening by about 5:00 p.m., I'm pretty tired, but I also have a lot of help. I have been very blessed to have help in a variety of ways, so it doesn't seem so overwhelming. There are a few essentials that I feel like are vital for my own sanity as well:

1. Humility--I'm learning to ask for help. There has been great blessing in this as I have formed some really special friendships with people who are willing to help.

2. Valco Tri-Mode Twin Ex stroller with a Joey Seat--Moms in a similar situation need to look up this stroller. It will change your life. We get asked all the time about our stroller because it is pretty snazzy. Love it!

3. Babysitters--Our marriage needs this one. Once or twice a month Chase and I will go out on a date and it is essential time for us to be a couple instead of just Mommy and Daddy. I am so very grateful for the help of babysitters.

4. Family time around the dinner table--One of my favorite times of the day. Chase comes home and we all (often without Olivia right now...she goes to bed early) sit around the dinner table and talk and eat and spend quality time together. Love my family so much! I also love there are FIVE of us! It's always fun and boisterous!

5. Memberships to local children's activities--Memberships allow you to often go somewhere as often as you want in a year's time, and the cost often covered in two to three visits.

6. Amazon Mom--I buy three large boxes of diapers and two large boxes of wipes on a monthly basis, often for a little more than the price of two boxes of diapers from Sam's or another grocery store. 30% discount and it's delivered to my door! Can't beat it!

7. The Lord--often when I just think sanity is about to slip away, talking with the Lord throughout the day has greatly added to my patience and my ability to see the "bigger picture." Watching my children bow their heads in prayer and say "Amen" when we're done is such a blessing. I want them to know how important prayer is. It was the power of prayer that helped create my three little wonders and it is the power of prayer that helps me now raise them!

Continued

2011-06-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

So, I want to, before life gets ahead of me, to finish writing about Evan's afternoon with his dad. We had been anticipating their get together for a while because.....

It was opening weekend for CARS 2!!!!!

This is major in most home across the nation with a little boy living in the home. And we were no exception.

The guys had to get there early because of all the buzz. Evan and Chase ended up running into our babysitter and her husband while we were there, which was fun! Chase said Evan ate popcorn (his favorite part), drank some coke and had some sprite. He said Evan very much enjoyed the movie, but after about half way through, Evan told his dad "All Done!" Apparently sitting still for almost two hours for a two year old is hard! Who knew!?!

So the guys decided to call it an afternoon. Ev and Chase stopped off at a favorite BBQ restaurant to bring home some food to the rest of us. Evan had the same sort of response as Emmy when he walked in the door. Joy.

His cup was full. And so was Emmy's. And so was Chase's. The weekend was a major success. Such sweet memories......

Their Cups are Full

2011-06-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend was particularly special. We rested. Ha! Not only did we rest, though, but Chase got some great one-on-one date time with both Evan and Emily. On Saturday morning, Chase and Emily went out for a breakfast date. What amazes me most about Chase is that he planned this date completely on his own. He took Em out to La Madeleine where he said Emily ate so much he couldn't believe it! She hasn't been a huge eater recently. Maybe it's my cooking! :-) Because this little girl ate like it was going out of style on her date with her daddy. Chase then took her to Charming Charlies and bought her some jewelry. Can you believe it!?! The man knows women! And then he and Miss Em went to get frozen yogurt before heading home. Emily walked into the door all smiles with about twenty sparkly bracelets up and down one arm and a thick turquoise necklace draped around her neck. She was beyond thrilled!

While Em and Chase were out, Evan, Olivia and I got some GREAT time together! Olivia went down for a nap for a while and Evan and I got in bed and watched cartoons together. He absolutely loves to watch t.v. in our room and this rarely happens. Evan was so calm and happy. We'd had a rather rough week, so this was especially special for me to have some quality time with him. While Olivia was awake, we all just hung out and played and ate lunch. Olivia is generally happy anywhere, anytime, and this proved true yesterday as well. There will come a time when she joins in on the one-on-one dates but she still is just a little too young. She can't wait to be a big girl. But, she's not quite there yet!

I will write more later on Chase's "date" with Ev. This, too, was memorable and special.

Lighten Up and Rest Already

2011-06-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have recently noticed about myself that I don't rest well. Especially since I had the twins. I can hardly remember a day when I wasn't sick that I just sat, laid in bed, didn't do much, etc. This is very hard to do with three small children, especially when the twins were younger. There was a routine and, although I would rest during scheduled naptimes, the routine did require a lot of my time and energy. But now that the twins are on their way to being two and a half and Liv is one, I do have so much more flexibility to rest. To just say that I'm putting everything on hold and not doing much.

I have put a lot of pressure on myself to be activity oriented. I do want our children to have a fun childhood filled with memories of doing fun things on the weekends and while they were at home with me. I really do. But I'm starting to see that I also need to seriously take some down time and teach them how to be still, how to rest. I mean, if the Lord rested on the seventh day, I think there is definitely something to how much we need rest as well. So I'm truly trying to learn how to let the schedule go, how to sit back, enjoy my coffee, enjoy my kids and not do much at all.

I'm now 31 years old. Craziness. I still feel like I'm 21. Don't get me wrong. I look in the mirror and know I'm not 21. Ha! But I do still feel that way most of the time. The twenties were intense for me. Lots of achieving. Lots of striving. Degrees. Pregnancies. Kids. Moves. Career decisions. Busy. Intense. The thirties have been so great because so much of that striving is done. Which means it's time to put on my big girl panties and have some fun. Raising kids is serious work. But, it also brings great opportunities for a more serious gal like myself to laugh large belly laughs, to sing at the top of my lungs, to dance, to play, and to discover. Fun.

This has been my favorite part about this new stage and I hope that amidst the exhaustion and the hard work of training and disciplining, I can lighten up a little bit and laugh my way through my thirties. By the time my thirties are over, I will have almost teenagers. It will go so fast. I know it will. The days are long but, oh, the years will fly.

So, today, Saturday, I have nothing planned. Nothing. Except to laugh a little more and maybe even dance some too!

Lessons from the Wal-Mart Line

2011-06-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

A woman in a 12 passenger van pulls up not too far from our own SUV this morning in the Wal-Mart parking lot. First, came out an infant in an infant carrier. And then more children followed. And then more. Eight in all. They all looked very young too.

I watched the crew of eight walk in to Wal-Mart while I took my time assembling our triple stroller. I couldn't help but think that the challenges of parenting could be much harder after watching this large family of young children walk into the store.

I rushed through Wal-Mart with my usual mad dash. Going to Wal-Mart with the kids right now is like running against a ticking timer. How long before the kids have had enough? Will there be a public meltdown? Will there be fussing and crying?

As I finished up my short list (I can only buy what I can fit in two re-usable Wal-Mart bags--the kids don't take well to the buggy!), I got in line to purchase my items.

The mother of eight and her blonde-haired brood stepped in line behind me.

I was a usual mess. I was trying to present coupons, a gift card, load the plastic bags into my re-usable bags, pay the rest of the balance with my debit card, and offer another round of snacks to the twins. The mother behind me didn't seem so frazzled. She seemed, well, calm. She asked me, "Would you like my boys to help you carry your groceries to the car?" Um, what? My pride always seems to cause me to say "no" to most offers for help. Especially from strangers.

But as I moved aside to re-organize myself after the chaotic paying process, her son himself asked if he could help me out. He seemed very insistent. And I decided I would take him up on it.

This young boy happened to be eleven, told me he was home-schooled, was polite, confident, and a servant. I was very impressed.

The mom came out not long after us and loaded up her kids. They all drove off before I could even load up the triple stroller.

I learned a few things today. Sometimes a mom of three can have it harder than a mom of eight. She had help in the form of older children. I do not yet have that sort of help. But I also got a glimpse into what I'm aiming for. I hope that one day my son will be just as generous and kind and confident as this young man. And that's why I have never worked harder in my entire life at anything than I am working to discipline and train my children. Some days I don't think I can do much more, take another step. It's hard, hard work. But then the Lord presents a gift in the form of a picture. I may never have eight kids. I may never home school. But I can have a family just as calm and composed and obedient. And I pray I do.

So I learned a couple of lessons in the Wal-Mart line today. A large group of people piling out of a twelve passenger van may just be a couple of lessons, and blessings, in disguise.

Olivia's First Birthday

2011-06-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a blessed milestone for our littlest, Olivia Claire. She turned one! We will have a more "official" celebration on Sunday, but yesterday could not have been more of a perfect birthday for a our one year old. Olivia actually didn't sleep well the night before and actually woke up at exactly 12:00 a.m. I went in to hold her for a moment and, of course, wished her a very happy birthday! I think somehow she new it was her birthday and wasn't going to let a minute pass before she celebrated! Ha!

After she went back to sleep, she woke up to a bottle and then the most wonderful food experience she has had to date. Her very own cupcake. The child devoured it! I've never seen her eat something so wonderfully, with such delight. Of course, big brother and sister got a cupcake too which meant that after all the 'breakfast' festivities, all three enjoyed a morning bath. After the morning bath, I allowed Olivia to have the joy that any one year old dreams of...tearing apart tissue paper and pulling the wipes out of entire package of wipes. This may not make sense to you or me. But the child finds great joy in these two activities, and it was her day after all! After some post-bath downtime and a nap, I took all three kiddos on a walk. Then came lunch, and a nap. After their nap, it was time for our first official ride (an almost daily ritual in our family). What was special about this time was that Olivia was finally able to turn her carseat around!!!! It was a whole new world to the little girl as we traveled our frequent route to Sonic (where all three kids got ice cream). We came home after our ride out and ate our ice cream, and then we played and I cooked dinner until Daddy got home. My favorite part of Olivia's day was all five of us sitting around the dinner table, singing happy birthday to her, praying together, enjoying a meal together, and, of course, watching Olivia eat her second cupcake of the day. It was so special. I know Olivia won't remember the day she turned one, but it was filled with activities that she loved and she was surrounded by people who love her and wanted to celebrate her.

There will be more special things for Liv in the coming days as well. I always love an extended celebration!

I really should stay in bed on Tuesdays

2011-06-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

I've had another bad Tuesday. I'm sassy, tired, and ready to call it a day. My challenges of the day included our son making some defiant decisions while we were at the Spray Park today that could have been dangerous (but the Lord is so good, and all was fine!), thus leading me to have a total and complete meltdown once we got in the car. So grateful I can call my hubby and just cry.

Emily also locked herself in a room today. Thanks to my father-in-law who taught me how to break a lock with an old credit card. I called him my "McGyver." Only those in their thirties would know who McGyver is. Or was. Not sure if he's aired anymore. But I digress.

Then I just got plain sassy with someone today. That someone I don't know well enough to be sassy with either. Good times.

So, I'm calling this a day.

Until tomorrow.

I'm officially behind

2011-06-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'd planned to blog much more often than I'd been doing the last week, but as I commented in an earlier post, busyness is upon us. The last week, we have been to the spray park with friends, spent the night in New Orleans, gone swimming, went to the children's museum, had Baba stay with us for a couple of nights, and lived four days with Daddy out of town.

It has been a lot of fun (aside from Daddy being out of town--we all missed him SO much)! The kids are having a really fun summer, and while I really look forward to the Fall (my favorite time of year!), I must say I'm having a lot of fun too. After all of that busyness, though, I'm attempting to officially have a day of rest today. This means doing the bare minimum and allowing my house to look like a bomb exploded. This happens easily and within about an hour without my constant attention and attempts to keep it picked up. But that would be work and not rest. I can pick it up either tonight or tomorrow. It's not going anywhere. This afternoon will be movie time with the kids, playing with them, and just enjoying them. Tonight, my husband will even pick up dinner.

So grateful for slow Summer days.

Days 7 and 8 continued....

2011-06-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

After the red Powerade incident, my morning was nice due to the fact that it was a MDO for me. Our sitter came to watch the kids so I could get out and about for several hours. A true gift. I can't say enough about how much I love this gift.

When I got home, I had things to do. I needed to make cookies for a friend and got that done and then was headed out the door later that evening (with all three kids) to stop by a friend's house to take care of purchasing Jambalaya tickets for a fundraiser on Saturday. The friend has a narrow, wooden gate that frames her driveway. I'd been there before and I remembered thinking how hard it was to back out (especially because she lives on a busy street).

It makes it especially hard to back out of a narrow opening when you have a screaming child (as I did that night). I think it had been a long day, I was tired, and I had a screaming child in the car. All three factors led me to back out WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING! The combination of a narrow driveway and a driver who was not paying attention turned into running into the fence, damaging her fence and our bumper. Not good at all!

Thankfully, she was so gracious but I'd had it. It was time to go to bed after that and call it day. And that's exactly what I did...after feeding three kids, changing them and getting them to bed, of course! :-)

Days 7 and 8: This one's for the books (Part One)

2011-06-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Day 7, was one of those days that was so laughably awful that all I can really do is just sigh and be glad that it is over. I started off the day preparing for my own personal MDO. That's right, our sitter came over at 7:30 a.m. to watch the kids for a whole six hours! Evan and Emily both woke up super early that morning and I decided to put Ev and Em in Emmy's room to play while I got ready for the sitter. I decided to bring the kiddos something drink while they were playing, and I made the worst drink decision ever...red Powerade. Not only did I give my two year olds red Powerade, I also forgot the plastic drink stopper in one of their sippy cups. Which meant my children had free access to an art project. We will call it "Red Carpet" because that's what happened to our very light carpet. It was splattered with lots and lots of red. This mistake would cost us a trip from Stanley Steemer today where I was told only after they cleaned the carpet that the stain would indeed not come out.

But this mistake would pale in comparison to what I did later in the day. More on that tomorrow....

Days 4-6: Down Time

2011-06-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been strangely calm. This is the "calm before the storm," though, of two crazy busy weeks ahead. :-) The best part of three very slow days is that it actually teaches the kids that we don't have to run all the time. It also teaches them how to rest, how to enjoy our home, and how to know that this is their most comfortable place right now in their lives. I noticed them going through "activity detox" on our first full day home and then by the third day or so, they are in a "home routine." They are comfortable and they are resting. It's so nice to watch each of them take to a spot in the home (the couch, a pillow, etc.) where they will just stop and lay down for a spell. This is new. And I like it. I will have more to write in the days to come as we have a busy schedule right around the corner, but until then, we'll keep on resting. :-)

Day 3: Change is always a good thing

2011-06-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of principles I'm learning when working with small children.

Principle # 1: Wear the children out early in the day. There is great payoff for the rest of the day when you do so. They are less active the rest of the day AND usually a nice nap pays off.

Principle # 2: Mama must rest too. Now I know that some mothers will laugh and scoff at this idea. I mean, when is there really time? I so agree with this question, however, I'm trying my best not to run hard the kids' entire nap time. If I give myself a little rest time, I find I have more energy to run with the little ones after their nap.

Principle # 3: Change is good. I'm finding that moving toys into different locations of the house actually gives the children the sense that their toys are new. And any parent who has ever taken their child to someone else's house with toys their own children have never or rarely seen knows this principle well. New toys are way more fun than the toys the kids are already used to.

Well, yesterday I took principle # 3 into a more drastic action. I moved furniture. I re-arranged both the playroom and the living room, and the kids LOVE it!

This is our playroom. I moved our coffee table and turned it into an activity table. The kids love this so much! Now I need chairs for the kids which I plan to get ASAP!

This would be an example of a station, except this is really a combo. I have both blocks and books on this table. Normally, in a station I separate activities so that blocks would be on one table and books/computers would be on another table.

Another view of our playroom. To the left is a T.V. and behind the chair is a chalkboard. I haven't been brave enough to let the kids (who are still only a young two) use chalk on the chalkboard. Instead, I write on it and use it as a teaching tool...like to teach shapes, etc.

We moved the couch out of the playroom and now have two couches in our living room (please excuse the laundry on the couch!). This is one of the pieces I use in a role-play center. It's a little kitchen. I would take all real-life items and put them in this large space. It's a great way for the kids to "help" while I'm working. The other day I gave each child a large non-breakable bowl and a whisk and spatula and they "cooked" while I was cooking too! :-)

This is an activity station "in progress." I moved our small outdoor basketball goal inside because it's too hot to be outside all that much AND I have a very active little boy. I have a few other ideas of "activity" type things to add to this area of the house that I'm working on.

We did have some really enjoyable play time outside this morning. The kids were so tired after playing outside, they asked to go inside! I think that may be a first! Other than that, we have been thoroughly enjoying the new changes in the house. When you're two, it appears that for the most part, change can be a very good thing! :-)

Day 2: Jump N Jive

2011-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a field trip day. Not too far from us, we have a place we call "the jumpy place." It is a wonderful place where kids can run free in the a/c and where there are bouncers a plenty for the kids to jump around in. There were LOTS of kiddos today. It didn't surprise me as I can't imagine any other parents bringing their bambinos outside during this weather either. 101 degrees was the temperature registering on my car at 11:45 a.m. No kidding! There is also a depression out in the gulf as we speak. It's only July 2nd.

The kids took a bath after the jumpy place (also known as Jump N Jive). Lunch was to follow and then a late nap. Today Mama isn't napping. She will be working. Working hard.

This afternoon will hold lots to do. I have been working the last couple of weeks on centers for the kids around the house. I'm still working on them, but I have a "planes, trains, and automobiles" station, a block station, a puzzle station, a music station, and a "Book Nook." There are two other stations I am working on. One will be an activity station, and the other will be a "role play" station. More about the last two later. So I move the kids from station to station. They spend about fifteen to twenty minutes at each station. It keeps them occupied and allows them to categorize too.

So this afternoon will be an station afternoon. I hear Olivia crying so I have to go. She was up three times last night and I'm suspecting an ear infection. She hasn't napped very long today. Poor baby!

Day 1: There's No Place Like Home

2011-06-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to blog about the next ninety hot summer days ahead of us.

And today is day one.

Although a little intimidated by all the time I have to fill over the next ninety days, I've decided to pull my teaching background and the little creativity I might have left after having three children so close together and try to make the most of this time.

And that's what I'm doing this very day.

So here's what's going down:

Morning time: Free play. This is a time of unstructured indoor play first thing in the morning. I need this time because I'm normally making breakfast, doing dishes, and putting my first load of laundry in the washer during this time.

9:15-10:45--Apparently it was only 80 degrees outside during this time but I assure you, it felt much hotter. My goal was to play outside for an hour and we all made it 45 minutes. Although this play time was outside, this time was structured. I ran with the twins, pushed them on the swings, and we played follow the leader. Guess who was the leader!?!

After outside: Ice Cream Time!!! The Heat + Running Hard Outside= Need for something cold AND for a little sugar.

Then came downtime. Thanks Sesame Street! I watched this show as a child and I still LOVE it! Very educational!

More play. Then nap. And what did mama do during the kids' naps? She napped herself!! Woo-hoo! This does NOT happen very often, and today I crashed hard. I was awakened by the two crying children because the lawn man just loves to cut our grass during nap time. Grrrrrr.....

After nap came more play time with a ride out and about and then home to dinner. After dinner we enjoyed another show and then we played.

The baby girl is in bed already.

It is time to put two little more munchkins to bed.

And then I rest. It's been a good Day 1. Truly, there's no place like home.

What to do, what to do....

2011-05-31T18:04:00.000-07:00

It is SO HOT outside!!!! I have two two-year olds and an almost one year old who are all very active, and have I mentioned yet....it's hot outside!?! Like too hot for little ones to run around. And so hot that actual snakes are curling up at my doorpost in my backyard and slithering away when I open the door. Which makes me a little less hesitant to take my little ones outside. Soooooo I'm inside with these energetic little ones and I've already looked at my calendar and I realize I have three very long, hot months ahead of us. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but "Is it Winter yet!?!" Whatever will I do to keep these children occupied with all of this hotness for three full months!?! Craziness, I tell you. Pure craziness.

I'm SO excited I can't stand it!!!!!

2011-05-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

We got the call this morning. Emmy and Evan have been officially accepted to MDO!!!!

They got in to an MDO that has a waiting list like a bajillion people long, AND it's one of the closer ones to our home, AND it's a Christian school with a great curriculum that is BOTH Biblical and academic.

This will mark a new season for us. Supply lists and open houses and getting out the door early and delayed naptime and Mommy better get going on this whole potty training thing.....

I guess I'm so excited because I LOVED school as a child. I have always been a lover of learning. I could probably be in some sort of learning environment forever. I guess that's why teaching also suited me so much.

And I'm excited that for a few hours a week, our kids will get to be a part of that environment, but that it's also a place I feel comfortable with sending our kids to. If you know me well, you will know I'm a little bit protective. That's okay. I'll own that. So it means a lot that I feel like I have the best care for my babies. And this MDO has had rave reviews from every person I've ever known who has sent their own babies there.

Seriously, I'm so excited I can't stand it! Looking forward to all that Fall will hold! :-)

I will have to write quickly

2011-05-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday morning, and I can already hear Emily awake. I've been wanting to blog for a while now because my kiddos are doing some very stinkin' cute things.

For starters, Olivia took her first two steps on Monday, the 16th, the day she turned 11 months. I'm suspecting a full-fledged walker very soon. Also, last night, the baby girl began to clap!!! Um, so, so adorable!

Emmy has been standing behind her little kitchen and offering to sell diet coke and french fries. Needless to say, you can tell I've been teaching healthy eating habits. :-) We got in the car yesterday for one of our almost daily rides, and Emmy yelled, "Diet Coke and French Fries!" Yes, this is a regular for us (the kids get sprite). It's a way for us to get out of the house and have a treat!

Pause....I never did finish my Thursday morning post, so now it's Friday night and I'm finishing up what I meant to finish yesterday morning. Not a surprise. That's just our busy life right now!

Evan has been so cute with his words recently. Whenever we are about to do something, we ask Evan, "Ready?" He responds with, "Weady!" It's so, so cute! Also, he frequently says "hug" from across the room and runs fast into one of our arms with his arms held out to wrap around us when he gets there.

We are also teething right now....not fun! All three are teething and it's leaving three very cranky kids to take care of. I'm looking forward to teething being OVER so soon. For two out of the three, this should be our last go-round for a while. After two hard teething days, it's very tempting to end this post on a "I'm a very worn out mother" note. Give me a couple of non-teething days, and I'll be on cloud nine again. Motherhood is good. :-)

Today I remember.....

2011-05-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

The three years of infertility we went through to have our children.
The tears I cried waiting to become a mother.
The longing I had to pour into my children's lives.
The test results that indicated that our chances of getting pregnant from fertility procedures weren't all that high.
The failed fertility attempts.
Being told we were finally pregnant.
Being in the delivery room with the twins and the doctor telling us she found an issue she could correct during our c-section.
Seeing Evan and Emily for the first time.
Hearing from the doctor's office we were pregnant again and praising God for His miracle in our life.
Meeting Olivia Claire for the first time.
Celebrating my first Mother's Day by dedicating the twins.
Celebrating my second Mother's Day in the hospital having contractions with Olivia.
Celebrating my third Mother's Day with three little wonders. Today.

Less is More

2011-05-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

This post will be short, quick, and to the point. I've just been learning so much recently about living with less. And I don't just mean "stuff." I feel like I've already gotten that point. Not that I've already attained it, but I got it. What I hadn't been getting is this whole idea of living with less noise, less images splashed across a pretty black box, less news, less social media, less competition, less how things should be done, less how things have always been done, less garbage, less pressure....just less. I'm so grateful the Lord is doing a mighty decluttering in me. There's nothing like a Spring cleaning. And this one's BIG.

This will probably be very disorganized

2011-04-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

It is 7:36 p.m and I've just finished picking up after getting all three little ones to bed. Chase called on his way home and said he'd been in a wreck and would be late getting home. Praise God he is okay. His van is pretty damaged, though, he said, so we shall see if he will be able to drive home. Evan is currently crying quite a bit. He suffers from Daddy separation at night. Not kidding. Only his daddy can put him to bed without him crying and crying. His dad is by far his favorite person. I love seeing that so much! Emmy is his second favorite person. I'm somewhere down there but he seems to be mad at me a lot right now. I'm sure that will change...right?

We have had an AMAZING week! Two weeks prior to this past week were some of the busiest weeks I have ever had. Ever. I was either busy all day every day for a week or it was every night. It was a lot. I made a conscious decision to slow it way down this week and I have soaked up just chilling with my babies. They are so fun. I can't say enough about how much I am enjoying the season I'm in right now. Other than maybe my newlywed season, which was also so fun and special, this is probably the best season I've ever had. I'm so glad that I'm able to recognize it and to be grateful for it. I'm glad I'm taking the challenges of motherhood in stride. It's easy to get exasperated with tantrums and the physical demands of toddlers and infants. Oh, but the love and joy is just so much. So, so much. What a privelege it is to be a mommy.

Also, I'm grateful that I have very much a peace about my calling to stay at home with my little ones. I know not everyone feels called to do it or can do it if they wanted. But I'm grateful I can. I had many women tell me before I had the twins that they stayed home when their kids were little and it was a decision they never regretted. I feel the same way. I don't think I will ever look back and regret this time. It has been very, very special so far, and I have no doubt it will continue to be.

Today, we went outside to play. Emmy is my girly-girl who LOVES bugs and mudpies. No lie. And Evan is my "all boy" who hates to get dirty. But today Ev and Em sat side by side outside and played in the dirt. Evan wants to do whatever his sister is doing. Emmy, consider it a compliment. He LOVES you. That's why he always takes your toys. You make them cool. Otherwise they are just a toy he's not all that into.

Olivia grew up today. She started pulling up on anything and everything. That means it no longer has to have a ledge. Walls and flat surfaces even work now. And she is cruising. She did a dos-i-do around the coffee table today. Such a big girl. It makes me both very happy and a little sad all at the same time. I'm about to have every child in my family be a walker. No more little babies. Little toddlers and little children. Wow!

Well, I could go on and on but I probably should check on my husband again to make sure he is moving again after his accident. Until another day and another quiet moment to sit and think and write. Few and far between....

Under Construction and Cable Free

2011-04-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this blog is currently about to undergo an overhaul. It will look different (in time) but also there are some personal changes I plan on making to better secure the privacy of my little ones. After reading Kelly's Korner Blog, I'm a little freaked out by the access people may have to pictures of the kiddos with whom I wouldn't want access.

On another note, we are cable free. We are trying it for one month. This is VERY hard for Chase and me. We want to live differently, but our mindset is so bent on using t.v. as a means to relax and we use it a lot for the kids too. Gotta love the Disney Channel! It has been hard work to find alternatives and we are less than a week into it! I am not saying we are t.v. free. We bought an Apple T.V. which I must say has been a fabulous alternative. We do feel like we have more control over what we let into our home and it's nice not to have commercials when you choose movies or t.v. shows to watch. So, we shall see. Can we make it to May 15th? I pray we will. Discipline is good! :-)

Camp Lively

2011-04-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Chase has been encouraged recently to come up with a vision and/or a mission statement for his family. This did NOT come from me but from other men in his life who serve as mentors/teachers. Chase hasn't yet created a word for word mission statement, but he did create a name. The name was created, in my own opinion, partly in jest and partly out of all sincerity. And so we now affectionately refer to our brood and all of the activity associated with it as "Camp Lively." I pretty much run a 12 hour a day daycare/pre-school program here at Camp Lively. Camp Lively rarely experiences a quiet moment and even rarer is a still moment. The Camp Directors are often found doing laundry and washing dishes during nap time or after the kids have gone to bed. We have the most fun field trips though--sometimes it is just to the store and other times it is to the zoo, the beach, or to a new event that all the campers get to experience for the first time. I would definitely say our mascot right now is Mickey Mouse. He is everywhere. I'm sure this isn't permanent but he will be around for a while longer. :-)

At least once a week, Chase comes home early so I can leave for a Bible Study. I try to have as much done for him before I leave, but I love how he wants to completely take control of the evening's activities when I'm gone. He often keeps the kids up later than I would, but they play and play and play until everyone is tired. Last night, I came home after my girls' small group to find two of the kiddos in bed while the third, Emmy, stayed up with her daddy for a dinner date. Emmy and her daddy share a love for food. Chase LOVES to expose Emmy to all sorts of new foods and Em loves the time with her dad. I walked in last night to find so many different types of foods spread all over the coffee table. Emily had created a little pile of all the things she was eating. She was so happy to have some one on one time and to be able to eat. She was his date for the night. :-)

I've had many a date with Ev as well. The girls will go to bed and Evan and I will crawl into bed, grab a snack and watch us some t.v. Evan and I both share a love for resting and watching t.v. Emily is busy, busy, busy. She doesn't sit still very often and she loves to get into things. So, after the girls go to sleep, Evan and I get to experience our shared interest. It's so fun and such a special time for us!

These are just a couple of examples of the fun times we have here at Camp Lively. Never a dull day. Rarely a dull moment. Now, what should our mission statement be? Oh, Tootles!!!!

Who says you can't honeymoon almost ten years later?

2011-04-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I looked up the word honeymoon. I was delighted to find that it didn't just refer to the period right after a wedding. It actually can also refer to any time of marital bliss. And so my most recent weekend with my hubby would definitely be referred to as a honeymoon.

A week prior, Chase told me that I could absolutely not make plans for Friday. He had a surprise! Yay! I love surprises! And the surprise he had in store was the best date night I've ever had! He had secured help with the kiddos (thanks Baba and Papa!) and planned a night away so we could go to the Harry Connick Jr. Concert in Biloxi, Mississippi.

I love how things in life often come full circle. As an 18 year old girl, I fell in love with Jazz music. I LOVED listening to Harry Connick Jr. music. That same year, I got the chance to go to New Orleans for the first time. I was enthralled with the jazz sounds emanating from the streets as the street musicians performed soulful jazz music. Chase and I laugh because in many ways I am an old soul. I mean, seriously, how many 18 year olds listen to Harry Connick Jr. and love jazz music!?! Ha! I don't care, though. I love it! So then, two years later, I meet my New Orleans boy and I remember a very specific conversation when we were just getting to know one another and I told him how much I liked New Orleans (especially because of the music). This was a pivotal conversation for our interest in one another as my hubby liked very much that he'd met a girl who liked his hometown. :-)

So, fast forward ten years, and I'm sitting next two my sweet New Orleanian husband listening to the sweet, sweet sounds of New Orleans jazz emanate from the stage as Harry Connick Jr. belts out song after song. The concert had a very strong New Orleans jazz focus which made the concert an absolute winner for both of us. It was, as I said before, the best date night I'd ever had! The concert hall was intimate and there were several places within the room to grab a glass of Merlot or a margarita prior to the concert so you could enjoy a drink while listening. We stayed at the Beau Rivage and took a cab over to the Imperial Palace where Harry played.

Although the Imperial Palace was nice, we LOVED the hotel we chose. The Beau Rivage is first class and was absolutely beautiful! Chase and I ate at the hotel after the concert (which was like 11:00 pm) and it was just so much fun to live for a few hours like we rarely do. Eating out at 11 pm is not often on our schedule! :-) I was just so blessed that my husband took the time to bless me, and the quality time we got was absolutely priceless. We were able to get re-energized so we could keep on running with all of the craziness we have in our lives right now. It was a great investment in our marriage, and I definitely think we should do this again. Maybe a Muse concert next time for the hubby. :-)

Some days are harder, some days are easier, but it's easier overall

2011-03-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

My friends warned me. Two would be a magical age. I think I had a hard time visualizing what they meant until my own little ones made it to the age of 2. And now I know. And I LOVE it!

When I was going through our infertility journey and I daydreamed about motherhood, I believe it looked something very much like the season we are in. Emily and Evan are becoming little people. The baby stage is officially all gone. And while I look at their baby videos and pictures and can't believe that stage passed so quickly, I'm also very glad they are in this new stage. Our little people are just so much fun now. They are talking up a storm and their vocabulary widens on a daily basis. They are experiencing life and enjoying it. The fun part about being a parent is that you get to join in on all of the discovering they are doing. I get to play with them. I get to show them new things and plan fun adventures for them.

Now, I will say I am running hard. I get up early in the morning and run til late at night. I go to sleep at night exhausted because of the physical demands of small children. I must say, though, I've probably got to be in pretty decent shape during this stage. Ha!

Don't get me wrong. We are having our two year old "challenges." Emily and Evan are starting to fight with one another more. Their little selfish sides are being exposed, and it's not pretty. There is a lot more discipline, and I have to be ready to discipline frequently. Going to the grocery store means having lots of snacks on hand so that we avoid tantrums and I can get things done.

But even with the new two year old challenges, I'm still loving this new age so much and all of the new things I'm able to see in Evan and Emily and all of the experiences we are sharing together.

Potty Training has Officially Begun!!!!

2011-03-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

I love that the Lord gave Evan and Emily their very own "first"--and on the same day! Let me start by saying I had no intention of officially starting potty training anytime soon. I was looking at starting sometime this summer, but not yet. I noticed, though, that Emily and Evan would announce that they had to "poo poo" prior to actually doing the deed. So the night before last, it just came to me that I should put them on a potty when they make their announcement. So the next day, being yesterday, I did just that! Emily actually did poo poo in the potty and Evan pee-peed! They each had their own first! I love it, and only the Lord could have planned it that way. So, I decided I would keep up the momentum and we are continuing with training today. I will be very laid back about it, but I'm trying to put them on the potty as often as I can. I guess we will see how it goes over time! So excited for my precious little people!!!!

Lee-ee-a

2011-03-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is Emily's new name for Olivia. I love it. So Lee-ee-a has been a very active girl recently. She crawls everywhere and prefers to be in the playroom over any other place. I have picked up every small piece I could possibly find and are sitting in a big basket high above the little children's heads. The most notable big girl achievement for Lee-ee-a is that she has started moving from her stomach to sitting position. I really think the child will be walking before we know it. Last night (okay, she isn't even 9 months old yet!!!), she tried to pull up from sitting position to standing position. It won't be long. I fully predict this little one will be walking well before 12 months. I think she gets very frustrated that she can't hang with the big kids yet and she wants to so desperately. I really think her very determined personality and her desire to play with her big bro and sis will motivate her to get up and move. So, I realized last night I am about to move from two toddlers and an infant to three toddlers! Mercy.

In the last two weeks, Emily....

2011-03-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

1. was diagnosed with a double ear infection
2. brought her mommy leaves off a plant and a dead mosquito eater as gifts
3. brushed her own teeth
4. tried to help take care of her baby sister
5. started calling her baby sister "Lee-ee-a" instead of "La La"
6. colored her little heart out.
7. started eating at the table more frequently and decided she would prefer to eat at the table over in her high chair.
8. said many big girl phrases like "Sister's crying." Also when her mommy asked her, "Emily, are you pretty?," Emily responded "I pretty."
9. started waking up much earlier--before 7 a.m.!
10. turned two!!!!

In the last week, Evan....

2011-03-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

1. said "I love you!"
2. sat on his sister, Olivia--twice!!
3. did pushups with his dad before bed, a regular nighttime ritual.
4. played outside more than he ever has--and loved every minute of it!
5. played with his new truck. He was a little scared of it because it is an automatic truck that moves after pressing buttons. Once he got used to it, he can't get enough.
6. brushed his own teeth.
7. ate a lot of sweets.
8. played ball with his mommy.
9. painted with chocolate pudding.
10. turned two!!!

Eight Months Old

2011-02-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe our little Olivia is already eight months old! She turned eight months this past Wednesday, and it was a glorious day. She held her bottle for an entire feeding for the first time on Wednesday AND she started crawling! I could hardly believe it! One minute she was struggling to move and the next minute she was moving! I'm learning that our little "O" is quite the type A personality, and she is very determined to seek something out when she wants it!

Other than our fantastic milestones, this past week has been another round of sickness. I'm starting to learn that is part of having small children and am managing with a much better attitude than I did about a year ago when the sickness really first began. All five of us are actually fighting something right now, and I had to take Evan to the doctor on Thursday only to discover he had a double ear infection. I told Chase today that I am praying that the Lord would give me a positive attitude about the often frequent challenges of raising Irish triplets. The best part is that He has. I am very grateful for this time and know they will all be in school before I know it. What ever will I do with all that time?!? :-)

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

There is something neat about celebrating a holiday with very little significance. There is no spiritual or milestone type significance to Valentine's Day for me. In fact, Chase and I have never done anything for Valentine's Day that I can recall. However, now that I have children, I have decided to buy in to all of the marketing for their sake. For fun's sake. I wanted this holiday to be fun. and this was the first year I really tried to do something. So.....this year it was pajamas and waffles. The girls' jammies were pink and Ev's jammies were red. We put them on V-day Eve and attempted a pic. We had one pic before the camera died on us. Emily was very into a toy right next to her and was not interested in taking a pic at all.

On Valentine's Day morning, I gave the kids heart-shaped waffles. Good times! And that was Valentine's Day 2011.

A Really Good Day

2011-02-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Saturday, was SUCH a good day! The best of days, really. We didn't do anything huge, but the time we got as a family was so great. Yesterday was "date day." Chase had a morning date with Evan. He and Ev ran errands together and were gone for about three hours. Ev came home full of energy and you could just tell that his cup was full from spending so much time with his dad. One of the errands they ran was to Academy where Chase bought Ev a basketball goal (kid-sized, of course). I don't think I'd ever seen Chase put together a toy so fast. I have to admit that our playroom didn't have a ton of masculine items in it, and Chase said this was the reason he was so excited about Evan's new goal. It was a toy that was "all boy"--not a kitchen or grocery cart or even something "gender neutral"--ALL boy! Those boys played all day long with that basketball goal. So much fun!

While the boys were out on their date, I got great "girl time" at home with my two little girls. I confess, the house was so quiet with only girls in it. Although it was nice to have a more quiet and calmer home, I told Chase that he and Ev certainly brought an exciting element to our home. Emily and I played pat a cake for the first time yesterday, and she played with all of her toys near me while I worked a little in our house. When Chase and Ev got home, Ev and Em went down for a nap. After they woke up, it was time for the girls to head out on our date. Emily and I ran to Target and then to Walgreens. We didn't get a big toy this time but Emily did want a set of Mardis Gras beads she saw in Target. This little plastic necklace was $5!!! I went ahead and bought it for her, only for her to say "All done!" and take it off before we ever left the store. That's something to remember for next time! Emily also got a lemonade in a big cup with a straw and she LOVED it. Em also held my grocery list while we walked up and down the aisles. She was such a great helper, and it blessed my heart beyond words that I got that special one on one time with her.

Our "date day" was a success and very special to both Chase and myself, and I'm sure there will be many more in our future, Lord Willing!

Disney 2010

2011-02-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

I am very aware that we are all so spoiled to even be able to go to Disney World, much less say that our children at the age of 22 months, have already been there twice. We feel very fortunate, and I must say, we love Disney! It has proven to be a great vacation destination for us for many reasons. I would highly recommend Disney to any family with young children for the following reasons:
1. The baby care center. I have never seen a place like this. It is hands down the most serene place in the entirety of Disney World. Calm, elderly women stand by the door and direct you to fully-lined baby changing beds, a room with kid-sized tables and a t.v., and a baby care center with everything you could possibly need for your babe or tot. It is super clean and super quiet. I feel relaxed just thinking about it.

2. The Disney Channel and Disney World coincide. Okay, I know this is a shocker, but what my kids watch on t.v., they get to experience first hand at the Disney World parks. And, another shocker, they LOVE it!

3. Espresso stations are in every park. I need to write a post about my love for hot espresso. Starbucks doesn't make it this good. I promise.

4. Everything is done "first class" at Disney. It is just done well. They don't cut any corners on flair, performance, or presentation.

5. There are no bugs (at least that I know of). I am not, in any way, a nature girl. I have tried to be in the past, only to realize I just don't like nature. I like "sidewalk vacations." Basically, if I can vacate on cement, that's the place I'd like to go. Thank you, Disney, for creating a fun place on cement. I have enjoyed it very much!

We went to Disney in December of 2010, which was about six weeks ago. We drove in to Alabama where some friends were getting married, went to the wedding, then continued driving as far as Tallahassee. We stayed at a Sheraton that was the best baby-proofed hotel room I'd ever stayed in. So grateful for not having to pick up 50 million items. So grateful. Then we continued driving the next day until we made it into Orlando, and then we parked ourselves at the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort. Can I just say....so, so nice! The BEST part about the resort was that we could walk to the Magic Kingdom in about ten minutes.

We hung out the first day and then headed to the Magic Kingdom on Day 3. Day 4 was Hollywood Studios. Day 5 was the Magic Kingdom again. Day 6 we drove all the way home without stopping. We were all SO tired (have I mentioned that Irish triplets don't sleep all that soundly in one room together??) and driving straight home was actually fairly easy. I think we all dreamed of our own beds by that last day.

Here are a few pics of our trip:

Our family on the first day at Magic Kingdom

Em and Mickey

Disney World on Lights

Ev and Mickey

Our little "La La"

Retreat

2011-02-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago I was blessed with a break. My first long break (which meant about 2+ days) in almost two years. And, to top it off, the break was with other women who I love very much. The first 24 hours were spent with my mom. She drove in to Houston and I flew in. I rented a car and then met her in the Houston area. We had a chance to talk, eat, shop at the mall, and watch a movie. It was just great mother-daughter time.

After spending a great 24 hours with my mom, I hopped in the car to surprise my sweet friend, Erica, for her bday. We had pedicures, shopped, and ate a lot of good food. It was such a nice time of catching up with her. I also had the privelege of getting to know her very close friend, Jennifer. Jennifer has such a generous spirit and it was so nice to get to know someone who means so much to my dear friend.

I thoroughly enjoyed my break. It was a sort of retreat for me. A VERY needed retreat. I remember hearing my freshman year in college that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is REST. I did one quiet time over the course of those three days but the rest I received refreshed me more than words can say. To be honest, the season I am currently living in is hard. Hard in the best of ways. It is an extremely physically demanding season, and one that leaves me tired many days. Please hear me. I have never been more content or so grateful for this season. I daily look at the three little people the Lord has given me, and my heart is beyond full. I love each of my children so very much, and I love the fact that I am able to have so much daily interaction with them. But the physical demands of my job right now definitely warranted a very needed retreat. And one that left me feeling so, so refreshed.

I left a tired mommy and I returned energized and ready to run hard again. I left a little frazzled but I returned laid back and just simply grateful. This trip, more than anything, revealed two things to me. The first was that rest is good for the spirit. I returned home more calm, more focused on the Lord, more prayerful than when I'd left. I also learned just how much a retreat of this sort is a necessity. It made me more appreciative of my husband's own need to "get away" to relax (which often means fishing). It also made me realize I need to make this time away a priority for me. It will make me a better disciple, a better wife, and a better mom.

Changes happen quickly

2011-01-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

With so many children so young in our home, it feels like there is always something NEW to write about. So for the last week or so, this is what has been going on:

1. Olivia took her first bath as a sitter! She has been sitting up for a little while now, but I still had been laying her on a towel to bathe. A couple of days ago, I decided it was time to introduce her to the world of bathing sitting up. I used her little bathtub, and she sat up and enjoyed every moment soaking in warm water.

2. Olivia is babbling. She is saying "dadadada" and "babababa." So fun!

3. Olivia had six month check up this week, and yes, she is now over 7 months old. Scheduling well visits have been harder for her because I absolutely cannot take all three kiddos to the doctor right now. They would take over, for sure! So, that means I have to wait for help with the twins before I can take Olivia to the doc. So what happens when a kiddo gets sick, you ask? Chase's mom has been so great about coming up on days I need to run to the doctor for a sick baby OR we have discovered the after-hours clinic, which I must say is quite wonderful. Quick and efficient and often not too full of sick people at one time. Can't complain about that!

4. One other thing I just have to share about Emily. She has discovered a new love for tomatoes. Have I mentioned that she has become a super picky eater in the past couple of weeks and there is very little she wants to eat? Well, she LOVES tomatoes. I bought yesterday two of the biggest creole tomatoes I have ever seen. They are like the size of large grapefruit. I put them on our fruit stand that sits in the middle of our table and left them there to serve later. They were left on the stand unwashed and uncut. I went into Olivia's room to either change her or get her from her nap and I walk out to find Emily holding this gigantic tomato (she's a big girl now and can climb up on the chairs and pull things off the table) and she was gnawing into the huge thing like it was an apple. It was so funny! So, I washed it off, put her in her highchair, and let her go for it! She loved it!

Milestones

2011-01-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

January 5th-Olivia became a full-fledged sitter. Such a big girl!

January 6th-Emily climbed out of her crib the first time. Chase was out of town, so I was not prepared to be dealing with a climber all on my own. I mean, what if she climbed out of her crib in the middle of the night? I called Chase in tears and he had a very reasonable solution. Put her in a pack n play until we could figure out what we were going to do. Great plan, Chase! See development for January 7th.

January 7th-Emily learns how to climb out of a pack n play. Awesome.

We have a crib tent on order. Wednesday, January 12th, the day the crib tent is scheduled to arrive, cannot come quick enough.

First Year of Christmas Giving

2010-12-27T05:38:00.000-08:00

Chase and I have begun to talk about what sort of traditions we would like to pass on to our children over the years, especially at Christmas. One of the traditions most dear to my heart is the concept of giving I want to share with Ev, Em, and Liv. Our culture teaches our children to primarily ask at Christmas, and we want to counter that cultural emphasis with a heart for giving instead.

This year, Em and Ev gave Jesus a colored picture. It was something at the age of 21 months that they could literally do themselves. They each received a coloring page of Jesus as a baby in the manger and they colored the picture themselves. I hung them on the fridge and talked with them about this being their gift for Jesus. I wanted to write about this on this blog, because this blog has become my form of scrapbooking and journaling. I wanted to record what they personally gave. My hope is that they can one day look back and see all of the gifts recorded that they personally gave. Lord willing, they will be able to remember throughout their childhood the moments where they learned to give, especially to Jesus. :-)

The Day After Christmas

2010-12-26T12:21:00.000-08:00

It is the day after Christmas and we are all worn out. All three kiddos are working on their third hour of napping after the longest week of travel! I have so much to write about our trip to Disney World, but I will start with Christmas.

This Christmas was very special because it was our first Christmas where the kids were big enough to understand what was going on. I'm not so sure they will remember any of it, but Ev and Em both understood the concept of opening presents and, like any child, they thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

We started the day by eating our Christmas cake to Jesus, which this year was Cinnamon rolls. Next year, I'm hoping to have a real cake made for Christmas, but Cinnamon rolls worked just as well. Chase read the Christmas story out of the "Big Bible," and we didn't make it through much. Emily started melting down and Evan kept on talking emphatically about the words on the page. He kept pointing and excitedly talking, but we had no idea what he was saying. Emily started crying and didn't want to sit still. Chase got about half-way through the Christmas story and decided that was all we were going to get through this year. Chase then prayed over our family, and then we headed towards the presents.

We only did stockings for the kids for Christmas because about a month ago we bought their big Christmas gift which was a swingset with a slide and fort. It's not huge, but it's perfect for kids aged 2 to 6. I think we will get many years out of this gift! The best part is that the twins LOVE it!!! They want me to put them in their swings and push them until we can't go much more. I'm so glad they love it.

After opening their stockings and some gifts from family members, we headed to New Orleans where we were meeting family for Christmas there. What I haven't yet mentioned was that I woke up nauseous and any movement made me feel very sick. I couldn't make it through dinner and had to go lie down. I got up to attempt opening presents and towards the end I had to make a run to the bathroom to throw up. Nice. Chase quickly piled the presents and the kids in the car and we headed home. I barely made it through the door before I got sick again and I'm very thankful for left over nausea meds from my pregnancy last year. I took one and went to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night sick again and then remembered a nurse recently telling me the importance of letting your stomach rest when you are sick. So I didn't eat or drink anything for the rest of the night and woke up the day after Christmas feeling much better.

I think we are all pretty much worn out today. Chase is also on the couch sleeping and we will probably need a full week to recuperate from our traveling and our Christmas fun. Despite being worn out, though, it was totally worth creating memories with our family. :-)

Their First Three-word Phrases

2010-12-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Within the last month, my two little people said their first three word phrases! It is so exciting to hear them learn new words on a daily basis and begin to say them. I am recording these phrases so I won't forget!

One Sunday evening while we were all playing as a family, Emily looked through the window across the street at the lighted Christmas Mickey Mouse and said, "Hi Mickey Mouse!"

Evan was in our hotel room at Disney. I had been saying the phrase, "There you go!" over and over. He finally looked at me and repeated, "There you go!" It was so much fun to hear him fully repeat a full three-word phrase!

New Developments

2010-12-17T05:11:00.000-08:00

My little ones are growing up so fast. Emmy (I rarely seem to call her Emily anymore, and she thinks her name is Emmy....maybe this will stick???) and Evan are almost 22 months. They are learning new words every day and their little personalities are starting to blossom. They are both starting to eat better from a spoon, although we still have quite the messes to clean up after each meal. They love Mickey Mouse and Handy Manny. Almost every morning, one of them wakes up and asks to watch Mickey Mouse. Oh, we are going to have to curb this soon, but while I am still feeding Olivia myself, there is something about the blessing of children's programming to help me avoid meltdowns while I feed her. The twins began to hold a bottle themselves at 8 months, so I am fully expecting I only have a couple months left of feeding her that way, and then the tv time will be minimized. The twins have become very competitive with one another recently. If one child is doing something, the other one wants to as well. They are really starting to compare, and you can sometimes read their minds as if they were saying, "That's not fair!" Although I try to have one toy or piece of food or whatever it is for each of them, sometimes that isn't possible. Sometimes they just have to share or wait their turn, and they don't like this. Sin nature. Who would have thought? :-) So, this mommy who isn't all that strong-willed is often having to dig in deep and provide a strong will to counter the two little wills within my home. :-)

Olivia Claire is doing so great. She is the easiest baby I have ever known. Sometime within the last week or so, she has started rolling. The poor child sometimes can't stay on her back and then she rolls onto her tummy and gets frustrated. She is starting to interact with her brother and her sister even more. Emily is still the little nurturer and tries to help with Olivia's needs, and Evan is my little entertainer. It's so interesting to see him interact with her because for the first five and a half months of her life, I don't think he even realized she existed. And then one day he woke up and realized he had this little sister jumping around (in her jumper) and he started bringing toys over to her to entertain her.

We have the most fun household. If you were to walk into my home on any given day, chances are you would see the house a mess, which is not exactly how I like to keep things. :-) BUT, you would also find two squealing little tots running around playing hide and seek all on their own or twirling around to "Ring Around the Rosie." And you would find the most laid back of babies giggling at her brother and her sister as they played. Chase often remarks that our home is a home of laughter, and it's true. We are a family truly blessed.

Jesus

2010-11-23T00:48:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday the twins were introduced to their first literal understanding of Jesus when I pulled out the manger for our Christmas decorations. I brought out baby Jesus and asked them if they could each say Jesus' name. They both tried so hard. Neither really sounded like His name and yet it was beautiful to hear them just try to say it. They absolutely loved the lambs in the manger as well and made dog sounds (woof! woof!) when they saw it. I tried to teach them how to say "Baaaaa" but that didn't yet take. In time, it will. :-) Such a sweet memory!

Solid Foods

2010-11-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

She has officially begun solid foods! Olivia has done so well. So far, she isn't a fan of peaches, but likes squash and pears. She is growing up so quickly!!!!!!

Finally in her room

2010-11-15T04:05:00.000-08:00

So last night was the first night she wasn't in her Rock N Play Bassinet to sleep and slept the whole night in her crib. My baby is growing up! Five months old tomorrow....

A Room for Olivia

2010-11-07T04:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we have undergone quite the room debate for our littlest, Olivia. We thought she was going to have her own room at the back of the house when she was first born and that Ev and Em would share a room. Unfortunately, Ev and Em do not share a room so well and have slept much better since we have separated them. Because of this, Emily took the room Olivia was going to have. I still have Olivia's name all over the walls in her room and definitely need to make a change because it is truly and officially Emily's room.

Olivia, for the last four and a half months, has slept in our closet, but she is finally outgrowing her little bassinet and a move to a crib is approaching quickly. Because of this, we have decided to put her in our front guest room. We put her crib in there last night (Evan's room had two cribs, one of which was not used very much). Today, we are working on curtains to block out light and then we will gradually work on decor for the walls. I'm so excited she will finally have a place in this home that is completely hers. We have a full house, for sure, but oh, how blessed we are that the Lord has filled every single room with a sleeping child. :-)

Amen

2010-11-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

One of my most favorite things as a parent is realizing that I really am teaching my kiddos a few of those things my heart truly desires for them to learn. Both Evan and Emily have learned how to say "Amen" at the end of a prayer. Oh, how it blesses my heart! They say "Amen" with such enthusiasm and they can tell that it pleases us when they say it. Emily has even started to put her little hands together and bow her head when we pray. Thank you, Lord, for pure little hearts willing to learn!

Their First Two-Word Combination was....

2010-11-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Mama!!!! Love it, love it, love it! Now they are saying all sorts of two-word combos, but the first for both was "Hi Mama." Melt my heart....

Long Blogging Break

2010-10-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

It has definitely been a while since I've blogged, and so much has happened over the last couple of months. I lost my camera cord, so I have no capability of downloading my pics from my camera, but there is so much I want to share!!! In the last two months:

1. We have been to the beach twice.

2. Chase and I started regularly "dating" again. We had hired sitters to help me out during the day but we hadn't hired sitters for night time. It has been so refreshing to get out and share experiences with Chase again. We have enjoyed Texas de Brazil, California Pizza Kitchen and watching "The Social Network," going to Cafe Adelaide in New Orleans and then Snug Harbor, and Fleming's. It's been nice to reconnect.

3. We went to Houston last weekend to finally visit Grant and Jenny.

4. We went to the zoo with all three kids.

5. I hired a weekly daytime sitter again. It has been SO nice to get out and get errands done during the week.

6. The kids and I have started walking weekly with some friends in the neighborhood behind ours. We also go to the neighborhood park with them, and the twins LOVE it!

7. We just bought (but it has not yet come in) the kids' first playset outside!!! It will have two swings, a slide, a little fort area, and a steering wheel at the top of the fort. I cannot wait for it to come in!

Okay, so now an update on the kids:

Evan Charles: My little "bull in the china shop." He runs hard, he plays hard, he loves to throw anything he can possibly throw, and he loves to be held by his mommy when he is teething. In the last two weeks, he has been tirelessly working on getting four teeth all at the same time, and I just feel for him so much! He loves to sleep and has started sleeping regularly to 8:00 a.m. or even later. He can't wait to go back down for his naps either. When we go outside, he almost always throws a fit when it is time to come inside. He has such a sweet, generous heart and a soft spirit. I love him so much!

Emily Grace: My little "mama." She looks for needs within our home and tries to fill them. Whether Evan or Olivia needs a diaper or a bottle or a sippy cup or whether she is trying to love on her Piggy, this little girl is such a nurturer. I want to very much encourage this side of her because I know her soft heart is a gifting of the Lord. She absolutely loves shoes and jewelry. She also loves to eat. She and Chase share a love for food and she often stays up past her bedtime to have a couple of bites of her daddy's dinner. :-) This little girl is such a special person, and I love her so much!

Olivia Claire: Oh, my sweet, peaceful, laid back baby. What a joy she has been in our household. She is generous with her laughs and her smiles. She loves one on one time and especially shines at night once she knows her brother and her sister have gone to bed for the night. She "talks" boisterously at night and loves to be held. We think she is teething already because she is drooling a lot and has her hand in her mouth at all times. One of the cutest things she has just started to do is to play with her hair when she eats! It is too cute! Olivia is also an amazing sleeper. She often doesn't wake up until about 9:00 a.m. I love my peaceful baby girl so much!

2010-08-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Olivia was ten weeks old. By this age, she is roughly 14 pounds and the 97th percentile! The rice cereal we have her on for her reflux keeps her puffy (but so, so cute!). Liv is laughing, smiling, cooing, and has already rolled over several times. She was colicky at night until about 8 weeks or so, and then she was easy even then. Chase and I both agree she is the easiest baby! She is just calm and even-tempered and generally happy.

Evan and Emily are enjoying being a big brother and sister. They both say "sister" all the time. Emily has adopted her own baby named Piggy. She takes Liv's bottles once she is done and feeds Piggy the bottle. Emily practices changing Piggy's diaper and she puts a bib on Piggy and gives Piggy a pacifier. We both have our new little babies to take care of. :-) Evan just loves to play outside. He just recently learned to say outside and now asks me if we can go. There is no substitute for the outdoors. They love it! They get out lots of energy. Both Ev and Em love to run down a hill we have in our backyard. They also love baths and playing with large legos called Mega Blocks. They also like to read. They have reading time in their cribs every evening. Evan recently has really taken to sitting there quietly and reading his books.

I'm having a good time. The Lord has blessed me so much with these three little ones. :-)

Pull Your Hair Out Day

2010-07-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

I never write about these kinds of days. But I should.

Evan is teething. Need I say more????

He is not exactly the most poised and composed teether. In fact, he is the opposite. He cries and screams most of the day despite the fact that I have indeed provided pain relief in the form of medication. Emily picks up on Evan's extreme fussiness and then joins in. Fun. Oh, so much fun! And despite my attempts to add some fun different things in the day (playing outside, ice cream, etc.), he just won't get happy. And I feel like pulling my hair out.

On top of Evan's teething experience, Olivia had trouble sleeping last night during my shift to feed her. Can I just say how excited I am that we are now exactly half way through to her sleeping through the night? Only 4 weeks or so to go! Yay! Apparently, she had to burp and I patted and patted her little back and the burp just wouldn't come out! So, she cried and cried until she finally burped but not before we had been up like an hour and a half. So I am pretty tired today. Which is another reason why I feel like pulling my hair out.

Lastly, my poor kiddos have not left our house much in the last few weeks and I know they desperately need to get out. But I have a one month old and I don't have a triple stroller. So I'm feeling quite a bit of pressure to expose my 16 month olds to something, anything other than the four walls of our home. And so, yes, I do indeed feel like pulling my hair out.

Good thing tomorrow is a new day and that I have lots of hair! :-0

What She's Doing

2010-06-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Olivia Claire is such a joy. I love her so much, and, today, she turns two weeks old! I can't believe it! So far, she is already sleeping on a beautiful schedule. Olivia is awake from about 7:30p to 10:30p and eats a lot during that time. Then she goes back to sleep at about 10:30 and wakes up about 1:30. I take the 1:30 feeding and then she goes back to sleep around 2:30. At 5:30, Miss Olivia Claire wakes up and Daddy takes over. Daddy has to feed her and get the twins going at 6:00 a.m. It really has been so much easier than the twins were.

What we know about Olivia so far is that she isn't hungry super often, but when she is, she is ready for her food right then!!! She also likes to sleep and hates being cold. She cries during most of her diaper changes because she is cold and ready for it to be over!!!! Olivia loves taking a bath. I bathe her in my bathroom with the heater on and I lay a warm washcloth over her. She is so calm and alert during that time. You can tell she just loves it. Much like her big bro, Olivia loves to cuddle. She would rather cuddle than eat, and most of the time, holding her is the best way to soothe her.

On June 16, 2010, I fell head over heels in love with this little girl. She was the best surprise I've ever had. I am two weeks into it, a little tired, and yet I'm having a ball being mommy to three precious little people.

Thank you, Lord, for these great gifts. Amen.

The Second Time Around

2010-06-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

So, I have to say that the second time around (even though it has been only 16 months!) has been way different from the first time. Here are a few reasons it has been so different:

1. I use totally different items on this baby! Whenever I gave suggestions for baby registries after having the twins, I really thought that most babies would also like the things my babies liked or that most moms would like the same things I liked. Then, I had Olivia. Now, I use infant bibs, hats, baby blankets, booties, a different kind of formula, my baby monitor, different kinds of bottles, and I'm sure a whole lot more I can't even think of. Most of these things I didn't use with the twins, and yet they are staples for me with this baby. I don't use the swing too much yet or the Babywise book just yet or swaddlers (which the twins did so well in!) or Dr. Brown's bottles, etc. It just goes to show that every baby's need truly is different.

2. This c-section recovery is harder. Every mom I know who has had more than one c-section said that the second time around was easier for them. Not for me. Apparently, I lost a lot of blood during the surgery. Also, I didn't initially send Olivia to the nursery at night like I did the twins, so I didn't rest as quickly. I don't know if this has contributed to my recovery or not, but it has been much harder. I have been in much more pain and have been on pain medication longer this time. I am starting to feel better now (definitely not 100% by any means) but it seems to have taken longer.

3. I have two other children now to care for. This has been a little bit of a challenge (even with Nana here) but, I can say this. It has been WONDERFUL! I was so nervous about being a mom of three under the age of 16 months. The Lord's mercies are new every morning, and I am so grateful for His mercies during this time. We have mainly had very good days! Not only that, but I just feel so blessed to have three precious children and am more excited about this new season than I am hesitant.

4. I am way more laid back about this baby. Yes, there have been nights she has slept some in bed with us. And yes, having one is so much easier than twins. Breastfeeding has still been hard. We had some baby weight drama in the hospital which caused Chase to feel led to put an end to my attempts to exclusively breastfeed. Olivia was down a pound within a few days which is apparently dangerous. I still don't produce enough to feed her either (like with the twins) so I now feed and supplement. I am taking this a day at a time. I have no idea when we will switch to formula exclusively. I am praying about it and trust that the Lord will make it clear. I still cry this time around about not being able to exclusively breastfeed. It was one of my greatest desires, but the Lord knows what I need as a mama and what all three of my kids need. I trust that He know what He's doing. :-)

5. We are getting more sleep. Chase and I sleep so much more this time around, and it has given me the energy to get up and move during the day. So nice!

6. I know how fast this time with Olivia will go. She is such a cuddler and I hold her A LOT! She won't stay this age forever. I thought the twins would take forever to sleep through the night or reach three months and then a year. And yet each time, they did and it went so fast. Now, I am soaking it all in.

7. One thing is the same. I want more kids. When I was pregnant this last time, I thought I could be happy with only three, if that's what the Lord wanted. And, if this is the Lord's will, I will be grateful. But our babies' births have been the best days of my entire life, and I love being a mom. I'm hoping we won't need a quadruple stroller, so it may be some time, but I would love another. :-)

Thanks for letting me ramble! I'd been thinking about all of these things, and I thought this would be the perfect outlet to communicate with friends. For those of you who have now had a second time around, do you share any of these same sentiments?

Olivia Claire--one week old

Right Around the Corner

2010-06-11T00:44:00.000-07:00

It is Friday morning at 2:44 a.m. I think I've probably been awake about an hour now, trying to let my PB&J settle. I woke up feeling contractions and hungry. I can't sleep when hungry and pregnant. Very different from not being pregnant. I plan on going to bed hungry most nights once I heal from our upcoming c-section.

Last night I visited Amy, Ryan, and Luke Spencer. Luke made his arrival into the world on Wednesday, and my visit to see them in the hospital made my heart so excited about the arrival of this little girl. Even though it has only been 15 months, I can hardly imagine Ev and Em so little anymore. I know this little girl will grow up fast too, and as whirlwind of a pregnancy as this has been for me, I can't believe she will be in my tummy for five more short days.

Chase is 31 today. We were talking last night about how I met him when he was 21. Ten years. Time really does fly. I know it won't be long before the little girl who slumbers in my tummy will be ten years old herself. And Chase will be 41. And I will be 40. Yikes!

I pray this next decade is a sweet one for our entire family. My 20s were super great, but I expect this next decade to be fulfilling like the decade prior didn't provide. I look forward to deepening my relationship with Chase, building a relationship with each of my children, and to hopefully growing spiritually individually and as a family.

I am feeling a little tired now. Maybe I will be able to go back to sleep. Unlike last time, I know what sleeplessness might be right around the corner. Luke slept 4 1/2 hours last night. I pray our little girl will do the same from the beginning.

Here's to hopefully a good rest of the night of sleep and to time flying and to a blessed new season ahead.

A Very Good Weekend

2010-05-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend was just so good! Friday night was, of course, a night at home. This seems to be our MO nowadays with little ones at home. But Saturday morning was so nice. The Lord woke me up at 5:45 a.m. I know. Super early! But I got a great quiet time prior to the kids awakening. Then, the kids woke up, and we went on a short walk as an entire family. We didn't make it too far because we took Bailey and Bailey has just suddenly decided to hate walks! Boo! I don't think we will be taking her on walks anymore. After the walk, we enjoyed pancakes as a family and they were so yummy! Chase and I also had some fresh fruit and I topped my pancakes off with cool whip instead of syrup. Food is still tasting really good and I am enjoying it! :-) After pancakes, Chase left to go to Steve and Sherry's to look at what they wanted in a sound system. The kids napped most of that time, and I was able to make some phone calls. When Chase got home, I left for a quick haircut down the street. I went to Gina's Hair Gallery for the first time, and I really liked it. It was nice to be able to get my hair done on a Saturday. I've had a hard time finding a good time to get my hair done. When I came home, Chase left to get landscaping "stuff" (for lack of a better word) and he redid our landscaping for the rest of the day. I played with the kiddos and spent the rest of the day taking care of them. We ended our Saturday with Sonic. Once again, so good! I love me some Cherry Limeade!

This morning, I was so tired and very out of it for most of the morning. Coffee didn't even help me wake up. I laid in bed as much as could in between taking care of the kids, feeding them breakfast, etc. while Chase did some early morning work in the yard. At 9:30 a.m., we started getting ready for church. We made it (a little late, I confess) to the 10:45 service, and Josh LaRavia spoke. It was a super powerful message about trusting and following Jesus. Chase and I were both so challenged. After church, we went to the Jambalaya Shoppe to pick up lunch. We ate lunch at home and then I headed for a nap while the kids napped. It such a sweet time of sleep and I felt rejuvenated (finally!) after feeling so tired for most of the morning. Right about the time I was waking up, Mom and Dad showed up to visit with the babes for a little while. We chatted and played with the kids and took them outside for a few minutes. Mom fed them dinner and bathed them. Such a nice treat! After they left, Chase finished the front yard landscaping and visited with most of the neighborhood, it seemed like. Ha! We ended the weekend with yet another visit to Sonic. Actually, I waiting on Chase to get back as we speak with another Cherry Limeade and a burger. It's almost nine, and I'm filled with satisfaction at a good weekend. Onto another week....not much longer before our lives change again drastically. Not much longer at all! And it is moving fast. :-)

Pics

2010-04-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted some pics so here it goes....

Em in her birthday dress from Aunt Jen and Uncle Grant. Don't you think she is giving the sign for "Gig 'Em Ags"? Love it!

Evan and his birthday cupcake. He loved it!!!! We had never seen our babies dig into food quite like their first taste of cake and icing. It was probably the most memorable part of their first birthday.

Emily Grace and her white cupcake with green icing. She loved it too!!!!

The morning of their first birthday....Good Morning Evan!!!

Emily was all smiles and giggles....Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

This was the kids' second Easter and the first time they went to church on Easter. I think we were still in survival mode last year, if I can recall, and probably house-bound. But, again, I just don't remember. This Easter was especially memorable because we went to Birmingham to visit Wendy and Cos. It was such a sweet, sweet time. Wendy and Cos were especially hospitable and generous and we were so blessed by our time with them. It was a time filled with great conversation, and it was a great opportunity to get our kids together and let them get to know one another a little more.

Today (the Monday after Easter), I have been running errands and trying to get organized after being sick for a week and then out of town. My house is delightfully messy, but I don't care too much. I am as happy as I could ever be. The weather is gorgeous outside, I have two amazing kids sleeping in the room next door, my Lord has supplied all of my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus, I have the BEST husband a woman could ever hope or pray for, we are all healthy, and I am looking forward to meeting our new little girl in just ten short weeks. This pregnancy has flown by, and I know I will just be shocked when Little Miss makes her arrival. Oh, but what a beautiful day that will be as well! I am definitely in countdown mode, and even though I have been working hard around here to get organized prior to her arrival, I'm not so sure I will be as organized as I would like. There seems to be more on my to do list than weeks left before she arrives, so I will have to start prioritizing and make some decisions about what really needs to get done. We got a crib from Wendy and Cos this past weekend, so I'm thinking that definitely needs to be put up. I'm still working on closets and cars (organizing stuff in trunk) and things that need to go to Goodwill. I'm starting to plan the meals I am going to freeze. I'm working on one year old pics of the kids. I'm still hosting two showers prior to our baby's arrival. And I turn 30. We still have Chase taking a trip to Key West, and Mother's Day, of course, and we are celebrating Dad's birthday. A lot going on. A lot. But it will be fun. The Spring always is.

I hope I can get it together enough very soon to post pics of our Easter. It was sweet. :-)

Turns Out

2010-03-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

I wasn't only dehydrated. I was getting sick. With a stomach bug!!!! I started to feel very tired on Friday (thought I had just been pushing it too hard). Saturday evening I had NO appetite. Sunday all day I had NO appetite. Monday (yesterday) came the nausea. I would have been throwing up too, but I nipped that one in the bud by quickly taking Phenergan. I am starting to feel better today. Still no appetite, but I'm able to at least function a little outside of bed. Today will be a very low key day with the kids. Only the bare minimum. Very little housework. We all need baths, though, and I plan to provide those for sure.

Evan has been sick with both an ear infection and, we found out yesterday after we got the lab results, a UTI. Because he is so young, we have to take him to Woman's Hospital for a renal ultrasound. I hope he doesn't fight it too much. It shouldn't cause him pain, but a 13 month old does not like to be pinned down. Especially after seeing how he handled the exam of his ears, chest, and throat at the doc on Thursday. We go tomorrow for that. The medicine Evan has been on has given him lots of diarrhea (like five times a day). We are noticing that he is losing a lot of weight. I emailed the nurse to see if there were any alternatives to Immodium (which is obviously not working).

I plan on a nap as soon as these little bambinos take one too. I'm still tired and a little weak. Okay, Evan closed the door and locked himself in his room. I guess I should go free him. :-)

Dehydrated

2010-03-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I enjoyed a caffeinated beverage prior to going to the doctor. My doctor's appointment went great and I could honestly say I'd never felt better.
On Thursday, Evan woke up from his nap with a fever. I'm not sure how much fluids I took in. That day was super busy.
On Friday, Evan was still sick, and I was starting to feel exhausted and lethargic. Abnormally so. I'm pretty sure Friday was like Thursday--not enough fluids.
I started to have trouble breathing....shortness of breath.
Saturday, the same routine. Another busy day. Went to a birthday party. Despite sleeping well Friday night, super tired.
Sunday, I woke up and had a horrible time breathing. I went to Walgreen's and purchased a blood pressure monitor, thinking it would be super high. Instead, it was super low. I looked up all of these clues online and realized I had super low blood pressure due to dehydration. I kept waking up Saturday night SO THIRSTY I couldn't stand it, so all of the clues made sense.
Now, on Sunday, I'm stuck in bed trying to rest and rehydrate myself. I hope I can get back to life tomorrow and take care of my bambinos...all three of them. I've had so much water today it's nuts and yet I'm still so thirsty. I really pushed it this time.
I must remember to drink water.

First Ear Infection

2010-03-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

So Evan is the first of my children, two days shy of turning 13 months, to be diagnosed with an ear infection. Poor little boy woke up this morning and absolutely refused his bottle. Oh, AND he slept til 8 a.m.! I thought this was just a miracle of some sort and never really imagined he was sick. Then he didn't drink his bottle. Still, I didn't put two and two together. He did feel a little warm this morning but he wasn't alarmingly warm. He ate his breakfast and went to take his morning nap. Then, when he woke up, he was super warm. I took his temperature and it was 101.13!!!!! Oh, poor baby. I called the doctor immediately and they were able to take him in at 2 p.m. Chase's mom and dad came up to watch Emily while I took the little man to the doctor. While we were waiting in a room, Evan fell asleep on my lap. When the P.A. came in to examine him, I had to wake him up, and he was all kinds of fussy! He cried and screamed when she tried to check him out, and I just felt so bad for him. It turns out he has a very bad ear infection. I think he might have some sort of respiratory infection too as he has a bad chest cough, but the P.A. did not confirm that. Just my own suspicions. We got him on some antibiotics today and started alternating Motrin and Tylenol. Poor baby is still hot even with all of the meds. He has only had one bottle today, but he took some Pedialyte tonight. So, we shall see how he does tonight while feeling so sick. It might be a long night, but last time I checked, I'm very pregnant and have several long nights in my future. This is what I signed on for, so if he needs a mommy at any point during the night, I'll be here. I pray little man feels much better soon!!!

Six Steps

2010-03-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

This morning, I picked Evan up out of his crib and placed him on his feet. Normally, he would just sit down and begin crawling. Not this morning! Six steps he took all on his own before sitting down! I was just so proud I began clapping for him. Emily joined in on the excitement and clapped too. Evan sat there just beaming as his mom and sister gave him a standing ovation! What a blessed morning! :-)

Thank you, Lord

2010-03-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Lord that I have the BEST job in the entire world. That I have a wonderful family. Thank you that I have the most amazing husband and the two most precious children EVER! Thank you that for this little miracle living inside of me. Thank You for my husband's business. Thank You that we living in Baton Rouge....love it! Thank you for Your friendship. Thank You for Your suffering and for Your death on the cross, Jesus. Thank You for another sweet, sweet day. Amen.

Praise

2010-03-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

Evan seems to have improved some. We are still working on some separation anxiety issues with him, but he finally seems to be feeling better.

Today, we began transitioning to the sippy cup and so far, so good! Ev and Em will take their sippy cup at the moment for the two middle meals of the day but will still get a morning and night bottle. Once the middle of the day is mastered (however long that takes), then we can work on eliminating the other bottles. :-)

Worn Out

2010-03-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

I am going to take this moment to pray in Jesus' Name that my son will feel better. He has had the hardest couple of weeks so far. His reflux is obviously very bad, he is obviously very tired, and he is wearing. me. out. Evan has been wanting to take his first nap of the day at 8:30 a.m. because he has been waking up at six. I'm sorry. Not just waking up. Waking up screaming. Well, Miss Em is just not ready to get up quite that early. 6:30 or 7:00 is better for her. Me too, Em. Me too. So, Miss Em doesn't want to go down for her nap until 9:30. The dilemma here is that I need the kids to nap. Evan is obviously exhausted. But his earlier naps mean someone is awake pretty much all day. And that means mommy barely gets a moment to herself. All day. ALL DAY. Now I will say I am happy to report that bedtime has moved up to 6:45 for Evan and about 7:10 for Emily. This is way, way earlier than they were going to bed. Poor tired little babies. I didn't even realize we were keeping them up too late. Thanks to Suzette Martin at church who told me that their bedtime should be closer to 6:30. It couldn't hurt to try. Evan hadn't slept much this last month. And, so far, it has worked. Thank you, Lord, for moms who are willing to give advice. I so, so appreciate advice. I'm new at this, and I'm about to have another baby, and this new baby is making me so, so hormonal some days. Like today. I was so worn out from Little Man and so hormonal from the new Little Miss that I stormed out of the house in tears for Bible Study. In fact, I even said a curse word before I left. Chase was shocked to say the least. It just came out. I got in the car and sobbed and sobbed. I never did make it to Bible Study because, really, who can study the Bible like everything is okay when you have just stormed out of your home and said a curse word? I had some apologizing to do. I think the Lord appreciates my heart and my desire to restore relationships more than my attendance at Bible Study. At least that's what my study actually told me this week. I studied Psalm 51. Isn't great how the Lord prepares us? Well, I am hoping that my next post will be about the miraculous change in our son and in their schedules.