He Smiles!

Time seems to be flying so quickly. I can't believe my little monkey is already a month and two weeks old. And smiling! Soon he will be giggling, and drooling away as he crawls after the other two. I want to hold on to these precious moments when all he does is snuggle, nurse, gaze lovingly into my eyes, and sleep. He is my snuggle monkey and I want to keep him that way! Life with three is definitely an adjustment, more so I am finding then when baby number two was born. Basically, I am out numbered. And Ava is high energy, high need all the time. Elijah has been great as far as letting me tend to the others, as long as I hold him. LOL. He never wants to be out down. I am slowly trying to get him use to self soothing (that may scare some), but what I mean is that if he is really really really tired and he is changed and fed, but just won't close his eyes- I will lay him down and slowly walk out of the room. If he cried for longer than like 2 seconds, I go back in, rock him a bit, and try again. For the most part, he doesn't cry, he just closes his eyes and sleeps. It has been fabulous to know he can fall asleep on his own. And he even is starting to like his swing a little more. I still think we need to invest in a really good front pack of some sort, but that will have to wait a little longer. But getting back to the adjustment part of things. I usually love to be out and about. Am doing stuff all the time, like cleaning, baking, cooking, crafting, ect ect. I like to run errands and go about the town. But since having Elijah, I have turned into a hermit and only exit the house under extreme necessity and even then it is restricted to one or two children and no longer than two hours. Grocery shopping with three is impossible as I see it right now. And stopping at more than two stops in one outing is exhausting. So we stay home, Kynan plays outside, Ava and I do stuff inside. And basically hardly get dressed. It has been an adjustment, but one I am really enjoying. I actually think I have found the joy in mothering with baby number 3. Having Elijah has slowed me down, prioritize what is important and be more purposeful with my daily activities. I think more about how much attention the other two are getting, and so when we have time alone together we do more engaging activities. Because we don't have alot of time to do fun things or games, I turn those tedious chores into games and we end up getting nothing done! LOL. But still, the house seems to get cleaned, dishes get done, laundry gets put away, and life goes on. At my baby shower for Elijah a seasoned mom said to me: "Look at being a mom as your life ministry. What you are doing right now with your children is part of God's plan for you. This is His purpose for you right now. So, in the middle of the night when you are up for another feeding, or when you are folding the umpteenth billion piece of clothing remind yourself this is for His kingdom." I have to say, that it works and has put a whole different perspective on parenting for me. I have more patience, more energy, and more love for what I do. So no wonder we are all smiles.

Annoying

Things that are annoying me today...

1. A husband who didn't flush...ewww! (Self explanatory)
2. A VERY slow computer (means loading pics an eternity which I don't have)
3. A stack of laundry to be put away. (means more chores to do)
3. A stack of mail to be sent.(means I have to go out at some point today)

And for good balance...
Things I am thankful for...

1. A great visit with a friend. (means I got to talk about something other than transformers or pony's)
2. Ice Cream and Pie (for obvious reasons)
3. 2 sleeping babes and 1 at school (again, obvious)
4. Clean underwear

Visit With Grandpa & Baba

Moments Like These...

There have been so many sweet moments over the last three weeks, but I wanted to share just a few with you as it is 1:30am and my monkey man is finally sleeping.

1. Last night Kynan was not wanting to go to bed when he was told, so he was sitting up with us. He asked to hold Elijah. Dana and I were looking at with such adoration, as he tenderly rocked his baby brother. Dana caressed Kynan's head and said, "One day you are going to make a great dad." Kynan replied with, "I know. Just like you, dad." No joke! Dana and I instantly teared up and started to spout full on waterworks. Dana looked at me and said, "He can stay up as late as he wants."

2. Ava, my darling princess, was needing some mommy time at 2am one morning this week. So I, exhausted, fell into her bed and almost cried, "Pleeeeease go to sleep, baby girl." To which she replied as she cupped my cheek, "Ok mommy. I just wanted to say I love you."

3. Elijah has been a little cranky this week with a runny nose. We were up for one of his feedings and he decided it was day time and it was time to talk. His wide eyes would not fade, until I started humming and then gently singing to him. He slowly was lulled to sleep by the sound of my voice. None of my other kids enjoyed being sung too, but Elijah LOVES it. And I adore that he does.

4. Tonight, I had alot of computer work to do. So I nursed Elijah and handed him to his capable father. Immediately Elijah starts to cry. Dana hands him back and I nurse again. Dana takes him. Elijah cries. I take him and rock him. He falls asleep. I know Dana is hurt at this point, asking me what he is doing wrong, but I secretly love that Elijah snuggles me. LOVE IT!

5. This is not really a 'moment' more than an epiphany really. Having three lovely children for three blissful (and sleepless) weeks has taught me a few things:
-there will always be laundry so don't sweat if your not 'caught up'. That term does not exist anymore.
-you can operate on 2 hours sleep, but your child may go out without matching socks or shoes for that matter.
-you may show up at church with your shirt inside out and most definitely your hair will not be washed for at least 3 days.
-tv is your friend (no matter how much you try not to use it)
-sleep when the baby sleeps is a fantasy
-you have no brain after kids. Seriously.
-you may find yourself calling your mom umpteen billion times in the course of an hour asking how to do simple mundane tasks because you simply cannot remember... again note the no brain comment.
-you are extremely talented and gifted if you can get dressed before 10am
-the love you have for your husband has never grown so fast and furiously over three weeks. I seriously look at this man, and think to myself, how did I ever get so lucky.
-That being said, there will be moments that you think to yourself, 'Do I have three children, or 4?' Especially when you find a pile of dirty diapers on the dresser, an empty toilet paper roll, him using liquid soap in the dishwasher and wondering why it's not working, ect....
-And then finally, you learn to laugh and relax because there really is nothing more you can do. Chores will be left undone, the laundry will always be a load (or two or three) behind, and the baby (or other children) will have to cry at some point. And that's okay. You can handle it because you are a mom.

It's moments like these that make me thankful to be a mom. Thankful to be a wife. Thankful to have a mom. Thankful to be a daughter.

Happy Harvest Time!

Okay... so this is going backwards. But on Halloween, we went out twice. Once to the mall with some MOPS pals. And then again out around our neighborhood. Below is the kids basking in the glory of their loot! Thank goodness they have an insane father who will push the limits when it comes to trick or treating. Two hours in minus 12 temperatures with two toddlers....brave man.



Elijah's 'Boo' bum. Thanks Margaret and Shane... he wore your sleepers every day this week.


Ava dethawing in the sink after trick or treating. I literally had to run the warm water over her hands and feet to get her back to regular human temperatures. Again, thanks Dad! LOL!


Ava went in the evening as a lioness. She had the roar down pat. Here she is in all her bundled beauty.


Kynan decided he wanted to be a Monster Truck, so Dana made this awesome Monster Truck costume. Complete with working headlights. He even had these awesome trucker sunglasses at the mall, but it was too dark at night to wear them.


My friend, Marcella, made us a fabulous Halloween costume for Elijah. I love it. A lobster. He looked to delicious, I could have just ate him up. LOL.


So when deciding what to where to the mall, Ava vigurously went through our tickle trunk for a costume. I thought maybe a princess, or a singer... maybe even a dragon. This is what she pulled out asking for 'blood paint'. Only my daughter. What can I say, but she marches to her own drum. But she sure did make a scary vampire



On Friday, we had a fabulous fun family day and took the kids to the Hay Maze and then to lunch. It was so much fun. We had lunch at Applebees and then came home to carve pumpkins. In all years past, Kynan has loved carving but this year he didn't want to get his hands 'wet'. Ava on the other hand, was right in there and loved the slimy guts of the pumpkin. She degutted 3 pumpkins and laughed the whole time.






And I will leave you with my darling pumpkin, who has been such a cuddle monkey and I have loved every minute of it.