The Birth and First Days Home

Two weeks ago, Anna Claire joined our family on a quiet Saturday morning.The last two weeks have been so incredibly amazing and full of so many emotions.  We went in very early in the morning of November 24th to get ready for my third c-section.  It was really quiet on the labor and delivery floor since it was the weekend just after Thanksgiving, and there were only two or three other moms on the floor.  Everyone was really relaxed.  This was my third baby at the same hospital, and we had another great experience there with everyone being so supportive, attentive, and encouraging.  I had some pretty severe complications after Owen's birth, so I had some anxiety going into this surgery, and I appreciated how supportive everyone was, and it made the birth very pleasant.  

The surgery began around 8:25, and Anna Claire was born at 8:40 in the morning.  I heard her cries first and asked over and over, "Is it a girl?  Is it a girl?"  And finally someone confirmed that she indeed was my little girl that I had prayed and hoped for, and the nurse brought her around so I could see her.  I instantly fell so in love with her and every ounce of anxiety just melted away, as I could see that she was finally here, healthy, and strong. Tears flowed as I was filled with so many emotions, but most of all, complete gratitude for this amazing blessing. Now all I had to do was count the minutes until I could finally hold her.  The rest of the surgery took almost an hour, as I had my tubes tied and my doctor took an extra long time closing me up, making sure I would not have the same complications that I did before.  To my surprise, they let me hold Anna Claire on my chest as they wheeled me back to my room. 

I was able to nurse Anna Claire right away, and then my nurse (who had no other patients but me that day!) took her and gave her a bath, and I started to feel the effects of the drugs and was not feeling well.  The next few hours are a bit of a blur, as I was in and out from the phenergan I was given during the surgery.  After lunch, I began to feel better, and we started to make plans for the boys to come meet their little sister.  When they arrived, they were slightly apprehensive but came in bearing gifts and greeted their sister very well.  I had been pretty anxious about this moment, but it went better than I could have ever expected, and I was so proud of Jack and Owen for being so sweet to their new sister.  We were also thankful to have family in town for Thanksgiving, and they were able to meet Anna Claire the day she was born.

We had a slight complication the next day, when most of my staples fell out, and Dr. Walker had to come back and put stitches in.  Still, I was able to go home on Monday, and I was so thankful.  Matt and I were both ready to be back home with the boys and ready to start this new chapter of our lives.  Jack and Owen were so thankful to finally have us all under one roof again.

And so the last two weeks have been filled with getting to know Anna Claire, learning how to manage two busy boys along with a newborn, healing, nursing, and spending time together as a family of five.  We are so blessed to have Matt home for three weeks, and having him here has made this transition so much better. 

Anna Claire is a very sweet, snuggly little girl.  She is most content when she is curled up in a little ball in our arms.  She still sleeps a lot and only fusses or cries when she is hungry.  I hold her all the time because she is my last baby and I want to soak up every moment of it.  When we do put her down, she likes to sleep in her bouncy chair, and she tends to like her swing when she is awake.  And so Owen has named them the "sleeping seat" and the "awake seat, which seems very appropriate.

Jack absolutely adores his sister and is very curious about her.  He loves to hold her and talk to her.  He calls her "sweet girl" and goes "Sh sh sh sh sh" when she fusses and rubs her head when she is tired.  He has been incredibly helpful and will do anything I ask him to do for her.  Owen...well, Owen is still adjusting to his new sister.  He does not show as much interest in interacting with Anna Claire, but he does talk about her.  He has always been my "baby" so he is adjusting to having me hold a new baby now.  As a result, Matt and Owen seem to have developed a new sweet little bond, and I love to see them be silly together. 

Some of my favorite moments in the last week have been reading books to all the kids together, watching Matt hold his newborn daughter with a gentleness I never saw with the boys, going to the park as a family and carrying Anna around in my new wrap, and dressing Anna Claire up in adorable little girl clothes. 

One of my favorite songs is called "My Beloved" by Kari Jobe.   It's such a beautiful song and captures so much truth that I long for Anna Claire to hide in her heart.  I think every girl/woman I have ever met can relate to the struggles of not feeling beautiful or not just feeling like they are enough.  I pray that Anna Claire knows how beautiful she is and that her worth comes from the One who made her.  And that she is so incredibly loved.  So I'll leave you with this...a few moments of our first days with Anna Claire along with the words that I pray she will always cling to as she grows into the beautiful girl God made her to be.

On the night before you are born...

Dear Anna Claire,

In just a few hours we will be heading to the hospital for your birth.  We have been preparing for this day for a while, and now all the bags are packed, your room is ready, the swing and pack n play are set up for you at your new home, and all we need is you!   You have two big brothers who are so excited and anxious to meet you.  Jack is your biggest brother, and he's five and a half.  Jack couldn't sleep tonight because he was thinking about you and wondering what you will look like.  Jack is going to be one of your best friends, and he will watch over you and protect you just like a big brother should.  He has wanted you and prayed for you even before we knew that you would be a part of our family. Then there's Owen. He's three and a half, and he is so ready to be a big brother and teach you everything he knows.  Owen loves to find things all over the house and bring them to me to save for you. He also wants to give you everything that's pink and purple with flowers and butterflies.  Owen will give you lots of hugs and kisses and take good care of you.

Ever since i can remember, I have wanted a little girl.  I have prayed for you, and I have known your name would be Anna for many years now.  I still don't think I have fully realized that I am about to hold you, my sweet daughter, in just a few hours. Anna Claire, I remember the very moment I learned that God had given you to me.  I was so overcome with emotion that God would see fit to bless us with one more child, and it's almost time to finally meet you and hold you and see the little feet that have kicked inside me and the little person that has hiccuped everyday for the last two months.

Anna Claire, you have SO many people who love you and can't wait to meet you. Your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, your cousins, your brothers, and of course your daddy and me. I can't wait for you to meet your daddy and to see him hold you. He's the most wonderful daddy in the whole world, and he's going to snuggle you and kiss you and tickle you and read you stories and take care of you. He will protect you and provide for you and he will love you so much more than you could ever know. He even knows how to braid hair and paint fingernails and have tea parties. And he gives the best piggyback rides ever. You are going to love him so much.

There's so much I'm looking forward to with you! Holding you, seeing your tiny fingers and toes, hearing what your little voice sounds like. And to seeing your first smile or the first time that you reach out for me. or the first time that you laugh at your big brothers. I can't wait to see which toys will be your favorites. Will you by shy or sensitive or silly or smiley? What will be your first word, and what will be your favorite food?   And then there's playing with dolls and wearing dresses and coloring and playing house and PINK!  Goodness, I am just so excited to be your mom!

The last thing I want to tell you, Anna Claire, is that you are a gift from God. He has made you with his own hands, and he has created you to be exactly the person you are. You are God's perfect creation inside and out. I am praying for you, that you will always know how beautiful you are, and how much you are loved. Your family can't wait to meet you, sweet girl!

All my love,

Mommy

Moving and Marriage

This whole week we have been moving loads of stuff from the rental to the new house.  Jack and Owen have become quite skilled at packing and unpacking, loading and unloading, and I'm thankful for their willingness to help (candy corn goes a looong way in motivating little boys).  We have been measuring everything in terms of moving.  Like...only 3 more days of driving to school from this house and fighting this crazy traffic!  and only 4 more nights until you can take a bath in your new bathtub... and only 3 more nights until we sleep at our new house.  We are SO excited about starting this new chapter in our lives and getting settled into our new home that we have watched go up, brick by brick. 

Along with a new house and a new baby, we are shifting around furniture and updating a few things that have long needed to be updated.  Matt and I joke that we haven't been to Pier 1 since Jack was born...which was one of our favorite stores to browse at in our early days before kids.  Pre-kids, we used to spend hours talking about, planning, and shopping for our house.  It was our way of being grown up, I guess.  And then kids came along, and our house took a backseat.  So everything we have pretty much dates back to the period known as Before Kids. 

With all this transition going on, we've tried to update a couple of things--like we now need a breakfast table that will seat FIVE instead of just four.  And we're shifting around bedroom furniture so that the baby will have something to put all her pretty little girl things in.  We also need a new bed because the one we have is 10+ years old and is basically plywood covered in fabric.  I don't sleep really well these days...plywood plus a baby belly is not the best combination. 

Matt and I went mattress shopping last night.  Boy, was that a fun way to spend an evening without kids!!  Ugh.  Let's just say we almost got divorced in the mattress store.  Because Matt actually likes to sleep on plywood.  And I like something just a tad softer.  They make these plush beds that are supposed to be like a compromise between a firm and a soft bed.  But anything less than plywood is just too squishy for my sweet husband.  And one too many nights on plywood has made me cranky and unwilling to compromise.  And I know what you're thinking...they make those beds that you can adjust...only they are the price of a small car and not in the new house/new baby budget.  So after doing the whole arguing in the hushed voices thing in the middle of the bed store, we realized we weren't going to be agreeing on anything, and the sales guy was, I'm sure, relieved to see us go. 

Then we went over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick out curtains for our bedroom to go with our new king-size bedding to go on the bed we don't actually have yet.  We had dropped in Monday with the kids but realized that we had forgotten the sham from the bedding to match the curtains to, and there was a nice lady there.  She saw us with the kids trying to pick curtains to go with bedding that we didn't actually have, and she offered to help.  But we were doing the whole bickering like a 70 year old couple thing again--"I thought you got the sham."  "No, why would I get it?  You didn't tell me to get it!"  "I left it on the counter but it wasn't there so I thought YOU got it!"  "I didn't get it.  YOU were supposed to get it."  And after that quick little scene we made, we got out of there.  Well, we went back last night without kids (thanks to Nana and Poppy) and wouldn't you know the same girl was there!  She was all, You're back again!  Did you bring the thing you needed this time??  You don't have your kids with you!  Is there anything I can help you with?  I. was. mortified.  After debating which shade of off-white to go with, we finally made a choice that we agreed on, and got out of there. 

Moving/building a house is supposed to be way up there on the list of things that can cause stress in life, and boy do I believe it!  This is our third house together--third time to pick paint colors and flooring and window treatments--and each time it has been a challenge.  We both know what we like and it's not always the same thing.  We've learned to bend and compromise and give and take and somehow find a middle ground, but I gotta be honest.  It's not always easy.  Even when the decision seems SO inconsequential.  It's just good practice for the bigger decisions in life...which thank goodness, we mostly agree on, anyway. 

We are going mattress shopping again tomorrow.  Wish us luck!

What the kiddos have been up to...

Jack and Owen have grown up a lot in the last few months, and we just recently started school again for both.  They also had their half-birthdays last month, so they are very proud to say that they are now five-and-a-half and three-and-a-half.  In fact, Owen was a little indignant when I told him he would get to be in the 3-year-old class this year at school because he told me, "Mommy, I am not 3!  I am 3-and-a-half!"  There's a HUGE difference, there, in case you didn't know.

Back in the spring, they both struggled much more than we ever expected with our move to the rental.  They seemed to really mourn the old house and had a hard time understanding that we would be moving twice.  They each dealt with their anxiety and worries in different ways--Jack becoming emotional and having melt downs at the oddest times, and Owen picking up a temporary stutter and not sleeping well at night.  It took us all about a month to adjust, but they settled in, and thankfully, seem much more excited about the move to the new house in a couple of weeks.  Our old house was really special to all of us!

This summer we spent A LOT of time at the pool.  It was SO hot, and it was pretty much the only place that I could go and not feel completely sick and wiped out by the little baby busy growing inside.  The boys love to swim, particularly Jack, and he got quite good at swimming with all that practice.  We had a pretty uneventful summer, otherwise.

This year was a pretty significant year for Jack because he started kindergarten this year!  Matt and I decided to send Jack to a small Christian school here that's a little unusual.  Jack goes to school 3 days a week, and he's home with me 2 days each week.  Some call it a homeschool co-op, but even that description doesn't seem accurate to me, because many homeschool co-ops are not nearly as traditional or structured as this school.  Jack follows a very traditional school day on the days he goes to school--the only differences are that his class size is 10 kids, the day is shorter, and it is a Christian school.  At home, we follow his teacher's lesson plans and use the same curriculum, and I do a lot of extra work with him at home to supplement what he is learning, too.  So far it has been a really positive experience for all of us.  Jack seems to love his teacher and new friends, is excited about going to school, and talks all about it when he's at home (which is a pretty significant change from his preschool years, where we rarely heard about his days at school).  Jack also has a new interest in writing and is constantly writing little notes or making signs for his room or practicing his letters.  I could honestly go into great detail about our experience here, but I'll save it for another post and another day.

Owen loves his preschool class and his teachers adore him, too.  They describe him as a leader in the room and says he has a constant smile on his face.  I love to hear that!  Owen can be pretty shy, so I'm glad he's coming out of his shell at school.  Unlike Jack at age 3, Owen loves to tell us all about what he is learning in school, and who he played with each day.  I also love that Owen has his own place to go apart from Jack because Owen spends so much time imitating Jack and looks up to him so much, which I love, but it's nice to see Owen have his own thing, too.

Jack started playing soccer with Upward this fall, and he loves it!  The program is excellent--very organized and a great intro to the game.  Jack has scored two goals this season, and for a kid who's not really into sports, he seems to really be enjoying the season. 

And as far as the baby, which we found out is a GIRL!, she spends her days kicking, sleeping, wiggling, and hiccupping.  And we can't wait to see her face.  The boys are very excited to meet her, though they have not one bit of interest in feeling her move at all.  Jack has wanted a baby sister for quite a while, but Owen really could take her or leave her at this point.  Hopefully, he'll like her a little more when she's here and not ask us to take her back to the hospital like my brother did when I came along!  I just went to the doctor today at 32 weeks 4 days, and she is estimated to weigh 4 lbs, 10 oz., which is in the 54th percentile.  This is a pretty big change for me from the boys, who always measured ahead.  This pregnancy has been pretty easy, I have to admit.  The tummy aches and exhaustion in the beginning were rough and lasted til about 20 weeks, but since then, everything has gone very well, which I count as a huge blessing.  I'm anxious to see and hold her, but I'm also trying my best to enjoy this pregnancy, since this is for sure our last baby.

That's just a brief update on each...I'll try to write more about the boys soon, and how things are going in the new house.  Fall is our favorite time of year, and I hope that we can get in and get settled so we can begin some of our favorite fall traditions very soon!!

Long Overdue Update...Part 3

Now that we had a contract on a new house and a new little one on the way, we knew we had to get our house in tiptop shape to get it on the market.  We decided to go with the same realtor that we were using for the new house (who works with the builder) because we got a great feeling about her and we felt like she wanted our house to sell as much as we did, so we could keep our contract on the new house.  She did an amazing job!  She worked SO hard, and we had a showing almost every single day.  The house was under contract in just about two weeks and went to closing with absolutely no issues.  So if you're in the market for a realtor, Terri Kerr is your girl.  Can't say enough great things abouth her...

And then we were homeless...well, not really.  But I did wring my hands about this one little detail for quite a while.  We had not expected our house to sell quite so soon, and while we were thrilled, we now had to find a place that would let us do a 5 month lease with a dog and not charge us an arm and a leg to do it.  I checked apartment complexes, I searched for rental homes, I drove around town looking for "For Rent" signs with not much luck.  I did the only thing I knew to do when I'm in over my head...I began praying.  I asked for guidance and clarity and begged God not to use this moment to teach our family that we really could get by in just a one bedroom apartment for 5 months.  And I then I found this random house on this random website...called the landlord and he really was okay with just a 5 month lease and a dog and didn't even want a pet deposit or anything!!  I had seen some sketchy places and was almost convinced that this was too good to be true...but I'm pretty optimistic so we went by and checked the house out and it was actually okay!  We decided it would definitely serve our purpose for the time we needed it.

The landlord worked hard for the next month getting the house ready for us (it had been vacant for a while...), and it was just such an answered prayer and another way that God provided for us when we were losing hope...we were this close to being in a tiny apartment with no storage and paying ridiculous amounts of money for deposits and a short term lease...and all of a sudden, we had this 3 bedroom house with a yard and a two car garage for storage, and we were saving well over $2000 over the course of 5 months. 

And why is this story important?  Well, we soon found out after we moved in that the house was, get this...going into foreclosure!!  I was all, uh-uh, no way, this CANNOT be happening!  But the landlord assured us it was okay, and that he was working out the details.  Turns out, the landlord had fallen on some hard times, and we were as much a blessing to him as he was to us!  It's always amazing to me when I take a step back to see how much God orders our steps and works things out according to His purposes and plan.  This landlord, who will likely lose this house at some point, has gone out of his way to make sure we have had everything we need.  He has taken care of every single problem and every issue we have had.  What a blessing this house has been for us (even when we don't realize or appreciate it at times).

So now, here we are, just a few days from closing, and we could not be more excited or thrilled or anxious to get settled into what we hope will be our home for many, many years to come.  We (and by we, I mean Matt) will be spending the next couple of weeks painting, hanging window treatments, closet organizers, and those kinds of things, and we will be officially moved in on October 8.  Just in time to get that new nursery all set up!  Which reminds me that I included almost nothing in all of this updating on the kids, so stay tuned for the next post...an update on the boys (and girl). 

Long overdue update...part 2

Matt loves houses, house hunting, pouring over house plans...he even likes to watch HGTV (but really mostly the boy shows on there).  Anyone who knows Matt knows that he likes things to be neat and organized and matching.  What people probably don't know is that he can spend a lot of time doing things like making paper furniture to scale to fit on a house plan or tape the outline of furniture on the floor to get a better idea of how to organize a room and make sure that everything is juuuuust right. 

So since our "guest" bedroom would soon be occupied by a new little member of our family, I thought we might need to rethink our plans for furniture there.  This was the perfect opportunity to sneak in some news that Matt wouldn't be expecting.  I took our house plan and drew little furniture drawings in all the rooms upstairs (complete with a crib and changing table in the "guest room") so that I could, um..."get his thoughts on furniture placement" for the new house.  Once I got everything just right, I watched the clock tick the minutes by until it was finally time for Matt to arrive home. 

The plan that I used to share the big news with Matt...see the baby furniture in Bedroom 4?

While the boys were outside playing, I casually greeted Matt..."Hi honey!  Glad you're home! Hey, why don't you take a look at these plans?  I drew the furniture in each room but I'm not sure about all the placements...thought you might have some thoughts..." and just like that he took the plans and began studying over them.  Luckily, Matt is typically oblivious to any cues I might have been giving off that anything was out of the norm, and any excitement he might have sensed would have easily been attributed to excitement over the new house.  He took what felt like forever, studying each room carefully...asking me questions about this bed and that dresser.  He finally got to THE room and chuckled to himself, and said, "A crib...you're silly."  To which I responded, "Well, we are going to need it!"  And Matt responds, "Yeah, someday..." (See?  Oblivious!).  Then I said, "Umm...in about 9 months!"  I so wish I had recorded the moment somehow.  He just looked at me with this look of disbelief.  I think he actually had to sit down.  He did lots of big breaths and stared at the table with big eyes and said. "Wow."  Something resembling a smile seemed to appear across his face as he was hit with all the thoughts and emotions that I had already felt earlier...He didn't think it was going to happen...And now with the new house....and of course, thinking of the impact financially (as dads tend to do...). 

I was thrilled that I was able to surprise him and once the shock wore off, he was excited, too.  Nervous, but excited.  We decided to wait a while to tell the boys (and everyone else) for a few weeks until we heard the heartbeat and felt more confident sharing the news.  Boy was that hard!

Three weeks later came Easter.  I had just had an ultrasound and heard the heartbeat and we decided to surprise the boys with the news.  We did a scavenger hunt for them and I hid different little baby items in Easter eggs...a pacifier, baby food, baby shampoo, etc...We sent them all over the house with clues and once they found all the eggs, they opened them and had to guess the big surprise.  Jack was thrilled, as he has wanted a new baby for a while.  Owen was a little more reserved, but he IS my baby now...so I wasn't surprised. 

Knowing that this is the last time that we will get to share news like this, it was extra special and extra sweet.  And so we settled into our new chaos of preparing for a baby and for a move...of course, there was one small detail.  We still needed to sell our house that was now definitely feeling crowded with one more on the way...

Long overdue update...Part 1

I haven't blogged in such a long time!  Which is completely a reflection on how much busier we have all been these past few months.  But since life is about to get even crazier, I want to try and write about it both to keep those updated who are interested in what's new with us, and to record the events of the coming weeks and months.  So hopefully, I'll be a bit more regular about updating, even if it's just a quick check-in. 

So, back in March, we got the crazy idea to put our house on the market, just to see what might happen.  Interest rates were dropping, our house was getting a little crowded with two growing boys, and the driving (about 15 minutes from town) was getting exhausting with ever busier schedules and higher gas prices.  After searching for a possibility for a new house, we found a lovely little neighborhood right in the middle of our community, close to parks, the library, the grocery store, and Target (YES!!), closer to Matt's work, and closer to the boys' schools.  It was beautiful, and we found just the perfect house plan to fit our family.  We prayed and discussed and shared with family and friends and prayed some more, and decided to just see what happens.  So far, our experiences have shown us that God will make His plans clear for us if we just let Him be in control. 

Our sweet little house that we loved. We went from a newlywed couple to a family of four in this house. Our boys smiled their first smiles here, said their first words, took their first steps...so many, many memories of our family were made here and it will always hold a very special place in our hearts.


We decided to go ahead and put a contract on a home, contingent on the sale of our current one.  We had nothing to lose at this point, and just trusted that God would direct our paths.  Well, just as we were making final changes to our contract on the new home, I got the most unbelievable, amazing surprise and found out we were expecting our third child!  Although we have prayed for and hoped for and tried for this child for quite a while, we were both content with the fact that what we wanted may not be in fact what God had in store for us.  We already have two amazing little boys, and so we had just given this desire to God and trusted that if it was meant to happen, it would.  And if not, we were still beyond blessed with the life we have been given.

In the moment that I found out, I was beyond overjoyed.  I remember just shaking with excitement and hope and awe at God's timing.  Which clearly is so much better than ours.  I'll never forget the overwhelming emotions I felt in that moment.  I had about five minutes to myself while the boys had a snack downstairs, and I am so thankful for those first few minutes that I had alone with this new little life inside me and the One who created her.  I prayed and I cried and I smiled so hard I gave myself new wrinkles and I looked at the little positive test about a thousand times just to make sure.  It was a special moment that I will always treasure and can't wait to share with this little one someday how much we wanted and prayed for and loved her even before we knew she would be ours. 

I needed to share the news with Matt, but I wanted to do it in a surprising and fun way--something I had not gotten to do with our other two babies, since we had been together when we learned we were expecting them.  I tossed around several ideas, even googled some, and couldn't come up with anything that hadn't already been done or that just seemed to fit us.   I knew it had to be something I could do quickly and easily, since there's no way I could keep this news to myself for very long.  And then the perfect idea came along...and I'll tell the whole story in Part 2.

You want to wear what??

I have been a parent just long enough to know I don't always know what to do in every situation.  I thought I would know, but the problem is kids don't always behave the way you want or expect them to...a lesson that didn't take me long to learn.  I've learned a lot of lessons so far in my 5 years of parenting, but this particular problem is not one I was expecting at this stage, nor is it one that I really feel like I've got under control at this point. 

Owen has lots of opinions.  And he can be pretty persistent.  He wants to have a say in just about every choice that is made regarding him.  And I am totally fine with that.  In most every situation we have worked out some sort of system that works for all of us.  We don't get a lot of tantrums from Owen, and the ones we do get are very short lived.  Except in one area. 

The clothes.  Here's the situation.  Owen has about 3 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts he wants to wear.  There's no real rhyme or reason to what he likes and doesn't like--it's not a certain color or texture or type of clothing (because I could totally work with those kinds of issues!).  And here's my one non-negotiable.  I am not willing to hand over complete control to Owen over what he wears.  I realize that some parents don't agree, but we all have our things.  And I may look back on this choice in 10 or 15 years and realize it was naive and silly of me to stand so firmly on this one issue.  But that's where I'm at today. 

I am more than happy to offer plenty of choices, to let Owen have input on what he wears.  But letting him walk out in a striped green golf shirt and some orange and brown plaid shorts just ain't happenin'. 

So here's a quick rundown on what I've tried.

--Offering 2-3 complete outfits and letting him choose one.
--Offering a combination of shirts and pants that all go together and letting him choose a shirt and pants.
--Offering to let him choose the shirt and letting me pick the shorts.
--Picking out an outfit he likes the night before.
--Not giving him a choice at all.
--Forcing the clothes on him. (that one is particularly fun).
--Putting him in his room until he gets himself dressed. 

Nothing is working.

This morning, Owen had a new Star Wars shirt that I thought would make today a breeze.  I picked out some red shorts to match.  Boy was that a mistake!  Owen doesn't immediately throw a fit.  He is just adamant that he is not going to wear red shorts.  I calmly explain that those are the shorts that match the shirt he wants to wear.  "But Jack is wearing gray shorts!" Owen replies.  "Owen, you don't have any gray shorts clean."  "I'm NOT wearing red shorts!"  So I went and picked out a different outfit for him, and he now had two options.  In an effort to not engage him in arguing, I told him he could choose which outfit he wanted and he could come out of his room when he was dressed.  After going in circles, and many, many, MANY tears, I was at my wits end.  At this point, he was just crying for his mama, and I'm a total sucker for Owen.  So I went in (over an hour after the entire thing had started) and tried to figure out the problem.  It boiled down to the red shorts.  So I opened his drawer, found a pair of khaki shorts (I would have started here but I thought Owen wanted to wear "comfy" shorts!).  Owen immediately stripped down and was dressed and off to play 30 seconds later with not another thought about it. 

Those hour-long battles are NEVER worth it to me, and I always think that if I could have seen it coming, I would have never started it to begin with. 

This is a battle for us every single day, unless Owen gets to wear one of the 2 or 3 outfits he likes.  What can I do differently?  Do I push the issue even further?  Do I leave him in his room to get dressed even if it takes hours?  Do I give him choices or not?  This issue has progressively gotten worse as he has gotten older, and I do not think it is going away any time soon.

This fall when school starts back, we won't have the luxury of waiting until he decides to get ready.  I've even contemplated sending him to school in his pj's when he refuses to get dressed, and just sending his clothes with him...gosh, that idea doesn't sound nearly as good right now as it does in the morning when he won't get dressed.

I realize there's probably no right answer...I continue to struggle with the second-guessing I often have in decisions I make as a parent.   What advice or suggestions do you have?   Doesn't an issue like this become an even bigger one when kids get older and want to have even more say in what they wear?

I'm sure one day, I will look back on this and laugh at how silly the problem was.  But for today, this is the issue.  I hope it's a phase that will quickly pass...

Have I mentioned how much I love birthdays??

After a very long blog hiatus, today was such a special and fun day that I had to spend some time writing so I would remember just how fun this day was!  If you didn't know already, today is my birthday!  I was a little sad this morning because I didn't really have any plans, and it was supposed to rain today.  It never rains on my birthday.  Never.  In fact, it's a running joke with Matt.  He thinks it's hilarious and says that I'm so proud of my birthday.  But it's true! It never, ever rains on my birthday.  Until this year.  The forecast said 60% chance and I woke up to a gray, cloudy sky.  I decided it was a great day for the movies, called my friend Amy and made plans for a movie and lunch (thanks for lunch, Amy!), and we had a blast! 

As we were leaving Chick-fil-a, I noticed a miracle had in fact happened, and the sun had come out!  I'm telling you it never, ever rains on my birthday!  We quickly made a change of plans, ran home to gather our swim things, and headed to the pool for the afternoon--probably my most favorite birthday/summertime activity.  We jumped out in time to get ready for dinner, but then the most special thing of the day happened. 

I got to open my presents.  And I like birthday presents as much as anyone, but honestly, I usually don't even think about them when it comes time for my birthday.  I usually just love spending the day with people I love.  But today.  Well, today, the present was the highlight of today...and here's why. 

A few months ago, I came across a Bible verse that just really spoke to me--a friend had posted it on her blog, I think, but as I read it, I was so moved by it.  You see, I had been thinking about having a family verse for a while--a verse that just sort of summed up for our family what our goal or purpose is, and this one...well this verse was IT.  I casually shared it with Matt one evening--just shared the idea I had and why I thought it was a great verse.  I didn't really think about it any more, and we never talked about it.  Fast forward to today, and this is what I opened...

Isn't it so very beautiful??  Matt asked our very amazingly talented friend Kate Moore to paint this for me.  It is SO, SO incredibly special to me on so many levels.  That Matt would remember, that he would value this verse as much as I did, and that he would reach out to find someone who could do such a beautiful job painting it exactly as I had imagined it in my head.  We have the perfect spot for it in the entryway of our new home, and I just cannot wait to put it there.

In our rental, there's a radio installed in the kitchen, and I've been surprised how much I have enjoyed listening to it throughout the day.  So Matt also got me a docking station that we can set up in the kitchen of our new home.  Very thoughtful gifts from a very thoughtful husband whom I love very much. 

We went to a fun dinner with Aunt Anne and Emma and had more cake after dinner...

The day was filled with phone calls and texts and emails and facebook messages (one of my very favorite parts of facebook!! is the birthday reminder!!)...Such a special day where I felt very loved and celebrated and joyful, which is why I love birthdays so much!  So thanks to all of you sweet friends and family for making my day so incredibly special and fun today!

(And I'm hoping it won't be over 4 months til the next post...)

Busy Busy Busy

I keep looking longingly at my blog, wishing for the time to sit down and update all that the last month has brought us...but life is SO busy!  We've had 2 birthdays around here, and we are now the proud parents of a 3 year old and 5 year old (Why must they grow up so FAST??).  I'm in the midst of planning birthday parties, baby and wedding showers, and planning for our town's annual consignment sale.  We are in the process of a HUGE organization overhaul in this house.  All of which I would love to blog about!  But there's just not enough hours in the day...so I'll keep taking pictures and notes and one day soon, I will be back to update this space with all of our biggest highlights. 

I need your ideas!

*Disclaimer: I am going to let you in on some of my embarrassing disorganization in the hope that some of you amazing moms/homemakers out there can help me bring order to our chaos.  Please don't judge me.  And if you do judge me, that's okay.  Just tell me how to fix it.

Just a few days ago, we celebrated our 7th anniversary of moving in our house.  When we moved in back in 2005, it was just the two of us.  We had sold our first house 3 months before, and we had been living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment waiting for this house to be finished.  Like we ate in our laps cause there was no room for a table kind of tiny.  So when we moved in, this house felt like a mansion!  I would just go from room to room, marveling at all the options I had!  I mean, we had not just one, but two tables to eat on!  Three different bathrooms!  Four different bedrooms!  The house was brand new and we had chosen everything that was in it.  We were so very thankful for this house!!  It was perfect in every way.

Fast forward seven years and two kids later, and we are literally outgrowing this house.  We have contemplated moving (and we may still consider it), but at this point and in this market, we think we are staying here for a while longer...
So that brings me to my question.  We need some serious organization solutions!  I like to think that I'm a good organizer.  But I have to be honest with myself when I look around and see the disorganization around me that I may not be quite as good at it as I once thought. 

Here are some pictures of some areas that we constantly struggle with...I'm welcoming any and all ideas, suggestions, or advice that you might have to deal with these problem areas in our house.

1.  The dress-up clothes.  I have no idea how to organize these so that they will be accessible to the kids without pulling everything out looking for the one belt or glove or mask that they need to complete their ensemble.  So it usually ends up looking like this, after about 15 minutes of dress-up time...

Bless his heart, Jack was looking for his Green Lantern power ring.  The ring is the most critical part of the costume, since that is the source of his superpowers.  Jack says without the ring, he's just a kid dressed up like the Green Lantern.  Poor kid never found it...no surprise with all that mess.



2.  The star wars toys.  This is a fairly new obsession in our house, so most of these toys are new and they play with them all day...it may seem absolutely absurd to the average person to have more than one or maybe two lightsabers at most, but when you're four and have declared that you are Darth Vader, then Luke Skywalker's lightsaber is completely unacceptable in a battle.  Or at least that's what I've been told.  I still probably fall more into that average person category and think that  more than 2 lightsabers is a little excessive.  Anyway...I have no idea how to store these toys so that they don't look like a jumbled mess.  Which makes my head a jumbled mess.  Please tell me you have a solution to this problem!

3.  The hot wheels.  Do any of you have these?  If so, do you take the track apart every time you put them away?  Seems like a waste to do that, but I have no idea how to store these...but this bin is not working.

4.  The bath toys.  Where do you store them?  Do we have too many?  I honestly don't even know what's a normal amount to have.

5.  The laundry.  Our laundry room is itty-bitty and stuck right in the middle of the short walkway between the kitchen and dining room.  That walkway is constantly covered in laundry baskets.  Dirty laundry waiting to be washed.  Clean laundry waiting to be folded and put away...I don't remember this being such an issue before kids, but it may be that we just had more time to do laundry back then.

There are several more areas of disorganization that I could address, but those are the biggest ones.  Plus, I'm already embarrassed enough to admit that I have no idea how to solve these problems.

• A few things--we have almost zero storage.  Didn't seem like a problem in 2005.  Now it's a tad more challenging.
• We have purged and purged.  We probably still have too many toys, but our kids do play with the ones specifically mentioned on a daily basis.
• We do have a small playroom, but it is upstairs and our kids almost never want to be in there. Is that normal?  I mean, shouldn't kids like their playroom???

What tips or tricks do you have to organize toys and make your space neat, tidy, and comfortable?  How do you manage the messes in your house? (If you don't have messes, just keep that little piece of information to yourself, okay?)  Do laundry baskets take over your house too?

Hit me with your best advice, ideas, or suggestions.  I'm ready to tackle the mess.

Best Parenting Book Ever



*This is a blog post that I wrote for our church blog...thought I'd share it here.  Thoughts that have been swirling in my head for a few days...*

It’s just after breakfast, and my two young sons are playing together when they beginning fighting over a toy…hands start hitting and voices are raised…

Be kind and loving to each other. Ephesians 4:32

My older son is lying awake in bed and calls out for me. He is afraid of the booming thunder just outside his window…

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Joshua 1:8

Sweet little two year old hands play with the Little People Nativity set, first holding Mary, then Joseph, then a baby boy. “Mommy, it’s a baby! Baby Jesus!”

God has given a Son to us. Isaiah 9:6

Scripture is a powerful tool that we have in our back pocket as parents. There’s no parenting moment or circumstance that goes unanswered by God’s word. It’s so comforting, really, to know that even in the most difficult moments of raising our children (and there are many!), that our Father has given us parenting advice at every turn.

Every month in fpKIDS, our children learn a Bible verse, one that is applicable to their daily lives. In fact, all of the verses above are ones that our preschoolers have learned in fpKIDS (Yes! Even 2-year-olds can learn Bible verses!). As parents, we have the amazing opportunity to walk our children through the discipline of memorizing scripture so that when they hit those bumps in the road, they have God’s word hidden deep in their hearts. We are doubly blessed when we memorize scripture along with our children because not only are we hiding the Word in our hearts too, but we are gaining precious wisdom that we can use in those tough parenting moments. And when we shepherd our children using scripture, we are equipping them to face every obstacle, challenge, question, and emotion through the filter of God’s word.

On many occasions, I have heard my own young sons remind themselves or each other to be kind and loving or to not be afraid or to trust in God. And I’m humbled to admit that they have also reminded me of those same things. There is power in scripture, particularly coming from the sweet voice of a four year old.

From disciplining to comforting your children to teaching your children about Jesus, I encourage you to search out the scripture to hear what God says about it. Speak those words; let the Word of God be the oxygen in your home. Let it always be in your hearts and on your lips, in your prayers and in your teachable moments. From the first good morning to the last good night, impress upon your children the power of God’s word in their lives. Be empowered and blessed by God’s parenting wisdom.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NIV)

A Trip to the Zoo

It was finally warm enough today to go to the zoo, so we headed out after lunch to go visit the animals.  I think that we have a pretty nice zoo for the size of our city, and they have a ton for little kids to do, including a large indoor play area and an outdoor play area, in addition to all the animal exhibits.  We can easily spend hours here just playing, and most of the time that's really all we do.  So I was pleasantly surprised to see the boys were more interested in seeing the animals than they have been in the past.  We had a couple of exciting encounters, but mostly it was just a really fun time spent with them.  Winter makes playdates a little tough, so we were thankful for the opportunity to get out and play.  Here are some pictures from the day...

**A little side note--we just got a new camera for Christmas and I have absolutely NO idea how to use it.  So if the pictures look fuzzy or blue, just pretend they don't, okay?  It's a learning process.**

One of Owen's favorite zoo activities...scooping up fake
 animal poo (he's supposed to be working on the farm). 
He actually asks, "Mommy can we go to the zoo and sweep the poop?" 
We are so proud!

Puppet Show

 Sweet boy loves his trucks.

This is how they are.  All. the. time.

I caught him mid-lick.

I don't actually know what this is, but they were cute. 

I loved the difference in color of these two...
I'm not sure I've ever seen a black giraffe.

More of these guys...

The big safari truck that is almost always covered with kids,
unless you go in the dead of winter like we did. 
The boys love this thing. 

Jack's new favorite face to make at the camera.

Jack is imparting his safari truck driving knowledge to his baby brother.

Ohmygoodness!  The highlight of the day.  This adorable little guy ran
over to visit when we stopped by.  He stayed by the window the whole time.
 It could have been the snack bags of food that attracted him,
but either way, it was so fun!

Having a chat.

Jack loves to stop and read all about chimps,
but those little buttons under each picture are off-limits.
 He is absolutely terrified of the sounds chimps make
 (which is what happens when the buttons are pushed).

Me playing artsy photographer.

Elephants really are funny looking, particularly from this angle.

Another one of me pretending to be a photographer.

And one more.  Pretty berries.

Top Ten of 2011

**So this is a little late getting posted...I was working on it and wanted to find a few more pictures but that never happened...so here it is, a little unfinished...**

I can't believe it's already the end of the year!!  I know everyone says that, but it's true...I think we all find that time seems to slip away more quickly with every year that we call this Earth home. 

So we've all been talking around our house the last few days about our favorite moments of this year.  We have enjoyed laughing and reminiscing about the many, many moments that we have smiled, laughed, loved, and felt incredible joy.  Many of the moments are great reminders of how loving, how faithful, how present God is in our lives.  So without further ado, here are our family's Top Ten Favorites of 2011 (in no particular order, since they are all equally special to us!)...

1.  Our family's first trip to Disney World--We took our first trip to Disney World to celebrate Jack's 4th birthday and Owen's 2nd birthday.  We stayed for a few days, then Nana and Poppy and Aunt Anne and Uncle Jamie all joined us for a few more days.  The entire week was, well, magical.  There's no other word for it--it was so unbelievably magical and will always be such a special memory for our family.

2.  We are officially diaper free!  This year Owen potty-trained (very unexpectedly!) in about a day (Thanks to my sis-in-law Nicole (i.e., mom-of-four-boys and official-potty-training-expert).  We (and our budget) could not be happier about this!  Good boy, Owen!

**How did I not take even one picture to remember this huge moment??  Is it too late to take a picture of Owen holding up his big boy undies now??  6 months late...**
3.  Matt received a rather unexpected job promotion of taking over the in-patient rehab department of the hospital.  This is yet another way God has abundantly provided for us, and we are so grateful.  I'm so proud of you, Matt!

4.  First day of school!  This is always a much-talked-about event and a very special one this year, since it was Owen's first day of school ever and Jack's first day of his last year of preschool. 

5.  Our very lovable, cuddly, adorable nephew Tripp was born in April of this year.  He is such a happy, sweet boy and a complete blessing to our family.   AND he is the first of all my parents' grandkids to have RED hair!  He is just precious!

AND...

Our beatiful, happy, little niece Emma was born in October of this year.  She is the most well-behaved, content, sweet little girl, and I personally can. not. wait. to play dolls and have tea parties with her (with two sons and four nephews, we are up to our eyeballs in light sabers and Nerf guns!)  Did I mention I cannot wait to have a tea party? 

6.  Bafokeng.  Our sweet little boy from Lesotho that was born the same day as Jack.  We just began to sponsor him through World Vision this year after our last child graduated from the program.  So we let Jack pick a new boy, and he picked Bafokeng.  A boy exactly his age on the other side of the world.  So much in common.  And yet worlds apart.  We love him and we pray for him daily. (Terrible picture quality...but really sweet boy).

7.  The beach trip has become something of a tradition with our family.  Every year or two, we pack up and head to Charleston with Matt's family and enjoy a week together.  It's always a fun time, and we love being with family for a whole week! 

8.  Our small group at church grew so large that we had to birth a new group early this year!  Matt and I also officially became leaders, taking a GIANT step in faith that God would provide much-needed direction.  The result has been an unbelievably amazing group of people whom we now count as our dearest friends.  Jack and Owen adore their small group friends, and we all look forward to meeting each week.  It's an amazing experience to have such an incredible group of people to do life with.  We love y'all!

9.  Summer Break--There's nothing like summer break when you're a kid--hot days filled with swimming, park playdates, trips to Dollywood, and picnics.  We love summertime around here and many of our most favorite memories are made in this season.

10.  We got new cars!  At the end of April, we had some really rough storms with lots of hail, and our house and cars were very damaged.  Both of our cars were totaled.  Although the storms were devastating (much more so for many others), we were able to work with the insurance company to purchase two cars.  We were blessed to be able to make this work financially because we definitely were not in a place to buy two cars before the storms. 

And that's it, folks.  Our 2011 highlights.  If we could choose a theme for 2011 it would simply be that God is our Faithful Provider.  From job promotions to new friends to new cars and to sweet new babies to hold and love, God has so richly blessed us.  We are humbled and undeserving and so completely grateful that He would choose to love us so completely and show His favor in our lives.


Happy New Year to you all!  May this year be filled with joy and blessings and many, many happy moments!