02-16-15 Our Favorite Neighbors

Due to the impending snow storm, we were let out of work early today. What a wonderful surprise! And this evening, we took the kids to visit our favorite neighbors three doors down and they got to meet their new cousin, Rebekah. 

None of my kids were ever born close enough to their cousins to do any comparison shots... Until now! Here is baby E at 13 weeks and baby Rebekah at 5 days. All of a sudden baby E seems HUGE!

C says her new baby cousin is beautiful... And I would have to agree!

Tonight as we settle in for bed...

We are holding out hope for a snow day tomorrow! 

And it sure looks like we will get one!

02-15-15 My Littlest Sweetheart

Cuddling with my littlest sweetheart! 

02-14-15 A Night Out

Tim and I went out with his brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Jenn for a Valentine's double date. His parents watched all six kids while we went to the movies to see Old Fashioned. Yup, the same movie I saw last weekend, except this time I got to see it with my sweetheart! Again, I highly recommend this film, especially if you are looking for an alternative to 50 Shades. (Seriously, who wants to watch that trash?)

After the movie we grabbed dinner and headed on our way home... Right into the middle of a snow/ ice storm! 

The walk back to the van was blinding with stinging winds and snow pelting us in the face. Once in the car, it took us over an hour to travel two miles and several times the van slipped around on the roads. We barely made it up one particular hill as we inched past stuck cars, we ourselves slipping and sliding. It took two and a half hours to get home. 

But other than the dicey ride home, it was a wonderful evening! The kids were glad to see us, but hard to separate from their cousins. They fell asleep the moment we put them in the car. 

My littlest Valentines :)

02-13-15 The Phone Call

I've been getting phone calls recently from a number I didn't recognize. I never answered, but today I listened to the voicemail. It was CVS calling to tell me that my prescription was ready for pick up...

In North Carolina. 

Since the last time I was in North Caronlina was in 2006, I was a bit perplexed, so I called them back. They informed me that a new prescription had just been filled and I could come and get it. I explained that I didn't live in North Carolina and never requested any medicine. The pharmacist confirmed my birthday and asked me if I had ever been to a particular doctor, to which I said no. He gave me the doctors phone number.

When the doctors office picked up, I explained that they had called in a prescription under my name and I wanted to know why. I gave them my name and the receptionist seemed a bit confused. She told me that they DO have a patient with that name. She asked me for my birthday, and sure enough, this other woman (with my exact name) and I share a birthday. 

So, when they called the prescription for her into CVS, somehow her name got linked with my phone number. While I was getting (and ignoring) all these calls to pick up a prescription, this poor woman was probably wondering what was taking so long! The doctor's office contacted her so that she could call CVS and straighten out the situation. Meanwhile it leaves me wondering if something like this will happen again. 

It was quite easily the strangest set of phone calls I have ever had! So to my name and birthday twin in NC, I wish you a good night and I hope you were finally able to get the medication that you need! 

02-12-15 Perfect

I am a very blessed woman. This evening I got to hold my newest niece. In total I have thirteen nieces and nephews ranging from 36 hours to 20 years old. 

There is truly nothing more joyful than holding a brand new baby and tonight was no exception. Baby Bekah is perfect!

Perfect, indeed!

02-11-15 Baby Bekah

This morning, our niece was born. 

Welcome to the world, Baby Bekah! We can't wait to hold you and cuddle you and spoil you! You were born into a pretty special family with two big brothers that are going to adore you! We love you, little girl!

02-10-15 Relax

Some people drink wine to relax. Some people watch tv. Me? I take baths. 

Today was a rough day, so I welcomed the idea of thirty minutes of quiet time immersed in hot water while the rest of my family slept. So all evening, the only thing I could think about was a bath

I cooked dinner...

Fed the baby...

Helped get the kids to bed...

Did dishes...

Started laundry...

And finally lit a candle and gathered everything I needed for my bath. And then this happened...

Yup! Wide awake and fussing everytime I got out of sight.) No comment that my second son is not only wrapped in a pink swaddling blanket but he is also laying on a pink princess blanket. (In all fairness, the purple butterfly blanket he usually lays on went AWOL.) 

So, naturally, this happened... 

I guess the days of solo bathing have come to an end! 

I also wanted to give a huge shout out to my awesome neighbor (and brother-in-law) who scraped off the ice from my windshield this morning before he went to work. This time tomorrow he will be holding his new baby daughter in his arms and I can't wait to meet my new niece! The first five grandchildren for my husband's parents were girls. And then came eight boys. It will be exciting to have another girl around! Maybe Baby E will even share his princess blanket with her!

02-09-15 This fellow

This fellow makes it awfully difficult to get out of the house in the morning... Not because he is a difficult baby, but because he is just so stinkin cute and I don't want to leave him!

I don't think he is nearly as amused by his bug outfit as I am! 

02-08-15 Old Fashioned

A friend of mine from back in the day wrote/directed/starred in a film that is getting released on Valentines weekend. In a few select markets, the film opened early and fortunately one of those markets was the DC area. So, today I went with a group of friends from my MOPS group to go and see it. It's called Old Fashioned. 

It was a great chance to see a wonderful movie with a group of women that I see at our MOPS meetings, but rarely get a chance to spend time with. I had a lot of fun. I highly recommend the movie if you get a chance to see it. It is unapologetically faith based and gave a very refreshing look on dating and courtship. 

Here's the synopsis from the film's website...

A romantic-drama, OLD FASHIONED centers on Clay Walsh, a former frat boy who gives up his reckless carousing and now runs an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town. There, he has become notorious for his lofty and outdated theories on love and romance as well as for his devout belief in God. When Amber Hewson, a free-spirited young woman with a restless soul, drifts into the area and rents the apartment above his shop, she finds herself surprisingly drawn to his strong faith and noble ideas, which are new and intriguing to her. And Clay, though he tries to fight and deny it, simply cannot resist being attracted to her spontaneous and passionate embrace of life. Ultimately, Clay must step out from behind his relational theories and Amber must overcome her own fears and deep wounds as the two of them, together, attempt the impossible: an "old-fashioned" and God-honoring courtship in contemporary America. - See more at: http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com/synopsis#sthash.F48Yxy4w.dpuf

02-07-15 Tiny Dancer

Today was parents' day at C's ballet school, so we were excited to get to watch her dance. 

She's one of the youngest in her class that ranges from four to six year olds. Each week I wait in the lobby as she is in class and this was the first time I actually got to see her dancing. She was so excited this morning as she got ready and when class started she was beaming. Throughout the class if she noticed that our attention was not completely on her she would wave her fingers in front of her eyes to signal to us that we needed to be focused on her. 

After class I asked her to pose for me so I could take a nice picture of her. This is what I got...

02-06-15 Three Months Old

I can't believe that baby E is three months old today! He spent this auspicious occasion by eating, sleeping, and filling diapers.

Beyond that, at three months he... 

...is quite versed at smiling, cooing, and flailing like a crazy person when he is happy to see you. 

...hates being alone and will fuss if you walk out of his line of vision. 

...pretends to suck on a paci when he doesn't actually have one in his mouth. 

...sleeps 5-7 hour stretches at night. 

...views his car seat as a medieval torture device and

...has impressively resilient cradle cap.

Happy Three Months little fellow! Mommy loves you!!

02-05-15 Eating with Savages

If ever I write a memoir, I am going to title it "Eating With Savages."

A co-worker of my husband went on a Disney cruise and brought back each of the kids a gift. After they were asleep last night, Tim snuck in and put them in their room. 

C woke up in the middle of the night screaming. She calmed down when she saw her new toy. When E saw his big Mickey Mouse he looked so confused. When we asked him if he wanted to hold him he excitedly said yes. He cuddled into bed with his new toy and fell asleep with a sweet smile on his face. 

02-04-15 Guilt

I spent the better part of today feeling guilty that we have decided to (at least temporarily) take our kids out of Wednesday night programs at church. 

Every Wednesday ended the same, with me trying to wrangle two wild children while carrying a baby. Inevitably I would have to physically restrain one or both children into their car seats and proceed to listen to full out screaming the entire way home. Once home, I would then have to get two cranky toddlers to bed while dealing with a screaming, hungry baby. In the end, everyone would get to bed late and I would tumble into bed totally defeated. 

So a few weeks ago we decided to stop doing it. But each Wednesday I feel a little guilty that they aren't there. I think about what they are missing out on. And today I was really beating myself up about it... That is, until I got home. 

My dear friend Rebecca, who watched the kids all day, had dinner made and my kitchen cleaned by the time I walked in the door so that I could spend a nice quiet evening at home with my family. And that is exactly what I did. We sat around the table and talked. We told jokes and answered questions. We were together. By the end of this evening, I didn't feel guilty at all. I felt blessed. Thank you, Rebecca! 

02-03-15 Sick Day

I've been back to work for four days and I was late yesterday because of Baby E's appointment and had to call in sick today. That must be a record. I spent the day in bed, and besides feeding the baby, all I did was sleep!

02-02-15 Aortopulmonary Collateral

Aortopulmonary Collateral.

That is the official diagnosis from the cardiologist. And the good news is that it is absolutely nothing to worry about!!

After an EKG and a cardioechogram, the doctor determined that his heart looks perfect. The murmur is being caused by something else. Apparently in utero, as the baby is developing, there are small blood vessels that connect the aorta with the vessel that leads to the lungs. As the baby grows , these blood vessels disappear. Apparently Baby E still has one left. A minuscule amount of blood is still passing through this blood vessel, creating the slight murmur. She was surprised that the pediatrician had even heard it. She said that it is perfectly safe. He may outgrow it, he may not, but it will have no effect on him. Praise God!

To top it off they said he was about 9.5 lbs, which means he has gained nearly 1.5 lbs since his two month appointment!

Waiting for the doctor. 

02-01-15 The Tale of the Grasshopper

I sat in the nursery this afternoon feeding baby E. The older kids were downstairs playing. I could hear them running back and forth. After a few minutes of relative quiet they came charging upstairs.

C- Mommy!! mommy!! You have got to hear about this! I have to tell you about the grasshopper!!!

Me- What grasshopper?

C- The one we saw when we went on our walk?

Me- What walk? 

C- When we just went outside for our walk!!!!

So, apparently my four year old and my two year old opened the front door and went for a walk... Alone... Without me!!!

I'm not sure how far they got, but I am eternally grateful for the grasshopper that startled them enough to send them careening inside to tell me about it!

After I finished feeding the baby, I took them outside and asked them to tell me where they went. C insists they didn't leave the stoop, but I am not entirely convinced. Once we were finished, I told them they needed to come inside. C starts shouting "No!" at the top of her lungs and screaming, "BUT I WANT TO SEE GOD'S CREATION!!!" 

I didn't get any photos today. It was one of those days where we lept from one tantrum to another with little break between. I'm hoping as we settle more into our routine these episodes will subside. 

Tomorrow morning Baby E has his cardiology appointment. Prayers appreciated that the doctors will rule out anything serious. Thank you! 

01-31-15 I Want To Go Home

"I want to go home."

He says this each morning as he props his little elbows on the window sill and stares down at the parking lot below. "I miss the farmhouse."

Big E was six months old when we moved into the farmhouse. It is the only home he remembers, and right now he misses it. I once heard someone say 'the barefeet of a child touch the ground and that ground becomes sacred to him.' He will adjust and he will come to love the new house. Likely when he is older, he won't even remember the farmhouse, but for now, it is still sacred. 

Of all of us, he is definitely having the hardest time adjusting. He gets sad easier, (he is usually my happy kid) and he has been needing much more attention and affection. The world is a big place for a two year old and his life just changed drastically. 

We finished at the farmhouse today. Everything is out. Finally. I stepped out its door for the last time. I'll be honest, it was a unique experience living there. The first six weeks we lived there, there was no hot water. I would boil water on the stovetop and pour it into the bathtub to wash my hair and bathe. We caught moles and snakes in the basement. We had a stink bug infestation that resembled a biblical plague. At times I felt like a pioneer woman, like I had stepped back in time. It was such an odd experience, but I am grateful to have had it. :)

&

All snuggled in bed for story time.

Today was our nephew's first birthday party. Happy Bithday J!!