03-19-15 First Teeth

This little fellow had his two bottom front teeth break through today!!

Congrats buddy!

03-19-15 Happy Birthday, Elijah!

Dear Elijah, 

At exactly 6:52 PM three years ago today you, my sweet little boy, were born. It's been an amazing three years with you in my life. Your compassion, kind spirit and sweetness has been such a blessing. You are growing quickly and I know that before I can fathom it, you will be grown... After all, three years just flew by. I've told you the story of how the doctors told me you were a girl and then you weren't. How it was hard for me to imagine my life with a boy. How that first night, with you in my arms, I fell in love again. 

Now you are big. You insist on doing everything yourself. But you still cling tightly to my hand when you get scared. Certain things frighten you... The dark... The horse coat rack... Being upstairs alone.

But then you show me your muscles, made bigger by the chicken nuggets you just ate, and in that moment you are a super hero. 

I pray that your life is full... That you don't hold back... That God captivates your heart and draws you close. I pray that you are gentle, yet brave. That you never lose your empathy. That you smile a lot and laugh often because you have the best laugh I have ever heard. Don't be afraid to love people, to trust people and to think the best of them. There is enough sarcasm in the world. Be honest, just, fair. 

And always remember that my life is fuller, better and happier for having held you in my arms, stared at your intensely blue eyes and kissed your beautiful face. I love you, son. I love you. 

Love, Mommy

- You love trucks and trains and planes. 

- When you grow up you want to work with your toolbench.

- Your favorite food is chicken.

- Your favorite movie is Cars. 

- Your favorite color is black. 

- You just had your shortest haircut to date. You kept walking around saying you had Gabe's hair (your cousin).

- You finally told me you don't miss the farmhouse anymore.

- You love your baby brother. 

- If someone takes a toy from you it makes you angry, but if they ask for it you hand it right over. 

- Hair freaks you out. When there is a loose hair on your hand you have a fit. 

- You don't like your hands to be dirty and insist on wet paper towels throughout each meal to maintain your cleanliness. 

- You want to be Batman when you grow up. 

03-18-15 Tomorrow

Tomorrow my big boy turns three! 

This evening we had a little party with my parents and the kids. He was sad at first because he thought the presents should come before the cake, but he eventually got into the spirit of it. (Personally I think that cake should always come first because that keeps the sugar as far from bedtime as possible!) 

03-17-15 Baby E and the Cold

So baby E has come down with a cold. This is his first respiratory illness since he had RSV, so I am a bit on edge that he might have a flare up of some kind. And of course we are visitng my parents and I completely forgot to bring his inhaler with us. :( 

Currently the coughing keeps making him spit out his paci and in turn it wakes him up because he no longer has his paci. This could prove to be a long night. Please pray he gets a good night sleep. 

 

03-16-15 Mexican Brownies

Tonight's food theme for MOPS was Mexican and I had signed up to bring a dessert, so I took a brownie mix and added 3/4 teaspoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and voila, Mexican Brownies. (I doubt there is anything 'Mexican' about them, but I found the recipe online and hey, the internet never lies) if someone from Mexico reads this, let me know if this is actually a thing or if it is completely insulting and I should stop calling them Mexican Brownies at once! :) 

Whatever their origin, these brownies were really tasty and a nice way to spice up a boring brownie mix. (Pun totally intended!) I had a bunch left over (which makes me momentarily question if they were that tasty.) so I'm going to eat another one just to make sure... Hold on a minute...

Yup, definitely tasty... Sooo, for those of you that missed out on my incredibly tasty *mexican* brownies, don't worry, my family will eat them for you!

03-15-15 So This Happened Today...

We decided it was time to cut Big E's hair, however we might have gotten a little overzealous! Good thing it will grow back! It's gonna take awhile to get used to!

03-14-15 Details

03-13-15 Spring Break

Spring break has officially started and I can't wait to spend it with these guys!

03-12-15 One More Week

We have exactly one more week of this little fellow being two!

And boy is he excited! This morning he kept asking me what his number was. It took me a moment to figure out he meant his age. This guy really is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I hope that as he grows older he is able to retain his good natured personality. 

Being goofy with his sister.

Ha ha ha! He looks so dopey!

03-11-15 The Mom Stays in the Picture

I read an article once where a woman wrote about how she hated the way that she looked and she always avoided being photographed. She couldn't get past her insecurities about her appearance. One day her young son found a photo of her on her phone and said something along the lines of how happy and pretty she looked. When she looked at the photo, she didn't see a beautiful woman... She only saw her flaws. But she realized that her son saw her differently. To him, she was the world. He didn't care if she was overweight, or had frumpy hair. She was beautiful. From that day on, she decided to let go of that insecurity and allow herself to be photographed. She understood that when her children were grown they would want to see their mother in their photos and they wouldn't care what she looked like. She was their mom. The mom stays in the picture. 

Three kids later, I have to say that it is hard for me to see myself in photos. Three pregnancies have taken their toll on my body. There are definitely days when I don't feel beautiful. My clothes don't fit the way they used to, my hair can be unmanageable, and my eyes can look so tired from a sleepless night.  But when I decided to do this 365, I told myself that the mom stays in the picture! I have been very purposeful in including photos of myself (even ones that make me cringe!) Because when my kids grow up, I want them to see that nothing made me happier than being with them! 

03-10-15 Rainy Tuesday

It rained today... That means my 45 minute commute automatically got doubled. 

So, I got home extra late. After making and eating dinner it was time for the kids to go to bed. Evenings like this are rough. After being away from them all day, it is tough to miss out on my evening with them. Hopefully nice weather is around the corner! 

03-09-15 Four Month Appointment

Today Baby E had his four month well visit. While he has gained weight, he is still hanging out in the third percentile! Little fellow! However he seems to be an over achiever in the head size department because he's coming in at the 80th percentile. :) 

The doctor prescribed a stronger medicine for his eczema. We also discussed the future with his calcium deposits. He gave us the number for ortho at Johns Hopkins and I will be making an appointment for sometime in the next few months. Since it is such a rare condition, he said that we could visit genetics as well if we wanted to. Still deciding on that. 

This evening the big kids came back from visiting my parents so we spent some time settling back into our routine.  

First time in the bumbo!

Ooh! Sock hands!!

He was so exhausted he fell asleep on the changing table as we were putting the big kids to bed. Sweet dreams, little man!

03-08-15 Perspective Change

When C was born, I remember feeling so overwhelmed. As a first time mom, everything about parenthood made me nervous. I second guessed nearly every decision. I knew for sure that I was messing up.

Thankfully by the time Big E showed up, I started calming down. There was no longer time for mountains when molehills would suffice. My parenting style got a little more lax. 

Now that Baby E is here I realize that the mom he is getting is so totally different than the one his big sister met and grew with. 

This was made so evident to me today when I was sitting in a chair at church and I looked down at Baby E asleep in his car seat and I was perfectly content. It was so peaceful. (The older two are visiting my parents.) Four years ago, I would have felt just a little bit anxious that I was sitting there alone, with a sleeping baby and the full weight of the responsibility of parenthood would have pressed on me. But with only one out of three children to look after today, it seemed so serene. How my perspective has changed! 

03-07-15 My Little Loves

03-06-15 Happy Four Months

I can't believe that baby E is now four months old. It's so much fun to see his little personality forming. E is a smiley little fellow. 

- He loves his bear suit and wears it to sleep at night and for naps. 

- He thinks it is hilarious if you blow on his face. 

- He wears size one diapers.

- His cradle cap is still going strong. 

- He has to wear socks on his hands because he keeps scratching up his head. 

- He is in 0-3 month clothing.

- His eyes are a beautiful blue color.

03-05-15 More Snow

I have to admit, I am loving all the snow days and delays this year. It has been nice to get some extra time with the kids, especially baby E! Today we had a lazy day. We visited the cousins, and then hung out at home. We took C out to play in the snow. (Big E didn't get to join in because he wouldn't eat his dinner.)

In from the freezing cold! Red cheeks and a red nose!