Sibling Love

More glimpses into Motherhood.

I think for a parent there is nothing like seeing the love between your children.

I love to see the boys hug each other.

I love seeing them show compassion.

I love seeing them get excited when Addie smiles or laughs at them.

Conflict goes on between the boys right now.

I will not pretend otherwise.

But there are very sweet moments also......

and those I cherish.

Still Here

Trying to keep up posts despite my lack of pictures, due to lack of camera. I actually have some that I took on Jared's phone but I need to upload them.

It is 4 am and I am up because my throat is KILLING me and I realized I forgot to run the dishwasher so why not sit down and post. Yeah, that was my train of thought, scary, I know. By they way, Honey Lemon Halls (cough drops), LOVE 'EM. Yep, this is the reason I don't post at 4 am often. I tend to ramble when I am tired. I also get really giggly but since I am sitting in a dark kitchen listening to the whirring of the dishwasher there isn't much to giggle at.

As far as what is up with our family. We all have various versions of this weird cold. None of us are stay-in-bed kind of sick but none of us are feelin'-fine either.

I took all the kids to the Dr. on Friday for various reasons and I had them weighed while there. Eli is the winner at 38 lbs., Alex is close behind at 32 lbs., and Addison Lily weighs 12 lbs. 2 ounces. Jared and I weigh .... Just kidding.

Well, I hope to post more frequently this week which shouldn't be hard because I didn't post AT ALL last week. Don't ya just love reachable goals. I think I am off to bed because I ran the dishwasher and now all is right with the world.


I was just looking through old pictures on this computer and I think I will post some random ones this week.

These are of the boys on Mother's Day. They made me those flowers at Sunday School by tracing their hands. I love them and still have them in a vase.

A Glimpse

I like these glimpses. I think someday my memory will fail me and I will wonder what life looked like on a snowy, Saturday morning when the boys were 3 and Addie was 6 months old.

I'd take pics but since I am cameraless currently, I will describe what I see.

There are a pile of pancake dishes in the sink waiting to be washed because Alex and Eli and I made them this morning. Jared loved them and asked what was different. Butter. It makes everything taste better.

There are clothes in the baskets needing to be folded and put away.

There is a pile of clothes at the back door. Gloves, boots, hats, mittens. We all went out and shoveled today and Daddy built the boys a snow slide. Eli stayed out until his lips were blue. Alex lasted about 15 minutes before he wanted to go in. Addie slept in her warm crib. Smart Girl!

Right now the boys are snuggled under a quilt watching a movie and waiting for Mommy to join them. Addie, still in crib sleeping. Smart Girl!

Jared is shoveling snow at the church and wherever else his shovel leads him. He is soon to return for a family afternoon nap. Not together but all at the same time. Ideally, that is. We'll see how that works out.

Tonight we will head to church. Not cubby church, as the boys would say, but reg-a-lur church.

It all sounds so nice and it is, in between the fights and the tantrums, it is quite peaceful. :)

This morning while having pancakes I had to utter these words "Stop stabbing each other with forks!" That is a little more realistic, nowadays. :)

Alright the boys are calling.

Here's a flashback picture. What happened to these baby boys? :)

A Big Snow

We got snow this past week and the boys responses, as usual, were quite different. One morning we got a good amount of snow after Jared had already shoveled and left for work. I decided it would be good exercise and good fun for them to get out there and use their new snow shovels. Alex decided he did not want to. He held his resolve until Eli was in his full snow gear including his "sergeant" pants (snow pants? not sure why, but whatever)with shovel in hand. Suddenly Alex wanted to go too. They had a great time and so did I.

This past weekend Jared went out to shovel again and I geared the boys up to join him except Alex wasn't into it. Luckily, for him he would get the luxury of staying in today because Mom and Dad were home. You see twins rarely want to do the same thing but often they have to in order to accomodate the other. I am sure it is the same with all sibling relationships. Anyways, it is nice when they get to be their own little person and decide which activity they prefer.

Everyone was happy!

A Glimpse...

Addie's new feeding schedule is not the most convenient. Her first morning bottle is now at the same time that the boys are waking and need my attention. It involves Morning snuggles for the crankies. Potty trips and clean undies. Breakfast and chocolate rabbit (choc. milk) making. The busyness of the morning. Her 3rd feeding now falls at dinnertime. I need to make a change. In the meantime I will tell you the realities of this morning.

I made cinnamon toast on whole wheat bread which makes up for the fact that you are just pouring sugar on top of it and calling it breakfast. I know it doesn't, actually but let's pretend for my sanity's sake that it does make it "healthier". OK, moving on.

I managed to make the toast and pour the milk before settling down with my Addie and her bottle. This lasted as long as a piece of "sugar toast" lasts in the hand of a 3 1/2 yr old boy. NOT LONG. "I need another one, please" is uttered and I decide to put Addie down and make more. She's not happy. OK boys happy, back to bottle feeding. "I need another one."

At this point I decide that I can bottlefeed a baby and butter toast. I drop said bottle in butter and decide that this feat is physically impossible. You can't hold toast and butter it with one hand. I once again have to set her down. Alex asks AGAIN after this and I say "wait until I am finished feeding your sister".

Then, because he is resourceful, he holds up a piece that was Eli's and asks if he can just eat that. I say "yes". Here is the bad part....I said yes, fully knowing that sweet Eli just likes to eat the top part full of butter, sugar and cinnamon off the top and then licks whatever he didn't manage to eat off on the first round. He then asks for more and discreetly puts his first piece of toast to the side. So, in short, Alex ate toast that had been licked and gnawed on a lot.

Bottom line: Alex was happy, Addie was happy, Eli was happy and although I was slightly grossed out all in all Mama is happy. :)

See, "perfect Mom", I am NOT.

Oh, gotta go Alex's wants more. Sheesh.

Finally a hearing update.

I cannot believe the baby of the family is 6 months old. I am SO enjoying having a baby around. That sounds a bit weird because everyone loves babies but I feel like with the boys it was kind of hectic, you know doubling up on everything and I got a bit caught up in the scheduling of things. Now with Addie I soak up more of it because I KNOW (BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT) that she is my last baby. :)

taken via iphone @ Children's Hospital

She's really sweet and let me tell you she is a talker. She wants to be part of the action and don't expect her to sleep or eat if there is something better going on. She is definitely my one that has to be taken to a quiet room sometimes just to chill out. She also has to cry it out a bit before she falls asleep because she fights it SO HARD. Jared is going to laugh at the crying it out thing because he swears I don't do it but I SWEAR I do (just not for long). We all have our limits, right? Her cries pierce my heart sometimes, I can't help it, I am a Mama.

Anyways, little miss 6 months old is a lot of fun and has taught me to go with the flow WAY more than I did with my firsts. Live and learn and all that, I guess.



She is still doing really well on the preemie front and other than a few colds she has had no major issues. She went for a hearing follow up today and they did determine that she needed tubes and she still did not pass the inner ear test due to the fluid. This time however they decided to do a behavioral hearing test. There were actual audible sounds (1st time for this) and the audiologist explained that due to her age (4 months corrected, 6 months actual) they did not expect her to turn her head, so don't be disappointed when she did not, but they were watching her for a startle, blink, small kind of reaction.



I held her on my lap, and acted as if I was not there, as instructed. Inside I got a little nervous. Every parent wants their child to pass tests whether hearing, math or spelling, right? The woman conducting the tests left the booth and began with the sounds. Which went as follows: Sound on right-Addie turned right. Sound on left-Addie turned left. Um, is she passing???? Woman in booth-huge cheesy smile and a thumbs up. I am in shock and thinking she is just trying to encourage a nervous mommy after a few sounds. The sounds continue, Addie responds to each sound appropriately. I shift a little to make sure I am not subconsciously tilting her to the right where the sounds are currently coming from. I know I am such a pillar of faith, aren't I? The sounds continue at different tones and she responds to each.

The woman enters the booth and says she passed with flying colors AND (here comes the part that I can't type without crying) she says she responded to these sounds, developmentally, the way an 8 month old would. Whew, I held back the tears then but am not able to now. We have waited 6 months to hear that she could in fact hear. We have been waiting since I was about 15 weeks pregnant to hear that she was alright developmentally (but that is another LONG post). I am in awe.



As I mentioned, the Dr. did decide that she needs tubes and as she was explaining the process I could hardly concentrate and tears were starting to well up. She probably just thinks that I am another worried parent that is freaking out about the tubes procedure. I was, in fact, thanking God that my daughter can hear and that she is currently developing, not only as she should be, but she is a little ahead of the game.



It's ridiculous. That is currently my most often used phrase right now . When I wake up every morning in a new house where I have a place for everything and know where everything is (unless it is Addie's Birth Certificate form, in that case, NO IDEA). When I figure something out about my new appliances (that are AMAZING) I'll say "This is ridiculous". Seriously, it is not my life since the move or since I realized Addie was doing well it is my life in Christ and without intending to sound disrespectful.....IT IS RIDICULOUS! In an amazing way, a really God-given, God-inspired AMAZING way. That doesn't mean that Jared and I life an idyllic life (have you read this blog?). We have had our trials but we are blessed beyond what we ask or even think.

I told you she was a talker. Doesn't she look like she's on the phone. (5 months old)

5 month paper towel pic. I haven't taken one yet this month.

Becky

Show Me the Mommy

Ever since I saw the post that Laura started called Show Me the Mommy I have thought it was a great idea. The thought behind it is that Moms are so rarely pictured. Think about it....how many pictures do you have of your Mom???? ...how much do you cherish the ones that you DO have? See! It is important to have some pictures of yourself. I have decided to start doing this more often. Probably not weekly but here and there. That is better than I have done in the past so you have to start somewhere.

This is a picture from the pumpkin patch that we snapped while the boys played in the giant bouncy pumpkin. Forgive the mushiness but I have been reading "The Love Dare". Highly recommend it but be prepared to be challenged.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Impossible to capture the beauty of this snowstorm on camera. If you look out our kitchen windows it looks like a snow globe. It really is pretty. I tend to romanticize snowstorms in January when we have had hardly any snow and what makes it even more beautiful is the fact that I am not out in it. I am warm and cozy in my house with Addie and the boys and we plan to make homemade mini pizzas and have a movie night. Jared is off to homecoming at the school and the boys are off to bed early tonight (they are completely unaware). I think I hear Netflix calling. Here are a few pics I snagged on the iphone before Jared left.

Isn't he handsome? :) He loves when I take pictures of him.

Addie is on track. Can I get an AMEN?

So Miss Addie Pants was quite a challenge in utero and we expected she'd be a little high maintenance from here on out but she has let up on us a bit. We had a VERY healthy fall and she has yet to have any issues other than a sniffle since being home. We are very thankful to God for these blessings.

Being the third child I haven't exactly tracked all of her developmental milestones. I also don't track that carefully because one thing I have learned with preemies is that all children do things in their own time and A LOT depends on their personality (laid back, intense, etc.). Having said that, I do occasionally crack open the list and make sure the kids aren't seriously lagging because I am all for early intervention if there is a problem.

Last week, Jared asked if she was on track and I busted out "the book" and it indicated that she was on track for her actual age which was really exciting for us. The only thing she hadn't yet done was roll over. I bet you can guess where this is going.

I laid her on her tummy today and headed to do the dishes. I checked on her moments later and she was on her back . I called Jared and told him that in typical 3rd child fashion, she had rolled over but no one saw it. With the boys I probably had it recorded and set it to music but sweet little Addie did it all on her own. Ah well, I'll get it on video eventually and just label it "1st time". She'll never know, right? Unless she reads my blog someday.

Like I said, she'll never know. :)

I did blog about it though which counts. ...... Addison Lily rolled onto her back on January 5th, 2011. You go girl!!!!

Our little snowball

My friend Heidi's Mom made this sweater. Heidi passed it onto Addie and I thought she looked adorable and like a little snowball. :)

seen & heard

Conversation with boys while playing Hungry Hippos. We were having fun playing their version of the game when I thought I would teach them a bit about the rules. I explained that the one who eats the most marbles (I was interrupted at this point by Alex who explained that they are not marbles they are hippo food. Duh. Thanks, bud.). Anyways, the one with the most hippo food at the end wins.

Eli responds: What's wins?

Me: Um, when you have the most you win.

Eli: What's most?

Me: the highest number of marbles, I mean hippo food, is the most. It's kind of hard to explain, buddy.

Eli: What's comesplain?

Me: No, EXplain.

Me: Let's just play your way, it's perfect. :)



I go into Eli's room after lights out and it is dark (obviously). He says "there's a man hiding in the trees." After a minor heart attack I glance toward the window and realize his shades are down and question him about his statement and he says "Not HERE on Peter Pan there was a man hiding in the trees." Glad he cleared that up quickly because I was about to scream for Jared!!!



The boys like to hide in my closet and play with my jewelry box. It is like a hidden treasure chest to them. One of the necklaces is one that I wore for our wedding and I told the boys this. I explained to them that I married Daddy. Alex followed up my explanation with "I am going to marry you, Mama!" (cue the heartwarming music) I was honored of course. :) Eli then after deliberating for a moment said "Well, then I am going to marry my Daddy". I thought that was so sweet. What better compliment could a child give. I am going to enjoy that now because if I were to mention that to them when they are teenagers I am pretty sure they would be SO grossed out. :)


You may notice the lack of pictures. My camera died. I am in mourning. I am attempting to be patient for a replacement but I kind of just got a new house so I can't complain. :) Me without a camera is like I am missing a limb but I guess if I have to find a positive, I am not adding to my millions of photos that I've yet to organize properly. :)

2011

Happy New Year! Last night Jared said "It's the last day of the decade." This got me thinking and I realized that in the last decade.....we both graduated from college, got married, bought 2 houses and had 3 kids. Wow, what will the next decade bring???? None of the things I just mentioned that is for sure. :)


I read an awesome excerpt from Max Lucado's book "When God Whispers Your Name". I think it takes care of any resolution that I could make this year.

Enjoy!

For the next 12 hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE...

No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so.
Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS...

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...

I will go without a dollar before I will take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I will boast.
I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...

Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not question my word.
My wife will not question my love.
And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...

I am a spiritual being...
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.

Love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek his grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow
and rest.