A Day in the Life....

I've been wanting to document what our days are looking like for a while. I want to remember how we spent our time when I'm thinking back in 20 years. So here is a look at our typical Tuesday.

7:00 Wake up
This morning Mika Lynn woke up first. When that girl gets up before anyone else, she likes to go to each sleeping person and say their name loudly. Like her Momma, she doesn't want to be the only person awake!

7:15 Breakfast
Once diapers have been changed and everyone has had their morning potty break, we head to the table. Today's breakfast was granola bars (don't judge, they all LOVE them and ask for them daily), Cheerios, bagels with grape jelly, milk, and coffee for Momma!

7:45 Let's Play
The girls head off to their rooms to play for a while. I clean up breakfast and get myself organized for the day.

8:30 TV Time
I usually turn on PBS Kids about this time. The girls love their morning shows and will sit and watch them while I finish getting ready for our day.

9:00 Girls Get Dressed and Ready

9:30 School Time
We always start with a Bible story and prayer. Then we have our first lesson (or two) of the day. Today we did a color/shape coded color sheet and we learned how to write a capital "A". We work on our memory verse. After our lessons we color and read some books then the girls pick up things while I fix lunch.

11:00 Lunch
While the girls are eating, I usually do the dishes and whatever else needs to be done right then. Today I started some laundry and took out the trash. The trash is one of my most dreaded chores. I could do a whole post on the chores I love and the ones I hate.

11:30 Naptime
Laila and Mika lay down for naps in their beds and Peyton had rest time on the couch. I usually let her watch a movie or some more PBS Kids. During naptime, I grab something quick for lunch, check emails, blog, etc. I always make time to snuggle P some before the other girls get up. :)

1:00 Wake Up/Snacks
Laila is usually up by 1:00 so we have a little snack then. I also get to spend some time snuggling Laila when she wakes up. I so treasure this sweet time with her.

1:30 Chores/Errands
This is when I usually go to the store or run our errands. We also do our daily chores during this time. Today we put away our laundry and cleaned the kitchen. I try to get the girls involved in doing the chores around the house. They love helping and I feel like we are teaching them some responsibility by having them help with things at home.

2:30 Story Time and Lessons
We pick up another worksheet or two. And since I have three little girls who love to read books, we make time in our afternoons for more stories.

3:00 Craft Time
Lately the girls have been obsessed with watercolor painting.... so we have been doing that every day. They are actually quite good at it and they feel so proud of their work. I love that they love to create things like I do. I hope they always love to create things.

3:30 Play Time
We usually take the rest of the afternoon to play. I mean, isn't that what kids are supposed to do?! My girls love to play outside and I am happy the weather is cooler now so they can spend more time outside without melting in the heat.

5:00 Clean Up
Jared gets home between 5:30 and 6:00 so I usually start cooking dinner around 5:00. The girls are responsible for cleaning up their toys when I get started with dinner. Once they get their toys picked up they like to do puzzles before dinner is ready. Some days it takes so long to get them to clean up that we don't make it to puzzles.... we barely make it to dinner!

6:00 Dinner

6:45 Bath Time!
I give all the girls a bath together so it makes the process so much quicker. After baths we all gather in one of the girls' rooms and read a story. Then we pray together as a family. This is one of our sweetest moments of the day. I think we all love this time together.

7:00 Mika Goes to Bed

7:30 Laila Goes to Bed

8:00 Peyton Goes to Bed

Once all the girls are in bed I finally get to relax. Ahhhh.

I always wonder what other people's days are like.... And I often wonder how I filled up my days before I had babies. I am so thankful I am able to make this daily memories with my girls.

Time to be Thankful

It is time for me to sit down and pull myself out of this mess. Things have been difficult around our home for a couple of weeks now... well, that's the nice way to put it. While I have started trying to really pinpoint the problems, that isn't something I want to put out there. However, I do need to remind myself of how blessed I really am.

I have three healthy children.

I have a husband who I love more each day and who loves me unconditionally.

I have a wonderful family.

I have a home that is filled with things that are special to my family.

My husband has a wonderful job.

I have friends who would do anything for me and I would do anything for them.

I have a church that I love.

I am a mom.

I am a wife.

I could go on and on and on. God has really blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. I am so guilty of getting wrapped up in the moment dealing with my babies that I lose sight of how blessed we are. We really are.

Today has been so very hard on this Momma. I was finally able to pull myself together and grab some quiet time while the girls are laying down. I actually read a blog post that spoke so directly to me, it was wild. Then I felt like I needed to just be thankful for a bit. And it helps me to be thankful in an organized way, like by writing it out.... and this seemed like the appropriate place.

Now I'm going to curl up with some hot apple cider (yes, I realize it is almost 80 degrees today, but it is still Fall) and one of my Mommy Devotionals and pray naptime lasts a little while longer.

Be thankful.

Right Now...

My kitchen is a staging area for all of the carnivals/parties/projects/etc. that we are involved in. I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. With each bag from the store that is added to the "Keep This Until the Event" Pile, it is becoming harder to cook dinner. I feel like the dishes are staying in the sink longer than usual because I can't get around all the stuff to get them done. My family has eaten two dinners this week on paper plates. Paper plates, y'all! My Nanny would be horrified. :) It has helped with the dish situation though.

Of course, I love being involved in all of these events. I think I just need a bigger house. Ha! Seriously.

I'm considering taking applications for someone to come and hold all of my bags of goodies in their ams and off of my counter, table, stovetop, floor. :)

But more importantly, right now there is a little girl wearing a mashed potato mask who needs my attention. She doesn't have the best fashion sense yet (as evidenced by the cute dress/top and leggings I put on her this morning and the fabulous hot pink crocs she chose to wear with them) but she wears the mashed potatoes well. They are one of her favorite accessories.

Love.

Lost

I have wanted to write a post for so long.... I feel so lost as to where to start. But I really want to get back into the habit of posting regularly because it is how I keep up with all the little fun things that happen with our family. So I'm jumping back in and hoping to get back into the groove of things.

We have done so many fun things this Summer and stayed so busy but it has been our best Summer ever! We spent two weeks at Pappy's house, a week with Whit at her house, went shopping in Branson for Fall clothes, another week at Pappy's, family reunion, preschool (at home), started playing our first organized sport (soccer), playdates, time with cousins swimming on Sunday afternoons, hanging out with Nana on the front porch, and so much more! I feel like I need to pick just one to share today, only I have no idea how to pick one.

Let's start with Preschool.

I decided, after doing some research on preschools and how much they cost and so on, that I would do preschool at home with my girls. My main goal is to get Peyton ready for Kindergarten (next year) and give the girls some structure and focus in their day.

I created us a daily schedule and we try our best to stick with it. The girls do 4-5 worksheets a day along with lessons and flashcard reinforcement. We play educational games, do puzzles, do arts and crafts, practice important skills like cutting and coloring inside the lines. They are learning to follow rules and hopefully they are learning how to behave in a classroom. Thankfully we have nearly a year until real school actually starts for Peyton.... I am pretty sure we will need every minute of it.

It has been really fun for me. I have something to organize and it not only gives the girls some focus for their days, but me too. We still manage to play and have lots of fun and I will say that I have seen some real learning happen over the last month!

In this process where I found myself becoming a "teacher" I have stumbled onto some really great blogs and websites. I have seen some really creative things and it has sparked some creativity in me that hasn't been let out in a while.

Now if I could just find a good place for us to do our school work and keep all of our school supplies, things would be just about perfect. Right now, our kitchen table has been taken over by workbooks, folders, crayons, paints, pencils, and countless other things we use each day. I have a grand plan in my mind for our school space.... but I have a feeling it may just stay in my mind. We will see!

I PROMISE I will try to post more often. In fact, I plan on putting post ideas into my daily planner so that I have no reason not to sit down for a few minutes and record my thoughts and the little things about our days.

I will be back!

Love.

A Lighter Day...

I've had a heavy couple of days this week. So today I'm writing a completely "fluffy" post. Nothing deep, just some cuteness.

We are still planning Little Miss's First Birthday party. I love having parties for my girls. I don't go overboard and we don't do anything really elaborate or fancy. But we have fun! I love choosing a color theme and seeing how far I can take those colors when planning the party.

I also love that Mika has a February birthday.... we are going all-out Valentine's colors for her party. If you show up, prepared to be surrounded by pinks and reds and purples! I used this picture for her invites - I love it!

The girls and I are planning on making some cookies today to test out some ideas for the party. I just thought I was going to stop eating so much after Christmas. Ha! I feel like I'm still baking all the time (and eating what I bake). Its good for my soul but not so good for my hips. And I know I'll be wishing I hadn't been so quick to jump in the kitchen and turn on the electric mixer when I have to put on a swimsuit this summer. Ha!!

We also have our first case of pink-eye with the girls. Eeek. Peyton woke up complaining her eye was hurting yesterday and it got worse and worse throughout the day. We started eye drops last night so I'm hoping we can get it under control before anyone else gets it. We've been washing hands and trying not to touch in the hopes that we won't spread the eye junk. However, I am so thankful that the girls don't get sick too often. 

And finally, I've said it before, and I'll say it again... How is it that my baby is already ONE? (Well, she'll be one next week.) Where does the time go?! It is so funny to me to think back to this time last year - I was SO pregnant and expecting to go into labor at any minute. Ha! Now look what I have - one year later - this sweet girl to love on each day! 

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

It Started as a Typical Lunch...

We went to lunch after church today.

Just the five of us.

We ate at one of our favorite places at the request of Miss Peyton Lou.

We sat down, ordered and started snacking on our bread. The big girls colored and Mika Lynn snacked and played. Then the food came and we started fixing plates and handing out food. Mika and Laila split a child's pizza and Peyton ordered a salad (it is so funny to me how much my 3-year-old loves salads). Seriously, I think salads are nasty and it blows my mind that my little picky eater would eat salads for every meal, every day. Crazy girl!

Jared and I were laughing because I commented that I felt like I was part of a circus. Things were so crazy. One of the girls was constantly needing something (except Peyton, who was just happy as a lark eating her salad).

When we go out to eat and it is just us, it doesn't leave much time for observing the people around us. We pretty much stay wrapped up in our little world, trying to make it through dinner without breaking a plate or dropping too much food on the floor or spilling a drink everywhere.... you know what I mean. :)

We were finishing up when the waitress sat down a little mini dessert (chocolate cake with ice cream) in front of Peyton. Jared and I looked at her strangely and she said it was from one of her other tables, that they were impressed with how well she had eaten her salad and how grown-up she had been acting. The lady who sent the dessert spoke to us, saying that they couldn't help but notice the girls and thought it was so great that Peyton ate her salad so well and was so well-behaved.

I was so surprised. Immediately, I felt so proud of my "baby" girl. My heart was overflowing. I couldn't stop smiling and I was fighting back tears.

If that wasn't enough.... P took one bite of her dessert and just when I thought I couldn't be more proud of her, she fed Laila a bite. She shared her special dessert. Jared and I were praising her good behavior and just watching our girls interact. Huge smiles on our faces.

Then, in typical fashion, the girls started pretend playing. The LOVE to pretend that Peyton is the Mommy and Laila is the daughter. So Peyton was calling herself Momma (ex: "Let Momma have this bite then I'll give you one, ok.") and Laila was calling P Momma. I was cracking up! Jared looked at me and said "Looks like you've been replaced." Ha!! She was so proud of her dessert and had the happiest look on her face (as did Laila... chocolate cake and ice cream, what's not to be happy about?!).

I reached in my bag to grab my camera because I wanted a picture of this special lunch, but I quickly remembered that I left my camera on my bed this morning. :( I knew I wanted to remember this lunch forever, so I am recording it here.

It started as a typical lunch.... but turned into so much more! I left the restaurant so full of joy and happiness and love. It is amazing how something as simple as a mini dessert could mean so much.

Weekend Fun...

We spent the weekend with my dad. It was fun and relaxing and I'm so glad we went (I always am).

We really didn't do much except eat. Seriously, the minute I step foot in my dad's house I want to eat. I'm never hungry while I'm there (because I snack and eat so much) but I ate so much that I felt like I needed to detox when I got home. Ha! I haven't even stepped on the scale this week and I don't plan to either.

Saturday we went to our favorite place for lunch.... The Back Forty. Mmmmmm. World's best burgers, hands down! That was the only time I got the camera out so I'll share some pictures from our lunch - we had some friends meet us and it was a great time!

The gang...

My almost birthday girl. I LOVE this face.

Sister and her hubby! Aren't they cute? She took a pic of Jared and me but we look awful so I left it out. It's my blog so I can do what I want, right?!

Laila - she posed with a cheese stick. What can I say, the girl loves food!

Momma and Mika Lynn. I LOVE this picture of us. 

It was a fun weekend and now we are all back to normal at home. I'm so thankful that my dad is so good to us and that he has such a special relationship with my girls. He loves them like crazy and it is precious.

Well, there you go. I'm all caught up with what we've been up to. I have canvases hanging out that need to be worked on tonight so I'm cutting this post short :)

Check out my other blog if you want to see what I've been working on.

Good night y'all.

Celebration of Life...

First, a few things....

Thank you ALL for your sweet comments on my last post. You all made me smile and warmed my heart. It is so comforting to know that I'm not alone. :)

Also, if you'll remember back to this post I told you all about the crazy diaper rash that wouldn't go away. Well, it went away. Want to know how????? Are you on the edge of your seat? Ha! It was all because of the formula. I knew it was but there wasn't much I could do because of the recalls. Once I got Mika Lynn back on her original formula her rash cleared up within 24-48 hours. Yay!!

I have some fun pictures to share from the weekend, but first I want to share about something else.

Last night I went to a Celebration of Life party for one of my sweet friends from LG. A year ago yesterday, January 17, 2010 she almost lost her life. I will not get into the details as they are not mine to share, but we were all very concerned that she would not live. When I went to see her in the hospital she looked like a shell of herself. It was heartbreaking. The doctors were not optimistic AT ALL. But her friends and family prayed for her and prayed over her and God worked a miracle in her body. I'm telling you it was a real miracle. A. Real. Miracle. Today she is physically healed and emotionally healing.

A bunch of people who love her gathered last night to surprise her with a party to celebrate her life. She was definitely surprised. Some of us shared letters we had written to her, some of us just hugged her neck - thankful that she is here with us and we get the chance to hug her. Her sweet daughter even spoke about that horrible night a year ago and shared how much she needs her Mommy and how much she loves her. Needless to say, many tears were shed, but they were ALL happy tears.

I was immensely blessed to be a part of the celebration last night. She is a wonderful person, a great friend and now has an amazing testimony to share. She even said she had a great day yesterday, despite the dark cloud that was looming as she remembered this day last year. Seeing all those people there in honor of this one woman made me realize even more how important it is to have friendships. And I'm so thankful that I'm working harder on the friendships I have. But the most important friendship we will ever have is with Jesus. (And just so you know, I'm working harder on that friendship too!) So what I wanted to share with you today is this:

• We are never alone because Jesus is ALWAYS with us! God's love is perfect. Amen.
• God is still working miracles - big and little!!! And finally,
• Make sure your friends and family know you love them. You never know what may be going on inside their hearts and just maybe some words of kindness, love and encouragement from you could mean the world to them. 

Alright.... here is a sneak peek of our weekend fun:

I'll be back with more pictures from the weekend tomorrow :)

Happy Tuesday, Y'all.

Love.

Jen

That's What Friends Are For....

I LOVE that song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtGF2m102Wg

Friendship is something I really struggled with last year. I just read that sentence and it sounds completely silly. But it is true. 

All my life I've never had a problem making friends. I've easily made friends in every stage of my life. In fact, I've never really had a falling out with any of my friends. Of course, there are people I still talk to on a semi-regular basis but most of my friends and I don't really see each other or talk anymore. That said, I know that if we ever ran into each other that we would be able to sit and chat for hours. 

Recently, I've found there has been a little emptiness in my heart. After spending much time praying and trying to figure out where this bit of sadness was coming from I realized that it was because I really didn't have any friends. Ok.... not exactly true. Maybe it wasn't so much that I was missing friends, but that I was missing out on meaningful friendships.

Once I realized that I was missing out on friendships it was time for me to figure out how to find these friendships. Seriously, this is new territory for me. I've spent the past 4 years at home every day with my children. On almost all of those days, the only adult interaction I have is with Jared when he comes home from work. I love him dearly, but it just wasn't enough. I needed something for me (not in a selfish way, but in a way that helps me grow emotionally and spiritually).

I decided to re-join the Ladies' Group I was in when shortly after we were married (I had to stop going because of babies and Jared's wacky work schedule). I knew it was going to require a commitment from ALL of us for me to go - but Jared and I both agreed that I needed it. They are a wonderful group of women who love the Lord and I love them all dearly.

I've also started getting together with my S-I-L, Jill, for our daughters to play (as often as we can). We both agree that we may need those playdates more than our girls do. It's a win-win, really. 

And then, just like clockwork.... here comes the attacks of the devil. I started feeling like I was upsetting my girls by leaving them every other Monday night for group. I started feeling like no one really wanted to be my friend because I don't really have anything to offer a friendship - my kids and husband take up nearly all of my time, so what was left for me to share with a friend? I started feeling like I didn't really belong with these women. I could go on and on.... but, you get the picture. Attack. Attack. Attack. 

Through many tears and prayers I got past the worst of those attacks. God is so good! I've realized that I can be a friend. What I have to offer a friendship is me - nothing more or less. I have to ease up on the pressure I put on myself to be the "perfect" friend all the time. Is there such a thing as the perfect friend? Ha! And the truth is (and this is hard for me to accept sometimes) that there are people who actually want to be friends with just me. No pretending, no facades, just me. Humbling.

Here is what I know now:

• I need friendships. We all do.
• I have great friends from my childhood that I may not see regularly, but we will always be there for each other. Our friendships will change and evolve as our lives do and that's ok. 
• I have an amazing group of women in my Ladies' Group that I am honored to call my friends. I love each of them and I'm excited about growing our friendships as we continue to spend time together. These ladies are very special and God is using them to help me in so many ways. 
• I am so blessed to have so many women in my family that I can call my friends. 
• Jared and I are working on doing things with other couples. And I can honestly say that some of my favorite moments of the past few months were made with some couples that we love. 

I plan to do as much as possible from now on to grow my friendships. I have realized how important it is in my life and I will do everything I can to keep from letting go of my friendships. If you are reading this and you are one of my cherished friends, know that you mean so much to me. And if you are reading this and you feel like you need a friend, email me. 

I'll leave you with another video..... perhaps my FAVORITE friendship song of all time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXttyNf8zv0  I can't tell you how many hours my sister and I spent singing this song together. It's like someone took our relationship and wrote it into a song. Love. And can I just add that I miss Whitney Houston. The girl could SING! 

Bringing in the New Year.... Our Way

Hello there 2011.

It is nice to finally meet you.

For some reason, I keep feeling like today is the actual first day of 2011. So weird, I know. It is probably due to the fact that I'm just now starting to feel like myself again..... almost.

Last Thursday I was incredibly sick. I am not sure how I made it through the entire day (from wake-up until bedtime) taking care of the girls alone. I don't even remember parts of the day because I was so sick and my fever was fairly high and I was just plain exhausted. But we made it. Thankfully, Jared had Friday off and he was a huge help to me so I could rest and try to get well.

By Friday night, I was feeling somewhat better. However, I was in bed by 9pm. Yes, that is how I celebrated New Year's Eve. Ha! It was worth it though, as I've been feeling better and better every day. I'm not quite back to normal yet, but I'm hoping to be by this weekend. Why this weekend? Well, its our 5 year wedding anniversary. We have some sweet plans and I hope we both feel great so we can enjoy our time together.

We've really just laid low this January. :) The girls and I all have this weird cold thing so we are resting and drinking lots of fluids and eating lots of soup. Its been fine but I'm ready to get our lives back.

I have so many posts floating around in my head but I'm still struggling to find time to sit down and write them all. There is so much going on... in my head, in my heart and in our lives and it will all eventually end up on here. Just know that I'm working to really share these things with you, it is just a matter of finding time to do it.

For now, I'll leave you with some thoughts:

• I'm still working on my 2011 goals (can you say "slacker"?! Ha!)
• I've started a Bible Study (thanks for the info Jill) and each morning it seems to be EXACTLY what I need to read - How great is God!!
• My Christmas decor (what little I put out) is all packed away and I was happy to see it go (seriously, I don't even recognize myself anymore. Who am I? Ha!!!)
• Our Razorbacks lost in a very sad Sugar Bowl game last night. It was a hard game to watch and I'm still feeling a little emotional about it.
• My baby will be ONE in less than a month! Seems like she should still be this tiny...

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Wow. Life is so busy for me right now. I realize I haven't blogged in an age but I honestly have not had time to sit down and write. I have no excuses, but I do have explanations :)

I have three girls - and one of them just took her first steps today! She's super-mobile people! Yikes. :) Check out this hilarious picture of Mika Lynn - we took it in the window of a store in the mall we were in on Saturday night. Hahaha! I laugh every time I see it. 

I'm dealing with some personal issues that may not exactly be time-consuming but are definitely thought-consuming. I won't get into it but I will say that being a wife and a mom and a sister and a daughter and a woman is HARD y'all.

All of my free time (which is the time after the girls go to bed at night) is spent working on paintings for some sweet people who actually wanted ME to paint something for them. Me? I still can't believe that.

We've been gone so much spending time with family and friends. I love this, but it doesn't leave much time for blogging. Making these memories as a family is much more important though. :)

I got our Christmas cards in yesterday. I've been working on getting them addressed and ready to mail out. This is the first time since Jared and I have been married that we are sending out Christmas cards. Can you believe that?

I could go on. But I won't.

I decided to take the time to blog today at the prompting of a sweet friend's blog post. Elaina wanted us to blog about our favorite Christmas movies. I love Christmas! I love movies! I love Christmas movies! Ha!

So my favorite Christmas movie of all-time is probably Miracle on 34th Street. Oh, I do love this movie. However, I'm a sucker for all Christmas movies. Well, unless they are sad. I am already too emotional around the holidays so I don't like to watch the sad Christmas movies. Anyway, I also love The Grinch and Home Alone and Elf. In fact, the girls and I watched a couple of Christmas movies today.

I'll try to be back before Christmas, but I'm not making any promises. Our schedule is full and I don't see it letting up until after the New Year.

Happy December!

The Case of the Incredible Diaper Rash

It is no secret to my close friends that I LOVE Nancy Drew.

I seriously read every book growing up and if I had the time now, I would probably re-read them. No lie. I've always loved a good mystery. And I have been known, on occasion, to refer to myself as Nancy Drew. I'll answer to that name, if you feel like calling me that. :)

We frequently have "mysteries" in our home that I feel the need to solve. The most recent "mystery" is that of the Incredible Diaper Rash.

Mika Lynn developed a diaper rash about a week ago (maybe slightly longer). I used every cream and ointment we had in the house, from OTC to prescription. No change. In fact, that mess just got worse and worse. I'm not one to freak out and call the doctor over a diaper rash (plus we had a check-up scheduled for today so I was hoping to hold out until then) so I just kept trying to treat it.

Bootie creams = no help.

Next step - change formula. For some reason I thought that the formula may be causing the mess. With the new formula, we got a slight improvement in the diaper rash. But did it go away completely? No sir.

So today we are at our appointment. Dr. W asked me if there was anything up with Mika. I told her to take a look at the insane diaper rash that she has. She did and she proceeded to tell me she was baffled. No idea for certain what it is. It is seriously bizarre - it is like a perimeter rash around the area where her diaper would be wet. Dr. W didn't even know how to write it up in her notes. Ha!

She prescribed some OTC creams (that I haven't used yet) and if it isn't better in a couple days or gone in a week we have to go back to her.

All I keep thinking is "Who gets an out-of-control diaper rash that stumps the doctor?" Only my child! Seriously, my kids are rarely sick, but when they get their little medical issues, they are always weird and never normal. {Breath holding spells, fever viruses that trick the doctors into thinking it is meningitis coupled with some sort of weird bacteria, the list goes on and on.... and on}

I write this not to bore you to tears with talk of diaper rash, but to ask for your help. Any thoughts? Any ideas on how we can get rid of this mess for good?

Just Breathe...

This has been a crazy week. The girls have been a little extra difficult which absolutely wears me out. Add to that a baby who started really crawling and pulling up and getting into everything. Needless to say, my days have been full of my kids and trying to make it to bedtime without losing my mind.

On top of everything, there are some things going on around here that are just inherently stressful. And while I try not to get too worked up about it all, this week has just felt like one thing after another.

Last night we had some little visitors over.

My niece and nephew came over for dinner and to play while their Mommy and Daddy were at a doctor appointment. So for a couple hours last night we had two 3 1/2-year-olds, two 2-year-olds and an 8-month-old. WOW! They were really good, though. We had dinner and then watched a movie and read books. Sweet babies.

But today is Friday. Which means I'll have an extra pair of hands (Jared's) to help me all weekend - well, except for when the Hogs play because I can't compete with Razorback football! ha! We have some fun things planned for Saturday morning and I hope it goes smoothly.

Right now, I'm just thankful for a few minutes this morning where I feel like I've been able to catch my breath. The girls are playing nicely and Mika is content in her bouncy toy for a minute.

And just because it cracks me up... here is a picture of my Laila's insane bed hair. I don't think we could make it stick out like that if we tried. Poor baby. ha!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Go Hogs!

Ok, Ok, Ok...

I had this great post started.... then I tried to upload some pictures from my camera to go along with it. That darn camera is giving me fits, so that post will have to wait. I will replace it tonight with a rundown of what's been up with us.

• Peyton has been begging me to go to school. She even plays like she is going to school and packs books and such in her backpack, grabs the toy keys and picks a spot in the house to call "school" and goes there. Ha! So I've decided to help her out and give her some worksheets to do while she is at "school". She's doing great and is so proud of what she can do. I'm a little proud too!
• Mika has been eating Gerber puffs and cheerios and I have the cutest picture of her shoving one in her mouth - yep, it is still on the camera. Darn camera. She loves her finger foods. She is also going through a phase (I hope that is all it is) where she doesn't want milk, but eats the mess out of some baby food. Silly girl.
• Tonight Laila was getting into trouble (she didn't have a nap today and was just a little tired and moody). I told her she needed to change her attitude if she wanted to stay up for a little while (I tell the girls frequently that they need to change their attitudes). Well, my sweet little two-year-old continued to disobey and when I told her it was time to go to bed she said over and over "But I'll change my attitude now". It was so cute, she has the sweetest voice and demeanor and when she says things like that it will just make you smile - she still went to bed though. :)
• I put up some of my Fall decor. I love Fall! 
• I've been looking for some Hogs shirts for my girls to all wear this fall on game days (they will not be going to games, but we can support the team from home!). I can't find anything that I like, so I've decided to make some. Eeek! If they are cute, I'll show you. Don't expect much.
• Since we've had some cooler days lately, the girls have been able to play outside. 

P's legs are way too long for the little tricycle but she still loves to play on it! Ha!

Ok.... I'm being attacked by a mosquito as I'm typing this post and I can't seem to kill it. And if y'all are lucky, you'll get a better post with the pictures that are still hanging out in the camera tomorrow. I'll go ahead and wish you all a happy weekend now, in case the camera is still acting up tomorrow. 

Happy Weekend!

It Isn't Pretty....

but it works.

Today. I've been looking forward/not looking forward to it for a couple of weeks now. Looking forward to going to my sister's tonight to help her with her classroom. NOT looking forward to taking baby girl to the doctor this morning.

While doctor appointments aren't normally a big deal and are something I've come to accept as routine with all the babies and such, I always dread going when I have to take more than one of my girls with me. Nana and Aunt April are relaxing on the beach this week (I'm not jealous.... yeah, right!) so I didn't have my handy babysitters.

So this morning I loaded up all three girls and headed to the doctor. I did my best to be over-prepared. I brought out the BIGGER bag (my diaper bag is big, but this called for the bigger bag) and filled it with crackers, juice cups full of pink lemonade (a favorite around our house lately), fruit snacks, books, Barbies, and anything else I could put in there.

We arrive. I start unloading the kids and start walking to the door. I am carrying Mika in my arms. Huge bag over my shoulder. Two little girls holding onto my free hand. It isn't pretty. Six feet stumbling over each other, three hands tangled together. But it worked. We made it inside.

Not only did we make it inside, but we made it through the appointment, shots and all! And I'm so proud of how good the girls were. It turned out to be a very good experience, minus the shots. And now we are all home, resting and packing for our little trip. And hoping it goes smoothly.

This is about how my life as a mother is..... It isn't pretty, but it works. 

Wednesday Memories

I have been meaning to record these things for some time and I've decided today is the day. Just a few things about my babies that I want to remember:

• Laila calls Pocahontas (the movie) Ocapomas! Absolutely hilarious.
• For some reason, the girls have decided to start calling Jared "Daddy Louis". That is his middle name and they've decided to put it after "Daddy". HA!
• The other night, Peyton introduced Nanny to my dad (they most definitely know each other) by saying, "This is my Pappy, James." Crack. Me. Up.
• Mika is trying so hard to imitate sounds, her little mouth is so cute as she tries to make the "M" sound and the "B" sound. Love her!
• Mika finally rolled over (yay!) and now the big girls have to show me every day how they can roll over. They are so funny. 

Ok, so I had grand plans for this list and I find myself completely exhausted and distracted while typing this post. So rather than draw it out for another 30 minutes or an hour, I'm going to quit now. When I'm done looking for Peyton's disappearing white sandals and I get my house cleaned and I stop sweating because it is hotter than fire outside, then I will be back with some pictures and such!

Love.

Finally Friday!

What a crazy week! Right?! Was it for you all too?

I have a few pictures to share from this week so I'll put them in this post.

J and I have big plans for this weekend - Project Finish the Playroom will begin at approximately 8am tomorrow morning. We are sending the big girls to my mom's for the weekend so we will just have Mika Lynn and should be able to get SO MUCH done in the playroom. I'm hoping to finish it, but I'm being realistic too and I have no idea how things will go once we get in there.

Be looking for pictures of a super-fun playroom for three super-fun little girls!

I also gave Mika Lynn her first REAL baby food this week. We've been doing oatmeal for almost two weeks now but she got to eat some carrots yesterday. It was definitely love at first bite!

I know she is mine and all, but that is one cute baby girl! That smile warms my heart daily!

Yummy deliciousness! 

And just because I love them so much...

This is their new favorite thing - they will hug each other until they fall down and then giggle. Precious!

And my sweetie and his babiest girl...

Happy Friday Y'all!

Internetless...

We had a storm Monday evening that knocked out our power and caused the internet to mess up. I must admit that I enjoyed the break from all the connectivity. But we got it back on yesterday afternoon so I've been trying to get caught up on some things. Stick with me as it may take a few days.

I've had a big week for me though....

Tuesday night I went out to dinner with a friend. I honestly cannot remember the last time I went out to eat with a girlfriend and no kids. Actually I can remember and it was in December. Anywho, I had the best time visiting with her. Love you Katie! Jared kept all three girls at home while I went out and I have to admit that I have felt guilty about it since I left the house. I feel guilty that I asked him to watch the girls after he had been at work all day just so I could go out to eat.

Then last night I got the opportunity to meet up with my Ladies' Group. I was there when the group formed and have had to stop going to regular meetings because of having all the babies and then with Jared's weird work schedule. But I'm hoping to get back to it in the fall! So we had an impromptu meeting last night and it was such a blessing to be able to get together and pray for each other. And to see those prayers being answered (and they are being answered as I write this) is amazing!

Did I feel guilty about going to the meeting? Yes. Jared stayed home with the girls again and even as I was walking out the door I couldn't believe I had asked him to do that two nights in a row. I realize this is something I'm going to have to work through because I know I need to do things for myself some, but dang, it is hard to start doing that after so much time of not doing it.

And finally - my sweet baby girl has her first tooth! I absolutely cannot believe it - she is only 5 1/2 months old (both of my other girls had their first tooth come in at 7 months). I was definitely not expecting to feel it when I was massaging her gums yesterday. She's been teething but I just thought we were in the beginning of a long process. Guess that's what I get for thinking because there it was, a little tooth poking through her sweet little gums. Bless her heart!

I'm thinking of cancelling our internet because I so enjoyed not getting online for a couple of days.... I doubt J will go for it though! :)

I Could Do It Forever....

Lately I've been really stopping to cherish each moment with my kids. Peyton and Laila like to snuggle a little before they go to sleep, but they really like to go to sleep on their own. Mika, however, will get really fidgety before she goes to sleep and will calm down immediately when I hold her, falling fast asleep on my chest. So she has been falling asleep on me more and more this past week - and I love it! I could hold her like that forever!!! I know I should put her in her bed, but I just love holding her so much. Knowing that she is my last baby makes it worse. I think I have messaged Jared every day over the past week telling him how much I love holding our sleeping babies. And I do.... I just sit there with a huge smile on my face and kiss all over their heads, smell their baby smells, and love having them so close to me. It is one of the best gifts God gives parents - I pray that all of you who are parents take time to hold your babies while they sleep today. And for those of you who aren't parents yet, I pray that you will get your chance to hold your sleeping baby soon. 

Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day.

Jared and I have been talking about how, even though we are parents, we still feel like Mother's and Father's Days are for our parents! So we do our best to make them feel loved and special. 

Jared's family needed his help this weekend with all of the things that went on last week, so we decided that I would take the girls to my mom's for the weekend. Mom and Nanny were thrilled to have us and we were glad to be there - especially me, the car ride was rather difficult this time as a usually sweet baby decided to cry most of the trip. I could write a whole separate post about how I deal with all three girls in the car by myself!

Saturday their little town was having its annual festival, so we went up to the city park for the festivities after lunch and naps. The girls had a blast sliding and jumping in the jump house! 

Saturday night, the big girls were worn out (I can't imagine why!) so I took Mika Lynn and we went to visit my Mamaw. She's awfully lonely these days with my Pawpaw in the nursing home, so I try to see her as much as possible. The girls light up her eyes and I love being able to bring her a little joy :) So she got to hold baby Mika for a while and we visited and laughed and enjoyed our time together. 

Sunday morning we went to church with Nanny. She LOVED having all of us there. And I loved being there with her. In fact, a sweet man from her church thanked me on the way out for making this day special for her. After church and lunch, I loaded the girls up and we headed home so we could be with Jared and his family. They had a Mother's Day/Happy Birthday party and it was wonderful! 

My dad came into town Sunday night, so that was the perfect way to finish my weekend!

I love being a mother. But more than that, I love my children.... they are the most perfect gifts from God. 

Peyton Lou - You are the baby who made me a mother. You are strong-willed and very independent and continue to teach me about patience on a daily basis. You have such a big personality and you are absolutely hilarious! I know God has BIG plans for your life and your contagious personality and I cannot wait to watch you grow up and see where God takes you! I love you baby girl!

Laila Whitney - You made me a mother of two. It was you, baby girl, who showed me that I could love more than one baby with the same amount of love and I know I will never run out of love. You have a face of a thousand expressions and a smile that will melt any heart. I look forward to seeing how God works in your life and how He uses you in this world. You are a very special girl. I love you, my little bean!

Mika Lynn - My sweet, tiny, baby-est girl. You completed our family and filled up our hearts. You have the sweetest personality already and your gentle spirit has lifted many sad hearts in your short life. I love that I am able to cherish each and EVERY minute with you and that I haven't let one sweet moment pass without making a memory. Everyone comments on your beautiful smile and your happy spirit and I know God will use both of those in big ways in your life! I love you, my sweet baby. 

Thank you, Lord, for my precious children and for making me their mother. I take that responsibility very seriously and I love every minute of being a mother.