baby four :: week 14 (almost)

As I stated in a previous post, we are expecting again! And we are over the moon about baby #4 who will join our family in April.

As I have done with the two previous pregnancies, here are the FAQ's :

Q: Was this one planned? 
A: Yes. Well.... mostly.
Q: When are you due?
A: tax day! Hard to forget that.
Q: What is it?
A: A baby! We aren't going to find out the gender this time, which is a fun twist for number four. And I honestly can't tell what the gender is from the way I feel, nor do I have a preference. I just want a healthy baby.
Q: How are you feeling?
A: SO much better than last pregnancy! My pregnancy with Judah was pretty miserable, so I am extremely thankful that I am feeling less sick with more energy and just all around healthier and thus happier. At the complete risk of sounding sales-y, I am positive it has to do with the incredible nutrition that Lane and I have been using over the past year. With each previous pregnancy my nausea was worse and worse and lasted longer each time. It left me exhausted and down right depressed with my last pregnancy. But I did not go into this with deficient nutrients, which I am sure made all the difference.
Q: Are you having any cravings?
A: I ate a LOT of bread for a couple weeks there, but not really craving anything specific. I always seem to want good cheeses when I am pregnant, which is difficult since I can't have most of my favorites! 

 Q: Are you showing yet?

A: Um. (see above photos)
Q: How do the kids feel about all of it?
A: We had Jenny video us telling the kids, and James was SO excited, it was so sweet. Elle didn't really get it at first, but is starting to get a little bit more excited- she is convinced it is a girl and says it will be "her baby" which is kind of cute and scary at the same time, ha. Meanwhile, pretty sure Judah has no idea what is happening.
Q: So, how far apart will they be?
A: Judah will be two and a half years older than this baby, which is the biggest gap we have had in age. I am really glad it worked out this way because Judah is not great at sharing with any "babies" that come over- he tells them "no baby!" if they are playing with his toys and gets upset if I hold any other baby for too long. Thankfully, we have time to work on these issues.

Overall, we feel so blessed and so thankful that we get the privilege of parenting another little soul!

Here is the announcement post from Judah.
Here is the announcement post from Elle. 

bedtime songs

As a child, my mom always sang to me when she tucked me into bed. I remember when she was out of town for work, she even recorded songs for me to listen to on my tape player (yes, tape player, because I'm old).

As a mom, it seems totally natural for me to sing to my own kids as I tuck them in (and lay with Elle while she plays with my hair- kind of sweet, but when will this end?!).

I sing them "The Little Drummer Boy" (which they just call "Pa rump") because that is what my mom used to sing to me. I also sing "Silent Night", "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "How Great Thou Art", "The Way You Look Tonight", and a bird-themed version of "Twinkle, Twinkle" that is from a book James was obsessed with when he was younger and I would lay with him for an hour every night before sneaking out of his room. At Christmas time I add pretty much every single Christmas song to my repertoire. I don't know how these particular songs became "the ones", but they are until I memorize something else I can sing that is extremely slow pace.

What songs do you sing your kids? What songs were sung to you when you were a child?

elle's first haircut ever + exciting things

Yesterday, at almost three and a half years old, Eleanor received her first haircut.

I was a little nervous she would get up in the chair and freak out, as she tends to do in these sorts of situations, but she did awesome!

 

Actually, she did better than awesome. She ate up every minute of Mrs Aho (who she lovingly just calls "Aho") putting clips in her hair, trimming it, then styling it with a curling iron and braid. Elle was pretty much giddy with excitement over the girly-ness of it all.

Kaitlin is so great. She was so sweet with Elle, and even gifted her with a lolly pop and nail polish afterward for being so good.

Eleanor will most definitely look forward to her next visit!

PS the super exciting thing: I figured out how to merge this blog with my old one! So everything I have blogged since 2011 is now in one place, and I can do things like this:

PS- four years ago- a recipe

hot day activity: truck wash

In honor of the beautiful weather we have been experiencing over here in the PNW, I thought I would share a fun, simple activity that the kids and I did a couple weeks ago on a hot afternoon. 

It all started with some cheap shaving cream and a bucket of water. Add a tub of toy cars, several big trucks, and excited kids and you have yourself a truck wash!

My kids adore water play, but I think they really liked doing something a little different from the usual scooping, pouring, and dumping of water. They seemed to really feel productive "washing" all those cars. Even if they weren't completely clean, they sure smelled good after the wash!

The kids have requested to do this several times since. Now I'm trying to think of other things around the house that they could clean this way!

PS one year ago- the meal plan for the whole stinkin' month of May!

poodle bangs: the story of an ordinary wild morning

I love to share my ordinary days for many reasons, but mostly because I want other mothers to know they are not alone in this messy, joyful chaos (now that would have been a good blog name) and because I want to remember these days in all their non-glamorous glory. 

I woke up this morning and, as soon as I glanced at myself in the mirror, I noticed my poodle bangs. My hair is not curly, but has become more wavy with each pregnancy (dang hormones), and I look a lot like a poodle when I wake up in the morning after showering the night before and sleeping on wet hair. So, I had to straighten my bangs at some point before seeing anyone. Truthfully, straightening all my hair would have been the best option, but I knew that just wasn't gonna happen.

Anyway, I went about my morning as usual: read my Bible, cuddled the kids as they woke up, made shakes, made coffee. Some plans were rearranged at the last minute, and it turned out I would be having a friend and her baby come over to visit mid-morning. So, the kids and I needed to change out of our pj's.

Elle dressed herself in gray sweats and a t-shirt. Whatever.

I asked James to get dressed so he also grabbed gray sweat pants and a shirt and headed to go change in my bathroom.

Meanwhile, I was attempting to change Judah, but he managed to escape my grasp as I tried to get the layers of cloth diaper on him.
Then he promptly peed on the carpet. I sighed and went to grab the carpet cleaner.

As I was wondering why James was taking so long in the bathroom, I heard some thuds and cries from the kitchen.

I ran in and saw Judah, pathetically and unsuccessfully trying to regain his footing in a ginormous puddle of urine that he had created. Geeze Louis.

 

I scooped him up and carried him into the bathroom, catching another glimpse of the poodle bangs, and started a bath for him. I quickly scrubbed the pee off the carpet and mopped up the kitchen, which unfortunately forced me to turn on the florescent overhead light that really accentuates the need of our once-white cabinets to be repainted.

I made the kids a snack, threw on a bit of make-up (still in pjs), then got Judah out of the tub and dressed. It seemed I had just enough time to throw on some real clothes and deal with the bang issue. I went into my closet and closed the door as best I could (Lane has some sort of pull-up bar hanging in the doorway).

No luck. Elle came in with a glob of sparkly pink something on her finger. "James has this and it smells good!" Good grief. What now?

I left the closet and demanded that James tell me what he had taken. He pointed to his room, where a tube of lip gloss I never use was on the ground. Oh well, at least it wasn't all over everything. I grabbed it and went to put it back in my bathroom. As I stepped onto the linoleum I was surprised that my sock stuck. I looked down. Sure enough, the floor was smeared over with something pink and sparkly. Ah, so this was what he had been doing the whole time in the bathroom: finger painting with make-up.

After that was wiped up I had just enough time to pull on some real pants and a shirt before my friend drove up.

We had a great time and, at one point, she mentioned how much she appreciated the reality that is me and my house. Poodle bangs and all.

The funniest part about this morning is that it was in no way out of the ordinary. Every day brings laughable, ridiculous adventures and tasks and balancing acts. Maybe this is why so many woman say that raising small children seems to go by so quickly- because you are doing the same things over and over, and it seems like you are not getting anywhere. Another messy diaper, picking up more dirty socks and lidless markers, making another pb and j... the repetitive messy work that suddenly seems to result in people. Truly, this is the best and most rewarding way I can spend my time, creating these little people in the mundane yet wild days.

PS random assortment of photos taken throughout my ordinary day. Photo cred of Judah and I goes to James

a time for application

Back when I first became a believer, I had a devotional time (reading the Word and writing in my prayer journal) every single morning. I loved beginning my day this way, and I really congratulated myself on making the sacrifice of waking up early to do it. At least, I thought it was sacrifice then. So naive.

Now that I have three little ones and have been in a state of sleep deprivation for about the last five years, morning devotional times don't always happen. Nor do afternoon devotional times. Nor evening. In fact, sometimes a week will go by while my Bible and journal sit on the ottoman in the living room and collect dust.

And I am okay with that. This season of having little kids does not always allow for a scheduled devotional time. But there are certain times when a little encouragement from the Word is all I want.

For example, let's just say (hypothetically speaking, of course) that it is just before nap time. An incident has occurred in which child #1 hit child #2, and child #2 reacted in a very poor way. Child #1 has been asked to go to their room, and so they are upset, and in need of discipline. I am trying to calm down child #2 who is crying over being hit (but also just needs to go down for a nap), and I also need to have a little talk with child #2 about how we react when others hurt us. Meanwhile, child #3 is getting a little fussy because they are in bad need of a diaper change and would like to be nursed. Add onto this scenario that I probably haven't had my lunch yet. The microwave won't stop beeping because my coffee from that morning that I was heating up has been ready for the past ten minutes. Also, the dog is whining at the back door, and I just need to pee.

(All hypothetical, of course.)

It is at these moments when I just want to hit a "pause" button and go sit on the couch, with a (preferably fresh) coffee in hand, and read my Bible. In these moments I tend to think to myself "If only I could just have a little inspiration from the Word, or just a minute by myself to pray, then I could really handle this situation with joy and patience."

Lately, however, the Lord has impressed something on my heart, and it is this:

this is the time for application.

I have read the Word daily for years, done the Bible studies, sat and meditated in prayer. Now it is time to apply what I have learned. Now it is time to pour out instead of just soak in. Now it is time to faithfully put into practice all that the Lord has taught me.

I have the knowledge. Now I need to apply it.

If you are in my boat- busy with little ones and unable to be fed through sitting and reading the Word every day- I hope this is both an encouragement and a bit of a challenge.

Be encouraged that He will never give you more than you can handle. He has prepared you for what you are doing right now, and for what this day holds, even if you feel totally blindsided by the difficulties that may come.
"...God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." 1 Corinthians 10:13

Also, I challenge you to take what you know, to use that grace you have been given, and to pour out to your little ones in those challenging circumstances. Pour on them the love, forgiveness, patience, and kindness that has been given to you.

"Freely you have received, freely give." -Jesus (Matthew 10:8)

Thanks for reading!
Ashley

one year ago: a raspberry latte recipe... haven't made this again, but I remember it was good!

happy friday

I entitle this picture: "Even cowboys have to go to timeout."

That's all.

Have a fabulous weekend, and try to stay out of trouble!

Ashley

judah is five months + big stuff

 My baby boy is five months.

(Okay, he turned five months a week ago, and I took these photos in the middle of last week. Nevertheless...)

About two weeks ago, two teeth showed up in his little mouth. He took it like a champ.

He is also rolling from his back to his tummy and grabbing his adorable chubby feet.

In other breaking news, this blue-eyed, yogurt-faced, strange-hat-wearing gal is sleeping in a big girl bed...

... and this little tiny baby of mine who is well over fifty pounds is sleeping in big boy underwear:

I told you, big stuff.

I'll probably be announcing their college choices next post, they are apparently maturing so quickly.

One year ago: burbin' it up

judah's four month photo shoot shenanigans

This last week has pretty much been he... well, let's just say it hasn't been heaven.

Poor Elle developed pneumonia, I have some crud that seems to have turned into a massive sinus infection, and no one has been sleeping. At all.

Aren't you glad you chose to read this post? So uplifting! But, don't worry, it will get better...

I finally got around to taking Judah's four month photos. I took them in the morning, so he was still in his pj's. They happen to be Lane's old pj's, which is so fun. And I think that may count as vintage. What a hip baby.

Then James decided to join in the photo session...

... which started out so sweet.

But then...

...ack! I don't think I have ever been so terrified of my own child. So I asked him to make a "smile face"...

... really, James? Hilarious.

When I reviewed these photos it was late at night on the third night of no sleep. So the above picture made me laugh until I was wiping my eyes. And the picture below made me think of this line...

"Fold your dog's ear back!"

Name that show. (I'm still a bit loopy from the no sleep thing.)

Today I finally had a little Valentine's party for the kids. Pictures will be up by Easter. Please don't rush me.

Happy Wednesday!
Ashley

PS one year ago: life lessons from applesauce

lately: little moments

So many little things I never want to forget. Those little moments that seem like nothing but make up their childhood. I guess that is one reason I blog...

I don't want to forget  our Sunday afternoon family park trips. Pushing Elle on the swing, chasing James around on his bike, watching them show off their climbing and jumping skills for Lane...

I don't want to forget the way Eleanor stands up in her chair at the table, turns around to where I am in the kitchen, and declares "I yove you mommy!"...

I don't want to forget the middle of the night snuggles with Judah, or the afternoon couch (or bed) snuggles in which I am balancing Elle and Judah on my lap while trying to keep two binks in two little mouths and attempting to keep James entertained  all at the same time...

Or nights like last night, when we finally got our little night owl baby to sleep at eleven thirty, and Lane remarked that he hoped no one else would be in our bed that night. It was maybe three minutes later that Elle started crying for me. To exhausted to rock her back to sleep, I swooped her out of her crib and put her in bed between us. About two minutes later we heard James shuffling down the hall. Lane lifted up the covers on his side to let him in. So there we were: James, then Lane, then Elle, then me, all snuggled up in our queen size bed. At this moment Lane exclaimed "Well, I may as well get up and go to work." And I started giggling. Like, uncontrollable giggling. In a bed where there was hardly any room to breathe.

Those moments when you either laugh or cry. I try to always pick laughter.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to share these moments with you,
Ashley