Angela's Adventures

Just Do YOUR Best

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:58:00 +0000

He came running down the hallway, with sparkly eyes and a huge grin on his face. Finding me in the kitchen, working on breakfast, he asked me to come into his room. He said he wanted to show me something.

As I walked into his room, I saw his bed, the bed that he had just spent many minutes trying to perfectly make. Covers were spread out all over it, some of them were sort of straight. Maybe it wasn't how I think a bed should be made, but it was his best and he was so proud. I bit my tongue and decided in that moment that only praise would come out of my mouth. I smiled big and I gave him a huge high five. It was tempting to go in and straighten those covers later, but I didn't. He would know that his best wasn't good enough and what I want more than anything is for him to know that his best IS.

Daily, I'm learning that it's not about things being perfect. It's about just doing YOUR best. I can't ask for my way, but I can ask for them to do their best and then I can praise the heck out of their efforts. I would hope that if you came to my house, that you'd find my kids beds made imperfectly, because they made them and not me. It's not about having a perfectly made bed, it's about having the opportunity to learn and knowing that your effort is good enough, in everything that you do.

Tonight I sat there and watched him get his preschool certificate. As he sang the songs with his friends, it felt like my heart was flopping around outside of my chest. Up there, he looked so much older and yet still so very small, with so much to learn and with such a pure, tender heart.

He fiddled with his button, looked at the kids behind him, wiggled, smiled, waved and lifted his shirt over his head. He did his best and his best was awesome.

♥ Angela

Nicknames

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:00 +0000

This girl.

Between the kids and I, she has a ton of nicknames. We just can't help it. Silly talk just starts spilling out, when you hangout with this baby. Here are just a few.......

Honey

Honey bunny

Love

Little Lovey

Chunkers

Chubbers

Kissy cheeks

Kissy face

Boo boo

Baby 'Liza

And my personal favorite, given to her by Paisley: Baby Goobee (pronounced Goo-Bee).

♥ Angela

Goodbyes and a Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:11:00 +0000

Today was my 6 week follow-up postpartum appointment with my midwife. The appointment was totally uneventful and it hardly felt like there was a point in going, besides the fact that I love my midwife and I wanted to see her. Basically she just said "Oh Hey!....Wow, look at that huge baby!.....Hi Paisley!....So, how's it going with three? Well, you're doing awesome!......Ok, good luck!.....Bye!" And then she was gone and it was time for me to leave with my Eliza, who was asleep in her car seat and my Paisley, who had taken her shoes off and flung herself on the ground because she didn't want to leave. Both of those girls are predictable. Eliza sleeps. Paisley flings---food, shoes, herself, magazines, toys. You get the picture. Have I mentioned that two and a half hasn't been kind to us lately? That girl is just as sassy as she is sweet. And of course, she couldn't get any cuter, which makes it even more challenging.

Anyway. Getting back on track here, because this particular post isn't about two year olds.

Walking out of that office was a little emotional. I've had a lot of great moments in those rooms, between our 3 pregnancies, I've spent a lot of time there and I'm a bit sad to close that door. There's a possibility that someday we'll have more kids, but that's not guaranteed and if that does ever happen, I doubt it'll be anytime soon. Also, I imagine that if we ever have more, I'd deliver at home or at an off-site birth center, but again, three might be it.

Then of course, there's always the possibility that someday we might consider adopting. Even writing those words gives me that shaky, nervous, excited feeling. It's not something that I talk often about and really there isn't much to say about it. All I know is that God placed that desire deep down in me when I was very young and it's never gone away, even after having 3 beautiful kids of our own. It's in there and someday something might happen with it, if the right doors open and if it grows into something that my husband and I both feel like God is calling us to do.

I realized today that I'm not a fan of goodbyes. I actually don't even do goodbyes. I avoid them at all costs, sometimes unintentionally. On the drive home, I thought back to the first job that I ever really loved, when it came time for me to put in my 2 weeks and move on from that job, I didn't even tell a lot of my co-workers that I was leaving. I didn't want to say good bye, because it would make me so sad and I didn't want to even go there.

Fast forward to the job that I had up until 9 days before Judah was born. I never went back to work after he was born, but I never really quit either. I never went in to say good bye to those wonderful people, even though I should have. I loved them. That job was the best, but saying good bye didn't happen. I just couldn't do it. I had an office full of stuff there. Plants, pictures and all the normal stuff that people keep in their desk. I never even went back to get my stuff....weird, huh?

Saying good bye to my midwife today was hard because she's supported me on 3 of the best days of my life. It's hard to close that door, but I'm finding excitement as I write this, knowing that God's plans our future are always for our best, even if that means that some doors need to close. As a big planner, I always feel like I need to have everything all lined up, but God's plans are always better than our own, so it's better to wait on Him and see what He has in store.
Our Pastor shared this verse yesterday and I just haven't been able to get over how good it is:

Jeremiah 33:3(NKJV)

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

This weekend, we celebrated my Birthday with my Mom, step-dad, real Dad, sister, brother-in-law and their 3 kids. Filling our house with those guys was so fun. I'd choose them for family, even if we weren't related. My sister made the BEST Lemon- Blueberry cake ever. She has skills!

One of Paisley's many faces. Love this girl.

Sweet baby Eliza. Being her Mommy is an honor.

Sister, Grandma and babies. What a wonderful weekend it was!

Hoping your week is off to a great start,
♥ Angela

Be The Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:46:00 +0000

Oh, you guys-I've been a wanna-be reader for so long. I'm that gal who's asked for book suggestions on facebook (I think I've done that at least twice), pinned lots of books that look good and put way too many books on hold at the library, only to just return them. I've had good intentions, really I have, but reading just hasn't been a priority and frankly, I haven't made the time for it.

A few weeks ago, an email caught my eye. It was from Family Life and it mentioned that with any donation, they would send you a gift, a book called "Be The Mom". Again, the wanna-be reader in me came out and I donated a small amount and requested my book. The book really did look so good and I was hoping that maybe this time I'd really read it and not do other way more (not!) important things like sit on Pinterest or watch reality TV with my husband.

Okay so, I'll get to my point here.....
I know I don't blog about books that often and yes, that's a good thing because I'm obviously not an expert in this area. However, this book is blessing my socks off and I just feel like I have to write about it. This post is most certainly not sponsored, the author has no clue who I am or that I'm even writing about her book. The point is that this book feels like it was written for me, in this crazy stage of life that I'm in with my little ones and I feel like I need to share that with you.

I've got dinner on the stove, a baby sleeping in her swing and kids playing outside while the husband mows. Maybe this isn't the best time to be blogging, but I'm popping on here to tell you that this book is written for us Moms, the Mom who's maybe a little tired of the daily grind and the Mom who's having trouble finding joy in the diapers, potty training, messes, sibling fights and normal life.

This book focuses on overcoming attitude traps and enjoying our kids. Lately, I feel like my entire personality is practically an attitude trap. I've had that "poor me, all I do is clean up after people", thing going on and that's ugly. God gave me 3 kids that were specifically handpicked to be in our family. I want to enjoy this time with them, not feel like I'm just "in the pits of motherhood".

See, we can't say that since this is the season of sleeping less, changing lots of diapers and cleaning up spilled food all day, that it's okay to not enjoy this time right now. We can't say that we'll just enjoying Mothering more later, when things are easier. No, we deserve to enjoy THIS season and our little ones deserve to see us ENJOYING this season as well. Believe me, they can tell if we're enjoying this or not. They know.

So, here's your book recommendation from a wanna-be reader. The book is changing the way I view Mothering.

And now....I should probably go finish that dinner.
Happy Weekend.
♥ Angela

P.S The book is still on special at Family Life. Just donate ANY amount and they'll send it to you. And again, this isn't sponsored. I just get fired up about good stuff like this and then I feel like I need to share.

Rhubarb Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:48:00 +0000

This morning was Judah's second to last day of preschool for the year. How is it that his first year of preschool is already almost to a close? This whole growing up thing happens to fast, don't 'cha think? Summer is going to be awesome and it'll be great to have him home with us, but I've got to admit that it's been so nice to have these quiet mornings with just Paisley (and well.... Eliza too, but she just sleeps and eats at this point).

Today Paisley and I went out in the yard and picked some rhubarb. This plant was from my friend Angie's rhubarb plant. Maybe it's weird, but plants from friends always seem kind of special to me. I love walking around my yard and seeing little reminders of my friends. It's hard to explain.....

Anyway. We picked our rhubarb and then Paisley helped me make our favorite Rhubarb Muffins. Cooking with this girl is fun because she LOVES cooking. And, cooking with this girl stresses me out, because she's a total free spirit, who holds nothing back. We're sort of opposites in that way, maybe I should learn something from her.

I love her free spirit and her go-get-'em personality, it just stretches me as a Mom. Long story short....she's perfect and cooking with her is so worth it, even if the mess that happens during the process makes my head spin.

The flour on her nose and that look of determination. I love it.

Rhubarb Muffins

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup diced rhubarb

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, melted butter, and egg. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until just blended. Fold in rhubarb. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups at least 2/3 full.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons of melted butter. Spoon over the tops of the muffins, and press down lightly.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing.

Recipe is adapted from All Recipes.

I hope your day is wonderful and that if you're able to get your hands on some rhubarb, that you try these! Maybe have your kids make them and then afterwards, you can picture us sweeping up flour off of our floors together.
♥ Angela

I Turned 29

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:12:00 +0000

With Eliza in my arms, I stumbled out of our bedroom, only slightly after 6am, and found Jeremiah and Judah in the kitchen decorating this cake. Apparently Judah said that he wanted to make Mommy a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake. It's moments like this, where I see my husband helping our 4 year old decorate a cake, before he heads off to work, that remind me of what an amazing Dad he is.

Judah did most of the cake decorating himself and it was so sweet to see how proud he was of his cake. After singing me Happy Birthday (still before 7am), he immediately dug his finger right into the center of the cake and stuck it in my mouth.

For breakfast, we sat at the table and had some of his Chocolate Peanut Butter sprinkled masterpiece. He was thrilled.

We ate way too much cake yesterday.

The middle of the day was filled with all of the normal stuff:
MOPS
A baby that blew out her diaper on my leg.
Kids that spilled both of their bowls of cereal on their clothes, just before leaving for MOPS.
Laundry.
Bag pipe music that the kids turned on without asking. The problem is that they cranked the volume up to the highest level before turning on the previously mentioned bagpipes. My ears are still recovering.

The day was also filled with lots of sweet blessings:
My favorite coffee from my sister.
Hand written notes from the neighbor kids.
Flowers and a card from my MOPS gals.
And.....this picnic basket.

I've been slightly obsessing over old fashioned picnic baskets for awhile now. I want to take my kids on fancy picnics on a regular basis and have it be something that they'll always remember. I even have special dishes that I found on clearance at Target, that are perfect for picnics.

Well, look what my Mom showed up with. This picnic basket was my Grandma's and I love, love, love that we get to use it for our picnics now. After Mom dropped the picnic basket and flowers by, I literally stood in my kitchen and cried happy tears. I miss my Grandma and I know how thrilled she would be to see my kids going on fancy picnics with her basket.

As soon as my hubby got home from work, we loaded up and headed to the beach. We spent all evening there, having dinner, eating (more) cake, singing Happy Birthday and playing.

A little caterpillar stopping by to say "hey".

Paisley likes cake, can't you tell?

The beach was just ours and the evening was perfect. A seal was even out in the water splashing around!

Celebrating 29 with my family felt so perfect. A few years ago, I wouldn't have pictured spending my Birthday on the beach, feeding a tiny baby, and watching my two older kids play. Life sure has changed, but it's so good. I'm so excited for this year and for what's ahead.

This weekend, we'll party with more family and after that, I should probably swear off cake until at least my 30th birthday.

♥ Angela

Then and Now

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:28:00 +0000

Judah, 22 months holding baby Paisley (5 weeks old). She looks a little concerned, doesn't she? Oh, and don't you love my white hat and my arm reaching in from the side? Apparently, Paisley wasn't the only one who was slightly concerned.

Paisley, now 2 1/2, holding baby Eliza, also 5 weeks old. No Mom arms sticking in and no white fuzzy hats this time. This time, I was actually the gal behind the camera. That's what happens when you have your 3rd kid.....

♥ Angela

A Very Happy, Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:25:00 +0000

Whether you started your day by making your own coffee or with your favorite breakfast delivered to you in bed, whether you woke up in the wee hours of the morning to feed your baby, who then peed all over your lap (that was me!), or you slept in until noon. Whether you parented solo all day or spent a day filled with family. Whether you were celebrated with the most extravagant of gifts or heartfelt homemade cards.....I hope your day was perfect and that you felt appreciated.

Whether this day makes your heart burst with happiness or makes your heart ache because you long to be called Mom, I hope you felt like you're part of a community. Whether you feel like you're in the pits of Motherhood, or maybe you're still waiting on the gift of a child, I hope you know that this is only a season.

Mother's Day is one of those things that's kind of like parenting. There's a lot of ways to do it really well and no one way that's the "right" way. My family made me feel extra special all day and treated me so well, but did I still change diapers? Yes. Did I still sit and feed the baby? Yes. Did I sweep the kitchen? Why yes, I did. And as I felt celebrated and appreciated, I realized that it's very rare that a Mom could actually take an entire day "off". And you know what?....It's because Moms rock. I hope your weekend was awesome and that even if you still did some of the ordinary stuff, that in those ordinary things, you saw how crazy your family is about you.

Our weekend included:
Saturday was my first 5k. Oh, don't get too excited, I walked it. Still- it felt so good to get out there and do this with baby Eliza. I walked with an amazing group of women, most of which I go to MOPS with and we walked for a cause that's really close to my heart- The Pregnancy Resource Center in our community. Mother's Day weekend was the perfect time to walk for LIFE.

For Mother's Day, I asked for new running shoes so, we also went on a family walk today because I wanted to: 1.Try out my new shoes 2. Strap our hyper kids in the stroller 3. Get some fresh air 4. Be able to chat with my hubby without interruptions and for some reason, that's easier to do when the kids are riding along.

On the drive home from our family walk, we spotted this barn. I kinda went a ~~bit~~ totally crazy when I saw it.....Like "Pull over RIGHT now, I need to take a picture!!!!". Remember? I have a crazy love for barns and this one is just exceptional, don't you think?

This evening I went to dinner with my Mom, sister and of course, we brought my side-kick Eliza along with us. Oh, that sweet baby, she just slept through the entire dinner. Going to dinner with just those ladies was perfect. My Mom, sis and I don't get that undivided time very often and when we do, it's so nice to be able to talk without any interruptions.

Me and my trio. Gosh, I love being their Mom.

I hope your day was extra special.

♥ Angela

BBQ Chicken Pizza with a Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:35:00 +0000

Because tomorrow is Friday.

Because this weekend is Mother's Day and I'm super excited to celebrate with my family.

Because I really love my Mom.

Because next week is my Birthday and I kinda-sorta-really love it when it's my Birthday.

Because the flowers are blooming and my peas are growing.

Because everyone likes an easy dinner idea.

And lastly....because everyone loves pizza......

I have a fun giveaway for you!

With our Pillsbury Whole Grain Pizza crust, we put together a super easy BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Here's what we did:
Thinly slice up some white or red onion.

Grate a nice sized pile of mozzarella cheese.

Pre-bake your Pillsbury pizza crust according to the package directions and then spread a thin layer of your favorite BBQ sauce on the pizza crust.

Layer on cooked chicken, thinly sliced onion and grated cheese.

Top your pizza off with a touch of cilantro or green onion.

Finish baking the pizza according to the package instructions.

This pizza was so easy to put together and our family loved it.

With Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain, you can create any fresh flavor combination you like while getting 16 grams of whole grain per serving. Whether you like tomatoes or spinach, fresh peppers or onions, let Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust be your canvas.

One lucky winner is going to receive a gift pack containing:

A VIP coupon for one FREE Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain
15.5" Farberware Pizza Pan
Food Chopper with Storage Containers
Silicon-grip Oven Mitt

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me what you're going to do or what you did to celebrate Mother's Day!

The giveaway will be open through Sunday, May 26th. Please leave your email address with your comment. Thanks!

♥ Angela

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills and Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

Mud Pies

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:55:00 +0000

Alright. Major Mom confession time.

When I saw these kids out making what they call "mud pies", I was less than thrilled. Actually, I was a bit annoyed. Getting even more honest, I was a lot annoyed. They were NOT dressed for mud pie making and messy doesn't scare them so they were making, stomping and splatting mud pies everywhere.

The kids have been on a little Max and Ruby kick lately and one thing that Max loves to do is make, pat, splat, squish, squirt and stomp mud. When I saw their muddy mess, I was like "Great, thanks Max. Why do they have to copy him and not Ruby?"

But, it's really not Max's fault. Making mud pies is one of those things that's just ingrained in kids, kind of like how all kids want to take the couch cushions off.....And when I was little, I made a heck of a lot of mud pies, and I liked it.

Kids wash.

Clothes wash.

This is just part of being a kid.
So, I grabbed my camera and snapped away while my kids jumped in the mud.
It was fun.

♥ Angela

Mother's Day: Let's Celebrate Her

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:19:00 +0000

Writing for these women is intimidating, to say the least. When I look at their photos, I feel so small and all of my stuff seems so insignificant. We live in a culture where we raise our children with all of the best gadgets, so many baby clothes that some of them are hardly worn twice, all of the books that tell us how we should parent and multiple ways to connect with other Moms. We live with extreme excess.

As I look at these beautiful Mother's photos, I wish I knew more about them. I know that they could teach me many things and that the love they have for their family must be a fierce protective, I-love-you-so-much-it-hurts type of love, similar to the way I love mine. I don't know these women, but if I could hug them, I know the bond of Motherhood would speak through any language barriers.

I have a feeling that these Moms do Mothering really well, and probably a lot less selfishly than I do. Each of these Moms has a story that describes the journey that lead her to Motherhood. She has her challenges and the moments where her kids make her smile so much that her cheeks hurt. She has a birth story, she has her personal struggles, her hidden dreams and her joys. Like us, she gets excited when her baby first walks and her toddler learns new words. She has a heart that's filled with big hopes for her kids, just like you and I. She's real and she's a Mom.

She and I, we both wake in the night to feed our babies. I wonder what songs she lulls her baby to sleep with. We both have toddlers that throw tantrums and everyday, we both want the best for our kids. The difference is that I know my kids have enough to eat and they always have plenty of clean water to drink. I'm not worried about where my kids will go to school or if they'll have enough clothes to wear.

I imagine that like me, she quietly kisses her sleeping children's heads and silently prays over them, asking God to keep them safe, for them to have good health, for Him to fill them with a love for Jesus and for their hearts to overflow with joy.

For Mother's Day, I'm teaming up with Compassion International and asking you to help celebrate these beautiful Moms and give them the ultimate gift- the gift of sponsoring their children....that precious child of her's, that's living in poverty.

With Compassion's Help.....

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Celebrate Mother's Day with me, by celebrating these beautiful Mother's and giving them this gift.

To sponsor a child, please click here and then please, please, please leave a comment letting me know that you did! I'm believing in you guys and I'm believing that God will work through this post.

And lastly....Happy Mother's Day week to ALL of you. You are all amazing! This Mothering job sure isn't easy, but the blessings are so worth it!

♥ Angela

The First Chore Chart

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:39:00 +0000

A few days ago, as Judah and I put the stuffed animals away and made his bed, he looked at me with a sparkle in his eye....."Mommy! I have an idea! You could make me a chart with things for me to do and I could earn money!"

It was like a light bulb turned on in his head. He not only "got it", but he was super excited about it. So, we talked about this new idea of his. I asked him if he'd like to start doing some chores every day and earn a little money that he could save to buy something that he'd like. I promised him that I'd talk with Daddy and make a chart up for him that evening.

I write this stuff for me, so that I can remember sweet little milestones, like my son's first chore chart. His chart is super simple and this post is definitely not about how to make your child the most awesome chore chart. If you're looking for super impressive ideas, go search Pinterest. Here, you'll find that I'm just a Mom who makes her chore charts in Word, complete with old school clipart. Ha! Since he isn't reading yet, he can use the pictures to see what he needs to do. It works and it's gracing our fridge, as we speak.

So far, he's been totally excited about doing his "chores" everyday and earning his money. Of course, he helps with more around the house that what's on his list. This list is simply a few specific things that I knew he could do to start building his confidence in this new area.

The "chore chart" thing needs to be positive. I want him to feel inspired and confident, knowing that he's a capable boy and knowing that if he works hard and does what's right, he'll be rewarded.

At this point, he gets paid approx. a quarter every evening after dinner. Later, we'll move it to a weekly allowance, but I felt instant gratification would be encouraging for him at this point. A week is a long time to wait for your reward when you're 4. With his money, he'll be able to spend some of it, save some of it and tithe a portion as well.

One thing I'm learning as a Mom is to not rush these things. A month ago, he wouldn't have been interested in doing this, but now he totally gets it. He wants to do what's on his list and he's already starting to remember without being asked. I love this stuff.

♥ Angela

Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Writing is hard tonight and I have no idea why. The weekend was amazing and I took lots of pictures, but there's a block between my brain and my fingers. I want to write and yet, I've deleted paragraphs over and over and over. I want to tell you all about the picnic we had on the beach, about how I want to spend the summer living this way and how adventuring outdoors with our 3 young children is a bit tricky, but so completely rewarding.

I want to tell you that I feel like I've never loved being a Mom more in my life than I have over the last month. Yes, it's busy with the new baby, but I feel like this crazy life suits me well, like somewhere deep inside with all of my impatience, need for order and distaste for chaos, I was meant for this. It's not that I'm doing this mothering thing perfectly well either, because I'm not. Actually, lack of sleep has made me terribly irritable and daily I'm praying for more patience. Often I just want to shower in peace and yet, this crazy adventure of mothering has never seemed so sweet.

Instead of writing long paragraphs, encouraging you to picnic with your family, to create simple moments where you really feel relaxed (not just pretend-relaxed), and all of our weekend details, I'm going to leave you with lots of photos and a few little snippets. When the paragraphs flow again, I'll write paragraphs and until then, photos with a few words will do.

********

Tonight my kids went to bed smelling like sunscreen, the bathroom floor has grass clippings on it, the socks next to the washer are extra brown and my husband has new tan lines. Yes, it was a very good weekend. We celebrated the hottest couple of days that we've had since last year by working in the garden and then we headed out for dinner on the beach.

We broke out the kids little swimming pool, discovered it has literally about 8 cracks in it, fixed those cracks with blue duct tape (totally ghetto style) and then had a blast splashing around in the taped up pool. Tonight Judah said "Today was the best day ever! We went to church, took a nap, swam in the pool, played in the yard and now we're going to have dinner!". He finds such joy in these simple family days and I'm so thankful for that.

Parts of the garden are starting to really take off. The peas have their first flowers, and the lettuce and garlic are thriving. As for the other parts of the garden well.....I'm a little behind where I'd like to be. These days, I sit and feed my baby a lot. I can make a sandwich while feeding a baby, but I sure can't plant a garden while I'm doing that.

The garden will happen.

Eliza turned a month old this weekend and she's as perfect as ever. Really, I need to write a post just about her and what she's up to these days. That post will come and until then, I'll just share a couple pictures of her in her church dress.

Hello there, kissy baby.

Happy Sunday, friends.
♥ Angela

A "Before 30" List and a Field Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:20:00 +0000

Alright you guys, I have just a few precious moments where all of mine are sleeping, the coffee is hot and I can write. Well and....put laundry away, start dinner and do all of that other grown up stuff that's always pulling at us. Blah.

Over my speakers is the music that plays on the "A Holy Experience" blog. Generally blogs with music annoy the dickens out of me, but Ann's music is different. It's calm and it fits these quiet moments of peace, where my thoughts run and things just seem to make sense.

If you look over on my right sidebar and scroll down towards the bottom, you'll notice that section titled "A Few of My Favorites". This list has been growing lately, ladies. The talent that I've been stumbling upon, the encouraging words, the words that make me literally say "Amen!" from my love seat, the words that seem to be exactly for the moment- they're plentiful these days. And so, I've been plumping up my "Favorites" list and feeling grateful for women who choose to share their lives and their hearts.
********

This morning, the kids and I headed to a Kangaroo Farm with Judah's preschool class. On the way there, I was just driving along with my 3 kids and suddenly I felt like such a grown up. I mean, Judah is in preschool, I have not one, not two, but three kids and I'm on the way to his field trip in my mini-van. Hmm....how did all of this happen? The kids part is definitely awesome, but I'm still not a fan of the mini-van.

I'm not sure if I've ever shared my age on here before and while I'm still young enough to not mind, I'll give you the inside scoop. In a few weeks, I'm turning 29. Yep, the last year before I'm 30. Facing 29 has me all fired up. I want the year before I reach the big 3-0 to be the best ever. A "Before 30" list is in order and I'd LOVE for you to share with me what you wish you'd done before you were 30 and what you think I should put on my list. It can be funny stuff or serious stuff. Either way, I'd love your help.

So, back to the field trip.....................

The Kangaroo Farm was a total hit. We loved, loved, loved it.

Paisley rocked her smocked dress and rubber boots. This is the only smocked dress that she has and after seeing her in it today, I think she needs at least 10 more. It was just too precious. If you see me stuffing her into this thing when she's 5, don't judge.

We love baby kangaroos so much that we grit our teeth.....

I'm off to deal with that laundry.

What should I put on my "Before 30" list?

♥ Angela

Join Me for a Photo Dump?

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:54:00 +0000

Confession: The other day I started worrying that I haven't been pulling out the good camera often enough and taking pictures of Eliza, in her sweet newborn perfectness. I mean come on- the last thing I want is for her to ever feel like she was that 3rd child, the one who didn't have a baby book and who had way less baby pictures. But then, I sat down here, cuddling my baby and pulled lots of pictures off of my phone and I already feel better. She's in lots of them, phew!

These pictures pretty accurately describe what we've been up to lately. Ready for a big ol' photo dump?
Well, ready or not, here we go!

The husband has been spoiling me lately with good cooking. Healthy salads for dinner (that I didn't make), are one of my love languages.

*Thanks, Love.

Lots of sister pictures have been snapped lately. The way Paisley loves her amazes me. It's 100x better than I ever expected. She loves her like I love my little sister. Sniff, sniff.

*Sisters. Happy sigh.

Judah has taken to picking out clothes for himself and Paisley lately. He likes it when they match and she couldn't care less if she's dressed in size 5 boys clothes, so it's all good. Here she is, rock'n her big brothers jammies.

*Think she'll care that he dressed her like a boy when she's older?

And that sweet moment during the afternoon where I get to have a chance to catch my breath, drink some coffee, blog, read or do whatever I want. This moment is so good to me, it makes me a better Mommy. I need this moment. You need this moment. Make it happen, gals. Yesterday I finished "Bloom" and ordered another book. Bloom was good, really good. Agreeing with my friend Jamie, I didn't agree with all of Kelle's theology but besides that, the story was super inspiring.

*Sweet Rosie doesn't get nearly enough attention. She used to be our baby, that is until we had REAL kids.

Morning visits are still in full swing around here. I'd say this is one of our best times of day. Eliza is awake and smiley, Judah and Paisley are still in their prime as well. This is what I spotted today, while attempting to put on a little makeup.

*"See Mommy? I'm looking and not touching this time?" Thanks, sweetie.
Last time, she stuck her finger in Eliza's mouth.

Here in Washington, the weather has been out of the ordinary. It's been incredible. Sunshine just doesn't happen much around these parts, but lately the sun has been shining and it makes everyone kind of giddy. Eliza loves the Moby and I've been wearing her a lot when we go outside. She's happy, the kids are happy, and I'm happy. Everyone wins.

*Hey there, chubby cheeks....love that she's chunking up a little.
The baby, not me.

*Happy, happy, happy.

♥ Angela

That Pregnancy Fog....

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:55:00 +0000

When I was pregnant with Eliza, I felt like a bit of a fog came over me. Honestly, it felt like I was good for just about nothing, besides growing a baby. Creativity? It was absent. Feeling organized? That was a challenge. Taking care of the kids and doing the "normal" stuff happened, but I remember night after night, crashing onto the couch at 6:30pm. Maybe I held it together better than I feel like I did, but I sure did feel like I couldn't do much, besides grow that sweet little baby. And, don't get me wrong, I loved being pregnant, even though it wore me out.

I remember talking to my sister about it and telling her how frustrating it was to not have any energy. She promised me that after I had the baby, my energy would come back. She promised me that even when I was waking to feed my newborn at night, my energy would still return. I listened to her, just trying to believe that someday, I'd start to feel like myself again.

This weekend, I really started to feel that energy come back, as if the fog had been lifted. I looked around our home on Saturday and realized that it's been months since I took the pictures off of the walls, with the intention of hanging some more recent ones. Before I knew it, I was walking from room to room, with a mental list pages long, of things that I'd like to change.

*Please, someone give me a chill pill.

Realistically, I can't go and reorganize our entire home and have all of the perfect photo collages on the walls, in a weekend, or even a week. I can however, take baby steps and so, that's what I did. I organized under our bathroom sink, moved a few things around and de-cluttered a bit. It's amazing how even those small little steps can help make us feel better.

When the fog lifts and I feel like I want to tackle 100 projects, I find myself excited to have my energy back and it also challenges me because life is about so much more than tackling stuff. We've got to have balance, people. And balance is hard, isn't it?

And so, we spent the afternoon at the beach, throwing rocks, climbing on driftwood and finding treasures. The family time outside was effortless and perfectly peaceful. I wore Eliza and she slept through her first trip to the beach. Oh, what a sweet baby she is! I'm so enjoying this newborn phase with her.

Paisley's painted toes.....

My hair is so thick and crazy- how did she end up with such perfect hair?

If you feel like you've been under that fog trust me, the fog will lift. And when it passes, pace yourself.

Wishing you a happy, happy, happy week.
♥ Angela

Five Minute Friday: Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:36:00 +0000

Lisa Jo-Baker's blog is one that I've read for quite a while, probably years. Her writing often hits that spot that either makes me cry or makes me feel like someone just gave me a giant hug and told me that I'm not really screwing it up as bad as I feel like am. She's an encourager and a gifted writer....which happen to be two of my favorite types of people. Every Friday, she does a little thing called "Five Minute Friday". I've never participated in the 5 minutes of writing on a particular topic because it never felt right for me at that time. However, today the topic is FRIEND and that's what I was planning on writing about today. For real. So at this moment, it feels like this topic was handpicked, specifically just for me (although I know it wasn't). With 5 minutes on the clock, here I go. Ready?

As I drove up, to pick Judah up from preschool, I saw him bouncing down the steps. He looked at me and immediately told me about one of his classmates who apparently has 3 seats in his car (which I guess is really cool if you're 4 years old), "Mommy! I want to ride in his car and go to his house!". It felt like a milestone had just been reached, the milestone of friends from school, that I don't know.

I'm a protective Mom. Probably more than most and maybe even too much. My instincts are to hold my kids close, protect, keep them small and keep them innocent. Friends from school are great and I desperately want my kids to have close friendships, but this territory of wanting to hangout with friends that I've never met is new and a touch scary. I told Judah to buckle into our car and that I'd get in touch with his buddy's Mom and set up a play date.

This promise to set up a play date could have easily become one of those little things that us Moms just say, to keep the kids moving and to avoid really having to "go there". But, I've had lonely times in my life and one thing I'm committed to is helping my kids develop close friendships. It's a little scary, but we're going to go there, and try to do it right. We'll meet at parks, get to know their family and they can get to know ours. We'll hope that our kids are polite and that conversation flows easily. We'll be real and we'll do this whole "friends from school thing"

The play date was scheduled. We met at the park and the boys had a great time playing. As I pushed them on the swing, I tried to be more of a fly on the wall and less of the hovering type. Listening to their conversation was hilarious and totally precious. They are still so young and they make friendship seem so easy. Us grownups, we're the ones that make things complicated.

Happy Friday to you, friends! Tell me, how do you encourage your children's friendships? How do you deal with the whole "friends that you don't know" thing?
♥ Angela

Three, for 3 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:02:00 +0000

Writing has been pushed to the back burner lately, but the lack of my posting has nothing to do with how much I miss it. I've just been a touch busy lately, as you can imagine. In three weeks, I've felt myself be spread thinner than ever before. I've also felt my heart expand more than I ever knew was possible, before becoming a Mom.

It changes by the moment, the way we either "have it all together" or we don't. Having it all together is pretty unrealistic anyway and I've decided that it's not all that it's cracked up to be. No one really wants to be around someone that always has it all together right? Instead, I've felt myself sink into a place that feels a little raw, pretty vulnerable and very content.

Over the last three weeks, I've learned that yes, I still DO have time to push my big kids on the swings. I've learned that saying "Yes" to them is more important than ever and that before I say "No", I need to stop and think. They deserve my YES and I tend to say No more than I should.

I've also been reminded of how beautiful the simple things are. We've slowed down, spent a lot of time at home and enjoyed playing outside. Watching Judah laugh hysterically with the neighbor boy is all I need right now. Small things like painting Paisley's toes while Eliza naps are important. I'm trying to make a habit of choosing the things that truly matter, over the things that I want to do...like the dishes.

Why is it that "stuff" always seems more important than the things that really count? It goes back to the thing about remembering to say "Yes" to the things that hold real value.

These are the things that count. Messy pigtails, a new Batman shirt that's presently in the washing machine at 11pm. The smell of our sweet baby's head and the way her arms are starting to chunk up. The way the kids ask me to watch them slide down the slide 20 times and the way Judah wants me to put Eliza down so, I can slide down with him.

Saying Yes to painting nails and toes with Paisley and counting to 20, while Judah goes and hides.

Three weeks, with 3 has shown me that while I might feel like I'm spread awfully thin, there's still plenty of room for saying Yes.

♥ Angela

Welcoming Eliza: Her Birth Story

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:38:00 +0000

As I sit down to write Eliza's birth story, I feel a bit frozen, like I don't even know where to begin. Her story began long before the day of her birth, and many words describe her story, one of the biggest of these words is THANKFUL. I am so thankful. Thankful for her, for her health, for the way she belongs in our family, for her amazing delivery and for the joy that I know she's going to bring to this world.

My pregnancy with Eliza was extremely non-complicated. Yes, I had horrible morning sickness that lingered into the second trimester, off and on sciatic pain and low energy, but besides "normal" side effects of pregnancy, my pregnancy with her was near perfect.

At my 33 week appointment, I mentioned to my midwife Natalie that I thought Eliza was still head up. Right there, she did an ultrasound that confirmed yes, this baby was breech. That day, I left her office with a pamphlet in my hand for "breech babies" and reassurance that almost all babies turn on their own before the 37th week.

A few weeks went by and I wasn't really concerned because she had time. My other babies turned before they were born, so it seemed natural that she would get into a good position to be born as well. At my 35 week appointment, an ultrasound showed that she was still breech. That day, I left the office a little more concerned and with some homework. At home, I scoured the internet in search of natural remedies for flipping a breech baby. Spinning Babies became a great resource for exercises that could help flip a breech and I also started seeing a Chiropractor who specialized in The Webster Technique.

The days with her breech really wore me down mentally. With my other kids, during the last few weeks of pregnancy, I practiced my breathing for their births, I spent time imagining how things would go, I was purely excited and confident of a beautiful birthday. With Eliza, it was different and it was hard. The more research I did, the more I learned that Doctor's and Midwives just don't deliver breech babies anymore. If you have a baby that hasn't turned, it's an automatic c-section and that's all there is to it. I called all around, speaking with many different midwives and many different hospitals. Delivering a breech naturally just wasn't possible. At this point, I didn't know what to picture. I wanted to picture that perfect birth experience, but that was difficult to do, when I was constantly hoping she'd turn and thoughts of having a c-section were in the back of my mind.

37 weeks came and she was still head up. Natalie the midwife suggested finding a Doctor that had a high success rate, for externally flipping a breech. Long story short, she found an amazing Doctor, at a different hospital who was highly recommended and the next day, I headed in with my favorite support team (Sally and Jeremiah). The "flip" was successful and if you'd like to read more in detail about it, the post is here.

After she was in the correct position, I was extremely relieved and also still a little concerned that she could turn back around. I spent lots of time walking and bouncing on the exercise ball, in hopes that she'd become really engaged in my pelvis and not have a chance to turn back around.

The days approaching my due date were joyful, as I was very aware that soon, I'd be a Mommy of 3. I tried to grab all the extra hugs from Judah and Paisley that I could get and I tried to soak in those last moments of them being my only little ones. Time passed quickly and soon it was Thursday, my sister's Birthday-the day that I'd hoped to deliver Eliza.

That morning, I went in to see Natalie. She stripped my membranes and then I stayed active for the rest of the day. I thought we'd have a baby that day, but nothing happened. Friday came and went. Then Saturday (my due date) and Sunday, which was Easter. I never imagined that we'd be celebrating Easter as a family of 4, but we did and it was such a special, beautiful day.

Monday morning, I continued to go over-due and my husband went to work. I was big and uncomfortable and getting a little frustrated. I'm a firm believer in babies coming out when they're ready and yet, I was ready. I wanted her here and I wanted to feel comfortable again.

Tuesday morning, I went in to see Natalie again. She's my favorite midwife and she was going off-call on Wednesday morning at 8am so, I really wanted to have this baby while she was still on-call. She delivered Judah and Paisley and I felt like I just had to have her deliver this baby as well. Again, she stripped my membranes and sent me home.

Tuesday evening, I started to feel a little different. Throughout dinner, I had a little bit of a crampy feeling and while we put the kids to bed, I started having short contractions that weren't too painful, but pretty close together.

After the kids were in bed, I laid down on the couch and started to feel discouraged that things weren't really progressing. At 10:30pm, I decided to just go to bed. If I was really in labor, I wouldn't be able to sleep and regardless, sleep is good.

Sleep came and around midnight, I woke up with a contraction. Still, it wasn't too painful. More contractions came and they were close together, but short and not too intense. My other birth experiences were short (9 hours and 4 hours) so, I decided that we'd go ahead and have my Mom come over and have Sally come over, too. As I called to have them come, I felt worried that it might not be the "real" thing and that I might be bothering everyone in the middle of the night for nothing.

Around 1am, they arrived at our house. I put on makeup, gave my Mom all of the last minute instructions and through contractions, I kept busy tidying up, checking my hospital list and packing last minute items. I wanted to labor at home as long as possible.

1:30am came and we decided to go ahead and leave for the hospital. I felt unsure of how real this labor was, and worried that I'd get there and be sent home. Contractions were consistent, but still short and not too intense, although they did come every 2-3 minutes.

The drive to the hospital was terrible uncomfortable. When I'm laboring, I want to constantly be standing and swaying, not sitting in a car. As we drove, I texted a few close friends that had told me that wanted to be praying for us. Sally followed us to the hospital and as we all walked in together, we paused many times for me to breath, sway and breath through contractions.

At 2:11am, we checked in and the nurse was waiting for us, with Natalie. I can't say enough wonderful things about Natalie, she knows I have quick deliveries and she had the gals at the birth center skip the whole triage process. Immediately, we were taken to our room and she checked me. I was a 6, which was good enough for me. At that point, I was just happy that labor was going well and that it was the "real" thing. I changed into the hospital gown that the sweetest lady for our home group sewed for me and then a few moments later, I decided that I'd like to work through contractions in the tub.

I got into the tub and couldn't get comfortable. After just 2 or 3 contractions, I told Sally and Jeremiah that Natalie needed to check me again. She came in and said "You're just about to crown", as in...my baby was about to come out. No wonder I couldn't get comfortable.

Walking from the tub to the hospital bed was hard, really hard. Imagine walking with a baby literally between your legs. As I laid down on the bed, Natalie looked at Jeremiah and asked him if he'd like to deliver our baby. Before he could even answer, she handed him a pair of gloves and told him to get ready.

Before I started to push, I asked if we could all pray. Sally prayed out and Natalie (who happens to be a christian), laid her hand on my arm. God was there with us and I could feel it!

Pushing was hard, really hard. I never felt my body totally take over and consciously, I had to decide to push her out. Thankfully, it only took a few pushes. I remember vividly that I whined and complained a lot during that time "This is so hard. It hurts so bad. I don't know if I can do it." Well, duh! Having a baby is hard work!

At 2:49am, just about 30 minutes after checking into the hospital, Eliza was born. She was perfectly healthy and I got to hold her and feed her for about an hour before they even cleaned her off. We were all immediately in love with her and everyday, the love grows.

She is so sweet and after almost 3 weeks, I already can't imagine what life was like without her. She belongs in our family and we're so thankful!

Recovery from her birth has been fantastic. Immediately, I was able to walk around and feel so much more comfortable. Nothing hurts and besides having baby weight to lose, I feel fantastic.

Judah, Paisley's and Eliza's "Birthdays" were 3 of the best days of my life. I'm so thankful that I have an amazing midwife who supports me and believes in making the welcoming of a baby, the most special time. For awhile now, I've wanted to become a doula or possibly even a midwife, when my kids are a little older. I want to be there to support women and help them have the birth experiences that they've always hoped for. It won't happen anytime in the near future, but it's a dream of mine.

Thank you for reading Eliza's story and for celebrating with us.

♥ Angela

Wordless Wednesday: Morning Visits

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:37:00 +0000

Early morning visits with the new sister, a new tradition that's quickly become one of the best parts of our day.

They visit with her carefully and quietly, while I sip my coffee. I stand back, far enough to let them feel independent, but close enough to make sure they remember to be gentle.

These new traditions are treasures.
♥ Angela

Spinning Plates and 2 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:45:00 +0000

After Eliza was born, we had a full week of family time. It was just what we needed and almost perfect. We stayed home a lot, played outside a ton, did a few things around the house (like finally almost finish the kitchen project, but more on that later!) and just enjoyed our new baby. But, as much as the family time was good, it also feels good to get into a routine with the kids now. To find my way, as a new Mommy of 3. I need to know how to do this thing on my own and I can't really figure that out when I have my sweet hubby here, helping me along the way. By the end of the weekend, I started to feel like I needed to get thrown out of the boat so, I could learn how to swim. I want to know how to do this thing and I can't do that, when I haven't had the chance to learn.

Yesterday was day #1 of learning our way and it was a great beginning. After I posted on Facebook that we were surviving, having fun and staying busy- my friend Kim said that she pictured me spinning lots of plates. Yesterday, the plates stayed in the air, today....well, not so much. Let's just say that while we waited in the Doctor's office at Eliza's 2 week appointment, the plates fell to the ground. Something came over the kids and chaos doesn't even describe what went down in that waiting room. Kleenex's were flying, hand sanitizer was squirting, kids were sliding around on magazines and with Eliza in my arms, I tried to make the shenanigans stop. Without going into tons of detail, I can't even describe how ridiculous it was. We pretty much looked like the worst circus act around. All I can say is that the nice lady that worked in the back came out an offered the kids granola bars to help them sit still and then she proceeded to ask "So, this baby is your last one, right?".
Yes, today the plates hit the floor.

After we left, I had a good laugh on the phone with my sister, got some coffee, put the kids down for naps and now I'm picking those plates back up. See, we're all adjusting and some days we're rocking it and other days, we're just thankful for unending grace.

To wrap up our family time, we went on a family drive to the best ice cream spot on earth. This place is like a breath a fresh air for me and I swear it's not because of the ice cream. It's the view, folks--- just look at that. I'd be happy sitting there even if I was eating clams....and I don't even like clams.

Eliza's almost 2 weeks now and she's doing fantastic. In just one week she gained a pound! She's a great eater and she's been sleeping really well. During the day, she's fallen into a really nice 2- 2.5 hour routine. She eats well, has a nice quiet awake time and then takes a nap....and then we do it all over again. She's a very happy, laid back baby. At night, she's been sleeping well and I've had to wake her for her feedings, which isn't very fun, but necessary for her growth.

Cutie patootie.

♥ Angela

Question The Silence

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:19:00 +0000

I write with one hand, while my other arm cradles a feeding baby. My words are inadequate on most days, and barely make sense of the way I feel. I'm not the mom who's most up-to-date with current events, I'm actually quite the opposite. It's safe to say that I'm less of an expert than most, but I'm strongly convicted that my voice matters. And I believe that yours does, too.

Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I notice a few posts about abortionist Kermit Gosnell and how he's on trial for things that I can't even type. The little snippets I see of these posts make me feel literally sick. I want to click on the link, get informed and know what's going on, but being informed comes with a price. Sometimes the truth makes your stomach turn, your heart ache and it gives you that feeling of helplessness, like you want to do something but you don't even know where to begin.

I go ahead and click, read a little further and then stop. My week old baby is in my arms and I can hear her peacefully breathing in and out. It's a lot to see how perfect she is, to know that every child is created perfectly and then to read about the horrible things that man did.

There are certain things that I believe with my whole heart, beliefs that I'd shout from the roof tops for the whole world to hear. I'm Pro-Life. I believe that every single child, regardless of how he or she was conceived is a gift, a blessing and every child deserves to have a future. There are no gray areas.

Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

I could write about what he did and how awful it is, but instead I want to simply throw out the question of "What gets you fired up? And then what do you do about it?" We are amazing women and we were designed to have feelings, emotions, plans and we all have a purpose. When I read things like this, I believe that we all have a voice that can be heard and we can all make a small difference.We were not created to be numb, but instead to feel and then create change.

Normally I don't blog about controversial topics, but I'm feeling more called out to write about what makes my heart tick. It's scary you know, to go places where not everyone agrees, but this stuff matters and more and more, I realize there isn't space for "gray" areas. These things, like sweet innocent babies give me that shaky I-need-to-make-a-difference feeling. Are you with me? What makes you feel that way?

As I walked through Target today, there was a woman shopping with her son who has Down Syndrome. I heard her telling him that he makes everything more difficult. It wasn't kind and I'm guilty of saying things that aren't kind also. I nag my kids, I say "no" more than I should, I'm a mess most days, but I can try and you can try also.

I challenge you, whoever you are, to be extra kind for the rest of your day. I'm going to try extra hard and then I'm going to figure out what I can do to make a difference about these things that make my heart beat fast. These things that get our blood pumping--- they pull at us for a reason.

♥ Angela

Life Lately: 1 Week

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:20:00 +0000

It's been a week since sweet little Eliza joined our family. The week has flown by, with lots of pinch-me-life-is-so-good moments and also the moments where I cried, simply because I wanted to sleep so stink'n bad. My hands seem to be full often, with either a sleeping baby, a baby that's feeding, a big brother need or a big sister that wants to read a book. Right now, all 3 kids are sleeping and so I'm going to attempt to write, unedited for 10 minutes or so. Forgive me for grammar errors or for sentences that could have been formed better. I'm writing to briefly document the last week, the ups and downs and to make notes of life as a new family of 5.

The last week has reminded me once again, how good people are. Our MOPS group has been providing meals for us and friends that I barely have ever spoken to have been bringing us delicious dinners. The gals that I've barely even spoken to, that bring us dinner amaze me. Well, all of the ladies do. A little thing like providing us with meals, totally makes the day SO much easier. The Mom who just came and dropped off dinner, is a gal who I've hardly had a chance to say "hi" to at MOPS, but I call her a friend because bringing a meal to a family with a new baby is something that a friend does. These people are blessings.

As folks have come to meet the new baby, drop off coffee and bring meals, I've been humbled. Sometimes the kids haven't flushed the toilet, other times I have a pile of laundry on the table. I still look pregnant, even though the baby is out. The whole "realness" of life right now is good. It pushes me outside of my comfort zone, where I want everything to be perfect and it puts me in a place of genuine this-is-my-life, with laundry, yesterday's makeup, yoga pants and all. I long for more authenticity, like what's been going on lately. Right now, I feel like my guard is down and I hope that it stays this way.

The new baby has even made me want to write more authentically, here on this blog of mine. I want to write about how I just had a new baby and how when I'm up at night, I thank God for how perfect she is and I also tell my husband that I just want to freak'n sleep for a hour or two. I want to shine light on the fact that most women, after having a baby still look pregnant and how that kinda sucks big time, but how I know it's not always going to be that way.

One thing I'm learning from having a 3rd baby is that after you've had a couple babies, you know that things won't always be this way. You know that you'll sleep again and you know that these sweet newborn days pass too quickly. This time around, I feel super aware of how I need to enjoy these sweet beginnings. I know I'll be sleeping well again and I know I won't be nursing all the time for long.

And speaking of feeding, little Eliza is starting to pack on the chub! At her Doctor appointment yesterday, she had regained her birth weight, plus 4oz. The constant feeding is paying off and I can see her tiny fingers starting to gain a touch of baby fat. It makes a Momma feel good, ya know?

A few days ago, I walked outside with her when the sun was shining. It was a perfect afternoon and her first time being outside with us. I decided right then and there that spring is the perfect time to have a baby. I hadn't walked around the yard for a few days and in those few days, so much life had happened outside. The rhubarb is up, the tulips have bloomed and my peas are begging for something to climb on. Spring might possibly be my favorite time of year and having a new baby, is the icing on the cake of beautiful newness.

As I've been sitting on the couch and feeding, I've been watching lots of Joyce Meyer. It's been good, lots of church has been going on in the living room. Yesterday she was talking about how victory doesn't come from the things that we do once, it comes from the things that we do over and over and over again. That my friends is faithfulness.....being consistent with the small things and then those small things that we do diligently, bring us victory in the large things. Small victories must happen first at home, before big ones can happen outside of our home. Hearing that made my "job" here at home feel a little more important and not so mundane. Because let's be honest, the daily "normal", can start to feel pretty mundane and yet, it's what's most important.

{Instagram photo dump}

Wrapping this up, I'd say that the first week with Eliza has been truly a gift. She's precious and we're all in love. Right now, there's no routine and as a gal who thrives with routine, I feel slightly off. I know we'll fall into a rhythm and until then, I'm not stressing. These beginning days are meant to be enjoyed and that's just what we've been doing. Less sleep, sometimes no shower, lots of baby snuggles, big brother and big sister time and quiet days at home as a family. It's been a good week.

♥ Angela

She's Here! Meet Baby Eliza!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:46:00 +0000

Early Wednesday morning, after only being at the hospital for about 30 minutes, baby Eliza joined our family. She is perfect and we are all so in love.

Every little detail of her delivery was exactly what I'd hoped for. My favorite midwife met us at the hospital and when it came time to "catch" the baby, she had my hubby glove up and deliver this little girl. The birth was such a blessing, especially after her being breech until 37 weeks. I could feel God's hand helping us through the entire process and I can't wait until I have the time to sit down and write out her entire birth story.

For now, we are enjoying lots of quiet family time at home. I feel like I'm practically nursing 24/7 but it's perfectly fine because I know how quickly these newborn days pass. While she's this small, I want to snuggle her all day, breath in that newborn smell and just enjoy this fleeting tiny stage.

Tiny toes.

Her hair is mostly brown with a red'ish sort of tint.

Lots of Daddy snuggles.

Inspecting her with the kids.

Love.

He is so crazy about her.

Proud big sister.

My loves.

Sleep is hard to find these days and as I look at these photos, I have to almost pinch myself. I'm a Mommy of 3 now. Three! It blesses me, scares me and reminds of me of how much we have to be thankful for.

Over the next few days or weeks, I'll most likely be posting a little less than normal. For now, I'll be enjoying my family and adjusting to having a new little one.
My hands are full and thankful.

♥ Angela

An Overdue Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:59:00 +0000

It's funny, this entire pregnancy I've been fairly certain that this baby would come early. With how busy J&P keep me, I was sure that we wouldn't make it to my due date. Apparently, I know very little. Over the last few days, I've reached that point where I feel like the most embarrassingly large human being. I'm over due, and I'm certain that I look like a bomb that's about ready to explode. When we went to church yesterday, visions of my water breaking mid-service kept on flooding my mind. Oh, it would have been embarrassing, but I had it all planned out. I'd feel the "pop" and with water running down my legs, I'd quickly exit the building. My husband would wonder what happened and eventually-hopefully sooner, rather than later, he'd come find me to make sure I was alright. Thankfully, none of that happened.

The weekend was absolutely beautiful and instead of sitting around, waiting for contractions we kept busy and had a fantastic Easter. Saturday morning I decided that I could either A. Have a great weekend with my family, enjoy celebrating Easter and enjoy the sunshine.....or B. I could just sit around and make myself crazy by waiting to go into labor. The first option won and the weekend was fantastic.

Saturday morning we went to an Easter Egg Hunt that our town puts on. Literally hundreds of people were there and the kids had the best time. I was so impressed how it was broken up by age group and how all of the kids seemed to find tons of eggs. Everyone was happy and everyone was having fun.
New tradition for us? Absolutely.

Easter photos before church........

And for the sake of keepin' it real, this is what most of them looked like. Perfect photos all the time? No way, man! Not at our house!

Tea and flower planting in the sunshine. It was perfect and I was sad when I was done. I could have planted in the sun for hours.

A little bit of spring, that makes my heart smile.

Currently:

On my table: The kids partially eaten Easter baskets, my notebook, a daffodil in a vase and my water bottle.

What I'm listening to: Only the birds outside! The house is still asleep.

What I'm thankful for: A wonderful Easter dinner over at my Mom's with family.

What I'm letting go: My expectations for when I should have this baby. The timing will be perfect.

What I'm holding onto: Every single extra hug and moment that I get with my "big" kids.

What's on your table? What are you listening to? Thankful for? Letting go? Holding onto?

♥ Angela