tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49360989681477614482026-09-07T01:29:51.248-04:00a few words on life as a wife and full-time working mommy to 3 blue-eyed girls who feels like no one is listening sometimes. This journey has not been easy, but who's is? The one thing we can always count on is that every day remains interesting!andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.comBlogger1065125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-65855121764443017052017-12-13T22:40:00.001-05:002017-12-13T22:40:15.787-05:00

Let’s get real here for a second: Life has been a whirlwind the past 8 months. So many things have happened in such a short period of time: new baby, new jobs, no jobs, more new jobs, school, growth, not much sleep, etc. etc. etc.They say this season of life, the season with all the babies/toddlers/preschoolers/elementary school kids and any combination of the above, is “the trenches” and I’m

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-2299380217484060442017-11-14T11:31:00.001-05:002017-11-14T11:31:56.978-05:00

I realized the other day (okay, many other days ago) that I hadn’t properly caught up on some big things that happened the past few (seven+) months and wanted to go back and catch up on a few things. These are all from my real camera, I still need a better system to get stuff from my phone!Bringing Samuel Home! (04.10.2017)Gianna is 8! (04.11.2017)Easter 2017 (04.16.2017)It’s always a busy,

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-88508842692508254022017-08-10T22:08:00.001-04:002017-08-10T22:08:08.296-04:00

I started this post so long ago and never even got past the title and first few sentences! I can’t easily (read: quickly) get some of my favorite iPhone pictures onto my computer and into my blog and it is so annoying! So we are just going to go with what we have – follow me on Instagram for pictures, it’s my favorite!We’ve had a FAST summer – school starts here next week!! The girls made a “

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-65638869570853619542017-06-26T21:36:00.001-04:002017-06-26T21:36:17.512-04:00

I have written SO MANY blog posts since Samuel has been born, in my head. I really hate that I don’t have an efficent way to post from my phone because by the time I have 3 minutes to get on my computer I’ve forgotten the funny/sacrastic/deep thing I wanted to blog about! Which brings us to where we are at currently: Survival Mode. The newborn period (honestly, for me it’s until somewhere

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-46008340854601261212017-05-31T15:12:00.000-04:002017-05-31T15:16:01.490-04:00

(Part 1) [warning, there are some tasteful, but could be considered graphic, birth pictures to follow] So! The whole room was prettty unprepared when I said the baby was coming - including Mike and my mom! Our midwife said "are you sure?" checked and said some version of "yep, you're sure - that baby is coming!" Nothing was ready in the room - in fact, I was still wearing those awesome mesh

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-87677468109124557422017-05-14T20:55:00.001-04:002017-05-31T15:12:28.081-04:00

As I neared the end of my pregnancy I was still feeling fantastic – large and in charge, but overall really great. As happens when have several other humans to care for, I really just wanted to make it through a few appointments and meetings and a work deadline before this baby arrived. Once I hit those few things, a few days before my due date, I was ready to have a baby! I had been practicing

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-47962876715678835962017-04-17T21:46:00.001-04:002017-04-17T21:46:59.960-04:00

On April 9, right on time, we welcomed our fourth child into the world after a quick 13 hours of labor. Samuel Michael Our rainbow after a stormy year. April 9, 2017 4:01am 7 pounds 15.5 ounces 21 inches Loved more than words can even describe  

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-41117372255919778202017-04-11T09:20:00.000-04:002017-04-11T09:20:02.231-04:00

Gianna - Another entire year has passed by, inexplicably. This year has been one of so much growth, maturity and general happiness. We were able to spend a week at Disney World this summer and you were tall enough to ride all the rides which was really fun! What a fun age to visit the most magical place on earth – you were just as excited to see everything, meet all the characters and experience

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-62165988771304045512017-04-05T09:11:00.000-04:002017-04-05T09:11:02.545-04:00

Hi baby! We are nearing the end of our journey together as just the two of us – the one where you heard my heartbeat from the inside every day as you grew. I’m sure some days it was beating much faster and frantic while others it was calm and steady – that’s just how life has been: a mix of the frantic and busy with the calm and steady. I’ve felt your rolls, your kicks, your waves and your

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-65596371064847261512017-04-02T21:30:00.000-04:002017-04-02T21:30:00.004-04:00

It’s April, which means it is officially baby month! That just creeped right up on us, didn’t it? (no, it didn’t really – but a lot of days it feels like it!) Baby number four – feels like we should probably have it all together at this point and totally know what we need to have, where the baby will sleep, how it will be transported, what’s it will be named, etc. But let me tell you, we

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-85322931085850616042017-03-28T21:14:00.001-04:002017-03-28T21:14:52.791-04:00

When Gianna was 3.5/4, she had all the opinions and expressed them sometimes very loudy, but she generally listened and took her punishment when necessary. She could certainly push our buttons but overall, her issues were her issues and typically she didn’t make things harder on herself by misbehaving that much more. Aleesia at 3.5/now 4? She is what I have deemed the button pusher. When she

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-51347523611627147292017-03-13T09:37:00.000-04:002017-03-13T09:37:00.155-04:00

I love to capture our life in pictures and we recently had maternity pictures taken. It had been gorgeous the entire week EXCEPT for the morning that we were to be outside – it was cold, the girls were marginally cooperative, but nonetheless our beloved photographer was able to capture some great shots of who we are.

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-12595857221036747762017-03-12T15:19:00.001-04:002017-03-12T15:19:53.243-04:00

Here in Ohio we’ve had a pretty mild winter that has most certainly had us forgetting all about snow and looking forward to consistently warmer temperatures. Which means, of course, that as we approach the start of official spring in 10 days that it is going to be freezing and snowy! There is no question that I live in the wrong area of the country with as much as I (have always) despise winter

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-64700984452525880092017-02-19T21:14:00.001-05:002017-02-19T21:14:32.547-05:00

We celebrated Vivian adn Aleesia’s birthdays last month with a pancakes and pajama’s brunch party – it was such a fun party to plan and who doesn’t looooove pancakes and hanging out with friends in pjs?! It was an awesome party for a newly minted 2 and 4 year old. We used some simple decorations in pink, blue, purple and gold that were left from one of the many parties we’ve had in the past as

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-30855237804854660692017-02-01T21:33:00.001-05:002017-02-01T21:33:14.494-05:00

Aleesia! Today you move from a threenager to a big four year old! I think I will always remember how excited but scared I was for you to arrive – I had NO idea how to be a mom of more than 1 girl but I quickly figured it out. I figured out that you were just what I (we) needed – the challenge, laughter, salty and sweetness you bring to every.single.day keep us continuously on our toes. We need to

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-8640889273616476662017-01-30T20:58:00.001-05:002017-01-30T20:58:56.546-05:00

This is about kindness, not politics. It’s about being human and loving others, not religion. President Trump, not someone I am a fan of whatsoever, has put into effect an executive order that affects every.single.person in this country whether you think it does or not.  I’m surprised this requires reminding, but this country was founded and built on the backs of those who came here from

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-45108237934006749702016-12-23T10:47:00.000-05:002016-12-23T10:47:01.624-05:00

I don’t think I could have ever anticipated the speed with which life would move at times as I was growing up (you know, back when a 30-minute TV show felt long and summer vacation was an eternity). Not only is life moving ahead at warp speed, it is changing and evolving and turning in circles continuously x5. This year, with its (many) moments that felt as though they were going to drag on for

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-31954113048320456522016-12-20T22:13:00.001-05:002016-12-20T22:13:31.491-05:00

Vivian - From the moment I found out you were growing inside me I knew we were going to have a special bond. You came into our lives as the third little girl we would get to raise and love two (short, but sometimes long-feeling) years ago. Ironically, I woke up this morning at just about the time I knew my contractions were the real deal and I so vividly remembered that morning as I bounced on

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-29272238837128895462016-10-09T22:33:00.001-04:002016-10-09T22:33:57.301-04:00

I don’t think it was much of a secret amongst our family and friends that we wanted a large family, once we started building our family. We had our share of challenges when trying to add to our family in 2011-2012 that included two miscarriages until we got our Aleesia rainbow baby. 2016 has turned into a year that I never imagined from a reproductive standpoint. In February we were pleased to

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-80717373168625292252016-09-10T14:50:00.001-04:002016-09-10T14:50:56.292-04:00

A lot of our friends are living the diaper-free life, but we are not quite in that boat yet. I spend a lot of time (& I always have) trying to figure out which diapers are a) the best fit and b) the best deal so I feel as though we’ve tried them all many times! I’ve been given the opportunity to try Luvs again (thanks, iConnect!) – they have made so many improvements since I last tried them.

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-48688483750090274362016-09-09T21:53:00.001-04:002016-09-09T21:53:13.420-04:00

We were recently at a park with the girls and Mike and I noticed a set of parents pushing a double stroller and a single – I smiled at them thinking to myself what a full life they have right now. The mom stopped me on our way out to the car and asked what the age difference in our kids was, she thought they might all be 2 years apart, like hers, and she was so honest with me (a perfect stranger)

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-54293235138411631092016-08-23T07:40:00.001-04:002016-08-23T07:40:30.720-04:00

Life is constantly a special type of chaos, blessings & hilarity. The hilarity (& chaos) is usually brought about by the girls, naturally. Having a threenager alongside 2 other kids has been a challenge - it is hard to keep a watchful eye 100% of the time! Some tidbits and snipits from our summer: - Aleesia drew a mural on the dining room wall. While in timeout. To her credit, it IS a

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-50097478917817624392016-08-02T22:53:00.001-04:002016-08-02T22:53:14.864-04:00

Our first park day this trip was to Hollywood Studios. There is a lot of dreamworking going on in this park right now so we planned a character dinner and waited until after lunch to head to the park. It was a really nice, low-key morning at the pool which helped us to enjoy our park time! The Disney Jr. characters are outside of the Disney Jr. theater instead of inside like they have been in

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-4527137582868708032016-07-19T08:26:00.001-04:002016-07-19T08:26:58.881-04:00

We went to Disney World at the end of May and stayed at Disney’s Polynesian Resort for the first time. I previously really didn’t get the draw to the deluxe resorts but when we scored an awesome deal we couldn’t pass it up. Needless to say, I now FULLY understand the draw to the Monorail resorts, especially with kiddos who are still in strollers. Let’s talk reviews because I have a lot to say!

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936098968147761448.post-81561993204991162472016-07-16T14:39:00.001-04:002016-07-16T14:39:54.613-04:00

Gianna! This is a slightly delayed (and by slightly, I mean by 3 months) letter to you for your birthday. I wrote you one in our letter journal (albeight it last month) and somehow never got around to putting anything here. Life, as has been the case for the longest time and will probably for the next many years, passes by without me being able to take a few moments to put all the things swirling

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10548514864368948179noreply@blogger.com0