The (turning into a weekly tradition) weekend camera dump.

Weekends come and go so quickly lately.  And by the looks of my laundry room, it is clear that we spent most of this weekend on the run.  But it was a good one.  I may pay the price in laundry, but it was worth it for all of the fun stuff we got to do.

Friday night was Joshua's last basketball practice.  He is actually really sad that it's over, as Jason shared that he had a heart to heart with him that ended in tears about how much fun he had learning how to play basketball and getting to share that experience with his Daddy.  I have been so super proud of both Jason and the way he has handled the Upward team this season.  I think he had way more fun than he expected, and he and Earl have seemed to become the envy of the Kindergarten-First Grade teams with the improvement that they inspired in the kids through the past few months.  I love that this is something that Josh and Jason have shared together.  So, Emily and I have had a pretty easy ride with this whole basketball situation (if you call wrangling toddlers and carrying enough snacks and toys in your diaper bag to occupy the kids during games easy), but it was our job to plan a little pizza party celebration for the kids on Friday evening.  Sadly, Earl missed out on the fun because he was sick, but we did our best to be festive and the kids seemed to have a great time.  Mara effectively wrecked a new Sunday School classroom she hadn't had the opportunity to destroy yet, so she was happy. 

Saturday morning we got up and got ready for the game.  Joshua was super excited to know that Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig and the girls were coming to watch him play and he hoped so much that he would be able to score a basket for them to see.  God bless his heart, he did manage a basket on Saturday and was so proud of himself.  He had a few fast breaks and really showed his progress in controlling the ball and dribbling better than he had to start the season.  Our Cobras had a great showing on Saturday and finished the season strong.  We were all proud of them. 



We were so excited to get some special time with Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig and our two favorite girls from Lewistown on Saturday afternoon.  After Brooke had sat through the car ride and Joshua's basketball game, it seemed only fair to give her a spot to burn off some energy, so we headed to The Well to let the kids play.  Somehow I neglected to take any pictures, but they would have been blurry anyway---- the kids ripped and tore until they were sweaty and exhausted.  Poor Lauren felt the disappointment of being the youngest in the trio and melted to tears a few times when her three year old legs wouldn't keep up with Josh and Brooke's.  After The Well, we headed back home for some quieter time and a little bit of supper.  Although we were sad to see the Wrays headed back to Burnham, we were so thankful for a little bit of time to spend together.    

Saturday night led to some home time--- the only real home time we had this weekend at all.  But the kids enjoyed a movie and I managed a photo of the three of them together.  I always love it when that happens. 

Sunday morning started another whirlwind day.  After church, we rushed home to stuff some lunch into our tummies in order to pack up again and head to the church for the annual egg hunt.  I forgot how fast this whole event actually goes by, because the two minutes we were late just about cost the little Dugans their opportunity to gather some eggs.  Luckily, a sweet teenager took Lauren under her wing and helped her to gather a bucketfull of eggs.  Sweet Mara had no clue what to do and did find two eggs left in the corner of the gym to put into her bucket.  She seemed happy.

I failed as a mother yet again because I didn't get any pictures of Joshua in the actual hunt for his eggs.  Thank goodness for Emily, because I was still dealing with the little ones inside when the next group started.  But I did manage at least one photo to prove that Joshua was indeed along with us.  The funny part about the egg hunt was the fresh coat of white snow that had fallen on the ground, necessitating snow boots and gloves to be worn for the hunt.  Easter in March is always tricky.  But the kids didn't seem to mind the unconventional Easter weather, and it certainly didn't dampen their interest in the goodies they found.  Thankfully, after Emily and I stuffed about half of the eggs that were used in the hunt, we were assured that many of them were peanut safe, so that was a real blessing for Joshua.

 Later in the day, I found an appropriate caging spot for Mara.  It worked for about 20 seconds before she tried to flip out onto her head.  That girl exhausts me.  I love her to pieces, but I am so ready to be out of the tornado stage with her.

And so, our new week begins.  Hope your weekend was great just like ours!

My Favorite Time of the Night

There was a time not too long ago that I was so sleep deprived from Mara's shenanigans that I couldn't see straight.  But since she has learned how to sleep (Thank you, Lord!) in her crib over the past month or so, I have a new favorite time of the day with the kids. 

You can pretty much set your clock by the way our night time routine unfolds.  Around 7:30, Mara starts to get grouchy.  Hopefully by this time the kitchen is cleaned up after supper and everyone has their bellies full.  So we head upstairs for tubs.  I firmly believe that this is Mara's favorite part of every day because she splashes and giggles and has an absolute blast in the tub...until it is time to actually wash her, at which point she protests my interruption of her playtime.  Lauren loves to get a tub with Mara, and enjoys singing songs to her and playing with toys with her while we wash away the day's messes.  Once the girls are clean, Joshua jumps into the shower on his own and takes care of business like a champ.  On a rare occasion, Joshua will decide that he would rather jump in the tub with the girls.  And then we have a very full tub with a lot of giggling!

After we get everyone dressed and Lauren's curls untangled, we head downstairs.  Although I know the kids really should go upstairs, lay down in their beds and go to sleep, they all still prefer to be with us to fall asleep.  And, for whatever it's worth, it's just not a battle that I feel the need to fight right now.  Frankly, our evenings together are so short that it's totally fine with me if they want to curl up and read a book with me on the couch, or cuddle up next to me while I feed Mara.  I know that these days will soon be over, and they'll be in their rooms more than I hope.  And it will be then that I would wish that I would have let them fall asleep on the couch beside me a little longer.  And so....this is the scene that quickly unfolds.

Joshua has inherited the ability to fall asleep anywhere, anytime from me.  He tells us all goodnight and that he loves us, we reciprocate, and he snuggles with Bear.  And within the next 15 seconds, you hear him snoring away.  The challenging part lately has been carrying him up to his bed.  He is growing by leaps and bounds right now, and he is almost getting too big to carry.

Lauren's requirement is that I rub her leg while she falls asleep.  She cuddles up next to me on her Dora pillow and doesn't take long to drift off either.  She's definitely a snuggler, and lately is wanting to be curled up next to me more times than not to read a book or watch a favorite show.  Lauren is funny, though, because there are some nights where the noise from the TV or the commotion of Mara scrooching around gets on her nerves and she'll tell me that she just wants to go to bed to fall asleep.  She is Miss Independent, and I can see her turning into such a big girl almost before my eyes.

And then there is Mara.  She prefers to fall asleep in the dark and quiet of her bedroom.  We still rock and nurse until she falls asleep, all while listening to our Fernando Ortega station on Pandora.  She likes to hold onto my hands and very peacefully drifts off to sleep.  I have been working on praying a blessing over each of the kids at night time as they are drifting off to sleep, and Mara's is always the easiest one to do.  I find it so special to rock with her and pray for her as she is falling asleep.  "Lord, bless Mara and keep her.  Make your face to shine upon her and be gracious to her.  Look upon her with Your favor and grant her peace."  And then other prayers for her follow.

On a good night, I can lay her down in her crib and she doesn't wake up.  Some nights are a little trickier than others in that respect, and last night was one of them, so I wasn't able to snap a picture without taking the chance that she was going to wake up.  So I settled for one this morning of a happy girl, waking up from a whole night in her crib.  She is sleeping from about 9-7 most nights, with zero wakings in between.  Given the fact that we were rocking and nursing literally all night long for months prior to letting her cry it out, I am amazed with her progress.  I still love opening her door in the moring and seeing this sweet smiling face.

After Mara is down for the night, we get the other kids to their beds.  Many times Jason has already done that.  And I sneak into their bedrooms to pray a blessing over each of them and sneak a last night time snuggle with them.  No matter what has happened during the day, there is nothing like knowing you have everyone tucked safely in for the night.  Given the fact that I have actually been getting some sleep at night time, I have a little energy left over to spend some time watching some TV with Jason or finishing up some little jobs that need to be done. 

I finally feel like we might have settled into a manageable night time routine.  Which is good considering the fact that we've been juggling that issue around for the past 14 months.  And even if the routine gets flip flopped around again a few more times, I know this-- there is nothing more important to Jason and I than those three sweet little people who have blessed our lives more than we could ever deserve.

Another weekend come and gone.

There went another weekend.  I always find myself with a spinning head on Monday mornings as I think about everything that we managed to squeeze into the weekend.  But it was another great one.

I ended up home with the kiddos on Friday, which I enjoyed very much.  I had a huge list of things to get done, and somehow managed to strike the balance between crossing things off of the list and spending some fun time with the kids.  Lauren and I did some baking in the morning, and Mara and I squeezed in some giggle time with her ball popper amidst putting away 6 baskets full of clothes upstairs.  Then we washed some more laundry, made some yummy chicken noodle soup in the crock pot for supper and played some more before we went to get Joshua at school.  The afternoon was much of the same, but I counted it a huge victory that I managed to get Mara down for a 2 hour nap.  Her naps have been elusive at best when I am at home, so this time was a real blessing.  Friday night the girls and I ran to the mall and to Target while Joshua and Jason were at the church for basketball practice.  Going to the mall with two children is such a piece of cake compared to three, and we enjoyed some girl time together.  The highlight of the whole evening was allowing them to ride the carousel at the mall.  Mara literally giggled the entire time we rode it.  It made me very anxious to see her sweet little self on the rides at Disney in May.

On Saturday, we were blessed with a great cheering section for Joshua's basketball game.  Grandma, Nana, Pap and Danaca were on hand to cheer on our Cobras.  Joshua was beside himself knowing that there were people there to cheer for him.  Mostly, he was distracted by the fact that we were all there, so he didn't have his best first half.  But, the bright spot of the day was a steal that he had where he dribbled all the way to the other end of the court and made a basket.  The look of pride on his face was priceless.  I continue to be amazed at how much fun he is having with Upward.  He and his Daddy declare that we are going to install a basketball hoop in our driveway this spring so that he can keep practicing.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at home with Danaca.  She had driven in to spend time with us from the Philadelphia area, and we were so grateful for her doing so.  All I can tell you is that the kids absolutely adore her.  And they played her OUT!  The crowning moment was when Mara walked up to her and raised her little arms to sit in her lap.  And that, my friends, is what we call a miracle.  Mara warms up to no one, so this was impressive.  We made a yummy supper to share together, and then Joshua and Lauren attempted to lock her in our house so she couldn't leave.  Luckily we are a little craftier than the munchkins and she got to get on the road around 7:00.  What a fun time we had with her.

 For whatever reason, Mara decided to wear a winter hat and put a bink in her mouth while she was playing in her kitchen on Saturday night.  I had no idea why.  She hasn't had a bink other than to fall asleep once in a great while in ages.  No shortage of personality here, folks.  She appears very quiet and reserved, but she is such a clown.  Always trying to get a laugh out of you.

Sunday morning we headed out to church and then got home in barely enough time to run back out the door again for the annual Plumber's Bowling event.  The Plumbers are a group of guys that Jason golfs with during the spring and summer.  Since the guys don't get to see each other during the winter, they hold a bowling event (called the Toilet Bowl-A-Thon.....get it....the Plumbers?) and invite spouses to participate.  Let me tell you, I officially embarassed myself yet again, but we had a great time.  Our team even won the pot of money, so that didn't hurt.  Grandma and Grandpa came to hang out with the kids while we were bowling, and then we all met up for dinner at Ciro's.  And you'll never hear a complaint out of me when it comes to that.  We had some delicious bruschetta and pasta, and although it likely shot my points allowance for the week, I didn't care.  My only diet victory was resisting the urge to order some tiramisu.  But I am proud to say I did not give in to that temptation.  I figured I had already done enough damage with the two pieces of bruschetta I had eaten.  If I am to make my weight loss goal of 40 pounds before we leave for Disney World in May, I still have 16.6 to lose.  There's no room for too many extra treats like Sunday night between now and then. 

And so, after that weekend, we find ourselves back in the saddle for another week.  Hopefully I can find some time to blog a bit more frequently this week and to take some cute pictures of the kids.