What Saturdays will look like for the forseeable future.

Joshua granted us another first as a family this past weekend as he made his debut performance as part of our church's Upward basketball league.  To say he was excited could be the world's biggest understatement.  To make things even better, Joshua and Cooper are part of the same team, and that team is being coached by Jason and Earl.  The guys have been having a great time, and the boys seem to be enjoying themselves.  Considering the fact that Joshua just touched a basketball for the first time two weeks ago and they have only had two one-hour practices, I'd say the game was a great success.  For the most part, the kids were running the appropriate direction with the ball, and they even made a few baskets.  No one lost any teeth or shed any tears.

We certainly have a lot to learn about how Upward works, but so far I am pretty impressed.  Each of the teams does a little introduction for the kids, and they get to run out through a tunnel of cheerleaders.  In Joshua's case, for his first time, he didn't know what to make of the cheerleaders and opted to run around them....to the wrong court....and then looked confused and came back to mid court with the rest of the kids.  Earl did a great job announcing our lineup.  Evidently I was clapping or cheering or wrangling the other kids, because I didn't manage a picture of him in the act, nor our team coming through the tunnel.  Perhaps Emily was more focused than I was and she will post one.  But here is our friend Ann Butler doing the honors for her team.

The fun part about Joshua and Cooper's age bracket is that the coaches are out on the court with the kids.  I'd hate to have seen what might have happened if the coaches weren't there to tell the kids to run back to the basket while the other team inbounded the ball, or to shoot or pass when the time came.  Jason did a great job helping the kids know where to go and what to do, which was especially helpful since their practice had to be cancelled on Friday night due to the snow that we got.  Earl was keeping the kids organized on the bench and helping to get them subbed in when the time came.  Maybe next week he'll be the one running up and down the court with the kids!

Our team excelled at defense for sure.  They were defending everything and everyone.  Even their own teammates sometimes.  Jason and Earl could be heard yelling "Spiderman" from time to time, reminding the kids to put out their arms to the sides and defend their person.  Apparently working on some offensive practicing was scheduled to be handled at the practice they had to miss on Friday night. 

I loved the crowd at the game-- lots of families we know from Meadowbrook, lots of church friends and even some clients.  We had a great time.  I especially loved that so many people from the church took the time to tell Joshua on Sunday morning that they enjoyed watching him play and that they hoped he had lots of fun. 

I won't claim that we're ready for the NBA.  Far from that.  But I was super proud of Joshua for having fun, doing his best and working to learn something new.  Can't wait to watch again next Saturday.  Maybe we'll see his first basket!

The Day I Broke Mara's Heart (aka The Day I Reached The End of my Rope)

Let me just start by saying that I am FULL of blog material.  My camera is bursting with some silly and very cute pictures.  So, we may be in a good spell for frequent updates here.  So, no need to wait the full month in between checking back here.

It may also help that I am more rested than I have been in.....let's see......1 year of Mara being here + 40 weeks of pregnancy + the few months before that that Lauren was actually sleeping well......so.....let's just say a very long time.

Friday night started like any other night time routine.  Mara and I were rocking in her room as she nursed herself to sleep.  We were listening to our Fernando Ortega station on Pandora with the lights out and she was cuddled in like the snuggle bug that she is.  I secretly love this time of the night once the big kids are asleep and things are quiet.  However, I love it for a short time...like just long enough for me to enjoy soaking in Mara's just tubbed smell and watch her peacefully drift off to sleep.  And I was totally over it by the time she started kicking, crying and scrooching around in my arms.  This fight went on for a little while before I had completely had it.  I kissed her cheek told her I loved her, laid her in bed with her blanket and closed her door.

It was much like the night that I decided I was finished fighting with Lauren.  Mara looked at me as though she couldn't possibly understand why I had hated her so much that I would abandon her in her crib.  But I did it.  And the look on Jason's face was similar to the last time I reached this point as well.  Like, "just like that" I decide I have had enough.  My original plan was to wait for 10 minutes and go in and check on her.  At the 10 minute point, she was still crying pretty hard, but it wasn't getting any worse.  So I decided I could stand another 10.  By that time, she was winding down, so I talked myself into another 10.  After 30 minutes, I could still hear her sobbing on the monitor, but the hysterical screaming was done.  She continued to scream every few minutes for the next hour, but wasn't winding up any more, so I talked myself into being OK with it and staying the course.  And so, Jason and I went to bed and hoped for the best.  She woke up the first time at 2:00, and I let her cry for another 30 minutes.  At that point, I figured she could be legitimately hungry since she is used to nursing pretty much nonstop all night long for the past 12 months.  And besides, my milk factory hadn't been given adequate notice that we were shutting down for the night, so I was definitely ready for her to eat.  I fed her quickly and she was asleep again within 30 minutes and back in her crib.  She slept until 10 am Saturday morning.  10 am!!!!  I kept going upstairs to check on her, and this is what I found...

Evidently when you have a year of not sleeping to make up for, it takes a little while to catch up. 

I actually felt horrible after a good night's sleep and was exhausted on Saturday, feeling hung over (and it's been about 6 years since I've had a drink of anything besides caffeine or water!).  But I am pleased to report that Saturday and Sunday nights, Mara slept all night long without needing to be fed and just a few quick minutes of fussing here and there which I promptly ignored.  We had a slight set back at my parents' house on Monday night, but I am thrilled to report that last night was another good night.  Mara slept in her crib from about 11:30 when I woke up from rocking the both of us to sleep in her room until 7:45 this morning.

And the best part is that she doesn't seem to hate me.  And thank goodness.  I am hoping this is the start of some better nights for both of us.

We're making some slow progress with transitioning Mara to whole milk in a sippy cup.  She still wants to nurse about 4-5 times a day (more frequently if I happen to be home with her- weekends, snow days, etc.) for quick little bits and makes it very clear what she wants by either lifting my shirt or getting the boppy pillow and carrying it over to me.  We'll keep slowly working our way out of it until she is drinking enough whole milk to give her what she needs.  Yesterday throughout the day she drank almost a whole sippy cup of milk (about 10 oz), so that is definite progress.  She seems to like these cups with the straws, especially if it happens to be the same cup that Lauren's milk is in.  She can't let her big sister do something that she isn't doing.

And she loves it when I clap for her when she takes a good big girl drink!

More tomorrow...

Lessons of Hooky Day

I feel like a bit of a failure in the Aunt Meg department since sweet baby Hayden was born.  I haven't snuggled her enough.  I haven't been there to support my sister in the flesh when she needed help celebrating her baby girl's arrival.  And, despite our best efforts, schedules kept getting in the way of me actually getting to Lewistown to spend any meaningful time with Hayden and Brooke without my own kids being along.  So Libby and I started planning weeks ago for yesterday to be our first "hooky day" in a long time.  (We coined the term "hooky day" when Brooke was born, and I would sneak away during the day when Joshua wouldn't even know I was going to Lewistown, so that I could have some time just with Libby and Brooke.)  Things have gotten so much more complicated since then with the addition of two more Dugan kids that I have to get away without, and with school pick up schedules to arrange for.  But...yesterday was the day.

I had the van loaded and ready to go- 3 and 6 month clothes to share with Hayden (who, by the way, has taken quite a growth spurt over the past few weeks since I've seen her last), everything I needed for the day, and....how can I forget...Mara, who ended up needing to come along with me.  This turned out to be quite a blessing.

We enjoyed a wonderful morning.  Play time with the girls, lots of Hayden snuggles, Aunt Libby and Brooke getting to enjoy Mara without the chaos that usually ensues when we get all 5 of the kids together.  Libby made a delicious Weight Watchers friendly lunch that was greatly appreciated by this Weight Watcher who is desperately trying to regain control of her body after six years of sacrificing it for the sake of either making, gorwing or feeding a baby.  We even got to enjoy a little visit with Danaca, Mom and a quick stop off by my Dad too.  What a great day!

Until...

The flakes started to fly.  And it wasn't the flying that created the issue, but rather the sticking.  And the ice.

I thought I was leaving in plenty of time, but it turns out I wasn't even close.  After a very scary turn onto 522 when I realized that the back end of the van wasn't going in the same direction as the front, I realized that I was in trouble and quickly called Jason to let him know that my arrival back home would likely need to be tomorrow morning.  I was headed to the first safe place I could find to turn around and head back to Mom and Dad's house to wait this out.  However, before I got that far, an accident stopped us dead in our tracks along 522 for over an hour.  By the grace of God, Mara was exhausted from a hard day of playing and rearranging everything in Libby's house, so she was alseep in her seat, oblivious to all that was happening.  I can't believe my praying didn't wake her up!  To make a long story short, I ended up having to call my Dad for a rescue, and he and Zig came to my aid.  Thankfully, after traffic finally started moving, I was able to get my vehicle into someone's driveway that they knew and who had agreed that I could leave it there for the night until it was safer to travel.  Dad picked Mara and I up and took us back to their house where we would tuck in for the night. 

Here are a few of the blessings I found through this "adventure"...

1.  I have long been saying that my diaper bag is out of control.  Well, the scumpteen diapers I had in the diaper bag came in quite handy, as did the extra diaper cream, lotion and brush that I always wonder why I carry.  Well, when you're stranded, you just might need those things.

2.  I often think I go a little overboard in the packing department when we go somewhere, but I almost always have a cooler with milk, snacks and little extras that we are unlikely to need, but that wouldn't hurt in the case of an emergency.  We dug into that stash of snacks quite a bit to keep a confused little girl a little happier as we were juggling her from place to place last evening. 

3.  My van stinks in the snow.  Just saying.

4.  Buying Mom and iPad for Christmas was the gift that keeps on giving because I was able to charge my iPhone on her charger.  Having a cell phone that was working was quite a blessing for the trip back home today.

5.  Having Mara along with me was such a blessing.  Although she is starting to self wean from nursing, I fear that Jason would have had a very long night with her at home if I had not been there.  Make no mistake that things happen the way they do for a reason, and I have no doubt the Lord was looking out for all of us by setting the circumstances to be such that Mara was with me. 

6.  Face Time is the best thing ever.  I was missing the big kids so badly last night.  I hardly ever am away from the kids overnight--- it just feels so unnatural to me to be away from them.  But seeing their smiling faces and being able to hear that they were being good for Daddy, and to be able to tell them that I loved them did my heart good. 

7.  No matter if I am a grown adult, when you're in trouble, having your Mom and Dad come to your rescue still feels like when you were a little girl, scared of the dark in your bedroom, and somehow just being with them makes it OK.  I know that Jason appreciated knowing that Mara and I were safe when he wasn't able to get to us to help us.  I am so grateful for my Dad and Zig and their help, and for the way my mom does what she does so well in getting us home and comfortable.  It was an added blessing to have some one on one time with them as well.

Let's just say that I will be happy to be at home, with my family, in my own bed tonight.   As Libby and I discussed today, we'll resume hooky days when there is "zero chance of snow".  Amen, sister.

Medic! And the Tuesday report.

Sometimes, it seems, I have no blog material.  But that hasn't been the case lately.

I have to share a funny story from Sunday evening.  Actually, parts are funny and the main reason for there being a story to tell in the first place, not so much.  I had a moment of stupidity on Sunday evening when I decided to try to pry the top off of a container with our pair of kitchen scissors.  Not my smartest move.  I ended up with a pretty nasty slice on my thumb and was a little concerned about needing stitches to get it to stop bleeding.  What's funny about this story is not the gash on my thumb, but more the reaction of my family.  When this happened, I was cleaning up from supper and getting some things put away from our run to Target earlier in the afternoon.  Joshua and Lauren were sitting happily at the table coloring.  Mara was in her high chair finishing her supper.  And Jason was in the living room.

Upon hearing my cry for help, Jason went running for first aid supplies upstairs while I was trying to get it to stop bleeding.  He was a huge help and offered to take me to the ER if I thought we should go.  (Like a true mother, I opted to wait until morning to get it looked at so that we wouldn't have to rearrange things for the kids.)  Lauren didn't even look up from her coloring book when she said to me, "Mommy, you really should be more careful."  Joshua, God love him, ran for his doctor coat and medical supply kit and came running back in saying, "What do you need Mommy?  I can help you with my doctor kit."  After sitting with me for a few minutes, very concerned, he declared that while he really wanted to help me and take a look at the cut to make sure it stopped bleeding, when he thought about it or looked at it, he felt shaky.  (So much for medical school.)  I really got a good chuckle the following day when Joshua asked me to cut him a slice of Mara's birthday cake for his dessert after supper.  When I got out the long, serrated knife to cut the cake, he asked, "Do you trust yourself with that knife, Mommy?"

And so ends the story of my family's roles as medics.  And, in case you're wondering, my thumb is fine.  I had it looked at by my doctor on Monday afternoon.  And while they declared that stitches likely were not required, they did make sure that I was the proud owner of a brand new tetanus shot.  Lovely.

Tuesday was Mara's 12 month doctor's appointment.  She did well and seems to be doing everything she should be doing for her age.  The only question that I couldn't answer affirmatively was whether she was saying "mama" and "dada" specifically to us at this point.  She does a lot of babbling, but it doesn't seem to be directed at anyone in particular at this point.  She has started pointing to indicate what she wants, and is nodding her head "yes" and "no"....although it is mostly "no" at this point.  She weighed 18 lb 6.5 oz (10th percentile) and was 29 3/4" long (70th percentile).  She is almost exactly the same weight that Lauren was at her 12 month appointment, for whatever that is worth.  She had to get three shots, poor baby, but seemed to be over it before we hit the car.

After her appointment, I brought her back to the office with me for a while.  While here she managed to completely destroy both my office and the main waiting area.  If it wasn't nailed down, she had it on the floor.  I knew it was time for us to head home when she started digging her hands into the potted peace lily.  And this, my friends, is why I do not bring the children with me to work very often.  Joshua and Lauren, however, both requested that I start bringing Mara with me every day because they liked having some one on one big kid time with Grandma.  Uh........sorry guys.  Not happening.

This picture is proof positive that I need to spend some serious time downsizing my diaper bag.  Goodness.

After work and after filling Mara's belly, we were so excited to be heading out to eat with the Mowry's.  The funniest text yesterday from Emily said that Ciro's had been warned of our impending arrival when she called for a reservation.  But apparently the silence on the other end of the phone was comical when she asked for a reservation for 10, six of them children, and two of those in highchairs.  I told her that I suspected there would be several Ciro's waitstaff who would start feeling flu like symptoms who needed to go home upon hearing this.  The kids did great at supper....well, mostly.  Mara had had enough by the time we were finished.  But it's always a fun time when we're all together.  We vowed that not cooking was a real treat and said we would meet back there next week again.  HA!

I snapped these few pictures last evening before bed.  Nothing special here...just me snapping a few pictures of my favorite people to try out the new camera we got to be ready for Disney.  I love my big Canon camera, but having a point and shoot that is just as powerful will be a blessing for our Disney trip in May when we are short on hands and don't want to carry anything extra with us. 



Lauren and Daddy working on a Tangled game on the iPad.  Lauren has quickly become my little iPad junkie, loving to play learning games like ABCMouse.com's zoo applications or Dora's letter writing adventures.  The Tangled game has all sorts of puzzles that are age appropriate.  I love seeing her learning.  She will be SOOOO ready for preschool in the fall.  I actually sat with her for over an hour yesterday morning while she used magnetic shapes to match pictures on cards (a gift that Joshua got for Christmas from my parents).  I was amazed at what she was able to do.  She loved it when I called her a smarty pants, and just wanted to show me even more of what she was able to do.



Joshua was amazing me last evening too.  He sat at the island and was making all sorts of plans, but I didn't know what about until after I took this picture.  He had explained to me in great detail about their Bible lesson yesterday- all about Satan, temptation, and Satan's fall from Heaven.  So, I shouldn't be surprised that his plan was for the army that was going to defeat Satan, with the names of just about everyone Joshua knows to fight in the army.  He had a calendar, and pictures of Satan to match the picture Mrs. Case had shown the class that morning. 

We had the sweetest conversation on the way home from school yesterday about feeling tempted, and how that is Satan's way of trying to cause trouble, as well as ways to fight temptation through prayer.  It was a pretty in depth conversation with a six year old...but I love how he is learning and growing in his understanding of God. 

And while this is, in no way, a good picture of me, I love that I caught one of Mara and I being silly.  I just adore her.

Birthday party pictures!

Thanks to Ruth, I have now been able to get some pictures from Mara's birthday uploaded from my camera!  Thank you so much, Ruth.  And Blogger....get your act together, please.

Mara and Grandma

The kids (minus baby Hayden).  Wonder what Joshua is looking at?

Mara wasted no time at all digging in to her cake.  You can tell she's the third child who has had bites and samples of lots of things because she knew JUST what to do with that cake and all its pink icing.

The aftermath.  Not as bad as I expected.  And I am pleased to report that I was able to remove all of the pink icing from her cute "Mara" shirt so that we can enjoy wearing it lots more.

Here was our wall of the pictures that I have taken of Mara each month.  I had hoped to string them into a pretty banner (even bought the ribbon to do it) and then just plain ran out of time.  This birthday party snuck up on me (big time!).  But we all enjoyed watching her grow and remembering all of the fun things that happened over the past year.

This is just a sample of the theme for her party.  I was in love with the penguins and the cute wintery things.  We had yummy hot chocolate, decorated with all things winter, and thanked the Lord that He didn't display His ability to dump snow on central PA like He can in the winter time as we celebrated her birthday.  I suspect that will be a fear every year for her January birthday, but we were ever so grateful for a reprieve from the winter yuck on this particular Saturday.

ONEderful Mara...

Dear Mara,

On Saturday, we celebrated with our families as you turned one.  If the computer would allow me to, I would post a whole bunch of pictures of how much fun you had as you opened your presents and dove into your pink snowflake cake.  I'll keep working on it, because you were adorable.  All day I kept looking at you and wondering how it was possible that it had been a whole year since we first got to meet you. 

The timing of your birth was a surprise to us, as we were working and planning to get you here one week later than you determined to be the appropriate time for your birthday.  And, let me tell you, sweet girl...you continue to call the shots at our house, and keep us on our toes with your surprises that seem to be new each day.  But, just as I was on the night that you were born, I am ever grateful for the chance to be your Mommy.

Mara, you have completed our family in such a special way.  Before you were even a twinkle in our eyes, I told your Daddy that I was feeling in my heart that someone was missing from our family.  And, as it turned out, you certainly were.  But on January 5, 2012, you made our family whole.  And I can't even remember what it was like before you got here.  You are so loved.  So wanted.  So marvelled over.  I can't even find the words to tell you the love that just spills out of my heart for you.  I am continually overwhelmed by it, and blessed by it all at the same time.

You are growing to be a very sweet, but very spirited little girl.  What you lack in size, you make up for in personality.  Being third in line, you have learned to stand up for what you want very early in your life, and although I wish your brother and sister would always be mindful of you and your desires, I guess it's only natural that they wouldn't quite grasp the concept at 6 and 3.  But I secretly love to see you stand your ground with them--- and I especially love that they respect your boundaries when you make your wishes known.  I hope that you'll always be a woman who can respectfully and kindly state your wishes and opinions and be listened to.  You are the best snuggler ever and often give me hugs and kisses, followed quickly by an adorable grin because I think you know how much I love to be on the receiving end of your loving.  You are quite an eater and haven't turned your nose up at anything yet, except for the milk that I have been trying to convince you is just as good as Mommy's.  It seems you aren't buying what I am selling because you've been hanging on to at least 4 nursing sessions each day- sometimes only for a few minutes, and other times like it's still your only source of nutrition.  Sadly, on top of these four are at least two more feedings through the night that I am having trouble figuring out whether they are more for comfort or to fill up your tummy.  Regardless, I know our time is coming to an end, and although I will miss it, I also long for a good night's sleep and for some good rest for you as well.  Because as much as I love snuggling with you in the rocker at night, I know we'll both be a whole lot better for sleeping an entire night in our own beds one of these days.  You should try it....I am sure you'll like it.  :o)

You are developing a really sweet relationship with your brother and sister.  From the moment Lauren met you, she has always wanted to hold you.  She often says that she "loves her baby", and then she'll give you a squeeze, to which you always smile.  You absolutely light up when Joshua talks to you.  Although he isn't quite as interested in holding you, he interacts with you with such sweetness that it melts my heart.  I pray that you will always love Joshua and Lauren this way.  The greatest gift you all have is each other, and I count it among our greatest blessings that we were able to give you two siblings who love you so.

I will never tire of seeing your sweet face as I come in the door at the end of a day at the office, or the memories that I hold in my heart of your baby giggles or the way you immediately relax when I sing to you.  You are such a gift, Mara.  I treasure you and I love you more than words could ever explain.

Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I read your birthday book to you on Saturday night, "On The Night You Were Born".  Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn, on the beautiful, magical night you were born.  It sure did, sweetheart.

With all my love,
Mommy

* Whenever I figure out why I can no longer pull pictures off of my camera onto the blog, I will post birthday pictures from Mara's party.  But this little walk down memory lane was fine with me too...

Weekend Report

This was one of those rare weekends where I actually feel rested and refreshed afterwards.  I can't usually say that, but I am thankful!  It may have had something to do with the short week last week and some home time due to the snow that had me a little more caught up than normal, but regardless, we will take it!

Friday night we got to meet up with the Mowry's at The Well.  The kids blew off some steam and the grownups had a chance to talk.  At one point we looked around and realized that we were the only people in the play area.  It was great!  I can definitely see some winter play dates there until the kids are able to get back outside to run around again.

Saturday was great because we didn't leave the house.  I love days like that!  The snow was falling when I woke up and it kept falling all day, giving us every excuse to stay home.  The kids didn't even seem interested in going outside to play in it, so we played inside all day, did some chores, and cooked a nice dinner.  No complaints out of me.

Sunday morning we got up and headed to church on some pretty icy roads.  Had I known the shape they were in prior to loading everyone into the van and getting going, I probably would have opted to stay home.  But we pressed on, thankfully arriving safely.  And, as usual, it was a blessing.  We are starting a new Sunday School curriculum that is about prioritization, and let's just say that after one 30 minute DVD session, I am already feeling quite convicted and just know that this is going to be good for me.  If there is an area of life that I struggle with (there are lots...but this is one of the root causes of the others that give me fits) it is figuring out the balancing act.  I used to pride myself on being able to handle a whole lot of things and doing an OK job with all of them, but since the kids have been born, I have found myself struggling more and more with the kinds of things that were already discussed as symptoms of misplaced priorities in your life.  So, let's just say I will look forward to Sunday School and the insights that this might provide. 

Sunday afternoon we got to go to Jason's parents for some visiting and dinner.  Joshua had requested the menu of spaghetti and meatballs (his request any time you ask him what he wants to eat) and ice cream sundaes.  Fine choices!  Dinner was delicious and the kids had a great time hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Mara didn't do any major damage, which was a plus for sure!  We're hoping to get to do that again soon.

On a completely separate subject, we are having some pretty big successes at home with Joshua and Lauren.  Last Thursday night, Lauren decided that she wanted to go to bed in big girl underpants instead of her pull-up.  I have been working through an overzealous purchase of pull-ups and have just been using them on her to make sure that I don't have to do a sheet change in the middle of the night seeing as how I am still up with the baby most of the night every night.  But Lauren has been dry every morning for months.  And so, when she woke up dry in her big girl pants, we had quite a celebration.  Joshua overheard and did a great job congratulating his sister, but then asked me quietly if he could please try to wear underpants to bed that next night.  I agreed, fully expecting that I would be changing sheets at 3 am.  The poor guy has had a terrible time getting control of his overnight training, and the doctors have been telling us that it is completely normal for boys especially to take until age 8-9 to get the night training down.  But I am happy to report that he has been dry every night and is waking in the night time when he has to go.  We are so super proud of him!

I caught these pictures yesterday afternoon while Mara was eating her lunch.  I just love to hear Lauren giggle, and I love having a picture of her doing it.  I can almost hear her laughing when I look at the picture.  And Mara just loves her big sister and brother.  Her latest thing is wanting to hug just about everyone...but especially Josh and Lauren.  It is so sweet to see.

This afternoon, amidst appointments and finance work that needed to be done, I took Joshua for his annual blood testing to measure the progress of his peanut allergy.  He was none too pleased about the blood work, but a sweet client of mine was the one who did his blood draw and she was wonderful with him.  (OK, and me too!)  My prayer always is that the test will come back and they will say he is no longer allergic to nuts.  Hey, a Mom can dream, right?  After Joshua's brave showing at the lab, I treated him to a milkshake and some time with me at the office.  He has written on my white board, stamped everything that won't move, and shredded half of a bin worth of paper.  But he seems to be enjoying himself.  I always love when he is here--- drawing me pictures and just being his sweet self with me and my staff.  

Tonight is New Year's Eve...and I will be lucky if I am not passed out asleep in the rocker with Mara before 9:30.  But I love this time of year--- fresh starts and new hopes and plans for the new year.  Fresh file folders and clean Excel spreadsheets ready for the new year of work are an added bonus.  Enjoy New Year's Eve, everyone!

Snow Morning

I have a love/hate relationship with snow.  On one hand, I find it absolutely beautiful to look at a fresh snowfall.  I love to sit inside the house, drinking a cup of coffee, watching the snow fall while I get to spend time with the kids.  What I don't like is the way that a snowfall disrupts plans, causes necessary changes in work schedules that are delicately balanced under the best of conditions, and increases the workload at the office at a time when I can't get there.  But...as with most things, I try to embrace the fact that there must be a reason I am supposed to be at home instead of at the office, and soak up the extra time to be with the kids while I can.  I came home early on Wednesday and then had a late start on Thursday because of the storm, so we tried to make the best of it by doing some cooking, playing a whole lot of Minnie Mouse Bow-tique Bingo and Dora Candyland, and playing outside in the snow. 

With last year's unusual winter without any significant snowfall, the kids hadn't had a chance to play in the snow at all for a long time, so I updated their boots with some larger sizes and we had big plans to play in the snow for a bit yesterday morning.  Before that, though, Joshua lost tooth #2 while eating his blueberry muffin that Lauren and I had made earlier that morning.  This one was without any dramatic tears, thank goodness.  I am still marvelling at the fact that he is big enough to be losing teeth.  It seems as though I was just pulling all-nighters rocking him in his room while he was getting those teeth yesterday.  (This makes me chuckle because I am so reminiscent about Joshua, but I realize after I typed this that the all-nighter rocking session memories are very fresh for good reason......just insert a different baby in my arms in a pink and purple nursery instead of a blue one.  HA!)

After we had appropriately celebrated his new hole in his mouth and giggled about how funny it felt to drink things through it, we decided we should get outside and enjoy the snow a bit.  I was still hoping that Grandma might be able to safely make the trip down so that I could go into the office in the afternoon.  It took us sweet forever to get everyone bundled up with boots and mittens and everything else that was required.  And now I know why my mother always used to try to talk us OUT of going out in the snow.  But here they were...

They seemed to have a great time tromping through the snow and they ended up in quite a snowball battle with each other.  I was impressed (though not a bit surprised) at how well Lauren held her own against her big brother.  She's a good shot, and she wasn't the least bit afraid to let him have it with as much of a snowball as she could make in her little mittened hands.  I was a bit handicapped because of having to hold Mara.  Her footing isn't anywhere near sure enough to put her in boots and turn her loose in the snow, so she was stuck in my arms and wasn't too happy about it.  But having her in my arms made it pretty hard for me to adjust mittens and I certainly couldn't be helping them to make snowballs or build the snowman they wanted to.  We'll have to enlist Daddy's help for some more intense snow playtime without the baby.

By about 10:30 their noses were officially frozen and they decided that a cup of hot chocolate would be more fun than more time outside in the cold.  Fine by me.  And Mara.

I did manage to get to the office in the afternoon.  It was a full day for sure--- but I appreciated the fun with the kids in the morning a whole lot.

I somehow get the feeling that this winter is going to be far different than last- with lots more snow, and lots more chances to enjoy it with the kids.  I'll just say that if I am inside the house, with Mara, while drinking that cup of coffee, it'll be OK with me. 

Our Holly Jolly Christmas

My camera is bursting at the seams with all of the Christmas pictures that I have been taking over the past few days.  I wish I could share them all, but really, there are only so many pictures of opening presents and showing off new toys that one can stand.  I know I will cherish them, though, as well as all of the memories from this Christmas.  We had a wonderful holiday, filled with all of the things that are important--- family, time to slow down and enjoy being together, thoughtful gifts and love shared with each other.  And the kids had a blast!  My title to this post is in honor of the fact that Lauren sang this song ALL CHRISTMAS LONG.  For whatever reason, it has become her favorite this year, even though she only knows half (at best) of the words.  I just love listening to her sing.

I found myself thinking back to last Christmas a lot these past few days.  This time last year, I was super pregnant (and super sick of it) and had the worst sinus infection of my life that couldn't be medicated due to the pregnancy.  To say I was miserable was an understatement.  Add to that Joshua's case of pink eye on Christmas Eve that had us homebound and we were a real joy to be with.  I recall laying on the couch while the kids opened their gifts, just trying to muster the strength to enjoy them.  Oh how much has changed in one short year.  Mara is here now- causing trouble everywhere she goes, but smiling all the way.  We were all healthy this Christmas....my Christmas miracle, and no one had any trouble enjoying each other and all of the festivities.

We headed to Lewistown on Saturday morning for the big Richard Family bash at Stacie and Noah's house.  The kids had an absolute blast playing with their cousins in their garage that Stacie had outfitted with toys, a slide, and all sorts of things they could ride.  My choice of those cute little white leggings was a horrible one--- they were filthy by the time the evening was over.  But as I have always maintained, I have learned as a Mom that the dirtier the kids are, the better time they have had.  We had a great time catching up with cousins that we haven't seen in a long time.  Since last year, the Richard family has expanded by 3 new babies- Mara in January, Reed in February and Hayden in November.  To say that our family is blessed with beautiful, fun, healthy kids is the world's biggest understatement.  They are loved by so many aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents that it's hard to imagine.  I love nothing more than knowing that my kids are getting to experience Richard Christmas celebrations just like Libby and I did growing up.  We made a few special crafts to give to Grandma Shirley and Bill, and Pappy Fred and Freda with all the kids handprints in the shape of a Christmas tree.  It turned out so cute, and I think the kids all had quite a lot of fun painting their hands.  We used little baby Hayden's footprint as the star on our tree--- and it was perfect. 

On Sunday morning, we headed to Maitland Church of the Bretheren for the cantata that my Dad was conducting and that a whole bunch of wonderful family and friends were singing in.  It was wonderful!  I did a good bit of kid wrestling with Mara to keep her quiet and relatively calm in the pew, but ended up having to take her out to the nursery for the last 10 minutes or so of the cantata.  Jason had also made two trips out of church with Josh and Lauren to use the potty.  It was comical, although not to him.  We headed back to Nana and Pap's for our family Christmas celebration at their house, complete with lots of presents, time to spend with Pappy Ray and a yummy lasagna dinner.  We had a really great day together.  The kids had tons of fun playing with their new toys.

We returned home on Monday around lunch time and had a very quiet Christmas Eve at home.  We had made the difficult decision not to attend Christmas Eve service at the church because of the ages of the kids.  There was just no good way to manage the evening service with the kids' bedtimes and keep our Christmas spirit in tact.  I knew that even if we did go, I would end up in the nursery within the first 20 minutes of the service with Mara (and likely Lauren and Josh) leaving Jason sitting alone in the sanctuary.  And something about just being together as a family on Christmas Eve seemed the priority.  And so we stayed home.  We ate a nice supper, put out our cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and the reindeer, got tubs, watched the Polar Express together, and got ready for our Christmas morning excitement.

At 5:45, Joshua was standing beside the bed, asking if we could go downstairs to see if Santa came.  Seeing as I had just laid down in bed for the first time around 4:30, I opted to let him take a peek and continue to close my eyes a bit longer.  In retrospect, I should have just gotten up, because he continued to pester me for the next hour and fifteen minutes about going downstairs to get down to business.  We finally woke Daddy and Lauren at 7:00 and then headed downstairs together.  The kids were beside themselves!  Santa certainly was good to them this year.

Mara showed little interest in actually opening presents.  In fact, most of that red pile (which was hers) was still wrapped up at supper time on Christmas evening.  She was too busy bothering Josh and Lauren and getting into their wrapping paper scraps and boxes to open her own things.  So, we'll save a few for her birthday next week and bring out the other new things Santa brought her when she tires of playing with the toys that are out. 

 This was Lauren wearing the new tiara and necklace/bracelet that Joshua picked out for her on his shopping trip with Daddy.  I thought it was sweet because Joshua had accidentally stepped on Lauren's old tiara and broken it, and he told Jason he wanted to pick out a new one for her.  Lauren loves it and says it makes her feel like a real princess.  What a sweet boy Joshua is turning into.

 I loved this picture of Lauren playing with her princess castle in her Strawberry Shortcake ballgown and her new tiara.  She was in absolute heaven playing with her new things and declared that every gift she opened was just what she wanted.  What I loved most about Joshua and Lauren both is that they said 'Thank You' after opening each and every gift.  I am a sucker for good manners and really appreciated seeing that in them on Christmas.

Joshua continues to love to dress up as characters and pretend.  His imagination is one of my favorite things about him.  This was one of his favorites-- Peter Pan.  He also got a Hulk costume (complete with fists), an FBI costume and a cowboy costume.  All have gotten quite a bit of wear time since Christmas morning.

After our family fun in the morning, Jason's parents came down to exchange gifts in the afternoon.  We had a great time with them and the kids certainly had fun opening the things they brought for them.  Mara did a little better job, and with some coaxing, opened her things from Grandma and Grandpa, but was more interested in the boxes and paper than anything else.  It will be interesting to see how she handles her birthday next weekend!

Among all of the wonderful gifts I was given, I was thrilled most of all, to have these three...the joy of my heart...to spend Christmas with.  I am loving how our own little family traditions are shaping up, and I find myself wondering what our kids will remember about Christmas at home when they are older.  I know that Christmas memories with my family are some of my most treasured ones, and I count it a great blessing to have the opportunity to be writing our own memories with our own little family. 



The gift of God's son is one that I try every single year to wrap my mind around.  But "God with us" means that Christmas can be every single day of the year--- He came to be with us always, not just on Christmas morning.  My prayer this year is that my life would speak to honoring that gift in word, thought and deed, throughout the coming year.

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

Making supper.

We are quickly approaching the one year mark of my time as a mother of three.  Some things have gotten a little easier...or maybe I have just gotten used to the juggling act.  There are other things, however, that haven't gotten a stitch easier.  Like making dinner.  As evidenced by the following.

Last night, Jason was working late, so I planned accordingly.  The rules on those nights are to make something fast and easy that the kids will eat without a fight.  Generally that involves Subway, the occasional Happy Meal or a quick fix at home.  We all decided that grilled cheese and tomato soup would taste good, so that's what I got to work on.  Now, I should add that I can't even start dinner until I get in the door from the office, unload pumped milk and wash bottles, and then feed the baby who has decided that she doesn't much care for the milk I'm pumping and prefers to drink right from the cow I mean, source.  I continue to pump to maintain supply and also make sure I am prepared for those days when she decides that she DOES in fact want to drink a bottle mid-afternoon.  There's no question who is in control here, right.  It certainly isn't me.

Anyway, grilled cheese was in process when I turned around to see this.

 Mara was proceeding to empty pretty much everything out of the cupboards.  I had already replaced a bunch on two occasions before she started unloading again.  That glass mug she is holding is now resting beside its counterpart in the matching set high on the counter since she seemed to be intent on drinking a cup of coffee (or perhaps tea) out of a heavy, oversized Longaberger Christmas mug.  Mercy.

After I got that cleaned up....again....I went into the living room to tell the kids that supper was almost ready and found this.

Evidently Lauren had broken her head and her arm and Joshua had her admitted to the hospital.  Don't miss the details of the care he is providing.  She has an ice pack (dish rag) on her head, a cast on her arm, and an IV attached (handcuffs).  Thank goodness he nursed her back into good health to eat her supper.  I particularly like that the latex gloves in Joshua's hospital are Spider Man print.  I believe they may even shoot webs.  If that wouldn't make you feel better if you were sick, I don't know what would.

And this, my friends, is why I can't get anything done at the house.