Quick Takes Friday!

***

Well, I made it to the end of the week! A full week of just me, a 3 week old, a 21 month old, and a 3 1/2 year old. (During the day anyway) and lived to tell about it. Today I even made it to a birthday party at a park with all three children! Which turned out to be quite fun, even if Josie tried wandering off a few times and Michael kept wanting to nurse instead of nap. I even got to have a few conversations with my friends. What's amazing about this is I didn't think I would be taking all my kids anywhere for a few months. I assumed it would be just too much to juggle. However, when there are plenty of other mommy's to help and extra pairs of eyes, it was doable. Now everyone is napping and I am going to write down how my week went. So, are ya ready for a glimpse into this crazy week?

He finally fell asleep at the park. But only for a little while :)

-1-

Well I'll admit to you, Monday and Tuesday were tough days. There were tears in everyone's eyes at varying parts of the day. I think the biggest issue was lack of sleep (especially for me) combined with no schedule. My mom offered to come take the girls somewhere but I actually declined her offer since I wanted to get the girls back into a little routine. They needed it and by the end of the week we have started to make progress  in this endeavor. It makes a huge difference in everyone's attitudes and behavior when they can know what to expect. 

-2-

Now for a bit of humor. Louisa saw her brother in the process of peeing for the first time this morning. The little guy had some good range, I have to say! I think Lou was both delighted and horrified at the same time, ha! Surprisingly the girls haven't made much of a fuss of Michael's 'parts' and how they are different from theirs. (I totally envisioned them making a big deal out of it) Now my big girl knows how the pee pee actually comes out! Like I said, delight and horror. You learn something new every day, huh Lou?

-3-

My aunt picked me blackberries the other day. She said she was thinking of my great grandma Emma, who passed away while I was in high school. She was a neat lady. Very tough, very sturdy; she raised 7 children, made all her own clothes, and farmed. But I guess they were pretty poor. She also loved to tell people about Jesus. Anyway, she also picked everything that grew and canned everything she picked. In honor of her I decided to try and make a blackberry pie. It was quite a to-do. I have never made a real crust before (I have made apple and berry pie but used easier crusts) I do not know why I chose to wait until I had 3 little kids underfoot to learn to make pie! It's okay. It turned out pretty good. My m.i.l. gave me some pointers so that was helpful. I know what to do differently next time (use less filling and a thicker crust) Fun times. (I wish I would have gotten a nicer picture. It wasn't perfect by any means (which is one reason I get frustrated with baking easily. I'm a perfectionist and get annoyed if stuff doesn't come out pretty) but it still wasn't bad. Tasty for sure! Which some silly people might think is the whole point ;)

-4-

Instagram. Who has the Instagram app? Oh it used to bug me when I'd see it pop up on my facebook newsfeed - I don't know why but it was irritating (I think it's the word itself- Instagram. Couldn't they come up with something better?) Yeah, then I downloaded it and now I'm in love with it. It's way fun because it's just pictures. One day maybe everyone will switch to Instagram and ditch facebook which I feel has become so commercial and impersonal. With just blogs and Instagram, I think I'd be happy :)

-5-

I like the sound of this guy's voice. It is a pretty song, don't you think? Though I told Mike I don't think this guys' voice matches his face. Since I hardly ever see music videos I never know what singers look like. What do you think?

-6-

Mike and I have been watching the show Castle. It's pretty good. I like the characters and the writing is excellent. I'm grateful to everyone who gave me the thumbs up when I asked about it on facebook. We had to buy the first two seasons on dvd so if anyone wants to borrow them you're welcome to (Well when we finish the second season which we haven't yet!)

 (this is sort of silly but Castle and Beckett are the main characters and they are great together. If you're a fan of Nathan Fillion then you'll love this show)

-7-

Even though life is definitely tricky and crazy with a newborn and two toddlers - it is a lot of fun too. It's stressful but rewarding. I know I share snapshots of our day on facebook and on here but of course you don't know what it's really like unless you were to come over and observe us all day. It is definitely hard sometimes and I want to have order and quiet. But at the same time my life just feels full and I know I am needed. There are few things in life better than feeling needed. And loved. Oh, there's definitely a lot of love around here ;)

Just hangin' out this morning.

Now you go have a FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL, SUPERB, BEAUTIFUL, and FULL weekend, ya hear?

My Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...trees, clouds, birds, neighbor kids' laughs, a cool breeze

I am thinking...wow, I have three children (still hasn't sunk in yet!)

I am thankful...for my non-pregnant body back for a while! It's not totally back but at least I can bend down again, hug my husband properly, and shave my legs in the shower. Also, I'm thankful for nice mama friends who come over and chat. I can't help but feel like we are kindred spirits....we just have a lot in common. She's a neat lady and she has a lovely blog too!

In the kitchen...I started the dishwasher a little bit ago (what is it about a running dishwasher that I find so comforting?) but I have yet to make definite plans for dinner. I'm thinking chicken and baked potatoes but we'll see.

I am wearing...Jeans, brown cami and bright magenta sweater. Also a black sports bra that...I just checked...is on inside-out :D

I am creating...Gosh I can't think of anything right now! Right now we are all just trying to get back into a little schedule and adjust to being a family of 5. No extra time for creating, though soon I'd like to start something. Oh! I just remembered - working on birth announcements/thank you cards. Those should be done soon and sent out. 

I am going...to adoration with my son tonight! Can't wait to have some quiet time to pray. Hopefully Michael will just nurse quietly or sleep. :) 

I am wondering...How do people have a completely movie free/tv free house with kids? I just can't imagine that being possible! (But obviously it is)

I am reading...Three to get Married out loud with my husband (just like my friend, Laura!) Also, Fr. Benedict Groeschel's The Virtue Driven Life. 

I am hoping...I can be more patient with Josie, who is starting to have a hard time with boundaries, the word "no", and lots of other things. She's been throwing tantrums a lot lately and not sleeping well. She seems to need a lot more attention and affection so we need to work hard to give it to her (while also helping her grow and learn)

I am looking forward to...My friend Sarah coming to visit this weekend with her new baby boy! Also, Michael's baptism! Happening September 9th!

I am learning...humility, patience, and how to do things one-handed again :)

Around the house...Daddy is home now (I started this post a few hours ago) the girls are finishing up a movie they started earlier, and baked potatoes and rolls are cooking. Gotta hurry and finish this!

I am pondering...Family relationships and how to act lovingly even while you have been hurt. It's also very difficult watching someone you love be hurt and not being able to do anything about it! 

A favorite quote for today... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

One of my favorite things...Watching father and son look at each other :)

A few plans for the rest of the week: My grandma and aunt are coming by to drop off a matching bed to Louisa's (We are now thinking of putting the girls back together again. They might do better - especially Josie - about waking up at night and acting like they are scared) 
Also having a friend stop by to meet Michael, and like I already mentioned, my childhood friend Sarah staying with us this weekend - really looking forward to her visit!

A peek into my day...

Mr. Crabby butt :)
(not really, he's an easy baby. I just like this onesie so mucho!)

Going to church - a cross to bear??

Sundays are supposed to be days of rest. But this can be quite tricky when you have little ones. No day is a true day of rest! Though of course the bible is not really talking about child rearing. You can't just take Sundays off and let the children take care of themselves! I suppose we could hire a babysitter while we go to church, but then again...that might be missing the point :)

I love our church. You all know that. But, I have to admit that when we all get home from church every Sunday we take a family nap. We have to because church wears us out! It is exhausting getting everyone dressed (and me trying to clean up after everyone in the process so we don't come home to a house in shambles) then driving to church, being in church for a few hours (yes, hours) then visiting afterward (if we can manage it) then driving home. It really feels like we run a marathon every Sunday!

And lately I can't help but feel like the girls are being extra challenging in church. (I was going to say naughty but I am choosing to be optimistic) Louisa, at 3 1/2 is getting easier, but she still has a hard time staying still for very long. I have a few other children her age in church to compare her to and she is definitely a wiggly one. We have tried so many things. Books, coloring, snacks (though we don't really like to), discipline, taking away donuts after church, having her listen, having her sing, having her sit with nana and papa....everything usually only lasts for a little while and then she's back to being wiggly and somewhat noisy. I admit that it is a long time for a little one to sit still. I have no illusions about what she can handle. It is a lot to ask of her. But after going to church her whole entire life we were hoping by now she would be able to sit longer and listen to us when we tell her to be quieter. My hope for Louisa is that once we start doing some more preschool stuff she will learn better to sit and concentrate. Really she isn't our most difficult right now....

...it's Josephine. She is super loud in church and there's nothing we can do to keep her sitting still for more than 5 minutes. Well, lately I have been giving her a handful of pennies and that actually does keep her occupied. But she is still such a handful. I find myself very discouraged while sitting through liturgy. I feel as though we are making church bad for everyone else with our distracting family. Now that Michael is here on the outside it's 2 against 3 and you better believe Mike and I call dibbs on the newborn! :) But seriously, I don't feel like I can concentrate or pray and sometimes I wonder afterward I wonder -- what's the point?? I have a hard time thinking about the Lord when I'm begging Josie to be quiet.....

But I know there is a point. Not only do I believe that physically being in church gives us the grace we need to live in this world (being a Christian requires much more than just belief - it requires action!) but I also know that eventually Lou and Jo will be older and they will be better. Then, our younger children will have them to look up to and to help. I have seen this play out with bigger families and most of the time the kids are much better behaved when there are older ones. With us we have 3 children under 4 and the maturity just isn't there yet.

It's also a good thing there are lots and lots (and lots!) of other children in our church. The good people at our church value human life and value children so even when they are loud we know they are welcome there. Fr. Joseph has said on numerous occasions that a quiet church is a dying church, so you can bet he does not scoff when there is "extra" noise. Yes, it is still quite important to teach children to be respectful in church. No, I do not like it when I see totally undisciplined kids at church (or anywhere else for that matter!) but seriously, there is only so much you can do with an almost 2 year old. Louisa has experienced things being taken away and responds to it, but some mornings she is still quite difficult. So, it's rough. Mike and I wake up looking forward to that family nap. Some Sunday mornings I wake up cringing. But, we still do it. It is sort of a cross to bear right now. Which is ironic - because um, we are going to church!?

Though we have chosen to go to a church that has long services, though we do not make it easy on ourselves by having them with us the whole time, though we have had three children close together: we still feel like we are living out God's will and plan for our family. We are bringing our young children to church with us as we learn to be better Christians - as we strengthen our relationship with God. We are exposing them to the beliefs and values we have come to embrace. And though the process may be tough going right now...we will continue to do it. It is important. It is our faith. What else can we do?

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward."

psalm 127

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth"

3John 1:3

Afternoon at nana's

Grandma's house: sweet smells, pretty garden, blowing bubbles, butterfly nets, snuggles, warm breezes, bees, stories, coffee (for the grown ups), cell phone photos, hugs, kisses, love -and lots more.
Blessings!

 

***

P.S.
I'm so happy it's Friday. I've missed the hubbs. Not a lot planned but I'm sure we'll think of something nice. I hope you do too!

{p,h,f,r}

*Pretty*

 I just love my brick building pictures! (I did a post about it yesterday)

*Happy*

 Happiness these days is snuggling with my newborn.
And you know, under the neck snuggles are the best :)

 Happiness was also spending so much time with daddy while he had time off work. It brings me great joy to watch him interacting with his children. So many moments I find myself smiling thinking of how lucky my children are to have such a loving and attentive father. 

*Funny*

 Josie showing off her bellybutton to her auntie.
(She is learning how to share attention with her new brother. It's a process!)

Then she was showing baby Michael some letters. She is really into her letters even though she's not even two yet.

*Real*

Even though we worked so hard to prep for the baby to arrive, everything hasn't exactly all stayed as organized as I'd like it to be. Oh well. We are still settling in to the new family dynamic. We'll get more organized soon. (We actually have a dresser for Michael now so everything should be able to fit in there instead of the computer room closet :) The basket is actually full of the girls' clothes that got all messed up on their way to their room!

Ok so when you do go over to Like Mother Like Daughter - you absolutely must read her post this week about the purpose and meaning behind these weekly {Pretty Happy Funny Real} posts. It is a beautiful post and I nearly teared up reading it. I have a renewed sense of living in the moment and being appreciative of the beauty around me. Please do yourself a big favor and read it! 

"...find them and learn to look at them in a way that makes them part of our contentment, part of our way of loving and being devoted to the here and now, which comes directly from the hand of God." -Leila, @ Like Mother Like Daughter

brick & living

celebrity dad?

I saw this building as we were looking around for parking in the city and I told Mike I needed to photograph it. Now days everyone's engaged pictures tend to feature a brink building so it reminded me of that (know what I mean?) Mike and I never got engagement photos. In an effort to be less vain, I told Mike we shouldn't get them. See, we already had tons of pictures of us together while dating. Since I'm a picture-taker, we just had so many. I even made him a scrapbook while we were dating (or maybe it was shortly after we got engaged) so I really didn't feel like it was necessary to get professional shots. Sometimes when people post their engagement photos I get a little envious though, because often they are so gosh darn cute. But I tell myself it's fine. Maybe one day we can pretend we are engaged and take pretty pictures next to a brick wall :) (How many of you got engagement photos and how many didn't? Do you wish you had?)

Except we do have 3 children now. It's so hard to remember life without babies. I mean, I can easily look back at pictures and remember how fun it was to be totally carefree, just thinking about our future and holding hands all the time (like constantly :) Going to concerts, reading in the park, kissing on the couch :) Talking about our future. And now, now we are living that future! Pretty neat, I think. But, so much responsibility! Like today is my first day home without Mike. He returned to work this morning and even though right now I do have time to blog (baby is sleeping, girls are playing & listening to music) I am really nervous about it! Time to see what life is really like with three kids under four!

(and yes, it's definitely time to get off the computer. Michael was nursing but then  he just had a poop explosion. Way to start off the morning little man!)

Nursing #3

Now that everything smells like milk around here - I thought I'd do a post about breastfeeding. :) I repeat: a post about breastfeeding. For some it might be potentially interesting. For some of you it might just be too much information. Just wanted to give you a warning in case you are part of the latter group!

The first time I nursed my son (and I think I mentioned this in the birth story post) it was very special. It is with every baby I've had. That first time I am connected on the outside. So cool. So unlike anything else.

Of course, breastfeeding has been quite a journey. From all the trials I had with my oldest, to these days where it comes much more naturally - each time I sit down to feed my baby I feel as though I am giving myself in a way only a mother can. God, nature, biology - however you want to view it - has given mothers this incredibly special, unique, and demanding role as nurturer and provider. I'm thankful, oh so thankful, that I am able to do it. I know sometimes it doesn't work out. I'll be perfectly honest - I mourn for mama's and babies when this is the case. It doesn't mean their bond is any less special or any less strong! Still, I can't help but feel as though they are missing out on something I've found to be so helpful, and that makes me a bit sad. Please don't interpret this (if you or someone you know was not able to breastfeed) in the wrong way. I'm just explaining my person experiences my dear friends!

Nursing baby Michael has been the easiest by far. For one thing, yes, I am a veteran and I know more what to expect. But there are mom's I know who have had many more babies and just because you're experienced does not mean that you won't run into issues! Thankfully, so far, no issues with us. He nursed a lot for the first couple days before my milk came in (about every hour) but once my did come in he has pushed it back to every 2 hours or so. At night he sleeps for 3-5 hours before needing a feed! (I don't do any kind of scheduling or anything. He just did this on his own) and I'm happy with it except when he does wake up I'm really really full. Like uncomfortably full. My body should adjust in a few weeks to his needs better.

Differences between nursing him and the girls: I have a much stronger let-down with this baby. Much, much stronger. I don't know if this is common with the third baby, but it is so much more noticeable and even a bit painful. Also, Michael is a very alert baby while nursing (until he falls asleep). With Louisa, she would close her eyes for the first few weeks and kind of zone out. Josie was a bit more alert than Lou. But with Michael, he just seems to love staring up at me like he's trying to figure me out. He is an alert baby all around and as one lady put it - "you can just tell the gears are turning up there!" He is only going to get more alert as the weeks go by. I wish it would slow down though....I don't want him to grow out of the newborn stage too fast.

I love it. I love him. Nursing is a delight, a privilege, and a mystery. I am in awe of how our bond is already so very strong, even though we've only known one another - on the outside - for two weeks. I can't stop thinking of how much I love him and how he is my son.

My son.

{phfr}

 Pretty

My pretty girl at the Science center. She has been asking to go for a long time now.
Mostly because she's really into dinosaurs (we've been watching Dinosaur Train together as a family. Not a bad cartoon actually. The animation is somewhat annoying, but the show is actually quite informative!)

It was a pretty day, though very hot for us Pacific North-westerners!

Happy

Luckily we were inside mostly, where it was nice and cool.
The girls had a grand time.

And little Michael did great - he just stayed close to mama!
(Michael was born last week. Yes, super early to be going out and about but I have been feeling so good and having daddy home for these two weeks has made us want to go actually do things with the girls. This is something I never dreamed of after having my first, but it's a totally different story now with two busy toddlers, I'm tellin' you!
It helps keep them busy and tired for bedtime if we go out and do fun stuff. Also don't worry - after we got back we all had a long family naptime, so I am still taking it easy :)

 Funny

The little one had his first bath this week...
and we realized that with three children bathtime is going to be quite exciting/chaotic! 

as in there are a lot of extra hands to "help" 

Real

It is still somewhat setting in that he's finally here!
Love him!
(picture from last week)

More at Like Mother Like Daughter! Enjoy!

Some Michael thoughts

I like to sleep

and nurse

and sleep some more

I like to be held 

But I'm not sure I like to be bathed....

yeah, I'm just not sure if I like being so clean....

Ha. So thats gonna be all for now. I was going to actually write a post but now that we've finally got everyone in their beds (actually asleep) I just don't have the energy! I think I'd rather go have a snack, maybe take a tylenol for this headache I've got, and watch Castle with my love. It's been a long, hot, sticky day.

g'Night all!

2 Michaels

I don't know how ya'll feel about naming children after their parents but I have to tell you; it feels pretty good to have two Michael-bears to love now!

I mean, they are the two most important guys in my life.

They are both so darn handsome...

and a girl couldn't be more in love :)