wedding and baptism weekend

Somehow we managed to get a picture in, between the sheets of rain falling.

The wedding we went to was quite lovely. The ceremony was held in a church that Mike and I both really enjoy aesthetically. It was actually the church we almost got married in. Looking back, we are both upset with ourselves for giving up on it (I was in contact with the priest and we could have done it. The problem was the fee was quite high, and even if we could have gotten a discount, it still would have been way over our budget. This church is in high demand because it is so beautiful, and priority goes to registered parishioners. We ended up getting married in a much more plain church which didn't fit our personalities as well but oh well!) The reception afterward was a big party and all of us hand fun dancing and visiting. There were probably 300 + people there! This is one reason I love the homeschooling community and how it can play out if you put your family out there and make connections. This family throughout their years of homeschooling and being part of a solid church community had made so many friends. It's very inspiring to me.

The kids danced their hearts out with their friends, then we put their jammies on them and they fell asleep on the drive home. In a monsoon, practically. I drove but I regretted it since I hate driving at night and in the rain!

Sunday we got to attend the baptism of our college friend's first baby. We were/are so happy for them!

 Savannah is a beautiful baby and now she is a new little Christian! I love infant baptism. It totally makes sense theologically. A child is initiated into the Christian community through baptism. She does not make that choice, no, but does a child make a choice as to which faith she is raised in? Or that she will learn English? No, the parents make this decision for her, just like they do in hundreds of other choices. Later on in life there will be opportunities for her to knowingly accept this faith as her own, but for the time being, it is important for her to be baptized. It is good for the community to be there for this and to support the parents in the difficult task of raising the child in the faith. We all need the grace through baptism in this scary, dangerous world.

Also it was also delightful to see our friends from college. We all met at the Catholic Newman center so it's appropriate that we still all get together for these types of things. At the beginning of the summer we had to gather for a funeral, which was so. very. difficult to do. My heart still hurts thinking about it. But we know we are so blessed by our friendships that we can rely on to help us get through the sorrowful along with the joyful events life brings us.

***

a couple of bonus pictures for you:

Michael fell asleep at mass and I decided to let Lou hold her sleeping brother for a bit. You can see that our "baby" is not quite a baby anymore! But it was pretty sweet. Lou really wants another baby that she can actually hold :)

And you can see I got to hold Savannah! Made my day. Okay, it made my week. Maybe my month....yeah, I love newborns :)

I really like my kids

They challenge me. They make me tired. They make me frustrated. They make messes. They scare me. The future scares me. But, when I stop and think about it, I really do like my kids. I like being around them. They are my funny little humans. They are amusing to me. It would be so strange to not have these people in my life.

Anyway, that's just how I feel about that. I think I'm pretty blessed to enjoy my time with them. 

Why yes, I did get out of bed this morning and think to myself, "I want to get outside and do a photo session with my children"

In case you were wondering :)

Have a fantastic weekend, will you? We are going to be going to a wedding and a baptism, so, I expect ours will be!

Random random.

Hello rainy Wednesday.

Louisa listening to a book on tape

This week has felt like slow motion. It's also been a very random week. I'm sitting here on my nice made bed. Thanks in large part to my children cooperating and playing with one another very well this morning. But I'm listening to a chain saw and guys yelling about falling branches right outside my window practically. Thanks neighbors, for getting your tree cut down at nap time. I hear little girls chatting in their room and I'm hoping they'll settle down soon. Baby boy is sleeping soundly. I don't know how he makes it to noon before a nap. He just tries so hard to keep up with his sisters!

Yesterday I had to go to the dentist. I was dreading it for so long. I actually used to love to go to the dentist growing up. I remember we'd get the day off school usually (or at least part of the day) and our dentist was really sweet. I never had a cavity until college, and I was quite proud of that. But, I hate to say it, my pregnancies ruined my teeth. I have since had two root canals and something like 5 cavities. I also have this horribly sensitive spot (receding gum line) on one of my teeth that absolutely has me jumping out of my chair when they clean it. I always tell them to be careful, and they always forget. Hence why I dread going these days. But the dentist is pretty nice (a little odd) and has five children so he's always delighted to hear about mine. This last visit he remarked, "I want to have another baby so bad, but my wife told me no" Super random, huh? By the way, Louisa LOVES going to the dentist. She asks me all the time how many days until she gets to go back.

You are welcome for this awesomely random photograph.

Speaking of teeth - little Mac is also teething and causing some misery around here. He has been fussy lately. I don't remember the girls having much trouble with teething. I guess boys are just just wusses! :) But seriously, poor guy. He is getting a pretty big molar and that must not be much fun.

lunch time! Sometimes having three kids is totally doable :)

The girls were super cute this morning and played together forever. I got a lot done as a result. The basement needed a little TLC. I organized some stuff and I folded clothes. I really love watching them play together. They were fighting a lot this year, but toward the end of the summer they seemed to have turned a corner and realized its actually more fun to play together instead of screaming at one another. Of course they are still going to fight, but at least they are at an age where they can play pretend for long periods of time. I love that they have a playmate in one another. They are 22 months apart. God's timing is the best, even when it might seem like it at certain times. (What I mean by that is when we got pregnant with Josie I was a little worried. I had some freak out moments. Should we have spaced them more? Were we being careless? But no, it's obviously been for the best. They are going to be great friends and if we had gone off our own timing, it might not have been so.)

Anyways, this is a very random post. I wonder if you're still with me. So many words! 

We got another piece of furniture. It's the last thing we are going to buy for a while. I didn't even want to get it, but it was a deal we just couldn't pass up. This buffet is a Thomasville that matches the table and it is quite beautiful. The dang thing weighed a ton. Luckily we had a friend and his brother help us, because I wasn't able to help Mike get it out of the car alone. I think it looks quite nice and we really need the storage space for our dishes and such.

Let's see, what else can I randomly talk about?

Oh these dang fruit flies! They seem to be really bad this year. I'm kind of going nuts trying to get rid of them. I don't leave any food out. I'm keeping the sink and garbage disposal clean. Somehow they are still managing to reproduce. Gross! 

I guess this will be the last thing before I go do something else to enjoy naptime (make myself a sandwich, read my book or watch something on Hulu) It's my brother's birthday! My handsome, younger brother by 15 months. The girls are SO excited to make dinner for him tonight then go to the Family Fun Center with him (it's this huge arcade type place) My brother is a pretty amazing guy. He's got a big personality and a lot of heart. Now it's just time for him to find a good girl and settle down. (He would KILL me if he knew I wrote that. It's okay, he doesn't go on the internet much) Happy Birthday Dusty!

Alright, that's all. Later gators!

Seven qt's

Not even quick "takes" as much as seven quick pictures from the week and one sentence to describe them. (I know, kind of a lame post, but I felt I should round out the week since I posted Monday-Thursday. Sometimes I'm ocd about that :) I'll do my best to not write run-on sentences, but I'm not making any promises.

-1-

Don't you hate it when you're kids are sick?

-2-

I love my little professor-man!

-3-

Speaking of little professor man, look who is sleeping in his own crib and has been all week.

-4-

The morning light in the kitchen always puts me in a good mood to start the day.

 -5-

The girls and I tried out a new recipe - lemon poppy seed muffins!

-6-

Louisa Ann testing out her rain boots and winter jacket (and making a pretty good duck face.)

 -7-

Just going for a drive on Thursday, and trying not to let the beautiful sunshine blind us!

That's all! Have a great weekend!
Love, Kayleen

How having three kids is easier than having one

"who are we?! and what are we going to do all day??"

Yesterday I took my three little monkeys to the zoo. As we were driving there, playing there, then driving home, I starting remembering when I used to take just Louisa to the zoo when she was a baby. I remember feeling utterly wiped out by the time I got home, then fretting over whether or not I was going to be able to take a nap, and then fretting once I woke up about how many hours I'd have to count down until daddy arrived home from work. Then, I would log into Facebook and see photos of a lot of my friends, some still in college, some married but with no kids - all doing fun stuff like going out dancing and going to football games, and start to feel sad and a little jealous. I wasn't able to do those things anymore. and what did they think of me...of Mike and me... becoming parents just nine months after getting married....

Back to the present: when I arrived home, I got the kids all down for a nap, popped in a Lean Cuisine frozen lunch (what? They are a guilty pleasure of mine) went into my room, watched Project Runway on Hulu, then folded some laundry until one of the kids woke up. Oh, first I blogged some cute pictures from our day, and read a few blog posts of my friends'.

As I got to thinking more, I realized that I could make the assertion that when it was just Louisa, I had a much harder time getting through the days. They were MUCH more draining. Today, I find it easier to make it through the day without feeling physically and more importantly, emotionally exhausted.

I was trying to think of some reasons why this might be the case. After all, I do have three times as many children! It's only logical that I'd be - well,  three times as worn out and tired. But, as I said, it's really not the case. I'm serious! Here are some of the reasons I came up with:

-EMOTIONS-
1. First and foremost - there is nothing in the world like becoming a mother for the first time. In all honesty, it is the most mind blowing thing ever, and sometimes not in a good way. Your whole life is COMPLETELY different than it was before having a kid. Your sleep is different, your relationship with your spouse is different, your entire outlook on the universe is different. It is crazy hard to deal with on so many levels. It stretches you to the limit of who you are - and for me it took quite a while before I really settled into my new identity as a mama. It took quite a while before I felt comfortable and confident raising this new tiny human.

And, I think you know where I"m going with this - - - the good thing is you really only go through this once. At least, I did. Maybe it's different for other mothers, but my subsequent pregnancies and babies were still life changing, but it was much easier to adjust to. I could adjust to the loss of sleep with Josie because I was already somewhat used to it. I was no longer questioning who I was when I got pregnant with Michael - I KNEW I was a mother and I had owned this identity. Psychologically and emotionally, the next two people that I brought into the world (with Mike's help :) were not quite so jarring!

-SLEEP-
2. As I mentioned, sleep (or lack there of) becomes something your body adjusts to. Sure, I'm still tired sometimes. Maybe even most times. But, it's totally different than it was at first with one baby. I remember thinking to myself one time when Lou was a couple of weeks old, "Might as well face it Kayleen, you are never going to sleep through the night again." That definitely wasn't true. I have had plenty of lovely sleep-filled nights. Just not every night :) And I'm okay with that. I can adjust. I have learned how I get my energy and know that the days of perfect sleep are going to come one day. Again, psychologically I'm in a much better place with my relationship with sleep.

-MY MARRIAGE-
3. You think you love your husband on your wedding day. And you so totally do. But, then, you have a baby with him. And that baby takes your breath away because she made you a mommy and him daddy. Then the days get stressful and you worry about every little thing. There is a strain for a while. But then you settle into your new roles nicely, and then the second one comes along. Your love grows exponentially. By the time you're on your third kid, you wonder at how you thought you could never love him more than on your wedding day (because you so. totally. do)

And, your relationship is just stronger after going through trials together. We are worn in together as parents and today I look forward to him coming home more than I ever did in those newlywed days :) (Mostly so he can take the kids off my hands...sweep me up in his arms, and kiss me)

-SIBLINGS-
4. When it was just me and Louisa, it was so lovely taking her places and doing things with her. We had lots of fun adventures together. But, in those days, I was also her sole entertainer. And that could get tricky sometimes. I remember times when I was really not looking forward to entertaining her for 3 more hours until daddy got home. I would go down to the lobby of our apartment building just so she could wave to the buses or smile at other residents as the got their mail. It was tiresome though, and these days I reflect on how much the kids play together. Yes yes, they fight and make bigger messes together, but somehow, for me personally, I'd rather clean up after them and break up the fights than have to entertain a toddler for hours on end. They entertain each other! (and learn from each other)

-JOY and GRATITUDE-
5. With every baby we've had our joy just increases so much. We get to see a new personality, a new soul , unique and precious! It's amazing. I think about future children we may have and I just get giddy thinking about what they will be like.

We are also ever grateful for the gifts God has given us. We are more grateful every single day. With just Louisa, of course, the joy and gratitude was there for sure! It's just that it gets better. Love grows. There is always room for more love.

Okay, so those are the biggest reasons I could come up with. But I know what you're thinking - It's STILL got to be harder having THREE! Afterall, they are SO close together and so young! Isn't your life crazy and hectic and not that much fun? When do you get to make out with your husband or get a pedicure?

Yes, there are many challenges. I'm not saying there aren't. Three times the worrying, three times the fear, and three times the poop (thankfully just two in diapers, but still) But you know what, I still maintain that that first year with my first baby -my sweet Louisa- where absolutely the hardest day so of my life. I'm grateful for what it taught me about myself, and I'm happy to be where I am now.

Funny kids

Gotta love these little monkeys.

Just for my own reference's sake: Josie 2.5 - Michael 13 months - Louisa 4.5. 

Things I don't blog about

...that a lot of other bloggers do. I notice a lot of the most shared blog posts are written about subjects that I just don't usually venture into. Not all of them, but many of them start off with admissions: I got in a fight with my husband about this...I struggle with housecleaning so much and my laundry is a mile high but then I.....My kids behave awfully and embarrass me but still I.....I don't vaccinate my children and everyone despises me but.....We have no money....I'm 9 months pregnant and miserable....I learned how to pray more by doing this....

I know not every single popular blog post or blog author necessarily writes about these touchy subjects. But I've definitely noted over the years (I've been a blogger for many years now!) that the topics that people really want to read about are topics I'm personally pretty uncomfortable talking about....

And there's nothing wrong with that. I like reading about people's struggles too, as long as they have a way to show what they learned. And sometimes it sure is nice to read something and think "wow, I'm sure glad I'm not alone in this struggle!"

But since I am a mostly positive person, I hope people who do read this blog realize that the daily life postings I make often do leave out some of the most negative parts of my life. I don't write about the thoughts that keep me laying awake in bed at night, the thoughts that frighten me or my petty actions that drive a wedge between me and my husband. I don't write so often about how I worry about being a good enough mother, or a good enough spouse, a good enough cook, or a good enough Christian. Sometimes I wish I could write with more grit, but frankly I don't feel comfortable doing that. I don't have confidence in my writing ability nor in my ability to still focus on the positive when I only write about the negative.

I love to talk about my kids.

Those thoughts, actions, events that I prefer not to write about still do happen. They definitely happen! If you want an example, this weekend I was a crazy cleaning woman and unfairly flipped out at my family for messing up the house I had so clean and ready to go on vacation (which didn't work out so we were at home all weekend) I resented the fact that I had worked so hard on something that was completely undone in a matter of a Saturday afternoon. It was only after I had cooled down (you don't want to know how long that took) before Mike was able to point out, "um, it is a playroom Kayleen. It's not really supposed to stay spotless all the time"

Hm. I hadn't thought of that. Oops.

having a rough day recently

So anyway, I guess I've just felt a little blogger guilt lately for painting a picture of myself as a perfect housewife/mother/and now homeschooler. I was convicted of this when I started to brainstorm ideas for blog posts this week. I thought, "ohhh, I'll write about how WELL homeschooling is going so far! I'll talk about how Louisa is the perfect little student, how I got Josie and Michael to play quietly with toys while we did a few lessons on Monday, and how afterward we got ready to go and went grocery shopping and the girls held the stroller and it was all so great."

Well yes, it was. Yesterday was a pretty good day. But that doesn't mean all homeschooling days are going to be like that. In fact, I can guarantee you they won't! And I wouldn't have included in that post the fact that I have this cold that is hanging on for dear life in my system.

I wouldn't have included the part where I got frustrated with Josie for being two and taking her sweet time to buckle herself into the car and I lost my temper and yelled for her to hurry up already!

I wouldn't have included the part where Mike and I have had to have some uncomfortable financial discussions that left me confused and annoyed and wishing that we maybe had two incomes.

my kids do get grumpy

I don't exactly where I'm going with all this except that I probably won't ever make it big with this blog. I will never have thousands of readers and hundreds of comments. Oh, I've thought about it, trust me. I've thought about how fun it would be to be well-known in the blogging world. And there have been times where I've written more serious posts and more honest posts. But it's just not how I operate. I wouldn't be able to write about my raw feelings and emotions and struggles very often. I can, and do, on occasion. And I have a feeling many of you like to see that side of me. But overall, this blog remains just an upbeat, fun, and light glimpse into my days. I know it won't matter how many comments I have on that post where I remember how cute it was when Josie did this or when Louisa said that....

All that matters right now is that I have something written down for memories sake and that at least one or two people get a small amount of joy from seeing our family in action and the blessings God has bestowed on us. It's important for me to be myself. It's important for me to occasionally share my struggles because that's a big part of life, but overall I'd prefer to share the good stuff. You know what - if I had to change my blog title to anything it would be "Blessed Beyond My Wildest Imagination, but Some Days are Still Hard and I Drink Way Too Much Coffee" But I think I'll just leave it at what it is. I wouldn't want anyone to stop reading my blog because they couldn't find the address :)


*I'd like to also add that since I have not suffered an enormous personal loss or serious event in my life so far, I have not had that kind of thing to write about. I credit some bloggers for sharing these personal stories with such honesty and grit. Those stories are...I don't know how else to say it but....they are just inspiring and I am grateful for the courage of those willing to share.

Little Mac's room

 It's been a crazy month since I decided to take on a bunch of house projects! Whew! I'm exhausted. I'm finally done and I'm not doing any more projects for a long while. I've got my fill. Scratched that itch!

But, what do you think? I've never done a little boy's room before!

 So this room used to be the girls' room. It was pink. I painted this accent wall a dark blue (the name escapes me right now) and the other three walls "Icicle blue"

I got the airplane decals from Amazon. Love them! Michael's paternal great grandpa was a pilot so who knows...maybe we'll get another one in the family one day? 

A picture of mom and dad on the other wall...

"I like my room, mama!!"

"Wait wait waaaaaaaait. Hold up.

 You mean to tell me I have to sleep in here?!?"

"Yeah....I doubt that."

"But, you go ahead and try, ma! Have fun with that!"

Well, actually little boy, I already succeeded in getting you to sleep in there last night and for your nap today, so I may just win after all. 

I can't believe you are 13 months now. Where the heck did the time go?!

Little boys are so much fun! (and fun to decorate for :)