We are still here and moving along! The boys all finally recovered from their illnesses and we are thankful for health again!
Preschool starts this coming week and I am excited to get back into the routine of the school year. We will be busy--I am leading a table at MOPS, the big boys are doing AWANA, we're participating in our small group, rehearsals for various things, and preschool three days a week. I am also getting Joel's therapy schedule worked out to fit in the "holes" and am feeling very good about the direction he is going in. It's all great stuff and I feel as though our schedule is still very manageable. We are looking forward to a fun fall!
The boys have been bickering a lot these past few days. It makes me go bonkers after too long so maybe they are ready for some more activities of their own too :). Brody won't know what to do with all of the peace and quiet around here when they are gone!
But speaking of peace and quiet, that little baby also enjoys himself some loud, live music! We've had several occasions in the past few weeks to see live bands and he just goes crazy. He shakes his arms, bobs his head and moves his chubby little legs all around! He does it while we are holding him, while pulling up on something, or while sitting in the stroller. I've got to try to get it on video because it's just so funny. I've never seen such a young baby react so pleasurably to bands :). Maybe he's following in his daddy's footsteps.
And speaking of his daddy, Zac's album is done and will be released in two weeks!! We've sold a few pre-release copies at some special events and the feedback has been awesome and I know that he is so encouraged. After working on this for so long, and hearing the songs so many times, I think he was beginning to question if they were even any good--but they are, and we are excited for other to catch a vision for the new hymns movement!
So, we are moving along....
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
We're back...
...and jumped right back into the land of sick children. Joel did recover, but then Brody got pretty sick and we are still struggling along with him. Just think horrible diarrhea (as in 12-14 diapers a day), painful diaper rash, and a cold. His voice sounds so sad when he tries to cry because it comes out more like a hoarse, barky kind of sounnd.
And sweet baby that he is, only cries when he needs a new diaper or when I lay him down to sleep. It's been my special time with him to go in and rock him for awhile before naps and bedtime--what better comfort can I provide? I actually still remember being rocked by my mom (I think it extended into my early elementary years if I was not feeling well or upset about something). I hope my kids always know that my lap is open for them.
We have lots going on this week and are still trying to recover from our trip. It was great--beautiful in the mountains and a nice change of pace--but it wasn't necessarily restful. We lead worship at a conference for 3 sessions a day, and when you include sound checks and rehearsals, we spent a lot of time on that stage :)! Other than some background singing on Zac's album, I haven't ever really been much of a part of leading worship with him and so it was a new experience for me...a little stressful but fun!
We celebrated Jesse's 3rd birthday last night so I'll get some pics up and try to do a special post for him soon!
And sweet baby that he is, only cries when he needs a new diaper or when I lay him down to sleep. It's been my special time with him to go in and rock him for awhile before naps and bedtime--what better comfort can I provide? I actually still remember being rocked by my mom (I think it extended into my early elementary years if I was not feeling well or upset about something). I hope my kids always know that my lap is open for them.
We have lots going on this week and are still trying to recover from our trip. It was great--beautiful in the mountains and a nice change of pace--but it wasn't necessarily restful. We lead worship at a conference for 3 sessions a day, and when you include sound checks and rehearsals, we spent a lot of time on that stage :)! Other than some background singing on Zac's album, I haven't ever really been much of a part of leading worship with him and so it was a new experience for me...a little stressful but fun!
We celebrated Jesse's 3rd birthday last night so I'll get some pics up and try to do a special post for him soon!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wouldn't ya know?
Zac and I have been looking forward to "escaping" our normal lives at home to lead worship at a conference in the mountains this week. We've been planning this for almost 7 months and were excited the time was finally here.
We convinced my parents they would do a most wonderful job taking care of all 3 boys, left adequate instructions, and hit the road (with a car full of sound gear!). And wouldn't you know, not 2 hours after we'd left, I got a call from my mom that Joel had a fever.
What?! I promise I am not lying when I say he seemed PERFECTLY fine when we left. Really. They had a rough 2 days with him and then he was on the mend.
Then I got a call this morning that now Brody is having one nasty (I won't go into details) diaper after another, with a mild fever of his own. My poor mom was up several times overnight changing and comforting him...just when they probably thought they were up for a good night's sleep.
Why does this always seem to happen? When they watched the boys while we were in the hospital after I delivered Brody, they were very sick then too. And that wasn't the first time they'd been left with sick kids, either. I am beginning to fear that they will never want to watch my kids again! Zac said this morning, it would be fun if we could do this again next year. To which I quickly replied, I don't think anyone will be up to watching our FOUR children....we don't have a great track record. It's hard enough doing this when everyone is healthy, it's even stressful for me to do it if someone is not well.
Oh my. Life still continues, despite our perfect plans, doesn't it? Hopefully we will return home, late tonight, and feel refreshed and ready to take on the extra "challenges" at home right now!
We convinced my parents they would do a most wonderful job taking care of all 3 boys, left adequate instructions, and hit the road (with a car full of sound gear!). And wouldn't you know, not 2 hours after we'd left, I got a call from my mom that Joel had a fever.
What?! I promise I am not lying when I say he seemed PERFECTLY fine when we left. Really. They had a rough 2 days with him and then he was on the mend.
Then I got a call this morning that now Brody is having one nasty (I won't go into details) diaper after another, with a mild fever of his own. My poor mom was up several times overnight changing and comforting him...just when they probably thought they were up for a good night's sleep.
Why does this always seem to happen? When they watched the boys while we were in the hospital after I delivered Brody, they were very sick then too. And that wasn't the first time they'd been left with sick kids, either. I am beginning to fear that they will never want to watch my kids again! Zac said this morning, it would be fun if we could do this again next year. To which I quickly replied, I don't think anyone will be up to watching our FOUR children....we don't have a great track record. It's hard enough doing this when everyone is healthy, it's even stressful for me to do it if someone is not well.
Oh my. Life still continues, despite our perfect plans, doesn't it? Hopefully we will return home, late tonight, and feel refreshed and ready to take on the extra "challenges" at home right now!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Peanut.
Before his first haircut!
And after! (It wasn't my best haircut ever, but it was sufficient :)
Brody is 9 months old now! (sorry I'm a little late on this...it was August 3rd). I call him peanut, but that's really not the most accurate description because he's a big guy!
At his appointment he was 20 lbs. 14 oz. (50%) and 30 inches long (95%)! He's taller than the other boys were at this point, but weighs more than Joel did and less than Jesse did. That seems hard for me to believe though because Jesse always (and still does) seemed so skinny to me. Brody looks more stocky, kind of how Joel has always looked. It funny to see the similar and unique characteristics of all of them.
Brody is crawling all over (started about 6 weeks ago), exploring more, saying mama and dada, and is pulling up! I went in to get him from his crib last week and he was just standing there, waiting for me :). He is very proud of his new mobility and independence.
And I have to say that he is just the SWEETEST, content baby. He only cries when he is tired or hungry and will just spend hours crawling around and entertaining himself. He is easy to take places, likes the car, and give us huge smiles. He really is very low-maintenance, which is a nice break from the other two! If I could change just one tiny thing about him would be to help him be a better sleep--he's not bad--just not great. But, I'm not complaining because we feel so blessed to call him ours!!
And this sweet babe has no idea that in just about six months he will also become a big brother! I'm sure he'll be great.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Reflection.
So I've had a hard past few days with the boys. No matter how consistent we try to remain in our parenting, they just seem to ebb and flow in their behavior. We go through good and bad periods.
Tonight I decided to lay down with Joel in his bed for a few moments, in hopes of catching a little special time with just him (to try to overshadow the constant discipline it seems they've been receiving lately). We were chatting in the semi-darkness but then he left the room for a bit to go potty.
I felt like I could doze off in his bed and then my thoughts began wandering to something much deeper. When people lose a child, it seems there can be two reactions to their child's bedroom. Some shut the door and cannot bear to open it for years. Others find comfort lying in their child's bed and feeling the worn texture of their special blanket.
I thought about what it would be like if I was lying there, grieving for my own child. Looking up I saw the model solar system hanging from his ceiling that he picked out at the country store at Cracker Barrel restaurant when my mom told him he could pick out a toy. I thought it an odd choice at the time, but now it brought tears to my eyes.
I looked at his drawer and the green fleece pajamas that were hanging out. He tries to wear them most every night but I won't let him because it's way too hot outside...he still insists on keeping them in his drawer, though, because he wants to be able to see them.
As I rested my head on his pillow I smiled at how he takes his pillowcase off every night after we leave the room and throws it on the floor, preferring to sleep on the pillow without it.
Seeing his ceiling fan reminded me of just how excited he was when Zac installed it and how he invited everyone that came to our house over the next several months up to his room to see it.
Hearing the whirring sound of his humidier made me think back to the time Zac and I completely had to dismantle it when he went through a phase of putting coins, paper clips, and other small objects in the vent because he liked the sound it made.
It would have been so easy to be overcome by grief had our circumstances been different.
But then I remembered, I have nothing to grieve. God has placed this vibrant child in our lives and he is living and breathing at this very moment. And yes, there are days when I cry over disastrous outings with the kids or their defiant behavior (see my previous post even!), but God once again gently retuned my heart tonight and helped me put things into perspective. Every day should be a day that I give thanks for the lives of my children--no matter what the daily occurances were.
And so in the morning when I put Joel's pillowcase back on and turn off his humidifier and ceiling fan, I will smile and say a prayer of thanksgiving.
Tonight I decided to lay down with Joel in his bed for a few moments, in hopes of catching a little special time with just him (to try to overshadow the constant discipline it seems they've been receiving lately). We were chatting in the semi-darkness but then he left the room for a bit to go potty.
I felt like I could doze off in his bed and then my thoughts began wandering to something much deeper. When people lose a child, it seems there can be two reactions to their child's bedroom. Some shut the door and cannot bear to open it for years. Others find comfort lying in their child's bed and feeling the worn texture of their special blanket.
I thought about what it would be like if I was lying there, grieving for my own child. Looking up I saw the model solar system hanging from his ceiling that he picked out at the country store at Cracker Barrel restaurant when my mom told him he could pick out a toy. I thought it an odd choice at the time, but now it brought tears to my eyes.
I looked at his drawer and the green fleece pajamas that were hanging out. He tries to wear them most every night but I won't let him because it's way too hot outside...he still insists on keeping them in his drawer, though, because he wants to be able to see them.
As I rested my head on his pillow I smiled at how he takes his pillowcase off every night after we leave the room and throws it on the floor, preferring to sleep on the pillow without it.
Seeing his ceiling fan reminded me of just how excited he was when Zac installed it and how he invited everyone that came to our house over the next several months up to his room to see it.
Hearing the whirring sound of his humidier made me think back to the time Zac and I completely had to dismantle it when he went through a phase of putting coins, paper clips, and other small objects in the vent because he liked the sound it made.
It would have been so easy to be overcome by grief had our circumstances been different.
But then I remembered, I have nothing to grieve. God has placed this vibrant child in our lives and he is living and breathing at this very moment. And yes, there are days when I cry over disastrous outings with the kids or their defiant behavior (see my previous post even!), but God once again gently retuned my heart tonight and helped me put things into perspective. Every day should be a day that I give thanks for the lives of my children--no matter what the daily occurances were.
And so in the morning when I put Joel's pillowcase back on and turn off his humidifier and ceiling fan, I will smile and say a prayer of thanksgiving.
On shoes and such...
It's that time of year again...back to school shopping. The main focus for us is always on finding new shoes. The boys live in flip-flops or crocs all summer, and inevitably, towards the end of summer when I try on their shoes from last spring, they never fit anymore. Unfortunately, it's kind of hard on the wallet too because they have their daddy's wide feet and I often can only find shoes that fit in specialty shops.
So tonight I took them shoe shopping. Zac is now getting my precious stomach flu so I took pity on him and left with all three boys in tow.
Now let me just say that despite all of my boy's "boyishness", I think they would be quite happy if they were girls. Just last week Zac found Joel in our bathroom in the midst of applying mascara and lipstick (surprisingly accurately too!). Every time I wear jewelry, Jesse tells me how beautiful it is and insists on taking it from me so he can wear it. It's taken many a conversation to convince them that they cannot wear my earrings because they don't have holes in their ears like Mommy. They just don't seem to be buying it. They picked out a pink booster chair last summer when we needed another one for the kitchen table. Jesse carries lip gloss in his pocket. I think you get the picture.
This is why it shouldn't surprise me that we had an incident at the shoe store. They were both in awe of the rows of pink shoes with delicate details and plentiful bows. Immediately they started pulling out boxes saying they wanted to buy this one and that one. All the while, I am trying to focus on the meager selection of boys shoes and find at least two pairs that are size wide and don't have flashing lights or giant cartoon characters on them. And that is much harder than you think.
Eventually, I think I found something that would work for each of them, but our time at the store concluded with giant tears and tantrums because they were not allowed to buy these shoes.
Joel is wearing the faux ugg boots, complete with fur edging. Jesse is wearing the maroon mary janes with the delicate bow on top. I'm actually now thinking maybe it would be better if we never had a girl because I'm quite certain all of her things would end up in the boys' room. Poor thing. She wouldn't stand a chance.
This isn't the greatest picture because I took it with my phone. The same phone, I might mention, that I just picked up from a massage parlor. Oh yes, I dropped my phone in the grocery store parking lot yesterday. It just so happens to be next to the massage place and some kind person turned my phone into the front desk there. The receptionist then proceeded to call multiple friends and family in my contact book to try and track me down. It worked, but now everyone is jealous because I had a leisurely afternoon getting a massage.
Oh, my dear friends and family, that couldn't be farther from the truth. My day actually was highlighted by a nightmare trip to the doctor where all 3 children proceeded to scream and cry the entire time. I cannot count the number of dirty looks I got from other parents. That was followed up by an aborted mission to the grocery store (where I managed to lose aforementioned cell phone) because of aforementioned behavior from children. Obviously I was in a rush to get out of there since I just left my phone laying on the street. And let me tell you...I sure NEEDED a massage after all of that.
So tonight I took them shoe shopping. Zac is now getting my precious stomach flu so I took pity on him and left with all three boys in tow.
Now let me just say that despite all of my boy's "boyishness", I think they would be quite happy if they were girls. Just last week Zac found Joel in our bathroom in the midst of applying mascara and lipstick (surprisingly accurately too!). Every time I wear jewelry, Jesse tells me how beautiful it is and insists on taking it from me so he can wear it. It's taken many a conversation to convince them that they cannot wear my earrings because they don't have holes in their ears like Mommy. They just don't seem to be buying it. They picked out a pink booster chair last summer when we needed another one for the kitchen table. Jesse carries lip gloss in his pocket. I think you get the picture.
This is why it shouldn't surprise me that we had an incident at the shoe store. They were both in awe of the rows of pink shoes with delicate details and plentiful bows. Immediately they started pulling out boxes saying they wanted to buy this one and that one. All the while, I am trying to focus on the meager selection of boys shoes and find at least two pairs that are size wide and don't have flashing lights or giant cartoon characters on them. And that is much harder than you think.
Eventually, I think I found something that would work for each of them, but our time at the store concluded with giant tears and tantrums because they were not allowed to buy these shoes.
Joel is wearing the faux ugg boots, complete with fur edging. Jesse is wearing the maroon mary janes with the delicate bow on top. I'm actually now thinking maybe it would be better if we never had a girl because I'm quite certain all of her things would end up in the boys' room. Poor thing. She wouldn't stand a chance.
This isn't the greatest picture because I took it with my phone. The same phone, I might mention, that I just picked up from a massage parlor. Oh yes, I dropped my phone in the grocery store parking lot yesterday. It just so happens to be next to the massage place and some kind person turned my phone into the front desk there. The receptionist then proceeded to call multiple friends and family in my contact book to try and track me down. It worked, but now everyone is jealous because I had a leisurely afternoon getting a massage.
Oh, my dear friends and family, that couldn't be farther from the truth. My day actually was highlighted by a nightmare trip to the doctor where all 3 children proceeded to scream and cry the entire time. I cannot count the number of dirty looks I got from other parents. That was followed up by an aborted mission to the grocery store (where I managed to lose aforementioned cell phone) because of aforementioned behavior from children. Obviously I was in a rush to get out of there since I just left my phone laying on the street. And let me tell you...I sure NEEDED a massage after all of that.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Oh my.
This has been the craziest two weeks. When Zac was off last week on vacation I think I mentioned that I got his horrible cold. Just as I was beginning to feel almost totally recovered from that, I got the stomach flu.
How, you ask, since the only place I went all week was to the grocery store for all of 5 minutes? Apparently I picked up probably the only stomach flu germ floating around there.
I started throwing up Wednesday night and just got worse on Friday. Lots of pain, fever, the whole deal. I even had to call Zac and ask him to come home from work on Thursday morning. That's a huge deal for me and has happened only one other time since we've had kids, I think. And it's a good thing he came because I collapsed into bed and barely got out for the next 36 hours. Ugh.
But, I am feeling much better again! At first, I was afraid I was starting to get morning sickness (but a little late because I'm almost 11 weeks pregnant). I was sort of disappointed because--knock on wood--this has been my best pregnancy yet!! I have only felt a few waves of nausea but have pretty much just carried on as normal. I haven't even felt any extra tired, which is so different than last time when I literally RAN straight to my bed as soon as I put the other boys down for their naps every day. I truly felt like someone was giving me a constant IV drip of Ambien or something. It was awful. I am embarrassed to admit that I almost fell asleep while waiting at a red light once. And this is coming from the person who normally has a hard time sleeping.
One side note, being able to nap during pregnancy is one good reason to have your kids close together. Even now all 3 boys will nap at the same time (if I plan it correctly :) and I can still manage at least an hour to myself. Nice!
Anyway, back to important things. Like vomit. I threw up most often while pregnant with Joel (for 7 months, daily) and didn't want to be pregnant ever again. It wasn't nearly as bad with Jesse, good thing because Joel was just turning one and needed lots of attention--obviously I had miraculously gotten over my fear of being pregnant again. I was reminiscing about how I would just bring him into the bathroom with me when I threw up because he thought the sound was funny and he would just giggle away. I was a fair amount sicker with Brody and ended up taking Zofran around 15 weeks because I was so tired of being sick (and I now had a one and two year old that needed their mommy to be a bit more chipper). It helped a little and the nausea really went away around 20 weeks.
I recap all of that not to bore you or completely gross you out, but to just share what a miracle it is that I have been feeling so great! Aside from the whole stomach flu and cold thing, I really don't think I'm going to have to endure the dreadfulness of what I have previously known as the first 4-5 months of pregnancy. And this friends, is truly a miracle. When I found out I was pregnant with this "surprise blessing" baby, my first two thoughts were:
What if it's another boy?!
How in the world can I endure pregnancy again, especially with a little baby still at home?
Then I just prayed. God knows all of these things and more. Even the things I hadn't thought to worry about yet. So I prayed that he would carry me through the known fears and the unknown ones too, but especially that he would show me mercy over the upcoming months of pregnancy. And he graciously has. Wow!
How, you ask, since the only place I went all week was to the grocery store for all of 5 minutes? Apparently I picked up probably the only stomach flu germ floating around there.
I started throwing up Wednesday night and just got worse on Friday. Lots of pain, fever, the whole deal. I even had to call Zac and ask him to come home from work on Thursday morning. That's a huge deal for me and has happened only one other time since we've had kids, I think. And it's a good thing he came because I collapsed into bed and barely got out for the next 36 hours. Ugh.
But, I am feeling much better again! At first, I was afraid I was starting to get morning sickness (but a little late because I'm almost 11 weeks pregnant). I was sort of disappointed because--knock on wood--this has been my best pregnancy yet!! I have only felt a few waves of nausea but have pretty much just carried on as normal. I haven't even felt any extra tired, which is so different than last time when I literally RAN straight to my bed as soon as I put the other boys down for their naps every day. I truly felt like someone was giving me a constant IV drip of Ambien or something. It was awful. I am embarrassed to admit that I almost fell asleep while waiting at a red light once. And this is coming from the person who normally has a hard time sleeping.
One side note, being able to nap during pregnancy is one good reason to have your kids close together. Even now all 3 boys will nap at the same time (if I plan it correctly :) and I can still manage at least an hour to myself. Nice!
Anyway, back to important things. Like vomit. I threw up most often while pregnant with Joel (for 7 months, daily) and didn't want to be pregnant ever again. It wasn't nearly as bad with Jesse, good thing because Joel was just turning one and needed lots of attention--obviously I had miraculously gotten over my fear of being pregnant again. I was reminiscing about how I would just bring him into the bathroom with me when I threw up because he thought the sound was funny and he would just giggle away. I was a fair amount sicker with Brody and ended up taking Zofran around 15 weeks because I was so tired of being sick (and I now had a one and two year old that needed their mommy to be a bit more chipper). It helped a little and the nausea really went away around 20 weeks.
I recap all of that not to bore you or completely gross you out, but to just share what a miracle it is that I have been feeling so great! Aside from the whole stomach flu and cold thing, I really don't think I'm going to have to endure the dreadfulness of what I have previously known as the first 4-5 months of pregnancy. And this friends, is truly a miracle. When I found out I was pregnant with this "surprise blessing" baby, my first two thoughts were:
What if it's another boy?!
How in the world can I endure pregnancy again, especially with a little baby still at home?
Then I just prayed. God knows all of these things and more. Even the things I hadn't thought to worry about yet. So I prayed that he would carry me through the known fears and the unknown ones too, but especially that he would show me mercy over the upcoming months of pregnancy. And he graciously has. Wow!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Some things I love...
about...
Zac--his tenacity and hard work.
Joel--how he is always up for trying new things and approaches life with excitement and passion. He always wants to know what's coming next on the schedule.
Jesse--the way he laughs/smiles when he is embarrassed about something and says, "oops, I didn't meant to do that."
Brody--how any time I catch his attention and he looks at me, he will always return my smile with a huge one of his own.
These boys are all so special to me. I don't ever, ever want to forget these little things, even amidst the craziness and occasional frustration, because there are far more wonderful moments.
Zac--his tenacity and hard work.
Joel--how he is always up for trying new things and approaches life with excitement and passion. He always wants to know what's coming next on the schedule.
Jesse--the way he laughs/smiles when he is embarrassed about something and says, "oops, I didn't meant to do that."
Brody--how any time I catch his attention and he looks at me, he will always return my smile with a huge one of his own.
These boys are all so special to me. I don't ever, ever want to forget these little things, even amidst the craziness and occasional frustration, because there are far more wonderful moments.
Unexpected!
Today I sort of got a day off! It has been just me and Brody hanging out all day. My dear friend Jamie (the one who took Joel camping) took both of the bigger boys to Elitch's with her daughter (think Six Flags). They seemed to have a great time...Joel was grinning from ear to ear when he walked in, and Jesse walked straight to his bed :). Now Joel is off to therapy and the other two are napping.
What a nice gift this is for me because the lovely "cold" we've been passing around his is still hanging on something fierce. Zac is even going to the doctor tomorrow, which if you know Zac, you know that's pretty significant! :) I guess it's kind of important when a major part of your job is having to sign...that voice needs to be working properly.
So yes, the highlight of my day would be laying on the couch for 2 STRAIGHT hours this morning while Brody napped. I know, aren't I inspiring...the things I can accomplish with "free" time. Somehow I think this was just what my body needed, though. After all, I need to think about that little baby growing inside me too, which still seems so hard to comprehend!
My other close second of a highlight would be when I put Joel in his therapist's car to leave and he lunged his arms out and asked me for a "big hug" with a huge smile on his face. Oh my heart.
What a nice gift this is for me because the lovely "cold" we've been passing around his is still hanging on something fierce. Zac is even going to the doctor tomorrow, which if you know Zac, you know that's pretty significant! :) I guess it's kind of important when a major part of your job is having to sign...that voice needs to be working properly.
So yes, the highlight of my day would be laying on the couch for 2 STRAIGHT hours this morning while Brody napped. I know, aren't I inspiring...the things I can accomplish with "free" time. Somehow I think this was just what my body needed, though. After all, I need to think about that little baby growing inside me too, which still seems so hard to comprehend!
My other close second of a highlight would be when I put Joel in his therapist's car to leave and he lunged his arms out and asked me for a "big hug" with a huge smile on his face. Oh my heart.
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