Randomness

Alright, here are a few more random things we've been up to since school started.  Enjoy!

 In early September, Christa and Abby Kate were invited to "Bring a Buddy to School Day" with their cousins.  This is the school they will likely go to throughout their elementary school years once I decide I can get us out of the house by 8a.m.  (Or next year, since I'm never going to be ready for that, and I've pretty much exhausted every delay tactic I've been able to come up with:).  The girls had a great day, and Christa looked quite adorable in her school uniform!  It was very reassuring to get adorable text messages throughout the day of my kids clearly having a great time.  When they both wanted to stay and immediately return at pick-up time, all other fears about sending them to "all-day-school" when the time comes, seemed to melt away for the time being.

 September is also my birthday month!!  Although, I've decided to stop having birthdays after this year.  There are 2 reasons for this:  1.  I'm so birthday-ed out by the time we get to mine, all I really want is a nap.  2.  32 is a good age.  I think I'll just stay here, thank you very much.

 The girls gave me a really sweet plate to display on my new built-in shelves.  I kind of saw it in a store and picked it out myself, but Cline totally took them to get it for me with minimal knowledge on my part, once I was sure he knew exactly what I wanted :)

 I love how these two love each other so much.  Here they are ready for Christmas in September.  I went to a consignment sale and found these great outfits.  Never mind the 80 degree weather; they were ready to sport their new clothes!

And with September, comes Football season!  Go Dawgs!

Abby Kate's Barbie Birthday

Hello again!  So, 2 months ago, Abby Kate turned 3.  She'd been talking for months about having a Barbie birthday party and wearing a pink, Barbie, birthday party dress.  Since we now have 3 little girls who each have a birthday every year, we did our best to keep it simple, inviting family and 2 close friends to a party at our house.  Unfortunately, the girls got fevers in the days leading up to the party.  Christa and Abby Kate were fever-free the day of the party, but Elizabeth had a higher-than-normal temperature, so our simple birthday party became a family-only birthday party.  We were thrilled that all of the extended family and cousins who'd planned to come came anyway! We had a great time, and I had one happy, pink, girly-girl all day long!  (Plus 2 girly sisters who were excited to share in the celebrations, too)!

 Abby Kate woke up especially spunky and sassy.  She couldn't wait to put her Barbie dress on, so we did that first thing.  As Cline and I tried to squeeze a few extra minutes in bed snoozing, Abby Kate stood up on the bed, shaking her hips from side to side, saying, "It's my birthda-ay; I can do what I want to" in the sassiest little voice ever.  It was hysterical!

 During the morning, we were still waiting to see how healthy the kids would be.  Unsure if anyone would be able to come over to celebrate, we did everything we could to make the day special.  We began with pink chocolate chip pancakes!

 We had a cake ready to go, too!

 And finally, some decorations fit for a 3 year old!

 My sassy little girl ready to party.

 Since Elizabeth was the one with the fever, I did my best to time her naps so that she would sleep through most of the party.  We didn't want her to feel left out, though, so we faked some pictures before the party, so that she can look back one day and see that she was there :)

 I have a feeling this won't be the last Barbie birthday party we ever do!  I'm saving those decorations for a later date.

 We had a makeover, and started by doing our nails.  Christa painted Abby Kate's nails and my nails, and did a great job! 

 See???

 Abby Kate painted Mimi's nails.

 Before long, it was time to open presents.  Christa got Abby Kate a fairy costume, since Abby Kate looooooves to dress up.  Right before Abby Kate opened the present from Christa, I misspoke.  Abby Kate had just opened a Doc McStuffin's play set and was very excited about it.  Not realizing Christa's present was next, I said something along the lines of, "Abby Kate's so excited about that gift, I don't think she even cares about the rest in the pile."  Christa burst into tears, heartbroken at the suggestion that Abby Kate might not want her present.  I felt awful, but we made sure to make a big deal about it right then.  Christa is so kind and caring towards others!

 Sure enough, Abby Kate was just as excited about Christa's gift, and insisted on wearing the outfit immediately.

 Mommy and Daddy got her a scooter (since Christa had gotten one for her birthday) and a helmet to match.

 Getting ready to blow out three candles.

 Sorry Elizabeth - you slept through this part.

 Ready to roll!

Ready to share cupcakes with her class the next day!

All-in-all, the party was perfect for this sweet girl.  We ended up having a play date a couple of weeks later with our friends who couldn't come because of the fevers, so that worked out as well as it could have.  Abby Kate racked up some great gifts, including some cupcake decorating supplies, some Doc McStuffins toys, a Barbie jeep and purse/accessory set, a Madame Alexander doll, a pink T-ball set (which has been a great "hit" :), some Barbie dolls, and some money that we used to buy a pink suitcase and duffel bag for our travels. 

Summer Sweetness

Hello again, all!  I have a few more random pictures from August.  Enjoy!

 Christa still gets so excited about birthdays.  We have a lot of family birthdays during the summer, so there is lots of cake and partying going on around here.  Apparently, still not enough, for Christa, though.  She decided to make this super cute birthday cake out of an Oreo and Skittles on a random day in between birthdays.  She called it "Daddy's birthday cake."

 Who needs Pinterest, when I have my creative 5 year old??

 Getting a few more wears out of our cute summer wardrobe.  (Who am I kidding??  It's nearly November now, and I just packed away these clothes a week ago!)

 I really liked this outfit on Christa.  It looked so summery and stylish on her.  Great consignment find!!

Mudd's birthday was at the end of August, so we celebrated with dinner and cupcakes at our house.  Here she is with all of the great-grand-children (except Elizabeth, who must have been sleeping).

Have a great night!

Growing Up Fast

Hello all!  I am so far behind on this blog, I don't even know what was going on in half the pictures.  Here's my best attempt to catch up, and add August-October into this digital record of our lives :)

 Like I said, I'm not sure exactly what I was trying to capture here.  Probably the head full of curls that has continued to grow beautifully.  Although the bangs are another story entirely!  They are not gorgeous ringlets, and look like a kinky mess usually matted to her forehead.  The bows and ponytail holders help for a while, but Elizabeth loves to pull those things out with a very satisfied smile!

 She looks so sweet and innocent here :)  Was this taken before she started screaming and throwing food across the room during meals??  I'm thinking so....

 I just love this little dress, and my little baby looks like such a big girl in these shoes!  Abby Kate wore the dress, too, and it looked just as cute on her.

 Sometime in September (I think) we fully transitioned Abby Kate's room into a big girl room.  Once I was confident we were in the big girl bed for good (following the failed, traumatic pacifier-be-gone-attempt), we replaced the crib with a matching twin bed.  The crib is in pieces in the basement for the time being, as Elizabeth is quite content in the hand-me-down crib we've been using for her already.

 Another view of Abby Kate's room.

 Growing Madame Alexander doll collection.

 I worked long and hard to find a perfect bed and quilt that would match the walls and custom curtains.  Thank you Pottery Barn Kids and discount internet site!

 While I was taking pictures of Abby Kate's room, it occurred to me that I might not have pictures of Christa's 2nd big girl room.  (She got bumped into the guest room when Elizabeth came along so soon after Abby Kate :)

 Christa seems to prefer sharing Abby Kate's room for the time being, but this is a cute place to keep her clothes, I guess :)

Alright, I'm off to see what else went on in September!

Best Mother Ever

Hey guys!
Trying to catch up on over a month's worth of activities!!  We just got back from a family vacation (more on that later), and I have been crazy busy trying to catch up from being gone for a week!  Add to that trying to decorate for Fall, switching out Summer/Fall clothes for everyone, and obsessing about political debates, upcoming elections, etc. and I've been behind!  Did I say something in the last post about being "just the right amount of busy??"  Yeah, I'm not feeling that so much at the moment, but I'm striving hard to return to that place.  I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, though.  Over half of my to-do list is completed, which is a huge accomplishment, since for 2 days, I marked off one task only to add 3 or 4 more!
Before I get to pictures and cute stories (if I can even remember any of them), I want to share something I posted on Facebook to my MOPS mom's page.  Mostly, I want a record of it here, so that if one day, my girls are mothers and feel inadequate and overwhelmed, I can have proof that I once felt that way too.... and we all got through it.  I fully expect that when that day comes, my girls will recognize me for the perfect, competent, and loving mother that I am, and they will also realize that my parenting methods and philosophies throughout the years should be exactly replicated by them :).  I actually have a sort of daydream in my head.  It starts with one of them (now a young mother herself) sobbing to me that she's just not measuring up to everyone else and that all the other mothers do so much more than she does and she just doesn't feel good enough.  We live next door, so I'm easily accessible!  Since my opinion is, of course, the only one that really matters to her by that point, I'll hug her, and reassure her, "Oh honey!  It's OK.  Don't cry. There there.  We ALL feel that way at one point.  These years are hard.  Just a minute, let me get our blog-book from when you were little..... ah yes, there's that post....  here, read this...  There is proof that even *I* (the best mother ever, no doubt) felt this way at one time!!"  Her eyes light up as she begins to reflect on what a fantastic mom I was by the time she could remember stuff like that, and she instantly feels consoled that such an organized, together, loving mom like myself (who by now has produced amazingly talented, caring, and respectful adults who love the Lord), once had those very same feelings of guilt and inferiority.  We embrace again as her tears turn into a smile, and she looks me in the eyes and sincerely says something along the lines of, "Mom, you are the best.  You've always been the best.  Thank you, thank you for all of the sleepless nights you endured, all of the laundry and cleaning and cooking and teaching and guiding.  Thank you for simply being you.  If I am half the mother you are, then I know I am doing a fantastic job!"  I shrug with a satisfied smile, and humbly reply, "awwww, it was nothing; you were so worth it."   I then offer to watch my beautiful grandchild while my daughter takes a nap and regroups.  The baby and I cuddle happily for a few hours, and whichever daughter was having this meltdown returns from her rest confident, reassured, happy, ready to have more grandchildren for me, and most importantly, completely aware and reminded of how lucky she was to have been raised by me!!
That's realistic, right??  No??  I went too far??  Not what you came for today??  Yeah, OK, that's fair.  Anyway, just on the off chance any of my kids ever feels like a quaking pile of jello mold when it comes to her parenting confidence (as I have often over the last 5 years), and need this reminder, here is a little epiphany I had the other night:

I just want to take a moment and encourage you moms who are just getting into the whole motherhood thing. Since I had my oldest, I have had the irritating habit of constantly comparing myself to other moms and feeling so inferior every time. I would see moms with 2 kids or 3 kids (or more), and they looked so much more "together" than I felt with just my 1 child. They would tell me a cute story about how their 4 year old wanted to give all of their Christmas presents away to the poor, and I would think, "what am I not doing right that Christa wants to keep her gifts??" Or they would mention the homemade crafts and baking they did, while I could barely find time to take mine to the park. As I was putting the kids to bed tonight, telling the older kids to put on their own pajamas and brush their own teeth, it hit me - I am now the "together-appearing" mom (I think:) juggling 3 kids. And while we certainly still have chaotic days and overwhelming moments, the crafts, and baking, and long walks outside, and sweet moments that show they care about others come naturally, without me reading 100 articles on ways I can parent better. The first year of a child's life is so sweet - but it was hard in so many ways with each girl of mine. When you have to do literally *everything* for someone else, it's hard to make wreaths out of pine cones and nuts with your older kid. So if you're feeling overwhelmed, or like every mother out there is a better mom than you are, I have been there. And I want you to hear that the hard stuff gets easier, and the sweet moments get even sweeter. I have prayed a lot for my kids and with my kids, so I would encourage all of you to do that if you don't already. But if you are loving your kids the best way that you know how, and seeking God's guidance as you raise them, then you are doing everything you are supposed to be doing as a mom. There is no other mom that can love you child better than you, and you are doing a FANTASTIC job, even if your child threw a tantrum when you took away the lollipop or you never got around to the finger painting activity your long-lost friend from elementary school posted on her Facebook page!

 Alright, I'm off to post some pictures from the end of our summer!!

Crazy Little Thing Called Life

Hello everyone!
For the record, I have not given up this blog.  I have lots of catching up to do, including posting pictures of Abby Kate's birthday, my birthday, Elizabeth's 18 month birthday (which I totally forgot about on the actual day) and other fun things we've been up to this month.  I hope to get to that soon, but I wanted to record what life is like for us right now.
We are the exact right about of "busy" this year.  Seriously, I am loving our schedule.  We spent a lot of time praying last Spring as I made commitments for this year that we would be involved in exactly what we needed to be a part of.  I felt somewhat overextended last Spring, but didn't want to give any of our activities/volunteer opportunities up.  I prayed fervently about each thing, and just couldn't walk away from any of them.  We made the decision to keep Christa at her half-day, 4-day-per-week preschool for her Kindergarten year, and let the rest fall into place.
Now that our school year is in full swing, I am thrilled with how everything has turned out.  We do have multiple activities that we participate in each week.  Bible study, MOPS, Kindermusik, ballet, and Sunday School.  Plus multiple field trips for the girls as they come up.  But keeping Christa at the same school Abby Kate goes to has given me one more year to not be ruled by the school schedule, so it's all very manageable.  I find that I have a lot more time than I ever thought I would to exercise and enjoy my kids.  After some researching, saving, and convincing Cline I would use it, I bought a very nice double jogging stroller.  I love this thing!  I have never been one to love exercise, and the times in my life I've tried it, I gave it up after a few weeks because I couldn't manage to keep up with other important things like showering and doing laundry.  It took a good six months of walking, but I do love it now.  I really love walking with the kids, especially when the weather is nice like it is right now.  I feel like I am accomplishing so many wonderful things at one time when we walk together.  I am enjoying the outdoors while burning calories and improving my health and experiencing quality time with my kids.  When we aren't talking about important things like whether they can have Sprite for dinner that night or when Lilly and Adeline can come over and play,  I am enjoying God's creation around me and silently thanking Him for my beautiful life and family.  On Mondays, while Christa is at school, it's the little two who I get to enjoy my walk with, and we usually end up at the park together.  On Wednesdays, I usually have a friend to visit with, bounce ideas off of, and encourage or receive encouragement from.  On Fridays or weekends, it's usually a family walk with Cline or all 3 girls and I strolling the neighborhood.  Christa has decided she wants to start running with Cline, so she'll start off jogging alongside us, and then hop on the stroller when she gets tired. 
I feel like I am truly living life as it is supposed to be lived right now.  And I kind of feel like I've hit my stride as a mom.  I'm sure as soon as I publish this, the kids will all enter some crazy new phase, and I'll go back to having no idea what I'm doing most of the time.  But they're at great ages right now, and our schedule just works at the moment.  Cline's work schedule has been great this month, and we're hoping/expecting it will continue like that for a while.  Life is good right now - really good.
Hopefully, I'll have pictures up soon :)  In the midst of this wonderful schedule/rhythm we have going on, it's clearly the blog that has been sacrificed... and thank you notes from Abby Kate's birthday.  I've never been good at getting those out promptly, though.  I will make time for both soon, though.  Have a great night!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Abby Kate

Dear Abby Kate,

In just under 7 hours, you are going to be 3 years old!  When I went into the hospital to have you 3 years ago, I had no idea what a beautiful, smart, spunky, and hilarious little girl you would turn out to be!  

You have kept life interesting from the very beginning.  You kicked and squirmed your way through my pregnancy with you, making for a very uncomfortable 9 months!  As a newborn, and later an infant, you were a force to be reckoned with.  You would only sleep while being held, which eventually led to a 7-month-long co-sleeping arrangement between you and me.  You liked to "cat-nap," becoming fully rejuvenated and ready for entertainment after 10-15 minutes of sleep.  This created some challenges in the laundry and house-cleaning areas of life for a while.  Contrary to your big sister (and later your little sister), you were not the baby that would sit in a bouncer while I folded laundry.  You were ahead of your age from day 1, and we hit our stride around the time you learned to walk - the week of your first birthday.  It took us nearly that long to get you on a decent sleeping routine, and you were such a little mover that you were not content to sit and play on my lap for any amount of time.  You wanted to be on the floor, crawling and moving like your big sister.  Once you mastered walking, which allowed me to set you free in most locations, you were good to go, running with Christa and her "big" friends!

Your first year was challenging, but we had lots and lots of cuddle time, you and me.  You insisted on it, and I'm glad you did.  Since that first year, you have been the easiest toddler ever.  You've been talking in complete sentences for as long as I can remember - at least a year or more.  You've been completely capable of walking up and down stairs and playing with minimal supervision for at least that long, as well.  I haven't had to worry about you playing with toys with "small parts not intended for children under 3..." well... ever that I can recall.

Over the last 6 months or so, your personality has really come out.  You can clearly verbalize anything that is on your little mind, and you can certainly repeat any word we say.  You love to make people laugh, and you are quite good at it.  You are so silly and fun, and you light up the room.  Your facial expressions are so animated and your whole body exudes whatever you are feeling.  Just the other day, Christa and I were playing on my bed while you were napping.  I was pretending to be sleeping, and Christa was pretending I was her pillow.  You came downstairs, into my room, and immediately crawled up onto my bed.  Without missing a beat, you stood up, raised your arms in the air, and loudly declared, "HERE IS ME!" with a huge smile on your face.  That is you, baby girl - my confident little one who knows she is the life of the party and will make any situation more fun, regardless of what is going on!  We have re-created that moment multiple times since then at your request!

You love to say silly words.  For example, I will sometimes ask you a question such as, "what do you want to play now?"  You will respond something along the lines of, "Po-do" followed by a belly laugh and a smile so big your eyes squint.  At the lake with Cline's side of the family not long ago, you entertained everyone repeatedly just by making a silly noise with a funny hand motion.  No one else can quite pull this move off, although several have tried!

I am starting to see some of Christa's sweet, caring heart in you.  The other day, you and Elizabeth and I were walking around downtown while Christa was in school.  Elizabeth wanted to hold your sunglasses.  I expected you to hang onto them, and was prepared to let you keep them, because you love your sunglasses and are very sensitive to the sunlight.  It was kind of overcast that day, though, so you handed them to Elizabeth, saying, "here, you can hold them."  I actually tried to talk you out of it, claiming that Elizabeth might break them.  You assured me she wouldn't, and that it was fine for Elizabeth to have them.  You were right - the sunglasses survived, and I was so proud of you for sharing.  Later on, you asked me if Elizabeth could play with some of your toys when we got home!  Such a sweet girl, you are!

You are sleeping in a big girl bed, now, and we just took down your crib.  Your big girl room has 2 twin beds in it, and Christa claimed the second bed as soon as we put it up.  So, I guess you guys are sharing a room for now.  It melts my heart when I walk by and see you girls snuggled in the same twin bed in the morning!  You love both of your sisters so much!  All 3 of you have a blast together.  You love to play in Elizabeth's crib with her, especially in the morning.  You will tell me, "Elizabeth is awake.  I need to go get her."  So, I'll open the door to her room for you, and you will crawl into her crib, and the two of you will laugh and jump and be silly together.  After a little while, I will go in to find you sucking on Elizabeth's pacifier and most of the toys thrown on the floor.

You are a little "negotiator" as we discussed tonight at dinner.  Elizabeth is at a hard age to entertain at the dinner table, so while we were eating at Outback tonight, she started to get restless.  I asked for a package of crackers to keep her occupied just a little longer.  You requested a cracker, and I told you no - that they were for Elizabeth.  You, in typical Abby-Kate fashion, said in the sweetest sing-song voice, "I can have just ooooone cracker."  I laughed, and said no again.  Then you said, "I will eat one bite of my macaroni and cheese and then can I have one cracker?"  I agreed and said, "you are a little negotiator."  You threw yourself into my lap, smiled, laughed, and said, "I'm not a gotiator."  Yes, you are, my sweet girl - my hilarious, confident, "gotiator."

We are planning to celebrate your birthday tomorrow with a small "Barbie" party.  You have been talking about wearing a pink, barbie, birthday dress on your birthday for months.  By some stroke of luck, I found this exact dress at T.J. Maxx a couple of months ago, and picked it up, since it was on clearance.  I hope you're excited when you see it!  We decided to just have a family party this year at the house, with 2 your two closest friends.  Between your cousins and our extended family, I wanted to keep it kind of small, although there are lots of people who we would have loved to celebrate with!  It's just as well that we kept it small, though, because Christa has had a small fever for the last few days, and Elizabeth spiked one tonight.   So, I'm not sure what that will mean for tomorrow's festivities, but we will make the day special, nonetheless!  I'm thinking chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and we'll go on with our plan to dress up, have a makeover, and play with dollar-store Barbies, even if it's just you and Christa and some of the adults in the family :)

One last thing I forgot to mention about you - you love to dress up.  You love to change clothes, and do so about 5 times a day, going through our various dress-up and ballet clothes.  You love to wear swimsuits, and often sleep in one.  And whenever we have people over, you're going to run through the house naked at least once.  You've earned a reputation for this, and our church small group can vouch for it :)

Well, Abber-McDabbersons, I'm off to wrap your presents and get ready for your party tomorrow.  I love you so much and thank God every day for putting you into our family!   I hope and pray you always have the confidence you have now and that you will use your gift of making people laugh to do great things!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Mommy