Our 3rd Anniversary!

I cannot believe we have been married for 3 years already...oh and that we have four kids!

CRAZY!

We had a low key anniversary and spent time together as a family since Tim was preparing to leave for Maine this morning at a god-awful hour before the sun rose.

I got some beautiful flowers delivered and we had a nice dinner together with our little ladies.

So happy to be married to the love of my life and the best friend anyone could ask for. 

Madelynn, Claire and Natalee: 17 Months!

You all are so much fun! 

You all loved to be chased and love to play outside!

You love love love your pool on our deck and love the one at Nana's house too!

Your favorite place to be in in the swings anywhere. You can swing for over an hour and still scream when it's time to get out.

You love to slide down the slides at the parks by yourselves! You all have no fear! I so love that about each of you!

You are great eaters and sleepers.

You love chicken nuggets, every vegetable and fruit there is and pretty much anything we give you. You all don't care for red meat too much but we keep trying.

You all are talking so much and are very good at following simple directions, like, bring that to Momma or let's go to the kitchen for lunch. Oh how that makes life so much easier.

You all take one nap from 1-4pm.

Finally about 20lbs!

Size 4 shoe

Size 4 diaper

12-18 Month Clothing

Obsessed with her wooden bead toy, loves her lovie and being ticked.

Says "baby", "bye-bye", "hi", "go, go, go", "pretty", "good girl", "ba ba" and "no no no".

When Momma says "share with Mommy?" you will hand me whatever you have and then shake your head and say "good girl"! LOVE IT!

Our strong, brutish, silly girl!

Finally about 20lbs!

Size 4 shoe

Size 4 diaper

12-18 Month Clothing

Loves her lovie, her daddy and to swing!

Says "baby", "bye-bye", "hi", "go, go, go", "ba ba", "beep beep" and "no no no".

Our sweet, sensitive "Lola Mae"

Still about 17lbs!

Size 3 shoe

Size 4 diaper

12-18 Month Clothing

Loves to be chased, tickled, climb things, slide down by herself and her "glowy".

Says "go, go, go", "bye bye", "hi", "gowy" for glowy.

Our little "shrimpy" "peanut" "stringbean" and "Na-Na".

Momma and Daddy love you three more than you could ever know!

...I know I kept this a little short this month...next month I will update more. I rather just play in the moment with my girls than sit here and write about it all the time!

Art Time!

I have been wanting to get the girls into some simple arts and crafts. And everyday, I say, okay, today we will...

And then today is over, and tomorrow was too busy...

So...

Finally, I sat down with them and we colored for the first time.

I know...don't shoot me, they are already 16.5 months and haven't colored yet.

Oh well.

I am a little busy!

Claire LOVED it and had this determined look on her face the whole time. She even cried when I said "okay, all done." 

I forgot to take a photo of them all...whoops! I was enjoying the moment with my big girls!

She got the hang out it really quick and kept switching back and forth between each hand when I would give her new colors. I don't know which hand she will prefer.

Madelynn in Madelynn-fashion wanted to eat them and horde them all for herself. She had to hold as many as she could in each hand. Very typical.

Natalee didn't really want much to do with actual coloring, {it was her morning nap time} she only wanted smell them. She likes to smell things. Weird, I know.

Anyway, it was a good first start I think and I look forward to them filling up coloring books real quick! I love to color and spent many hours coloring as a little {and big} girl.

Time

Time is such a funny thing.

It goes so fast.

Sooo fast!

I hate that.

Everyday passes so quickly and before you know it, it's another month gone, another year gone...

So fast.

In the blink of an eye.

As the girls have grown into busy little toddlers, I find myself wanting more.

Needing more of something.

Something I am not quite sure what it is yet.

I have some ideas.

Some things in my heart and mind that have been weighing.

Something my husband has been wanting me to do for years but I constantly blow him off and laugh.

Something that may be finally calling to me.

A purpose in life.

My purpose.

But I don't know.

Time is short.

Time flies.

Make the best of the time you have.

And this commitment will take a lot of my time.

There are so many things I want to do.

I feel like I have so much just with day-to-day.

Ya know, the stuff that makes this house manageable.

I want to read more. But yet, I rather sleep and then I feel guilty for not engaging my mind more.

I feel like now that the girls are growing and changing so much that I need to get up to date on potty-training, proper discipline techniques, how to teach good manners, ect, ect, ect.

There just isn't enough time.

I don't want to be on my phone or my computer constantly.

I want to play with my girls and explore the world through their eyes.

I want to be there for them and not have my mind elsewhere.

Time.

It sure flies.

And I haven't yet quite figured it out..

They say...

....scars tell a story.

Well then my dear child will have a lot of stories to tell.

Natalee is covered in scars and it becomes more and more apparent to me the more her little body grows.


I see them each more and more clearer.

Each one is a different prick, cut or slit on her.

I hate it. I hate every last one of those scars.

On her feet. On her hands, arms, legs, head, belly. Every single one of those pricks, cuts and slits.


They forever changed her beautiful soft skin.


There are literally over a hundred.


Those scars are on her body and my heart.


Forever.

And ever.

A reminder.


A reminder of how she almost died.


Many times over and over again.


How so sick she was.


The feelings of uncertainty are in those scars.

The feelings of sadness.


How tiny and innocent and vulnerable she was.


How she should never have gone through any of it.


But those scars also remind me of how she healed. 


And for that I love them.

I love them so much.

For without those scars my little girl wouldn't be here.

She wouldn't be here laughing and playing.  

Running and jumping.

Babbling and giggling.

And those scars tell a story of just how lucky she is.

How blessed she is.

How meant to be here she is.


How so many people fought to save her little life.


I am so thankful for those scars.


And this sweet little girl.


For without the scars, my little girl would not be here.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was nothing short of perfect this year. All because of course, I am a mother to four beautiful little girls.

What could be better than that?

Nothing. 

Absolutely nothing.

I love being their Momma day in and day out.

All the laundry.

All the sleepless nights.

All the "work" it takes for four kids.

I wouldn't change a thing.

Two years ago I was in the middle of our first IVF.

Last year the girls were four months old and I was pregnant with Emily, but didn't know it.

This year, I held each of them and thanked the Lord I am celebrating the day.

I am a mother because of them.


We enjoyed a quiet morning full of laundry, cleaning and cooking. Ya know, a mother's job never stops...but that's okay. It's just another day after all.


I basically just did some light cooking and the laundry while Tim cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. He just wouldn't stop and I didn't complain.


Around 3PM, my parents arrived and brought my grandma up from her house to celebrate the day with us. It was so wonderful. She hadn't seen our new home yet and hasn't seen the girls for a few months. My sister and her boyfriend arrived and we all enjoyed a nice meal together.

My dad --caught off guard-- and E.

Please ignore the bib!

Claire posing! Miss Diva!

I loved that we had three generations of Moms here and four generations of women! A Great-Grandma, a Grandma and a Mom!

The girls enjoyed playing and being silly!

Also...I must brag for a minute...when the girls are playing with these blocks and I say "clean up" they will start putting/throwing each block into the pink crate until there's no more! SO proud! I have no idea how long it will last but for now it's AWESOME!


It was great to catch up with everyone and enjoy each other. 


Hope all you Mommas out there had a wonderful day!

Weekend Happenings!

This weekend was a whirlwind, but we enjoyed it none-the-less. The weather was perfect and we spent lots of time as a family. Nothing better in my book!

Friday we all went over to my friend Meg's house and spent some time with her triplets. The girls had a blast and so did I. Meg and I had lots of wonderful things to chat about, mostly resolving around multiples. Fun, fun!

The kids enjoyed helping to make banana bread and then sitting together for lunch. One of Meg's sweet little boys, Coleman, calls Madelyn his girlfriend. It's so cute. I love how well they all get along.

That night my mom came up and spent some time with us while Tim was at softball. It was a fun evening just hanging out.

On Saturday it was gorgeous. Since Tammy was going to be leaving for her cruise { to BERMUDA with her Mom and 4 sisters...LUCKY!!!!! } in the afternoon, we decided to head to a new local park with the girls and have her meet us there. The girls had a blast! They are so brave and getting so big! The just run and climb on everything! I am so proud of them! 

Nat staying close to Nana!

Miss Madelynn

And then we headed to eat lunch at McDonald's for a treat and said goodbye to Nana!  Then we headed back home to put the girls down for a nap, while Tim and I caught up on Revenge and relaxed a little. I got some planting done out front and planted some flowers in some pots for our deck.

After nap time, we set up the girls pool on the deck and they had a blast playing in it for awhile before dinner. Even though their bathing suits are 18 month, they are super tight and won't fit for much longer. Oh well. Guess I'll be on the hunt for new ones before our beach trip in August. Hello...Gymboree!

That's right...Momma in her bathing suit too!

Yup...go for it! Pull it all up, Natalee!

Helping Daddy!

And the next day was Mother's Day! Tomorrow I'll post on that!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!