Cuteness

 At least someone is well-rested around here!!

Be Fruitful....and Make a Pie...

...or an apple crisp if you're in a hurry.  hahaha  We visited a new apple orchard today and the kids had a lot of fun picking a bushel and a half more apples.  It was a gorgeous 80-degree day to be out picking and the dwarf trees made it possible for even Sienna to pick.  She loved picking the "big ones" of course!

Lawson enjoyed his first apple picking trip and celebrated by sleeping through the entire thing.   Carter and Reese enjoyed picking but the highlight was the "Apple Slingshot" they tried out at the end.  It was pretty impressive how far they were able to shoot the apples!

Almost as soon as we got back home, they were asking to peel them, so I had to come up with some quick apple recipes to use them up.  We liked the apple crisp and everyone liked these sauteed apples with dinner.

Each day that passes I get a little more used to this new way of life with four kids....and a little more used to not sleeping.  Lawson is still the best sleeper we've had, so far, but Sienna is giving us a run for our money all week with her refusal to go to sleep at night, dropping naps, and getting up at 5 am.

If I squeeze my eyes shut really tight and think back as far as I can remember, I vaguely recall a time when I could go to bed whenever I wanted, sleep soundly and uninterrupted the whole night through, and wake up (on my own!!) as late as I wanted the next morning.  That time seems like ancient history now as there are SO many interesting ways to be woken up from sleep when there are four children under one roof.

1. Screaming baby
2. Too Cold
3. Too Hot
4. Wet diaper
5. Peed the bed
6. Hungry
7. Thirsty
8. Room too dark
9. Room too light
10. Heard a noise
11. Scary dream
12. Sick
13. Not tired
14. Over-tired
15. Can't find blankey/animal
16. Teething
....and so it goes...



 With the first child, you still feel this sense of entitlement, like, "I deserve to sleep, it is unjust that you are taking away my ability to sleep...I will sleep again one day!"

Then you have another kid less than two years later and you (in this "I've been through this before" kind of wisdom) realize, sleep is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

But you stubbornly persist in hoping for that rest and in the meantime have a third kid.  And this time you get a crier...one who seeks to bring you to your knees and beg for mercy.  One who will do everything she can to break your spirit.

And you somehow manage to survive that and in your sleep-deprived insanity, decide to have yet another child still.  Well, now in addition to being completely insane in the eyes of most people, you had better just chuck those dreams of sleeping out the window for good.  You can lament the fact that you are always going to be tired or you can suck it up and make the best of it.  It can actually come in handy sometimes, like when you turn to your husband (who is holding your child) and ask, "Have you seen Sienna?"  Seconds pass with no answer and you suddenly realize your mistake...but you have sleep deprivation to blame, it's all good!

The whole gang!

Sleepy Time

 We've got one week of four kids under our belts now....and I must say, it's truly exhausting.  Lawson has honestly been a pretty decent baby so far...his crying is tolerable for sure, he sleeps fairly well at night for a newborn.  Last night he even slept two three hour stretches.  Problem was, half-way into the second stretch another little person was standing next to my bed trying to claw the blankets right off of me.  ( Not naming any names...SIENNA!!!)

The kids are doing pretty well with adjusting to a new sibling.  Sienna is still the toughest but we expected that.  Carter and Reese are adjusting to sharing a room pretty well...although they were gabbing till almost 10:30 last night.






I've been trying to sit in the tub once a day for a few minutes to soak and relax...and Sienna has caught on and thinks now it's fun Mommy/Daughter time.  She wanted to join me the other morning and took her clothes off..climbed right in and sat on my lap and immediately peed on me.  "My peed!" was her delighted reaction.  I was NOT as delighted.

Brotherly (and sisterly) love...

 Well, we survived Day 4 of being a four-kid-house.  Carter is still completely enthralled with his little brother.  I love seeing his excitement and joy when he sees Lawson and gets to hold him.  These are certainly precious moments I will always treasure.

Lawson is doing pretty well at night...he seems to do at least one longer stretch each night, which means I am still semi-coherent during the day.

 Sienna is still having a tougher time adjusting to not being the baby anymore...however she really seems to love Lawson at the same time.  Derrick gave her the special privilege of feeding him a bottle today while I was out for a little bit.  She was quite clearly in absolute heaven!

Oh, the twinkle in those eyes!

Sienna, feeding "my baby"

Lawson

He is finally here!  After all those months it is hard to believe our little Lawson has arrived...and 9 days early too...nice job buddy!  I started to feel labor pains around 2 am Thursday (the 18th) morning and by 6 am, I had to wake Derrick up to give him fair warning that we were going to have a baby that day. My doula came by 8 am and after we were certain traffic would be OK, we left around 9 for the hospital.  I was in some pretty intense pain by then but not wanting to get my hopes up too much for a faster labor.  When I arrived, there were so many women in labor we had to wait in the waiting room, then a Triage check-in room, then a makeshift triage room that just had a curtain for privacy.  There I was checked and found to be 9 cm.  There were no labor and delivery rooms open so they moved me to a larger triage room that at least had a door and that's where Lawson was born.  We were at the hospital for less than three hours, so it was pretty quick this time...of course it never seems quick while it's all going down!

 He was 7 lb. 3 oz and 19 1/4 inches long...he screamed the second he was born and since then he has barely cried at all.  I can't believe it but I might have finally gotten a mellow baby!  And he really likes to sleep too...we actually got a few consecutive hours of sleep the first night he was home last night.

The kids are all really excited about him, especially Carter.  He wants to hold him all the time.  Sienna also wants to hold him and it always saying "My pet him" while she strokes his bushy little head of hair.  She also calls him, "My baby" and gets very upset when we take him away from her.

There are moments since we got home that I can still hardly believe we are a family of 6!!!  It is all very overwhelming and I feel very blessed to have these wonderful children.

"The Boys"

Born.....again

 Well, it's 10 days and counting and I figured, why not celebrate the final stretch by spending a day at the Zoo.  I just wasn't expecting us to stay for more than 4 hours, but everyone was cooperating and having fun and the weather was absolutely PERFECT today.  I think they would have stayed at least another hour or two if I had let them too.  In a slightly selfish way, I was hoping all the walking and stroller-pushing might cause something to happen with the baby, but alas, here I sit at 10 pm, still oh-so-pregnant!

 So as I ponder when this "event" will occur, I've had some thoughts running through my mind lately.  Giving birth is such an other-worldly experience in so many ways.  I truly hope that most people, at some point in their lives can experience giving birth or witnessing a birth, or seeing a brand new baby on the day it is born.  There is just nothing quite like it.  The 9-month process of growing another human being inside your own body and then, one day, finally seeing that little person face-to-face...it is an intoxicating, amazing, and mind-boggling moment.  To see a person take their first breath of life and to realize you had some part in that is staggering.

There are so many aspects of childbirth that are harrowing and difficult and downright agonizing as well.  I try not to dwell on these as that date is imminently approaching, but what has really been on my mind is the concept of birth and in the Christian faith, of rebirth.  Jesus used the term "born again" to describe the transformation a person goes through when they turn from a life apart from God and begin to walk in faith with Him.  Many people are quick to scoff at the idea of Jesus forgiving our sins and making us into a "new creation"...some feel it is just too easy.  Often as a child, you are told to say a prayer asking God to forgive you and come into your heart and then you will be saved.  I guess as a now-30-something adult, I am only just starting to fully grasp what being "born again" truly means.

Being born is not something easy or peaceful or simple...it is a grueling experience.  And I think that is really more the image I want to keep in mind when thinking of my faith and the transformation God has done in my life.  When you are born again, you leave behind so much of the person you were before and become wholly new in Christ.  It really is like a whole new start to your life, like taking that first breath of air all over again.  It can be painful to leave the things of the world behind and can even take a lifetime of seeking Him to truly walk on the path to righteousness.

I am so thankful each day for the grace God has shown to me and the opportunity He affords me every day to walk with Him and live my life serving Him.  I am thankful that as a young child I chose to be "born again" and enter into His family...and I am thankful for these moments along the way where He shows me how much deeper still my walk with Him can really be.

Getting ready...

 Carter had his second soccer game yesterday and he played really well.  He scored his first goal in a game for this year and was super excited.  We then spent the rest of the day moving all the kids rooms around to clear out the nursery for the new baby.  So now Carter and Reese are sharing a room and Sienna is in Carter's room temporarily until she stops waking up super early screaming every morning.  Hopefully it won't be too long...Carter is already longing for his old room back!

It's starting to seem very real, that the baby will be here any day now.  I have to be honest, it's hard not to be rather anxious about taking on another child.  Well, we'll figure it all out, one way or another...no turning back now!!

Mattresses and Apples

 We took the kids on a field trip today with other home schoolers to the Original Mattress Factory.  They gave an amazing and interesting tour of the factory and showed us how mattresses are made there from start to finish.  The kids really enjoyed it...Reese even raised her hand and asked a question!  I was so proud.

 After the tour we stopped by a nearby apple orchard to pick some delicious apples.  The kids enjoyed that, as always.  I can't believe it's already apple season...summer is quickly coming to an end!