She is here...

My baby girl arrived yesterday...






























Leah Michelle

Thursday, April 12, 2012

8 pounds, 10 ounces

21 inches long





































She is doing great, and so am I.

I am so thankful for her. I find myself just staring at her sometimes.

We will go home from the hospital today around 5:30 pm. Then our new life as a family of six will really begin.


And I think I'm ready...

Wordless Wednesday - Very Pregnant

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012. I'm 38 weeks, 3 days in these pics...some of my last pictures being pregnant.

Kids - Coloring Coordinating, Not Matching

For Easter Sunday, my kiddos looked like this in our front yard:
















This one was taken at my aunt and uncle's house before they went for an egg hunt:












And I had so much fun looking for shirts for the boys and a dress or Sarah. The thing is, I finally found a store that had sizes which would have allowed Caleb and Gabriel to have identical shirts, and Sarah and baby girl could have had matching dresses (you know, when she arrives). But I just couldn't do it. I'm not sure why!

I love to color coordinate the family, but I just can't have them matching exactly. I usually find Sarah's dress first, and then I go off of those colors. She had pink, green, and white...so I found shirts for the boys with green and/or white in them.

Maybe it's because I read an article about this once, it particularly was speaking about twins and parents who always match them. I just found it to be interesting, the truth is each kid is so different (even non-twins) that I just like for them to have their own look...even if it may be color coordinated! :)

I do find it to be cute when I see matching kids, so don't be offended if your kids match and you're reading this! It's just that for my kiddos (just Caleb and Gabriel for now until baby girl gets here) I've never matched them exactly.

An entire, professional family picture may be different...I've thought of wearing all white shirts someday for an outside shot...not sure, though.

Maybe this non-matching thing is because my mom never matched me and my sister? Oh...thanks, mom, by the way! ;)


Do you match your kids, color coordinate, or neither?

Yes, You Can Have a Re-Do.

It seems like just the other day, but now that I think about it, it must have been about a year ago when I sat at a table at a friend's house discussing a topic with our small group leader. I told him that there were two things I didn't like about how I parented...or...two things I feel like we should do differently in our house. His simple response: "Well...change it!" The conversation was a little more than that, and he expounded on that statement with how and why, but I just sort of took those three words and ran with them!

The two things were:

1. My kids aren't very good at picking up after themselves.
2. My kids watch a movie each night to fall asleep.











The truth with both of these is that I take full responsibility for it because I enabled them to not pick up and to have those movies at bedtime. I felt guilty thinking I wasn't teaching them how to be good little people in our home and how to fall asleep like normal (whatever normal means).


The first one comes from being too particular as a mom and not having the patience to teach them how to do it. I mean, really. How long does it take for a mom to pick up a kid's room vs. how long it takes a 4 or 5-year-old to do it?! So instead of being patient about it and teaching them, I just had a tendency to pick it up for them. Not so bad when it's only one kid and he's only 2 or so, but add a few more kids and a few more years and this becomes a nightmare! If I learned anything from my years of watching Dr. Phil (which I don't anymore because his content has changed a bit!) it's that kids are resilient. They can change and re-adapt, even in their own home.

Caleb was the easiest to teach this to, I'm not sure why. It's probably because he now has to earn his privileges. I'm not sure if some would consider this bribing? Some things he just has to do because he lives here, but other things we reward him for doing. I think deep down he wants to please his mom and dad, and he knows that helping around the house is one thing that definitely makes mom happy!

Sarah has been more difficult, she can be very bull headed (even though in other areas of life, she seems to be my easy kid). When she's told to pick up something, it's almost like the end of the world is upon her. But we keep with it. Don't you love it when you say, "Yes, you will put your flip flops away or you will sit in time out," and the child would rather sit in time out than put away their shoes? Yep. So we have to be a little creative with her. (And for my spanking fans, there are times when she won't even do it if she was spanked...so that's not a solution for everything.) There have been times when clean up time is a family effort, and if she wants to participate in the family outing/treat/time outside aftewards, she has to clean up! Is that bribing?

Gabriel is still pretty young, and when he sees his big brother helping, he tends to help, too. This makes me very thankful for Caleb's willingness to pick up!

Now as far as the second thing, I have no idea when we started letting the kids watch a movie to fall asleep! When Caleb was 3-years-old (and Sarah would have been 1), my parents gave him a very cute Cars tv for his room. I went back and forth about being ok with a tv in the room, but in the end I decided it was fine and that I would limit the time they watch an occasional movie or the time they played on a game system (back then Caleb had a V-Smile). I am now considering taking it out altogether. But as far as ending the movie at bedtime thing, we sort of went cold turkey. This upset Sarah the most (why do I keep saying she is my easy kid?), but we just told her we wold keep the hall light on so she wouldn't be scared. She still sleeps in the "boy" room because she wants to wait until her baby sister arrives to transfer to the "girl" room...or so she says!

That was another reason I knew we needed to end this bedtime ritual. I do not want two tv's going at night!

So if there is something you want to change, you can do it! Really!


Is there anything you want to change, are working to change, or have successfully changed in your home as far as habits with the kids or your parenting?

Who Do You Represent?

It was an early Saturday morning, I was sitting outside of our church's gym (or multipurpose building...I don't really know what we call it) as I held a crabby Gabriel. I was waiting for Caleb's Upward game to get going, the other games had not ended, so the crowd from those games had not cleared out yet. I saw Josh's dad walk up to the door and come inside, he stood by me and talked, it helped Gabriel to see Papa. It helped me, also, because I was feeling equally crabby as Gabriel was having his moment of being a 3-year-old.

And then a young woman and her husband walked up to Josh's dad and said, "Well, hi, Steve! What are you doing here?!" I didn't know it, but they worked together. They made small talk, he explained that his grandson played Upward and that his son and daughter-in-law attended church here. He introduced her to me.

Then she smiled at me and said...

"Oh, you sing at the 10:30 service, don't you?!"

Instantly I sat up a bit straighter. I tried to wipe off the irritated look I must have had on my face after a difficult morning with one of my kiddos. In that brief moment, I couldn't believe she recognized me as one who she sees on stage.
















Stephanie and Lajoie on the left...two girls I sing with if they're on the same rotation! :) Nathan on the right, our minister of worship. *Photo credit Greentree website, pretty sure Bonnie Hall took them.


I said, "Yes, I do sometimes." I think I also said something about not believing she recognized me because I felt like a bum that day, wearing no make-up, hair barely fixed, jeans and a t-shirt happened to be my attire.

That one moment really got me to thinking. If I'm in front of 400 - 500 people on a Sunday, and if they see me as one who represents the church, and if they see me out and about, I'd better represent the church appropriately, right?

Now please don't misunderstand me. First and foremost (of course) I should ultimately be representing God, His Word, and what His love means. We are His church. So I sort of put representing the church I attend and representing the Lord in the same category (you can disagree, leave a comment). ;) If I take on the responsibility of being in front of people, whether it's something as recognizable as being on stage or being the greeter at the front door, I am a part of something with His name on it (literally or figuratively depending on what church you attend I guess).

So if I'm at Walmart, shouldn't I be very mindful of how I speak to my husband or how I interact with my children? I can just see it now: "Gosh, did you hear what she just said to him? I can't believe she sings on Sunday mornings!"

What about other avenues in life? I've always wondered this. I know people become really adamant about having their professional and personal lives completely separate. If I'm a nurse and I do a great job, then that's that, right? But what if a patient sees me getting plastered at a wedding reception or at some other place. What about teachers? How would I feel if my son's teacher was swearing up and down at her waitress in a restaurant or at a ref during a little league game? What if I heard an off duty police officer make crude jokes in hearing distance of my children?

Shouldn't good character be evident everywhere? Should we really just turn it off and on depending on if we're "on the job" or not?

I don't think the young woman really thought anything of my demeanor that morning. She has children, too. I think most moms are understanding. But it did get me to thinking. I'm not saying I can possibly be perfect everywhere I go, but I do think I should be very mindful of who I represent.

And really...I should be mindful whether I think someone is watching or not.


"A woman of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." Proverbs 31:10

Misc. Monday - Blogging, 3cm, Girl Day, Baby Clothes, AC, Baby Stuff

Spring break is over, back to a normal Monday. Happy April!



1. I just didn't feel like blogging this morning. I'm not sure why. I think it's because I feel like I have so much to do around here (in full nesting mode) that I didn't want to pause and write. But I told myself at the beginning of the year that I would be consistent, and during the first three months of the year, I have not missed a Monday, Wednesday, Friday post! I like that I'm back to blogging, and I like documenting what's going on or what I'm thinking. Thus, I made myself sit down and do this Misc. Monday.

2. Thursday marked 37 weeks of pregnancy, which means I'm full term. Baby girl can arrive any day now as far as I'm concerned! :) I am 3cm dilated but the doctor said I was "still thick" which means not effaced much (and if you don't know what either of those terms mean, it just means my cervix isn't ready, Google for more info).

















3. My mom and I had a "girl day" on Friday, just the two of us. We were going to shop a bunch, but I told her I didn't think I had it in me! So instead, we had a very relaxing day out at my parents' house. It's so peaceful out there, I just love it. And I'm also quite fond of doing nothing, so it fit my personality. We did do one, short trip to Walmart in the morning where I found a few cute outfits for baby girl, and then later in the afternoon I got a pedicure.

The next day we took a trip to Big Lots in Rolla and found the perfect dresser for the girl room.















4. I got out Sarah's baby clothes, washed, folded, and put them away in the new dresser (oh, the dresser, I might add, took Josh about 4 hours to put together...it was so complicated). I didn't realize how many memories would come back to me seeing those clothes, it was so emotional! But Sarah made me laugh often when she would say, "Oh, I remember wearing that!" I'm sure you do, sweet girl. Ha!












Sarah and my mom at her dedication at church.

5. We turned on that AC yesterday. It's only April! We think there is something wrong with it, though. It never really cooled down the place. I guess it's better to find this out now as apposed to the heat of the summer. But I'm not good with the heat these days, so I wish it was cool NOW! Speaking of heat, I guess my kids get that from me...not liking the heat. I mean, it has been in the mid to upper 80's, but they just don't last long outside when it's in the 80's. Sad, I know! We should have gotten out a sprinkler or one of the kiddy pools I guess.

6. Sometimes people ask me if I really need anything since I already have kids, specifically since I've already had a girl. I do have all the main, big stuff and some clothes (though when Sarah was born, that's when I became a stay-at-home mom, so I didn't really get her a lot of clothes because I kept her in sleepers a lot). I'd say that main things moms need when they already have kids would be:

Diapers
Wipes
Desitin
Baby wash

And when it comes to my kids, newborn-sized diapers aren't even necessary! I was telling my mom that the other day, size 1 starts at 8 pounds, and if I keep with my pattern, this baby will be a big one. Caleb was 8lbs, 3oz - Sarah was 8lbs, 14oz - Gabriel was 9lbs, 3oz.


Here's hoping baby girl arrives soon...this week would be fine with me! :)

Fighting In Front of Kids

The other day I stumbled upon a website belonging to an author and pastor (I think?) because I saw the title of an article from Pinterest called Ten Actions That Kids Learn From Their Parent's Marriage. It's funny how the original reason I clicked on it had nothing to do with what I took away from it - mostly because of some of the comments. The one that stood out to me had to do with a grown woman discussing her upbringing and how her parents fought in front of her:

I'm 30 years old, no kids, and just two weeks ago I tried to explain to my own parents how influential there relationship has been on my life. My parents have definitely had their ups and downs just like any marriage...however, they did a lot of their fighting in front of me. Made me feel like I had to pick sides on who was right. And always involving me with their adult issues. I was 11 years old. I didn't need to know what was going on in my parents’ marriage. But my mother always made it a point to tell me what he was up to.

In contrast, a woman replied about her upbringing being completely opposite:

I grew up the exact opposite and also got married at a very young age. I was married at 18 (to my high school sweetheart), had my first child at 19, and divorced at 20. I wanted a relationship exactly like my parents: My parents NEVER fought in front of us. I cannot remember one time them fighting. I married for the 2nd time and found myself thinking "I don't need a man" anytime that we fought. I thought marriages were supposed to be perfect and we were never supposed to fight.

*These comments were much, much longer, but I just used a small portion. You can probably find the comment in it's entirety if you really want, just have to click on the link to the article.

Do you argue or fight (or discuss heatedly...whatever you want to call it!) in front of your children? I can tell you that Josh and I are NOTHING like our parents, and I won't go into much detail about what those dynamics were like. One of us understands the no fighting thing and how that affects how a person views relationships. The other understands once-every-five-years-fighting and how never discussing anything and then fighting ugly can affect how a person views relationships.

Most would agree that the situation from the first comment is not a good thing - to fight like that or discuss adult issues with a child. But do we also realize how detrimental it is to never fight or disagree in front of our children either? If they never see us argue or recognize that adults don't always agree, then they will think that marriages are just perfect - like the second commenter.

I guess I bring this up because I've often heard that parents shouldn't fight in front of their kids. Even though it's been tough around here at times, I can honestly say that Josh and I don't yell or call each other names when we're angry. I think it's good for our kids to see that things aren't always perfect. But if I can tell it's going to get a little too heated, I will make a point to stop and say, "We'd better do this later." Honestly, that's not very often (just the "too heated" part...don't get me wrong...we've disagreed in front of them...maybe more than some would think is ok).

I can say with 100% certainty, though, that I will never, ever tell my children what their dad is doing "wrong"...I have best friends for that, and that's where it should stay (I mean, if I need to vent, I will tell a best friend).


What is your fighting policy?

Must. Wash. Windows.

This sweet boy...
















...made me laugh last night after dinner. I couldn't help it.






Yes, it means cleaning the window in my china hutch. But gosh, it was just so funny.

Would my mom have been ok with this when I was a kid? No, probably not. Maybe some of my friends cringed when they watched. But it's ok. I won't let him do it at your house, ok? :)

Misc. Monday - Weekend, Sarah, Postpartum, Pat, Ants, Full-term

It's Spring Break around here, so it's a happy Monday for us! :)




1. We had such a good weekend. Everything went as planned, our hotel room looked exactly like the picture, the dinner was amazing, the movie was awesome, and time spent together was just a lot of fun.
















Here I am, a little too happy at The Melting Pot!

When we walked around the mall, my objective was to find some clothes for the kiddos for Easter, and I did. I found a really neat store called Crazy 8, and I loved the colors and the prices. I did not, however, find anything for baby girl. I'm not sure why!


2. This is very random - thus, fits in Misc. Monday - but I've just been thinking how much I wish Sarah was more cuddly. My boys have always been this way, always cuddle with me. I wonder if this is a girl thing, a birth order thing, or just a personality thing? She gives me hugs and kisses, tells me she loves me, don't get me wrong. But when it comes to climbing up on my lap and just staying for a while, it's not really her thing. Have you noticed this difference among children? Is it a boy/girl difference?

3. Speaking of girls, my friend Ashley just had her baby boy, and she wrote a post about feeling great and happy and everything is just perfect. I wonder if this is also boy/girl related! :) When I had my boys, I remember feeling that way! When I had Sarah, I struggled A LOT, even to the point that I'd say I had postpartum depression for about six months. Again, I'm not sure if this is order of children or if the hormones are different after having different sexes? I do think about it since I'm having a girl this time, and maybe since I'm more aware of it I can handle it better?

4. Rush Limbaugh doesn't offend me when he calls a woman a slut. Bill Maher doesn't offend me when he calls a woman a...well...Google what he called Sarah Palin. Should I feel offended? I don't know, I just figure anyone can spout off crummy things, unless it's my best friend or husband or mom, I'm not going to let it get to me. But you know who offends me? Pat Robertson. I guess when a person is in the spotlight as a Christian, I feel that they represent all of us. And when they say something hateful or not in line with scripture, it makes the rest of us look hateful as well. So when he said (referring to the Broncos and Peyton Manning), "If that injury comes back, Denver will find itself without a quarterback. And in my opinion, it would serve them right." Serve them right? UGH! Why would he say that? He doesn't even talk about pro sports normally, does the really think God is upset with the Broncos for getting rid of Tim Tebow? Maybe Tim Tebow isn't supposed to be there anymore! Remember Isaiah 55:8, Pat.

Not to mention when he said Haiti deserved what it got because it had a pact with the devil.

5. I hate ants. They are back in my kitchen like they are every spring. No matter how much I clean or bleach or find products that are recommended to me from a store, nothing works. Looks like we'll be spraying again soon. Super.

6. My doc is on vacation Wednesday, Thursday, Friday....just when I'll be 37 weeks/full term (on Thursday). So even though I really want to have her early, I really want my doc around! So I guess I'll wait another week...you know...if baby girl is agreeable!

Our Last Date

Well...for a very long time that is.

Josh and I have planned a mini-getaway before baby girl comes. Technically I will be full term next week - during his spring break - and he had mentioned going away somewhere: places like Branson or Lake of the Ozarks. But I just didn't want to be too far just in case. He also said we could take the kids and make it a family thing, but knowing me, I know that after baby girl gets here, I won't be going out with my husband for quite a while (because I exclusively nurse and don't pump...not that I couldn't...not that I couldn't use formula for a night out...I'm just really bad at leaving newborns...or, umm...three month olds...yeah, maybe even six month olds).

So anyway, my parents and his parents are helping with kiddos, and we are going to St. Louis for an extended, overnight date.

We will check in to the DoubleTree by Hilton in St. Louis on Saturday afternoon.














After we settle in, take a nap, lounge around for a bit, we'll head out to The Melting Pot where we have reservations for dinner.












I've never been there, so this should be fun!

Next we'll go see The Hunger Games at the Chesterfield Mall. Josh read the series of books, and he thought it was great (one of my close friends also read it and is gaga about it...so hopefully this will be a great movie).












After the movie we'll probably go back to the hotel and crash. Or watch tv...you know, something exciting like that. Maybe I'll watch the news or state up late (for me) and watch Letterman!

I'm guessing I won't be able to sleep in the next morning because it's just not in my genes! I'm too much of a morning person, but it will be nice to just relax and have a slow-paced morning. There is an IHOP close to our hotel, and I can't think of a better way to spend the morning than to start it off right with IHOP!










After breakfast I'm not sure what we'll do. We might go to the mall...I still need to find a "going home" outfit for baby girl, and I think Josh would like to find some new clothes for work. We'll just mosey around, nothing much, but much needed time alone together before our life changes with a newborn.

I am excited to do this. I can't wait to meet my baby girl and for our family to grow, but I know that it's hard to be just me and Josh when family dynamics change. At least for a while anyway.

"Sweet, an overnighter! Don't get knocked up!"

Don't worry, friend-of-mine-who-likes-to-give-me-crap. I'll try not to! :)


Did you have a "last date" before a new baby arrived?