Surprise!!!!

NO! We are not pregnant again (ha)! I'm sure some of you were wondering........

Chris has been working CRAZY hours the past few months and we haven't had a lot of family time. So, he took leave last Thursday and Friday so that we could have a mini "vacation". On Thursday, Chris and I took a walk with Hannah Beth down to the Starbucks on the corner while Luke and Hayley were at school. We spent the rest of the day playing Scrabble Junior, puzzles, and having a nice dinner as a family. Lots and lots of giggling!

We decided to take the kids to Busch Gardens on Friday for some unexpected fun. Luke and Hayley went to school that day just like they usually do. We didn't tell them we were going to be picking them up early that day. When we had them all buckled up and ready to go, Chris told them we were not going home. They looked a little confused. They both guessed we were going to the airport to pick up a visitor. After telling them we were headed to Busch Gardens, they both nearly hit the roof they were so excited.

The weather could not have been more beautiful and the crowds were so small. We walked up and got on pretty much every ride. The Fun Forest with all the Sesame Street characters was a huge hit. Hayley even dared to go on the log ride with me. She was so brave, but nearly broke skin clutching my arm so tight as we dropped down the big hill. Luke couldn't get enough of the Grover roller coaster. And Hannah Beth was such a little trooper! She just hung out in the stroller, napped, played in my lap for a bit at snack and meal time, and was soooo GOOD! Poor thing didn't get in one picture. To tell you the truth, I didn't take very many pictures. I was trying to just enjoy being there all together.

Chris took the cover off of the pool on Saturday, only to find that the cover had a hole in it and we had suctioned out most of the pool water when we would pump the water off the top during the winter. The water was nasty green, but Chris worked so hard cleaning and getting everything back to where it should be. The pool is full again, and pretty blue. It just needs a good vacuuming and we will be ready some 80/90 degree swimming weather.

Making Mental Notes Just Doesn't Cut It

So I'm blogging about our sleep journey with Miss Hannah Beth, because I KNOW I will forget every detail of how we achieved sleep at nap time and at night. It was only 4 years and 4 months since I had had a newborn when Hannah arrived but I don't remember the little details of how and when Hayley and Luke started taking good naps and sleeping through the night. I remember somethings like Hayley didn't really sleep through the night until she was about 9 and a half months and Luke took 20 to 30 minute naps the first few months of his sweet little life. But, when all was said and done, I dumped all the info on just how we got there. And if God chooses to bless us with number 4 (I have learned it is really not up to me anyhow), I want to know the details of how we did things with Hannah to at least have a starting point.

I say WE when talking about Hannah's sleep because we all know the sweat and tears that Mama and Daddy shed while going through sleep training with and infant. She does well at this point taking 3 naps a day and sleeping through the night most of the time. I still feed her at 10:30 pm so she can get through the night. Sometimes she wakes around 4:00am and I have to go in and re-swaddle and give her a paci. Oh, the swaddle!!!! It is a blessing and a curse. She loves it so much and truly gave us more sleep when she was a newborn. But now she has a love/hate relationship with the swaddle. Loves to be wrapped tight but then wiggles free and doesn't know what to do to fall back asleep. We are trying the one arm out method to wean her off the blanket (that sounds like she needs rehab or something) which seemed to work well last night. She only cried about 30 minutes before drifting off to sleep last night and she slept until 4:00am. I went in and re swaddled her and she slept until 6:00am. Not too bad.

Most of you reading this are probably thinking, "Blah blah blah, it is just sleep and they all figure it out." Wait, who am I kidding, I have one follower (Hi, Dana). So sorry to bore you with my sleep story. I promise next post will be more fun!!! Yes, they all figure it out, but if I can help them figure it out with less crying and more good sleep then I am all about it!!!!


So, here's to getting older (that is why mental notes don't work), getting more sleep, and hmmmm...can't think of a third one.

Love the Hat

Love the hat............

Hate the hat.........

5 months old

Where have the past 5 months gone!!!! Hannah got her first a taste of rice cereal this past weekend. She was not quite sure what to do with it. Most of it ended up on her bib. Today, she was much more interested and ate about a tablespoon.

What are you doing at 5 months Miss Hannah Beth? Let's see:

*You are so full of joy. Your Daddy says your joy meter must be at 1,000,000 in the mornings. You laugh and squeal with delight. Sometimes your squeals could actually shatter glass we think.

*You are trying so hard to roll over to your belly. You can make it to your side but have quite figured out how to throw your leg over. It won't be long though.

*You love to listen to music and when people sing to you. You are sometimes slow to warm up to other people. You study everyone very carefully before you flash them your smile.

* You are already in a size 3 diaper and wearing 6 to 12 month clothes. Such a sweet big girl!

* You still like to be swaddled tight when you sleep. You nap 3 times a day and sleep from 6:30 at night to 6:30 in the morning. I still wake you to feed you at 10:30 pm. You fall fast asleep as soon as you are done eating and I just rock and rock with you on my chest. You are so peaceful. I could hold you like that forever.

We love you to pieces, Lulabelle.

Spring Break Blast!

Hannah Beth's view at the zoo. I guess she thinks I make all those animal noises.

Checking out the kangaroos with Papa

Mimi and Hayley loved the flowers

The Human Exhibit

These crazy humans escaped from the cage. Good thing they were pretty tame!

Is it me or does Hayley look so big in this picture?

Lazy lions

Lovin the train ride

So glad to finally be on the train

Happy to stretch out after many hours in the carseat

What a fantastic Spring Break. It was a far cry from last year when I was suffering from morning sickness in the worst way and it was FREEZING! This year, I was somewhat rested, not nauseated at all, and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful (in the 80s most days). We even broke out "Tiki Soaki" (our volcano sprinkler) at the beginning of the week because it was HOT. But the highlight of our week was our visit with Mimi and Papa.

We went to the zoo and enjoyed every minute of the warm sun, the animals, and the ice cream. We spent lots of time outside, read books, went shopping, and played hard. We were all sad to see them go home on Saturday and can't wait to see them in June.

Easter Sunday

I love Easter. Every bit of the entire holiday. I find myself loving Easter even more than Christmas as I get older. The message of Easter is the most important story that anyone could ever hear. And to know that it is not just a story.... it is Truth. The Truth that my God loves me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for my sins, is the most amazing Truth to be told. A Truth that is not just for me, but for ALL of His children. A Truth that washes me with grace, mercy, and forgiveness everyday of my life.

Now that is love, God's unconditional love.

I used the Resurrection Eggs to tell the story of Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice to the kids again this year. For the two weeks before Easter, we sit together and open one egg each day. Each item inside the eggs represents a different part of the story. I would then read a part of the Easter story to them from the Bible and we would talk about what it all means. Sharing this time together really helped to prepare my heart for the true meaning of Easter.

Luke was really into the story of Jesus's death and resurrection this year. We talked about what Jesus did for us alot. He had many questions and I think he really is getting just how much God loves him. On Easter Sunday, they didn't have Sunday School so the children had to go to "Big church" with Chris and I. They called all the children down to the front for Children's Time, a short sermon geared for little ones. Of course the lesson was on Easter and Jesus's resurrection. Luke had his hand raised every time a question about the story was asked. Our pastor called on him 3 different times and each time Luke shared a portion of the Easter story from the Bible. It was like he was quoting scripture. So precious. The last question was about what the women found when they went to the tomb. The pastor called on Luke and he said " The women saw that the stone was rolled away and they were scared, but an angel told them Don't be scared. He is RISEN!!!!!" Well, when Luke said this the entire congregation began to applaud. He was so cute. His face lit up with the biggest smile. The whole time he was up there I was wishing that I had the video camera!!!! I think we may have a minister in the making!!!!!

What a blessed Easter we had together as a family. Church, then home to change clothes and over to a friend's home to share in Easter dinner with several other families. So much fun. And finally home for an Easter egg hunt, eating almost all the jelly beans that were found. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter too!

What's up, Doc?

Seriously, Mama. What's up with the ears?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Chris decided it would be a fun project to plant some "crops" and see how they grow this spring. We took one beautiful Saturday afternoon and planted some carrots, corn, squash, broccoli, strawberries, onions and tomatoes. Hoping for a harvest of at least one thing in our garden.