Eden 11 months

Eden, you are 11 months old today! You are really starting to show your personality now! We are so loving this! Right now...

-You are almost walking...you can take 2 or 3 steps alone and then you dive!
-Your eyes are my favorite thing about you! You definitely use them to show how you are feeling. We say that you have the "corban stare." Those lashes are just as long as ever!
-You can say "Da da" "ma ma" "ra ra" (at least it sounds like it) No real purpose to your mumblings yet though:)
-You eat everything and anything!
-You love all animals. When you see them you start kicking your feet, pointing to them and saying 'mmmmmm...ooooo...'
-You are still waking up once in the night most of the time. It kinda drives me nuts, but it's my fault for not making you sleep all night. This definitely needs to change soon though because mommy and dadddy are going away in March and the grandparents will NOT be happy with me if you are still waking up in the night...yikes!
-You are super snuggly:) I absolutely love this about you!
-I nurse you twice a day. Once in the early morning and once before bed. You aren't too attached to it...just like your brothers, it looks like you will wean yourself.
-You use a pacifier and nuzzy to sleep still. I love that you are so easy to put down. I just sing you a song and give you your paci and nuzzy and you go straight to sleep.

Eden, you are so beautiful! What a blessing you are to our family. Next month we will celebrate your 1st year of life! Love you sweet girl!

A Birthday Get-a-way!

I can't decide whether getting away for a weekend with my husband is a good thing or a bad thing. Ha! No I'm serious...kinda of. For my birthday, (and his too!) my husband whisked me off to St. Louis just the two of us! We stayed at the fabulous Union Station Hotel and went to two Cardinal games. Does he know me well or what???!!! We ate dinner, stayed up late and slept in late! My wonderful mother-in-law kept the boys and my mom and sister kept the sweet girl (who happened to be sick - it's extra awesome they still we were willing to keep her)! The trip was SO needed and I'm glad we were able to get away. The only problem: I want to go away ALL THE TIME now! I have a new found sense of freedom and can't wait til we get to go away again! This is bad. While I nkow the Grandparents love my kids, I'm pretty positive they don't want them EVERY weekend! Plus, I'm pretty sure Mark isn't going to get a 5 start hotel every weekend for us to 'get away.' Anyway, best birthday present in a long time!

Family update and Eden 8 months!

Life just seems to be getting busier and busier around here. We are jumping from one thing to the other and my days are running together. We just got back from an awesome week at the trail ride,Eden is 8 months now, Aaron and Corban have both started school, Aaron starts soccer this week and Mark and I turn another year older this month!

Aaron started school at Montessori. We decided to wait another year before sending him to Kindergarten. It has been a hard decision to make, but I think it is what is best. He is such a smart little boy. Loving Montessori! He goes 4 mornings a week from 8-11. The transition has been really smooth for him, for which I am so grateful. He has had trouble with that in the past. I have also enrolled him in homeschool (counting for Kindergarten) just in case we decide to send him straight to 1st grade next fall. Corban started going to Stepping Stones preschool last week. It has been a pretty hard reality for him, which we knew it would be. He cried most of the first day but improved a lot the second. Hopefully he won't torture this mama every Tues and Thurs like his big brothers entire first semester and cry:( I wish I could put a picture of their first day of school on here but unfortunately this mother was a failure and didn't take one. I have my excuses, but let's just leave it at that. ok? I will take a 'pretend' first day picture and that will have to do.

Eden is practically crawling now. She is also pulling up on EVERYTHING. Thus we have entered the 'I crack my head on everything so I should be wearing a helmet all the time' stage of life. I can't believe she is only 8 months and already pulling up and almost crawling. Both boys were well over 10 months before even trying to crawl. She takes 2 naps a day and is really smiley. She LOVES her mama and is a huge cuddler! I love it...except it has been a pain the rear to train her to sleep all night. Thank you Mark for giving each of my children the gift of persistence! She is nursing 3-4 times a day and eating me out of house and home with 'real food' (you can tell by the size of her thighs!). She is starting to develop her own little personality and I LOVE it! She is adorable to look at if I do say so myself. Her brothers make her laugh like no one else! This 3 kid situation isn't half bad....now that we are past the infant stage and getting more sleep:) It's amazing how your perspective can change when everyone is relatively healthy, sleeping, and able to be entertained for more than 15 minutes by themselves...ha! no really, I'm serious. Life was questionable for a while there. I am pretty sure we are not only going to make it, but thrive!

Baba

I didn't know my grandparents well growing up. God blessed me and my siblings with a church family and other special family friends who substituted quite well though. I am SO grateful for those people in my life...then and now. Having said that, when my family moved to Melber, I was able to see a different side of family that I had never known. It's the first time in my life words like cousin, aunt, grandmother, grandfather, etc became real and more than just a word I mentioned when asked about my extended family. Those words were rich with a love and history. I really didn't understand what I had been missing during my childhood until we moved to Melber.

This woman is one of my favorite people in the world. Baba and Dado taught me what grandparents were. They showed me and great example of what it looks like for grandparents to love their grandchildren. Baba turned 94 years old yesterday. She is the strongest woman I have ever met. Her health is not perfect but it is still better than any 94 year-old I have ever met. I want so bad for her to be alive for my children to really remember her like I do. I know that is not likely. I wish I would have known her a lot longer than I have. I wish I had stories of my grandmother like Mark does. I will cherish the last 14 years I have had with her. I love that she calls me her grandchild even though I technically am not. I will do my best to show my kids pictures of her with them, and tell them how much she adored them. I wanted to dedicate this blog post to this sweet lady. Here are a few things I want to remember:) I hope I get to keep adding to this list!

-She cooks a mean breakfast! Her biscuts are her trademark. I have tried for years to make them. I'm pretty sure I just don't use enough lard:(
-If you don't take what she has offered you the first time, she will keep asking until you take it. Might as well just take it when she offers no matter how full you are.
-She loves the Lord. She raised her family to follow God.
-I am pretty sure she works harder than me keeping her house clean. We always compare our cleaning schedules when we talk on the phone.
-I love it when she calls the day before our weekend visit to ask what I want her to make for me:) Strawberry pie is my favorite!
-She never measures any ingredient. Ever.
-If you ask her for a recipe, she will NOT include all the ingredients unless it is written down. It's best to just watch her make it and write down as she goes.
-I love walking in her house in the evening when she has a small lamp on readying her Bible at the kitchen table.
-She takes forever at the grocery because she stops to visit with everyone.
-She says things like 'be good to the bread' to the grocery boy who puts the groceries in her trunk.
-Nothing is ever 'fit to eat' according to her when he cooks
-Aaron and Corban always ask her to make them 'oats' for breakfast.
-Mark and I always remind her that they are 5yrs and 2yrs and big enough to feed themselves. (She always tries to feed them)
-She showed me the best example of how to love her husband.
-She NEVER forgets to call me during the week even when I do.
-She makes sure to reprimand Mark if he is critical of my cooking.
-She loves to rock my children.
-She taught me the word 'shit-fire' (can I say that on my blog?????)
-Corban told us the other day that Baba calls him "sweet darlin"
-When I was so stressed the day before my wedding she hid me in her house so no one would find me:)

The biggest thing I will always remember about Baba is her heart for service. She is a servant. It is simply who she is. I will forever be grateful to God for the opportunity to know this special woman who introduces me to others as her granddaughter. Such sweet words to me.

New Glasses

A month ago at Aaron's 5 year check up we learned that he has something called Amblyopia. This means that one of his eyes (left eye in Aaron's case) is not see correctly. His right eye is seeing clearly but his left is seeing 20/200. So off to our favorite optometrist we went. He now has a brand spanking new pair of glasses and we will begin patching his right eye (his good eye) for several hours a day in attempts to get his left eye to catch up. So here my sweet boy is in his new pair of glasses! He is doing great keeping them on!

Eden 6 months

We made it through the first 6 months! Here are a few things about you, Eden, that mommy wants to remember!

-You are such a good baby! You hardly ever fuss. Seriously, you only cry when you are hungry, sleepy, or have a dirty diaper. Once those are taken care of you are all smiles!
-I love that you are so adjustable! We haul you everywhere and at all times of the day and you just go with the flow. You are super smiley and will let anyone hold you....right now at least.
-You are super chunky. Those thighs are holding all the milk I think. Your cheeks are just squeezable! You are in size 6 months but some of your shorts don't fit around your legs:)
-Mommy's only complaint is that you don't sleep through the night. You get up once to eat, sometimes twice. I just can't bring myself to be mean yet and make you do it because you go to sleep right after you nurse, so it's easy. I'm sure the time is coming very soon when there will be some crying to get that problem corrected.
-You are sitting up by yourself. I LOVE this!
-You LOVE your brothers. Aaron can make you laugh harder than anyone. Corban is learning the ropes though and got some good ones out of you yesterday!
-I just started some solid food this week. Rice cereal at night and some bananas and squash during the day. Banana is your favorite right now. You are starting to reach for our food when we have meals so I am sure your options will increase very quickly.
-You take 3 naps a day. An hour morning nap around 9am, a 2 hour noon nap and then another hour nap in the evening. I am so excited for you to drop your evening nap...this family is much to busy for that one:)
-You still take a pacifier, but only for sleeping. You won't take it during the day for some reason. (no complaints here!)
-You love to watch TV. This is a bit ridiculous if you ask me. I find you watching it all the time when your brothers have a show on.
-You nurse every 3 1/2 to 4 hours. I haven't offered you a bottle in a long time...oops!
-Your eyes are my favorite thing about you right now. They pierce straight through me! And those eye lashes...they are long and beautiful. They are the first thing people notice when they see you.

Our cup overflows! We are so grateful for you, Eden. There is nothing sweeter than your adorable smiling face when I come get you out of your crib every morning. Next month will be your first trail ride - which is a pretty big deal in this family! We can't wait to get you on a horse! We love you so much beautiful girl!

Aaron 5 years

So I now have a 5 year old! Mark and I are so proud of the young man Aaron is becoming. He is such a compassionate child and a great big brother. Here are a few things about him I want to remember:

-You can make your little sister laugh harder than anyone else in the family. She smiles when she hears your voice and will belly laugh when you play with her.
-You do such a great job playing with Corban and helping him learn how to do 'big boy things.'
-You are long and lean. Just like the pictures I see of your daddy when he was your age.
-You LOVE your daddy! You do everything he does, just like he does.
-You are getting more and more confident with horses. Papa is paying you right now to 'work' with a horse we have right now. 'Pony Boy' is his name and daddy helps you do ground work and ride bareback.
-You got a cowboy hat, boots, and a vest for your birthday. You play a game called 'buck you off' where you and Corban put your cowboy gear on and get 'bucked off' your beds. Mom and dad get to come watch the 'show.'
-You are very compassionate and sensitive to other people's feelings.
-You are really smart. We debated on whether or not to start Kindergarten this year because you would be the youngest in your class. We have finally decided to hold off 1 more year and do Montessori this year and start 'real school' next year.
-You love learning new things. You ask TONS of questions. I have been able to tell a major shift in your understanding of abstract things lately and answers are harder and harder to come by. You do not accept the answer 'I don't know.' or 'There is no answer to that question.'
-You just got a new 'big bike' and go on bike rides with your dad all the time on the 'big road.' You have been riding without training wheels for over a year now.
-You can read. Small sentences and still have a ways to go, but I am so proud of your self discipline at such a young age to want to learn.
-You played T-ball for the first time this spring. You LOVED it and had so much fun. Coach Jimmy did a great job helping you learn.
-This year on your birthday we went out to breakfast as a family and plan on having a camp out with a few friends. You said you want hot dogs, Cheetos, and s'mores. Yum! We also went to the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro with RaRa. Aunt Lori came and brought Eli, Isaac and Esther too!

Aaron, God has blessed us beyond measure with your life. Thank you for being such a great son and big brother! Our prayer is that you will continue to have just as much of a zeal and determination to find answers as you do now. Most of all we pray that God will make himself known to you always and your relationship with him will grow and mature as you do. We love you sweet boy!

Corban 2 years old!!!

Corban, you are 2 years old this month! Son, you are by far the funniest child I have ever met. There is not a hour of the day that your dad and I don't mention something funny that you did or said that day. You seem to understand sarcasm and actually attempt to make jokes with your broken vocabulary. We LOVE your sense of humor!!! You are also, by far, the strongest willed child. You are persistent and love to do the opposite of whatever everyone else does. I know this can serve you well in your life, but let me tell you, son, it is a difficult thing to deal with at 2 years old! I find myself having to modify a lot of discipline in order to figure you out and deal with your persistence and strong opinions. The term 'let it go' and 'choose your battles' is used frequently when we mention your name. Here are a few things I want to jot down about you:

- You LOVE to ride...lawn mowers/tractors/horses. You ask non stop to ride something and don't stop asking until it happens!
-You LOVE your Papa and RaRa! You are friendly with everyone but I mean, seriously, you are very select about who you attach to and when you love someone, you love hard. You are stuck like glue to them. Add in your persistence and strong opinion and things get a little ridiculous when they are around.
-You eat, and eat, and eat, and eat. Except, you hate milk.
-Your vocabulary is taking off....you can say pretty much any word we ask you to and are putting words together to make sentences.
-You sleep in a big bed, and have been for about 5 months now. You insist on sleeping on the 'op bunk' for naps but we had to put our foot down at night and made you sleep in the bottom bunk.
-You still get up at 6am every morning and are REALLY chipper too! We have finally gotten you to play in your room when you wake up until I come get you...well kind of...it's still rough mornings around here most of the time.
-You have a crazy obsession with glasses (like sunglasses or play eye glasses) right now...all kinds. You wear them everywhere we go. You also love keys, phones, and your Crazy Coup car.
-You want to do everything your self. I. mean. EVERYTHING!
-You LOVE your brother and want to do everything he does and exactly the same way he does it...as long as it is your idea.
-We call you a parrot because you repeat everything that is said...no secrets in this family right now:) and :(
-You sing non stop. You go around our house and find books or a piece of paper and something to stand on, lift your hand to lead and start singing at the top of your lungs. Your favorite song (that you can sing almost all the words to) is Jesus Loves Me. You also like Holy Lord, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, Days of Elijah, The Lord Reigns, and Lord Reign in Me. You also ask every Sunday to go up after worship and lead songs on the stage. We literally hold you back until the final amen and you go running up the steps until we pull you off to go to class.
-You are all about your feelings. You go around and declare your mood (happy, sad, and scared are the typical ones) frequently.

Corb, thanks for making us laugh! May God be glorified in your life always, son! We love you so much! You are so full of life. Keep on growing, sweet boy!

Let us be women...

Let us be women who Love.

Let us be women willing to lay down our sword words, our sharp looks, our ignorant silence and towering stance and fill the earth now with extravagant Love.

Let us be women who Love.

Let us be women who make room.

Let us be women who open our arms and invite others into an honest, spacious, glorious embrace.



Let us be women who carry each other.

Let us be women who give from what we have.

Let us be women who leap to do the difficult things, the unexpected things and the necessary things.

Let us be women who live for Peace.

Let us be women who breathe Hope.

Let us be women who create beauty.

Let us be women who Love.



Let us be a sanctuary where God may dwell.

Let us be a garden for tender souls.

Let us be a table where others may feast on the goodness of God.

Let us be a womb for Life to grow.

Let us be women who Love.



Let us rise to the questions of our time.

Let us speak to the injustices in our world.

Let us move the mountains of fear and intimidation.

Let us shout down the walls that separate and divide.

Let us fill the earth with the fragrance of Love.

Let us be women who Love.



Let us listen for those who have been silenced.

Let us honour those who have been devalued.

Let us say, Enough! with abuse, abandonment, diminishing and hiding.

Let us not rest until every person is free and equal.

Let us be women who Love.



Let us be women who are savvy, smart and wise.

Let us be women who shine with the light of God in us.

Let us be women who take courage and sing the song in our hearts.

Let us be women who say, Yes to the beautiful, unique purpose seeded in our souls.

Let us be women who call out the song in another’s heart.

Let us be women who teach our children to do the same.

Let us be women who Love.



Let us be women who Love, in spite of fear.

Let us be women who Love, in spite of our stories.

Let us be women who Love loudly, beautifully, Divinely.

Let us be women who Love.


Today's quiet time brought to you by Idelette McVicker, spoke straight to my heart! I thought I would share in case it does the same for you:)
__________________________________

Lent

The past few years I have tried to give something up for Lent. I have pretty much not done a good job of following my commitment. This year I have tried something different. I have given something up, and added something into its place. Watching TV takes up a pretty significant part of our day most days. It has become easy for me, and my kids, to wake up and drink coffee (for me) and juice (kids) while watching cartoons to start our day. We end up watching several shows before we start our day. Aaron knows what time shows come on and what show comes after the previous show during the day. Just to be honest folks, it's just easier. Having 3 kids and dealing with big stresses in my life right now has made it easier to justify watching TV on my 'mommy breaks' or for my kids while I am cleaning or just frankly am tired and it is easier. I enjoy TV. I have always watched too much TV since I was little, so I can't really even use having kids as an excuse. I have noticed more and more that both my older kids ask non stop for 'their show' and for 'just one more show after this show.' If the answer is no, whining/fit throwing starts immediately. Aaron has been showing some disrespectful behavior lately too. He is picking up phrases from certain shows, arguing with us constantly, and talking back a lot more lately. Is all this due to TV? No, but it is certainly not helping. So, I decided to drastically modify the amount of TV we are watching. Both boys can watch one movie or 2 short shows during the entire day from wake up to bed. Aaron bucked this new idea pretty hard the first few days, which just proved to me even more how bad it is needed. We have been doing it for a little over a week now and I noticed he has stopped asking to watch TV so much. I was reading what Rachel Held Evans said on her blog when Lent started about how to include your family in giving something up for Lent AND adding something to your routine in its place. I sat the boys down and talked to them about Lent and told them we were giving up watching a lot of TV but that we were also going to add some things to our day to think about Jesus...how he lived, what he taught leading up to the days of his death and anticipating his resurrection. We are doing simple things like singing more songs together and talking about their meaning, praying together and reading stories from the Bible about Jesus. Aaron, in particular, is eating. this. up. For me personally, I have committed 30min a day by myself praying, studying, and/or meditating. I am reading through the story of Jesus just for myself. I have studied the book of Mark for the past several months on and off with people and for the class I taught. I loved the study, but this time I am doing it for me. Not to prepare for a class or an evangelistic study...but for my growth and spiritual feeding.

I hope that my kids will not see this as me just trying to keep them from watching TV. Of course I am doing that, but I hope that by taking these actions, we will not see just something being taken away but what are trying to do to focus more on glorifying God holistically. I hope I will becoming more patient with my kids and husband. I want to become more peaceful, slower to anger. I want to show my kids that our relationships with each other are more important than the shows we watch. We will build more block towers and knock them over, we will make forts and have picnics outside. We will read the story of Jesus and talk about God's reign on earth. We we will be eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the table instead of in front of the TV. We are going to do puzzles, sing songs, do crafts, and cook together. Or maybe two sweet brothers can just play with toys by themselves....but we aren't going to watch TV. We just aren't.

May God be glorified in our daily life as a family. This family will start that by turning off the TV.

May God be glorified in our daily life as a family. This family will be more intentional about reflecting Jesus every day in the way we talk and act toward each other and others. I hope we will continue this even after Lent is over. It's showing some great results so far:)

We anticipate Easter Sunday when we will rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord.

Sis is 3 months!

Yep, that's right...Eden is 3 months old today!!! Spring is here (except for a few cold waves here and there) and we are so excited for this new season of life! Here is what I want to remember about you right now...

-You have such a sweet smile. Your whole mouth opens wide and your tongue comes straight out. I love it!
-You 'talk' to us all the time, are starting to reach for toys now, sitting in the bumbo, and can roll onto your side really well.
-Bala says you look just like my baby pictures. I love it!
-You love to watch your brothers play....until they land on you...then it's not so fun.
-You take a pacifier pretty well and are still taking a bottle perfectly. You have officially impressed your mama in these areas. Neither of your brothers would take either. I give you a bottle every morning when you wake up. You take 4 ounces.
-You sleep very well at night. Bedtime starts at 8pm and you wake up about 3 or 4am, eat and then go back to sleep til about 7 or 8am. Right now, you still sleep in the pack-n-play next to our bed.
-Naps are still not on a set routine. You are starting to take a long nap in the mornings pretty regularly. Other than that, you can stay up about 2 hours before needing another nap. To go to sleep I give you your pacifier and nuzzy and lay you in the bed and cover you with a blanket. You usually just go right to sleep.
-You are wearing 3 month clothes.
-last month you weighed almost 11 pounds...we will go for your 2 month shots soon and have you weighed again.
-I put you in the ergo the other day while we played outside. You did great and I am hopeful I can use it more and more!
-both boys call you 'sister.' If we ask Corban to say your name he says 'Ed-nen.' It's too cute!

Eden we are so glad you are here and have completed our family perfectly! Most importantly you are HEALTHY and for our family that is a huge blessing! Keep on growing sis!

Just what I need...

I have been feeling a little down in the dumps recently. Between sick kids and lack of sleep I have been pretty much a homebody. Folks, I am NOT a homebody! I enjoy getting out and being social. When you have a new baby and sick kids all at the same time, that is pretty much not possible for a while and that time was extended for us. This week I have finally been able to get out and be social. So after taking Aaron to school yesterday, I was able to spend the morning studying the bible with a friend. Our time together was so much needed...for both of us. Whenever I am able to spend time with God by myself or with a friend, I feel a renewed sense of energy and passion for life. And let me tell you, I need that right now in my life. Revealing God's story to someone who has never really heard it before is absolutely amazing! There is no place I would have rather been yesterday than sitting at the table as my sweet friend's eyes fill with tears of joy as we read together about a God of redemption and love. I am so excited about where she is in her life. She has come so far from where she was last year at this time. Our conversation about light and darkness and God's presence led to her being able to tell me about her journey with the Lord. I think testimonies are so powerful and hearing her testimony was proof of that. She has had to overcome a lot of obstacles in her life that frankly I have never had to face. Hearing her excitement about what God has done in her life was truly moving. She and I definitely have different back grounds and came to know God much differently from one another. It is because of that difference that I am glad that God has put this sweet girl in my life. I see the Spirit working in her and pray that she chooses to continue on this path. Yesterday was just what I needed! Yay for good friends and a good day!

Yep...we're still sick.

So Eden you turned 2 months old and a few days later got RSV. We ended up taking you the ER at Harton to be evaluated and ended up at Vanderbilt being admitted for RSV/Bronchiolitis. Sweet girl...you sacared your mama to death! Seeing you so tiny in that great big old bed in the ER at Vanderbilt struggling to breath was about the worst thing I have had to watch as a Mama. Vandy docs and nurses were so great and took great care of you though. We stayed for 3 days and finally were able to take you home...just in time to find out that Corban had the nasty virus too. We are now at home with two sick kiddos...but so glad that you are doing better. It was so great to see your sweet smile back! Now we just have to get brother better! Everyone was so helpful while you were in the hospital! While this winter has been one wild ride, one thing I have learned is how much our family is loved! Our friends and family have been so wonderful to do whatever we need, even when we haven't asked for it yet. So...our update for this blog is that we are sick again. All this mama has to say is....COME ON SPRING!!!!!

8 weeks!

So this girl is 8 weeks old on Thursday! You are such a sweet girl, Eden. I will do a 3 month post next month with more updates. For now, I just want to make sure to that I remember you are sleeping AWESOME! You go to bed about 8:30pm and sleep til 3 or 4am. You eat and go back to sleep until about 8am. Still taking a bottle and pacifier perfectly!!!!! Keep on growing little girl!

Eden is 6 weeks!

So Eden, you are 6 weeks old tomorrow! I can't believe that 6 weeks has already gone by. Ever since you were born we have been either sick or celebrating holidays, so this week is the first normal week we have had at home. Your mama is still learning how to be a mama of 3! Things have been crazy around here! But we are so glad you are apart of our family. You are a very good baby. You just kinda go with the flow. You still do great taking a bottle (your mama LOVES this) and take a pacifier most of the time. You are sleeping much better now at night - this started last week. We usually go to bed between 9 and 10 and you wake up anywhere between 3 and 5am to eat and then go back to sleep until 8 or 9am. You love to be held but will play for short periods of time by yourself in your bouncy seat or on your play mat. You smiled for the first time a few days ago..it was so precious! You even smiled at your Aaron...he was so proud:) You are in 0-3 month clothes and starting to get chunkier. I love that you still have a little of that newborn look though. We are so thankful for you, Eden. The Lord has blessed us with a sweet, sweet baby girl!

The good, the bad, and the ugly...

I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it....

This is the phrase I keep repeating to myself over and over. One word to describe my current state of mind is....EXHAUSTED! I am completely and utterly exhausted. I think the hardest part about having 3 kids (so far) is not getting any rest. Multitasking is actually not a big deal, it's the lack of sleep and trying to continue to function day and night is proving to be difficult. Eden isn't sleeping well at night and whens he finally decides to 'pass out,' it's about 5:30am and Corban starts his morning crying to get up about 6am. They don't all three nap at the same time either. Eden has had a few good nights, which gives me hope. For now, She is having a lot of gas and reflux right now so I can't just 'let her cry it out' yet. Corban is struggling with lack of attention and it feels like he is whining all the time. Sweet Aaron tries to help out, but I can tell he is getting his feelings hurt a lot because of my lack of patience. Since Mark is on bedrest I feel mostly like a single parent. So now that I have complained like crazy I will make sure to mention some happy thoughts....
-My boys are playing really well together. They have their moments of fighting, but for the most part they do great. Thought, as I am typing, they are not having one of those great moments.
-I am grateful for a husband who doesn't freak out if the house isn't clean, dinner isn't made, or laundry isn't caught up. That takes stress off of me, and right now that means everything!
-Eden is a good baby. Other than a little reflux, she is a joy to have in our house. She doesn't fuss or cry hardly at all:) She should start smiling soon!!
-I have some AWESOME friends and family. My sister, mom, and in-laws have sacrificed their time and energy so much to help out and I appreciate it more than they know. Seriously, I don't know if I can ever repay them for their help and support. I also have the bestest friends there is. I know that not everyone has that blessing and I am very grateful for it! We have had meals, phone calls, gifts, and much more.

As my mother says to me all the time, "This too shall pass." I know it will. And I am sure one day I will wish the days back when my kids are little. I am trying to keep that in mind. Until then, I'm gonna keep on keepin on...and try and keep my patience and have some fun in between. I just wanted to write down what is going on in our lives right now and hopefully will look back on this one day when we have new challenges and remind myself of these days:)

Turkish Delight

Mark and Aaron have been reading The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis together. Ever since they started reading it, Aaron has been asking to make Turkish Delight. Since mom and Rachel were here helping, they were gracious to make it with him. So here you are folks...Aaron and his Turkish Delight!

Eden 1 month

Eden, you are 1 month old now! And what a month is has been around our house! Unfortunately the past month has been one sickness after another for our family, so I feel like I haven't had time to enjoy you being a newborn very much. Two days before you were born your brother, Corban, had tubes put in his ears in Murfreesboro. You were born two days later. Less than a week later your dad and Corban got the flu and were sick for a week. Everyone got better for Christmas. Christmas was so much fun, but a whirlwind. Bala came to stay for week in the first of January. Bala, Mama, and Aaron all got a nasty stomach bug a few days after she got here. In between those two sicknesses, your dad had a vasectomy and ended up having a major complication and is now in bed for a solid week or until he gets better. I sure hope your second month is a big improvement! YOU were so lucky to have avoided both sicknesses. You have been healthy, a great nurser, and growing like a weed. You are a very good baby and are showing all signs of being a 'snuggler.' You are the first of our children to take a pacifier and a bottle. The only complaint I have is that you don't sleep well at night. I am still waiting on the '5-6 hour stretch' to kick in, but that has yet to happen. I am hoping that will come soon. So far having a girl is not that different from having your brothers. I do change your clothes more because we have so many different cute outfits. I have tried putting bows in your hair but you pretty much hate them. I put them on you for pictures anyway:) So...happy 1 month Eden! Hopefully next month I will have a more detailed post on you...as long as we don't have another family crisis. Your brothers are so in love with you. They ask to hold you all the time. They want you to interact with them so badly. We love you sweet girl and can't wait to see you smile for the first time at us!