Soccer Time

Meet the newest members of the Hot Lavas!  We are so excited to start practice next week with our fabulous coach, no other than our very own Dad!  This is going to be great! 

Climb Every Mountain

To the left is the only Blessing Day picture of Nathan that I took.  Poor fourth child.

Last summer when the morning sickness hit I was so tired.  That is nothing shocking.  Every mother knows how tired you feel during that first trimester.  I had just moved into our new house and was trying to keep up with two five year old boys and a two year old.  Some days I just didn't have the strength physically or spiritually and I felt I fell far short of where I wanted to be as a mother.

I had waited so long for children.  I was living my dream.  How could it be so hard?  This part wasn't in my dream!  Then I learned a lesson.  I learned that my dream was like Maria Von Trapp's dream in that it is "A dream that will need all the love you can give every day of your life for as long as you live."

That is my motto.  Well, one of my mottos.  The most important thing is to keep on giving all I can every day.  Some days I can't give as much as others but there is always a moment for some eye contact, a hug, an I Love You.

It's busy having a baby in the house.  I have been my usual post postpartum self: tired (obviously) overwhelmed, over weight, and expecting too much of myself too soon.  So I take a deep breath and I keep going knowing that it will all pass too soon and Nathan will be crawling and eating Legos before I know it.

My recovery has been delayed by a lovely out-patient surgery to retrieve and IUD that the doctor put in incorrectly.  I was racked with pain for about two weeks and then had good days and bad days for another two weeks until I finally went in to have it removed and, low and behold, it wasn't where it should have been so I had to have surgery to take it out of my abdomen.

The worst part of the surgery was fasting for 32 hours while breastfeeding.  I have been overeating since because that hunger was so powerful it scares me now to be hungry.

The best part of the surgery was that my sister Becky came and stayed several days with us and spoiled us rotten and brought a sense of security and calm that has been lacking since I entered the third trimester back in January.  She had gifts, time and energy and the kids all loved her.

Then Josh's parents visited and got to see our new house and new baby for the first time. 

We had the last day of school and I am trying to spend time on some kind of an activity with the kids twice a day, morning and afternoon, while Nathan is asleep.  We read, play in the sprinkler, go to the park, ride bikes in front of the house, do kitchen science "experiments."  They are earning circus tickets to use for screen time or cash.  They can earn about 10 a day for completing their chores and helping out.  I can also take them away for misbehaving which is wonderful since I've never been a good enforcer of "time out."









I am trying to get back into more of a balanced routine but inside I know I won't feel like I'm "back" until I stop waking up in the night to feed the baby and he's down to one nap.  What is that, around 18 months? 









Until then, I'll be here giving it all I've got and soaking up the love these little dreams come true give me back every day of my life!