that face

i could eat her up. i really really could. she can make me want to pull my hair out - don't get me wrong....but seriously....look at that face.

loving arms

Lee was bathing the big kids & putting them to bed while I fed the baby girl. Everyone came down to say good night. I asked big sister to sit on the sofa, asked her to put the boppy around her waist & she held out her hands like I was about to toss her a football. I smiled & placed the baby in her arms. Big grins all around - except from the baby which is why there's a pacifier in her mouth. But she calmed down & eventually loved the arms of her big sister. Sweet moments in the house. I put the baby down soon after & ran upstairs to grab a blanket. On the way down I held the blanket up to my face & just breathed it in. That new baby smell. No, that's not it....it's the smell of my baby.
I am ovewhelmed -I've probably said that a few times....but I am overwhelmed with joy and with gratitude. 3 precious children......I pray in those moments of frustration & exhaustion, which undoubtedly come....sometimes daily....sometimes hourly....I pray that I will be reminded of this gratitude. Because my heart is stretched farther than I thought imaginable....a whole lotta love.

rainy day

Today was nice. I loved looking at my calendar last night to see absolutely nothing written down. The baby slept well, the big girl slept well & the boy slept in until 915! Pretty sure that's never happened around here. We let him snooze. The big girl & I bonded - & she helped me fold some clothes & load the dishwasher...she's gotten to be such the big helper! I'm grateful. The big guy woke up & we made jello, they took baths, played ball.....i guess you don't need the play by play. The point is that we didn't GO ANYWHERE. It was nice. We sat on the floor this afternoon & had milk & cookies.....these are pictures from our time together. The girl wore that get-up all day long. And something abo ut that tiara on her head demanded royal attention - from her end....not necessarily mine.

Do you like the boy's stripes & plaids?? Yep, that was me - I dressed him. I knew we weren't leaving the house & I didn't through the possiblility of photos being taken - so there.

Trader Joe's

Okey Dokey, a new Trader Joe's just opened near my house & I could not be more excited. Now, I don't buy all of my groceries there....but there are things that I could/would never buy at my local grocery store that I will gobble up when I walk through the doors of that fantastic Trader Joe's - like bags of toasted almonds & pumpkin seeds & dried fruit - (my kids love dried fruit) & their bagged salad with dried cherries & spiced pecans & chocolate covered graham crackers WHICH i think me & the girl polished off in the car on the way home. It just seems like it must be good for you coming from that place for some reason. They were giving out samples, which I'm always up for....even the big girl was up for trying PORK TENDERLOIN & ROASTED FINGERLING POTATOES - I mean seriously, can you beat that??
But the highlight sample of the day was a wheat chip with honey goat cheese.......
oh. my. goodness. My kid & I fought over scraping the little dixie cup clean with our fingers. I won & it was worth it.

play doh

The kids & i had a blast playing with play doh on the porch - meet our creations :)

Those are spaghetti & meatballs- mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

6 weeks!

I can't believe she is 6 weeks old!! She's growing too fast. She's really sweet & the big kids are still adoring her. The boy walks up behind her bouncy seat, which vibrates, and presses his big tummy against it & giggles. These 3 will have lots of fun together!

Reptiles

Lee took the girl to a birthday party for a friend from school today. You'll notice her sitting next to the bday girl inthe 1st picture. Front and center. & looking very engaged in the 2nd picture. And then you'll notice that she bolted by the time the 3rd picture was taken. The reptile man came. You'll also notice (surprise surprise) that she decided not to say hi to the python.:)

MeMe

My mom was here last week - such a help!! I sit around here sometimes & wonder if I will ever run an errand again. Like this morning, I woke up to a baby screaming with a dirty diaper....and guess who is out of diapers???? And tell me how to get 3 kids out of the house when all 3 need to be fed & dressed - not to mention how I will get myself dressed! Needless to say, my mother was a huge help & I'm missing her right about now in this house with no size 1 diapers. But the baby will deal with the size 2s until i get it together, drink my coffee & get to target.

colorado

OK, be envious.....this was our view from the room in Colorado....isn't it amazing??! I have told several people, that if i have to do middle of then ight feedings, i prefer to do it in an environment like this. It was so beautiful out there.

The reason we went to Colorado is for a Conference - it is something I look forward to every year & this location is hands down my favorite. FCCI (Fellowship of Companies for Christ International) has a sweet spirit & a gathering of people who walk such interesting paths. The fellowship is top notch & is what i enjoy most about the conference. It is encouraging to rub shoulders with & go deeper with people who truly live a life trying to surrender....not trying to impress, but just pure & simple live life well for the glory of God. People who have walked much longer than i have & have wisdom to pass down. What a gift! I'm a person drawn to the classics...i love older names & yearn for a life like our grandparents & great grandparents had.....& we are surrounded with everything trying to be bigger, better, faster.....when I just want to slow down & soak it in. My grandmother cross stitched something for me when i was little
"As you go through life, take time to smell the flowers"
- i think it is engrained in my soul. Life is too fast as it is.....let's take it all in. Precious limited time....will I be a good steward of it all??

These are some friendships that have come out of this conference. We had a blast. And it's good to be home.

we've been gone

Well, we have been in Colorado! It is so beautiful out there....really hard to beat. The aspens were golden yellow & those trees always amaze me....such brilliant colors. I will post pictures of all sorts of things soon, but I am getting ready for a show tomorrow!! That's right, I'm painting again. I will post the info for the show tomorrow here & then post more details on the painting blog . It's good to be home & I promise to post more tomorrow. Please come to the show or pass this info on to anyone who may be interested!!

Christmas Open House

Saturday, October 11th
10 am to 4 pm
711 Walnut Drive
Marietta, GA
30064
Get a jump on your Christmas
shopping! Drop by at
your convenience!
• Uniquely personalized Burp Cloths,
Bibs, Onesies and Children’s
Clothing
• Hand-painted Monogrammed
Candles
• Customized Notecards, Invitations,
Birth Announcements and
Holiday Cards
• Hand-painted Wall Art

my little cupcakes

A sweet neighbor knocked on our door this morning with the sweet treats for the new baby girl. We all enjoyed them IMMENSELY on the baby's behalf :). I thought the boy was going to jump out of his skin this afternoon as I held the cupcakes out & said, "want one?" He started signing & saying "more! more!"

I love our neighborhood. It is so nice to be surrounded by people you trust & want to celebrate big & little life events with each other......it has meant the WORLD to our family as we came home with this precious new baby to be showered with meals & notes & treats & encouragement from the people living right around us. It's like having an extended family...right here. What sweet memories you have all given us. Thank you.

sweet kisses

love

that's my girl

This picture makes me laugh. This is the reality of a newborn. Yes, they smell good & are sweet to hold & snuggle. And the sounds they make are tough to beat.
I could post a picture of this precious angel sleeping soundly on her daddy's chest or snuggly curled up in my arms......but this, my friends, is my kid. This is my kid in the middle of the night when you are sleeping comfortably in your beds (except for you, Ashley whose kid probably looks like this at 3am). People talk about the adrenaline rush that comes when you are in pain or in harm's way - the ability to like lift a car or something. Well, there's a similar phenomenon that happens in regards to having children. There are just things that we don't accurately remember - morning sickness for me seems like such a manageable thing just days after it ends. And it's not until that 1st real contraction comes that I remember the pain of labor. And so it is with sleepless nights.....I knew they were coming, I know in my head that it's painful.....but I did not fully remember just what it was like.
And as crazy as it sounds.....I love every minute of it :).

And it may be that I come back & edit this post tonight.......and I fully give myself the grace to do that. In the meantime, you can pray either that I truly cherish this middle of the night time with my girl OR that she would just start sleeping. Or both.

SNL

I'm posting this for my dad :)

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1743084/tina_fey_playing_sarah_palin_on_snl