firsts

Yesterday was my first full day of solo parenting.  It was also my first time getting all four kids loaded up and in the car (friends were hosting a cookout for dinner and we planned to meet Matt there).

All in all, we did pretty good.  Fussy morning from Luke, but he slept through lunch while the kids and I "picnicked" on our porch which provided a nice little chance for me to get some good un-interrupted time with the other three kids.  Then a monster nap from the fussy-one provided a nice lull in the afternoon for me and a chance to read some more Little House to the girls and we got started on our Easter garden (today we'll add our praying Jesus). 

And getting them all loaded up wasn't a problem (glad we had a nice, close parking spot) but Lydia provided a bit of a snag.... I sat down to feed Luke "real quick" (ha!) before we left and Lydia took advantage of the extra minutes to cover both of her arms, fingertips to shoulders, with yellow sidewalk chalk.  Not only did I not want all that yellow dust in our van, but I wasn't sure how our hosts would feel about a yellow-chalked child tromping through their home.  So I sent her off to the bathroom to clean up while I finished gathering the things we needed.

It wasn't til we were home later that evening and everyone in bed that I noticed our newly yellow hand towel in the bathroom :)  Oh well, it'll wash.

On Tuesday (their last day with lots of extra Daddy-hours) a good solid chunk of morning was spent devoted to this little activity ....

(Yes, he dresses himself.  And yes, he is wearing a pajama shirt and his pants are on backwards.  I have a two week old.  We're rolling with it.)

Today Matt and I celebrate 9 (nine!) years of marriage.  It. went. by. so. fast.  Sooooooo fast.  Tomorrow we've got a little date night planned (with Luke in tow, of course).  So delighted to celebrate 9 years with my husband.  In this little season (post-Luke's arrival) one thing about his character that has stood out especially:  he is one of the hardest-working, highest-capacity men you will ever meet!  What Matt does in a given day is.... well, more than most :)  What he has done these two weeks at home..... (and also balancing some must-be-attended to needs outside the home)..... award-winning!   He loves his job and he serves HARD, and WELL.  And he adores his family, and he serves us so very WELL, so SELFLESSLY!  It is a delight to be served and led by him.  For me, and for our kids.

it's picnic time

We are big fans of eating outdoors.... picnics of any kind always win.  The summer after Isaac was born I instituted "picnic Wednesdays" and it was part of my weekly meal plan.  [Maybe I'll do it again this summer?!?!]

Luke joined the family picnic fun for the first time

(He is my first to ever use one of the baby car seat things ..... our others were all before we owned a vehicle ..... and all i gotta say is: those things are heavy!!!  and awkward!!!   but nice for a little snooze although I wouldn't say Luke is a big fan.)

We joined a few other families and headed to a huge office park area - sounds funny for a picnic but it has nice areas to ride bikes and grass to run around in.  Plus its a big holiday here which means everything, everywhere is super crowded.... except the office park!

I forgot to mention this a few weeks ago but just when I thought one more cold drizzly day would make me crazy the weather got nicer!!!  And it keeps getting warmer!  Yay!!!

I wanted more pictures, including some of the kids' buddies and the kickball game that Matt and another dad organized, but I missed lots of photo ops while busy feeding Luke. 

Now that it's summer-like weather the girls have been begging me to get out their summer clothes but with a newborn, well, their request just never rolled to the top of my list :)  Then this afternoon Luke took a monster nap and the girls & I went to town.  They think digging into piles of "new" clothes is tons of fun.  I fold and sort and hang and pile like crazy trying to keep up with them.  Also Matt and I made a pineapple upside down cake (pineapple season here) and finished about half of it on my own - thanks to my ginormous baby-feeding-appetite!

Tomorrow (day two of the holiday) we plan to stick closer to home... a friend of Julianna's from school is coming over and I've got one more set of clothes (Isaac's) to switch out.  And maybe some more baking too :)

rain walking

Tonight there was a tremendous thunderstorm right as we sat down to dinner.  So as soon as it was over (and we finished lighting, then snuffing out our Easter candles) we headed out for a little walk to buy some popsicles for dessert.  It was still raining pretty steady and much-o fun was had by all. 

We brought the popsicles back home to eat at the table, since the rain + umbrella + popsicle combo was sure to end in at least one tricky moment and possible loss of either popsicle or umbrella :) 

Fun little way to end the day, and now all four are snoozing, and I'm headed that direction too.  As Matt would say "I'm getting more sleep than I deserve with a 12 day old".  And he's right.  So am I.  But an early bedtime sure helps out too! 

trial runs

Well I've now had a few solid trial runs as solo mom of four.  We've had some smooth moments.  And some not so smooth moments. 

This afternoon was mostly smooth.  Julianna was working on a project (always!)

 

 

Lydia playing with the doll house

And Isaac busy at the sink

All was calm as I sat down to feed Luke for the 98th time today.  Or maybe the sixth.  Hard to say :)

Our newest little guy is mostly content, but I am re-remembering just how many hours a day it takes to feed a newborn.  And how tricky one-handed living really is.  And how patient my big three kiddos can be (and how impatient they can be too!) 

And I am super super grateful for Matt, who is currently carrying Luke while playing hide-and-go-seek with the other three.  [Luke just got an exemption from the 'must close his eyes' while counting rule.]  If it weren't for him, I'd be drowning in a mix of sleepless exhaustion and pure overwhelmed-ness.  

But there are definitely moments, even when Matt is home, that are just plain tough.  But so much joy and delight in our little Luke, he is just such a sweet little addition to our family.  More to come.... off to feed a fussy tired baby boy!

the big brother

3 years 2 days and 3 hours older than his brand new little brother. 

And proud of it too.  He actually asked "on my birthday I want to go to the hospital and have the doctor get the baby out"...... and two days later his brother arrived :)

He asks to wear this shirt more often than not.  He loves to talk about all the boys in our family (Daddy, Isaac, John Paul, Luke).  He's figured out who will sleep in which bunk.  When he says Luke it sounds a bit like 'Wuke' and I love it. 

The photo below is also pretty classic big brother.... look closely.  One shoe on, one shoe off.  Ketchup stains on cheek.  Scars from two different head injuries at hairline.  And precious little brother: sweet feet way too soft for shoes, no food stains, no scars.  Oh how I can't wait to watch these two grow up together. 

And this photo too - loves to hold Luke, eager to share his tiger (temporary share, that is .... also eager for Mom and Dad to get an animal for Luke so Bei Bei's place in Isaac's arms is not threatened).   He worries when Luke cries, loves to check on sleeping Luke, and is ready for the day Luke can hold his own toys. 

Isaac little buddy, you are going to be one FANTASTIC big brother. 

my view

The days are already flying by.... part of me wants him to stay this little forever. 

Tomorrow morning he'll be one week old. 

Luke photos and stories

First up, check out Luke's sweet fan club (hospital visit #2)......

I realize it's terribly early to draw many conclusions but so far transition for the big sibs has been super smooth.  We did talk at dinner about "the good things" ("I love to watch him take a bath") and "the hard things" ("Mommy can't help me very much").  But mostly just enjoying the good!!

They are loving all the extra Daddy time - outside now for a post dinner baseball game while I feed Luke and type with my left hand :)

Luke loves all the time with Matt too!  Our first nights have been a mix of tough patches with just enough good stretches to get us through.  And I am trying for a nap each day too.

His delivery was smooth and perfectly timed.  Contractions started at 3ish and I was convinced I was in labor by 4 am, friends came to stay with sleeping kids and we were at the hospital a bit after 6.  Luke is a big boy (!!!) so pushing was a lot more work than I was prepared for, but I made it with a ton of encouragement from Matt and Lisa (our doula, an American nurse). 

Now we are home and settling in to our new routine, Lots of sleeping and eating for the new little guy, with bouts of fussiness to keep us on our toes :)  Tomorrow we are headed back to the hospital to check his weight.  9 - 14 at birth...... as well as he is eating I bet he is back to that weight already.  And then a stop by the U.S. consulate to apply for his certificate of birth abroad and a passport :) 

It's a BOY!!

Luke Joseph

Sunday, March 18th

8:13am

4500 grams (9 pounds 14 ounces)

45 cm (21.3 in)

Isaac = three

Celebrating this little guy is easy :) 

We started with gifts from the girls and a special birthday breakfast. 

Then it was on to phone calls and a few gift openings ... the original idea was to hold off and open most of them later as a family but Isaac kept saying "but Mom, I can't wait".... so we opened a few throughout the day :) 

In between phone calls and gift openings Isaac and I collaborated on a blue cake with blue icing. 

 

 After Matt got home we opened more gifts.... this car transporter was a HUGE hit :)

 and this hat (John Deere logo on back) is even more amazing in person!

And finally it was time to eat the cake :)

Happy Birthday to my most favorite brand-new THREE YEAR OLD!  We love you Isaac :)

two more weeks :)

Two weeks from my due date :)  oh wow are we eager to meet this little one!  With no history of early arrivals (Isaac at 5 days pre-due date was my earliest, both girls were late - 2 days and 5 days) I'm  anxious for baby to arrive but also aware that we're probably a good ten days out.   Of course, if this little one decides to show up early that would be just fine in my book... have you ever met a pregnant lady in the last weeks who wasn't dreaming of 'any day now.....'??!!??

For the most part we're still doing good - baby seems happy and content, Momma is mostly happy and mostly content :)  The other kids are READY!! I think they feel like they've been waiting forever :) 

I am definitely not my normal high-capacity self 24/7 though.  Last night Matt walked in at 5:30 and I was sitting on the floor playing with the kids. 

I looked up and said "ummm, there's a small problem with dinner."
"What?" asked Matt.
"I didn't make it" responded round-pregnant-belly-toting me :) 

The problem was not that I didn't plan it (nope, it was right there on the weekly planner sheet on my fridge - spicy chicken chili and dinner rolls), problem was that I just didn't make it!  I had napped while the kids rested, skyped away a chunk of the afternoon, got outside to enjoy the slowly warming temps and at 5:30 dinner was MIA.  (Matt usually walks in about that time, and I am usually already in the kitchen working towards a 6pm meal.) 

We went out to eat.  On the way home Matt said "We should do this lots - you don't need to be cooking every night" (Luckily eating out here is cheap and cheaper as long as you stick to local cuisine, which is not difficult since we don't live close to any western restaurants.)

And thanks to a WONDERFUL "fill the pantry/freezer" shower some dear friends hosted for me on Monday night we are well-stocked for food post-baby-arrival!  My deep freezer can hardly squeeze shut!  [More on the shower later when I get pics.... such a fun fun night for me!]

Double bonus is that Jan and Luther (my mother and father-in-law) arrive on April 12th and I know the extra hands and love and attention and cuddles will smooth our transition and make home-cooked meals a reality again! 

In the waiting we've got one REALLY BIG DAY coming up tomorrow - Isaac's 3rd birthday :)  Such a delight to celebrate him - for him and with him! 

love these people (and this video)

I think I've mentioned this (maybe about six thousand times before!!), but I married into one really great family.  Really.  Great.  Family.

Watch this music video, seriously.  Watch it.

Lead Me on Vimeo (Bethel Church)

Now you know one quick little snip of why I love this family (and the rest of the extended family) so very much.

Andy (Matt's brother) is Worship Director at Bethel - he and Kristi can SING (!!) and that's him singing in the video.  My kids love to play "praise and worship band" .... we blast some of their recorded music and the kids set up a stage, gather their instruments and have a blast.  I usually sit back and watch.... missing Andy Kristi & family, praying hard that one day our kids will worship in their hearts with the same enthusiasm they have as they shake their tambourines and sing along with their aunt and uncle.

gardening, year two

Matt led the charge yesterday and we were all back out in the garden again - after a long winter and lots of begging from the kids to "plant some more seeds".  The weather is warming up.... slowly, surely, the average high temp is definitely warmer than it was two weeks ago.  So we decided it was time to get the soil ready and toss out some seeds.

Sunday after church we stopped by the plant market for seed packets.  Started with 'little cabbage' which we know from experience (last year) is a sure-fire winner.  We also picked up some cilantro and green onion cause we've heard they also qualify as "hard to mess up". 

The seed packets are less than 50 cents each, so we each kiddo choose one thing they wanted to plant.  The girls were less motivated by what might actually grow and more motivated by the photos on the seed packets.  Each ended up with a beautiful variety of flower - we'll see what happens :)  And Matt steered Isaac towards a packet of cherry tomato seeds.... our tomatoes last year did really well, but we thought we'd try something a little different.  If nothing green shows within a few weeks we'll replant that cherry tomato spot with some tomato seedlings. 

First order of the day was to clear out the weeds and get the soil ready.

We handed Isaac the hoe and asked him to get to work breaking up the hard clots of soil :)

Isaac's attention waned once he realized he could hardly lift the hoe more than a foot off the ground... luckily, he loves to play in the dirt so his attention was quickly captured by other things - now the trick is going to be keeping him and his shovels OUT of the dirt long enough for something to sprout! 

And while little bro played the girls worked and worked.  Julianna is especially motivated this year and has spent little snippets of time over the past weeks "working in the garden" so she was excited to be out there with Matt and doing some serious gardening!

We put both varieties of the girls' flowers in this empty pot.... Matt thinks we probably over-planted it, but I'm hopeful that at least one variety will grow and both girls will declare SUCCESS!

Then we sectioned off the rest of the dirt-patch-garden and tossed out our seeds, sprinkled a little fertilizer and added heavy doses of water :)

The end result looks like this: 

Now the waiting begins.... waiting to see something, anything green start to pop up in our soil.  We'll keep you posted! 

baby shower

(posted late...after Luke's birth actually!)

Lori and Sonya were so sweet to host a baby shower for me and the new little one on March 12th at an Italian restaurant in town. 

 
The gifts were exactly what I needed.... not clothes (we have gobs) or baby supplies (we're stocked) or diapers (I use cloth) but FOOD!! 

Take a look at this big stash of freezer meals :)  My deep freezer was stuffed to the gills, I could barely squeeze it shut!

We played a "guess the gender of the baby" game based on old wives' tales.... results were unclear.  And then did this "spit on a penny and stick it to the wall" test.  According to some, if the penny sticks to the wall, baby is a boy.  Well, my penny stuck, and baby was a boy :)  There was another pregnant girl at the shower - her penny did not stick and ultrasound later said her baby was a boy.  Oh well, I guess it works at least half the time! 

I'm not sure if you've ever spit on a penny in front of a group, but it was a bit awkward :)  The photo does show how huge the belly (I mean, baby) is though!

Six weeks after Luke's birth and we still have a few freezer meals left (of course, I've been cooking some, and we did take out some and we ate a good bit of quickie type food too).  This freezer meal shower was a HUGE blessing!! 

pics from previous Easters.... just fun :)

Thinking about our Easter celebrating got me looking through old pictures (the kids could spend hours looking at old photos on my computer so this is a fun treat for them too!)

Here's Julianna, Easter 2007, with the Resurrection Eggs. 

And Easter 2008 with the deck of Easter Egg playing cards - making a poster.....

... and also a necklace!

[Not sure about the look on her face, she must have been pretty serious about that necklace making, huh?]

Easter 2009 with our freshly dyed eggs - I remember this day well.  Grandma was in town, Isaac must have been about three weeks old (?) and our neighbor buddy Emma Grace was part of the celebrating.  Another neighbor and her grandson joined the party too. We had an even ratio of adults to kids, but with 3 almost-two year olds and a three year old and a newborn it was pretty hilarious :) 

Easter 2010 hunting eggs with my newly walking little man and his big sis in the background. 

And Easter 2011.... my egg dye-ers (our green-only eggs.... read here for the story) and some hand print lilies on the table.  Maybe we'll do those again too?!?! 

Oh, the memories.  And we'll add more this year!

Easter preparations!

Our family, we really like celebrating.  We do it small.  We keep it simple.  But at the same time we somehow manage to make it a really big shindig :)  Thankfully our kids are still very impressed with small-time gigs.  It doesn't take much more than a whole lot of built-up anticipation and a few "special" things to convince them that whatever the celebration .... it's a big deal! 

So I've been spinning some Easter ideas around in my head - and figured many of you were doing the same.  Let's consider this a little idea swap :) 

Last year the without-a-doubt-biggest-hit was our Easter Garden (click to follow link).  It's an Easter week thing and the basics can be pulled together in about five minutes with a baking dish, raw potato, two pieces of pipe cleaner and a few things from your yard.  (You can definitely get more snazzy with this one but I'm a 'keep it simple' kind of Momma!)

We always enjoy our Resurrection Eggs - and the kids are already begging to get out the Easter baskets and play Easter Egg Hunt (one child hides eggs all over house while the others wait - then "go!" and enjoy the hunt together).  Years ago I both loved and dreaded this simple game.  That was back when I was the only egg hider and my egg seeker (or maybe two) was very limited in search capacity.  Now I have three very competent hiders and three competent seekers, so it's a win-win for me :)   Especially if I just accept that I'll be scouring the house in mid-June and stumble across one final well-hidden egg! 

This year we're going to try a few new things too.  I found this resource (again, click to follow) on the Desiring God website - essentially, start the Saturday before Palm Sunday with seven lit candles.  Each day has a Bible reading (already prepped for you!) and then you snuff out one candle each day til Good Friday when only one candle is lit for the reading and snuffed out for a completely 'dark' Saturday before Easter morning when all are lit again.  Candles are a big attention-getter around here.  I think we'll try to do this at dinner during Easter week.  Prep would be to print the readings and get out seven candles - matching would be nice but in a pinch I'm sure any seven will work :)  

Years ago a family moving back to the U.S. gave us a deck of Easter egg shaped playing cards.  We were way too young at the time to do any card playing, so I turned them into craft supplies instead.  This year we finished off our card stash with a "JESUS IS ALIVE" Easter banner for our porch door.  

We're already several weeks into reading our Easter books and coloring Easter cards and ogling our egg dye kit and all that jazz.  With a baby set to make his/her appearance sometime between now and Easter Sunday I figured an earlier start couldn't hurt! 

What are some of your ideas?  I know lots of our friends do the "tomb cookies" thing.  Any other big hits from your families?