In the Night...

I used to wonder why little kids always seem to get sick in the middle of the night. Everyone is tired and the lights have to be turned on making little eyes hurt.

Now as the mother of three, I think instead of a curse, the middle of the night illnesses are actually a blessing. Yes, it makes for a long night and day, but both parents are home, so stripping dirty sheets, running the extra loads of laundry, and washing off the child can all be done at the same time. It also means that the other children are sleeping rather than asking what's for lunch, and are we going to eat yet, and this is gross, when will it be over. Or crawling through it--double yuck!

I am very thankful...but can I take a nap now?

Farewell

Justin and I have been very blessed by the people where he works now. The people he has worked with directly, his department, have been so kind to us. They have given to our family, from helping us move in to generously blessing us when our furnace was not working and baby gifts too.

Yesterday they were kind enough to throw us a going away party, complete with sandwiches and a giant chocolate chip cookie--Justin's favorite.

Thank you all!



And we'll miss you too!

Kid-isms

Now on to more important matters than moving...

Gabby is saying some things that I don't want to forget: 'bom-mum' for bottom and 'I are.' She also said, "I want fairytails in my hair," instead of pigtails. How stinkin' cute?

Kate was crying the other afternoon in her room. When I went in to check on her, she was staring at the princess poster on her wall. When I asked her why, she told me, "I want them to come out and play with me, but they can't because they're stuck."

And then little Nate, he makes a lot of sounds. He gurgles, coos, makes ma-ma, ba-ba, and ga-ga sounds.

(A More Real) Love Story

For all those moms of little ones...enjoy.

Under Contract

We signed the paperwork last night after dinner and the house is under contract with inspections on Friday! We're praying there's nothing that we're unaware of and nothing that will be expensive to repair. Due to their lease, closing isn't set until the end of June, so we'll have some time before we have to really start packing it up.

The family who is buying the house has three little ones too. I hope it will be a happy home for them!

Waiting Game

What is it about waiting that makes the days drag by so slowly? The house has been on the market just about a month. In that time we've had a lot of traffic--a few times 4 in a day. Now it has screeched to a halt.

I've done a good bit of waiting in my life. I waited years for that first baby. I've waited for test results. I've waited for days to come and nights to end. Honestly, I'm not in a tizzy. I've learned enough to know that it will all come together in God's time. It does get physically and mentally challenging to sit teetering on an edge between wanting to live a somewhat normal life with three kiddos, being ready to evacuate, and getting ready to pack up all our things and take off.

And it doesn't help when you've had an offer. Countered, and are told to expect an answer by noon and it's currently 1:30... It's a limbo kind of day. We'll see how it goes. I'm praying that the people who made the offer will make the best decision for all of us.

Things I've Learned...

Ten things I've learned as a mother:

1. Always keep your keys in your pocket when the kids are in the car.

2. Always wear clothes with pockets.

3. That which you think will be easy will be a struggle and that which you expect to be a struggle will be easy.

4. Everyone else has an opinion about how you should raise your kids.

5. A child with a quiet disposition does not mean that the child is compliant.

6. Every child grows and learns at his or her own unique rate--really. That's not just something to make you feel better about your slow, thin, chubby, or otherwise differently developing child.

7. Yes, indeed, she can get louder, more whiny, and grumpier.

8. For a short trip to the grocery, leave the diaper bag at home. You're not really going to change the diaper in the store. You might in the car, so just keep a couple of diapers there instead of toting them around all the time.

9. They don't care if they get the best of everything.

10. Moms need friends too.