Words From Our Day

Here are some words and phrases from our beautiful Sunday:

Snuggle

Pumpkin Bread

Coffee

Sunshine

Blue Sky

White clouds

Unexpected cool breeze

Church

Hamburgers

Laundry

Baby cooing

Girls laughing

Outside

Soft sunset

Exploding dirty diaper

Bubble bath

Sleeping children

Feeling content

What are some words or phrases to describe your day?

Leah-isms

My Leah is so funny sometimes. Lately she has come up with some really hilarious questions and comments. Here are three just from yesterday alone:

1. When Leah woke up yesterday morning, she came into my bedroom with sleepy eyes and wild hair. She crawled up into my bed, snuggled close and then asked, "Mom, what is The Great Wall of China?" I giggled because I thought it was such a random question to start our day. I think my answer was not so great though, "It's just a really big wall in China."

2. After breakfast, I was brushing her hair when she asked me this question, "Are there aliens on another earth God created?" What?!

3. Later on in the afternoon, my mom and I bravely took the girls and Lucas to the mall. We were walking through the lingerie department at Macy's when Leah noticed all the many bras and declared (loudly by the way), "Look at all these booby tops!!" Haha!

That girl. She is spunky and smart. I love her more than she'll ever know.

Free Time

In the middle of all the craziness going on around here (i.e. new baby, girls starting Pre-K today, summer winding down, etc...), I have managed to squeeze in a little free time for just Me, Myself, and I. Maybe it's because I'm an only child, but I absolutely crave time alone. I love my friends and being active, but I do love times of solitude. It clears both my mind and my soul.

Thankfully, this past Saturday, Mike could tell I was in need some of that "Me Time", so he told me to go grab some coffee or go for a walk or do something to get out of the house. I quickly jumped on the opportunity, so I grabbed my purse and headed out the door for an hour so. First I went to Target. I love that store. If I go there with the girls I don't have time to wander around and browse all the different sections. So I spent a good while just meandering and looking. I ended up buying a black tank top that was on sale (my first non-maternity purchase-- yay!) and I did a good deal of people watching. I saw a few interesting scenarios:

1.) I saw a woman in the food section shopping while balancing a box of cookies on her head. She was completely oblivious to me watching her as she perused the selection of crackers and other snack foods while she very skillfully balanced the cookies on her head. I was impressed.

2.) Another woman was walking around wearing a pastel pink straw hat with a long pink ribbon that came off the hat and hung way past her rear end. She was obviously very confident in her hat choice for the day. And I liked that.

After Target, I headed to Sonic for a cherry limeade chiller. If you live near a Sonic, please go have one today. They are really good and slightly addictive. I sat and sipped my chiller with the windows rolled down and my i-pod on shuffle. The wind picked up and made the nearby tree branches dance to the music. Even though there are thousands of songs on my i-pod, sometimes just the right selection comes on. A little David Bowie, a little Frou Frou, and some Explosions in the Sky. If I could show someone a video of the big moments in my life from birth to now, Explosions in the Sky would have to be the soundtrack to go with it. If you've seen the move Friday Night Lights, you will recall their music. I love it. Anyway, I just sat there and let my mind wander, reflect and take in the moment.

I was only gone about an hour and a half, but the time spent just to myself-- being observant, thoughtful and calm-- was so worth it. And when I got home, I had these three beautiful faces waiting for me:

My Sleeping Boy

I was recently looking at some of our old photos of the girls when they were newborns and was reminded of just how many of the first pictures tend to be of sleeping babies. I guess I had forgotten just how much newborns snooze the day away. Looking over my pictures of Lucas so far, I see that the sleeping baby picture is in fact a classic. I have tons of them! I think they just look so cute and angelic that I can't help myself and snap photo after photo. Here's a sampling of my sleeping boy over the last four weeks!

Sleeping in the papasan chair.

Side sleeping with arms under the head. This was taken while he was also sleeping on the lights to help get rid of his jaundice.

I surrender to sleep!

Side sleeping with arms under the head again-- must be a favorite position.

For as much as Lucas sleeps during the day, he is actually a great sleeper at night too. He wakes up every three to four hours to eat and then we lay him back down and he just drifts right off. I am so thankful that he enjoys getting his zzzz's. I just wish I were getting more of them right now. I don't function well with little sleep. Seven hours is good for me, but eight or nine is optimum. This five or six hours a night is just not cutting it.

How many hours do you need each night to feel good the next day?

The Well and the Mine

So I finished another book recently and I might have to put this one in my top twenty for sure. The Well and the Mine is a first novel for author Gin Phillips. It is set in one of my favorite eras in history: the Great Depression. I think I love the grit and determination that got people through that particular time. And I especially love stories of hope and goodness and love rising out of that dark, sad season in America.

The novel is set in a small Alabama mining town and focuses on the Moore family-- Dad, Mom, two daughters (Virgie and Tess) and a son (Jack). One night as Tess is sitting on the back porch alone, she witnesses an unthinkable thing. A woman quickly and quietly throws a baby into the family's well. Tess is shocked and instantly runs to tell her parents about it. At first they think she isn't telling the truth, but when a baby blanket is found in the well bucket a few days later, they realize that her story is in fact true. But who could have done such a thing? Tess and her family are forced to take a good look at the people in their small community and in the process learn a lot about themselves. They realize that being rich is a relative idea--that wealth doesn't always lead to happiness, and poverty doesn't mean that love isn't abounding.

Another thing I enjoyed about this novel is the way in which the point of view constantly shifts. Each member of the Moore family tells the story from his or her own eyes which made for a steady stream of fresh perspective. And the characters were just so well developed and endearing. I hated to leave the Moore family when this book ended. I felt like a really knew each of them. I've even found myself thinking about them long after I finished the book. And that is one sign of a good read.

So check out The Well and the Mine or some of my other favorite "Great Depression" reads:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Cuteness

If you do not want to see pictures of an incredibly cute little boy, look away now. But for those who do, I present the amazing Lucas.....

Smiling (involuntary) and looking alert at 2 weeks old.

How can I not kiss these cheeks a hundred times a day??

I just had to start off with some pics of my new boy. Today is a thundery, rainy day here. We all slept great last night (I just fed Lucas at 10:30, 2:30 and 5:30 and 8:30--not bad). Hannah stayed the night at my parents' house and so it's just Leah and Lucas and me here this morning. We're going to meet up with a friend for lunch, then pick up Miss Hannah and head home for the afternoon. Should be a lovely, non-hurried kind of day.

What do you have planned today?

What the Girls Have Been Up To

So obviously things around our house have been focused on the baby lately. We've been snuggling and cuddling our sweet boy like crazy. He is just fitting into our family perfectly. We really couldn't ask for a happier, sweeter baby.


One of the questions I get asked a lot is: how are the girls adjusting to having a brother? And the answer is: They are doing awesome! They are very gentle with him and always speak in a sweet, high-pitched voice when talking to him. They love holding him and always ask, "Where's Lucas?" first thing in the morning. They are great at being my helpers, always willing to grab a diaper, wipe, or pacifier. And they already have a few nicknames for him: Buddy, Bubba, and Lukey are among the favorties.

But as we are all fully aware and focused on our newest addition, we are actively trying to pay special attention to Hannah and Leah. Spending quality time with them right now is very critical. I want them to feel special too! Thankfully, we've had two sets of awesome grandparents around to take them to do fun activites like swimming, going to the park, seeing a movie, etc. But Mike and I are also trying to spend one-on-one time with them too. Just yesterday, Lucas was sleeping (one of his favorite activites) and Hannah was deeply involved in a coloring project, so I took Leah back to her room and just said, "What should we play?" Her eyes lit up and she was thrilled to have Mommy play with her and her alone. She ended up making me her fairy godmother while she was Cinderella. We played just the two of us for about 30 minutes, and I could tell that that time together was exactly what she needed.

The day before Lucas was born we took the girls out to lunch and then to Build-a-Bear to create their own special stuffed animal. We made sure to spend lots of time talking about being big sisters and how much we love them. Overall, Mike and I are so proud of the way Hannah and Leah have welcomed Lucas into our family.

At Build-a-Bear the day before Lucas was born.

Getting their new animals dressed.

Proudly holding their new bears. They really had a good time.
One of our first bedtime story sessions with Lucas. He slept through it!
Sweet Leah Bee admiring her brother.