Tesser

Tess didn't see what all the fuss was about with the gingerbread house. She found her walker to be more fun.
I couldnt decide which picture I liked best so I posted them all. She has so many cute little expressions...

Snow Day

Well the latest report is that we received over 8 inches of snow. Its fair to say that we are snowed in. Jordan put on snowpants and boots and walked to work. Luckily its only like 4 blocks and I'm sure Papa will be here soon to dig us out.

The kids were really excited for the snow day...we put together our gingerbread house. They took it very seriously!

Contessa - 5.5 months

Tess has been stuck on 8 hours of sleep at night for about 3 months or more.
But the past week she has finally started to stretch it out. Last night was close to 10 hours. YEAH!

My other kids all slept over 10 hours at like 10 weeks old. I have told myself that the reason Tess didn't sleep like this was she wanted to make sure I knew that just because I THOUGHT I knew all about babies...I wasn't right.

She is also trying to get up on her knees to crawl. Maybe she'll skip the army crawling stage?

She's getting to be a ton of fun for the other kids just in time for Christmas. She absolutely lights up for them. Everyone comments on how much she obviously adores them. Very cute.

Perspective

The past day or so I've been letting myself get a little stressed about the holiday which is fast approaching.

But I was given some perspective tonight from a blog friend and it reminded me that what doesn't get done - doesn't matter. I can't make it perfect and if it was perfect I probably wouldn't want it that way anyway.

Right now is my only chance to enjoy THIS Christmas season. I will never again have it like THIS. My kids will never be THIS age at Christmas again.
THIS is Christmas and I am going to enjoy it!

AGAIN...Are they kidding?

Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the entire viewing are for Thursday into Friday morning. While we clean up after 2 to 5 inches of snow fell across Eastern Iowa on Tuesday the next system is approaching from the southwest. This will bring warmer air moving over the new snow on the ground. That will lead to freezing rain and sleet before changing over the snow. The northern counties may only have snow, but there will be enough moisture that some areas near the Minnesota border may receive up to 8 inches of new snow. There is the potential for half an inch of ice to accumulate as well as an inch of sleet. This will create hazardous driving conditions and may produce power outages. The snow will move out Friday morning, but another storm will move in for Saturday and Sunday. This will have much colder air with it so it should fall as only snow. Arctic air will settle over us for a few days for next week.

Are they kidding?

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for today as Arctic air has taken over the Midwest. Combine the cold with a strong wind and wind chills will be 15 to 30 below today. The wind will lighten up this evening letting our highs today (near 5) to fall as low as 10 below zero by morning. Tomorrow a WINTER STORM WATCH will be in effect. Snow will develop in the morning and continue through the day and end tomorrow night with accumulations of 3-6".

Pressing on

The house is picked up, disinfected and somewhat back in order. There are loads and I mean loads of laundry ready to be put away - when you start laundry at 11:30 at night and proceed to do a load almost every hour for 12 hours - you get a lot done.
I enlisted both Avery and Sully to help clean. They were little cleaning machines with those clorox cleaning cloths let me tell you.

We are ready for naps. I think everyone is doing good. Avery never threw up so I dont know if its still coming from her or not. Lauren must be doing well at school....

At least we are getting this out of our systems before Christmas!

Monday

We had a wonderful weekend with the perfect mix of activities and relaxing.

Then Saturday night the stomach flu decided to invade our house. I was first. Sick all night and feeling really awful all day Sunday. Jordan did an amazing job keeping the kids all away from me and I basically slept the entire day.

I went to bed feeling pretty crummy last night but I woke up for some reason at like 11 and thought, hey, I feel better. Then at 11:30 I heard the cry. All mom's know it. The cry that means someone else in the house is now sick.

It was Sullivan's turn. POOR POOR BABY! He threw up like 6 times between 11:30 and 4:30. But he woke up at 7:30 acting really good. So now he's had a bath and is laying on the couch - only because I'm making him stay there.

Avery says she doesnt feel good but she says its her throat that hurts. She doesnt look real good though. We'll see.

I'm focusing on the positives:
1. It seems to be a very fast acting bug
2. There is no fever.
3. I have plenty of towels, blankets, wash cloths and water
4. my washer and dryer can run all day

Innocent

Its INNOCENT. Good news, the news we were praying for.

The day went well, followed by us all meeting up for a ENT Dr. recheck for Lauren and then heading to my mom's for her birthday supper and tree decorating. I'm beyond tired and ready for bed.

There was one hour of the day where I really thought Tess might lose it, right before the test, but really she did amazingly well going with no food.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement and help with our kids!

Kingdom Work

Today is the day for Tess's echocardiogram. It didnt start out the best. Tess gets up at 5:30 EVERY MORNING, eats and then goes back to sleep for 2-3 hours. We dont set an alarm clock anymore, we have Tess. This was going to work perfectly for having her done with a large feeding before 6:30, then sleeping a good chunk of the morning and having a feeding of water before 10:30, followed by nothing until probably 2.
Well today of all days the kid slept till 6:30! Come on!
So I still fed her because I felt like I had to...

Anyway, I hope that is the worst thing that happens today.

I've been thinking about this role of motherhood a lot lately. I talked to my cousin recently and she really got me thinking. She has 6 children. 3 biological, the youngest of which is 2 months. Then they have 3 adopted children, one with a learning disability and another with much more severe disabilities. They are an AMAZING family and she inspires me. She never complains. She never acts like she is put out.
She said to me, "Becky, this work you are doing with your children is kingdom work. You are being used by God to shape His kingdom - your children."

I've been thinking about that and I know I am so not the one He should of chosen! But it also helps me to keep in mind that I am not in this alone! My Savior and the Master of the Universe has all of this in control.

And so that is my focus heading into today. He's got me, He's got Tess right where He wants us.

God sent TJ

Looking back at the time of my dad's death we all marvel at the things that God so perfectly had in place for us.

My parents were in California when he passed away and of course my brothers and I's biggest concern was, Mom's ALL ALONE out there.

How do we get her back? How will she even get to an airport? She has to be in shock, what are we going to do? We have to rescue her.

But God knew. He had that in His plan. He hadn't forgotten my mom. Rather He had her in the safest place of all, Safely in His Arms. He was doing the rescuing that day.

God sent TJ.

TJ was a grief couselor at the hospital my dad was taken. My mom was sitting, praying, asking for guidance and strength before she called each of her seven children to tell them that their Dad was gone.

And guess who came and sat down? Guess who started praying right along with her?

TJ.

TJ is a born-again believer. Of all the counselors that could have come to my mom's side, God sent TJ.

She prayed with my mom, cried with her and not only that, she helped her get on a plane home...to us.

Later we found out that TJ is actually from Iowa! (Try telling me God didn't have this in His plan!) She grew up here and her mother still lives here. My mom and TJ have gotten together one time since my dad's death and it meant more than anything in the world to my mom.

Today I got to meet TJ.

She is in Iowa with two of her sons, visiting her mom and she made the trip to my mom's for lunch. My mom invited us over too.

When I walked in TJ stuck her hand out to me and I couldn't help it. I said no and I went in for a hug. A big one. And I don't know if it told her thank you like I wanted it to, but I hope so.

TJ, God sent you, when we needed Him too. He sent you when we couldn't be there. He sent you in my mom's biggest hour of need. He used you to rescue her. To seven children waiting anxiously for their mom to return...you are an angel no doubt. And for that I am forever grateful to Him and to you. You are one of God's children sent to do mighty work.

I'm so thankful that God sent TJ.

Asleep

I bet I can count on one hand the # of times this girl has fallen asleep when she was not in her own bed. It just doesnt happen.



Today she and I were cuddled on the couch during Sully and Tess's nap time and I started to realize that she felt heavier and my shoulder felt kind of wet. Sure enough, she was out. 15 minutes later Tess woke up. It may have been one of the hardest things I've ever done when I got up and left Avery on the couch. I could have stayed there all day.

For Alexa

Sully wore this shirt just for you today Alexa!


He can't wait to see you on Sunday!

Little Moments

I had the best lunch with Avery and Sully at my mom's today. Its moments like these that I want to bottle up and never forget. Times when I think, why have I been so blessed? When they say and do things that to most people would sound ordinary but to their mom, they are priceless.

I told Sully I loved him as we were eating. He responded, "I know that already mommy." In his not too easy to understand two year old speech.

Then I took Avery to preschool. Just as her teacher was opening our van door for Avery to jump out Avery says, "Dont worry, I wont touch anybody's snot and get sick today." That alone was hilarious but when you combine it with watching her small little body carrying her big backpack and her little pink boots its adorable. Then when you add in the two kleenexes that were stuck to the bottom of her boot as she walked in the door the whole encounter becomes unforgetable.

I'm so happy that they are 2 and 4. And I'm so happy that they aren't perfect. I thank God for that. Because how boring would perfect children be anyway?

(feel free to play the Brad Paisley song, 'Little Moments' as you read this post!)

Baby Sister

I find this truly amazing. Sullivan is really not very nice to his older sisters. He loves to torment them and make them scream. It is really fun to him.

But with Tess he is a different boy. He is soft and gentle and he talks to her in the sweetest voice. He will bring her toys and say, Here you go my baby. If she cries he will get down beside her and try to comfort her. If that doesn't work he will demand that I take care of the issue. He does not want his sister to cry.
Every morning he wants to know where she is. When I tell him that she is in bed, he is mad. He wants her up.
One night last week he was having a hard time falling asleep and so Tess and I went to check on him. For fun, I laid her in his crib with him and he wrapped his skinny little arms around her and told me to leave. He said, "Tess stay, you go mommy, you go!" He was really upset when I took her out.
I am sure that this will change but for now I love the brotherly protectivness that I see in him when it comes to Tess. I don't want to forget how cute he looks when he kneels down beside her to read her a book or pat her tiny head. And someday I want to be able to show this post to both of them so that they will know that at one time, they really did love each other!

The weekend

We have had a VERY lazy Saturday. A few members of the family who shall remain nameless are still in their pjs. Those who have taken the initiative to get dressed chose sweats! Except for Avery who got all dolled up for a Christmas cookie decorating Birthday Party. She was SO excited. It was adorable. Melanie came over and we worked on our adopted family for church but other than that I haven't hardly gotten off the couch.

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the last couple days.


She is Little Missy Snuggly Pants


If it weren't so cute I really could be jealous over how much she loves him.


I couldn't find Tess or Lauren this morning. Lauren had decided to show her all her school stuff from the week. Come on, how cute is the back of Tess's head and her staring up at Lauren's work? And how great is Lauren? Seriously sweet.


Tess does not take a binkie. None of my kids ever have past about a month old. But I figured that it might really save us next Friday in the hours before the echo test. So I'm trying to convince Tess that they are fun! She likes it for about 6 second intervals and then would rather play with it with her hands and stare at it. Cute.

From the Two year old

Sullivan was struggling to finish his lunch today and I asked him why he wasn't eating.
Here was his response: "Cause, I wanna pout."

Well I guess at least he was being honest about it! Sometimes we just feel like pouting!

Tess update

We took Tess to the pediatric cardiologist today. We walked out of the office what felt like 7 hours after walking in. We had Sully and Avery with us too and it was a LONG time to be in a small room with three kids. They all actually did very well but it was still a long time!
Tess had a physical exam and then an EKG. After all this the cardiologist agreed with our regular pediatrician...the murmur is most likely an 'innocent murmur'. But there is a still a chance that there is a hole in one of the walls of her heart. He wants an echocardiogram done to rule that out.
I will take Tess to that next Friday. Her test is schedule for 1 pm. She cant have any formula or cereal after 6:30 am. Then she can have water till 10:30 and then nothing till the test is over and she comes out from the 'sleepy drug'.
So that should be FUN! I will definetly not take any other kids with me to that exam.
While I am confident that this will turn out to be the 'innocent murmur' I would appreciate prayers for that outcome. And maybe a few for my sanity and Tess's stomach the day of the test!

Two things I hate...and I did both today.

1. changing all the bedding. Its just a lot of work and by the time I'm done I'm tired.

2. going to the dentist. Total hate. I'd rather go to the gynecologist. Not kidding. I would never go if it were up to me. Jordan literally makes the appt. for me and comes home to watch the kids and forces me out the door. But luckily I got a clean bill of oral health. Seriously though, can you imagine thinking, you know what? I want to clean other people's teeth for a living. NO WAY!


On a happier note; Tess has been SO fun today. I thought she was a vocal baby before but suddenly she is constantly making noise and it is SO sweet. And she is laughing at everything. I told you, if all babies were born at 6 months old(she's getting close), I'd have 12.

Happy Thursday.

Five months

Tess turned 5 months old on Monday. She is becoming more and more of a little person and less like an infant. The other kids are loving this transition. They love how she laughs at them, they love to watch her roll over and attempt to eat cereal. They love to listen to her babble. She laughs the most for Lauren and smiles the biggest and gets most excited to see Jordan. A daddy's girl just like her two older sisters.
She isnt crawling yet but she is close. I swear she actually can crawl, she just doesnt show us! I find her in some strange spots in her crib!
One thing I know is that I'm not sure how we ever got along without her.


She gives us this little smirk quite a bit. I'm pretty sure she is wondering how she got stuck with such a funny bunch for her family!