HIP HIP HOORAY

SUMMER IS HERE TO STAY!!!

Well, at least, at our house!!

Things we are looking forward to about summer:

Longer days, flip flops, swimming, popsicles, get together's, checking the garden, the smell of sunscreen, park days, birthday parties, watermelon, bike rides, pedicures, tank tops, sno-cones, vacations, the smell of fresh cut grass, cousins, riding the horse, planting flowers, and so much more!!!

What's Going On in You World,

it sure is lonesome lovely in mine!!

Maggie is 3 weeks old today!!! She has been hanging out and spitting up a lot. She's officially part of the family now; I threw her laundry in with the big kids. 

Kylee has been making birthday cards for people, which is what she basically does all day long. She loves being crafty.  Here she is holding her apple that she cut out, while riding a horse. And Jaxon is eating his yogurt, and my yogurt, and Kylee's yogurt.  

Guitar lessons.

I have been drooling over the recipes in her new cookbook, but have yet to cook this week. :) Maybe because I'm out of cheese, bread, eggs, and milk.  We barely managed lunch today. 

It's planting time.  I took this from our back porch.  Everyone checking it out, including Kylee. 

 Jaxon being sneaky. 

Wednesdays Wear Us Out

So, how is life with 3 kids all under 3 1/2 years?

At times, I feel overwhelmed because literally at every given moment (except during the night), someone is crying, screaming, making a mess, or in need of something; a snack, drink, or most common a diaper change.  

I have learned over the past few weeks to let some things go.  Like the playroom.  There has been toys out all the time. I used to pick them up every day or every other day. There's the good reason for having a door on it; I can just shut it and be done with it. :)  Also,both sets of parents have been gracious to cook supper for us a few times a week.  So I've let that go too!! :) 

And Jason keeps me grounded.  He amazes me at how he is always in the right frame of mind about our kids. He doesn't let the crying or times of bad behavior stress him out, like it does me.   Yesterday, he said "Shyanne, these are the good days for us.  I love our 3 kids."

He is great. 

So, how is life with 3 kids all under 3 1/2 years?

Mornings are the hardest.  Maggie is usually eating from anywhere between 7:30am-8:30am, which is right around when both kids are waking up. Kylee wakes up later, but SO GROUCHY.  Most days she doesn't want to get dressed, and she for sure doesn't want to put her hair up.  Drives me crazy. :) Jaxon is usually happy if he gets a drink and something to eat, immediately.  But lately, he has been wanting me to hold him, if I have Maggie.  Just in the mornings though.  I think he finally realized there was another human being living with us.

It takes me a couple of hours on Tuesday to prepare all the bags, sippy cups, and outfits for Wednesdays!! They are our busy days, and they wear us out.  We have Dance, CBS, and Awana's all in one day, throw in lunch, and few errands while we are in town, and it makes all of us tired.  

So Much Truth to This....

Saw this today on Shaunna's facebook page, who got it from Lindsey.  Wanted to copy and share!! So good and made me laugh!!
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From Jen Hatmaker's book "Out of the Spin Cycle".

A (FAIRLY LAME) ODE TO MOTHERS

An ode to the marvelous woman called “Mother”
Though not one of us is exactly like another.
From the second we’re born to the minute we die
Our preferences are as limitless as stars in the sky.

We might have been perfectly gracious before
But childbirth entered us in the Mommy War.
Rather than letting everyone else be
We criticize parenting that isn’t exactly like . . . me.

So once and for all let me put this to rest
None of us owns the title of “best.”
Natural childbirth does not make you a hippy
Epidurals are not just for women who want to feel trippy.

In a bathtub with a doula or in a hospital bed
We all got a baby with limbs and a head.
Nursing is great if nothing goes wrong
But some nipples turn inward and refuse to play along.

This is a choice for each mom–it’s her route
So it’s just A + B and everyone else can C their way out.
Schedules and timers do not make you cruel
Feeding on demand does not make you a fool.

In the nursery with a monitor or in the family bed
Every chick gets to pick where her baby lays his head.
If I see one more mom roll her eyes at “organic . . .”
“Partially hydrogenated” throws some of us into panic.

But neither judge Sonic burgers and fries
Some of us just want to enjoy food before we die.
Preschool, home school, public, or Montessori
Listen, my friends, and I’ll tell you a story:

Two moms differed on favorite school trends
Their kids turned out pretty much the same. The end.
If a girl gets the title of “mom” accidentally
The worst thing we can do is treat her judgmentally.

How about some love, some help, some advice?
She needs our love and we shouldn’t think twice.
Discipline through various methods will prevail
Look, we’re all just trying to keep our kids out of jail.

These things are just preferences, not right or wrong
What matters more is teaching our kids to get along–
To love and to share, to speak gently and kind,
To obey so that mom won’t go out of her mind.

Showing them Jesus is our common ground
Teaching them how he can always be found.
He’s present in public school and Waldorf (so trendy)
He’s over at Whole Foods but also at Wendy’s.

Jesus never cared about these sorts of things
It’s our hearts that he wants and the worship we bring.
It’s time for us moms to declare a truce
Regardless if we buy Capri Sun or 100 percent juice.

My way is not your way, and your way isn’t mine
But both of our kids will turn out just fine.
Rather than judging and looking down our noses
Let’s enjoy the common ground motherhood poses.

As believers, we all love the same good Lord
We all have children who tell us “I’m bored.”
We all need more sleep than these tiny five hours
Most of us struggle to find time for a shower.

We haven’t been to the bathroom alone in an age
Our mothers have all told us, “Relax, this is just a stage.”
We all love our babies so much we could die
We’d take a bullet for each one without batting an eye.

Though we are different, we’re in the same tribe
Motherhood requires a similar vibe–
Love and affection, sacrifice and grace
Laughter, which keeps the whole mechanism in place.

Though different, by the grace of God, I suspect:
ALL our children will rise up and call us … collect.

She looks well to how things go in her household. … Her children rise up and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:27—28 

Sunday Photo Shoot Gone Bad

Catching Up

Catching up on some sleep!

Maggie was 2 weeks old, yesterday.  She had a great 2 week appt.  She weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz. so she was 4 oz. past her birth weight.  And up 1 inch on length, to 20 total inches!! 

The 5 hour stretches of sleep are pretty much over.  She will occasionally at night go that long.  Most nights the past week have been 4 hours between feedings, which isn't bad, but sometimes she won't go back to sleep after she eats, or she will wake up after only 3 hours and start making noises.  But, dr. p said that they go through a growth spurt from 2 weeks to 5 or 6 weeks of age.  So she probably won't be able to make it 5 hours on a regular basis.  Her newborn sleepers are short in the sleeves and length.  She has cradle cap on one side of her head.  Her umbilical cord fell off closer to 1 week old.  Likes to be swaddled, but with her arms up I think.  Tried newborn pictures yesterday with my friend, Wendy, who makes great Christmas cards. Maggie would NOT cooperate at all. Going to try a few more today.  

Life has kind of mellowed out with all 3 of them being here.  Maggie isn't so "new" anymore, and so Kylee and Jaxon have kind of gone on to life as normal.  Kylee continues to be a big helper, and Jaxon has yet to hold her. :)  

I guess we started a trend with Maggie; another baby was born this week, and they named her Maggie. That's kind of weird. 

I did survive at trip to town and to WALMART for my first time with all 3 of them.  Although, Jason was here to help get them dressed and all in the car, and I had to "prep" everything the night before for about an hour; setting clothes out, filling sippy cups, getting bags packed, and so on. 

At walmart,  Kylee had to hang on the edge of the basket, which allowed her to get off alot, but she did good.  I felt like it was better for Jaxon to be up top then in the bottom with the food.  We made it; just no messing around when I got in there. 

That's all the catching up~ Have a great weekend!!

Reading Buddies

This is going to be FUN

Maggie wore one of Kylee's outfits Sunday Morning to church.  This is going to be so fun, seeing them in the same outfits, and of course getting to have matching outfits for them to wear!!

They do look ALOT alike, but when Maggie was born, she looked EXACTLY like Jaxon.  Isn't that weird how they change their looks??

What do you think?

Maggie

Kylee (1 Month)

Her Name

I guess I should explain how we decided on her name. 

It all went down, how I thought it would.  

I figured when we got to the hospital, and after she was born, Jason would say "Whatever name you like is good with me."  And that is how it happened.

Now, I did threaten him, because he's the guy that would do this to me, that when we are 50 he can't come up and say, "I always wished it would have been Allie." 

I liked Maggie better, and he admitted that he just said Allie to aggravate me all along.  He's cool like that. 

So, she was named Maggie. 

We didn't decide on her name until later that day when we got to our room.  Then someone came in and asked what her middle name was, and we just looked at each other and said we don't know yet. :)

After I knew her name was Maggie, I was happy with either middle name. 

It was Kate or Alyse.  I thought both were really pretty. Jason didn't like Alyse that much, so we went with Kate. 

And I love her name.  

Since, we have been home, Jason has called her Maddie.  WHY??? Uncle Josh calls her Maggila the Gorilla, and I call her Lexi (which is my niece) ALL THE TIME!!! :)

Something more interesting though is Maggie Kate is a family name!!! 

See, Jason's grandma is Margaret. And I wasn't opposed to naming her after somebody, except that we weren't able to use a name from my Grandmother, so I thought that might be unfair to name her after one Grandma and not the other, since both of them are still living. 

WELL, my Great-Grandmother was called Lena K.  That is what my dad grew up calling her.  He never knew her full name. My Grandmother came to visit Maggie the other day and she said, that her real name was 

Magdalena Katherine.  

HOW COOL IS THAT!! 

And then I thought, why are you just now telling me this??? 

She could have been named after Margaret and Magdalena Katherine coming from both of our Grandmothers!!

Is it too late to say that she is named after them??? LOL!!

First Sunday Together

We made it to church, and even on time, as a family of five.  And everybody was relatively happy!!

JWH

Just another day of fun on the farm!!

One Week Old

Maggie is ONE week old today!! She has been a great baby.  She cried really loud and alot when she came out, but really since then, she hardly has cried.  Jason keeps saying "third times a charm" and "she's our good baby"!!  I keep telling him, that she will go through crying phases just so he is not surprised, but I do agree that her temperament is a lot different from Kylee and Jaxon.  She doesn't seem to get upset with them being loud or making noises.  She has been able to sooth herself and be content just laying on a blanket.  She has been eating every 4 hours even from the very 1st feeding, and has gone one 5 hour stretch nearly every night.  

I ventured to town this morning by myself, but I only had 2 kids for most of the time.  Kylee went with Addi, Karter, and Paw-Paw to Producers, the cattle sale barn.  They love going, and Jaxon cried and wanted to stay too!! 

I went to Hobby Lobby and Walmart.  Just 2 places, and with just 2 kids, and I am worn out!! :)  While at Walmart, I knew it was shortly past 11am, and remembered that she was born at 11:22, and I thought wouldn't that be funny if I looked, and it was 11:22.  So I checked my phone, just wanting to know what time it was, and whether or not, she was a week old, and the time was EXACTLY 11:22AM!! God has a since of humor!! So Jaxon and I told her and clapped for her, that she was a week old!! Good times!!

Here's our week in pictures!!

ONE WEEK OLD

The biggest shocker to me has been Kylee and Jaxon.  They totally have reacted the opposite of what I thought they would.  Jaxon is 19 months has not cared one thing about her, nor does he even really know she is here.  Which is a really GOOD thing, seeing as he is kind of rough and wild.  

Kylee, on the other hand, at 3 1/2 is OVERLY obsessed!!! She is Little Miss Mama!! She wants to bring her toys, outfits, socks, 3 bibs at one time, and so on.  She is a good little helper, but she has had the biggest adjustment so far.  She wants attention not Maggie, and seems to act up to get that attention.  But, things are already better in that area, and she seems to be doing okay. 

Delivery Day in Pictures

We arrived a little before 5am at the hospital.  On the way, we nonchalantly talked about her name, but nothing was settled.  We smiled at each other, and talked about who she was going to look like.  

We walked in through the ER and past the SNACK Machine, and Jason jokingly asked if I wanted something. :)  

He laid on the couch while, they asked me a 'bazillion' questions.  After an hour of that, Jason was kind of getting bored, and he said "this all was a lot easier with Jaxon." Referring to the roughly hour and a half delivery, which was really nice. 

When they hooked me up to the contraction monitor, I was having contractions every 5 minutes.  WHAT?? Contractions confuse me; after having 3 children, I still don't think I understand them.  Anyways, I told Jason I was basically in labor already, since they were 5 minutes apart.  

At 6, they stared pitocin; I was a 3. We briefly discussed names again; I was throwing out names that we had not even mentioned yet. Still nothing settled.  At 7:30, dr came and broke my water.  At 8:30, I got an epidural.  At around 10, I was a 7; Brianne came immediately; Jason went and moved the car and called his parents. :)  A little later, I was feeling lots of pressure.  Called the Nurse, I was a 10.  She thought I might have to push before the dr came, but decided no, it was go time.  She went to call the dr, but he was already there. 

Baby Nurse asked for her name to label the card, still no name. 

I pushed 3 times, and she was here.  Dr. asked Jason if he wanted to cut the cord for the third time, still no.  :) 

I just kept asking if she was okay; Jason never talks, so mom kept saying she was fine, and had lots of hair.  

She was here at 11:22am, and Brianne started taking pictures immediately.  Yeah!!

 

She cried good and loud, and my dad could hear her right down the hallway.  

 

 This is what I have waited for for 9 months, and she was here and healthy.  Thank you Jesus!!

When I look at this picture, I think "that is alot of people around one hospital bed."  :)

We had several visitors come by, and flowers delivered too.  It was a GREAT DAY!