Full Term!!!

Baby #4 is now officially ready to join us, this side of the tummy, ANY DAY!!! I can't believe we will hold him in our arms so soon! I have never made it to my due date and the Dr. says he doesn't expect me to make it to the due date with this one either. Please keep us all in your prayers over the next couple of days/weeks...a safe and healthy delivery/baby/mother is nothing short of a miracle and a smooth transition (with lots of littles all around, a new state/town/home, a new job, etc...) will take a lot of grace.

I'm off to pack my hospital bag!

You May Have Moved to a Small Town If...

1) You've memorized ALL of the major streets in the first 2 days.

2) You've seen motorists being pulled over by bicycle cops on 3 different occasions.

3) Verizon has no service in your entire town and doesn't pick up a signal until you are 20 minutes outside the city limits.



Yes. We live in a VERY small town...and I think we're gonna like it. : )

Update

We left the Land of Enchantment the morning after my Mr's last final and have officially been somewhere over the rainbow for 1 week and 6 days. My Mr. started work 2 days after we arrived and loves his new job so far. It is such a gift for him to be teaching at a Catholic school again. We live in a beautiful old house (!!!) with wood floors (I won't mention the wallpaper...ahem), I found an OB/practice that I REALLY like here in town,  and craigslist has been VERY good to us.

Thank you all for your prayers as we continue this transition. Please keep them coming as baby #4 will be joining us on this side of the womb in only a few short weeks.

Goodbye Toes!

This week I reached a new benchmark. Little #4 is now a little over 33 weeks along and it is no secret that I have been "putting on the pounds". It seems that one day I looked down and my pretty little *GULP* swollen pink polished toes were fully visible and the next day "POOF!" they were gone!

Goodbye toes!

The vain side of me says "Gosh you're getting BIG!", but the wonderful truth is that this is only one more physical sign that a baby is housed within me. What a beautiful reality that is!

Only a few more weeks little one. <3

Words to Live By

"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
 

— Mother Teresa

cRaViNg!!!

Yesterday my Mister found a small(ish) Tupperware of these tasty morsels of chocolatey, peanutty, goodness stashed away in the kitchen cupboard:

What I'd like to know is HOW these got into my cupboard and WHO ate the rest of the bag?!

I'm sure I have no idea.   ; )

Motherhood = A Calling

As a member of an on-line Catholic mother's group I am continually coming across intriguing articles about being a wife/mother/parent. I have SUCH a passion for learning about my vocation as wife and mother. Yesterday, one of the mothers in our group shared this article and I found it particularly intriguing and thought I'd share. It certainly puts my life as "mother" into perspective. Happy reading!

Theotokos - Holy Mother of God, Ora pro nobis.

Cave.

I can't believe that I am admitting this to you, dear readers, but when I reach the point of fatigue that cannot be kicked, and there is no time for bed/nap/sleep in sight...and when five cups of joe just don't do the trick...(if you are a parent than I know you've been here)...I occasionally resort to this...

Terrible? Check.
Filled with sugar? Check.
Weakens my immune system to an unimaginable degree? Check.
Helps me to be a more charitable, loving, energetic mother for the last four hours of the afternoon and evening before my Mister (A.K.A. my hero/my knight in shining armor/the best husband ever) returns? Check. Check. Check.


Well, today is one of those days.

Sometimes it's a matter of charity people.


 Cheers! ; )

Bedhead and Breakfast

Each morning I wake with the littles between 6 and 7 am. I have NEVER been what you would call a "morning person" so getting up in the morning takes a LOT of will power love.

Regardless of the sacrifice, there is something wonderful about looking around the breakfast table at their heads of matted, crazy curls as they rub the sleep out of their bright blue eyes that makes each and every early morning worth it and reminds me of the absolute JOY that it is to be their mother.

Note: To those of you who are morning people...you know, wake at 5am, get your work out and prayer time in, have time to make and eat breakfast while reading the morning paper...

I am jealous...

sometimes.

Feeling Young(er)

Tonight as I was checking out at our local Wal-Mart I was asked to present my I.D.

I have been asked to present age verification for many things in my life but never for a 0.07 oz. tube of this...

Well, apparently you have to be at least 18 years old to purchase super glue these days.


I can't say that I minded though...in fact, after almost a decade and four children later, I was quite flattered.

I walked out of the store with a new spring in my step waddle and feeling just a little lighter and a little younger.

ch78 hdc1 dct FPdc3 BPdc3, sc1 st, slst 4 sk3...Translation Please!

Is it possible to get bored when you have 3 littles under 3?

Affirmative.

We have been in our "Summer home" for 4.5 weeks now and with only a couple bags of clothing, some toys, craft and learning supplies for the littles, a stack of library books (also for the littles), and the  food in the fridge...not to mention a Mister who is studying all day, most days...the down time (did I really just admit that I have "down time"?) gets a little bit boring. If you haven't noticed by now, I am the kind of gal who loves to have some kind of project going at all times.

Well, I have always wanted to learn to crochet and thanks to this boredom (and this lovely baby blanket pattern I found on-line), I have finally had the motivation to do so!

Yesterday, the littles and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby (EEEE!!!) to pick out the perfect yarn and a crochet hook. What an absolute THRILL!

Later in the day, while the littles napped, I visited You Tube and found several videos on how to crochet.

I am now pleased to announce that I can actually read most beginner-intermediate level crochet patterns and am well on my way to starting my first crochet project ever!


Now it's your turn. What kinds of things have you always wanted to do/learn?

TNT!!!

Have you ever seen one of these tents off the side of the road in late June/early July??? 

 Well, for the last several Summers my Mr has been working under one. He works from 10 am until 10 pm (and sometimes even later) selling fireworks. It is long, hot, hard, exhausting work...but I think that deep down inside his masculine heart he loves the thrill of selling explosives by day and setting them off by night.

This Summer we just couldn't resist going back to G-town to sell fireworks one last time before our big move. So, last weekend we took up temporary residence in a friends RV while he worked 35 hours over 3 days (phew!), and we're off again tonight to spend a second weekend dreaming of stars, stripes, and TNT.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

We Made It!

It has been a couple of weeks since the last time I wrote...I guess we've been a little busy.

We successfully packed up everything we own, loaded it up, stacked it in a storage unit, and officially checked out of our 2 bedroom apartment forever. In a nutshell, it was messy, chaotic, and stressful...dare I mention the gallon of paint my 2-year-old dumped "spilled" on the clean carpet...or the fresh sidewalk chalk art makings all over the just-washed front porch and windows...or the...I think not.We are relieved that that part of our move is over. On a different note...it was SUCH a blessing to have good friends to help us on this side of the move. It has been quite overwhelming to feel the love of God through those we love.

We have been living in Albuquerque, NM for 2 weeks now and currently reside in a lovely (furnished) 1 bedroom apartment. We are in love with this city and have had such a blast over the last few weeks. So far we have enjoyed visits to the zoo, aquarium, and botanical gardens and have gone to an Isotopes baseball game. We have also enjoyed many FREE activities including visits to multiple library programs (reading, singing, dancing, puppet shows, and more...we're looking forward to the upcoming magic show, petting zoo, and recycle man band that will visiting within the next several weeks), checking out and reading library books, a scenic drive up to Sandia Peek, a visit to PetSmart (the miniature aquarium/small animal zoo), a trip to the duck pond to feed the ducks, and outings to many new and exciting parks. It has been so much fun to live in a big city with all that it has to offer.

The littles (specifically my 2 and 3) are very much looking forward to this coming week because they are signed up to attend Vacation Bible School (with mommy and baby girl as tag alongs). If all goes well I think I'll sign them up for another one next week.

We'll see.

The Little Orange Bottle

Yesterday marked 6 months together for me and my little womb-mate. I can't believe we've come this far already...it has all seemed very fast this time around.

Well, if you are a mother, you know that being right around 6 months along = an appointment with a little orange bottle and a needle...two things I dislike...I'll call it "redemptive suffering".

Bottoms up!

The P.L.A.N.

We have been anticipating our (first) move for almost 6 weeks now and today we began our 1 week countdown. Since the last time I posted about our great big move, a couple things have changed. We are no longer moving to Missouri, but are moving somewhere over the rainbow (a.k.a. Kansas) instead. The reason for this abrupt change is that my Mister was selected to fill a science teaching position at a Catholic(!!!) school and was offered the right salary...how could we resist?

So, here is our plan:

We are moving to Albuquerque, NM in 7 days.

The reason we are moving to ABQ is that my Mister will be taking 3 Summer classes (8 weeks long) at UNM (pre-requisites for his physicians assistant program).

Between now and then, we have to pack up the rest of this house, move what is left to a storage unit, paint our beautiful red living-room white (it's a looong story), deep-clean the apartment (including all of the lovely white walls and trim that my littles have covered with love), shut off the utilities, turn in our change of address to every institution that we owe $$$ and to the post office, close out my Arbonne business orders, help throw a baby shower for a dear friend, and say goodby to our friends.

Once in ABQ we will live in a (semi) spacious extended-stay hotel room (i.e. full kitchen, full bath, bedroom/living room/dining room, fully furnished, utilities included, free wireless internet, free cable, and last but certainly not least, cleaning service!) bringing only 2 suitcases, some dishes, some toys, a stroller, and some educational materials. 

When my Mister is finished with his classes, we will pick up our moving truck (which happens to be the same dimensions as our current storage unit), drive it to our storage unit, pack it up, and drive it to Kansas.

Now, I know that you may be thinking that we are completely out of our minds to move into such a small space, with 3 small children, and almost nothing else...BUT, there are many perks to living in ABQ...I'll have to share them with you another day...right now, I am tired.


G'night.

It's a...

BOY!!!

One Perfect Baby

Two little feet,

so tender and sweet

That have walked with the angels

On heavenly streets

Ten little fingers, and ten little toes,

With every new day continue to grow.

One little mouth that sings to our Lord.

And two little ears to hear His word.

One prefect baby for us to love,

With wisdom and guidance from our Father above.

By K. Maloney

We can't wait to meet you little one!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love Ya, Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the day that we will find out whether we are to welcome a little boy or a little girl into our hearts and home this September. The littles are all coming with us and we can't wait! Only a day away!!!

C is for Cookie...

Yesterday, I wrote a post regarding our "plan" for the next 2 months of our lives...but alas, it has disappeared into blogland...somewhere out there...So, since I don't have any time to re-write it right now I thought I'd share my newest addiction with you. : )

A few hours ago, my littles and I whipped up a batch of these and (1 dozen cookies later) I have to say that they are the BEST C.C. COOKIES I HAVE EVER TASTED!  They are the perfect marriage of a crunchy outside and an oh so chewy inside....mmmm.


                                

Warning: These cookies are highly addictive.

Bon Appetite!

Note: I used 1/4 C less butter, 3 2/3 C flour, and stirred it all together with a spoon.

Our Baby Girl is ONE!

“What Is A Little Girl!”

She's a bundle of sweetness,
brightness & fun...

 The beauty of springtime,
the warmth of the sun...
  
 

She's Innocence covered with mud,
sand, & soot...

She's Motherhood dragging
a doll by the foot...

She's a composite picture of
giggles & tears...

Of tantrums, excitement,
amusement & fears...

A bundle of mischief
and often a tease...

A creature of moods
not easy to please...

Who'll capture your heart
with her pixie-like grin...

Or chatter and beg till your
patience wears thin...

But obedient, naughty,
mischievous or coy...

She's Mommy's little Darling &
Daddy's Pride & Joy.

Happy Birthday Little Princess. 



We love you so very much.

Pretty Little Tutu Tutorial - No Sewing Involved!

Our little girl is turned 1 this Sunday! I cannot believe how big and beautiful she is! She is such a joy to have in our family and is so happy and good natured. 

I thought and thought of the perfect one-year birthday gift for a little girl and more specifically our little girl.

I don't know if I have ever written about my passion for encouraging "real" play within our home...someday I will. In a nutshell, I believe we live in an overly busy and electronic age and that children don't REALLY play (or even know HOW to play) anymore unless they are encouraged. I have been falling increasingly in love with all things Montessori and have several play "stations" (hee! No pun intended) set up throughout our home. These stations are VERY simple. They consist of baskets/boxes of toys that encourage our children to use their imaginations (For instance we have a dress up box, a play kitchen with a large variety of wooden and cloth food, a basket of play-silks, art supplies, building blocks, Duplos, , etc...).

...Well, as I was thinking about THE perfect gift for our little lady, that would also encourage "real" play, I came up with this..."girly" things to add to our overwhelmingly "boy" dress-up box.

I took a trip to a couple thrift stores in the area and found 2 beautiful (think royal wedding style) hats, 5 pairs of ladies gloves, and some long necklaces. (I know that second-hand hats can be a little frightening, BUT did you know that you can simply slip any "un-washable" item into a zip-lock bag and put it into the freezer for 48 hrs and it will eliminate any bacteria or little pests that might exist on it? Neat huh?)

Next, I set to work making a couple of little things. One of the gifts that I made for my little princess is this pretty little pink tutu...

Today, I have put together a tutorial so that you too can make a tutu! ; ) Just follow the steps below.(It is SO EASY. I promise!)

Note: I realize that some of my photos are sideways or upside down but I just didn't have the time to turn them all the right way. Please forgive me.

You Will Need:

2 spools of ribbon 

(you'll end up using a 1/2 spool of each color so you can make 2 tutus with 2 spools of ribbon)

1.5 Yards of Tulle (sp??)

(I used 1 yard of light pink tulle and 1/2 yard of hot pink tulle in order to give the tutu a two-toned appearance)

Tip: Have the tulle cut in 1/2 yard strips.

Scissors

Step #1

Choose 2 spools of ribbon (one wide and one narrow) and coordinating tulle. Unroll the spool of wide ribbon and cut it in half (approx. 2 yards)

Step #2

Fold each piece of tulle in half and cut it on the fold.

Step #3

Cut each double layer of tulle into 3 equal parts.

Step #4

Cut 10-12 pieces of narrow ribbon the length of one of the pieces of tulle.

Step #5

Fold each piece of tulle in half over the wide piece of ribbon and tie in a knot.

Step #6

Between every few pieces of tulle, fold each piece of narrow ribbon in half and tie in a knot.

I love the way that this turned out.

Our little baby girl just LOVES her pretty new dress up things and wore the little tutu all day long.

Catching Up...

So much is happening/has happened in my life and in my heart lately. Here are some of my recent thoughts...

I love the month of May. I just love it. I love the blossoms on the trees and the flowers that spring forth from the earth. I love the singing of the birds and the sunshine that pours through my windows. I love that it is the month of Mary. I love the Marian hymns at mass and the beautiful tradition of the May crowning...speaking of, I really need to glue our statue of Our Lady back together so that we can have our home May crowning...

Lately I am re-obsessed (it hits me every Spring and Summer) with smoothies. I JUST. CAN'T. GET. ENOUGH!

It is such a blessing to have the opportunity and grace to house another precious child within my womb. I am often overwhelmed with the the beauty of this reality. And, I can't wait to find out if we are to welcome a little boy or a little girl into our hearts and home this September (2 weeks until the ultrasound! eek!).

We are leaving in 2.5 weeks and I will dearly miss our friends...sigh. And, there is still SO much to be done before we go.

My in-laws are coming to our home in 3 days! 

I love my husband more than words can express. He is such a loving, giving, caring man. I have been feeling the blessing of his presence in my life a LOT lately. It is an incredible gift to be married to my best friend.

Speaking of my Mister, he made a toddler bunk bed yesterday! Who does that?! He did such a great job! I can't get over that man. We'll sand and stain it later this week. I can't wait to show you the pictures!

Speaking of yesterday, my baby girl turned 1 (1!!!) I can't believe it! The day was simply lovely.

Library fines can be so EXPENSIVE! That's all I'll say about that!

I found (and bought) this INCREDIBLE  orange necklace at this little boutique I happened to pass through the other day. You may have heard of it...it's called Goodwill. (Pics another day)

Did you know that Tom's of Maine made a toothpaste for kids?! I JUST discovered it this weekend...and promptly escorted it to the checkout and into my home.

I have been listening to the Parent Trap soundtrack on repeat ALL weekend. SO GOOD! I had forgotten how much I love it. And, dance parties with toddlers are truly priceless!

And now, my coffee is beckoning and there are empty boxes waiting to be filled...

More later!

Ciao!

"My Daddy"

...by a young artist.

From the Mouths of Babes...

This morning, as my "2" and "3" were playing with their magnetic trains, I could tell that my "3" was frustrated that the train cars kept coming apart. A few minutes later, I overheard him say shout to his little brother "I can't play with these anymore! They are too delicate for me!"

Delicate. That is the word of the day!

Happy Mother's Day!

 She remained hidden for thirty years at Nazareth with the Savior. There her chief concern was to raise her Divine Son, to merit increasingly the confidence of her husband, and to provide her family with what they needed by working as her strength allowed. - The Imitation of Mary

Today I am thanking God for all of the beautiful mothers in my life (physical and spiritual) who, by their examples, have taught me to be a better and holier mother. My Mary, the Mother of us all, guide each one of us on our journeys toward her Son.

PAX, b