The Days Before Christmas (Part ll)

It's a December tradition to make and decorate sugar cookies. The kids and I look forward to it every year! I first started doing this when Connor was around 2. My! How messy he and his friends could get! It's a little bit cleaner now that they are a bit older... and more fun too! 

Cleaning before the mess started...

Ellie and her lil friends

Our neighbors who are becoming quite the little pack with Connor and Ellie

 Connor's buddy, Zippy...

These memories are so sweet (literally). ba-da-bum-ching!

The Days Before Christmas (Part 1)

Today is always one of my favorite days. Every year I take the kids into the mall near where Tom works. He meets us there, and we see Santa, have lunch as a family, and pick out our Christmas PJs. This year I decided to put a movie on in the van as an extra special treat. As soon as they saw that it was How the Grinch Stole Christmas, their cute little faces lit up. This brought so much joy that it made me wish Christmas was tomorrow.  Such a perfect little day...

The Heart and Ballet

This morning was a little magical. After working out with me, Ellie asked if she could do ballet. I told her that of course she could and put on some classical ballet music for her. In the middle of her performance, Ellie and I have this conversation:

Ellie: "Mama? Mama! For real, I can here my heart talking."
Me: "You can? What is it saying?"
Ellie: "My heart says, 'I love my heart.' Like, when I'm loving someone. My love is to marry someone, like, when my heart says, 'I'm in love.'"

I honestly think these special moments are why God puts children on Earth. Everyone needs to be touched by a child. It could be a niece, nephew, student, a friend's child, or your own. It really doesn't matter. In all of our beautiful and chaotic lives, a child brings normalcy, joy, and magic. The magic is in his or her eyes. It's in their tiny voices when they speak. It's in the hugs so tight that you think you could never escape. Then you just melt right into that tiny little body who is keeping you safe and comfortable without you even knowing it. The magic is there for the taking. It is full of life, vibrancy, and is the most vulnerable kind of magic you will ever know.

Our Cake Monster

I think it's safe to say that Caleb is our messiest child, at least when it comes to birthday cake! He couldn't even wait for it to be placed down in front of him before sticking his tiny fingers in.

Here is a little progression the first birthday cake eating:

Connor and Eliana were very proud of their baby brother and couldn't resist a cake licking too! 

 Ellie and Papa started a small frosting fight. 

 Then, we laughed because Connor was almost pacing back and forth. He doesn't like getting messy. I think watching this whole charade was making him twitch! haha...That's our Connor.

What a fantasic first birthday Caleb had. I suppose I should get going on his first photo album, eh? All in due time, my dears. All in due time. 

Holy Schmoley! Caleb is one!

"How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you. And longer if I can." -Ellie Gould 

It's no surprise that Caleb, was, well, a surprise. Moving past the times that you may have talked to me us during pregnancy, the eye rolls, and the jokes that we were "two and through," we honestly couldn't be more elated to have this lil guy in our lives. Were we so shocked that it took nearly all of pregnancy for it to sink in that we were, in fact, having a third child? Yes. Were we nervous as heck? Yes. Has this past year brought us more sleepless nights and stress? Yes. However, this past year has also brought us more joy than we thought possible. October 2, 2015-October 2, 2016 has taught us how to seek more grace, how to communicate more than ever, and just how strong we are individually and as a family.  You see, Caleb is the smiliest and happy kid. He has a smile for everyone. He learns from his big brother and big sister in ways that astound us. Lil CT was brought into this family to teach us, make us laugh, and to give us one more little human being to love with all of our hearts. 

Having a child changes you. Having three teaches you. What are we if not a student of this world? We need to except change and see it for what it is. Caleb is one of our three. I am so grateful. I am overwhelmingly humble. I am a parent three times. I think my heart grew 100 times. 

Keep smiling little man.  Stay happy. Laugh. Love. Live life to its fullest. That's really what this journey is all about, kiddo. We love you more than you can ever really understand. 

The 3rd Littles First Haircut

The day has come for this shaggy-haired boy's first haircut. I don't think my trims at 4 an 6 months with the kitchen scissors count. This is a huge milestone in mommyhood. Watching those first snippets of hair fall into the hands of the stylist to save for decades to come made me feel very sentimental. This sweet little guy is our last. Our last first haircut is a thing that I didn't think would get to me. I didn't feel this way with the others, but as my mom says, "everything with the last is more traumatic." I guess mother does know best! 

Wow! What a difference! What is he? 3?! He looks so old! We are getting used to it. We love it. It makes everything cuter than can be. I don't know how that is possible, but gosh darn it, it does! Caleb didn't flinch. He was as curious as could be, but, with cracker in hand, he took the first haircut like a champ. 

Of course, I couldn't stop staring at him all day yesterday. I broke out the camera, and we had some fun. This smiling guy seems to love his new hair style just as much as we do! 

Keep on smiling and shining with those baby blues, lil guy. The world loves you just as much as us, and we can't wait to celebrate the BIG ONE with you on Sunday! You are one of reasons why we smile. Thank you for being you...

Caleb's Baptism

"Twinkle, twinkle tiny light,

little eyes that shine so bright,
a precious baby from heaven above,
fills our hearts with so much love.

The baptism came up quick. We didn't have everyone there that we would have liked, but that's par for the course when you live far from most family. But, we were blessed to have Caleb's Godparents come down from Pennsylvania with his "God-Cousins," too! The ceremony was quick and the Deacon quickly reconized Caleb's inablity to stay still for a prolonged period of time, and was very patient with him. He also commented on Caleb's huge potential for becoming a linebacker down the road. Yes, he is a maniac. We get it. haha.  It was a great day. 

We are happy to have our third child baptized in the same outfit (that was the driving force for having it this month) as his brother and sister. 

"From God's loving arms, to ours."

"All of God's grace in one little face."

"A baby is a bit of stardust blown from the hand of God!"