Where I've Been

When I made my last entry in Mid-November I knew it would be a couple weeks before I was back to blogging, but wow, never did I imagine it would be almost two months before I got back with the program!  I have missed it, just like I have missed alot of things these days (like sipping a cup of coffee in silence, a shower where I can shave my legs if I want to, oh and SLEEP!). 
 It's been a fun and magical time these past few weeks

that I wouldn't trade in for anything else!! 

As I sit here today, grasping to find the right words (or any words for that matter- Read: sleep deprivation has taken over) to describe my days, the first word that comes to mind is pride. 
Pride in my daughters who have been troopers through our transition into a family of 5.  They have both welcomed Baby Drew with open arms, with an overflow of love, and with patience in understanding that things are going to be a little different in their little lives from here on out...and they are ok with it. 

  Our littlest M shocked us with her immediate acceptance and gentleness towards her little brother.  She also holds a very special honor in our family, as the "Nicknamer of Drew".  The first day Drew and I were home from the hospital, Macie looked at her little bro and said "Drewie!!".  And there it was, our first nickname for our little man. 

 Our Big M has, as expected, welcomed this new experience as her chance to be our little helper.  I would not know if my sanity level would be where it's at if it hasn't been for her genuine kindness, thoughtfulness, and sweet nature she has instilled in her daily routine when it comes to her brother and her interactions with her little sister. 

Thank you sweet angel girlies.  Mommy loves you all the seconds of the day, night, and everywhere in between. 

Another word: Bliss.  Bliss is what envelopes my heart everytime I lay my eyes on my sweet baby boy.  I am truly enamoured by this little being.  From the very first moment I looked into my sweet boy's "new-to-the-world" eyes and kissed his brand new skin, I melted. 

Friends have said there's something about having a little boy that does something to their hearts...now I know what they were talking about.  He may be only 7 weeks old, but my little angel boy has me wrapped tightly around his finger.  I am so in love. 

 In love with his eager eyes,

 his little dimple when he cracks a smile,

his tiny fingers that squeeze my hand or shirt when I'm holding him,

his soft kissable skin,  

the way he instantly calms when I rub his little head,

his squeaks, grunts, and groans (his is a noisy boy!),

the way he "purrs" when he's contently in my arms, and these just name a few. 

 I prayed throughout my pregnancy that our son would fit like a glove into our family, and with a teasing plea that he'd be an "easy" baby.  Well God heard and answered my prayer- Drew has brought such life, love, and happiness into our family.  And God even answered the "easy" plea- our little man could not be more chill.  He is so laid back and only fusses when he's hungry or when you put a hat on him (he h-a-t-e-s them).  I could not have dreamed up a more perfect, angelic, more snuggly little boy to call mine. 

 One look at him and the craziness of what's going on in that moment is all instantly blocked out, the world almost goes quiet, and the feeling of pure bliss, pure love settles in. 

 Mommy loves you Andrew Charles

more than I could ever even begin to transcribe into words!! 

Other words that come to mind when thinking of the past few weeks:

exhaustion, excitment,

overwhelmed, calming,

 freedom, anxiousness, 

unorganized (ugh, hate this one!), unscheduled (ugh! again),

 happiness,

 successful

 (even if it's just when I return a phone call or sweep the dining room floor),

 hectic,

 merry (loved every single second of Christmas this year),

 frustrated, peaceful, unsure,

and the biggest word... Grace

 (Thank you Lord for all my gifts, both big and small.  You have blessed me in more ways than I will ever feel worthy. 

 Thank you for knowing what I needed even when I may not have.).  

Now it's time to "get on with it".  Mia's going back to school tomorrow, Drew is 7 weeks old, and I have to fit into a bridesmaid dress in less than 5 months (My sissie is getting MARRIED in May!!! XO!  Yahoo!!).  Hence the blog entry; it is time to resume "the regularly scheduled programming".  It has been, and will continue to be a big transition, having another little one in our family, but I am confident (most of the time :) ) I will figure it out.  I will figure out how to balance each child's needs, pay some focus to B, our schedules, keeping the house clean as our house goes up for sale (more on this later), the laundry (it's a growing deamon, I swear!), exercise, the other never-ending list of "have tos" that go with each day, and somewhere in this mix find time to maybe get my toes done (ahhhh, no other sound than quiet conversation in a language I can't understand- this may be bliss too!).  

Our blog may have been renamed "And Then There Were Three"...but maybe it would have been more appropriate to have titled it "Our Crazy Life" because most days this is how I feel, cra-zy.  And you know what, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Girls Day Out

Today marks a monumental time in the lives of the girls in our house- today was the last "Fun Friday Girls Day Out", a day we've grown very accustomed to the past 5 months or so.  At this time next week we will be welcoming our little brother into our home!  

So on our last day, "just the girls", we slept in a little bit longer than usual, had a nice relaxing breakfast, then got ourselves all dressed to head out the door.  First up was the mall for a little shopping, where else?! :).  We were in search of dresses for our photo shoot with Baby Brother when he arrives.  We leisurely checked out all of our favorite stores, Mia walking like a "big girl" and Macie riding along in her stroller- in which she did amazingly well, never made a peep or wanted to get out...this is a rarity!  We then made our way to M and M's favorite lunch spot, Chick Fil-a, where we nibbled on a little lunch sitting in the "wittle chairs".  And if you know the food court at our mall, you know you cannot leave without taking a ride on the carousel. 

Next up was a trip to Target- no Friday is complete without visiting our favorite store. :)  After that we headed home for a quick nap (well quick is what I thought it would be, but the girls slept for  2 1/2 hours!).  Once we were awake, we put our socks, shoes, and jackets on and hopped in the car for a little time at the park.  

 It was a fantastic day with  the girls!  I will surely miss our weekly girls days out doing whatever our hearts desire.  I think the 3 of us have looked forward to this special time each week.  With that being said, I know we are all very anxious for the much anticipated event that will postpone our days out "just the girls"...Baby Brother will be here in four and a half days!!

Getting Ready

It is hard to even fathom, but in 6 short days we will become a family of 5!  We have been busy getting ready for our Baby Brother to join our chaos...and with any luck, we are ready (or as prepared as we can be).  Last night the big sisters helped Daddy put new batteries in some of Baby Brother's toys.  They felt like such big kids.  It has been my intention to include them in as many "getting ready" activities as possible, so feel as much a part of this family change as B and I do.  

 Here are some shots of our Big Sisters last night:

Yes, there is ALWAYS time for a little sing and dance number

...and posing for a picture, of course!

 This Big Sister-to-be doesn't have a clue how her world is about to be rocked in a way she never knew possible.  Nonetheless, she sure is relishing in the time Mommy is dedicating to her these days. :)

  We cannot wait to meet you Baby Brother! 

 We love you already and want to play with you and show you all the cool stuff we have at our house for you!! 

Surprise

B and I often reflect on how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends.  This was proven last week at our small group meeting, where instead of discussing James our dear friends planned a surprise baby shower for us!  It truly melted my heart (and still does as I am thinking of it right now).  What mom is lucky enough to have a shower for her third baby?  We had the most wonderful time eating (thanks to some a-maz-ing cooks!), playing games, and laughing till it hurt.

  Thank you Davidsons, Crescis, Schlueters, and Laytons for such an awesome night

 and more importantly for your friendship!! 

Playing Catch-Up

So if you read MPM this week I said it would be a successful week if I could share at least one little tid bit of what's been going on here in the past two weeks. 

 This is my attempt at it....

Going all the way back to Halloween weekend (which I am sure is a distant memory in everyone's mind as we frantically begin to puruse through Amazon and the Toys R Us websites searching for "the" Christmas gifts of the season to give our families) we had lots of fun; it was event filled to say the least. 

On Saturday morning we hosted a Kids' Halloween Party!  What fun it was seeing all the little monsters, princesses, bugs, and army men trotting around the backyard.  



We played some games...

Nibbled on some food...

and went Trick-Or-Treating around town...

Look at this group of adorable kiddies!!   We had tons of fun, friends- hope you did too!! 

 

At church on Sunday all the little kiddies in child care dressed up as princesses and superheroes.  Mia was Snow White and Macie was Fancy Nancy (she counts as a princess, right?) 

Later that evening we stopped by Brian and Trish's on the way to our Halloween night festivities. 

We enjoyed playing in our costumes and  munching on a "mummy" dinner with our friends. 

Then it was off for some trick-or-treating!!!

And that's it in a nutshell, our Halloween Weekend 2010.  Now back to the present- birthing a baby and the next holiday that is knocking on our door! :)