Mikey Likes It

Actually, Lyla does, not Mikey. We tried cereal today for the first time. Not sure how it happened that I just had a newborn and am now feeding my 4 1/2 month old rice cereal. She woke up more often at night this last week so I thought I would try this and see what happens.... Stay Tuned.
I do love the "Woh. What the heck is that?" look they get when you first put it in their mouth. Good times!

Healing

This past weekend, Seth accompanied his parents to a church in California where literally thousands of people have been healed from different ailments. They have a particular hatred for cancer and for some reason, many have been healed from the wicked disease. So Seth and his parents went to Redding, California with hopes to see what the Lord wanted to do. They received quite a bit of ministry. The crazy, instantaneous healing didn't happen but it doesn't really change our trust in Him. Again, that choice is there: to either give up and say "Whatever" or to keep pressing on, putting our hope in the Lord. As hard as it is some days, I choose to love the One who first loved me. Not even like I really have a choice...once you encounter His love, His perfect love...yeah, the term "undone" comes to mind.

Seth put together a video of their trip to Bethel Church. Watch it here if you would like.

By the way, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I mean that from the very bottom of my heart.

4 Months...

...and 1 week.

Her head smells like honey. No lie.

Yes, she really is that sweet.

The girl loves her some fingers. She takes this job very seriously.

Blooper Time.

Give it a month or 2, little One. You're almost there.

Monday Musings

It's 5am. Baby is awake, getting her diaper changed.

"Ahchoo"
"pthhthpth"
"Wahhh"

And Scene.

Question: Did Baby cry because she was frightened of the 1-2 combination of sneeze and gas? Or did the sheer force of both actually cause pain?

Week in Pictures

Last Saturday: 6 inches of snow. The boys were pretty happy about it. I didn't experience that same emotion. How would I describe it? Ummm, the very opposite of happy.

Monday: It was time to break out the baby walker. The verdict? Baby #3 loves it just as much as Baby #1 and Baby #2 did.

Thursday morning: Apparently this is what happens when you leave baby in her walker while cleaning the house. It has a very soothing effect. Seriously, how sweet can this girl get??

Thursday evening: To celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday, I went all kinds of gourmet. Grilled salmon on a bed of roasted asparagus topped with sweet corn, tomato, avocado relish; lemony rice pilaf; side salad. And yes, he was special that day.

Adam requested a Boston Creme Pie for his birthday cake. It didn't turn out as pretty as I wanted it to but it was quite tasty.

Saturday: I have a girl. With hair. I get to put pretty things in her hair. That makes me so happy!
She slays me.

Welcome Fellow Bloggers

This is an introduction to family who have jumped on the blogging train. My dashing brother-in-law, Adam, and his lovely wife, Leya, each have their very own sites to share their very own thoughts. Feel free to check out their blogs...
Oh and I guess I should also introduce my husband's new website for his business, Grassland Properties. He blogs on it so that totally counts.

The Loss of Normal

It was a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. I was in the middle of a pregnancy-induced afternoon nap when I woke up to movement near the bedroom door. It was Seth. He was home early but one look at his face and I knew exactly why. He has a habit of running his hands back and forth over his shaved head when he is upset. He said, "It's everywhere. Her lungs, her liver, her spine. Everywhere." It took me a few minutes to process his words. I knew what they meant but they were so terrible, they could not possibly be true. I remember shaking my head over and over again. Partly to rid myself of the shock, partly to wake myself out of the horrible nightmare I had just found myself in. Visions of walking into my grandma's room when I was only 10 years old and seeing what could only be described as a skeletal wisp of the grandmother I once knew showing up like someone pressing Rewind on my memories' DVD player. She lost the battle to an evil, wicked enemy. And now that same enemy was attacking my mother-in-law, my mom, my friend. Grief rose within me, making it impossible to swallow, impossible to speak.
It is difficult to type this out because we are still walking down this road. A dark, rocky, blind road. We are watching our parents suffer the unimaginable. We have watched our mother's physical body diminish and weaken. We have watched our father lovingly take care of his beloved wife, beside himself with grief, yet forever pressing on. Our hope has been crushed over and over as each test result has come back negative.
I have found myself just longing for normalcy. A normalcy that even escaping to a small, remote island could not bring. Every minute of every day since that afternoon, there is a nagging sadness underneath our life's existence. Feeling joy's light from my infant daughter's smiles or from my boys' giggles is darkened a shade or two with grief. We have lost our "normal". Phone calls from our parent's house makes my heart skip a half a beat. We don't speak of the future very often. We just don't know what it will hold. It's a place we just can't go.
Since I'm in the middle of all of this and have no idea how it's going to end, I am going to say this: I know it's circumstances like these that shape the rest of our days on this earth. I have a choice. I can either stay angry and become bitter towards the Lord for allowing us to walk through such a horrific thing. Or I can seriously just run to Him and trust Him even if I don't understand what's going on. I think I choose the latter because the first choice seems so lonely and unfulfilled.
Who is this coming from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved? (Song of Solomon 8:5) I am not out of this desert yet. I don't know when it will end or how it will end but I know this, I want to be leaning on Him. Maybe that's my new "normal".

Who Have I Been Kidding?

I have bucked the idea for years. "Not me!". "Never!!". I held onto my coolness as long as I could. What coolness, I'm not really sure. But then I went and had a 3rd child. Have you tried putting 3 children in the backseat of a car or even a SUV? Running back and forth from one door to the other, leaning half way in the car to pull out an infant seat = not a pretty picture. So I gave into the fight. I began to want a van. There I said it. A v-a-n. After seeing poor Eli stuffed into the middle of the backseat, my heart melted. Who am I to hold onto whatever picture of me I have inside my head? Growing up isn't always easy. Even when you're 30 years old.
Today, conditions were perfect. It was the last day of the month. God just dumped 5+ inches of snow onto Kansas City. Our faithful had-it-for-11-years 4runner died a big, dramatic death. It was time to buy a van.
So, here she is, Ladies and Gentlemen...



Sidenote: I am really sad about my 4runner. Such a loyal, dependable SUV. Just doesn't seem right for it to go the way it did...

Chubby Bunny

The irresistible cheekage. They are magnets to my lips.

Checking out her feet...

I'm really not that funny but don't tell her that.

Boxing lessons?

How about Kung Fu?

Photos shoots are like so exhausting...

Spoil Me Rotten

Seth and I have never been big on the whole Valentines Day thing. We have no traditions or expectations over each other when it comes to this particular holiday. Mostly because we are still trying to recover from the Christmas "drain". Basically we can't afford Valentines Day. So in lieu of this information, I will now refer to yesterday as "Let's just have a nice day together" Day.



It all started with Seth letting me sleep in until *gasp* 11am. I wonder if heaven will include sleeping. Because I can't think of anything more enjoyable than deep morning sleep. I woke up to light tapping on my arm with the announcement that brunch was ready. Seth had re-created those yummy skillets that you can order at First Watch, complete with perfectly diced potatoes, scrambled eggs, topped with fresh chopped tomatoes and avocado. It was absolutely delicious!

One of Seth's nicknames growing up was "Chef". If you say it out loud with a slight Southern accent, it will make more sense. I'm not sure his parents knew that one day he would actually live up to this name....
Last night, we had an in-house date. (One of those things that parents of 3 are forced to do if they want to spend any time together at all. Out of house dates are really difficult to come by.) Seth pulled together an amazing Greek menu. I was impressed that he even tried something so difficult. Allow me to describe his gourmet creations:
We began with Melitzanes Tiganites or Batter-Fried Eggplant. They were warm, crunchy and had amazing flavor. For our entree, he made us Greek salads (minus the anchovies) with homemade dressing. The dressing was fabulous! He made it with oil and vinegar, carrots, celery, garlic, radishes, capers, and some spices. When put through the blender, it made for a wonderful, tasty dressing. He had also grilled us a couple of marinated Kansas City strips. They were very good but both of us were so full by the time we finished our salads that we could only eat a few bites of our steaks. And to finish? He baked a Greek lemon cake with a lemon glaze icing from scratch! It was a beautiful bundt cake that tasted unbelievably delicious! So moist and not too sweet. I am definitely keeping this recipe and the others to make in the future.


Honestly, we needed yesterday. I needed yesterday. Our happy "Let's have a nice day together" Day. I am so grateful for this man who is my best friend. This man who has known me inside and out for almost 12 years now. This man who is making gigantic faith leaps into unknown territories, trusting the Lord with his very life.


I am blessed.

Date Night

See this handsome guy? He and I went on a special Valentines date last night. Our last outing together like this was a couple of years ago so it was loooong overdue! We went to the theatre to see this movie and then ate here for dinner. I had a fantastic time getting to know my son. It's funny how you think you've heard all that is going on in your kids' minds when you stay at home with them, but it takes a totally different environment for them to truly open up. He and I giggled and laughed in the movie theatre. And then had a serious conversation over dinner. He tries to act so grown-up and big so much of the time, it is easy to take for granted that inside he is a 7 year old with insecurities that only 7 year olds deal with. I am so blessed to have such a sweet, kind, imaginitive, and funny little boy. I am excited to see what the Lord has planned for this guy. I so want to protect him from all the evil and pain that is out there but I know I can't. I just have to trust the One who loves this kid even more than I do.
Oh and so when I got in my bed later on last night, I found an envelope addressed "To Mom" on it. Inside read this:

Seth said this was the first thing Eli did as soon as we got home last night.

Well of course I cried.

That's What She Said.

My head is a bit cloudy from the remnants of a cold that the boys so kindly passed on to me. So I'm going to let my 3 month old give you a quick update on life in Macchiville. (Sorry for the bad audio...Geez! I sound like the wife of an audio guy, don't I??)

"Life is pretty good. I sleep. I eat. Although Mama has been telling me lately that smiling and talking while I'm trying to eat doesn't really work. But I ignore her. I do like to talk to anyone who listens. My buddy, the ceiling fan, never lets me down. He follows me in each room just so he can listen to what I have to say. I've found these amazing toys that are actually attached to me. Can you believe it? And there's like 5 different things to chew and suck on with each one. Sometimes they go a little nuts, these chew toys, and will haul off and hit me in the head. That usually makes me cry. My daddy has been around a lot lately. Every time he kisses me, he smells like wood chips or this weird white powder they call drywall dust. I don't mind much because I have this favorite little spot on his chest that makes me drowsy every. single. time. Mama usually gives me extra kisses on my cheek when she sees me in this spot and goes on and on about how cute I am. Moms! My brothers make me so happy. I think they have had to stay away from me lately, though, because they have been sick. They come around and say 'hi' but I kinda miss their big brother kisses. I guess I'm done now because Mama is wrapping me in my swaddle. This is what they call my happy place. I'm not sure what they're talking about because I'm pretty happy wherever they put me..."

3 Months

Sweet Cherub

This is what happens when I ignore the laundry. How could I resist the urge to capture these totally edible cheeks? I'm powerless, completely powerless.

Transition

I have found that the most difficult part of Seth traveling so much in the last 7 years is not necessarily his absence (although there have been times when the loneliness was almost unbearable) nor is it the lack of his partnership (although there have been times where I have just wanted to cry because the kids were driving me absolutely insane). It's the transition. The 3 days to a week where we get used to "normal" again. I would describe myself as a "work well under pressure" type of girl. When Seth is gone, I implement a system that works well for everyone. The kids get fed, bathed, clothed, and even have some fun time in this system. The preservation of my sanity lies in the function of my well-oiled machine. These last 2 weeks were no exception. It felt like a test for me. How would I manage 3 children all by myself? For 14 whole days?? It actually worked better than I thought it would. All 3 children were in bed by 9:30pm. Lyla started sleeping through the nights. The house stayed relatively clean (okay, maybe I was a little obsessive on this one) and I even got a hot shower every day. It may not have been until 10:00 at night but it was done. The wonderful bonus? Generous friends who took the kids twice for a few hours so I could have some time by myself. Thank you Dan and Misty!!
Seth is home now which is so awesome I can't even describe. Yet there is the struggle of transition. Part of me wants to stay in control because my system worked. The other part of me wants to not do anything because I have done everything for so long. I know that in the middle lies peace.
Meanwhile, he has 3 kids who absolutely adore him. I'm pretty sure I do too! I can't imagine walking this journey with anyone else. Oh and did I mention that this last 2 week trip was the last one?? I guess I'm just going to have to figure out the transition of Seth working out of the house to Seth working from our house. More on that later...

I will now leave you with these cute photos of brother and sister.

Seriously, how can they both be smiling the same adorable smile at the same time??

Secrets. I hope good ones.

We Used to Call 65 Degrees "Cold".

So today our weather got up to 65 degrees. In Northern world, that means that you go outside and try to stay outside as long as possible because you know that it could change the very next day. Which it will, trust me. To celebrate the "warm" weather, I took the kids (so strange that I can no longer say "boys" to describe my brood) for a picnic lunch at a nearby playground. Great photo-op, don't ya think?

I hope these 2 are friends for life. I have a strong suspicion that it's gonna be that way.

This boy LOVES the swings.

Apparently sliding is very serious business.

The "What?!" look.

Matchbox cars go really fast down slides. Did you know that?

Not quite old enough to enjoy the playground at its fullest.

Grownup teeth completely change a child's face.

Lyla got to play on her playground.

Just looks like winter, doesn't it?

Grandparents

I love my mom and dad. I love it when we get to see each other. This Christmas, they flew out to spend a week with us. They met Lyla for the first time (and did not put her down for 8 days straight) and bonded with the boys even more. The boys hate it when Nana and Grandad have to go home. Here are my very favorite pictures of them with their babies, their joy...

I love the look on their faces. My dad reminds me of those old Native American photos where you wonder what wise thoughts are behind their eyes.

This happened A LOT while Nana and Grandad were here. The house was completely filled with laughter the whole week! Laughter and wrestling.

Good Morning

I'll just let the photos do the talkin'.

Who Needs Sleeping Pills?

If You're Going Out in the Cold...

You might as well be cute.

Do you like the look on Josiah's face? I'm told this is a "Middle Child" look. I would not know this because it was just my brother and me.

Here's a close-up for ya. Good thing he's so cute 'cause I just might have to hang him from his toes.

This kid is growing up WAY too fast! He's unbelievably tall. My Gentle Giant.

A girl's gotta have a cute pair of boots!