Snuggle Boy

There are so many days lately that get the best of me (and my patience!). Having three such small kiddos comes with lots (and lots!) of needs! I feel so stretched in so many different directions because of each of their individual needs. But I have no doubt that I will miss these days! The days of endless snacks, diaper changes, laundry, naps (or nap attempts), letter lessons, constantly sweeping the same piles off of the kitchen floor, wiping noses...you get the picture ;) But in between all of the chaos, I get moments like these that make me beyond grateful that The Lord saw fit to make me a mama of my three precious sweeties!

Bubbles and Babies

We love bath time around here! Clean babies, fresh jammies, sweet lotion smell, what's not to love?! With three little sweeties under 4, it can get a little messy, but it's always full of laughs and lots of water on the floor ;) 

Sissy helping bathe "Little Porty" as she calls him: 

When I went to dry off sweet baby, Sissy decided to have a "spa day" of her own...

And seriously, this will end up in the graduation photos, wedding slide shows and memory books!...

30.

Thoughts on turning 30...

I started Kindergarten 25 years ago. 

I started driving 14 years ago.

I became a teenager 17 years ago.

I graduated high school 12 years ago.

I have lived through 3 whole decades. 

I became a big sister 26 years ago. 

I have been married for 7 years.

I became a mama 4 years ago. 

How's that for making a lady feel old?!

Just kidding, age doesn't bother me one bit! But turning 30 has been quite a surreal experience. The difference between 29 and 30 seems like way more than 365 days! Mostly, I am just thankful that The Lord has blessed me with 30 years to live and enjoy this beautiful world and my sweet family and friends! 

My birthday was just downright perfect! I spent my birthday day with mom and Emma. Using tons of free coupons (hello frugal mama!) we went to breakfast, lunch and dinner for a grand total of $7, score! We took the kids to the library and the park. It was amazing for them to get to run and play! After dinner at Chili's, we went to Ingles and picked a yellow cake with strawberry icing and came home to enjoy it. Sean got me a beautiful blue Fiesta Dutch oven that has already gotten lots of use! 

(Enjoying the cake...)

And this is about as good as group photos get these days...

My 30 years have been full of blessings in so many ways! Each and every one of my days have made me the person I am and for that, I wouldn't change any of them. I am so thankful for the wonderful people that surround me that I am lucky enough to share my days with! 

And to complete my birthday celebrations, my mom was so unbelievably sweet and booked a hotel room for Sean and I to be able to enjoy a good night's sleep and some much needed time ro relax and recharge. We all (Mom, Todd, Emma, Will, Parker, Jesse, Tim, Nana, Grandaddy Frank, Sean, Me and the kids) met at the hotel and swam and enjoyed pizza and cookie cake together and then mom and Emma took the kids home and stayed the night with them. Hello amazing! I am so thankful for my mom's servant's heart! Thanks mom! And to top it off, we got to enjoy the whole day Saturday to ourselves as well. I can't remember the last time we were able to enjoy coffee and tv in bed on a Saturday morning! 

This birthday will probably be impossible to top! 30 isn't so bad after all ;)

50 and wonderful

On Christmas, we celebrated my mom's 50th birthday. I can't say enough good things about her. She is one of my favorite people on Earth. She is a blessing to our little family in ways she will never truly understand. She lights up my kids' faces every time she comes in the door. They know Nonni is here to play and loves to spend time with them. As I too have grown older, she has become not only my mom, but one of my dearest friends. I am so thankful to be back near family and have the privelege of spending time with her every week. 

Mom, I love you. Thank you for all the things you do, the big ones and the small ones. Thank you for thinking about us. Thank you for caring for us with such a sweet, giving heart. I can only hope to love my family and others with the same giving, generous heart that you have. Your light shines bright!

Since Christmas catch-up :)

The blog has been pretty quiet since Christmas, so here's a quick update of what's been going on around here lately...

We have had lots of time around here to snuggle...

We have been working on preschool lessons and activities...

We have played and played some more...

We have enjoyed our new picnic table...

We've had time to enjoy the sassy girl that seems to think she rules the place...

We have enjoyed an unseasonably warm day outside...

And played with our favorite little brother...

Happy 4 Months Sullivan

Sweet Sullivan turned 4 months old last Friday. He is truly such a joy! His precious, happy smile is contagious! His little chuckle lights up a whole room! He is an absolute doll baby! He still isn't doing that great in the car, but is definitely improving. We have gotten to where he only cries (ah hem screams to be exact) on about half of our car trips. He is nursing 5 times most days. He takes two long naps each day. He is still sleeping in his swing and still prefers to be swaddled. Nights are improving slowly, but not consistently. He still wakes up once to eat but wakes up several other times needing his paci. He is eating cereal twice per day as of this weekend. He adores his brother and sister. But Mommy and Daddy are his real favorites. He seems to be beginning to recognize familiar faces and laughs at them a little more often. He is starting to grab at toys and can hold onto things for a few seconds. He loves the bouncy seat but isn't crazy about the Bumbo. He is 13 lbs 13 oz and 25 1/4 inches long. He is an overall extremely happy baby, but is quick to let us know when he isn't happy! We adore this little sweetie!

 

First Cereal Part 3

I can't believe we have a third child to go through some of the baby "firsts"! We started Sullivan on cereal this weekend. He seemed to love it! This kid was born to eat! We love our little chubby bunny! 

 

Christmas 2014

Sean and I had looked forward to Christmas for so long this year. We knew this would be the first Christmas that any of our children would be old enough to anticipate Santas arrival and begin to understand the true meaning of Christmas. It was everything we hoped it would be. The children loved their gifts and seemed so happy! There were many times for good discussions about why we celebrate Christmas. I love being able to remember as many details about a day as I can, so the rest of the post may be somewhat of a list.

Gifts:

Porter- barn, zebra, Krispy Kreme delivery truck, horse water cup, guitar.

Savannah- dollhouse, dollhouse accessories, Frozen water cup, toy pony, Doodle Bear, Elsa dress.

Sullivan- monkey backpack and suitcase.

Some favorite gifts from grandparents/family- picnic table, cookie set, cash register, doll bed, puppy surprise, dr set, jewelry box, connect 4 game.

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast of hash brown casserole, french toast casserole and fruit.

There are way too many pictures to fit on one post, so I'll include a few favorites. 

Ready for Christmas at Nanas: