CiRCuS

I took my sisters and the kids to the circus today. It was my first really big outing by myself with the kids besides church, work, or the grocery store, and it went really well. My sisters spent the night and got to skip school to come with us, so the fun started way before we actually made it to the civic center. Kevin got us some AMAZING circus celebrity tickets (thank you Uncle Kevin!!), so we got to sit on the front row and even go out on the floor and take part in the circus. The kids were so precious with their little beaming smiles, bobbing up and down in their seats, and screaming 'zing zang zoom'. Their favorite parts were the elephants, the zebras, the tigers, and the cute little dogs that did tricks. We had such a wonderful time, and here are a few pics...

the kids with their celebrity passes

I had Maddi in a little backpack so she'd be easy to carry around while I was wrangling 3 other very excited kiddos. She just sat there wide-eyed and stared at all of the lights and people dancing around. I think she really enjoyed it...except when we went out on the floor for part of the show...she screamed her little head off! All of the cast members were trying to make her happy but there was no helping her.... once she gets going there's no stopping her. As soon as we went back to our seats, she was fine again. Oh well, I'm glad she enjoyed it for the most part. :)

itty bitty girl

Yesterday was Madison's two month check-up, and she also got her shots...poor baby girl. She only gained 1 pound (she should have gained at least two), so we are going to give her extra concentrated formula and see if that does the trick. Everything else is perfect. She is so aware of her surroundings now. She smiles, sticks out her tongue, and even coos is she's in a really good mood. She fusses a lot, but she's still cute even when she's screaming her head off. Here are her stats for this month:

weight 9 lbs 2 oz 10th percentile

height 23 inches 50th percentile

head circumference 25th percentile

I have been a bit scattered lately. Maddi woke up three times last night, and when it felt like I'd just finally fallen asleep, Sean's alarm went off which woke Maddi up again. So when I went to wake Drew up for school, I was little more than a walking zombie. Between feeding Maddi, throwing lunch together, arguing over which pants to wear, counting change out of the coin jar for the book fair, and confirming that we do indeed brush our teeth every single morning, 30 minutes just disappeared! We were late and I was throwing kids and bags in the car and praying that we'd get there on time so I wouldn't have to go sign Drew in wearing my pajamas and carrying a screaming baby on my hip. So as we are sitting in traffic and I'm pleading with time as if the universe will slow just to prevent me from experiencing a little PJ humiliation, Drew looks at me with a quivering lip and says, "Mom, I'm hungry...why didn't you get me any breakfast this morning?" Dang it!!! So my poor baby boy went to school with a growling tummy, disappointed in his mother's inability to be super-mom. Who am I kidding? Feeding your child is a necessity not a super power. It's like second on the list of mothering responsibilities... under #1 - Give birth. Oh well, he made it through the day as did I, and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day or at least one that includes all three meals.

PHOTO SHOOT

Maddi and I went to Becki's house last week for a little photo shoot. I had such a hard time picking which pictures to post because they were all so beautiful. Becki is SO talented and was so patient as Maddi screamed and screamed and screamed (have I mentioned my baby is a little moody).

And my FAVORITE...

Thanks again Becki :)

All Smiles

Today is one of those days I will always remember. Madison smiled! Technically its not her first smile. She would randomly smile when she tooted or grin in her sleep, but this was the first time that she looked into my eyes and smiled. Its such an amazing feeling to know that she recognizes me and that I make her happy. Sean also taught her to stick her tongue out, so every time she sees him, she starts working that tongue like a little lizard. It's precious!

One Fine Day

Today has been a great day!! We got to go to church, and I got to do music with the children. I love looking at their smiling faces, and hearing their beautifully off-key little voices. :) My sisters got to come home with us after church. I just love having them over! I am living the life I always dreamed of, and I thank God for it at least a hundred times a day.

My Valentine

I got the BEST Valentine surprise yesterday!! Drew made me a Valentine while he was at school. I don't know which is better...the little grin on his face when he has a surprise for me or the actual surprise. Either way, it's days like these that I LOVE being a mom.

Sean is feeling much better. Although we hated for him to miss work, we really enjoyed having him home and being able to spend time with him. We have been blessed with such compassionate family and friends. My heart is so full of gratitude for them. I am also grateful for a God that hears our pleas and answers our prayers, and with this gratitude and love, I wish you all a wonderful Valentines Day.

A picture is worth a thousand words

When it rains it POURS

This week has been so crazy that it doesn't even seem real. We have all been sick with a cold. Drew got it first from someone at school, and it got pretty bad because of his asthma. So, we had a few sleepless nights with inhalers and cough syrup. Then, being the loving brother that he is, he decided to share his germs with Madison and Daddy. Just as Drew started to get better, I was up all night with Madison suctioning her out every 30 minutes so that she could breathe. Honestly, there is nothing worse than a sick 5 week old baby. She is just pitiful, and it breaks my heart. Well, about that time, the sleep deprivation had finally hit me and I came down with the stinkin' cold, but there was no rest in sight for the weary because Sean's appendix ruptured and we had to go to the ER where they quickly yanked the thing out. I have stopped several times in the middle of the chaos and thought "why us?" Why are we sick...all at the same time? Why did Sean have to lose his job? Why do we both have to work 2 jobs now to compensate? Why can't I just stay at home for a few weeks with my new baby and enjoy her with out having to work? Why did Sean have to get sick? How in the world will we make it without him working for six weeks so he can recoup from surgery? Yep, I was playing the "why game," and I was miserable juggling sick kids and a sick hubby, but now that we are finally all home and the sniffles are drying up, I know that things will work out...they always do. Despite all of the craziness, I am truly blessed to still have my sweet hubby and my beautiful babies. Sometimes I'm kind of glad that we can't always dictate the path that our lives will follow cause I would pick one long, straight boring path! It's kind of fun to look back at all of the twist and turns life's journey has taken us on, and I guess this week is just one more crazy experience that we will look back on in gratitude one day....gratitude that it's behind us :) and gratitude that it has made us appreciate each other, our health, and the simple fact that we are still traveling down the same bumpy road together.

I've been tagged

I'm suppose to go to my 7th picture folder & post the 7th picture and then tag 7 other folks. So here it is. Drew with Daddy's sunglasses on. He's so stinkin' cute. I love him so much it hurts sometimes. Okay..on to the tagging... Candice, Candace, Lydia, Jessica, Mandy, Mary, and Becki...YOU'RE IT!