It's Quiet on Here

With the birth of a new child, it should almost be expected for things to be quiet on here. That isn't necessarily the case in reality for me. Our household is busier than ever and I am constantly demanded by my 3 children. It's beautiful and draining and crazy busy.

In the last few weeks, we continued to bond as a family and enjoyed having my husband home. We had a snow storm hit our area which gave us the opportunity to enjoy snow.  Our kids are obsessed with sledding, eating snow, digging snow caves, and building snow men. On repeat.

After 6 weeks at home we had to unfortunately send my husband back to work. We are so, so fortunate that he works for a company that gave him so much time off but we still weren't ready for him to make the return. Our house became a bit quieter in some ways but the workload piled up for me as I took on the days solo again. His presence has been greatly missed.

With so much sickness continuing to go around in our area, we continue to stay home as much as possible. I have found many inside activities to keep us busy and we try to sneak out for 10-15 minute intervals. I seem to spend more time bundling up the kids than we spend outside but it's totally worth it for a bit of fresh air.

We did sneak away to the park during one warmer afternoon to take a look at the ducks.

I stayed in the vehicle with Jayden as it was still too cold for him. In many ways, I think we are all looking forward to spring!

Jayden continues to grow and we love taking turns taking care of him. It's been amazing to watch my children bond with each other.

We've had family visit the last few weekends but this weekend will be a quiet one for us. I wouldn't have it any other way and can't wait to hang out for a few days with these 4:

They are demanding pizza and movies, as usual. I'm thinking we may tie this in with a game night as well.

Happy Friday!

One Month Update on Baby Jayden

Well, little baby Jayden, we made it 1 whole month. It's been fast and crazy and came with all the emotions that a person can possibly have. We are so glad you're here. We can't stop staring at you and watching you grow. 

The first half of your month was spent in the NICU and came with so many challenges and blessings for our little family. We spent the last half of the month at our home as a family, the way it should be. Baby boy, you bonded our family more closely than I could have ever imagined. We are so thankful to God that he chose you to be in our life.

You are so expressive. It's very clear to us that you love having your siblings around. Sissy loves to hold you constantly and picks out most of your outfits. Your big brother pats your head, kisses you, and likes to remind you of who he is. 

Since Jayden endured so much during the first few weeks of life, our doctors have recommended we try as hard as possible not to get sick as this could cause major issues for Jayden's health. It has been a challenge being home so much but it has also been so sweet to just be together as a family. When the weather is good, we all get outside for fresh air.

I carry Jayden in a baby carrier and have him so snug and warm that he typically sleeps the whole time. A snow storm came in yesterday and we are now stuck indoors. The big kids have been staying busy with coloring, school work, play-doh, and any other activity I can find for them.

We did sneak out last week to get family pictures done. I took this picture on my phone:

This picture makes me so, so excited to see what the photographer got. I think she is going to give us way too much good stuff to choose from.

If you need us, we will be found at our home snuggling our beautiful 1 month old baby boy!

A Review of Our 2017

Happy New Year! We had a blast celebrating with our children at 6PM with dinner together, some sparkling grape juice (served in fancy wine glasses), and family game night. We knew I wouldn't make it to midnight (and I surprised everyone by making it to 9:30) and the kids stuck to their early bedtime routine. I actually can't think of the last NYE that I made it to midnight.

Each year, I make a video of our year and the result always ends up making me shed a few tears as I watch. This year does not disappoint. It's long though so be warned. I had the hardest time cutting my videos down for this one. This has been quite the year for our family and God has been working so hard on us all. It's hard to leave anything out when there were so many ups and downs.



It's a beautiful life. We wouldn't trade it for anything.

Another year of dancing like nobody's watching (or not caring if they are), singing, game playing, and loving each other hard. It was a also a year of being surprised with a 3rd pregnancy, finding out we were having a boy, and then going through the ebb and flow of emotions while in the NICU with our newest baby. It's something unpredictable and in the end is right.

We are having the time of our lives.

2017, you were a good year. We can't wait to see what's in store for us in 2018.