Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl

Today was the day. This girl turned 5. Today has totally shifted my world. I don't know how it happened but it is true that time goes faster and faster as you get older. Having children seemed to put our speed on overdrive and I feel like if I blink this girl will be 30, having children of her own and needing me less and less.

It does not seem like 5 years ago I went into the labor and delivery room for the first time announcing that my water had broken. There is no way it was 5 years ago that we had to evacuate the hospital because the ambulance, parked in the hospital garage, caught on fire. I was indeed in labor outside and surrounded by all hospital staff and patients. Don't worry, we made it back inside before our sweet baby girl arrived on that day.

But seriously, 5 years ago?

This picture was on her 3rd birthday and she was surrounded by all of her favorite toys.  I can tell you, add in a few more books (including Little House on the Prairie chapter books) and those are all still pretty much the same top ranking picks for her.

Oh, Payton, we have learned so much about you in 5 short years. You are a natural leader (ahem, nicknamed, bossy pants) and keep your brothers in line. I will never complain about your love for cleaning, order, and playing nicely. Our planner, organizer, and storyteller. You are so easy to please. We gave you the chance to design your entire day since it is your birthday. I knew you wouldn't go too crazy, even though we gave you many options. You chose a birthday breakfast, with just your immediate family, outside playing, and the park. For supper, you chose pizza. Pizza from our freezer. Seriously, so easy.

Payton says when she grows up she wants to be a farmer, mother (to many babies), and gardener. She also has big plans to help any one that wants a baby receive one. She warms our heart. She just may be the change this world needs. You are a natural at taking care of others and I find you regularly caring for your brothers.

This was taken today, on your birthday. He was "scared of dad mowing" so you kept him safe.

It was a great day to celebrate a birthday. Happy Birthday to the one who introduced us to parenthood, we are so thankful you're ours.

The Kitchen Table

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we got a new table. My husband actually made us a new table, with his own two hands. I had been begging for one for years and am so thankful for a handy husband that takes the time to make my dreams come true.

This one was very important to me and dear to my heart. You see, at our house, so much life happens at our table. So much life. Losses, pregnancy announcements, kissing owies, telling stories, reading stories, gatherings, drawings, and coffee conversations. As I sit and think about all the things happening around our table I can easily get a bit teary eyed. It's so beautiful to think about the moments we have been given and what future moments this new table may witness.

I currently do most of our homeschooling now at the table which is a great change from the student desk we were using previously, but now it isn't just Payton seeking to learn. When you add meals into this, our table sees a great deal of daily use.

We are so grateful to call this table our own.

My husband worked tirelessly on this project for several months and spent even longer than that deciding what design suited our family best. I helped with the painting but mostly this project is really my husband's and he should be so proud of himself.

We didn't always have a ton of work space to work on this project, despite having a shop and an acreage. Weather and loaning the shop for others to utilize for temporary storage kept us shoved into tight corners.

But, we did get it done. We hope to use our table for years and years to come.

Payton's 5th Birthday Party

Over the weekend we celebrated this sweet girl's 5th birthday. Her actual birthday is next weekend but we were seeing family already for Jayden's baptism and so we decided to throw in a party on top of that. It made for a busy weekend but it was also so, so much fun. We kept it simple with a (store bought) cake and homemade cupcakes. Payton asked for a Minnie Mouse theme for the second year in a row. I can't complain about how simple she keeps my life.

I decided to splurge and invest in a balloon arch. With 3 kids I think we will get plenty of use out of it as we take on many birthdays and special occasions as we raise our family. It also makes for a beautiful background for pictures.

Not that I took many pictures. Seriously, I failed. The weekend was so busy that I realized on the way home as I flipped through my photo album that I took almost no pictures. The few above from the party, 1 of which was actually taken by my sister. I took a total of ZERO pictures of Jayden's baptism. I'm hoping to round up pictures my family took over our trip back. Seriously, balancing 3 kids and events is a lot to take on.

We are back home though and trying to play catch up after the whirlwind of a weekend. I'm preparing myself for Payton to turn 5 on Saturday. It's bittersweet and makes me a bit teary eyed but mostly I am so excited for her as she crosses this milestone. I know she can't wait to hit this age and is looking forward to so many things in her life. I love watching her excitement and her zest for life is so contagious.

Don't grow up too fast, Payton, my girl.

4 Month Update: Jayden

Our littlest little turned 4 months yesterday. Time just gets faster and faster. We couldn't be more excited to share our baby and how well he is doing.

 Happy 4 months baby! Coming from a wild experience in the NICU that included surgery within a few days of birth and then getting RSV after coming home, we are happy to say you are now happy and very healthy. You are also growing like crazy and getting some nice baby rolls going. We are so proud.

 You have many reasons to be in a bad mood but you approach life with so much joy. I think I have about a million pictures already of you smiling. Jayden, you are a constant reminder to find joy in all that life brings.

Sleeping still seems to top your list of things you love. Some days, I feel like we hardly get to see you because you sleep so much. So, I have a tendency of carrying you around while you sleep.

You also talk like crazy and love to be the center of attention while you tell us your wild stories. You love baths, sucking on your hands, and taking a look at your feet. We look forward to seeing more of your personality as you continue to develop and grow!

We love you so much!

Summer Weather and Snowstorms= 1 Wild Week

Yesterday, our temperatures hit the high 70s so I seized the moment and took Payton and Riley to the park for the afternoon. The kids hadn't seen a playground since last fall so they were definitely ready to get back to the park again. Payton wouldn't even sit still for a picture she was so busy and loving on every free second she got to play. She wanted to do it all in the short time we had.

In typical Riley fashion, he spent 99.9% of his time digging on the little toy digger they have. He loves that so much! His next favorite is the plane but sis is a little bit of a wild driver for his liking.

We returned home in time for supper and Jayden was excited to see us.

He had a blast spending some 1 on 1 time with his daddy.

We must have had too much fun as the kids slept horribly last night. Riley was up for a few hours in the middle of the night and in turn slept in this morning (for the first time ever) until almost 9am. Does it really count as sleeping in when you spent so much time awake in the night? We are expected to have a snowstorm this weekend so I'm guessing one crazy week for weather must mean one crazy week for sleep schedules. So far, that's all playing out accurately.

Today marks the beginning of big things this season for our family. Jayden hits the 4 month milestone. In a few weeks, Payton will be 5! 5? How has time passed us by so quickly. She's excited and I'm already sad about this upcoming birthday. Half a decade is kind of a big deal. This summer, our Riley bug turns 3. It's all such a huge deal for me. Hard momma moments but at the same time they are such exciting times.

I'm hoping to get a 4 month update for Jayden this week. Stay tuned!

Easter Recap 2018

“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'” Luke 24:6-7

Happy (belated) Easter! We hope you had a great Easter Sunday. Our family continues with staying home and trying to keep our baby healthy but we were fortunate to have my husband's parents come stay with us for the holiday. We continue to find comfort in our quiet season of life.

Payton had been asking for mommy and me matching dresses so we surprised her with them a few weeks ago. She has worn this dress several times already. I figure I may as well give in now because it won't be long before she absolutely refuses to dress like me.

On the eve of Easter, baskets were laid out for the kids along with a note from the Easter bunny. I will always go all out for a note, it makes life so much fun for the imagination of little ones:

 Mr. Beaks, the children's penguin helped our Easter bunny this year. The kids were so excited to hear that!

We woke up to 6 inches of snow Easter morning and were lucky the Easter egg hunt was indoors instead of outdoors this year.

 After the egg hunt (and multiple hunts from the kids after), we had breakfast. I attempted to make pancake bunnies for the kids:

 No matter how good or bad my cooking is, my kids always appreciate how much I try for them. I will always love them for that.

We had some activities planned during the week that were Easter themed. We read related stories from the bible and worked on eggs and made paper baskets.

Jayden joined in the fun as well:

That little bunny is stealing our hearts. Brother and sister light up whenever he is in the room.

Jayden is growing big and loves to laugh along with us. We had so much fun celebrating a holiday first with him. Life just wouldn't be the same without him in our lives.

Did you notice the new kitchen table? Yes, we have made a big change that I hope to write about soon (it needs finished first). 

My extra handy hubby worked really hard on a table and bench for our household and met the Easter deadline. We are loving it already but I still need to finish the chairs that go with it. More to come soon, I hope!

Have a great week!