Three Peas in a Pod

This is a post that Avery will some day be mad at me for doing, but its not every family that can say they have three in diapers so I wanted to document this small window when our life's savings is going to purchase diapers.

Avery has been potty trained since she was 22 months old, except for naps and bedtime.  Several months before her third birthday we cut out the nap diaper and now we are working on the bedtime one.  In fact, the reason I decided to take pictures now is that she's had five dry nights in a row...this could be it!  Amanda is still both nap and bedtime and super happy with that.  We started potty training her over a year ago and I think she'd still prefer to wear a diaper all the time.  When children are old enough to put on their own diapers, that's clearly a sign that its time.

Avery, if you ever read this, I want you to know that you thought of and organized this next picture.  I was going to be satisfied to just get a quick one of the three of you.  Maybe its because you don't go to preschool so you have little to compare to, but it really doesn't seem to bother you that you put a diaper on every night, just like your sister and brother.

Love those rolls!

And feet!

Wordless Wednesday

I Heart Faces ~ Autumn Beauty

This week at I Heart Faces the theme is Autumn Beauty and it certainly is beautiful in New England during the early fall.  I had so many pictures to choose from, but I picked this one from last year....oh, how I wish we could repeat this past year with a two and three-year old.  Amanda had little baby arms!  I remember that day well and its a sweet memory.

Blog Stuff

The other day I was fooling around with blogger, trying to get a new blog set up, and I stumbled upon an update.  I think it has some nice, fun things and that came at a good time for me.  You see, I was editing the HTML (scary in there!) and unimaginably found myself using algebra.  Alegbra!  Fortunately the same cute guy who helped me pass that course in highschool was still by my side patiently helping me.  He completed the equivelent of Calculus IV at UCONN, but my brain does not work that way. 

Oops...got sidetracked thinking about that smart, sexy math tutor I now call my husband.  Anyway, this update makes the pictures x-large with the click of a mouse....no algrebra needed!  It has a few other nice things, the downside is I have not yet found spell-checker.  Anyway...IF you care to check out the update, I found it under the Settings tab>Basic tab, then its most of the way down the bottom of that page under the title "global settings".

Also, I recently found a tutorial on adding your email address so that people can easily respond to comments you leave if they'd like.

Under blogger Dashboard:

• Click on the Edit Profile button on the left hand side of the screen (next to your photo/icon).
•  Under the Privacy section you will see a box marked "Show my email address". Check this box.
•  Under the Identity section you will see a box marked "Email Address". Enter your email address.
•  Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on Save Profile.

Replies to your blog comments will no longer be emailed to noreply-comment@blogger.com.  Makes communication much easier....if you care.

There you have it...a little useful or not useful information to make your blog all that it can be.  Oh wait....that's the army....be all that you can be.

Project 365, Week 46

November 8

Shaun took the girls with him when he went to play football and I took Aiden out with me to rake leaves.  We were both so happy being out in the fresh air on a beautiful day.  Oh yeah, and then I stopped for a couple pictures.  :)

November 9

After Avery's dance class, the girls and I went to visit my sister Bethany at her salon.  It was after hours, so we had the run of the place.  She trimmed the girls' hair and thinned mine.  The girls thought they were hot stuff!  After, we ducked into Target for tights (naturally, Avery immediately spotted the black sparkly ones)and then went out to dinner, just us girls....it was a special night.

November 10

St. Agnes is a center for teens who are pregnant or who have small children.  A friend asked if I would go along with her for a photoshoot so the moms can have pictures to keep or to give for Christmas.  Together we photographed about 15 people in just a couple hours, including 4 brand-new babies.  The room where we worked was very hot and we were exhausted at the end, but it was so much fun!  It gives me great pleasure to be using my camera (and talent??) for God.

As a bonus, Shaun's grandparents live in the same town, so I dropped the girls off there so they could get a little time together.  All four were pleased with that situation....it was a wild, sugar 45 minute ride home....that is as it should be after you visit great-grandparents!  And poor Aiden chose not to take the bottle, but instead waited 6 hours for me to return.

November 11

I went to the hospital for an MRI on my knee.  Scary paperwork to fill out before!   The nurse was telling me it was a good thing that with my first (hopefully only!) MRI I would only go in to my waist.  She said it would give me a good idea how I could handle it in case I ever needed to do a full-body one in the future.  Apparently for many they recommend taking an anti-anxiety med prior to going in so the patient can remain calm.  I thought how bad can it be?  Well, for me it seems, not bad at all.  Towards the end of the 30 minutes I woke up to the sound of my own snoring.  Hey, a busy mom of two pre-schoolers and an infant grabs sleep whenever/wherever she can. :)

November 12

The girls' cousin-in-law came over to play for the morning.  She is one day younger than Amanda, but it was funny to watch how Avery took care of Bethany and treated her like a baby.  Her sister however, is held to a very high standard.  When Bethany's grandma came to pick her up Amanda told her, "Bethany got the balls off the [pool] table and I was not proud of her."

Its quite possible that girl is going to be a judge someday.  One of her favorite mottos is justice for all.

November 13

Sisters...hangin'.

November 14

Over the past couple months Bear has taken on more of a personality.  He/she has to put his/her pajamas on at bedtime and is often changing clothes throughout the day....today he was a princess.  He's a good sport and well loved.

Sara is hosting all the other projects this and every week.

Aiden is Four Months

I remember thinking when Avery was four months old, Oh, now this is good.  Aiden is starting to be more free with his smiles (not evidenced here by this very brief photoshoot before nap) and he talks and he looks at me like I am the best thing since breast milk.  He laughs when I tickle him and when we play peek-a-boo.  He's content for longer stretches of time to play on his stomach or sitting (just barely) in his walker.  The standard is craziness around here and he seems to be more in tuned to it each day.

This week he started rolling from his back to his stomach.  I wonder if he's been doing it and I just haven't noticed, because he's pretty proficient at it.  Those milestones were big with Avery, but I'm in no hurry to see any of them with the this last baby. 

As a birthday gift to both of us, he fell asleep twice on me today, once while we were at the library and again when I was at bible study.  Usually when he is tired I lay him in his crib or he falls asleep in the car, but today he drifted off to sleep in my arms and it was wonderful.  In fun, Shaun tells me how spoiled Aiden is and how he loves his momma, but I know just about as soon as he is walking, Aiden will be toddling after his daddy out to the workshop or just around working on man stuff and playing ball.  And so, its true that I may be hoarding him and spoiling him just a little but I think that's ok. 

Whenever they can, the girls like to climb in his crib when he awake from his nap.  He looks around in wonder, so helpless and curious and perhaps a bit overwhelmed.  They try to hold him but he's never too thrilled about it.  However, they are getting good at "playing" with him and distracting him with a toy.  He fits in with us perfectly and we love our little dukey-boy.

After a very short time, Aiden left for his nap, but Avery thought we should take advantage of the camera being out.  She started striking all kinds of poses and saying, Mom, take a picture of this!

To my surprise, Amanda was willing to follow Avery's direction....doing what I can only assume are stretches from ballet.

Then Avery had them doing this leapfrog type pose.  Amanda got the climbing-on-Avery's-back thing, but it was hilarious to watch Amanda try to follow Avery's instructions to be on her hands and knees, with Avery on her back AND with her head up.....she got it though!

Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.

Proverbs 20:11

I Heart Faces ~ Thankfulness

This week at I Heart Faces, the entry was for "My Story In Photos"…with the theme of “Thankfulness.” and the post should be all about what we are most thankful for.  I thought about it for quite a while....I've been so incredibly blessed and am truly thankful everyday for that, but what am I most thankful for?  Yes, my home, my health, my camera.  But when I boiled all of that down, it brought me to my family.  And to focus my thankfulness even closer...is my God.

I'm so thankful that Jesus died on the cross for me so that I could have the gift of salvation and eternal life.  I'm thankful that He lets me see the sunshine of a brand-new day and for the grace and mercy He gives along with each new day.

And of course this precious family I've been given.  For so long I was sure I didn't want children and I'm so glad God wrote my future differently.  Shaun is a gift and I'm so, so thankful for the life we have.

I'm thankful for my godly heritage and our large, extended families.  We truly are....blessed.

(Laurie, thank you for this picture that I treasure)

 

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Galatians 6:14