Friday, November 7, 2014

October 2014

Is it me or am I getting later and later when it comes to blogging about our month!  But I think I am being hard on myself.  Since January of 2013, I resolved to blog once a month, and I have!  I am very proud of myself, and though I wish I could record more, this will have to do.
October went fast!  Am I right?  I just can't believe that it's November 5 already.  And we all know how quickly the rest of this year will go by.  Yikes.  I don't know if I am ready!

This month, Matt had the opportunity to go to Germany with an organization call UPI.  UPI reaches out to professional baseball players and was an organization that served us so wonderfully when Matt was playing.  He and one of his good friends went to Germany to hold baseball clinics, and at the end they were able to share their testimonies and talk about how Jesus has changed their lives.  Matt had a wonderful time, ate some delicious food, and had some great experiences.  I am so thrilled he was able to do something like that, but boy am I happy to have him home.  He was gone for eight days, and my family and friends were so incredibly helpful to me!  I seriously don't know how people have babies without their families nearby.  And as always, when I am alone with the kids, I am reminded of the incomparably huge responsibility that single mothers and fathers have.  

I blinked and Sienna became a little girl.  I don't know how or when it happened.  Wasn't she just two?  Wasn't she just learning to eat by herself?  Didn't she just start talking?  Sadly, no.  She is independent and strong and more capable than I would like to admit.  You know what I miss?  I miss her mispronouncing words.  She is so grown up, there are very few words she doesn't say perfectly!  She still calls hand sanitizer, "hanitizer".  Up until a few months ago, she called bananas, "samanas".  See...when did she learn to say it right?  At the moment, I can't even think of any other silly words.  Man, I miss that.  

My little boys turned one year old on October 28th and they love me so much.  I don't mean to brag...but they just do.  They need me more and depend on me more than Sienna ever did.  I have to admit, I love it.  It's a little overwhelming when they both want me at the same time, and little tears are falling as they look to me and hold their arms up to be held, but secretly I love it.  Don't tell though.  They are just so sweet and affectionate and beautiful.  I will miss this age.  

We took family pictures this month, which went just about how you would expect them to go.  I think we got great individual shots of everyone, but I am pretty confident we did not even get one picture of all three kids together.  And believe it or not, Price was the worst!  He was just not happy.  Oh well : )

Sienna Spotlight: 

I did not do a good job of writing stuff down, so I promise I will do better this month!  But here are a few gems...
I was wearing a thong, and Sienna confidently informed me that I had put my underwear on backwards.
Often, after I tell her what to do, she says, "Listen, I have a better idea..."

Double Trouble: 

Price and Maddox eat a ton!  They are no longer on formula or baby food.  They eat all real food.  They are not even teenagers, but I feel like they are eating me out the house already!  
Price waves and gives big, sloppy, open-mouth kisses.  
Maddox took his first steps right before his birthday on October 27.  He claps his hands, and says "Buh", for "Bye".  

























Wednesday, October 8, 2014

September 2014

We started September out celebrating Sienna's birthday, and Matt and I finished September by celebrating time away in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with amazing friends.  
My baby girl is three years old!  I can hardly believe it, and the worst part is she seems much older than three! : (  With the way she walk and talks and her attitude and sass, it's hard to believe she's ONLY three some days.  She still keeps on our toes and reminds me everyday how much discipline it takes as a parent TO discipline your chidden.  How can she be so charming one minute and the next make you want to pull your hair out?!  I've decided it's a special gift God gives toddlers.  
We celebrated her birthday on a few different days (of course), and she loved every second of it.  She loves getting gifts and she loves cakes and she loves knowing it's all about her!  
Something I did starting on her third birthday is ask her a list of questions that she of course answered.  I recorded it and I can't wait to ask her the same questions every year until she's...18?  
Here are the questions: 
1. Favorite Toy: Play-doh
2. Favorite Movie: Aladdin
3. Favorite Food: Chicken and oatmeal
4. What you want to do when you grow up: Play with play-doh
5. Favorite Outfit: Dress (the dress she was wearing in the video)
6. Favorite Game: Her new car
7. Best friend: Daddy...and Mommy
8. Favorite Animal: Doggie
9. Favorite Song: Frozen
10. Favorite Book: Jesus
11. Favorite Thing to Do With Mommy: Play with play-doh
12. Favorite Thing to Do With Daddy: Go on a date
I can't believe that she stood there for so long and answered all of our questions.  Obviously some answers don't make sense, but that's what I love about it.  She is the best.  
Our trip to Punta Cana couldn't have come at a better time.  I feel so blessed that my best friend's husband, Mark, invited us to go!  Mark's company was working the Lady Antebellum Get-Away event at the Hard Rock Resort there, and we got to go for FREE!  Crazy.  God must have known we NEEDED it and He was right.  Before our trip, I honestly couldn't fathom getting to sleep in every single day and not take care of anyone, but myself.  It was unimaginable!  But for seven straight days, I got to do exactly that.  It was heaven.  By day 5, I definitely was really missing the kids and even ready to get back to my routine, but 7 days was the perfect amount of time.  Any sooner, and I wouldn't have been ready, but any longer, and I would have become anxious and bored.  Spending that time with my husband and best friends was exactly the refresh I needed during this very busy, stressful, and overwhelming phase of my life.  
Sienna Spotlight: 
Sienna prayed the "God is good..." prayer at dinner, and it made me cry.  She asked why I was sad, and I quickly reassured her that I was happy!  Then she said, "But your eye is dripping!"
Sienna choked on a piece of chicken, causing her eyes to well up, so she said, "Oh my eyes look sad."
We were in the car one day when she saw a billboard for the Tampa Bay Rays.  She quickly started talking about baseball and how Daddy played baseball and hit the ball!  Then she started talking about how he showered at the field, and walked up the stairs.  This is significant because the last time Matt showered at any field and walked up the stairs (in Columbus) was over a year ago!  She wasn't even two years old the last time we were with Daddy at a baseball field.  We found it astonishing that she remembered all of that from so long ago.
My Dad was talking to Sienna and he told her that Mommy and Daddy were the boss.  She said, "No, just mommy."
Sienna wouldn't cuddle with Matt, so he told her that he wasn't going to be her daddy anymore (I know, very mature).  Sienna just looked at him and simply said, "That makes me sad."
Double Trouble:
Maddox will still shake his head back at you.  He thinks it's hilarious.
Price loves being chased around the house.  He crawls as quickly as those fat little legs will let him!






















Tuesday, September 9, 2014

August 2014

The truth is, I can not think of anything particularly earth-shattering or new or different that happened in August.  So you will have to bear with me through a sentimental post.  I am keenly aware of my boys' age.  "Their age?", you ask.  Yes, their age.  You see, they turned 10 months old and will quickly be one year old, and before I know it, they will be three years old like Sienna, and definitely, without a doubt no longer babies.  

Can I say something crazy?  I don't know how people stop having kids.  I don't know how you can calmly and determinedly say to yourself, "This is the last time I will have a 10 month old baby."  I certainly can not make that statement right now.  I suppose I will come to a place where I will be ready to make such a decision, but I am not there.  

10 months is glorious...10 months is the epitome of wonderful baby adorableness.  They are still very much babies (squishy, like to be held, not too many teeth, make cute sounds, innocent, not deliberate in their attitudes), but they are not as dependent and delicate as newborns, or as sassy and irrational as toddlers (or is that just mine?) : )  

I have a heightened sense of urgency to hold my boys.  I want to feel their soft, warm, still small bodies in my arms.  I want to squeeze them, look in to their bright eyes, and smile back at their slimy, (getting) toothy mouths.  I want to bottle them up and keep them here forever.  How will I remember?  I feel like I have these very vague memories of Sienna at this age.  I want to remember more with them.  I want to remember how they sounded and how they felt and what they did and how they looked.  

Honestly, I am grateful to feel this way because feeling this way tells me I am doing a half way decent job of not letting life pass me by.  I need to cherish more moments, but I am doing my best to be intentional and be present, and take notice of the most beautiful tiniest details of my life.  





My best friend, Rachel, came to Tampa with her
2 kids, Noa and Titus!  We have quite a crew!