my avery

six years ago our family was blessed with the precious gift of avery.  i can tell you that my world changed when they placed her in my arms, when we brought her home, when she smiled at me, rolled over, walked, went to student life childcare, called me mommy, held her baby sister, started 3, 4 and 5k, wrote her name, did a forward roll, recited scripture, told me she loved me, made the right decision, saw cinderella's castle, danced in her ballet recital, held her baby brother, taught addison something new, swam by herself, failed at something...then succeeded.  in six short years God has used this little girl to change my life and i am so thankful for her.

happy birthday avery!

same faces, different places

we were in town for the fourth!  that meant lots of family time and lots of friend time!  dreamland and fireworks have been our tradition with our friends and this year was no exception.  we did, however, change our location to watch the fireworks and (thanks to trey) it was a spectacular view! 

life is so much sweeter

with friends

we spent last week with some of my most favorite friends.  who doesn't love the beach?  tons of fun was had by all. 

addison spent most of her time trying to keep up with the big girls or telling the little girls what to do

avery rarely came up for air

and sweet anderson just did whatever we needed him to do

so thankful for wonderful friends!

638

curious as to what these numbers mean? 

638

the number of times i hear mommy each day?  (nope, way more than that)

the number of hairs on andersons head?

the number of times i have to stop and pick up a my little pony toy?

the number of times i pray for sanity?

the number of sonic blasts i've eaten this month?

if you said any of these...you're wrong!

it's ages of my kiddos, well, sort of.

my avery... is about to be 6 years old, which baffles me.  where did the time go?  where is sunset drive and her little nursery?  where is this little butterball of a baby?  I'll tell you where she is...she's grown into a little girl that has lost 3 teeth (two she pulled herself), who learned to swim on her stomach, back and underwater in 6 days, and is about to start REAL kindergarten.  i'm trying to savor every moment of this summer...it's my last one before her 'school years.'

sweet addison...in the middle of her 3rd year.  when we moved last year she was still in diapers and now she's grown into this sassy, independent little girl that says things like "i'm serious mommy."  she's a dance machine and a cuddle bug.  her attitude (when her arms aren't crossed and she's not stomping across the room) and empathy make me want to be a better person.  she loves to hug me and allen and tell us "i'll take care of you."  she's going to be a great mommy.

little anderson...already 8 weeks.  i call him my little punkin-doodle, which often gets shortened to little punk.  we all love his hair...it's just as thick as the girls when they were this age...and i'll admit, i've given him a mohawk.  on purpose.  and liked it.  it was inspired by the nickname.

here are two similar pictures i found of avery with addison and anderson. 

if you ask me who he looks like, i will have two answers - 1) like allen, 2) like avery as a baby. i think he has the best of avery and addison to make the perfect little anderson.  he's so sweet and has the sweetest temperament.  he loves for the girls to talk to him and they take every opportunity to get right in his face.  and while he might fall asleep in your arms, he doesn't want to be held while he sleeps.  we still swaddle him and he's the first of my little ones to take a pacifier.  he's found his thumb several times in the car and playing but because he sleeps swaddled, it's just not there for him to have.  8 weeks have flown by and while life is definitely a little busier, i couldn't imagine it any other way!

the gift giver

i've been thinking a lot about weddings lately.  we have several to attend this summer and, most importantly, my sister is getting married in august and we're all in wedding mode!  i love weddings - the planning, the food, the pictures, calligraphy on the envelopes, flowers, the dress up - every.single.detail.  i have coordinated many weddings and i love helping brides make sure their day goes as planned.  i think it's my type-A personality.  it's also a need to have things under control - one of my many gifts flaws. 

anyway...

one of my favorite things about weddings is picking out the perfect gift.  which means browsing a registry.  which takes me back to the point and shoot gun at all of my registry locations.  all six registry locations.  not really six, i think it was five.  seriously.  five.  can you say OB-NOX-IOUS?

a blog i follow recently asked us to tell her our best/worst wedding gifts. 

my favorite was not on my registry - shock - it was a laundry basket filled with things you don't think about buying when you're a nearly-wed.  tide, downy, paper towels, a swiffer kit, toilet paper, febreeze, cascade, hand soap, hand towels, ziploc bags in all sizes windex, endust, coat hangers, candles, aluminum foil, chip clips, a gas gift card, a movie rental gift card...you get the idea.  it was overflowing of some of the most practical household items that really add up on your grocery budget (we didn't have a budget when we got married...we just spent).  and i've given this gift to several others as they've gotten married. 

my least favorite was...well i'm not telling.  :)  just kidding.  i really can't remember anything i just didn't like.  plenty of duplicates and things i didn't use.  and i'm sure there were things i didn't like - trust me - i just can't remember what they were.

so tell me yours - favorite and least favorite thing you got?  favorite thing to give?

stoked

guess who's coming to birmingham?  ME and the three little pigs.  :)

lame, i know, but i couldn't help it.  i'm trying to find something to call my kiddos when i reference them.  i'm so used to saying "me and the girls" that i now find myself saying "me and the girls and anderson" which takes entirely too long.  but he needs to fit in too.  that might prove to be a good blog post when he's a little older and i can further tell who will be running to the one who built their house of brick.  hopefully all of them. funny the prayers you pray for your kids based on a storybook.

see you in one sleep!

life with three

many of you have asked about life with three...is it harder?  more than i expected?  better?  worse?  am i sleeping?  some of you have asked me to tell about what life with three is really like, as if i would tell it some other way, or because you know i tell it like it is :)

so you wanna know?  sure you do.  to all my mommy friends with 2...you want to know.  trust me.

it's been easier than i thought.  there, i said it.  that doesn't mean i'm supermom, in any way.  that doesn't mean certain things haven't been more difficult.  you need examples?  sure...

- going to the grocery store.
- going to the grocery store in between feedings/school/nap.
- during the first two weeks, being awake enough to function for the girls when they wake up.
- getting three kids up, fed, dressed, in the car and to avery's school by 9am.
- the above, after having not slept.
- when you're done doing something for one of them, the other one needs something done.  it's a never ending cycle.  in fact, it's taken me 3 days to write this post.  :)
- learning to use a sling.  i have two.  one is small and petite and fitted.  the other one "looks like a curtain" allen said.  i have been successful at neither. 

so basically my issues have been learning to manage my time.  he's following in the footsteps of his sisters and he's a great sleeper.  midway through week 2 he started stretching his nighttime feedings out to 4-5 hours.  he goes to bed at 9:30ish, gets up at 2:45 then again at 6, then 9.  that, friends, is manageable.  i'm ready for that 9-9 schedule though.  i heart sleep.

i've also forgotten a few things about babies.
- they sound like cats when they cry.
- every three hours comes every three hours.  clockwork. 
- their fingernails are near impossible to cut and no, i haven't tried to file them.
- they go through diapers like crazy.  almost makes me want to go green.  almost. 
- how much they love to hear you talk to them.  his eyes just lock in and he tries so hard to talk back. 
- how snuggly they are.  he snuggles right in when i hold him. 
- how much i love nursing.  for all you soon-to-be-moms...it's worth it.  give it two weeks (really just one) and it does get easier. 
- how thirsty you are.   allen laughs at me because i fill up my cup, stand there and drink it all so i can fill it up again. 
- how easily they learn.  you hold them, they're fine.  as soon as their shoulder blades touch their bed, screaming.  pick them up, fine.  lay them down, screams.  it wasn't funny with avery.  we were exhausted and wondered what in the world was going on.  now, it's funny, because we know we're being played like a fiddle.  he's still too young for me to fully let him 'cry it out' but the day is soon coming.  i will say, as long as he's swaddled, he drifts off much more quickly.

so far, by myself, i have done the pool, the grocery store and a birthday party with all three in tow.  i did have help at the pool (we went with friends). 

to answer your questions...yes it's easier than i thought.  yes some things are more difficult.  it's better than i expected.  i am sleeping enough to not take a nap during the day.  no my girls aren't jealous.  in fact, they've been quite helpful and they love to love him.  no, so far, there are no difference in baby boys and baby girls beyond diaper changes. 

 to answer your question...yes, i love being a mommy to three!