Gratitude from a Child's Perspective, Day 4

Today the kids are thankful for...

Mariah:  Myles and Jayden pestering me (it's silly)
Jayden:  Clouds
Myles:  Trains

Gratitude from a Child's Perspective, Days 1, 2 and 3

We are joining the bandwagon of thankfulness.  We try to have a heart of gratitude daily, but we want to encourage our children to really think more about what they are thankful for, as we enter the season of Thanksgiving. I have started a list with each of my kiddos for them to tell me one thing they are thankful for each day.  As you read each day, keep in mind that they are 5years, 3.75years and 3years.  So, it could definitely get a little interesting!  The perspective of a child...

 Mariah:  1. Beautiful things 2. My family  3. Pictures of my family
         

 Jayden:  1. Uncle Reece  2. Hannah (Uncle Reece's girlfriend)  3. Daddy

Myles:  1. God  2. Momma  3. Jesus



I had a fun Mommy/Daughter lunch date with this cutie on Friday!  Pretty thankful for that sweet gal! She knows how to make me laugh!!

(Lack of) Sleep Study

**Disclaimer:  Mariah is a really beautiful girl, she just loves nothing more than making goofy faces in photos;)

Mariah had a sleep study done last night to check for apnea.  We were to be there at 7:30pm and she got to get hooked up to monitors via 28 wires.  She was such a trooper and just kept laughing that she was a robot.

It took her a few minutes to fall asleep, so we counted our blessings back and forth and she finally finished counting herself to sleep around 9ish.  I thought we were in for a nice long night of sleep.  Not so much!  Around 1am, some of her monitors came loose.  So, the tech came in, after abruptly opening the door, and fixed them.
This proceeded to happen 6 more times.  Mariah NEVER went back to sleep.  I did, until she asked me what I was doing...uhhh...sleeping! Worst. night. ever.

Finally at 5am, the tech said that we could go home because she was very wide awake (according to brain activity??). So, we drove back home at 5:30am, washed the nastiest waxy gunk out of her hair and finally went to bed at 6am!  Whew!  Really hoping they were able to gather enough info during the study.  I think I had better nights of sleep when my kids were newborns!  Wowzers!  I will say, I was very proud of her for not crying, getting frustrated, or fighting getting the wires on!  The fact that she even went to sleep in the first place was amazing!

Trunk or Treat

I LOVE our Church and I love the energy of the people and the vitality of the place! My kids love it, too!! Tonight we had Trunk-or-Treat!  Such a fun event!  My in-laws came up from Texas to go with us and my dad got to go with us, too!  I spent a whopping $7 total on costumes (superman plain blue tshirt, blue pants and some felt for the logos).  The kiddos went as "Bat Girl", Superman, and a Firefighter.

 This last pic cracks me up!  This was after Trunk or Treat---out to dinner in his 'stache and heavy eyebrows!

At the end of the day

I have to say, this stage has been my least favorite so far.  Having two three year olds and a new five year old has been emotionally exhausting!  Power struggles, battle of the wills, you get the picture! The sibling rivalry has just begun, and it's not cute! We try to keep them friendly with each other, but that only lasts a bit!  The picture at the piano is adorable!  One of my favorites! What you don't see is 3 seconds after taking this picture they all start hitting each other:)  The picture at the bottom with them all playing nicely together is so sweet, too, until 10 seconds later when they start yelling at each other and one boy tells his sister to bite her little brother and hit him on the head, which thankfully she didn't do!  Whew!  I say all this to say that we have some really yucky moments every day.  Ones that make me want to hide in my closet (or pantry;)) or stay in bed and not get up!  But, truly, at the end of the day, I feel blessed!  At the end of the day, I try to remember these sweet moments that make them young, vulnerable and precious!  The pictures are the memories I hope to cling to, because life is messy, but these babies of mine are perfectly imperfect little blessings!  

They definitely have an imperfect momma, who could use a whole lotta grace!

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Love 'em

We had a wonderful Christmas, New Year, 29th Birthday and Valentine's Day! It's been a busy past few months, but I'm enjoying these three little guys! Their personalities are so fun and unique!

Ri will be 31/2 this week. I have no clue how that happened. I still think of her as my little teeny baby, but now she's a tall and skinny little girl, with spunk! I love how she loves people and is so friendly! She is our cuddliest little one and loves to snuggle! She is on a huge princess kick, which makes for fun mother-daughter times!

Jay is starting to make sentences, runs everywhere and is just becoming a little boy. He's losing some of his baby-ness. He is one of the most compassionate little babes. He always pats and kisses on his brother and sister when they are crying, asks if they are okay, and rubs their hair. Melts me every time! He's an ornery little boy with zest!

Mylesie is becoming a little boy, too. This week he became a full-time walker. He's 19 months, but definitely wanted to walk on his own time frame. He loves to give kisses and dance while walking in circles. Poor little baby gets his tonsils and adenoids out next week. Hopefully it will help with his breathing and eating issues. He is definitely our "baby of the family". He loves to be carried around, but is starting to find his independent streak.

Love these three and so thankful, even on the chaotic or monotonous days that I get to be their mother. HUGE blessing!!