Chaos! - September

     We've had a busy, chaotic, exhausting, sometimes stressful, but very rewarding past month and a half. Adam is fully part of the family now, and I'm learning the ropes as a mother of 4! It's funny how easily you forget the reasons having a newborn around makes life more difficult. The  main reason is related to sleep deprivation, which is also a good reason for me not to write too much. I don't like going back and realizing I didn't make any sense, and I get the feeling that's where I'm headed right now.

     Adam is not much of a sleeper. For example, at 9:30 this evening, Adam awoke, and I was surprised when I looked at the clock and realized he had been asleep for an entire THIRTY MINUTES. I felt like I had gotten so much done and had really been able to relax. This is testimony to his total lack of sleep the rest of the day. To his credit, after a diaper change and song, he did go back to sleep, and I am now amazed that he has been sleeping by himself for an entire forty minutes more. I might actually get some sleep tonight if I stop using potential sleep time to catch up on blogging.

     The main thing that I've learned as a mother of 4 is that I still don't know much about mothering. Especially newborns. I just kind of zombie it on through and am pleased that they do eventually sleep through the night whether or not I have schedules and routines and...well, a bed for them to sleep in. Sidenote: Adam is actually in his own little pack-n-play at the moment, but we all know that won't last long.

     My biggest mistake right now: signing up for 6 hours of grad school this fall. Not only do I lack the brainpower and willpower for it, but I also have no time for it. Somehow I've stumbled through to this point, and I think the semester is more than halfway over. If I had a maid and a chef, my life would run a lot more smoothly. 

On to the good stuff -- pictures! Not very plentiful, but here they are:

Adam's getting a lot of love!

Noah had to try out the sling :)

Time with Grandmary!

Photo by Shae

Classic picture - I know I have one of every kid in this position!

We celebrated Korbin's 1st birthday with him. These balloon hats were amazing and a huge hit!

We tried out the Indoor Safari Park in Lewisville, and it was so fun! 

 Firefighter story time at the library:

Mumzy made an appearance for Grandparent's Day!

We had a great time celebrating my brother's birthday!

Yes, Noah looked that excited the whole time.

We took the kids to the Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco. It was so much fun! The exhibit was called "Grossology," so it was perfect for our kids. Dan swears Noah didn't learn a thing, but if you ask him which bird is the only one that poops and pees separately, I guarantee he knows the answer! And I'm not telling.

Darn picture won't flip.

 The boys tried out the hurricane simulator, and it was hilarious. If you watch in the background, you can see the mph of the wind.

Fun around the house:

Shae had a great craft idea: We copied pictures from library books, and the kids cut them out to make little "paper dolls." They were so entertained by this!

Josh...just looking big.

Ok, I guess we did more than I thought. As mentioned previously, sleep deprived has been a great way to describe this mama all month!

Welcome Adam Henry!

Adam made his arrival on August 30 -- one day after his due date, just like his big bro Josh. He was born at Inanna Birthing Center, and he was our second water birth. He was also our second largest, which I was totally happy with. I had mentally prepared myself for a 9 pounder, so 8 lbs., 3 oz. was fine by me! Here are a few pictures of his first week of life:

More details about the birth --

I rather loudly complained about my last weeks of pregnancy. It was above 100 most days, and I felt like Adam was going to arrive soon every minute of every day. I was glad to wake up at 1:15 a.m. on August 30 with the realization that the time had come! I took a shower, primped, tried to get a little more rest, and finally called my mom around 4:45 to let her know her assistance was needed with the older kids. We made it to the birthing center around 6:15. Jean Sala Smith was our midwife (she also delivered Josh), and she was awesome, as usual! I was absolutely exhausted, and I thought it was too good be true when she told me I might deliver before the birthing assistant had time to get there. After what seemed like very few really strong contractions, she told me I could push, and, voila! There he was, sweet as can be and such a tiny little human being! His official arrival time was 7:15.

We adore him and are doing our best to enjoy and appreciate this little time of chaos and exhaustion!

Josh is 2!

Josh spent three days celebrating his big day. He's such an entertaining little guy with a great sense of humor, never-ending energy, and complete fearlessness. He happily sung himself "Happy Birthday" multiple times and was a champ at blowing out candles.

Day One: Dan took the day of Josh's birthday off and we started off with a breakfast of donuts then headed to bounce at Jump for Fun. Josh chose McDonald's for lunch. After naptime, we spent some time at the pool and ended the day with cake. I think Josh was pretty happy about the day :)

Josh's two big presents were a play kitchen and a bike.

Day two: Josh got to spend the morning with Mumzy, Michelle, and Tyler while I went in for a baby check-up. After lunch at Burger King, I met up with them to have cupcakes and continue the celebration.

Day three: Josh and some of our mom's group friends met at the Ark to play and share cupcakes. It was a bit informal but was basically Josh's party! And...I left my camera in the car, so I'm stealing this pic from a friend.

We love you, Joshie!! You are one funny little two year old, and we can't wait to see how much you grow and crack us up during the year ahead.

Bumming Around - August

The first weekend of August we traveled up to Lake Texoma with my family for a relaxing and fun weekend at the lake. It was a great trip! 

The kids fed some large fish and turtles - a huge hit!

  

We had a great morning on a pontoon boat.

Later that week, my parents treated us to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus in Dallas. Also a hit!

Josh was too fascinated by the clown to look at the camera.

Shae started dance lessons this month (ballet and tap). She's very excited to have two of her good buddies, Maggie and Harper, in class with her.

We had a fun movie play date with our mom's group friends. I never remember to take pictures of our mom's group fun, so here are a few for the record!

Pre-movie hang out time

Josh loves his buddy Madden. She's the sweetest girl!

Shae and friends Kayla and Loralei:

Noah and his shark face:

We got a great surprise in the mail...cards from Aunt Katie complete with balloons and peacock feathers! The balloons had messages asking each of us to play a part in Katie and Matthew's wedding this coming February. We are honored and excited to be part of the wedding fun!

Noah enjoyed his first sleepover birthday party in celebration of Brandon's 8th birthday.

We had a great time at the end of summer bash to benefit the Kiker Express Foundation (founded by friends of ours).

At the end of the month, we sent Noah on his way to his first day of first grade. He is so excited to start school this year, especially because he has some good friends in his class. His enthusiasm is so fun to see!

These guys were excited, too!

(And we welcomed baby Adam on the 30th, but he gets his own post!)