First Days of School

Best Buds =)
On our way
Heading up the to class
Already hard at work
Ms. Carmen
BK's first day!
She can't wait!


So this year the boys are in VPK at Presbyterian Day School. They went there last year 2 days a week and LOVED it. It has been such a blessing to find such a sweet little school. Sometimes I drive them to school through historic St Augustine and drop them off at one of the most beautiful churches around and amazed that we live in the midst of so much beauty and history. Anyway, we decided to put Bailey Kate in the 2 year old class on Tuesdays and Thursdays to give me a little time to get errands done without madness and chaos. As I said before, she is a bit of a challenge (Clay and I read a few weeks ago that Jonathon Edwards had a daughter that he called "Peppery" an accurate description of Bailey Kate =). We thought that since her brothers defer to her most of the time (they will make great husbands), school would be a great way to help Bailey Kate learn to be kind and share with other kids who will put up more of a fight. Last year she cried every day we dropped off the boys because she wanted to go to school too. We are also hoping that when I bring the boys home next year the time Bailey Kate is in school will give me some great "work" time with the boys. Well! The boys have done great! Their assistant teacher from last year is their head teacher this year so it has been a super smooth transition. On Bailey Kate's first day of school all the other kids were clinging to their moms, BK looked at me, waved and yelled "Bye Mom!" turned around and never looked back. I didn't know whether to be crushed or proud. When I went to pick her up she screamed and cried because she didn't want to leave school....I felt so loved! She obviously loved it and is so proud to have her own backpack and lunch box. Needless to say I have loved my alone time with Jude and am excited for the year to come.

2 months old...

Sweet baby Jude the Dude! (Bailey Kate has called Jude "baby Dude" ever since we decided on his name and so far it has stuck.) I can't believe Jude is already 2 months old! Time is flying. Jude LOVES to eat. When I nurse him and burp him half way through he panics and does a little spaz routine as if he may never eat again...I laugh every time. He has man gas! The other day in church it was nice and quiet and he let one rip! It's kind of funny to blame that noise on an infant. He is about 13 pounds and growing every day. He is definitely a little chunk! He is a happy baby for the most part. Lately he is very interested in looking at toys and the fan. He LOVES his paci, but lately when he is full of milk, clean and ready for "awake" time he will sit contently and observe all the chaos that is going on around him. He also loves his bath. He lounges in his tub and looks like all he needs to reach the perfect level of relaxation is a cigar and a drink =) He is sporting a stylish "monk" hair do. His hair is falling out in random places and I'm sure it will grow back blond. I'm also pretty sure he is going to have brown eyes. Last night he slept for 10 hours, his longest stretch yet. I'm blessed with babies who sleep through the night pretty early on, but Jude has taken the longest to reach the 12 hour mark. Cole and Bailey Kate slept 12 hours at 6 weeks old. Not complaining though =) Jude, you are loved fiercely by your whole family. We are so blessed that God chose you to be our little surprise. We are cherishing every moment and we are excited to see what God has in store for you sweet boy!

The Help.....

Warning, this is a long post mostly of my musings lately =)

Last night my mother in law (best one around =) and I went to see The Help. It was great! The whole movie I was struck with 2 things. 1-How could people treat other humans so terribly and 2-I want to make a difference!

Since I was a little girl I have always been happiest when I feel like I am making a difference. I've had to process, often, do I love this feeling because I am prideful and love the praise or do I really want to make a difference for the Kingdom and the King that I serve. I strive for it to be the latter. In the last few months as I have been thrust into this new phase of life (stay-at-home mommyhood) I have encountered feelings I didn't expect. Being a nurse I was able to make a good amount of money in a short amount of time. It was definitely the wisest choice for our family. As a nurse I would often hear the praises of my patients (or there parents) and feel like in that moment I was making a difference in their lives. I also went into nursing because I wanted be useful in missions. I was able to take a few trips as a nurse and care for those who had never received any kind of medical care....it was AWESOME! Even with all of that all I wanted was to be able to stay at home. I would often have to repent for my bad attitude towards others who were able to stay at home. Well, my time came with my sweet little surprise. With 4 kids under 4 it didn't make too much sense for me to go back...with what it would cost to have someone watch so many kids and the stress involved it wouldn't be worth it. We just decided to cut back and have me stay home.

As my due date with Jude drew closer and I knew my working days (as a nurse) were coming to an end I started struggling. The response I would get when I told people I was a nurse was very different from the response I now get when I say I'm a stay at home mom. I started to wonder if people would think I'm not as smart because I'm a stay at home mom, would they think I'm lazy because I stay at home now, was I valuable now that I was going to stay home and inevitably lose my nursing skills, was I still going to make a difference? As I prayed through all of this I was reminded....my home, husband, and my children are my "job" now. If I do my job well (by God's grace!), if I invest well into my children and husband I can make a difference! I want my children to make a difference for the kingdom...how will they do that if no one teaches them! When they leave my "nest" I want them to love Jesus and desire to be effective for the kingdom...however that looks for them. It is definitely not glamorous (not that being a nurse was =). I work harder staying at home than I ever did as a nurse. It takes a bit more thought on how to make ends meet without my income, but I am grateful that in this season my job is mommy. When I hear or see my children reflect Jesus in little things I am comforted and reminded that this is the BEST job!

So, as the movie drew to a close I was reminded that my life and the difference I make probably won't be made into a movie (sometimes I do feel like I could be a TLC show though =), but my prayer is that with the Lord's help the legacy I leave my children, and hopefully they pass onto their children will make a difference! So on the days I feel like all I do is change diapers, do TONS of laundry, clean and organize the same things (I'm like one of the maids in the Help =) I want to look at my husband and children and remember in each one of these things I am making a difference!

My Job =)

Here we go.....

So this is my feeble attempt at blogging. As a mom of four kids under four I realize life is speeding by and I want to remember all the cute and crazy things that are happening in my life. I've heard blogging is one of the best ways, we'll see =) A warning though...i promise their will be MANY grammatical errors. So here I go....

Before I do a little back tracking and chronicle Jude's birth here is a look at each one of my sweet kids.

Cole-4 years old-The boy has a ton of energy and even more to say! He is just like his daddy.

He just turned 4 and is enjoying his 25 days of being a different (and bigger) age than Cooper. He is so smart and quick witted. The other day we were playing a game and he told me, "Mom, I'm so clever." with his cute little Cole smirk. He can make the most annoying noises and enjoys bothering his siblings (a trait he inherited from me=) He is such a joy and brightens my day!

Cooper-3 years

old (until August 26) My sweet, kind and gentle boy. He wakes up every morning and one of his first questions is, "Mommy, how is Jude this morning?" Melts my heart every time! He is my "go to" when Jude needs his paci. He loves his little brother fiercely! He loves to sit next to Jude and care for him and make him smile. Cooper does have a flare for the dramatic. He gets an "ouchy" at least once a day and you will know because he has an ear piercing scream when he gets hurt. It's funny when we have guests over and Cooper gets hurt. They think Cooper must be dying, and yet Clay and I barely flinch...Oh Coop! He is such a joy to me and often I am amazed that God chose Cooper to be my little man.

Bailey Kate-2 years old- My spicy little thing. She challenges me every day with her will and temper and

yet she can be so sweet and silly. She LOVES her babies and her paci. I know that I should break her of her habit, but I know she will just steal Jude's, so for now she can enjoy =) She loves her bubbas and can't wait to run in and wake them up in the morning. She thinks she is one of them...and I think she is just as tough as them. She holds her own being the only girl in this brood.

Jude-7 weeks old-

My sweet little surprise. When I found out I was pregnant with him I cried because I didn't know how I was going to do it...and then I cried because I knew one day I would have to tell him I cried (yes, their were raging hormones involved also =) Now I can't imagine my life without him and i'm so blessed to be his mommy! He is so sweet and patient already. He is by far my smiliest baby! He will smile at everything...but especially me! He loves to eat and likes to make sure mommy is close because he knows food is close. He is already sleeping 7-8 hours at night. He only cries if he needs to eat, have his pants changed or needs his paci (we call it the mute button) He brings me joy every day, and because this is my third go round at a little baby I'm savoring and soaking in every minute because it goes by WAY to fast.

Well, that's my little brood...