'Tis the Season!

I cannot believe that it has been TWO months since I last updated.  I am sure the lack of posts speaks for itself, but life with three little ones is so much busier than it was with two!  I will write a post soon of all of the special newborn moments we have had and all of the details of Ellie joining our family, but for now I wanted to share some recent holiday moments.

Here is our family of five!  This was Thanksgiving Day at Mamaw & Papaw's house

Olivia is SO excited about Santa this year.  She is really old enough to understand the whole concept and we are involving her in as much as possible.  She understands the spirit of Santa and what it means.  A couple of weeks ago, we went on a mommy and me date.  We went out for a special lunch and then to the mall to see all of the Christmas decorations.  She was not interested in seeing Santa (she already told him her wish list when we were having Christmas portraits made) but she did enjoy looking around his "North Pole" set-up at the mall.  The photographers there even gave her some treats to take home.  Our local Macy's has an area set up promoting the movie, "Yes, Virginia" so while we were in the mall we walked down to check it out.  There was a desk for children to write their letters to Santa and I snapped some cute pictures of her writing her letter to Santa.

 "Dear Santa, I want a princess bike.  Love, Olivia"

 

  "Bye, Mail!"

Ellie is almost 3 months old now, which is SO hard to believe.  She is such a good baby!  She is sleeping on average about 5 hours at a time during the night.  She is so content and just so lovable.  I cannot imagine life without her.  Life with three girls is VERY busy.  Even when we are at home just hanging out (which is most days) I feel so busy!  I mean, seriously...  No one eats, sleeps, goes to the bathroom, gets changed, or gets into the car unless I am assisting them in doing so.  I know as they grow and become more independent this will ease up, but for now I will take it!  We are so blessed to have our happy, healthy children so I have no complaints.  

Could she be more beautiful?!  Our sweet Eleanor Ruth :) 

This is the wild woman of the house!  

I am so happy that Christmas is nearly here.  I love making new family traditions and following through with old traditions each year.  Nathan said when he was a kid, visiting the window display at Hutson's downtown was one of his favorite things to do.  This weekend, our nephews were here for the evening and we took them all downtown to see it.  They were all amazed!  I was impressed, too...  It was so beautiful!  After visiting the window display, we drove around and looked at Christmas lights.  On the way home we stopped for a scoop of ice cream.  They all had a blast!  I am so happy that they live close enough for us to make these memories.  It always makes me miss my sister and her babies!  I wish they lived closer! :(  Of course, I would need TWO vans to take all of them on outings like these! Ha!

 How adorable is this?!

I have one last little joy I need to share from the past couple of weeks.  Two words: Swiss Colony.  Mamaw has made it a tradition to send me Swiss Colony each year since I can remember.  It goes without saying that every year we will receive something delicious.  It just doesn't feel like Christmas until it arrives!  I am so thankful for our families.  We are so blessed to have so many grandparents for our children.  Remind me that I said this a couple of weeks from now when I am opening all of the toys they've handed out as Christmas gifts.

Merry Christmas!  

Love, Maegan

Personalities and Parades

We're almost there!  This is our last week to spend together as a family of four!  I have been cuddling my babies a little closer, spending a little more time snuggling, and a little less time out of the house.  I don't say it enough, but I am so blessed to have these girls.  They are the SWEETEST, most loving babies!  It just melts my heart to see them hugging and kissing one another.  Caroline adores her big sister, and to see her cuddle up with her and rest her head on her shoulder just brings tears to my eyes.  I know that love will only multiply when our newest member arrives!

See what I mean?  I just love them so much!

No matter how big she gets, she is still our baby!

I thought it would be a fun idea to write a little description about each of our girls before the new baby comes along.  If I had to pick a recent photo to capture their personalities, I think these would do...

This comes as a surprise to no one, I'm sure.  Olivia is USUALLY dressed in costume, at least partially.  The photo above was taken as we were leaving the library.  Yes, those are "glass slippers".  Everyone in the library greeted her by saying, "Well, hello Cinderella!".  Olivia's reply was, "I'm actually not Cinderella.  I'm Belle."  That morning while we were getting ready she wanted to wear her Belle dress, but it was at Grandoo's house.  After a minor meltdown she decided she would wear whatever costume she could find, and just imagine that it was Belle's dress, and everyone would automatically know that she was Belle.  When we left the library, those who had greeted us on the way in remembered that she was Belle and said, "Goodbye, Belle!".  She was thrilled.  She led the way to the car talking to herself about things only a princess would understand.  This is typical 3 year old Olivia.  She lives in her own world.  Those who surround her are merely characters in her story.  It is a joy to have a child with such a vivid imagination.  She has the ability to create her own world.  Olivia's personality is larger than life.  Her voice is always the loudest, her laugh always the most theatrical, her attitude... Well, her attitude is ALWAYS the biggest.  Even though I get tired of playing along with a new fairy tale each day, I can only imagine where her mind will take her in the future.  I am so excited to see what path life leads her down!  She is bigger and better than I ever could have dreamed she would be.

This is a side of Caroline that we know very well in our house, but others don't always have the privilege of seeing.  Caroline has the funniest personality out of anyone in our home.  She is the silliest, goofiest little thing and she is always trying to get a laugh.  Her face is so expressive!  When we are out and about, people always compliment what a good baby she is, how quiet she is.  I usually just nod and say, "Oh, yes.  She sure is!".  They have no idea.  They probably wouldn't believe me if I said what REALLY goes on.  Caroline is wild woman.  When we are in the comfort of our own home she jumps off of furniture, she climbs into chairs, she squeals louder than any other baby I have ever heard.  In the last 24 hours she has injured herself by trying to RIDE a barbie car (no, not the power wheels kind.  The kind that Barbie herself drives.), she has taken bites out of a foam crown.  She has fallen out of a stroller meant for a baby doll.  And as pictured above, she has been sitting in a baby doll's car seat carrier.  She does it all for laughs!  And boy, do we ever laugh..  She has brought more laughter to our house in the last year than I ever could have imagined.  I seriously don't know what life was like before Caroline.  She has the ability to make anyone smile, no matter what is going wrong with their day.  On another note, she can go from silly and crazy one moment to needing to be held and loved the next.  She holds those little arms out and bats her eyelashes at you, as if saying, "Please hold me!", and she just snuggles right in.  She's a perfect balance.  I don't know what we ever did without her!  It is so hard to imagine what direction life will take her in because I know over the next couple of years her personality will continue to change.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for her!  

I also wanted to share pictures from the Fair Parade yesterday!  We picked Gavin up from school and came home to have an early dinner first, then headed to save our spot for the parade.  Gavin was so tired from school and not really loving sitting and waiting, but once they heard the fire trucks they were all standing on the curb, ready for candy!  They had a great time and it was so much fun watching them! Gavin said his favorite part was the monster truck, and Olivia said her favorite part was the band.  They are so funny!  

 The boredom waiting on the parade... It's so tough being a kid!

 Even Caroline loved the parade!  She was clapping and kicking her feet with the band :)

 This was their expression when the fire truck went by... A little too loud perhaps.

Olivia was clapping and Gavin was waiting for someone with candy.  The band did not impress him.  The monster truck on the other hand, TOTALLY different story!  I wish I would have snapped a picture of that!

Thanks for reading our blog!  We will keep you posted on baby details!  :)

Love, Maegan

Doctor Drama...

Want to know the quickest way to send a pregnant woman into panic mode?  Wait until she is 9 months pregnant and force her to switch delivering doctors!  Aghhhhh!  Yes.  This truly happened.  A couple of days ago, I got a call from our OB's office saying that my doctor wouldn't be able to see me because he was out with knee surgery.  It is unfortunate, and I was freaking out, but it has all worked out for the best.  We met with our new doctor today, and I feel very confident that he will do just as good as our previous doctor.  I am excited to say that we will have our second and last office visit with him next week, and the following week it will be baby time!  I can't believe that the end is nearly here.  As huge and as miserable as I am, it is still bittersweet.  It is the end of a new phase and the beginning of another.  All prayers for a healthy baby and mommy are appreciated!  Caroline had a short NICU stay as a newborn, so I am really hoping and praying that this baby won't have to.

Bags are packed!

In all the chaos of switching doctors and REALIZING that the birth of our baby is nearing, I figured I had better get started on my fall decorating.   I know, I know..  It's a little early!  In my defense, my sister-in-law has already started her decorating, so that gives me permission!  I'll post pics once I get everything finished.  It is starting to look like fall around here, (have I mentioned that it's 95 degrees?) at least on the inside.  :)  This is the most exciting time of year for me!  This year we will have fall parties and a field trip to the pumpkin patch with Olivia's friends from the co-op, then trick-or-treating, followed by Thanksgiving, AND Christmas!  I am already looking forward to Black Friday shopping... There is nothing better.  Anyway, that's all for today.  I wanted to share a picture of us this time last year, welcoming Caroline into our family.  It won't be long and we'll have another one to post!

Love, Maegan

Our Double Nursery!

I just wanted to share pictures of our nursery!  It looks basically the same as before, just with an extra crib!  We are pretty set up for two girls in this room, but if we bring home a boy some bedroom redecorating will be in order over the next several months.  I think for now things will work just fine the way they are.  Caroline JUST started sleeping in her own bedroom.  I think I speak for the whole family when I say I can't wait for this little one to get here! :)

 Newborn crib

 Caroline's crib

Preparing for Baby

Oh.  My.  Goodness...  I cannot believe that in less than 3 weeks we will have our baby in our arms!  I am still shocked that we have made it to full term and the gender of our baby is still a surprise!  Nathan and I have been getting more and more excited for the birth now that it's almost here.  What an amazing moment that will be to find out who our baby is!  We are prepared with a name for either a boy or a girl, but it has been so strange to not know who this child is that I am carrying.  This has really been a different experience than I imagined, but definitely in a good way.  I am still in that day-dreamy phase that most moms leave behind in the second trimester when they have their ultrasound.  I am always thinking, "I wonder if it's a boy or a girl?!"  This pregnancy HAS seemed never-ending, (mainly because I am chasing after a baby already) but I can't complain.  I have had very healthy pregnancies and I know some are not as fortunate.  I realized last night that I have been pregnant for 27 months total out of the last 4 years.  That just seems unreal!

I know when we decided that we would not be finding out the baby's gender via ultrasound our family thought we were crazy!  I just knew that even if we knew ahead of time the only thing we would need to buy would be diapers.  We had some neutral clothing from when the girls were newborn, but newborn clothes are so inexpensive that it wouldn't be an issue to go out and purchase some boy outfits if we had a boy.  Also, the preparations that take place for the third baby are so different than the first, or even second time around.  I haven't felt the need to decorate an entire nursery.  Even if we had an extra bedroom, there is NO WAY that I would have had the energy for that this time around!  So I guess it's safe to say that if this was our first child, we would NOT be able to handle the mystery.  One of the main reasons I wanted to keep it a surprise is because we have decided this will be our last baby.  I always thought the delivery room experience would be more special, I just couldn't resist with either of the girls.  Since this is our last chance, I really wanted to wait and I am so glad we did!

As far as the big stuff goes, we have all the necessary baby equipment already (thankfully in neutral colors).  The new baby will be sharing the nursery with Caroline, so we just got some neutral bedding and put up a second crib.  It is still very girly in the nursery, complete with the pink chandelier.  If we end up with a boy, then some redecorating will definitely be in order.  The baby will be sleeping in our room for the first several months anyway, so I couldn't see any reason to change Caroline's room around before the birth.  When I was pregnant with Caroline, I made so many personalized outfits for the girls.  I love matching my kids and I LOVE monograms.  I decided not to go overboard with monogramming, because I didn't want to be stuck with personalized outfits that we can't use!  I made one outfit for each name.  That way, the baby will have a special outfit for pictures.  

For boy :)  There are actually matching pants and a hat for this, just not pictured.

For girl :)

Everything else is ready and set for baby #3 to complete our family.  We have drawers stocked in some boy, some girl, and some neutral clothing.  We have the nursery stocked with all the newborn essentials and the pack and play is ready to be set up.  The only thing we did differently this time is purchase a co-sleeper that will be placed in our bed for the baby to safely sleep in.  Nursing Caroline as a newborn was the most exhausting thing I have ever experienced and I have heard many nursing moms recommend a co-sleeper so you can both rest safely.  I actually bought one used for next to nothing, so no major expense there!  We have our hospital bags packed and arrangements made for the girls during the hospital stay.  We are so, SO blessed to have family nearby.  We will keep you posted in the upcoming weeks!  Thanks for reading!

Love, Maegan

Olivia's 1st Day of Preschool!

It is hard to believe, but our big 3 year old had her first day of preschool yesterday!  While my main interest at this point is continuing on the path of schooling at home for the most part, I recognize Olivia's need to learn from other adults.  She is very social and even though we have a diverse playgroup, I knew she would benefit greatly from being around different kids and teachers.  We decided a while back to join the local homeschooling co-op and I am so glad that we did!  The first day really went well.  A local church allows the co-op to use their building for classes every Friday, and I have to say I was very impressed with how the classes were set up!  They were much larger and much more child-friendly than I had imagined.  They were all painted in bright colors and each room had a wild rug.  Olivia definitely approved.

The co-op offers a wide range of classes suitable for kids of all ages.  We had to be out of town on the day of registration so a friend was able to take our paperwork and sign her up for us, thankfully.  At that time, we were told that all of the classes had filled up quickly so they would have to open more.  That in itself was a good sign!  I never would have imagined how much the homeschooling community in this area is growing.  It was a very reassuring feeling when we walked in Friday morning to find the lobby filled with families who are all on similar paths.  While their reasons for homeschooling may be different, they have all been called to the same place!  Anyway, since the original classes filled up so quickly, I was anxious to see who her teachers would be and what classes she would be in.  She was placed in Fun Fitness for first hour, Reading Alive for second hour, and Preschool Art for third hour.  I think it is going to be a great semester there!  She was kept busy during her classes and did well being separated from me, which made me feel very confident about the rest of the year.  

While Olivia is taking classes, I will be working in the nursery.  The first day was a little hectic but that's to be expected for the first day!  I am looking forward to field trips, school pictures, and the fall party already.  Those are the things about school that I remember being so excited about as a child.  I didn't want my little ones to miss out on them, so I am SO excited to learn that we will still be able to participate in those things!  Holiday parties and field trips?!  It doesn't get any better.  It just doesn't.  I am also thankful that we are able to be a part of an organization that is ran by the parents.  I definitely felt a sense of community there and I am really looking forward to getting to know the other families better.

Enjoy the pictures!  We had quite the photo shoot so I had to share!  

Olivia and her friend Ethan

Love, Maegan

My First Quilt!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was working on a quilt for Caroline's first birthday, and I DID finish it in time for her party!  For those of you who know me well, you understand what a major accomplishment that is  I love all things crafty, but a quilt has never been at the top of my to-do list.  I just thought it was something way out of my league.  A couple of months ago, I signed up to help with a quilting ministry at LaCroix which sparked my interest.  Due to their meeting times and my busy children, I haven't had a chance to make a meeting and actually help out, but it has been on my brain.  I am sure that everyone there could give me PLENTY of pointers.  I found a DIY blog post (at the fickle pickle) with some simple instructions.  I followed them for about half of the project, then decided to just skip the rest and just do my own thing.

Since Caroline had a John Deere theme for her first birthday party, I decided to put those John Deere scraps to good use.  My mom had them in her crafting closet (and seriously, y'all.. They have been there since I was in elementary school) so they didn't cost me a penny.  I spent less than $15 on the other supplies, since I used a 40% off coupon on the batting and the backing and trim fabric.  

This is what the squares looked like once they were sewn together. 

(Nothing fancy, but once again, FREE.)

Since Caroline had a John Deere theme for her first birthday party, I decided to put those John Deere scraps to good use.  My mom had them in her crafting closet (and seriously, y'all.. They have been there since I was in elementary school) so they didn't cost me a penny.  I spent less than $15 on the other supplies, since I used a 40% off coupon on the batting and the backing and trim fabric.  I sewed all the squares together, then  sandwiched the batting between the quilt front and backing.  For the backing, I chose a light yellow polka dot fabric.  Once that was ironed together to hold in place, I pinned and sewed on the diagonal to make it an official "quilt".  I trimmed it with some green fabric with white polka dots, and put some finishing touches on.  This is what the end result looked like:

It is NOT perfect by any means, but I doubt that Caroline will be complaining any time soon.  I think for the first quilting project, it turned out pretty okay.  It has been in our living room floor since Saturday serving as a  playmat.  I just had to share!  

Love, Maegan

Caroline Turns One

I cannot believe that my baby will be one tomorrow...  This year has just flown by!  It is so hard to imagine what life was like before Caroline was in it!  She has changed our world, all changes for the better.  As a baby, I thought she was so quiet and mellow.  She still is at times, she is very good at playing and entertaining herself.  She feeds herself, soothes herself, she plays well alone.  But there is a whole new side that has really started to show lately!  She is very independent, walking all over the house, and getting into ALL kinds of things.   She is an adventurous baby, for sure!  She will climb on just about anything, which is something Olivia has never done.  It is so amazing to watch their relationship grow.  They are more like sisters, these days.  Fighting over toys and learning how to share together.  I can't wait to watch how they grow over the years, especially with a new sibling joining our family in just a few short weeks.

We celebrated Caroline's birthday over the weekend and it was the PERFECT party.  We decided to keep it just family and close family friends, and it was really great.  We had a John Deere theme, and as I posted before, my friend Jessica made Caroline's invitations and banners.  It was ADORABLE.  I mean, really, really adorable.  I made a precious tutu for Caroline and a matching shirt and bow for both girls to wear to the party.  They weren't too fond of the pre-party pictures, but I did get one good one.  (**When you have multiple children, "one good one" refers to the only one where they are both sort-of looking and smiling.)

I just love this one!  :)

After the pictures, we let the birthday girl lose the tutu and hair bow and we got the party started!  It was a simple party in my parents' back yard, nothing fancy but it was perfect for the birthday girl.  I was so worried about having a party outside in AUGUST, especially with all of the heat waves and record-setting high temps lately, but I am glad we took a chance on it.  The high for that day was 81, and it was sunny and breezy.  Here are some pictures from the party!

Mommy and her girls!

My mom and I wrapped our presents to match the theme, so I had to get a picture! :)

Daddy and the Birthday Girl

 We had all the guests write a message on the frame for Caroline

 Birthday banner and tutu

Close-up of the tutu and bow

 Kennedy, Caroline, and Olivia playing on the quilt

 Caroline's John Deere cake (which was DELICIOUS)

The food table!  We kept it simple, with just hot dogs, chips, and drinks.  

Big sister had to get a little taste, too!

I can't imagine how her dad could have been made any more special!  We are so blessed to have friends and family to share in her special day.  I know there are lots of out of town family members that wish they could have made it, too, but hopefully these pictures and words help to make them feel like they were there!  Thanks for reading!  

Love, Maegan