Beauty

The other night the kids were watching some random 1980s kids movie Nate found on Netflix. I paused it so that they could all go get their pajamas on and this was the face that stared back at me:




Yikes!

As I was contemplating the scary facial expression, large ears, crooked teeth and general non-attractiveness of the poor actress, Lola came running out, took one look at the screen and told me,

"That looks just like you, mom when you were little. She just needs glasses!"

Kids can be so great for the self esteem!

*don't mind the weird ketchup/blood stained background. I promise it was a children's movie and not some freaky weird horror film.

Hearts

I heart this little munchkin

This Week In Pictures

These weeks seem to be flying by. Time is so weird that way - it can seem to go so slow and yet so fast at the same time. Here are a few things we did this week:



woke up with some good bedhead. . .



dressed up literally every second we were home. . .



cuddled us a fat baby. . .



colored on the windows with window markers. . .



made the poor baby wear goofy eyewear. . .



and sat around looking super cute and rather innocent!

A Little About This Guy

I love this Jackson guy of mine. . . here are a few of my favorite things about him:

He LOVES basketball. He plays it in the driveway every chance he gets. Rain, snow, sub-zero, whatever - he's out there. He works hard and pushes himself to get better. He won't come in until he hits a certain number of shots. I love that about him!

He LOVES the NBA. He knows any obscure player on any obscure team. He comes straight home from school and checks the iPad app that tells him scores, shows videos, etc, so he doesn't miss anything. I love listening in on his conversations with friends about games.

He does so great at school. His teacher tells us that he is a joy to have in her class. He has made lots of new friends this year at his new school, but also knows when to be quiet and learn. He expects a lot of himself and works hard to do his very best. He loves to learn!

He is my sensitive, responsible oldest child. Sometimes I feel bad that he puts so much pressure on himself, especially since I'm also an oldest. He takes care of me, especially when his dad isn't around. He is fantastic with Stella. She trusts him and loves for him to hold her. It is such a help to me!

He has grown up so much since he turned 8. I feel like this year he has gone from being a little boy to a big one. I love the conversations we have. I love hanging out with him at night after the little kids go to bed. I love that he is my buddy.

Stella's Blessing. . . Picture Overload

We blessed Stella on February 6th. She looked so pretty in her beautiful dress made by her amazing grandma. I think my girls are so lucky to have these handmade blessing dresses. . . I know they are something that they will cherish forever. They are a labor of love - countless hours go into their creation!

We were so happy to have all our family and some good friends there to celebrate this day. Lola had been looking forward to Stella's blessing for weeks. . . even though most of the time she got confused and called it Stella's baptism.

We love this chubby baby!

Things I Learned This Week

• That it is possible to stay up for 3 nights straight if I really have to.

• That I will spend any amount of time holding my sick baby in a steamy shower if it makes her feel better even for 5 minute

• Just how deep that mother love is. . . reminding me once again how much my own mom loves me.

• How to work an oxygen tank and a BBG (Baby Booger Getter. . . real name. . .seriously. Does just what it says - sucks the snot out).

• That our hospital has GREAT nurses that made our stay so much better.

• That I CAN survive for 2 1/2 days in a 10X10 room. Thank goodness for free diet coke and my iPad.

• How much my older kids love their baby sister.

• That Nate and I have figured out how to be a really good team during hard times. He held the fort down at home like a champ and I love him for it.

• How supportive family and friends are so very important during trials. Both of our parents were beyond wonderful this week. All our siblings kept checking in on us. Friends made sure that Nate and the kids had food. Neighbors made sure Lola's hair was done and that she was wearing season-appropriate clothing.

• That RSV is so very horrible and scary. It broke my heart over and over again to see my normally happy, smiley, content baby use every bit of energy in her little body to breath.

• That although Stella has only been here for 3 1/2 months, she is such an important part of this family. My parents stayed at the hospital one night so I could run home and shower. When we knelt down for family prayer our home felt so, so empty without that 15 pound bundle.

Mess of All Messes

This is what greeted me when I walked into Miles room today. Apparently while I was taking care of a sick baby, Miles and Lola decided to throw a blanket/book/doll party.

Yay.

Looks like they've got their afternoon plans solidified.