Loving Life

I've always been amused by perfectly functional pockets on baby clothing. Really, of what use are they?  Maybe they are good for hauling money or valuables around - if only you knew the difference between the value of money and the value of a used kleenex. What about art supplies? You never know when you'll need a crayon to draw on something - if only you had mastered the notion that you have hands and that they can be useful to you. Maybe they are good for hauling snacks around - if only you were able to eat snacks at 8 weeks old. Ah, there is one useful thing that could fit in those little pockets. A pacifier!

Before I get on with this post, I would like to report that my Christmas tree is finally down and put away until next year. Yea me! Last week, Keilah had a number of fussy days and had a hard time staying asleep during her naps. I wasn't sure what the deal was until I realized that I had been drinking a bit more coffee than usual. I was drinking half-caffeine, half-decaf, thinking we could manage that, but apparently not. When I cut that out of my life, she went back to her peaceful little self and hasn't had issues with her naps since. So I guess it's good-bye coffee for the next while. Sigh. The things we do for love. I'm beginning to wish David was old enough to drive now. Three days a week, he has band practice at the middle school, which is in the next town over. So I pack up and head over there for an hour those days. On one of the days, he has a lesson after band, so Keilah and I often hang out at the local coffee shop (don't worry, there are other thi

I'm beginning to have a bad relationship with this tree. Why is it still here? Why won't it come down? I feel like it's silently laughing and taunting me every time I pass by.  But I will win in the end. I will enact my revenge and this tree will soon be cloistered in its basement dungeon never to see the light of day until next December. Take that, tree.

Finally! I've been eagerly awaiting those precious smiles from my little girl for 6 long weeks. The past week we would get a few little ones here and there, but not the whole light up your entire face smile that I love. Today, Keilah was in a very happy mood and spent a lot of time smiling up at me. It just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy to look into that sweet face that lights up when she looks at you. Aaron and I are always amazed by how babies break down any barriers that people construct. A baby smile bridges all sorts of social gaps. Our favorite story was when David was a baby (he was the smileyest baby you've ever met) and we were sitting at the DMV waiting our turn to get our licenses renewed. We ended up sitting beside some rough looking biker dudes - leather, tattoos, lots of facial hair, bandanas - you get the picture - the kind of people you don't want to meet in a dark alley. Anyway, little baby David started grinning at them and the next thing you know

I haven't posted for awhile once again. Something about having a baby in the house and trying to keep up with normal things I need to get done first seems to get in the way of blogging. For some reason my family insists on silly things like eating every day. It's quite irritating. Once we get in more of a routine, I imagine things will get easier.  It also didn't help that I had a minor surgery on Monday. Remember me talking about my ginormous outie belly button while I was pregnant? Turns out I got a bit of a hernia with this pregnancy, so I got that fixed on Monday.  I've never had a surgery before, so I didn't realize how it would completely knock me out and slow me down for a few days. I felt great yesterday and overdid it, so now I'm paying for my yesterday's energy burst today. :(  I'm trying to take it easy today and get some rest, but I'm not sure how successful I am at that. I think the rest part would be easier if I didn't have a newbo

Here's a picture of my three favorite girls. I love them all so much! Abby LOVES her little sister greatly. Out of all the kids, she is the one to pay the most attention to Keilah. She happily carries her around, plays with her, and takes care of many of her needs. I actually find it quite helpful to have that extra pair of hands eager to hold the baby when I need to get something done. I love too see her love on her little sister like that.  I hope Keilah will appreciate it as well. Our New Year's Eve party was low-key, but fun.  We went to some friends house for the early part of the evening. It's always fun to hang out and chat while the kids run off and play happily. Abby, Keilah, and I were at home by 9:00 as Abby wasn't feeling the best and I didn't want her out super late. Aaron, David, and Ana went on to another friends house after we left and stayed up until midnight. Abby wasn't too upset about not getting to stay up that late as she got some

I know I haven't posted for a little while. Christmas was busy, but fun, and we made it through in one piece! Here are a couple of highlights from Christmas week. Keilah got to wear her cute reindeer hat for Christmas. She's obviously thrilled to pieces by it. Abby got this "fake American Girl doll" as she likes to call it. She got it from my mom and told her that it's the best present she has ever received. She takes it with her all over the place. On Sunday, she tried her best to match her doll with her clothes and hair.  I think the doll's name is Rosalind according to Abby.  Ana's gift this year had to do with sewing.  My mom got her a sewing basket (my mom struck gold this year with the girls as they both told her that it was the best gift they'd ever received). I got her a bunch of cloth and sewing supplies, along with some free downloaded patterns to make doll clothes.  She was quite delighted with that gift. David got a 1000 piece