What matters most...: The Life of a Messy Mom

I am so far behind. I just love having this little space, so even though I'm four months behind, I'm going to do my best to put all my notes in here. Time with my little ones is so sweet and so short, I really enjoy jotting down the day to day stories. Brett and I love looking back at the pictures on here and reading our family moments. So here goes...

October.

Ben being so small, we still do not get out much. If I go anywhere with all three kids, I make sure I have reinforcements with me. Luckily, the one I most worry about, Hannah, still enjoys being carried in her "back pack", and most of the time I can scare Emma straight with one "mom" look. It gets tricky with the constantly nursing baby. Nothing worse than sitting on a bench feeding your baby and both the older kids taking off in separate directions. They think it's funny. Unfortunately for them, I do not. So we stay home now unless dad is with us. I do most of our shopping online, and pick up our produce in the evening when Brett is home. Car lines, I believe, are God's way of punishing me for my younger years. Ben hates the car seat, Hannah hates Ben screaming, and we all hate the 30 minute daily car line to pick up Emma from school. So much screaming. Besides the constant messes, baskets of laundry lining the walls, and inability to successfully leave the house without a mommy meltdown, I think I might just get this three kid thing down. We remain pretty happy as long as we don't try to overload with extra curricular activities. At home, we are perfectly happy crafting, baking, and playing. We do still have Emma's weekly Wednesday dance class. I can suffice Hannah during the hour class with goldfish crackers and Netflix while she is safely strapped into the stroller, while Ben pretty much nurses and sleeps on me the whole time.

I am absolutely amazed with the happy adjustment the girls have made with the new baby. They are so sweet and love to hold and snuggle baby Ben. He smiles so big at them and loves to hear them baby talk to him. I try to get Hannah to Thursday night story time at the library for some special mommy and me time. I think that making special time alone with each one has helped them with the baby change. Hannah will skip nap occasionally while Emma is at school so we can bake or paint during Bens sleep time. Emma gets her occasional weekend movie or ice cream date. Sometimes it's just as simple as taking one of the girls to the store with me in the evening while the others stay with dad. Life is so full right now. Full of messes, and poopy diapers, and crying babies, and sleepless nights. But it is also so full of love, and giggles, and smiles, and hugs, and a lap full of snuggly babies. It's not easy, all the time. But, even in the throws of a three at once tantrum, I can smile and know that I am living my dream come true. This is everything I hoped and prayed for, and it is only for a short time. Even the car lines.