Update March 2015

Have you ever had a moment in time where you decided that you needed to get some thoughts about your kids down because you are going to forget them otherwise? That's where I am. I'm realizing that the art of having 4 kids (which I have not mastered in the slightest) is letting go. Letting go of your previous expectations in regards to almost everything you thought was important. That's what 4 kids has taught me.  I now only care that I'm trying my best, and if I'm being honest with myself about what my best is. That was a rather long-winded way of saying I'm  going to write some things down, but it may not be artfully crafted or clever or grammatically correct . There may never be pictures attached because I cannot figure out how this new-fangled technology works! Blerg! Anywho, on to the update:

Paul: works long hard hours at the law firm. But still manages to find time to read Harry Potter out loud to the girls, serve as the first counselor in the Young Men's, coach the ym in basketball on Saturdays, listen to audio books about history, and remain handsome in the process. I really cannot believe my good fortune  in marrying him.  If I loved him less, I might be able to talk about him more!  Just know that I feel blessed to have him as my rock and partner in crime. He's my perfect sounding board almost daily which if you're still reading this, you know how long-winded I can be. He should get paid for listening!

Me: I think I realized  how busy motherhood  really was after I had Julia, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it until after I had Claire. It's been a much tougher adjustment than I think I anticipated hence my post opener. Letting go has never been my strong suit; so I'm learning that a messy basement for a few days is not going to kill me or anyone else. Sandwiches for dinner are good enough some nights. And when was the last time ________ was washed (fill in any number of household duties)?  Having a baby and big kids has been a lot tougher than I anticipated too. But I really really really could not feel more blessed that despite my shortcomings things turn out as well as they do at the end if each day. I really am never alone in my daily efforts. Motherhood  has taught me a lot about utilizing the atonement daily so I keep on keepin on! And there are A LOT of fun times too.

Sabrina: gorgeous. She continues to make us look good as parents. She's a great practicer of the piano and has really come around and loves ballet (so I guess spending  3  1/2 hours at the studio per week is worth it!)  She's also a great helper to me with Claire (who love love loves her!). She hardly ever complains about helping either. She started taking violin at school, but is more excited about the recorder?!!!  She's an avid reader and is constantly reminding me that she's read all her books twice, it's time for a new series! She also has enjoyed activity days at our church. Just barely tonight, we had a convo about she and Lucy switching bunks .. Lucy's been  on the bottom for a year now...it's been a source of contention. I told them that after spring break it was time for Lucy to have a chance to sleep in the top bunk. Everyone agreed it was time. About 30 minutes later, Lucy came down and told me that she no longer wanted to sleep up there because Sabrina told her that the top bunk gives you bad dreams!! So I guess Subby's not perfect! She's clever though! She's also extremely happy that she won her class spelling bee this week. Still tiny. Forever tiny, I'm afraid. I love when she'll still give me hugs (even at this age!).

Lucy: gorgeous. It absolutely blows my mind that Lucy is as old as she is. She's in kindergarten. She's recently lost two teeth, she'll start piano lessons in the fall. It all kills me!  She is so lovable. Lucy knows when I'm needing a hug. She's famous for saying "just one more thing, Mom" and then coming in for a hug before she leaves  on the bus in the morning. (She does it random times too throughout the day). Her favorite joke is to tell me she had a "yellow day" at school meaning that she had misbehaved only to have me open her folder to see it was a "green day" meaning that she was perfect. She laughs every time.  It was just about the cutest darned thing ever to watch her give a talk by herself in Primary last Sunday. She sat in the designated seat and watched Paul and me in the back and would periodically wave and give us thumbs up. And I'm happy to report that she nailed it! Lucy has a very tangible capacity to love and nurture. If I could pick a career based on her 6 year old self, I'd say she should be a nurse. But then again, she has a very strong gag reflex, so maybe not!!!

Julia: gorgeous. Julia is the type of kid that everything is easy for her. She loves primary and just started Sunbeams, she loves preschool which she also just started in January (coop with some other moms). She talks to anyone. I really have never seen a 3 year old who is such a people person. It's amazing; she talks about kids in Sabrina's class (whom she's never met) and will tell me stories about them days after she's heard Sabrina talk about them. She tells me all the ins and outs of the preschool social scene...who was absent and why, who was nice to who, who was mean to who, who wasn't sharing, who said or did something goofy. I hear it all from her! She takes ballet lessons and is starting swimming lessons on Friday and I'm excited to watch her in her little swimming suit. I'm 99.9 percent sure she'll love it. She is almost always smiling except when she wants me to play with her in the middle of the school day. She has no concept of playing alone (the downside to being a people person); she also has no concept of "mom has to do laundry"! Oh and she still thinks she's big.

Claire: gorgeous. Oh Clairey Bird. My next blogging goal is to record her birth story and I'm only 9 months late!! She has big blue eyes and an easy smile that she'll share with just about anyone. She is an observer and is pretty content just sitting. She rocks back and forth on her knees and sometimes plants her toes and goes into a full plank, but pretty much stays put which is just fine by me. She says "dadada" when she's happy and "mamama" when she's sad (isn't that always the way it goes!), and when she's feeling goofy she'll give you a raspberry, and she expects that you'll reciprocate. I love when she cuddles with me. She likes songs and games and attention. Since we pretty much missed her entire first year of life, a bit about her nickname: when discussing names throughout my pregnancy I mentioned to Paul that I liked Claire to which he said, "but what nickname goes with Claire?"...(we give nicknames practically upon arrival...weirdos) I replied with "Claire Bear". He loved it! And after that no other name would do for him. But then she was born. I've heard people say that they needed to see a child before knowing if a name was right, but for us, we still liked Claire, but the nickname was wrong. Her little nose was so pointy and prominent that I just thought she looked like a little bird. And Paul came up with Clairey Bird (a reference to Larry Bird I'd imagine). It stuck. She's definitely Clairey Bird. Or sometimes just Birdy.

Until next time...

Yay pictures! From top to bottom: 1. Shopping with Claire and JuJu 2. Claire at 9 months 3.One of 10 snow days this winter, Sabrina made masks and they were a huge hit 4. Found all the girls reading and singing to Claire one day when I went to wake her from her nap 5. The girls in their all pink and red Valentine get ups...it was way too easy to come up with those outfits...the product of having 

4 girls!

One Day More

Here I am, 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant with baby #4. The induction is scheduled for tomorrow or Thursday (if I am SUPER unlucky), and I'm super nervous. I should use this nervous energy to clean my house one last time, but sitting here doing this is a little bit more fun. Plus, past experience has taught me that even if I clean today, by the time I come home from the hospital, my efforts will probably be undone. I am excited to meet this new person. I am nervous about the new family of 6 we are going to have. How is this going to work? I feel comfort when I see other families with 4 kids making it. The problem is that I live on the east coast, and almost never see families with 4 kids. Thank goodness for ward members who have told me verbally and just by example that "you can do this." Here's to hoping! My next post will hopefully be a successful birth story.

Baby Claire at 19 weeks and 2 days (Lucy claims picture #2 looks like a dog! Wouldn't that be something!).

Sabrina's Baptism

I thought while I can still remember I'd jot down a few quick thoughts about Sabrina's baptism on Saturday (April 26 2014). I am kind of amazed that she is now old enough to have real, actual memories. It's weird how you go through these days with little kids and mostly they are uneventful, boring, busy, monotonous and then BAM! You have an 8 year old, and you're left hoping that your day in and day out life has been enough to produce a good solid kid. Big days like this always make me want to be better. Not sure that I have done nearly enough, but despite me, Sabrina is a great kid! I think this is an example of how our Savior makes up for our short comings in our everyday lives.

Anywho...Sabrina's big day started off with a minor hiccup when we were halfway to the Franklin Chapel (not our usual building)and Paul realized he had forgotten his 2nd white shirt. So we drove home and only ended up being about 15 minutes late. We met in the chapel at first and Sister Jensen (the Stake Primary President of the Oakton Stake) gave a beautiful talk on baptism. We were happy as we sat in the chapel to see people there just to support Sabrina, but really excited to see Shivani and her mom Tamy (friends from school whom we invited) walk in to be there. They then had each child and their guests go back to the baptismal font and Sabrina got to be first. She was beaming after it was over and in the dressing room. I don't think I've ever been more proud or seen her look more beautiful. We got her changed and met everyone in the YW room for the confirmation portion if the ceremony. Uncle Kyle gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and hit it out of the ballpark. He talked about the first time he remembers feeling the Holy Ghost in his life and how it is important to write down and remember those times and experiences (I felt like I need to start writing those experiences down too!). He and Noelle gave Sabrina a journal to start writing in. She got 5 journals for her baptism! That's a lot of pages to write! Following Kyle, Sister Beal (our Primary President) spoke and Brother Woodhouse gave some closing remarks. We then had your confirmation done by Dad and Mom cried a little! Then Grandma Shar led everyone in the closing song ("Baptism") while Sister Featherstone played the piano. I will never forget how Sabrina looked everyone in the eye as they spoke to her. Aunt Noelle made everyone cookies in decorated bags that said "it's great to be 8" on them and of course, they were delicious. The whole ceremony took about an hour, and it really could not have gone better. Afterwards we celebrated with lunch at the Silver Diner with Grandma Shar and played games with her in the afternoon.

In the days following the baptism I can tell Sabrina is trying to be good and help her sisters and me! I think she really took everything said to heart. It is my hope that she never forgets this memorable day.

And when I can figure out how to post pictures, I will!

Living in the NOW!

Because let's be honest, I don't remember the last year and a half well enough to do it justice. My kids got older (significantly so when I look at my last posts), we moved again, and life got busier. I'll start with a few words about the kids:

Sabrina: Turned 8 on Saturday. I can't figure out how that happened, but it did. She is an all-star of a kid. She is quite musical and has taken to the piano quite naturally and has possible violin plans, but we'll see if they pan out. She loves to read (for multiple hours sometimes), and still acts the part of "big sister" in every regard (good and bad, at times). She does ballet, but I'm going to be honest...I'm still waiting for her to love it. (And don't pretend you don't live through your kids just a little too!) She and Lucy are confused for twins ALL THE TIME. I think Lucy is maybe an inch shorter (and their weight is the same...maybe Lucy weighs more). She 's tiny and beautiful.

Lucy: Is 5 1/2 and goes to preschool every day this year (and going to be honest again, still waiting for her to love school or anything school-related). She will start all day Kindergarten in the Fall, and I get a little bit teary-eyed when I think about it. I can stare at Lucy all day long. She has golden hair and dark eyelashes; gorgeous child. She is still very very loving with the tenderest of hearts. And she still asks about a pet at least once a week. Animals are her weakness. She takes ballet too (And, once again, I'm still waiting for her to love it! So clearly I live through more than one of my children). Once a goofball, always a goofball...still making us laugh.

Julia: Is 2 1/2 and good at it. I love hanging out with her all day long still and recently decided that I didn't need to send her to preschool just yet so she's got another year home with mom. She's so funny. We recently potty trained her and while she wasn't as fast as Lucy, she has done quite well and is quite proud of herself. She's a big girl. Don't try to tell her otherwise! She runs with smacking feet (that are slightly pigeon-toed) all over this house. She is my best eater and I'm just hoping that her sisters don't convince her to be picky. My dirtiest child by far...it adds to her spunk and character; so I let it slide more than I probably should. Her highlight of the week is a swim class she takes with Dad on Saturdays. It's super cute!

Baby: Due in ONE MONTH. I can't believe it! People keep asking if I'm ready...Nope. Not at all. I'm not prepared for life with big kids and a newborn. It's going to hit me like a train, I'm afraid. A very tired and overwhelmed train wreck is inevitable. But ready or not, she's coming! I think she's big, but it's hard to really know. This has been my hardest pregnancy by far. I feel huge, tired, and grumpy! If you all could send Paul a sympathetic email or text about living with me the last little while, he'd really appreciate it! Baby's name is Claire. Vinyl lettering already on the wall, so it's done! (see what I mean...kind of witchy!)

Other highlights of late:

Celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary!!! Couldn't have made a better choice.
Moved back to Metro DC area (8 months ago, but whatever). I left my heart in Delaware, not going to lie, but this place is growing on me (it only took 6 moves here:))
Sabrina is baptized this Saturday and we throw her Frozen bday party the next weekend. At 37 weeks pregnant it's going to be a simple affair, but I'm doing it nonetheless (crazy?! Yes.)
Just tried to add pictures...not working like it used to. I need a tutor. Or I just need to give up on this once and for all! Until next year...

Does This Still Work?

Just testing this out! It's been so long, but I'm feeling like my kids are going to be mad at me if I don't catch up a little! My goal is a (fairly) complete update by the end of the week. I promise nothing though. I'm guessing these paintings are some app Paul is trying out. At any rate, here are the three girls in Monet form.

Julia is 1! (Excuse me while I sob a bit)

Today is Julia's first birthday! I cannot believe she is already 1. She got to celebrate today with Grandma and Grandpa who were in town from Utah. We did cake and presents (and a trip to Milburn Orchards...see a few posts ago) to celebrate, and while she had no idea what was going on, she is pretty naturally enthusiastic, so she loved it all!!

Julia, stop growing. I mean it, stop it!! You are just a gem of a girl. You are my most active child and while you are not yet walking (although I'd lay money on you beating your sisters at 14 to 15 months), you have no problem getting around, and you free stand rather steadily. You squirm all over my lap these days, but don't want me to put you down. You like to climb all over me. You are a happy baby generally who smiles at literally anyone who smiles at you. This makes you particularly fun to take to the store...you smile at any stranger, and it makes you easy to get a good picture of. You say hi, mama, dada, all done, uh oh, play peek a boo, dance whenever you hear music, give hugs and kisses, and love your mom most (I had to throw that in there since the other two have ALWAYS preferred dad). We couldn't love you more! Happy Happy Birthday baby girl.

The pictures are from her birthday and her first year. Gosh, that was too fast!

Happy Birthday Lucy

Like I said in the last post, after a 24 hour stay at the hospital, we came home exhausted, but nonetheless so so so thankful that Lucy was alive and well and turning 4 the next day! You'd think that a sleepless night on a vinyl couch would make me consider not celebrating at all, but Lucy wanted a pink kitty party, so I went into full party mode (which is way lower than most people's normal party mode already; it's all relative) and decorated and made a cake and cupcakes and dinner. Well worth it to let her know how much she means to me. Lucy Mae, you hold a special place in your parents' hearts. All I have to do is mention your name to your dad and he smiles. No really, it seems like every night I tell a Lucy story to your dad and we fall asleep laughing and so thankful that you came to our family. You keep us all entertained. You love your sisters, animals, the color pink, chocolate milk, bananas, painting (NOT coloring or drawing), and giving hugs. We love you so much, beautiful child. Happy Birthday LuLu! (The last pic is of her celebrating at preschool with a fake plastic cake, but real candles...she loved it)