Sleep and Skinny Jeans

I am celebrating 2 victories today...

Number 1: I woke up to my alarm this morning at 5:00 a.m.! Do you know what that means???...No?...Okay I'll tell you. It means that I didn't wake up to a crying baby at 2:30a.m.! It means that I got 6 consecutive hours of sleep! That is the most consecutive hours of sleep that I've gotten in over 2 months! I just know that you are cheering loudly in front of your computer right now because you are so happy for me!
Now, I am not getting my hopes up and expecting this to happen ever again. I am just rejoicing in my one night of 6 hours of sleep...okay... I'm lying. I'm totally begging God to let Malakai sleep like that from now on.

Number 2: I've been eyeballing my super skinny jeans every day for 8 weeks. Every time I think I may want to try them on, I decide to spare myself the disappointment and I opt for other jeans that are sure to fit instead. But, I've been on a strict diet for the last three weeks and have been getting back into a regular exercise routine. This morning, I dared myself to try the impossible. I was ready to risk ruining my whole day. I pulled the super skinny jeans off the hanger and gave them the evil eye, you better fit! I slipped my right leg in and then the left. As I tried to pull them up I was met with some major resistance. But, I was not about to give up that easily. I stretched and pulled...and took a 5 minute break to catch my breath...and stretched and pulled some more and then I squatted and pulled and squatted and pulled and sucked in and....BUTTONED! WOO HOO! My super skinny jeans fit me once again! There is no need to mention that I did not use the restroom at all today for fear that I would not be able to get them back on or that I only took short small breaths all day...those are just minor details. All that matters is that they BUTTONED!

I am almost back to where I want to be! Now, I just need to kick this cold and get back to meeting with Jillian Michaels 5 days a week!

My Wild Child

Jumping on the bed = Pure Joy!

She cleans up nicely!

When Mommy is Sick

I'm feeling rather foggy right now. I made it through my first week back at work and caught a demonic cold too. My poor kids spent the entire morning (about 6 hours) today watching television. It served as a great babysitter as I lied in bed with tissue stuck up my nose. Little Malakai decided to cooperate for the first time in his 7 weeks of life and slept all morning so that I could be miserable in peace. Woo hoo!

However, when I finally made my way out of my misery cave (bed) into the living room, I found my dining room floor soaking wet with wipees, paper towels, and cotton balls strewn all over the place. The kids informed me that they had "cleaned the house" for me with wet wipees and Noah "only slipped once and didn't even cry!" Wow!

I Better Stop Looking at Pictures...

The past six weeks have been quite an emotional roller coaster for me. The combination of post-partum hormones, sleep deprivation, a super fussy high maintenance newborn, and 2 toddlers who are prone to cabin fever have made up a cocktail of insanity for this mama. Just before my last marble was lost; order, peace, clarity, and breath made their way back into my life! Phew! That was a close one. So, now that I can see clearly, I am actually sad to be returning to work this week. If you would have asked me five days ago, I would have said, "I cannot wait to get away from this screaming child!" I think I may have even asked about a return policy for babies. Yup! It was that bad!

Today I sat and looked through pictures. Bad idea. I found myself forgetting all about these moments

And realizing how time flies, how fast they grow, and remembering only these moments...

Ummm, Ricky?...I think I want another one! ;)

To Princess Maia Belle on Your 3rd Birthday

My Dear Sweet Princess Maia Belle,

You are a spunky little one who keeps us on our toes. Your sense of humor is hilarious. You bring us so much joy. You absolutely adore your grandparents...

You are such a girly girl. You love jewelry and you love to paint your nails all different colors with sparkles.

You are a free spirit with a great imagination! You love to play dress up with your princess dresses.

You are such a mommy! You are mama's #1 helper with Baby Malakai. I don't know what I'd do without you!

You are so silly and you love to laugh...

But, you are also strong willed and when you don't get what you want, you are quite difficult to reason with!

You love your cousins so much.

You absolutely adore your brothers and are such a big girl! You are growing up so fast precious one and I wish I could just slow the clock down.

I enjoy watching your little personality develop and studying you. I love how you enjoy singing worship songs. I love how you are so inquisitive and ask me deep theological questions that I cannot answer such as "How do Jesus and God fit in my heart?" and "If Jesus is in my heart, does He eat when I eat?" and "Where is Heaven?"

I pray that you fall in love with Jesus and use your strong will to be uncompromising with your faith and to bring people to Jesus. I love you sweet princess!

Just Another Day in Survival Mode

Today was Mother's Day and I've discovered that when you are a mommy to 3 children ages 4 and under, Mother's Day is just another day full of barking orders, laughing, disciplining, wiping butts, repeating myself over and over again, hugs and sticky kisses, dishing out spankings, teaching lessons, breast feeding, crying, kissing owies, whining, positively reinforcing, pulling out my hair etc. This day involves absolutely no relaxing. This is a day just like any other in which I find myself in survival mode just trying to keep myself and my children alive and emotionally and physically healthy. Here is what survival mode looks like for me...

Exhibit A: I really wanted to get a nice family portrait taken at church today. But by the time I got everyone ready there was barely anytime to get myself ready. So I had to go to church with bed head hair. It is so funny how in all my Mother's Day family portraits, I look terrible! I am just surviving.

Exhibit B: Went to my brother-in-law's to celebrate Mother's Day. After being there for awhile, right as I sit down to eat, Malakai starts crying. No one can calm him so I take a break from my meal and take him upstairs to try to put him to sleep. As I am bouncing him, I catch a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and notice that the zipper on my jeans is down. Really?! That is what I get for squeezing my post pregnancy body into pre-pregnancy jeans. I am just surviving.

Exhibit C: I am sitting on the couch at this same family function, and Malakai poops. Because I am too lazy and tired to get up from the couch to find a good place to change him, I decide to change him on my lap. Of course, in the midst of taking the dirty diaper off and putting the new one on, Malakai begins to pee. I react quickly by holding the new diaper over the stream. I feel a warm sensation all over my lap. Perfect. I spent thremainder of our time at my brother-in-law's house looking as though I'd peed in my pants. I am just surviving.

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