life lately

life at our house lately has consisted of....

stories and snuggles...

sunshine and swings...

tummy time and new hair-dos...

a constant flow of visitors....

big smiles 

and expanding hearts...

cousin bonding...

and derby cheers...

i guess you could say we've been stockpiling love :)

to sparkle, with love

dear sparkle,

i'm taking a little time while you're snoozing today to write you a letter that's been on my heart.

i want...no, i NEED to take the time to tell you how very much we want you.

let me explain.

since the very night you were born, well-meaning friends, family, nurses, co-workers and doctors have been asking us the question that we knew was coming:

3 girls, huh?  Are you going to try for a boy?

i try not to get offended at statements and questions like these.

i decided a while ago that i was going to be the type of person who didn't get offended.

and i know that people mean well.

but, let me just state, for the record...we are not disappointed

how could we be?

and i will forever remind you that your daddy and i wanted CHILDREN

not necessarily girls...

or boys...

just children to love

and we have been blessed over and over and over

i do mean blessed.

sometimes i get the feeling that these people consider us unlucky

and while i know that boys are undeniable, wonderful gifts

your daddy and i are in agreement that a trio of sisters is truly unique and heavenly in its own way

if the question were asked, "will you have more children?"

the answer would be:  maybe

i need a little while to get the hang of three and a few nights of solid sleep before i make a decision like that

however, IF we have more children, i want you to KNOW that it is not because our hearts are not satisfied with you and your sisters

you three girls are our priceless gift

if we have more children, it will be because we feel that we have space in our home and hearts for more children

not certain types of children

just children....be they boys OR girls

and if we choose to share this life with more children, we would WELCOME another girl...with glad hearts

we live in a time and place where there is nothing you can do with a boy that you can't do with a girl

we will teach you girls about gymnastics and dance and fishing and pigtails and french braids and skirts and playing in the mud and trucks and hunting and dolls

we will have tea parties while talking about tractors

we will color pictures of princesses and take you to baseball games

we will paint our toenails in the morning and teach you to throw a football in the afternoon

maybe everyone who thinks we should keep "trying" for a boy doesn't understand just what a treasure it is to watch your sisters gently stroke your hair and kiss your face

but i know

and i want you to know.....you are wanted, treasured, adored

God knew exactly what he was doing, placing you in this family

The Lord knows that if there is a man out there who can raise three girls and have fun doing it...its your daddy

and though i never, ever pictured my life brimming with girly toys and clothes everywhere i look, i am pleasantly surprised at how much i'm enjoying it

you are so very welcome here, sparkle

with love,

momma

2 weeks

isn't she perfect?

it's hard to believe that 2 weeks ago, i was worried about how my heart could possibly love anyone as much as i loved the two girls already in my life

how could i have doubted that the heart just knows how to grow?

30

we all have to join the 30 club at some point

and today was my day

i said "good-bye" to my 20's and let that decade fade into memory while stepping into the third decade of this wildly wonderful life

it started last night with a pedicure and long overdue chat with someone i truly adore

and continued this morning with 30 cards and letters from 30 people who love me...organized by my amazing husband

while they were all special and the thoughts put into them brought tears to my eyes, my very favorite one was from the hubster himself

what a guy, huh?

who needs presents when i've got him...

and them...

i had a proud moment as peach tackled her very first scrapbook, filled with a million stickers

(notice the wardrobe change - we've had lots of those lately...not sure what's up with that, but i'm learning to choose my battles)

then, she instructed her little sister in writing the alphabet

the girl has mad writing skills...

we enjoyed abundant snuggles

and a photo shoot

and i had some good laughs as the girls tried to incorporate sparkle into their play

we ended it with frozen yogurt, a movie and good talks with j about what the next 10 years might bring....

i'll confess:  i wasn't really looking forward to turning 30, but i can't deny that as the day came and went, i could not ignore the fact that my cup is absolutely overflowing right now

a good measure, pressed down, shaken and overflowing

i'm thinkin'  30 might not be so bad

april extras

what a whirlwind of a month!  it started with us as a family of four and a special visit from some dear friends....

the middle of the month brought some construction workers to our street to put in a new gas line

peach went right out and made friends with them, bringing them a picture she colored

i'm tellin' you what....this girl has a lot of great qualities, but put "easy to talk to" at the top of her resume

she can make friends with pretty much anyone

i'm hopin' that quality sticks

we had some crazy weather......

and i do mean CRAZY

the birds were so confused!

just a week before we added sparkle to our family, we enjoyed popcorn and movie night with these little munchkins, who i just cannot get enough of!

and the month ended with 70 degrees and our hearts growing another size as we added a third daughter to this wild party we've got goin' on around here....

april 2013...put it in the record books as a good, good month

a sparkly story

well...there they are:  three of the four gifts that just keep on giving

and even though i should be taking this time to sleep, our littlest (we'll call her sparkle) is snuggled up on my chest and i'm in the mood to relive the story of the day she arrived

so, here goes...

saturday, april 27th

i was exactly 39 weeks pregnant

we woke up, got dressed and decided to get a cinnamon roll at our favorite coffee shop

the girls wanted to go to the park and the library

it was a beautiful day and their wish was our command.

so, off we trotted, scoring some great books and a glorious morning of swinging and playing

little did i know it would be our last morning as a family of four

we headed home for lunch and naps

i laid down with the girls, snuggled in and soon i heard the rythms of their breathing turn slow and peaceful

i was just dozing off when i felt a mild contraction

i'd been feeling them off and on for a few days, so i tried to go back to sleep.

10 minutes later, another

and another 

and another

unable to sleep, i got up and washed a few windows

the contractions went from 10 minutes to 8 to 7 to 5....but still nothing terribly painful

i went out in the yard where J was working, to tell him what was up

he wanted me to call the hospital

they said to come in

i was a little skeptical...i didn't want to get the people who were going to watch Peach and Tulip to our house just to be sent back home

but, the contractions started to come regularly at 5 minutes and then 4....so we made the call

1/2 hour later, J's awesome teaching partner and her daughter were at our house, ready to love up our littles

i smothered them each with kisses, knowing that everything was about to change

i held things together until just before we left.

we couldn't find peach.

she was in her bed, covers up to her nose, crying.

when we asked what was wrong, she said, "momma, i'm going to miss you.  is it going to hurt?"

i had never experienced HER being worried about ME before

i crumbled

but j got me out the door and to the hospital we went

i wasn't progressing very far, but the nurse sent us on a walk.

it was 70 degrees and beautiful

walking with j and talking about this new baby was such a treasure

when we got back to the hospital, they decided to keep me

we called my parents and got something for j to eat

about 7 pm i was admitted

by 9 my contractions were constant and awful

i had about one really horrible hour, then the on-call anesthesiologist came and gave me my epidural

i had about 20 minutes of rest before the nurses decided it was time to push

10 or 12 pushes later, i heard the words "it's a girl"

and i can tell you that even though it was the third time hearing those words,....they were no less magical this time around

we sat and marveled at life with three healthy girls

and thanked God for this little jewel

we spent a few hours just looking at her, cheering her on as she nursed and trying to decide who she was

j went home around 3 am because he wanted to be the one to tell peach and tulip the big news

the next day, my hospital room was bustling with family and friends

i've got so much more to say about this little petunia

but tonight i'm tired and tomorrow there will be three perky little girls to wake up to

so, i'll save more pictures and ramblings for another day

blessed are we to have you in our family, little miss sparkle