lots o' stuff happening today in the mask household.
school is starting! hoo-ray for structure. bring it on.
oh yeah, and somebody is turning two. two!!
and the project still continues with a little daddy love.
big day. huge.
outie
my guitar hero
it would be fun if someday he learned to play the guitar.
then he'd be a cool cat like his uncle garrett.
big brother
he is so proud to be a big brother.
i love watching him nurture.
he's good at it.
he's also good at poking, and teasing, and bugging.
but he's best at loving.
the baby project
here we go.
day 1 of the baby project.
i'm going to attempt to take a photo of christian every day for the next month. (subject to change without notice)
i'm excited.
i think he is too. he's already flexing for me!
confessions of a lazy mom
i've been bad.
i realized i have let almost a month go by without taking any pictures of my baby buddy. nothing. not a one. he's growing faster than a pile of dirty laundry and i've been missing the action.
what have i been doing? i'm not sure. but i know what i haven't been doing…grocery shopping! can i admit that i'm too scared to go with all 4? i have visions of myself chasing two kids around the aisles, wrangling one to keep him strapped in, then filling the rest of the cart with baby's car seat. by that time, i would only have enough room for diapers and milk (which is all we are really consuming anyway). after just thinking about all this, i get exhausted. so i call jeff and ask him to pick up diapers and milk on the way home and call it good.
he has been doing all of our costco shopping lately too. bless his tired heart. dallin asked me the other day, "why has dad been going to the store? is it because you're lazy, mom?"
hmmm…that's a tough question to answer. maybe. maybe not. 🙂
i do know that i'm no longer going to be lazy with my camera. we can live without popsicles, but we certainly can't live without pictures of this little man!
opportunities
i was standing in the kitchen with my sister-in-law when her phone rang. she picked it up and from the conversation i could tell something was terribly wrong. she began to cry. my heart began to pound.
whatever had happened, i knew i needed to help and support her.
she hung up the phone and told me her newborn niece had been diagnosed with down syndrome. rather than sadness, a feeling of peace rushed through me. i knew that a beautiful and valiant daughter of God had just come to earth. and i couldn't wait to meet her.
we talked for a while about the challenges ahead. it still hurt, but there was comfort. a comfort that came from realizing we have the opportunity to love her. an opportunity and a blessing indeed.
i'm pretty sure this sweet little girl will have more love than she knows what to do with!
big sister is a cutie too.
vitamin a
i call her my vitamin a.
we took a road trip over the weekend because i needed a dose.
she helps me see more clearly.
she fills me up with her goodness.
she makes me want to be a better person.
she shares her heart with me.
and in turn, i feel safe to share mine.
for a friendship like hers, i'd travel a million miles.
and back.
love you, my friend.
here's hoping the next road trip is here before we know it.
moments
last week jeff told me he was starving for a blog post. i told him i haven't been able to think of anything interesting to say. after all, my brain is being siphoned out through my chest right now. and strange things have been happening as a result.
for instance, i have found myself feeling seriously distraught by the death of michael jackson. (yes, it's okay for you to laugh here. i am.) i can either attribute this to the fact that i was an avid thriller fan or because my hormones are having too much fun on the roller coaster to get off. i'm pretty sure it's the latter.
i've also turned into a closet drinker. of root beer, that is. i've been downing my secret stash of the brown stuff while hiding in the pantry to avoid eliciting pleas of "i want some too, mom!" sometimes they find me though. then the jig is up.
i'm still in the post-pregnancy twilight zone where days, hours, and minutes float around me in a cloudy haze. yet there are moments that seem to freeze in time. moments of being a new mother of 4 that i want to hang onto forever when
one is attached to me.
one is climbing all over me.
one is pulling on my hand telling me stories.
and one is snuggled next to me saying "i love you, mom."
life is beautiful.
grateful for this village
i've heard it said time and time again…
it takes a village to raise a child
and i also believe it takes a village to help a mother find her bearings after having a child.
blame it on hormones or whatever but today i'm feeling excessively weepy/emotional/grateful for all the people creating my village–this growing group that has supported me throughout the crazy physical challenges i've had during the past few years.
thank you for being part of this village for me. i appreciate all of the love you have given me here. it makes me happy. so thank you–so much.
i look forward to the time when i can be a giver instead of a receiver. hopefully soon.
and with that…more baby photos which are sure to be plentiful in the days ahead. can't help it!
here's the little man's first bath documented.
