I've not had a lot of time to post (wonder why!) but this post will be two-fold with a little family update as well as a few Easter activities I've seen posted round town you may want to put on your calendar.

I have had many questions about life with 4 kids or how we've adjusted to becoming a family of 6 and I am happy to report-it is totally doable! Of course I must add that it is doable if that is something you want for you and your family-know that it is not for everyone but we love our "little" family. I've always said that it was harder for me to go from 1 to 2 kids (for many different reasons) than 2 to 3 and 3 to 4. Not too much is different. I can honestly say having had McKenna and Asher so close, we were a little more prepared for a toddler and newborn. I can say that with the experience, I am remembering to enjoy them at their respective stages. I wish I had held on to that a little more with the older two-time goes by so fast. So I live and learn and remember to enjoy each part -and try to grin and bear the parts that are not as enjoyable :)

My house is still a mess-boo! I feel as though I could clean throughout the day and by the afternoon when everyone gets home it's crazy again and cluttered by toys, shoes and the collection of "stuff" that gathers on the counter. We even had friends come and help us clean 2 weeks ago and I dare say-they could come back and have their work cut out for them! Laundry and dishes are for the most part kept up (except for laundry is not put away- due to our lack of storage, this is my least favorite chore and always falls last for me to get completed-but hey, it's clean!). I've come to terms with the fact that my to do list may never get completed and that's okay.

I still coupon and love to save money. I spend my Saturday nights cleaning out my binder and Sunday afternoons clipping new coupons to refill my binder. One of my latest hobbies is to browse the "for sale" posts on facebook. At our house, there is still always a tantrum or melt down to be had by those young and old and finally, I am still not a hugely crafty mommy although I have goals and aspirations. All of our imperfections just go to show that our house is full of life and ever-changing.

As our family has grown, Nathan and I have had to learn a lot about ourselves and a lot in the area of team work. We often take turns doing many chores around our house (bed times, cooking, clean up, baths, grocery shopping, etc). We laugh a lot :) and we both feel like our kids laugh a lot (which is something we think is important).

I am still very schedule oriented (although this may be partially due to my "teacher brain"), I am always thinking somewhere a long the lines of "if i want to go to bed at ________, Sawyer needs a diaper and to eat at ____" or "in order to get there at ______, Ian needs a nap at______". Timing is everything and I am doing my best to be on time!

This past weekend, we had a young lady from our church and take some pictures with the kids. So cute! I've included some in this post, so you can see our newest addition (and his proud brothers and sister).

THAT...in a nutshell is life around our house right now.


Now...I will change the topic from my little family to some Easter happenings around Georgetown that I have seen posted (I'm sure there are more that I am unaware of so be sure to share.

My Church is having an Easter egg hunt on April 7th at 12:00pm in Indian Acres. There are banners throughout town with additional information. We've not been in the past, but we have gone to their Vacation Bible School (in the park) and my crew loved it. I'm sure the Easter egg hunt will be equally fun.

The library is having Easter stories in the story barn on April 5th at 10am.

Gold Star Chili is having a special Easter kids' night on Tuesday, April 3rd. With crafts, a movie and free food for the kiddos!

Although, I am not sure if there are Easter themes this week, Fazolis has a kids night as well on Tuesdays and Chick Fil A has one on Mondays. It is possible that kids may be participating in some Easter fun at these locations as well.

The Easter bunny will be at Walmart on Saturday March 31st and Sunday, April 1st from 10am-2pm.
When your kids visit, you will receive a free 5x7 photo.

We believe that the true meaning for Easter is to celebrate Jesus' resurrection after being crucified. I did some searches on Pinterest and found lots of great crafts and ideas to teach kids about the true meaning of Easter (as well as some fun spring activities) so when looking for some ideas to share, that is a great place to start! Have a great week!

Sawyer's here!!

What and exciting week and weekend our family has had! This time last week, I was heading into week 4 of bedrest and week 37 of my pregnancy. At my weekly doctor's appointment, I was a tad discouraged to learn that not much had changed, my blood pressure was up some and another appointment was set. However, as I left, the doctor said "Maybe I'll see you in the delivery hall before your next appointment." Hmmm...

Nathan and I believe that it is not our timing and not our planning that matters, but God has an infinite wisdom and timing that I try not to question (it's hard sometimes when you are someone with control issues :) So I headed home prepared to settle in for another week. The next day, I spent most of the morning sleeping (just one of those days where I didn't really feel well) and when I woke up, my water broke and off to the doctor we went! Yay!! Labor was short and delivery was quick-a blessing I wish for everyone. I had only one panic right before Sawyer was born- that he wasn't really going to come out or he would be too big. However, at 4:01 on Wednesday afternoon (March 14, 2012) Robert Sawyer made his appearance into the world-an absolutely perfect 7lbs 12 oz and 19 1/4 inches long.

During this time- we've been completely blessed by our friends and family we don't know what we would do without so many special people in our lives. We finally arrived home to a clean house and a fridge stocked with food on Friday and the big kids came home on Saturday morning. They had spent the time we were gone with my mom, who I know worked hard too keep everyone going. I know it is difficult and exhausting when the kids get out of routine.

We are blessed with 4 beautiful babies (although I can't say that they are all "babies" anymore). I am reminded so much of McKenna and Asher when they were so tiny when I look at Ian and Sawyer. It's amazing how time has gone by so quickly as our family grows. Nathan and I have thought and talked a lot about how we want to make sure that the "big kids" don't feel like they are taking a back seat to the little guys or that they still get to do all of the fun things that we try to do as a family. We've talked about date nights for the kids in some sort of a rotation or big kid only outings (as well as adding in a date night for ourselves every now and then as we need some adult time in a world full of kiddos). It's also important to us that McKenna get her time with the "girls" because being the oldest and being the only girl I'm sure is a little overwhelming- although she can certainly hold her own. There is so much that goes through my mind that I have to remind myself to stop or slow down and just enjoy each day. Enjoy that little things that each one does that may often take us by surprise or make us laugh.

So right now, I will share with you that Ian is going through a stage where he barks like a seal and claps his hands at random times. Asher spent his day leaving the first letter off of every word he said, mainly just for a reaction- which I try not to give him too much of-lol :) McKenna is so happy that it is warm enough to wear shorts-she delights in the little things and her smile can light up a room. And baby Sawyer is already changing and growing as we are getting to know his patterns and schedules. Life is full of changes for us right now, but life is good as we welcome Sawyer into our family.

Tales of a bed rested mommy...

Hello, friends! Yes, you read my title correctly...I will officially be 37 weeks pregnant tomorrow as well as starting my 4th week of bed rest. To briefly catch you up, on February 21 (after a not so fun doctor's visit on the 20th) I had to go to the hospital for what the doctor thought was likely to be dehydration. As it turns out, my bloodwork came back with results of pre-eclampsia. I have had this before with McKenna (but to a much more severe degree) and it is basically high blood pressure, swelling and protein issues. My blood pressure had actually been behaving itself, it was the swelling and liver enzymes that raised red flags for my doctor. So bed rest it was in hopes that I made it to 36 weeks so that I can deliver a healthy baby boy without further problems.

I hear a lot of " I wish I were on bed rest" . Lol! Although my life may seem very relaxed yet glamourous from the outside, I am allowed out of the house to meet my mom, who is the best, and takes everyone to school and on Sundays, I have eaten lunch at my mom's. Period. I am not quite sure I remember what the grocery store looks like as my sweet husband goes each week- although I organize the list and coupons. He also makes sure everyone makes it to church and got the kid's school music program on video to share with me. My day revolves around television shows and I make sure to send my sister, mom and husband any interesting facts I may find ( at what my sister says are the most random times of the day)- sorry, guys. I have missed spring consignment sales-boo! That is one of my favorite things and I am seriousliy needing a haircut. Yes, bed rest does seem appealing but as the weeks go on, I become a tad restless. SO....I believe in counting my blessings and not being whiney therefore, here are some positive notes to bed rest I have decided to list.

1. Now that we have a new modem ( which took entirely too long to come in) I can update my blog and surf the web a little more frequently.
2. I can continue my random lists (drives the hubby crazy) of projects to be done, recipes, movies, books, and misc things to do.
3. Alone time. Yes, this rarely occurs in my world. I once had a friend say " do you ever ride in the car alone?" my reply? " no." I now enjoy a little alone time in the car each morning- I love to listen to music loudly :) I will also sneak a little drive thru to McDonalds every now and then. I will say though, that I would much rather have a little quiet time in the car than what can be long and quiet days at home. I enjoy my rowdy bunch and it gets very quiet during the day-so I definitely look forward to everyone's return in the afternoon.
4. I have done some organizing -although minimal- but Nathan will bring down totes of clothes etc for me in the morning and I will sort through them during the day. Boys and girls clothes are all organized at this time.
5. Laundry is caught up. This is not necessarily a difficult task that I can do pretty easily.
6. Most importantly, we have been shown such support and love from friends and family. Some food, cards and calls just to check in and as I mentioned my mom meets me each morning to drop the kids off at school and get them home every afternoon. What would we do without all these wonderful people in our lives?

I will make sure to keep you posted as I head into these last few weeks before we go from a family of 5 to 6! Perhaps I will post some of my lists and ideas ;)