Chickens!

That's right folks, we got chickens!

J asked if we were putting ourselves in a box. Four kids, homeschooling, chickens ...

Well, we might be. But it's pretty fun!

Date to the Ballet

I had the opportunity to take Anna Kate to the San Antonio Ballet's student production of Snow White with some friends from our Classical Conversations group. It was such a special time with my biggest girl and I relished in every minute. I forget sometimes how much having a baby in my arms keeps me from holding my other little ones. With my arms and lap free, I held Anna Kate for the entire hour and a half show. And I LOVED it!

Anna Kate loved having the one on one time with me, she loved the beautiful dancers, especially the girls dressed up like deer. She also followed the storyline pretty well. After the queen dressed as a witch poisoned Snow White, I asked Anna Kate what she thought  would happen next. She whispered in my ear, "I think the queen will come back and tell Snow White she is sorry and then they can be friends."

Oh, Anna Kate, I hope you always see the world through such a beautiful lens!

Halloween 2015

3!!

Just to document all of the silly, grumpy, sweet, and salty moments with this little man... He is 3! Three is definitely better than 2 in terms of fits and his ability to communicate and play with his older siblings. That's not to say the fits are gone - they are still around - just not as frequent. 

Wills' favorite things as a three year old are trucks, sports, television, curious george books, and his animals. He sleeps and eats great, just like big brother and sister. He is very coordinated and loves anything involving a ball and net. For Christmas, he got his own big soccer nets and he loves them! Following the rules of soccer - not so much. Not being the winner - also not so much!

He plays best with Anna Kate but he also fights the most with her. I am sure this will continue throughout their lives as they are the closest in age.

Every night when the kids are tucked in bed, Wills sneaks out to have one final "goodnight" with mom and dad. He comes in our room, tells us some silly story (most of which we can't understand), and then we typically give him one of his many animals and tell him that "Puppy" needs to go night night. He hugs his animal, blows us lots of kisses and says "I love you" while he walks himself back to bed. This has become one of our favorite rituals with this guy. As the third, he doesn't get a lot of special time, so it is nice to count on this little nightly visit.

Wills continues to be Mr. Independent. He will wonder off to explore something that has caught his eye, never letting me know where he is headed. It has gotten so bad that a friend made me a shirt that says "Where's Wills" across the front. He is my only child that I worry about constantly. The pros of this trait are that he can also self-entertain. If we are outside, he will go play in the chicken coop or just in a pile of dirt and be perfectly content without big brother and sister. 

Some stories - 

At the library, he snuck away from me while I was doing school with Trip. I couldn't find him anywhere, and finally found him going number 2 in the bathroom with the door wide open!

At the zoo, he followed two ducks and almost fell into the river they waddled in to.

At home, he feels confident to walk down our busy street to our neighbors 4 houses away (I do not allow him to do this, he just walks out the door!).

Favorites :

Movie - Halloween George, Grinch, Mickey's Monster Musical

Television - Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Mickey Mouse, Curious George

Book - Curious George

Toy - all of his animals, or anything Anna Kate is playing with

Mr. William,

You are such a sweetie. You are loving, you are kind, you are funny, you love people, and you are so smart. There are so many things about you that I admire, and I think if you want you could be the next President. Being such a dynamic little guy means that you have a big responsibility to use your talents to the glory of God. People will listen to you, so make sure you tell them about your Savior. 

And always know that even though you are comfortable in your independence, your mom and dad are here for you. We love you unconditionally. We are your biggest fans.

Elizabeth's Newborn Photos

Elizabeth's Story

Little Izzy,
You were my longest pregnancy and came only 4 days early. I waited for you anxiously because it was my goal not to use any drugs after having a scary episode with pitocin when your brother was born. I planned as well as I could by switching to a midwife and MD group and hiring a doula to prepare me and coach me through labor. Honestly, when I told people about my wishes for a drug free delivery, I was met with blank stares or shock. Sometimes even rude comments, like "WHY would you want to do THAT!" I think even leading up to the whole thing, your dad was not completely on board (and certainly not during it ... more on that later).

For about 24 hours before you were born I did not feel good. I felt nauseous. Like first trimester nauseous. I thought I must be sick. That was something I didn't ever experience with your brothers and sister. I skipped church that morning because I assumed I was coming down with something.

At around 1:30 I tried to take a nap with your siblings. When I laid down on the bed, my water broke. I was excited and hopeful and contractions started coming about every 10 minutes. The pain was intense but manageable. Very slowly, over the next 5 hours the contractions made there way to every 8 minutes apart with increasing intensity. I thought I might be in for a long night.

Your brothers and sister played at the Walker's house until about 7:30 when they came home and Ms. Aubri took over in taking care of them. Your Cupcake arrived at our house sometime around 7.

Rebecca, my doula, arrived around 5:30 and helped with rubbing my back and squeezing my hips to relieve some of the pressure of the contractions. She suggested we walk around outside. The night was perfect. The weather was perfect, no humidity. The sun was going down. One of the trees in our backyard had just bloomed that day and that distracted me from the pain for a little while. I leaned on your dad for support.

At around 7:30 we moved back inside because I didn't feel like I could stand any longer. I thought a bath might help. When we walked inside, I could hear that your siblings were in the bathtub down the hall, and I thought "Oh no, there isn't going to be enough hot water!" I was right. When we ran a bath the water only stayed warm enough to cover my legs.

Rebecca tried pouring hot water over my back, and your dad even brought in boiling water from the kitchen. Looking back, this is funny to me. A little like it must have been a long time ago when everyone had home births, midwives, and no running hot water.

The midwife had suggested I come in to the hospital when the contractions were about 5 minutes apart. At this point the contractions were still only 7 minutes apart. While I was in the bath I hit that moment of panic. I was so uncomfortable and cold and the contractions were no longer bearable. I had to get out. The second I stepped out of the tub a contraction hit that was crazy. I grabbed your dad in panic and almost fell on the ground. I said, "We have to get to the hospital, I have to have an epidural NOW." I was begging. I was whispering so that my doula didn't hear because I didn't want her to convince me otherwise.

From that moment on, my contractions were excruciating and every 2 minutes. They went from 7 minutes apart to 2 minutes and I thought I might die. We all agreed it was time to go. I couldn't sit in the car, so I hunched over your car seat (it was already installed in the back seat) with lots of pillows. Our house was 30 minutes from the hospital and the roads were under construction the whole way. I begged your dad as we drove to call ahead to the anesthesiologist and make sure he was ready and waiting for me at the entrance to the hospital. Your dad (knowing that this was an impossible request) made fake phone calls to the hospital to ease my distress!

Once we arrived at the hospital, we parked in the parking garage where we were told there was a bridge straight to labor and delivery. The moment I stepped out of the car I fell to my hands and knees. It was the only way I could position myself to make it through the contraction. My doula asked if I felt pressure in my bottom. I did, but it wasn't anything intense like I thought it would be. She knew that meant I was close to having you. Your Cupcake ran in to the hospital to find a wheelchair and I just remember thinking, there is NO way I am sitting in a wheelchair! The thought of moving into an upright position seemed impossible, and I had no intentions of leaving the comfort of my hands and knees on the floor of the parking garage!

From that point on, my eyes were mostly closed. Your dad managed to get me into the wheelchair. In the brief moments that I opened my eyes, I can remember seeing lots of nurses running with me down the hallway, one of them asking in an annoyed tone if I was trying to have this baby at home.

A short 15 minutes after we made it to our room you were in my arms! In an instant I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude and had completely forgotten the past 9 hours. And you were as awake as I was, eyes wide open taking it all in, this new world you had entered. You were so much more alert than all of your siblings, and nursed like a pro. I was up and on my feet shortly after you were born taking pictures of you while your dad drove to the airport to pick up your Gigi. I think when all was said and done he was probably more exhausted than I was!

As I post this, you are already 7 months old! You are such a blessing to us and are full of spirit and joy! And even though, in true fourth child fashion, it takes me longer to write about you. You should know that you are surrounded by love from both of your parents and all of your siblings. We love you little Izzy!

Four!!

(I wrote this post in March and realized it was still in my draft box.)

- 50th percentile for height, 40th percentile for weight

- Knows letters and sounds, writes many letters

- Counts well past 20

- Still says "fuhtend" instead of pretend, and "flee" instead of three

I love this picture of her. While her brothers were jumping with J, she was just as thrilled to sit and talk with me. My little girl. My little friend. 

She is 4!

Every year I say it, but Anna Kate always seems a year ahead of her age. It wouldn't really be shocking to me for her to start kindergarten next year. She will start Classical Conversations with Trip in the fall and I know she is ready for it. I think she is most ready to have a baby sister. The role she was meant to play! 

Lately AK has been a Mama's girl. I think she is just ready not to be surrounded by boys. She likes crafts and stuffed animals, and having things neat and tidy. She likes to try to take care of her little brother - although this is not his favorite thing.

She has the most fabulous imagination and can be very silly, but usually takes her play very seriously. She lines her animals and things up in her room in an orderly fashion and is so proud of how she has "cleaned" her room. She would save every scrap of trash to create a project out of if I would let her. Her drawings are very detailed and creative at the same time. She could spend all day at the art table. Like her brother, she comes up with very elaborate projects, and I rarely am able to provide the supplies or talent that she wants.

Anna Kate is my most independent child. She would play with friends (or babysitters, or grandparents, or aunts and uncles) all day long. She is never afraid to be apart from us. We try not to take this personally! AK is also funny about affection. She will give out hugs all day long, but declares that she does not like kisses. She tells elaborate stories. She loves little things. 

She is the sweetest, and the saltiest kid around and will one minute say something loving and in the next breath speak her truth with no love. For instance, "Anna Kate, did you have fun today at your friends house?" ... "I had a little bit of fun. But not a lot. It would have been more fun if ..." Or often she will proclaim, "This is the best day ever!" over something relatively simple. But when I plan a day of fun activities with just the two of us, she will sadly tell me at the end of the day that I do not play with her for long enough. 

Needless to say, she is a little hard to please!

Her Gigi would tell me that she is just like I was at that age.

Anna Kathleen,

You are my truth teller. I pray that you would come to know the most important truth of Jesus Christ and that it will be this truth that you proclaim unapologetically. I also pray that the Holy Spririt will change your heart so that you will speak the truth in love.

You are my creative, funny, and spirited girl. I love your freckles, your cute little voice, your long stories, and your ability to play for hours independently and at the same time make friends in an instant.

I love you with all of my heart.