Snack Pack

This afternoon, Duke started getting fussy and I figured it was because he was hungry. I picked him up and we headed into the kitchen to find him a snack. I opened the fridge and saw one of his favorites... the snack pack. He loves that chocolate pudding! We got the pudding and a spoon and went to the living room to sit in the recliner to feed him. 

I usually put him in his high chair when he eats, but lately he climbs out of it almost immediately and I didn't have the fight in me, so we just skipped it altogether. 

He was so excited about his snack. He had his little fingers gripped around the spoon handle, hitting the top of the snack pack, begging me to open it up as he grunted his hungry "mmmm" noises. He was ready! 

I fed him the first few bites and he sat there so still, eager to take in every bit of it. But then eventually he started getting distracted and wanted to climb around the chair. Since I was holding the chocolate pudding, I made him sit back down, so he wouldn't spill it. He wasn't a fan of that so then he got fussy again. I'd shove another bite in his mouth and he gladly ate it, but he did not want to sit still. He had other things on his mind. 

Snack time ended when I tried to feed him another bite and he hit the spoon, sending the chocolate pudding flying through the air to land on my white rug. Then I was done.

I thought what are you doing kid? I'm giving you your favorite snack?! Spoon feeding it to you, actually... you aren't having to do any work, but you're just making a mess! What is your deal?

And then I thought wow, is this how God sees me?

There are times when God has given me exactly what I've asked for and I love it at first. Oh, how I love it. I'm so excited about it, can't believe I have it, it's mine, etc... and then maybe the new starts to wear off, and I get distracted. Maybe something else catches my eye. I still want what I had, but I'm not content with only that anymore. I want more. I get greedy, things become complicated, and before you know it, I've made a mess of things.

Don't you know God probably wants to ask those same questions to me? What are you doing, Meg? I've given you what you asked for?! Handed it to you, actually... you didn't even have to work for it, but you've just made a mess! What is your deal?

Oops. Guilty.

Isn't it funny how much our children can teach us about our own transgressions? Just when we think their behavior has exhausted us to our core, we realize we are no better. We do the exact same things to God. 

Boy, am I in an exhausting season of life. I've always wanted a big family, and I'm so incredibly thankful for our 4 children, but I'm here to say it is not for the faint of heart. Motherhood is hard. Most days by the time my head hits the pillow, I am drained! But God is using these tiresome little tots to mold me. 

I am learning more and more just how merciful our God is. I'm reminded every day that because He shows me mercy, I am to show mercy too. He forgives me of my messes, just like I'll forgive the chocolate pudding messes. 

After all, who could resist this chocolate covered face?

 

King of the Castle

I love my husband. 

Those four words basically sum up the entirety of this post, but what fun is that? Let's get into some details about the boy I fell in love with and about the man I married. Spoiler alert, it's the same guy. 

Lately I've found that I am a much better mom when he's around. On the occasional nights that he's gone for work, I'm not as much fun. I get annoyed by the kids quicker and my patience runs thin when the normal chaos ensues. When he's home though, he's like my sounding board, and he keeps me calmer. When the kids and the dogs should be driving me crazy, I'm able to look at him and we laugh it off together. I know plenty of wives who would like to kick their husbands to the curb when they are home too much, but that is just not me. I love being with Drew. It's my favorite place to be.

Last night, Olivia got to ride to the Panther basketball game with a few of her friends. She sat with them during the game and we made sure to wave real big at her from across the arena, just to keep her humble. She was having so much fun that she didn't want the night to end without them so during the 4th period, she came over and asked if one of her friends could spend the night.

I said no for a few reasons. #1, she knows better than to come ask me and put me on the spot. We've had plenty of conversations about that. #2, with Duke not sleeping well, I didn't want to add any extra noise to the house. And #3, I told her it would be impolite to the other 2 friends that she was sitting with to only invite one. I reassured her that we could plan it for another night so I could be prepared. She walked away and gave me the saddest look. She was so disappointed and it bothered me that I hadn't just caved in and said yes.

Some of my greatest memories of being a little girl are from when I got to have sleepovers with my friends. One of my friends' moms always said yes and it never seemed to matter how many girls showed up. I always thought I wanted to be like that when I became a mom. But here I had the chance and I said no.

A few minutes later she came back and asked if all of them could spend the night so no one's feelings would be hurt. My initial response was absolutely not! I just said no to one friend, what makes you think I would agree to three? But Drew, being the chilled out Dad that he is, asked me why not? Just think of all the memories they'd be making together and you'd get to be the cool mom... 

So I caved. I agreed. Yep, that's fine. They can all spend the night.

Her entire face lit up! She was so excited! She ran back to her friends and they started making plans. They stayed up late, entertained themselves with MarioKart and makeovers and then slept in the next morning. 

I had an 8 mile run to do so Drew told me to go enjoy my run and he would handle everything. He sent me a text during my run... he had made breakfast for all the girls. 

I don't think he knows how much little moments like that mean to me. And I know the girls don't realize how precious of a daddy they have, but they'll come to know it in time. He cranked up the hot tub for them after breakfast and they sat in the bubbles drinking their Cokes, living the 10 year old dream. Turns out letting them have the sleepover was the right decision. They did have a fabulous time together and made lots of memories, because Drew is a cool dad. 

During my run this morning, I was trying to keep my brain occupied and off the fact that I wanted to stop and walk. It hit me that since this year is 2021, that means that next year Drew and I will have been together for 20 years. WHAT. Am I even old enough for that? Yikes. One day you're 15 years old sneaking rides to Sonic with your secret boyfriend because you're afraid your parents think you're too young to date... then all of a sudden you're sneaking up on a 20 year relationship. 

Just when I think that I couldn't possibly love him more than I already do, God proves me wrong. Somehow He draws us closer together and our love grows deeper with each passing year. Our marriage is better than a silly old fairytale and we have so much fun together. He is my best friend and I want to be with him all the time. 

He leads our family with a strong confidence in the Lord. He's so patient and slow to anger. For someone who claims not to be very compassionate, he sure spends a lot of time putting others first. He always makes me laugh, whether it's with him or at him. He shows the kids affection and the girls especially soak it up. He's the king of our castle. He takes Charlotte hunting with him and she eats up the one on one attention. Olivia will confide in him about things that happened during her day at school. She'll even talk about boys with him. He messes with Sadie and makes her laugh. Duke loves him too. When he wakes up from his naps, he loves to go find Daddy.

The way he loves me is selfless and whole hearted, holding nothing back. He makes me feel special and cherished, like a treasure. Not that I think I deserve that title, but he makes me feel as though I do. I love date nights with him when we get dressed up and get out of the house. But between 4 kids and Covid, those don't happen as often as I'd sometimes like so we find other ways to have "dates." Whether we're watching a movie after the kids go to bed, playing scrabble in the kitchen, or just hanging out in the living room, he gives me his undivided attention and there's no place else in the world I'd rather be. 

Eighteen and a half years of loving this man and we're only getting started. I pray the Lord continues to bless our marriage, our friendship, and our family. I pray that we continually seek His guidance in all that we do, because without God, our marriage wouldn't be what it is today. To think that I found my forever love when I was still a young girl leaves me in awe of my Creator. Only He could've written such a beautiful love story for us. A story that, Lord willing, has many many more chapters.

I love you, Drew. Thanks for being everything to me.

Duke Owen Baker

One of my favorite things to talk about is the birth of my babies. The joy, the excitement, the unknown of it all is like a rush of emotions, and I love to relive it over and over. Since Duke is almost a year old, I figured I better jot his story down before I forget it! Some details are already fleeting, so thankfully I had notes in my phone!

Let me just start off by saying how ecstatic we were to find out that he was a boy! Drew wanted and was convinced it was another girl. I just remember being on cloud 9 after we had his ultrasound... every day felt like Christmas! 

Since I had a partial abruption with Sadie, I had to be extra cautious this time around... no running, no heavy lifting, minimal physical activity... my doctor didn't want to take any chances. As I got closer to the end of my pregnancy, I started getting a little uncomfortable but nothing out of the ordinary. I was blessed to have felt as good as I did towards the end.

However, the last few weeks I was convinced that she would check me and say I was dilated because I thought I could tell that things were progressing or he was dropping or something! But nope. Every week, she'd say, "well... nothing! You're not dilated at all! Not even a little bit!" I'd leave so discouraged, but thankful everything was fine.

She set me up for an induction at 39 weeks because she wanted to be in control of my labor and didn't want me having him when I couldn't get to the hospital in time. We went in super early Friday, January 23, 2020 at 5:30. We got checked in, signed papers, changed into my hospital gown, and settled in for the long haul. 

Around 7:30 Dr. Watson came in to break my water and they started me on Pitocin. The nurses brought a big ball in for me to sit on in hopes of getting Duke to drop and help me dilate. Drew and I sat around talking, joking, laughing, and making guesses of what Duke would be like. I could feel some contractions, but they were very manageable. Nothing painful yet.

Drew left mid morning to go grab some breakfast. He was nervous about leaving me but I assured him I'd be fine. I was nowhere near close to having the baby. When he left, I turned on the Lindsay McCaul station on Pandora and sat there on my ball, humming to my baby boy. It was such a calm and peaceful morning.

A little before 11 Dr. Watson came by again. I had started to dilate but Duke was still sitting high. She suggested I go ahead and get my epidural because she knew how fast I labor once I get going, and she wanted to make sure I had time to get it. I sort of felt like I was cheating the system. I hadn't even gotten to the painful contractions yet?! But she assured me the epidural would not wear off and it would be fine. I agreed, and I got the epidural about 11 that morning.

The nurses brought in a peanut ball and I held in between my knees while I laid on my left side for about 30 minutes. The nurse checked me again, but there was no progress so she told me to flip over to my right side. After laying there for a bit, I started making some progress. She checked me again and I was 6cm. She said she felt something over his head but wasn't sure what it was. It was either the umbilical cord or his hand above his head.

She waited until my next contraction and checked me again and he dropped right then! She told me to call for her if I started feeling pressure. She came back about 20 minutes later and I was 8cm. I was feeling pressure at this point and told her I almost had the urge to push. 

About 20 more minutes went by and she checked me one more time. She said I was almost fully dilated, and they helped me get on my back. Dr. Watson and the nurses came in. Everyone was getting dressed, scurrying around getting ready for a baby! That's one of my favorite moments. There's such excitement in the air and it's almost baby time! 

I pushed through 2 contractions and he was born! He came out sideways "like a linebacker." Since he took so long to drop, he didn't spend much time in the birth canal so he had a perfectly shaped melon, according to Dr. Watson.

They immediately laid him on my chest and he just laid there melting into me. I couldn't even see him because he was so close to my face but I didn't care. It didn't matter what he looked like in that moment, because my son was here. He was alive and healthy and all was right in our world. The nurse offered to take him to get his measurements and I remember saying, "Not yet... just let me hold him a little bit longer!"

Also, we think it must've been his little hand that the nurse felt over his head because when he was born, he had a tiny scratch on the top of his head. 

Funny story... while Duke was laying on my chest, I couldn't see well because he was blocking my view but I could feel something on my stomach. I grabbed it and asked Drew, "Aww, is this his foot?" Drew had the most disgusted look on his face and said, "Ugh! NO. DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Turns out, it was the umbilical cord. Lol!

 

The Asparagus Bracelet

We eat a lot of asparagus around here. A lot. Like at least twice a week so I almost always have some in the fridge. 

One night several months ago, I was cooking some for supper and had taken the rubber bands off of the bundle and left them lying on the counter. Livy walked in, picked one up, and asked what it was. 

Drew, seizing the opportunity to earn some cool dad points, said, "It's a special bracelet, Liv, and I bought it just for you!"

Her eyes grew huge and from the look on her face you would've thought he told her it was diamond encrusted and made by a thousand tiny fairies. She instantly fell in love with it. She said something to the effect of I love it, Daddy! I'll never take it off! 

That Daddy. He can do no wrong. 

And she's tried her best to keep that promise. She wore it in her ballet recital, in a photoshoot we did with a friend, to the lake, the beach, VBS... The only time she doesn't wear it is when it breaks and we have to buy more asparagus to replace it. She lost it once at Pappy and Annie's house and I heard there were lots of tears involved until she found it again. 

So this morning for the first day of kindergarten I rhetorically asked if she was going to wear her bracelet to school. She told me that she had to wear it so she could look down at it and think of Dad. 

That girl is something else! And it definitely makes her daddy feel pretty special. 

My Memaw's Ring

This is a very sweet story that I had to write before I forgot one detail of it. And in order for this to make sense I have to tell 2 back stories to lead up to what happened today.

Let's take the beginning of this story back about 20 years to when I was a little girl...

Whenever we'd go visit my Memaw (my dad's mom) in White Hall, I'd sneak into her guest room where she kept all of her jewelry and sit at her vanity and play dress up. She'd let me put on every piece of jewelry she owned and although I loved them all, there was this one ring that was always so special to me. I just loved the way it looked. 

I had no idea at the time, but this ring was actually my Memaw's engagement ring. It was antique, simple, and so beautiful. She'd always tell me that one day when I grew up, she would give it to me. 

Time went on and I eventually out grew playing in her jewelry and had almost forgotten about her promise to me. My senior year of high school, we were at her house, and I can't remember if it was for Christmas or graduation, but she handed me a small gift box and inside was the ring! I immediately had a flood of memories rush through my head and I was so touched that she remembered her promise to me even though I had forgotten. 

I've worn it on my right ring finger ever since. My sweet Memaw passed away about 6 months before Drew and I got married and I love getting to carry around a piece of her every day. Every time I look down at that ring it makes me think of her and I smile. 

Now for the next part of the story... It's going to seem like these two stories have nothing to do with each other but bare with me! I promise it will all come together. 

So let's fast forward to year 2006 to hear about our engagement story...

It was 2 days before my 19th birthday and we were at the beach. I thought we were there to babysit for some family friends but really Drew had arranged the whole thing. 

He took me out to eat on August 11th at a restaurant called Gulf Island Grill. After dinner we came back to the hotel and took a moonlit walk on the beach. We were holding hands walking along the water when we saw a shooting star. I asked if he made a wish and he said "I'm about to make my wish come true." Then he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and asked me to marry him. It was so incredibly sweet in spite of my "are you serious?!?" response. 

That proposal has always been so precious to us. I mean, who proposes via shooting star on a moonlit beach?? He may not be the most romantic guy but he comes through when it counts. 

This brings us to this week... 

We are on vacation with my family at Fort Morgan beach, just a quick drive down the road from where we got engaged. It's been 10 years this month since Drew {finally} asked me to marry him so we've had fun reminiscing about all the details of that trip. 

We were getting ready to head down to the beach for the day and Drew asked if I was going to wear my rings down there. (They've gotten really loose since I've lost some weight). I said I would thinking I probably wouldn't even get to swim since I'd be taking care of Sadie. 

I was able to get her down for a nap and left her in the house with some family while Drew and I headed down to the beach to play with Olivia and Charlotte. We played in the sand for a long time and then I went out in the water and tossed the football around with Drew and my brother in law. 

I was about knee deep in the water when I caught the ball and as soon as it hit my hand I saw my Memaw's ring fly off and land in the water right in front of me. I immediately hollered at Drew and dropped to my knees to find it. My heart sank. The waves kept coming one after another and I could not find it. My whole family was in the water searching for it. Even the people next to us came over to help and lent us their goggles. 

I prayed the whole time. "God, I know this may seem silly but please help me find my ring. It's so special to me! You've helped me find it once before when I lost it, please help me again." We searched for probably 45 minutes with no luck. Sadie woke up and I had to go inside. I was crushed. I cried. It was irreplaceable and I had lost it. 

Everyone kept looking but it was no use. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but much worse. I thanked everyone for their help but I didn't want to waste their time. It was gone. I cried and prayed again, "God, thanks for letting me look. It just wasn't meant for me to find it. I don't know why but there must be a reason."

Drew knew how bad I felt and was trying his best to help. He kept searching for it. He even Googled metal detector searchers he could hire. 

He came inside and asked if he could take me out to dinner to help me feel better. I said, "I would LOVE to." We left the kids with my family and had our first date night since Sadie was born. He took me to one of our favorite places to eat, The Oyster House. We walked around and did some shopping while we waited for our table, ate way too much at supper, then got some ice cream before heading back to the beach house. 

When we pulled up, Drew asked if I'd help him take the canopy down that was out by the water. We got it fixed for the night and then he said, "Let's walk out here for just a minute before going back in to the girls."

We held hands and walked for just a little ways when he stopped me and said he needed to reenact something. I thought he was just being silly and talking about our engagement night again. 

Then he got down on one knee and said, "Give me your right hand." 

I said, "What? Why?"

He said, "Just do it. Give me your hand."

I held my hand out and he slipped something on my ring finger. I said, "What is that?" Then he shined a light on my hand.

IT WAS MY RING. My Memaw's ring!!!

Tears instantly started rolling. I asked How? When?? Where??? He just smiled and hugged me while I sobbed. Like ugly crying sobbing. 

He said once we all called it quits on the search party, he decided to look one more time and there it was. Glistening in the bottom of the sandy ocean floor. Instead of giving it to me right then he wanted to make it special because he knew how much it meant to me. He combined the meaningfulness of that ring with the night he proposed and made it a night I'll never forget. 

God didn't want me to find it. He wanted my husband to find it so he could do something much more special with it. I'm going to bed with a thankful heart. My ring is back on my finger and I have a husband who would do anything just to make me smile. It has been one emotional day and I'm so incredibly thankful!

Mom Life

On Monday afternoons Charlotte, Sadie, and I usually go do the grocery shopping while Olivia is in gymnastics. Last week she finally nailed her standing backbend all by herself! I was so proud of her and she was pumped, to say the least. She came home from last week's practice and kept on practicing over and over until her arms slipped out from under her and she smacked her head on the floor. 

I knew she'd try to weasel herself out of having to practice those today so I wanted to stay for her practice and watch. That way I could force her to practice them again. I decided to do the grocery shopping early today so it'd be done before gymnastics. 

The whole time I tried to make my grocery list and get dressed, Sadie cried. Unless I held her. It was a difficult morning. I knew she was extremely tired but she would not give in to a nap so I was counting on the car ride to Walmart to do the trick. I switched out one more load of laundry while I herded the kids out the door, then I heard extra loud clopping coming from Charlotte's direction and realized she had on Rapunzel dress-up heels. I was {this} close to taking her to her room to change her shoes, but I thought Ehh, whatever. She's happy. And off to Walmart we went. 

We always get the new buggy with the infant seat for Sadie at the top but none of those were outside. So to keep from it taking 10 years for us all to walk across the parking lot, I grabbed a regular buggy to put them in until we got inside. That was not the one she wanted, so Charlotte immediately started crying, waking Sadie up who had just fallen asleep. 

When we got inside, Charlotte insisted on taking her princess heels off and riding on the end of the buggy. I actually like her riding on the end because it gives me more room for groceries. I didn't like her being barefoot but I thought as long as she stays on the buggy and doesn't get down, it's not that big of a deal. I'm trying to pick my battles here!

Our first stop was shampoo and immediately Charlotte got down and wanted to walk around. I told her she had two options:

1. Put your shoes back on and walk. 

Or

2. Get back on the buggy and ride. 

Looking back, I assume she was waiting on a third option because she didn't seem too enthralled about either. After repeating the options several times, she refused to do either so I picked her up and put her IN the buggy.

The horror. 

Blood curdling screams soon followed and suddenly we were that family. Charlotte was that kid. And I was that Mom. 

People were staring but I refused to back down. Never mind the fact that I was the one who allowed her to wear those dang princess shoes that don't even fit her... I was not giving in. And neither was she. And then I remembered what shirt I was wearing...

Yep. 

I suddenly felt the urge to buy a hoodie from the ladies section and pull it over my shirt. And my head. Charlotte was still screaming and I felt like there were beams of light shining off my shirt. Radiating to the world that Mom life. Is the. Best life. Don't get me wrong, I really do think it is, and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but at that particular moment?? Oh, the irony! And I'm not sporting just a regular ol statement here... It's got three periods in it! THREE! Talk about emphasis! I really should've put more thought into buying this shirt! 

Thankfully her fit didn't last much longer and I felt the light beams beginning to fade. We made it through the rest of our trip without any meltdowns and all was well. By the time we checked out, loaded all the kids in the car, unloaded all the groceries, and the kids were back at home playing happily in the living room, I propped my feet up and breathed a sigh of relief. Ahh... Mom life. Is the. Best life. 

Dear Mama

Recently I went to a wedding shower and instead of signing a guest book at the door, the hostesses had each guest write a piece of marriage advice on a slip of paper. Not knowing the bride very well, I kept it simple, but real, and scribbled down, "Seek God first in everything you do... No matter how small it may seem." I folded it up and added it to the basket.

As I sat in my chair waiting for the shower to begin, I started thinking of all the things I could've written. Drew and I have a wonderful marriage and I like to think I'm full of marital wisdom. Ha! But in all actuality, I'm not qualified to give marriage advice. I just know what works for us, and it's nothing fancy. Just love. Love with your whole heart and prove it by serving each other. Wake up every day thinking of something special you can do for your spouse. 

All of that got me to thinking about what if this had been a baby shower instead of a wedding shower? What advice would I have written down for a first time mom, or even to myself? Lord willing, if we're blessed with another baby, maybe something I could go back and reread? Or perhaps something that would just serve as a reminder when it's been a particularly difficult day? 

It would go a little something like this...
 

Olivia - 2010

  

Charlotte - 2014

 

Sadie - 2015

Don't rush to get out of the hospital. Nobody ever enjoys being in the hospital. The beds are terribly uncomfortable. The towels are entirely too small and scratchy to actually dry you off. The food is eh. You have what feels like 20 wires and doohickeys hooked up to you making it difficult to even roll over in the bed. Not to mention the lack of sleep due to the constant flow of family and friends who are dying to get their hands on your new little one. But try to enjoy it. There's such excitement in the newness of those first hours of your baby's life! Your hormones may be a little crazy, but you feel a joy like no other and everyone wants to talk about how beautiful your new bundle is. Relish in it. Enjoy letting people take care of you because as soon as you get home, it's back to reality. The dishes and laundry are no respecter of exhausted mamas. (And neither are your other children!)

Olivia

 

Hold her too much. Throw those books, documents, and extensive research articles out the window. You know, the ones about frequently laying your baby down so they won't become too attached? I say hold your baby as much as you can. She will never be as young as she is today. Tomorrow she will be a little bigger and most likely doing something new that she's never done before. The amount of time that she's a floppy little newborn is so brief. Hold her tight and take in that sweet baby smell. The one that my husband refers to as "Baby Johnson." Run your fingers across her ears and arms and feel those soft baby hairs that haven't fallen off yet. Curl up in the recliner and catch a cheesy Lifetime movie while she sleeps on your chest, and maybe even doze off to la-la-land with her. Time flies by all too quickly and babies grow entirely too fast. Enjoy every cuddle. Every snuggle. Every whimper. Every coo.

Sadie

 Take way too many pictures. My picture taking drives my husband crazy, and I keep telling him that he'll appreciate it one day. I don't think he does yet, but I'm determined to prove him wrong. It's amazing how fast your baby will change! It doesn't take long for her cheeks to start filling out, her little neck muscles get stronger and she's no longer a little bobble head, and her sleepy unintentional grins turn into big happy smiles. Cherish each stage of her life and don't be afraid to document them all! Pick a couple of your favorites to share on Facebook, and no one has to know that you secretly have hundreds of pictures exactly like them stored on your computer. Mama, if it's special to you, that's all that matters!

  

Olivia

Put the phone down while she nurses. This is one I have to remind myself. Sometimes I do pretty good at it but there are times I think she just uses me as a pacifier and I need some entertainment! Thankfully my body was born to be a milk cow and I've never had to struggle to feed my baby. I've always had an abundance and all three of my babies have been terrific eaters. Don't be afraid to stare at your baby while she eats. Watch her as her little nose wrinkles, lock eyes with her when she gazes up at you, touch her chubby little fingers as they grasp on to your skin. Pay attention to the little things... Those fluttering eyelashes, the way she folds her hands almost as if she's praying, and how she stretches out like a starfish when she's full and had enough. Soak it up. Breathe in those moments, for they will be over all too soon. In the beginning she'll depend on you for every meal, to survive. But before long she'll only need you before naps or bedtime, and then eventually not at all. Enjoy those sweet bonding moments that only the two of you can experience. 

 

Don't stress over your weight. I'm not saying ignore your health, just don't let your weight consume your mind. This is a daily struggle for me. And listen, I am the LAST person on this planet who feels like she has any right to even discuss health! I definitely don't always make the most health conscious decisions, but it's something I'm working on. It's the reason I get up at 4:34 every morning to go run the farm road at 5:00 with my friends. And I know 4:34 is such an odd time but I just can't bring myself to set my alarm for 4:30. I need those 4 extra minutes! I want my girls to know that I exercise and try to make health{ier} food choices, but I also want them to know its okay to indulge in pizza and ice cream sometimes too. There are so many more important things in this world than being a size 2, and your kids know this! Kids couldn't care less about what size jeans their mom can or can't get buttoned, so don't let your extra baby weight get you down. Your husband and kids love YOU, no matter what the scale says! 

Charlotte

 

Don't rush them to grow up. This happens all on its own without us speeding up the process. When I had my first daughter, I was always ready for her to do the next big thing... Sitting, walking, talking, potty training, etc. And she did do some of those things pretty early in life because I wanted her to be "advanced." By the time I had my second (and especially with my third), my thinking had drastically changed. I no longer rush them to accomplish the next feat. I just want them to be little. Be my baby a little while longer! 

We have certainly been blessed with three precious darling girls. And by no means am I a parenting expert, but I have figured out a thing or two along the way. Like which things are important and which things really don't matter at all. I try to enjoy each day with my girls. They aren't all sunshine and rainbows, believe me. But I'd say we have it pretty good around here! I'm so thankful for my family of five and look forward to a day when that number grows a little more!