Third Time's A Charm

OOPS!  UH-OH!  I think I crossed my eyes.  Could we have a do-over?  

 

OK.  Ready now.

CHEESE! 

6 Week Comparison

Kate

(Little Kate turns six weeks tonight!)

Natalie

Scott

Kate

Natalie

 Scott

ONLY 20 SHOPPING DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

(Whose child is this anyway?!  What a goofball.)

Andy and Cari

Last week I was telling my Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) group about the incredible trial and the amazing faith and testimony of our friends, Andy & Cari.  A lady across the circle said, "That story is ALL over facebook."  Another lady said, "She has a blog too and is an excellent blogger."  It seemed as if everyone in the group already had heard about our friends, but if you haven't...head over to their blog, read, and join in the prayers. 

Life with Three

With three and a half weeks under our belt, we are starting to adjust to life with three little ones. 

Scott and Natalie have created new games and have been playing together quite well.  (Stick to trains, Scott!)

Kate has gotten called Natalie more times than I care to admit.  (Not really because Kate looks like her- mainly because I'm sleep deprived and often trying to talk to multiple people at once.)

"Never leave a child unattended" has taken on a new importance and has become ingrained in my thinking.

 

Scott has become much more independent and has been forced to do some tasks on his own.  One night, he emerged with TIGHT fitting Christmas pajamas and was ever so stoked with his selection and accomplishment. 

First tub bath- think she was a fan!

Wish Kate was doing more of this at night instead of during the day...

Should we be embarrassed when the Donatos manager is making over our new baby and says, "I remember when your other two were that size!"?    Oh how we love our Donatos family! :) 

Getting out the door on time will be a new challenge.  We attempted church at 9:00 with everyone for the first time this past week.  Our aim time to be out the door was 8:30.  We pulled out of the driveway at 8:55.  Jon drove the minivan as if it was his police car, and we only walked into Sunday School a few minutes late.  (Perhaps next Sunday I'll have to forgo the mini photo shoot before church.  I didn't tell Jon that this had occurred which may have delayed us a bit...EEK!)

Natalie continues to make us laugh with her funny expressions and growing vocabulary.  She's super opinionated and enthusiastic about life. 

Scott and I had a conversation last night about college majors.  I was explaining to him that even though Daddy was a police officer, he had a different major in college.  We were discussing Daddy's minor (Construction Management) and I told Scott that Jon still uses his degree because he knows how to build and construct things around the house.  Scott agreed that Daddy was pretty handy and said, "He even knows how to change lightbulbs!"  (That four year degree came in handy for something!)

Scott:  Are there trains in heaven?  

Scott:  Mommy, do you want to baby-sit Kate with me?

Okay...even Kate is getting bored with the overload of pictures....I'll stop now. 

Preschool Politics

The kids were very excited to "go voting" yesterday.  Scott remembered getting an American flag sticker and was ready to go as soon as the polls opened.  Natalie asked what voting meant, so Jon explained to her that we wanted to pick good leaders.  About an hour later, when we were ready to head out the door, Natalie started to whine and cry, "Want good leaders!  Good leaders!  Good leaders!"  

So, we voted, got our cherished stickers, and then began to watch the election results come in last night.  Jon and Kate watched together while I made a batch of consolation brownies (just in case things didn't go our way).   Jon is smiling in the picture below, but only 2% of the precincts were reporting at this time. 

The kids and I only stayed up about 30 minutes after the warm brownies came out of the oven.  We left Jon to report to results to us later.  This morning, the kids overheard Jon talking about the winners/losers.  Scott picked up on some disappointment and was beginning to look concerned.  I reminded him that we didn't need to be afraid and asked him who was ultimately in control.  He correctly responded that God was in control, and then we saw Natalie break out into spontaneous prayer.  With her head bowed and eyes closed, we overhead some of her mumbles..."Dear Jesus...BAD LEADERS..."    We couldn't make out the rest, but it sure made us smile. 

And finally...here's a picture of poor Kate getting some love.  Christmas pictures are going to be tricky this year...

Introducing...

Kate Abigail

Born Saturday, October 27th @ 2:05 a.m.

Weight:  7 lb. 2 oz.

Length: 21 1/4 inches

When I passed my due date, my mom appropriately dubbed our little one as "Late Kate."  Not only did Kate come two days late, but she also made her appearance in the middle of the night...keeping with the LATE part of her name.  :) 

I had just tucked the kiddos in when a few stronger contractions started.  I went to bed thinking I would just sleep them off as had been the case for the past few weeks.  With the encouragement of my husband ("I do not want you to deliver this baby at home!"), we headed to the hospital around 12:30 a.m.  After the paperwork/check-in process, I was officially admitted at 1:17- still not in intense labor.  Things progressed quickly from there, and little Kate was born at 2:05 a.m.    What a blessing!!  God is so good and blessed us with a speedy delivery and a healthy baby girl. 

Here's a picture of Jon holding Kate around 4:00 a.m. - a couple of hours after her birth.  My 4:00 a.m. picture with Kate will be for Kate only someday...just to prove that I am the birth mother!:)  Here is a picture of us taken the following day. 

It was fun to introduce Kate to big siblings, Scott and Natalie.  We've been pleased with their adjustment so far...another answer to prayer.  

Natalie says, "Baby Kate Abigail so tiny and coooote!"

Scott says, "She looks like a boy."  

I overheard the kids putting on a show last night for an imaginary audience.  Scott "announced" to the crowd, "I have a new baby sister.  Her name is Kate.  She looks like a boy, but my mom and dad say that she's a girl.  I still think she looks like a boy."  

(We may have to pull out the hair bows sooner rather than later for Scott's sake.  He's really stuck on this.  I think he was expecting his new sister to have long Natalie-type hair.) 

                                

We were discharged from the hospital early (like 6:30 a.m.) Monday morning.  We bundled Kate up for her first trip out into the cold.  It looks like I may have gone a little overboard.   Two hats...really?!  

And finally...a few more pictures of our cuddlebug.  During her first week of life we've learned that Kate:

-is nocturnal.

-loves to snuggle and be held.

-can sleep through Scott and Natalie's marching band.

-seems to resemble Scott's baby pictures more so than Natalie's.

-is definitely a keeper!