one year ago

I'm thinking back to one year ago.  I was newly pregnant in my first trimester.  Those three months were awful awful awful.  The nausea was nearly more than I could handle.  Even now, every once in awhile, I'll be in a place (like the freezer section in the downtown Target) where the smell got to me so badly back when I was sick and I can almost feel it all over again.  It's so brief but such a vivid reminder.  I was so sick and so sad because I wanted to move away from here, and oh so tired.  Now that Justus is 4 months old I'm really getting back into my "normal" again.  Whatever normal is I guess.  I didn't have the post-partum crud with Justus either.  I was sad for a period of time after the other three.  This time I was more tired and just generally overwhelmed, but not sad or overly emotional.  I wanted to be by myself a lot and couldn't handle much socialization or even phone calls.  I was kind of numb and generally out of it.  I am emerging from my fog though now.  I'm still tired and feeling very scattered and slightly out of control, but I know that it's not me that's in control anyway and I have to let stuff go.  My head is just more cleared up.  My Bible gets opened at least 3x a week rather than none.  And all of that feels right.

cuteness amidst the chaos

Jeneva was behind the camera on this one.  Justus sure loves his pink Bumbo.

Life is crazy.

Firstborn child is constantly doing Kung Fu moves.  Constantly.  The school is getting ready for their Chinese New Year performance and Jeneva can't stop practicing.  We are pretty impressed with her agility

Second born wants me to play with him all of the time.  While I *really* enjoy playing legos and army guys and rescue heroes, there's always something more pressing.  This is hard for me.  I am trying. 

Third born thinks she's a princess and changes her clothes multiple times a day.  She loves to snuggle and has no problems eating.  She often picks off of other people's plates.

Fourth born is nearly 4 months old.  He's happy, enjoys nursing, and totally digs the Bumbo seat.  It's inevitable, every time he sits in the Bumbo seat, he poops.  A lot.  And up the back.  I'm pretty sure he's sitting in something in this picture.

here

I miss keeping up our blog!  I have oodles of pics to post and thoughts on our life to write about. 

Let's see, since I've last posted.....we've had a baby.....Steve started a new job.....the holiday's came and went.....I survived Legacy at Christmas time.....and the kids have each grown  at least an inch each judging by the amounts of food they consume and the number of complaints I hear about "leg pain". 

My top posts will be Justus' birth story, the joys and challenges of raising a 9 year old (it's just a whole different phase we are entering and most of me really loves it), 3 year old and 5 year old antics, and how I feel about being in the "baby phase" again. 

Right now though I need to make sure they kids have appropriately clothed themselves and then head out the door to church.  Steve's at work this morning, it's sunny and cold out, and I've got a baby shower to attend/help host later this afternoon.  A good day I hope it shall be.