Summer sisters...

We've been enjoying tastes of summer up here in Michigan lately. It's so nice to have a fenced-in yard where the girls can be outside enjoying the sunshine and I can enjoy the fact that in my eighth month of pregnancy I don't have to run around making sure they stay put! It's finally warm enough to pull out the sprinkler and enjoy the all-to-cold hose water. Kira, of course, LOVES it, even while shivering covered in goosebumps a half hour later. Alexis, surprisingly has taken a little while to warm up to the water. I think it has something to do with it spraying in her face. Here are some photos to show the contrasting attitudes.

Alexis started to warm up to it after a few days, though.

Speaking of Alexis, I can't believe that my baby will be 2 tomorrow! In many ways, it feels like she's been apart of our family so much longer but then again I can clearly remember her birth day like it just happened. I'll be posting more age milestones and big birthday news later but I just had to post a few things about her quickly. Lex is definitely our outspoken child. She has no problem communicating her feelings. She speaks more in volumes than words, but we're working on that. She's actually starting to make even more improvement in her speech. Her new thing is to ask, "Whas dat, momma?" over and over again. I love that she's starting to talk in sentences more often and ask questions. Another more current development is her new obsession with her baby doll. We've had baby dolls in the house since Kira was little but they've never been given much attention. Now, there are days where the only person in the house that gets a kind word from Lex is her baby! It makes us hopeful that this love for babies makes the transition to becoming a big sister a little easier for everyone. Alexis and Kira certainly have a love/hate relationship most days, but it's nice to see how much Alexis looks up to Kira and wants so much to be like her. And 90% of the time, Kira is more than happy to show her how! I don't know what we do without Alexis's unending collection of facial expressions that make us laugh so hard, her love of snuggling with us (after being wrapped up in the "right" blanket, of course), her creative ways of trying to hide the fact that she snuck her binky again, her ever changing love of dress-up or stripping down, and watching this petite little thing explore and grow each day. We love you, Lex!

Motherhood...

What can I say about motherhood. Sometimes, I tend to forget that I've had experience in that field. In fact, here soon, I'll be tripling the experience. It's not that I go through my day oblivious to the two munchkins running practically beneath my feet...it's just when I think about motherhood I think about, well, my mom and mother-in-law and friends' moms...you know, the ones that have REALLY had the motherhood experience. This past Sunday, I think I officially crossed over to a full-fledged "mom" as I watched the cutest Sunbeam in the ward swallow her nervousness and bravely go to the front of the chapel to serenade me while trying to keep a toddler beside me from fidgeting too much in the pew and being momentarily distracted by a tiny foot trying to find an impossible inch of space somewhere in my abdomen, quite forcefully, I might add. I know I still have so many milestones to come to and bridges to cross on the road of parenthood, but this Mother's Day, it really struck me that I truly am a mom and it's one of the most wonderful things about me. Yes, there are days where I feel just like this:

But it's made all better by requests like this:

Of course, I couldn't have progressed to this role without the wonderful man who has made not just my Mother's Day but my week by bringing home these:

Here's to an awesome 5th Mother's Day for me with many more to come! Hope yours was just as fabulous!!

Et cetera...

So this is going to be a very lengthy post (well, visually, anyway). I feel really backed up on reporting the recent events of the Wood household. We've had some pretty big things going on. The most important being this litte lady's big advancement into big girlhood. Yes, our baby is now 4-years-old! Kira's birthday landed on a Sunday, which is nice, but we felt a little limited in what we could go out and do. Her day started out with an early morning surprise...she woke up to a roomful of balloons. I don't know who had more fun with that, the birthday girl or her equally pleased little sister. Her day continued on with a "special" breakfast of Lucky Charms, a new Easter dress to wear to church, lots of birthday recognition in Primary, a Briar Rose dress to play with after church, her favorite dinner- spaghetti followed by Mommy's attempt at a princess castle cake, and tons of love from friends and family over the phone and through the mail. Sometimes I look at her in wonder...how could she, our tiny 5 lb 15 oz firstborn, have grown up into this beautiful little girl so fast? I wish there was some way to push a pause button. Though she can't wait for her next birthday, her parents are fine with letting time move a little slower, keeping her young a little longer.

The Wood family also basked in a glorious Easter/Conference weekend at home. We were uplifted by the beautiful weather, inspiring messages and the opportunity to reflect on our Savior's selfless sacrifice and promising resurrection. We focused more on the spiritual aspects of Easter this year, though we were visited by that sly Easter bunny Saturday morning. Below are some pictures of the girls enjoying Easter/birthday gifts sent from distant family (thanks Gee and Grandma...wish you all could have joined in on the fun in person!).

Since I feel like most of my fun crafty projects have been with baby in mind, I wanted to do something fun for the girls. Here are our little ballerinas enjoying their new tutus.

Hopefully, that catches us up a little bit more. It's nice to have a slower-paced schedule now that Christopher is off of OB/Gyn rotation and back home from out-of-state testing. He's now doing an elective rotation in Gastroenterology, which is the field he hopes to wind up in...and he's loving it! We are, too! It's nice to see Daddy at breakfast and then back home with plenty of time to play before dinner. Anyway, there you have it...now I'm off to see what I can do about those brownies that just came out of the oven. Don't want them to feel unappreciated...or the vanilla ice cream. It gets lonely in that freezer, you know.

March madness...

So, I've been pretty spoiled this past week. I enjoyed having my husband home for my birthday and the luxury of having my mom in town so that I could let the kids loose on her to have some free time and run errands alone! My mom treated all of us to a birthday dinner at Carraba's. We'd never been but heard good things...and good things there were! Yum! My big gift from my parents was gift cards to Joann's and Hobby Lobby so that I can have a little help with this long list of crafts I've been itching to get started. Christopher surprised me with a day at a cute little spa here in town for a prenatal massage and pedicure. Heavenly...he's definitely a keeper! It's been nice to have my mom in town, though we didn't do as much together as usual. It seemed there was always someone sick or places to go so after much arm-twisting, she always ended up at home with the kids. It was pretty helpful considering Christopher was still on OB/Gyn and I was preparing to perform in our Relief Society production of the Ten Virgins (and you all know how singing and performing in front of people is totally my thing! No stress whatsoever). I also spent some of that time at home while mom refereed so I could finish these little projects:

I used a pattern posted by a friend on her fabulous craft blog! A little hospital homecoming outfit using one of those tiny shirts they give you at the hospital.

And this was an awesome diaper bag pattern I found here months ago. I loved it from the moment I saw it. It has 5 pockets on the outside and 5 on the inside...so much needed storage room for three kids' "necessities".

I made a few adjustments of my own like adding the key clip and using D-rings to give the strap a more finished look. I actually finished it in 2 days! Couldn't have happened without my mom being willing to spend so much "alone" time with the kids.

Though there were some stressful moments, I've really enjoyed having time to do things I wanted and even being a little pampered, too. I especially came to appreciate being able to take part in the Relief Society program. It was a challenge for me on so many levels but I came to really identify with my character (one of the foolish virgins) and see how I need to prepare myself for the Savior's coming. I came away from it hoping to bring that spirit of preparation into our home and into my children's lives.

AND- Thanks for all the birthday wishes and phone calls! They all added to my spoilage! Be on the look-out for upcoming posts about another birthday girl's special week!

A moment in time...

Princesses at a royal lunch of ramen noodles.

11:25 AM

Today...

You know those days where you go to bed wondering what in the world did I even accomplish today?! Lately, I feel like I've really let some of my resolves to create good habits that would become just a natural part of my daily routine go. So much for New Year's resolutions, right? I mean, I've sat down to write a new blog post twenty times but just don't feel up to writing and skip it. Sad. There are so many things that I felt excited about trying to accomplish this new year: journaling/blogging, consistent personal scripture study, fun sewing projects, weekly (organized) FHE, exercise, at-home schooling, etc. But each day, that motivation and drive get lost somewhere. Lying in bed this morning, listening to the banging of a crib against my bedroom wall and the pitter-patter of running feet downstairs, I gave myself the worn out pep talk of how I was going to get up, get dressed, get breakfast for you and kids, WORK-OUT, and start the day productively. I mean, why is this so hard?? Just get up and do it!! The rest of the day will go much more smoothly and tonight, you won't feel like nothing was accomplished. So I did it. I even had my morning devotional with the kids and they stayed fairly clean after a breakfast of "soft" oatmeal. But as the morning went on, those little explanations of why this is so hard randomly popped up in my mind. As little fingers poked at my eyes and nose while I tried to find "peace and inner-connection" while doing yoga with two little exercise companions sprawled within two feet of me. While trying to convince an obstinate child with a cough and runny nose that playing in the frigid basement in just a bathing suit and fairy wings is not okay. When sneaking into the bathroom while the girls were distracted to take a shower only to start the water and find they were behind me half undressed to get in too. As unusual waves of exhaustion or hormonal emotions from pregnancy test my actions and thoughts. When what used to be days and nights of not-much-to-do get filled with activities, assignments and obligations that add extra busy-ness to our lives. It seems so easy for me to make excuses as to why I don't feel like I'm truly progressing as of late. But at the same time, I have to recognize so many of the hard to see blessings that have pushed me forward, though unknowingly. Regular dates with hubby thanks to friends willing to take in our brood. Seeing my children grow in relationships with new friends and each other. Though I have not been having as much personal scripture study as I should, we have family scripture study every night and morning. My household may not be up to par according to my wishful standards, but it's not a condemned disaster and it keeps us warm and comfortable. We don't have lots of new, nice things but we have been saving money even on our med school budget. We have been healthy this winter. We have a new addition to our family on the way who seems healthy and hasn't made my life too uncomfortable...yet. I've had Christopher home a lot lately and enjoy spending down time with him. We had a great Valentine's day with the kids and each other. I'd say one of the best in a while. Countless moments of smiles, laughter, hugs and kisses.
Prayers have been answered, blessings have been given. I just need to work a little harder. Starting today.

And just a few random pictures we've taken recently...recharged camera batteries hopefully mean more pictures to come.

We're thinkin'...

PINK!

Yep, we're adding a bit more sugar and spice to our little family mix!

Now we just need a name....