So...life in the fast lane

The common question these days is "How is life with three?" and my answer to that is it feels like I'm living in the fast lane. Not in the normal, crazy-party-girl-lifestyle sense that the phrase is usually used, but I literally feel like I'm living in the fast lane. More specifically, I feel like I am driving 100+ mph on a freeway, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic with no brakes. That is how I feel with three young children. As of now, I am doing great, but I worry that if I takes my eyes off the road for a second (or breathe for that matter) I might crash. Ok, I know that is a little dramatic and extreme, but it's the best way to describe it.

As crazy as it is, having three kids is actually more fun than scary - very rewarding, very exciting, very busy, and very exhausting. Life just seems to be FLYING by faster than ever and there never seems to be enough time in the day. Phew! I'm getting exhausted just thinking about it!

There are four things that have made the transition to three children smoother than I expected and that I am extremely grateful for:
#1 - I had almost a full month of love, help, support, and company from my mother and mother-inlaw. That was AMAZING. I was able to get a lot of rest and could slowly work my way up to juggling all three kids at once. Such a blessing that they were willing and able to here. #2 - Third Daughter is an amazing baby. She sleeps well, does not cry very much, when she does cry she is easy to console, and she loves to be snuggled. She is an angel and that is such a HUGE blessing. #3 - First and Second Daughters have adjusted extraordinarily well. No jealousy, no abnormal fits or tantrums, no possesiveness. Again, HUGE blessing that I am extremely grateful for. #4 - my AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, LIFESAVING Husband. He truly is my strength. He is the reason I have these three beautiful children and he is the reason that I try to be a better person everyday. He is extremely supportive, serves me and our daughters constantly, and loves us so much. He is the biggest blessing in my life and I COULD NOT get through each day without him.

Bottom line, I am one incredibly blessed girl who has an amazing family. I am thankful each day for all that I have, the love that I feel, and for the wonderful people I have in my life. And I can honestly say that I love the life I live!

So...D

Letter D!

D is for dots
Connect the D dots &
Dot the D


Second Daughter - our free spirit

First Daughter - our perfectionist

she ran out of dots, so she drew them in - LOVE it!

D is for Dumptruck

(from No Time for Flashcards)
1. paint the pieces

2. draw guide for them to glue on

3. cut out and glue on all the pieces

4. display!

meticulous First Daughter's

creative Second Daughter's

I LOVE that they each have their own style!

So...C

Letter C!

catepillar C's

rain painting

C is for coloring

color paper with washable markers

place outside in the rain

watch the rain "paint" your picture!

let it dry

and display...

We haven't had the sunniest weather around here this week, so this was a great rainy day activity for us!

So...bananas!

I just orders this Dwarf Banana Tree to grow in my house! In Utah!!! I received a catalog in the mail from Spring Hill with a $25 off coupon and thought that it was worth trying to grow this cute little tree in my house for only the cost of shipping. How fun?! The tree will grow to be 3-6' tall and will little 3-6" bananas!

I hope it works! I can't wait for it to get here!

So...100th post!

So...it is raining. I love the smell of rain.
I also love the smell of fires burning in fireplaces. real fireplaces. the wood burning kind. Tonight, because it is raining and a little chilly outside, I could smell a wood burning fire through the cool rainy air. mmm. I love THAT smell the most.

So...PAD

So, my "poem a day" has so far turned into "5 poems a Saturday"
(I guess today is Friday, but you get the idea...)
Tonight while writing the "something missing" poem, I came up with this:

Something Missing - My Mind!

On my neverending list of things to do,
Was something to do in this room.
Was it to sweep the floor? Or tie my shoe?
On my neverending list of things to do.
Was it to stamp a letter? Or find the glue?
I hope I can remember it soon...
On my neverending list of things to do,
Was something to do in this room.

I tried something new this time - to actually follow a form! This one is triolet.

How many times has this happened to you - walk into a room and can't remember why you're there?! It happens to me MULTPILE times a day.

So...kid time

Back in January I blogged about my goal to have uninterupted kidtime everyday. Well, I have been off and on with this, but still trying really hard!

I have been inspired lately by these people:
No Time for Flashcards
Make & Takes
Let's Explore
E & J
and First Daughter's preschool teacher - who always has great ideas for learning activities.

I also have been feeling lately like Second Daughter needs more exposure to organized activities and crafts.

SOOOO.....

Here is what we have been up to lately:
(see following posts)

So...B

Letter B!

bean B's

bunny B's
I got the idea for these here

And of course we need to display the artwork...


Bloom!

start with an guideline for the gluing

And of course...the display :)


Activities:
keep up the balloon
which of course led to
balloon bellies

blowing bubbles


We also realized that so many things in our routine start with the letter B!
It was fun finding them all through the week:
breakfast
bowl
baby B
belly
Baxter
BOOKS!
bath
blankie
bathroom
bed

So...A

Letter A

apple stamps

So...I'm doing it

This morning my mother-inlaw left me to fend for myself with these three kids :) I have been very blessed (and spoiled!) to have my mother here for two weeks and then my mother-inlaw here for 1 1/2 weeks right after. I have had so much help for almost the entire first month of Third Daughter's life - and it has been so nice. I was even able to take a nap almost everyday! Like I said...spoiled!

But today real life begins. So far it seems to be going pretty well. All three girls are having quite time - 2 asleep and 1 on her way - and I just took my first deep breath of the day :)

I really do love being a mom. (most of the time)

So...PAD

I found this FABULOUS poetry blog called Poetic Asides. Check it out when you get a chance or just looking for something to read.

I have always enjoyed writing poetry but have never really shared anything I've written with anyone. I don't even let Husband read my poems (unless they are about him and I know he will like it :) ). I guess there's just something personal about poetry that makes me nervous to share it....? I don't know.

This blog is giving daily poetry prompts for the month of April. About 50 of the poems submitted will be published - which is very cool and exciting, but not the reason I am participating. I just thought I would jump at the opportunity to improve my writing and hopefully end April with a couple poems worth keeping :).

Because of my daily cleaning lists last month leading up to Third Daughter's birth, I thought I would share this poem (!!) with those of you who actually read this blog. Remember, I don't share my poetry - this is a very rare opportunity!

The prompt is "The problem with ________" (fill in the blank).
Here it goes....(breathe)

"The Problem with Nesting"

I am eight months pregnant and carrying
an extra forty pounds. There is also a baby
in the somewhere. Why is it now
that I want more than anything to scrub
the floorboards? My hands and knees and belly
on the floor. Scrubbing.
This doesn’t make sense to me.
When I am thin and fit and able
to run six miles a day, I can hardly
lift my hand to wipe the counter. But now
that I have scrubbed every micro-spec
of dirt and dust in my house

while eight months pregnant, I will always know
not only that I am able to clean, but that
my house really was that dirty.

WSMGS Pick of the Week

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Israel Kamakawiwoole
A song that just makes me feel good and makes me smile.

So...PEEP

I just finished these cute chicks & ducklings for First Daughter's prizes for her preschool Easter Party. I wanted to think of something cute, and unique (and not sweet :) ).
I think these turned out pretty cute.

Supplies:
- pom-poms
- googily eyes
- popcorn kernels (for beak)
- pipe cleaner cut into 2" pieces & folded into a V
- hot glue
- plastic Easter eggs

She'll be putting each one in a plastic egg this week to get ready for the party on Thursday.

Aren't they cute?!
They remind me of PEEP from "Peep and the Big Wide World" (GREAT show by the way)