Birthdays

In the last month we have celebrated Colton's 4th and Payton's 6th birthdays. Since as Payton so pointedly told Colton that he doesn't have any friends in Ohio yet we opted for family celebrations this year. Both kids got breakfast out on their birthday alone with mom and dad. We had talked up going to Scene 75 (an amazing indoor entertainment center) for his birthday. We really talked it up since we weren't doing a party. The night of Colton's birthday we pulled into Scene 75 only to find out it was closed. We couldn't believe it! If we hadn't been talking about it all week it might not have been that big of deal . Thankfully he was a good sport and we ended up over at Sam's and got cupcakes. Just this past week we finally made it back to Scene 75 to celebrate both kids and they had a blast. We had our friends the Boots join us for the celebration. Payton also got to ride the saddle at Texas Roadhouse for her birthday. We were in Anderson for the day visiting with Uncle Benny and Papa and Gigi.

Buster Buster BUSTER

 I love 3-year-olds.

I love how their minds are putting things together and exploring the world around them.

They become little people and conversations can become so robust.

They say the funniest things and words as they are figuring out vocabulary.

Colton is so much fun most of the time.

He has the silliest personality and loves to make people laugh.

He usually has a big grin on his face.

He is already a story teller and wants people's attention and loves to make people laugh.

He is a ball of energy.

He is active and passionate.

He is also amazing destructive and sometimes drives me crazy.

The picture on the left is just an example of his self expression through tattooing himself up. This is how Steve found him after nap one day. He had just woken up, hence the drugged looking face, and his pillow case was covered in blue. We keep taking markers and hiding them and he is a pro at finding ones sister has used and left around the house. Unfortunately he has colored himself like this many times.

Just this week this wonderful 3-year-old has explored the world around him by:

- Tested gravity by throwing my iPad off our second story balcony (gravity won and shattered the iPad) * note - the iPad was deliberately placed high on a dresser, but he got a stool and climbed up to reach it. ** 2nd note - he threw my nice camera and brand new lens over the same balcony a year ago (his college fund is dwindling with repair costs)

- Ran away twice from me at church, one time finding himself in the parking lot and our church is on a very busy street, second time he was running laps in the dark basement without a care in the world. Let me tell you that this momma cared. So if you see him holding my hand and not running around with the other kids this week, you will know why.

- Tested his artistic abilities by decorating his sisters sheets with a pen (markers are all up too high)

- Most meals he considers cause and effect as he pours his drink or food all over the place, or mixes food and drink together or uses his fist to smash whatever food he can. He is getting quite experienced at cleaning up.

- Passionate, EVERY SINGLE RESPONSE IS PASSIONATE

This boy drives me wild and crazy all at the same time. 

Picture Update

Here are some pictures updating the last few months for Team Southards. I finally feel like I am entering the land of the living again, after 15 weeks of being sick I am starting to feel good again. I am 17 weeks and hoping to enjoy this 2nd trimester and the holiday's with family!

Papa and Gigi came to visit in October and we went to the Cider Mill that we love.

We picked apple's 

Mid-October Steve went on a once-in-a-lifetime hunting and fishing trip to Alaska. He was gone 10 days and I broke my foot the first day he was gone. I was so thankful for all the family and friends that helped care for us while he was gone. My brother and his family made their first trip to Kansas during that time as well.

The kids enjoying being kids.

Late October, Steve and I took the older 2 kids to their first (and our first) Chiefs game.

 

First of November, Presley and I took a trip to Florida to visit family and celebrate my Grandma Anderson's 92nd birthday and Grandpa Wiens' 85th birthday. I got to see a lot of family, friends and the beach!

November hit hunting season hard and we went to Papa and Granny Southards' farm for opening weekend. A tradition that takes Steve back to some of his fondest childhood memories. We also got to visit Papa and Granny Coats while in Southern Missouri.

 End of November we packed our bags again and headed to St. Louis to spend Thanksgiving at Steve's parents' house. That weekend is one of my favorite times of year as it is usually the only holiday we actually get to spend with family. We have started traditions there (amazing Christmas light show, Ted Drewes custard, Santa at the poinsettia farm) that our kids now look forward to.

 

 

Steve has continued to hunt and unfortunately has not gotten a buck yet this year. 

Little miss P is moving everywhere and getting into everything. She has started to communicate by screaming and I am sure she will make herself known and will not get lost in the mix when baby #4 trumps her as the baby.

Payton had her annual Christmas Program for preschool. She was more interested in twirling her dress this year than signing.

I was actually sending this picture to a friend to show her my early Christmas present of new boots to keep these toes warm as it has been sooooo cold here, but you can also get a view of my 16 week bump under winter clothes. 

That is a 3-month update, hopefully won't be so long until I blog again, but if it is, oh well :)

Time to be a kid

There are many days I rush through the day, am busy with my agenda or schedule and miss the sweetness of my children. Today was NOT one of those days. This morning we took a walk, without the clock dictating us, we enjoyed a walk in the woods. There is a paved trail near our house that I have walked before, but never realized how many off-the-path trails there were. With the eyes and adventure of a 2 year-old and 4 year-old we enjoyed our sweet time walking and picking up rocks, sticks and just enjoying nature. I had in mind the destination of a playground, and we did make it there, but the kids didn't want to play long, they wanted to wander back through the woods taking it all in. It was just me and the kids, I was able to watch, listen and enjoy the sweetness about them.

I want my children to look back upon their childhood and remember being kids. 

Not being dragged from one activity to the next, not having to keep things clean, not having a mom stressed out yelling at them, but time to just be a kid. 

A kid wandering through the woods, 

a kid throwing rocks in the water, 

a kid walking barefoot with no regard to the rugged ground below. 

A kid with time to look at the interesting trees, 

time to sit still and listen to the noises of the woods. 

A time to be a kid.

Our Kids and motherhood

I am so blessed to be a mom to these kiddos

Some days are crazy, some days I have no patience, but some days I sit and soak them in. They are delightful little kids. 

Payton and Colton play so well together, sure they fight a lot, but they are supposed to do that and figure out how to work with others. Payton is such a big sister, mothering Colton and takes such pride in helping him out.  Colton loves to antagonize his big sister, I can see his scheming in his eyes and hiding behind his big grin. Presley is such a sweet addition to our family. She is such a happy content baby that right now just lights up when you look at her.

Our transition to 3 has been a really smooth one, so much easier then 1 to 2 for us. Colton was such a difficult baby that it had to get easier. Sometimes it is still crazy to me that I am a mom, let alone a mom to 3 kids. I was talking to one of my closest girlfriends the other day who has one little guy, we are both so passionate about parenting and have great conversations around the subject, while talking to her I realized how much I have grown as a mother and person over the last 4.5 years and how much I have learned with each addition. Becoming a mom was one of the biggest changes for me in life, I am a very different (and would dare to say better) person today because of what the Lord has taught me about myself through these 3 kids. Motherhood has been one of the most humbling things I have done, it has taken my eyes off of myself more than anything else. 

It has been almost 1.5 years since we miscarried and my life was on the line, I have a different appreciation for many things since then, especially each one of my children and sweet Presley Rae who we wouldn't have known if we hadn't gone through what we did. I am so grateful for our family.

I wrote the above post last week and hadn't gotten around to posting it until tonight. It is amazing what the difference of a year makes. It wasn't until I was getting ready for bed tonight that it hit me that one year ago today was our due date for the baby we lost. You can read the letter I wrote to our baby HERE. It hadn't even crossed my mind all day long. Losses are hard, but we can choose to dwell on them and grow bitter or sweetly remember and enjoy what we have in front of us, I choose the option #2.