There will be a day when...

There will be a day when...

My husband comes home from work and we can sit and talk uniterrupted

I will be able to take as long as I want to get dressed

I won't be woken up at night for feedings, diapers or nightmares

My house will be clean

My laundry will be caught up (well that might one might not happen)

I can make dinner without tripping over toys or children

I won't feel like a servant cooking and cleaning up ALL day long

I can decorate how I want without worrying which 2 hands will see this as an object to throw

My kitchen floors won't be covered in crumbs (only reason I want a dog)

I won't hear the arguing in the back seat

I won't be the mom of "that child" having the public meltdown

I won't have to dress little bodies, tie shoes and carry a bunch of coats in the winter

I can run errands whenever I want without figuring out how to keep multiple little bodies near me or who can watch them

I will be able to sit and read a book or magazine without interruption

I won't have a closet full of different size clothes that fluctuate with my body weight from babies

I can exercise without having to work around feeding schedules so I don't have full boobs knocking me out while I run/move

I will have an actual waist again

I won't have to referee the hair pulling

I can have a date night with my husband without the logistics of who watches the kids

My day won't revolve around nap schedules

But there will be a day I miss...

Little hands holding mine

Big eyes on sweet faces that think I know everything

Afternoons watching them run free at the park

Excitement all over their faces

Contagious laughter

Watching my uninhibited children using their imagination for all sorts of things

Sweetly rocking my baby to sleep

Nurturing a body on breast milk alone

Cuddling and reading books together

Having the ability to heal boo boo's with kisses and hugs alone

Them wanting to be near me at all times

Feeling my unborn child move inside me

Watching them play and make up games together

Watching them defend each other to other kids

Them thinking I am cool

My husband and I sitting on the couch watching them play

Watching my 2-year-old be a BOY 

Laughing inside as my 4-year-old tries to use words she has heard but doesn't know the meaning of

Feeling like I can still protect them from this world

Listening to their innocent prayers and view of God

There are seasons of life. 

Every season has it's good days and bad.

Today I feel like I can't catch up with life.

This is my reminder that this season doesn't last forever and I am so thankful for the wonderful things I experience now.

Easter

Easter Sunday

We had a great Easter, amazing church service, yummy dinner with friends and absolutely gorgeous weather. Palm Sunday we had 10 inches of snow on the ground, Easter Sunday kids were barefoot, what a difference a week makes (especially living in the Midwest). Steve preached Easter morning, he BROUGHT the message. You can listen to it HERE

On the way to church Palm Sunday

We had our Spring Fest on Palm Sunday, needless to say it wasn't very well attended as people stayed home and didn't venture out in the snow. Our kids got up and sang with Rockin Rob, I was impressed Payton did this as she usually doesn't like attention. Buster on the other hand, will most likely be our class clown. He got up later in the morning all by himself and sang in front of the whole crowd. 

Steve preaching

Kids table

Kids ready for egg hunt, can you tell my 2 were making sure neither one of them started early

Ava Bell finding her egg

Reese

Mike and Lillian Maysen

Kids hunting eggs

The McNeil family

The McAtee family

The Zimmers

Our new Youth Pastor Trent and his wife Jess, Easter was their first Sunday here, they moved from GA and we are so excited to have them.

We had a few more friends who I didn't get a picture of. Easter used to be so hard for me because it felt like everyone else had family besides us, so I started hosting Easter for those who don't have family here and we have a great time every year. I would love to live near my family, but that isn't our reality, so we enjoy our "family" here.

Catching Up

We have been adjusting well here to Presley. So far transition to #3 has been much easier then #2 was, but I would attribute that mostly to the temperament of Presley compared to her big brother Colton. He was such a difficult baby that she seems easy. She is eating and sleeping well, can't ask for much more. The 2 older kids have been great with her. They both love holding her and giving her paci to her when it falls out. Colton has only head butted her once, so we are doing well :) For as aggressive as Colton is in life, he really has been so gentle to her. Payton is really taking her big sister job seriously. Payton and Colton entertain each other so much that they keep each other busy, giving me the time I need to care for Presley. My physical recovery has been the best yet, I feel great. I was concerned about my hormones post-pregnancy as they were all over the place pregnant, worse then they were any other time during any pregnancy or post-pregnancy. They have been doing great this past month as well. Overall I am very thankful. My roughest pregnancy has been my best post-pregnancy yet. Here are some pics of the kids

Father/Daughter Dance

Saturday night Steve and Payton had their annual Father/Daughter Dance. Being that Presley was only a week old, we decided she would stay home this year.

This little stinker stayed home with me. Colton and I played together and I was floored by how many words he said, the colors he knew, how high he could count. He has a sister that talks a lot for him and rarely do I get time alone with him where we are just home playing. I did not realize how much his little brain knew, or has picked up since he doesn't get the floor to speak without interruption from big sister much. We had fun building high towers and crashing them down.

And this cutie pie slept the evening away

Presley Rae Southards

Presley is here.

She arrived Friday February 15th 4:57pm

8 lbs 10 oz

20 inches

Her birth story is simple, we went in to the hospital and had a baby. 

It was the most drama free delivery we have had yet. We were induced, I got all the good drugs and pushed her out. The whole pregnancy I had wanted to go into labor on my own, but was completely satisfied with how everything turned out, even though it wasn't my original plan. I learned with Payton, most often your "plan" isn't the reality.

Presley is such a sweet baby. The first few nights home were really rough, but she has now got into the routine of eating and going back to sleep during the night. During the day she really is content. She eats well, sleeps well and we are both healthy, can't ask for much more. 

Steve and I agreed on her name about a month ago. Our friends in Florida have a Presley and they said they had read her name means "peaceful spirit." I loved that. I felt like the last year had been a storm for me on many levels and she was my calm, my peace after the storm. Her middle name Rae is a combo of both grandma's names (R from my MIL Ruth and my mom's middle name Kay, which mom goes by her first and middle name Mary Kay). Steve was the one to think of it and I loved how it honored both of her grandmothers. We did change the spelling to be more feminine.

Her siblings have loved having her out of mommy's belly. Surprisingly Colton pays her a lot of attention and is very sweet and gentle with her. 

My in-laws were in KC while we delivered and then took the 2 older kids back to St. Louis for a few days. My mom flew in Saturday (day after we delivered) and it was such a huge blessing to come home and have 2 days without the big kids here. They had a blast at Papa and Gigi's and didn't miss us at all. Uncle Benny came home from college and the kids were thrilled to play with him. Here are the pics we were getting while the kids were gone.

They race down the big hill in their front yard

Big girl bubble bath

Yummy food, Payton said the were having a party!

Feeding Gigi's chickens

Taking care of Gigi's baby

We are so thankful for all 3 healthy kids!