*4 Months Old = Time to Clean Out The Closets*

Believe it or not - Ethan turned 4 months old last Friday. How did that happen?? It feels like yesterday I was just bringing him home from the hospital, and now he's almost half a year old! WHAT???
 Babies grow and grow..and with all this growing comes outgrowing things. Ethan's closet and change table need to be rearranged and all the newborn stuff has to be packed up and 3-6 month stuff put in its place. Looks like I've got my work cut out this week...I just need to find the extra time!!! 

I'll post his 4 month pic later today when I upload my camera.

...until next time.
Alisha

*Sick Babies Break My Heart*

I hate the flu. We don't see eye to eye..especially when my kids get sick. It's one thing for an adult to get it - They understand the concept that eventually the throwing up/chills/fever will eventually end...but try explaining that to an almost 4 year old as you're pushing her into the shower at 3am. Yep not fun!

This is the 2nd round of stomach flu to hit our house this winter...thank you but now we're over our yearly quota so it can go away and be done with!!!

Today is gonna be a pj party on the couch kinda day. 

..until next time.
Alisha 

*Uncooked Play Doh*

We decided to have fun making play doh this morning.

1 cup flour 
1/4 cup of salt
1/2 cup of water

the kids had a blast...they love playing with doh. We're gonna let it harden and then they can paint it.

*Picaso In The Making??*

I have officially learned my lesson. Unless it's crayola...it's not allowed in my house!

This lovely art courtesy of Caleb will not wash off...fantastic! I said that I wanted some paintings for my walls, but I didn't mean it in this form.

Thanks Caleb!

*3 Months*

*Photo Shoot*

*My NEW LOVE*

For those of you that are either pregnant, or are in the market for a baby carrier...Look NO FURTHER!!!

The Ergo is for you! 

I have been a baby wearer since my Daughter  was born. I started off with the Evenflo "Snugli" bc that's all I knew about. They sold those ones in most retail stores and most of the parents at the local parks had their babies strapped into these. I thought they were the greatest things EVER. Breanna loved being close to me, and I liked the hands free (although I always usually had a hand on her bc it didn't feel 100% secure)

What I didn't know is that after lugging around my 15lb 6 month old I'd have the worst shoulder pain EVER. 

However...she loved it and enjoyed being able to see the world from a higher standpoint. I just dealt with the pain in my back and shoulders. Sadly, my snuglis don't have love from me anymore. They sit collecting dust in my closet. I really need to find new owners who appreciate them.

Then when Caleb came around, I was introduced to the sleepywrap! Hello Heaven. This new found toy was Fantastic!! (and to this day I still love my sleepy) 

I found this to be very comfortable to wear. No pressure points at all, and it seemed that his weight was distributed evenly. When Caleb was 3 months old he got a terrible cold, and combined with teething it was one of the worst weeks of my parenting life. This is when that sleepywrap was my best friend. 

 The fabric of the Sleepy Wrap is a stretchy knit. I almost call it jersey.  With a greater density comes the benefits of durability, extra support, and security. It adjusts perfectly to your body, and is really light weight. It;s great for the warmer months! The give in the fabric makes it easy to wrap so that it fits just right. 

The only thing that I dislike about my sleepywrap is struggling to put a sleeping infant in after being in the car while running errands. ...this is where my love for the Ergo comes in.

I have always been curious about what the "hype" is when it comes to an ergo. Why the heck is it so darn expensive?? 

I purchased one and patiently waited for the mailman to ring the bell...to my excitement it arrived on Friday! 

Almost immediately after ripping open the boy...I threw it on and gave it a try with Ethan.

I enjoyed that it was light weight also, and the shoulder straps were really padded. This was great. Ethan loved being up and seeing everything and he loved getting to be skin to skin with me. 

I tested it out with a trip to the library. Ethan was very relaxed and enjoyed getting to see everything, he fell asleep. It made hands free for the other 2 simple. This Ergo is my favorite. I don't feel like he's gonna fall out, or of it getting lose at all. 

I like that it can be used as a back carrier, a front carrier or even for the hip. An infant insert can also be purchased allowing you to use it right from day 1. The baby can stay in kangaroo carry position from birth - around 4 months.

They are a bit costly. But...if you want a good investment that's gonna last start saving your pennies now. 

Research has shown that babies who are worn tend to be calmer, sleep better and cry less! 

For Mothers who believe in Attachment Parenting (like myself) this is for you!!! Enough said. :) 

..until Next time. 

Alisha 

*365 DAYS*

March 10 - 2010 marked another day in life where we found out things were going to change..

Baby #3 was on the way! It was a day of tears and mixed emotions, but now looking back I'm thankful and will cherish that day forever. 
(***It's Also my brothers birthday..so Happy Birthday Bill xoxo***)

Holy Cow...another baby!!! :) 


So many people in this world can't have kids. And I can't even imagine what it must feel like to hear that it's something that just won't happen naturally. My heart goes out to you all.  I've been lucky enough to have 3 beautiful and healthy kids...and I consider that a blessing!!! 


So I Thought that today would be a fun day to add a few captured shots that have happened from this past year. 365 days full of love, happiness, tears, fears and the best memories ever! 

This is only a face that a mom can love...and for sure it was bath time after this huge mess! Caleb was trying to feed himself, I always try to let them do it ....whether or not we need to go hose them off in the back yard after :)
I believe he was 13 months here

This Truck was the hi-light of Christmas 2010, and over a year later it's still going strong.

We watched the demolition of the house across the street that was turned into a parking lot for the Church. Although it saddened us all seeing them rip down over a dozen trees and a house full of character -- the kids enjoyed all the activity with the machines. I took this picture as a reminder 

Playing at the splash pad! 

Sharing a Moment at the beach (This is one of my favorite photos of all time)

We bought our trailer for summer vacationing! We got 3 months out of it last year so this year will bring many more adventures in the wilderness! And maybe some decorating :)

Marshmallows + Campfires= 1 sticky mess!

Caleb playing in the hay field. Pumpkin picking...he was 23 months!

November 25.10 - Getting ready for my Ethan to be born. I ended up having an emergency Csection...what a day that was! He had plans of his own to have a Thanksgiving Birthday!
Although I would never recommend a Csection to anyone that can have a baby naturally , I have to admit that it wasn't so bad. 

Catching up on some sleep Nov 27th. The day we got to come home.

Ethan and his big sister playing together














 


3 Months old already!!!! 












Now that my family is complete..it's time to see what the next year will bring us. Here's to the next 365 days! 


Until next time.
Alisha

*40 Things About Being A Mom*

Remember when everyone was doing the "25 Random Things About Me" last year on facebook?? I did it...you did it..and I'm sure everyone posted it at least once.
I was on a popular Mom website Community earlier this week and came across the "25 Things About Being A Mom" and it got me thinking that I should try and write this out. I pulled out a pen and paper and ended up with much more then 25 reasons...here is my list.

1. My adult life started when DD was born April '07
2. Laundry is NOT my friend
3. I haven't slept an entire night since I was about 5 months pregnant and Beanna decided that she was a night hawk..
4. Breastfeeding truly rocks -- and I've been a milk machine since 2007
5. I miss my pre pregnancy jeans
6. I love the newborn smell of babies
7. I miss my pregnant belly and get jealous when I see them
8. I secretly wish my babies would stay small forever. I don't want them to grow
9. I love hearing laughs..especially when its all 3 of them laughing together
10. Yesterday I used spit to clean a face...Doesn't every mom do that?
11. Dishes usually are done when everyone goes to bed.
12. Blanket forts REALLY are COOOL
13. Cloth Diapering has become a big part of who I am
14. If a plate is not touched for dinner - they won't starve
15. Broken hearts already make me cry
16. Smiles melt my heart
17. Sometimes it's hard NOT to laugh
18. Yet sometimes its hard Not to Scream
19. Making the "right" decision sucks sometimes
20. I can't enjoy "Me time" I miss them too much when I'm gone
21. I feel guilty that I can't keep my house spotless
22. I love baby wearing...especially dads babywearing :)
23. Kisses before kids were never so slobbery, yet they're my favorite
24. Hiding the broom doesn't work and "No Caleb thats not for hitting your sister with"
25. My Morings start with "mommy" and usually end the same too.
26. I hate winter even more now. Snowsuits take forever to get on.
27. The 1-2-3 theory really does work
28. My kids know how to use my Iphone better then I do
29. I swear these kids could live off of Dill pickles and Crispy Minis
30. All my clothes tend to have some sort of stain on them by the end of the day
31. I don't get to shower every day. End of story.
32. I think I've read Good Night Moon over a million times
33. Why do I hear "I'm Hungry" 24/7?
34. If I kick/step on or trip over another toy...I may just lose it.
35. I probably give in more then I should
36. I use the TV sometimes to get things done
37. I've had 2 natural births and a csection
38. Hearing "mom" for the first time makes it worth everything I do.
39. I never knew I could love 3 little people as much as I love my kids
40. I was meant to be a Mom.

*Time For A Makeover*

I decided that since I'm staying put with this Blog, it's time for a "Face lift". Bear with me as I make some changes :) 

 

*Turning Country...Part 2*

The next stop was to a farm to see our Cousin Charlie's Cows.

This mama is VERY pregnant, and the cool thing was I was able to feel her baby kicking outside of her tummy. I was laughing bc we shared a "Mama" moment together her and I.

It was cool getting to see dairy calves. I don't remember how old he said these little ones were...but they were brand new. Pretty scared of us, but that's to be expected.

These were the "show cows" which were kept inside the barn. It was neat getting to see what they base their awards on and how the cows handle themselves when being showed. I learned some new stuff about Cows that I didn't know :) 

All in all it was a great experience, and the kids enjoyed getting to see and make some new friendships. I'm looking forward to going back once the snow melts. I have a new love for Clydesdale horses. I want one....now I just have to figure out where it would sleep :)

-Alisha

*Turning Country...For An Afternoon That Is*

On Sunday, we packed up the car and headed to 2 different farms. The kids love animals, and with Caleb's love of "Tractor"...we thought they'd really enjoy it. A bonus is the night before it snowed, making the ground not as mucky. (Although leave it to me to get something gross -which was an unknown substance - all over my boots causing them to stain)

Our First Stop was the see the Clydesdale Horses. I instantly fell in love. B was great with them, not afraid or nervous around them at all.  Caleb was terrified and wouldn't go near them at first, but decided it was okay near the end. 

This horse is "Mojo" - he is almost as old as I am. He loves kids, which is why he was chosen out of the 5 of the clydes to come hang out with us. 

He was such a gentle giant. 

B was given the opportunity to ride him.. We didn't think she would want to, but no hesitation what so ever. That made her day!

This Horse "Todd" was mischievous..he kept trying to pull B's hat off. 

Caleb's part came next when it was time to see the big farm equipment.

Seeing them from afar is one thing, but being up close to these tractors is something else, Caleb was afraid of it's size...but once he was allowed inside and calmed down, it was all play. 

Of course, Steve thought it would be funny if I got in for some pictures. The kids took me for a "Ride"

* Sitting Up*

Ethan has finally mastered sitting up in his bumbo (without looking like a bobble head)
He loves being able to sit with his brother and sister when they're playing..
This picture was taken the day he turned 3 months (Feb 25.11)

*I'm Halfway Gone*

I had decided to spread my wings and venture onto another site to try and "create" a new blog...one that would allow me to do much more - only to decide to come back to my original one.
I was half way gone...but have found my way! I'm back!!!


I have lots to catch up on and I want to try and revamp the look. I was getting no where with the other one, although I find Tumblr cool...everyone I know is still using this one.

So...Until next time.

Alisha