Just Because

Margot looked precious before church Sunday in the sweet dress Grammy gave her for Christmas and the adorable hat borrowed from her fashionista friend, Hazel.

Winter Time

Dreaming of Spring! I had the boys draw and label (Micah) the parts of a flower.

and make some vegetable flowers!
Bath time is always a hit



Too much snow for this Mama. I did take pictures from the door.
Snuggling with brother for a rest. These two have the same nose and lips-so cute.

3 Months (and a day!)

Oh sweet baby girl,

How are you three months old already, yet it feels like you have always been here? This month you celebrated your first Christmas. You were too young to remember, but we got more glimpses of your personality as we ventured away from the norm. You are very particular, and you have a temper! I don't usually see this side of you because you are usually home with me in our cocoon. I don't venture out as much with you as I did with the boys because it has been so cold. Many people have asked me if I can tell the difference yet in boys and girls. So much is hard to say if it is personality or "girliness." You love to "talk" to me. You will hold a 20 minute conversation of "ah ga's" with me if we aren't interrupted by the brothers. You love to figure things out and will get frustrated if you can't get it right. I tried to introduce a new sound for you to mimic and after a minute of trying, you burst into tears. Now you spend a lot of time with you tongue hanging out trying to get out a new sound. This is a lot like Micah was. You loved your play mat until you mastered swatting Mr. Bee and successfully grabbing and pulling him to your mouth. Now it is on to bigger and better things-the bumbo. You can grasp a teether or rattle and sometimes get it into your mouth. I can tell this is very satisfying to you. The boys love to bring you new toys to try out. Today I went to change out some laundry, and you had at least twenty things lying around you when I returned! You refuse a paci. In fact, you will scream extra loud if I try to appease you with one when you are sad. I have pretty much given up and resolved myself to the fact that you will probably just suck on your hands to soothe yourself. You now go to bed around 8:00 instead of 11. This has added back a middle of the night feeding around 4. I can't decide which is better-having you stay up late with us and getting no alone time with Dada, or waking up from precious sleep to feed you. Alas, we will work the kinks out yet. You are doing a great job sleeping just the same. You are such a treasure to us, Margot. You are already so loved, and we are loving getting to know you better. I anticipate great months ahead as I learn more about the wonderful daughter, whom the Lord has blessed me with.

Christmas: Better Late than Never!

Whew! Being a mom of three, battling postpartum hormones, and trying to break away for a few minutes of blogging just don't coincide. Christmas came and went in such a hurry. I struggled this year. I wanted to do what I always do. I wanted to give nice gifts, make our home festive, teach our children about our Savior. I quickly realized that I couldn't meet my own perfect standard, and I became frustrated. Alas, looking back on December, we had a really good time. The boys loved doing "Advent Devotions" and getting a special treat at night. Micah really understood so much this year. He would make real prayer requests at night about himself and his sin (Wow! I could take a lesson from my five year old on his ability to admit his faults and ask for God's help to overcome them) We celebrated with Matt's family on the 24th, went to one of our favorite church services of the year (during which Owen fell asleep, while singing O Come All Ye Faithful), ordered Thai takeout, and came home to quickly get everyone in bed. Our Christmas morning was full of fun and smiles. The boys were so excited about their gifts. Margot slept through this, but we did manage a few pictures of her with her new teething rings before we headed to Memphis to see my family. Most of the details are a blur (as is much of my life these days) but here are a few pictures from a wonderful celebration.