super love

We've read Super Love countless times this week, a sweet story about a little girl who plans a wedding for her cat and her stuffed puppy. Unfortunately, the cat doesn't seem to want to cooperate. She sets up her stuffed animals to watch, decorates the aisle and is all set to be the flower girl, but her cat still doesn't want to participate. In the end, her dad comes home from work and her mom and dad get married again. It's adorable and Elsie apparently has been taking notes.

She woke up Friday and wanted to dress for her wedding. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what she could use as a veil. I cut up a white kitchen garbage bag but she didn't like that. I suggested a white skirt, but she didn't like that either. Finally I suggested this fitted sheet, and that made the bride-to-be happy.

I got out my wedding album so she could see me as a bride and she poured over each picture.

Then we made an aisle and got the church all set for a wedding. Ivar said excitedly, "the wood box can be the dresser! Mom, why is there a dresser in the front of every church?" A sweet time to tell him about the altar table. Then he went upstairs and got all of his mini Bibles so we would each have a book in our hands for singing. Elsie insisted that "weddings are at night like Maddie" so we just had a rehearsal, waiting for the sun to go down for the real thing. It was also decided that Ivar would be the cotton ball boy, a new spin on the flower girl.

After supper we had the actual wedding, and the groom was very good to put a sport coat over his pajamas. It was family movie night, so we got out the video from our wedding to show the kids. Elsie was mesmerized. Mostly the kids were fascinated watching video of their cousins and aunts and uncles walking down the aisle from ten years ago. 

It was a sweet day of wedding fun. At one point, as Elsie trotted across the room in her cinderella high heels, I said to Rory, "don't blink. the real deal is just around the corner." And we both got teary. 

life with three

Just taking a minute here to write out my thoughts on how life has changed with the addition of our third, sweet baby. I've been thinking about it quite a bit, actually,

My first thought is that this has been a pretty smooth transition compared to the last baby. I had a hunch that it would be. The change from one to two kids was rough on me, partly because it was a big adjustment, but also because we had just moved, our marriage was in need of some tlc, I was still trying to find local friends, I had a dear friendship that was greatly strained, I didn't have a routine to my days and the hormones I was dealt were bad news. It made for a rocky ride.

In contrast to Elsie's arrival, the addition of Harriet has been much smoother partly because I didn't move nine days after she was born, our marriage grew even stronger with her birth, I have local friends to call and local places to frequent, that strained friendship has been restored, and this time around I have been given the happy hormone cocktail. You don't get to choose that last factor. It's why some are slammed with postpartum depression and others are not, and can vary with each baby.

But a few things have had to change this time around. When I had the flu last weekend I got to thinking. I was so sick and had just spent the week dealing with Ivar's pink eye. And then Elsie and Harriet got colds too. Part of this is totally normal for a family with little kids in the wintertime. But I also knew that much of the reason for our sickness was our pace of life. It was clear that I couldn't maintain the same commitments I had been trying to keep since Harriet was born. It was taking a toll on all of our well-being and also affecting my milk supply. So I spent an afternoon declining, saying no, and backing out of wonderful invitations and it felt right. We all know that saying no to something is actually saying yes to something else. I was saying yes to our health and happiness.

So the pace of life has had to change with three. And that's fine for this season.

The other thing that I have noticed with three is how hairy and how awesome siblings can be. There are days when I feel stretched thin. But there are many more days when I feel the fullness of moments like the one pictured above and marvel at the fact that the baby was fussing and that Ivar figured out how to calm her. I'm starting to really believe the more the merrier.

So all in all, it's been a nice three months. Perhaps the greatest improvement is the gratitude and contentment I feel as a stay at home mom. I fought this for too long, wondering if I should be doing more, contributing to the world in a larger way. But I don't wrestle with that anymore. I have been given peace that has led to a deep joy and a true sense of purpose. My contribution to the world is huge and worthwhile and currently playing/napping upstairs. Thanks be to God!

That's my update. Three months in with three kids and life feels wonderful and full. The pace has had to slow down and I have had to say no to great things in order to say yes to the best things. I couldn't be more grateful.

puzzle update

Rory came down yesterday and told me he was all out of clean clothes. And I looked at him and said, "well clearly I've been a little busy..." and motioned towards the puzzle table.

I have never ever been a puzzle person. I've never had the patience. But this one is changing all that. Ivar is still super helpful. Most of the time when I find a piece that is a fit I just hand it to him and he can figure out where it goes. He looks on the box and then finds that part of the puzzle. It's been really fun for us to work together and fun to talk about all the states in our country and who we know who lives there.

And for added challenge, we often have trains and kitties crowding us on the table. It's hard to see all the pieces when there are stuffed animals set on top of them, but it makes it all the more rewarding when I do find that missing piece, somewhere in the carpet below.

It's quiet playtime now, which means I can work on the puzzle a bit by myself. Got to go!

hygge and the 5 senses

Do remember the post I wrote last winter about Hygge? I just read it again and it's really good stuff. I love this concept so much and have been thinking about it a lot this winter. Mostly in trying to be proactive in keeping my happy attitude strong during these cold months.

So far, I'm really enjoying this winter. Probably because it's only been really cold for about two weeks. Also because it hasn't been icy. The last two winters were icy which meant walks outside just weren't worth it. Remember how angry I was when I fell flat in the Walgreens parking lot? I was so mad! But this winter lends itself to safe trips from the car right in to Target.

The other thing is that I am taking notice of my five senses and making sure they're all satisfied. I basically channel my inner second-grader and try to make sure every sense is covered.

Sound: I like to have pandora playing. And usually on some sort of calming station like piano or orchestra, my Pride and Prejudice soundtrack station, Bethel music station or low-key folk. Music makes everything better.
Smell: I try to have a candle burning at all times. I got a big evergreen candle at Menards at the end of the season and I love that one,even thought it's no longer Christmas. I know many who love their essential oil diffusers for this purpose too.
Taste: Hot Tea. All the time. Or a hot coffee. But this is key. To always have a mug of something warm nearby. I am constantly putting my drink back in the microwave for a quick reheat, but having something warm to drink really helps. And I'm also on a muffin kick lately. Muffins are easy, smell good and make for a quick breakfast for the kids. I may start to look like a muffin, but at least I'm happy. Muffins for the win!
Touch: This has more to do with what I'm wearing. I keep it cozy. I'm a stay-at-home mom, afterall. And I just told you I'm eating a lot of muffins...
See: This one is important for me. I need light. So I want my house to have the sunshine pouring in, if it's shining. The fire will do too. And I took instagram off of my phone and logged off of facebook for a while..because seeing what other people are up to never seems to lead to contentment. So more sunshine, less screen time. Less screen time opens up more time reading and doing puzzles, as well.

These things are helping me really love and enjoy this winter. And I am grateful. But we all know the real test is come the end of February and into March and April when the winter starts to drag on. So I'm arming myself with these practical Hygge strategies and have high hopes I'll make it through with a positive attitude.

1000 pieces with a 3 and 5 year old

It's still sub-zero here in Minnesota and our family is basically living within ten feet of the cozy hot fire at all times. So I decided it was time to whip out a puzzle. My sister-in-law Sara raved about this puzzle at Christmas. She called it "a joy" and said it was so fun because even though it is 1,000 pieces, it is easy to find where a piece goes. Now that's my kind of puzzle. So yesterday I bought it for $11 at Target and brought it home to Ivar and Elsie.

Surprisingly, it is going really, really well. Ivar is proving to be quite the faithful, patient, puzzler. Elsie mostly likes to eat pretzel sticks and watch us. But their attitude is great. And we've only knocked a cookie sheet off the card table two times. (Rory and I are taking bets as to how many pieces will be missing once the puzzle is complete.)

Anyway, I recommend this puzzle too. Ivar is able to find where pieces go, and the design lends itself to easy sorting.  It's like four or five mini puzzles inside of a bigger one. We're loving it and I think you would too.