1 month and some thoughts.

Time is gong way too fast. As I'm posting these 1 month pics....sweet Tildy is actually almost 2 months.  She is a little sweetheart and such a welcome addition to our family. I love her bright eyes and how she has a furrowed little brow a lot of the time. It is almost as if she is concerned about what that brother of hers might do next...it concerns me too, Tildy :). Although, he does love you. All day he asks, "Where's Tildy, Mom?" and when you cry, "Tildy sad, Mom. I go get her." So he may be rough around the edges, but he sure loves you...just like the rest of us.

Some days I feel overwhelmed by the thought that I am in charge of these three little human beings. The transition to three kids has been busy and exhausting...but it is pictures like this that remind me it is all worth it. I love these kiddos...and I love this picture of them. Hank is being his silly self, Ruby is being her sweet, helpful self, and Tildy is hoping for a nap. After looking at this picture tonight, I hope to have more patience and less frustration with my kids. Life is going too fast not to slow down and enjoy them. They won't be little forever and one day a clean and orderly house will seem way over-rated compared to the joyful chaos of these three youngsters ruling my world. 

A few pics from Easter...before summer gets underway.

 The little ones.

These pictures were taken around 7pm last Saturday night...and yes, that would be Hank eating his dinner in various parts of the house (we all had cereal that night, Hugh was gone at soccer practice). After enjoying some of the show with Ruby, Hank decided to rest his cute self in the play tent to fully enjoy his Kix. Could he be any cuter and funnier? Don't even get me started on his feet! I love them...especially the way he curls his chubby little toes on the ground to keep his balance. I love these little ones, and feel blessed to be adding two more little feet to our family in September! On this particular night, I did feel a bit overwhelmed about being in charge of these children of mine. Would they survive some nights of show watching and wandering dinner eating because mom couldn't quite pull it all together?

Hugh and I found out about our newest little one on Christmas Eve...such a great Christmas gift for both of us. I will always remember that night...getting Christmas ready for Ruby and Hank while thinking of this new little babe. It was very special. Ruby is also quite excited and keeping her fingers crossed for a sister. And Hank, well, he just runs around the house oblivious that he will no longer be the baby come September. I was thinking it was a good sign watching Hank hold Ruby's baby dolls and give them loves. Needless to say, those hopes were shattered as he proceeded to throw them across the room!

There is nothing like having these little ones rule my world. Welcome to our family, babe #4.

Don't let this sweet face fool you.

...actually, he is pretty darn sweet most of the time! Unless he is throwing his bowl of food from his highchair....time and time again. Gets me every time...one would think I'd catch on to his mealtime antics. Apparently, I'm the one being fooled by that sweet face.

Gotta love this little Hank of mine.

Staying up late has its perks....finding these long lost gems in my computer files.

Ruby meeting Astrid's chicks.

Pretty cute to hear Astrid tell us the names of each one.

Ruby loved cheering on her BYU soccer team.

Her favorite words to spell these days are 1. Ruby 2. BYU 

Dress-ups. Enough said.

Wow, my hair really has gotten long since this pic.

Too bad I'm chopping it off next week...much to 

Ruby's chagrin. She likes when "it touches your cheeks, Meg."

Yes...she still refers to her parents as Hugh and Meg.

It is now mandatory we get the "special" cart at Target. That is,

according to Ruby. Hank doesn't seem to mind. Aren't their twinner

ears pretty cute?

Love that million-dollar-smile. But no love for those darn 

banana messes Hank LOVES to make. 

Love these kids.

I am feeling especially guilty tonight that I don't take more time during my days to just sit down and play with them. I hate that I am consistently pre-occupied with all the things I "have" to get done each day. Let's be honest, the laundry can wait...along with a clean house, right? Here's to being more present with my kids, because they are totally worth it.

10 Months. Creeping Speeding to 1 year!

Hank is becoming quite the BOY. He loves being rough and frequently attacks my face with that slobbery mouth of his. He LOVES crawling around the house looking for treasures to put in his mouth. His favorite thing is to have a bin of toys in front of him so he can flail his arms frantically and see how many toys he can send flying...he also does this in his highchair, sending his food all over the floor.  He is working hard on climbing the stairs...he's probably wondering why he never gets closer to that darn toy. Still has no teeth...but I think there are two on the bottom trying to bust through. And my personal favorite characteristic....he has turned into quite the momma's boy.

I have recently noticed how different Hank is than Ruby was at this age. He is much more aggressive and not as controlled and articulate in his movements. Ruby was very curious about the world around her, but much more cautious about things than Hank. It is pretty fun to watch this little guy's personality emerge. He still gets me every time with that charming smile of his. 

Photo Booth doesn't get any cuter than this!

These three...melting my heart.

Little Babe at 27 weeks.

This little babe is growing in my belly and becoming quite active. Its punches and jabs are stronger than ever, and I am always in awe there is actually another life inside of me. I often find my self saying a quiet prayer of gratitude whenever I feel the babe moving because it gives me the (much needed) reassurance that all is well with my baby. My body is really feeling the pregnancy this time around. My back and feet get much more sore by the end of the day compared with Ruby and Hughie and I already feel like I'm waddling around. Last week I had some major heartburn, which I also never had with my other two. Ruby talks to the little one more and more and often lifts my shirt just to say hello to her "baby sister". She tells everyone about her "baby sister" and it makes me smile that she is already so proud of her sibling (I'm not sure how Ruby will feel once the babe is actually here taking away the full attention of mommy). About three more months until we meet this little one. My heart is full just thinking about it.

This past week I started getting some of the babe's things in order. It felt good. We now have a baby boy drawer and a baby girl drawer awaiting the arrival of babe number 3, and I did buy some darling little hats for our newborn bundle to wear home. I've decided the color for this babe is orange. Perfect for a boy or girl :). And Ruby and I picked out this darling giraffe just for the baby.

{Me at 24 weeks. Marissa at 25 weeks. Showing off our bellies}

My cute sister-in-law, Marissa, is a week ahead of me and her little boy is due August 6th. It is fun to think these two babes could possibly have the same birthday. Six days between their due dates is really quite trivial....you never know :).

We love you little babe...so excited to meet you in August!

It's Mother's Day!

This past weekend I have been childless. Ruby got to spend Friday night to Sunday morning at her Grandma Suzi's because I had to work both Friday and Saturday nights. Thanks mom for giving up your entire weekend to chase Ruby around. The only highlight of being alone was that I got to jam to the music of my choice to and from work, no Taylor Swift. Needless to say, I really missed Ruby and it was pretty rough. I know my previous post mentioned how Ruby and I had been occassionally driving each other crazy, I realized this weekedend, I wouldn't have it any other way. This Mother's day I am so grateful to be Ruby's mom. And let's not forget Hughie and this little tyke grooving in my belly. I'm not going to lie, most days it is hard work and exhausting...keeping up with Ruby all while growing a baby, but it's oh so sweet and worth it. I like this quote from Elder Ballard:

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction..."

I also got to thinking, as I drove to work last night, I am so thankful for the wonderful mother's who help me take care of Ruby. I couldn't do it alone and I am so grateful I don't have to. Ruby loves being with both her Grandma's because she knows how much they love her. And how would I ever be able to work without the help of my sister-in-law, Kristina, she treats Ruby as her own...Ruby loves when I go to work because she knows the next morning she gets to go to the Christopherson's. She usually tells me, "When you go to work daddy will sleep with me and take me to Christopherson's." Not to mention all the other mom's in my life whose examples help me want to be a better mom. Thank goodness for great mom's! There are everywhere.

{Ruby and I at Disneyland}

Thank you Ruby, Hughie, and little one for making me a mom. Happy Mother's Day!

**I wrote this last night at work. But here's how my mother's day actually went down. After two nights shifts in a row, a very tired Ruby, and an even more tired mom...we had a HUGE melt-down. I say we because it involved both Ruby and I. She was in tears and besides herself, I was in tears and yelling (I may have even locked myself in the bathroom for a few minutes). Ruby was acting like a two-year-old and so was I...I am a bit ashamed. We started unraveling while talking to Hugh on skype and Ruby was consistently pushing buttons and moving the mouse when I asked her not to. I feel bad that we weren't able to have a better conversation with Hugh, but so it goes. Once we hung-up with Hugh everything fell apart. But after our 20 minute melt-down we recovered and I'm lucky that little Ruby doesn't hold a grudge and she still loves me. And as we drove to my mom's for dinner, listening to her sweet voice singing Taylor Swift brought me joy. She's two she has an excuse...and I'm a mother, I guess that's my excuse. No mother is perfect, right?

I'd also like to say my evening turned out nice. A great dinner cooked by my two wonderful sisters, followed by some relaxing and chatting with my mom, Mal, Call, and uncle Chad. All while having Ruby and her cute personality entertain us all.