FOUR MONTHS FOR FINN

Finn is my third child and I feel like I'm just now coming to a full depth of appreciation for what it is to have a baby. All I can say is I love, love, love this little bundle of joy. I remember being excited to see Asher and Silas grow through all of the baby stages, enjoying each one that came more than the one that had passed. But not this time...I want Finn to stay tiny forever! Does that mean he's truly the baby of the family? Maybe.

Speaking of "tiny", he's sort of already left that stage and is weighing in at about 17 and a half pounds. He's a happy, mellow little guy who loves staring at himself in the mirror, grabbing onto things {like my hair}, and hearing music. His face lights up any time I turn it on! He just started eating baby oatmeal, he's already managed to roll off the couch {whoops, guess I'm out of the running for the mother-of-the-year award}, and he's becoming increasingly aware of when he's not being held. He loves to stand up on his feet a little, be lifted up and down into the air, and get bounced around. He pretty much hated tummy time until I tried again today to find out that he can hold his head up a lot higher and longer than he could even just a few weeks ago. I think both of us were surprised to see how strong he's getting! 

He's loved his pacifier since day one, and he drinks out of a bottle fantastically! And if those things aren't enough to call him a great baby, here's the cherry on top- for the very first time in the history of nursing my boys, I didn't have to give up dairy for six months! Hallelujah for babies without sensitive tummies.

So far, Finn's spent over half of his life in transition between New York and Germany, officially calling three different places home. I'm relieved to know that this huge transition is almost over and I can't wait to get back to what we might be able to call "normal". But normal or not, I really just hope this time of our lives doesn't fly by. I think it's taken me about four and half years of motherhood to even begin to appreciate the absolute gift that these boys are, and I'm still not all the way there. Yes, there are times when they bring me to the brink of my sanity and I wonder what in the world I was thinking when I first thought motherhood sounded like a good idea. But I'm learning the best things in life are often the hardest things, and for that reason I want to be careful not to wish away their childhood.

I'll admit that- sometimes- I get tired of hearing older people tell me how these are the best years of my life and that my kids will be grown and off on their own before I know it, as if they've totally forgotten how utterly hard it is some days. But all in all, I don't think I've ever heard a parent say that their kids grew up too slow. So I want to be wise and heed the truth, that children truly are a blessing and a heritage from our good and gracious Father. That if we'll rely on the strength and the grace of God to love our children to the fullest, our days will be filled to the brim with joy.

Happy four months, Finn! Now be a good little boy and stay little forever, please.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5

FINGER PAINT PHOTOBOMB

I don't think I'll ever have too many photos of the boys doing their finger painting!

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ASHER / 4 yrs / Smiling for the camera and jumping on the bed; always a good combination! We recently bought two twin sized beds, one for Asher and one for Silas, but so far Silas is more than happy to stay in the crib in the other room. So Asher has a field day having TWO beds all to himself. At least until we get to Germany.

PHINEHAS / 6 weeks / I haven't quite caught it on camera, but he's starting to smile! He's also much more wakeful most days and sleeping fairly well at night, {with a few exceptions, of course...when are kids ever totally predictable?}

SILAS / 23 mo. / Everyone deserves a chair that's just their size! This little vintage school chair is mostly used for climbing up onto Thane and I's bed, but this week it was a great prop for our photos. By the way, Silas technically has a few more days until he hits two, but he has fully arrived to his terrible two stage. Asher seemed to skip that altogether, so this is new {and scary} territory for us.

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ASHER / 4 yrs / More fun in the back yard! We're spending as much time outside as we can these days.

SILAS / 22 mo. / Oh my gosh, look at him! I asked him to look at me for a photo as he was walking away, and he stopped, turned, and leaned back in the pose you see here, hahaha. And that hair is just crazy!

PHINEHAS / 1 mo. / Do all babies make little pursed lip faces? Our boys all seem too, and it's the cutest.

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PHINEHAS / 3 wks / Soaking up some sun on our back deck. I was lucky to get a photo with his eyes open, he's such a sleepy little guy!

SILAS / 22 mo. / He was pretty sleepy today too. It's been an exciting few weeks around here, and I think all of us could use some extra napping!

ASHER / 4 yrs / I stole this photo from this post. Summer is so, so messy when you have a pack of little boys, but I'm just glad we have a spot in our backyard where he can dig to his heart's content. This keeps him busy for at least an hour at a time!

OUR FIRST MONTH AS A FAMILY OF FIVE

Well folks, Finn turned one month old on Sunday and life as a family of five is rolling right along! 

I'm realizing how short and special of a time this is. It wasn't until I held Finn for the very first time that I remembered how truly tiny and precious infants are. And he's already growing like a weed! He's a really content, mellow little guy and he just so happens to be a marathon napper, making the adjustment in our day to day life a little less of a challenge for the rest of us. 

Isn't it funny how low maintenance newborns are compared to their older siblings? Yes, he does his fair share of being up at night. But by the grace of God, we're managing things pretty well even though having a four year old, an {almost} two year old, and an infant all at the same time is definitely a juggling act. In spite of life being a bit non-stop now and the inevitable moments that are hectic and sometimes just plain crazy, I love having our three boys! 

Speaking of our boys, Asher and Silas love having a little brother! Most of the time they don't pay him much attention, which is pretty helpful because when they are paying him attention it's usually a little on the loving-but-not-so-gentle side, hahaha. Occasionally they try to pick him up, or knock his head when they're wrestling around on the couch, or poke at him, or cover him with a blanket {face included}. But mostly they like to just look at him and kiss him on the forehead. I thought for sure that Silas would have a rough adjustment and struggle with jealousy, but it hasn't been an issue at all. Thank you Jesus!

And I'm so thankful for a husband and dad like Thane! He deserves a lot of the credit for things going smoothly this past month, I honestly don't know how we would have done it without him. I was really hoping that the the labor and recovery would be the easiest yet, being the third baby, but that wasn't the case. 

I know, childbirth is never supposed to be "easy". Maybe I'm just getting old, because everything was exceptionally painful this go-around, and recovering was so up and down. There were a couple of pretty good days in those first few of weeks, but there were some really terrible ones too. Nothing totally out of the ordinary- the usual postpartum soreness and cramping, the uphill climb of adjusting to breastfeeding again, and a long, painful bout of fever inducing mastitis. Just amplified this time. But right about the time time I started to think I was never going to feel like myself again, the perfect verse was put in front of me;

"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." -Paul's words from Acts 20:24

As hard as it was to be in some variety of pain everyday for a few weeks, Paul's example was a great reminder that 1) hey! it's not all about me!, 2) my struggles hardly compare to the struggles of so many others, and 3) it's the gospel and the ministry that Christ gave me that matters. In this season of life, my ministry is my role as a wife, mom, and the keeper of our home, and it's not always supposed to be easy! Sometimes I have to get my focus off of myself and onto the work He's given me- to carry the load I've been entrusted with- difficulties and all.

But- now that it's mostly passed, haha- I'm thankful for this lesson. Sometimes it takes just a small taste of life not going my way to be reminded of how absolutely blessed I am. I can't help but walk away from these past weeks feeling more compassionate for those who suffer from much greater problems, for much longer periods of time. I hope my own relatively light difficulties help shape me into person who is better equipped me to reach out to others in need.

But the harder-than-expected recovery aside, Finn is an absolute joy and we're enjoying each and every day as we settle into a new rhythm as a family of five!

PHOTO*JOURNAL | 05.09.2015

Hi, friends. It's been a while since I've shared a batch of photos like this, mostly because getting them edited and organized and arranged is surprisingly time consuming! Which is why I've been posting more to my Instagram account lately, so definitely pop over there to see more frequent updates. But anyway, I love capturing these ordinary, everyday moments and putting them together in a way that quietly celebrates the blessing of family life at home. I have to admit that a lot of my days as a stay at home mom feel like a whirlwind of activity, and it's easy to get lost in all of the "doing" and lose sight of how special it is. But despite it's non-stop, day in and day out nature, it's an absolute privilege to be a wife and a mom and to strive to do it in a way that honors our amazing God. Especially when I can look back and remember that it's often the seemingly simple things that turn out to be best things in life.

1. Is it just me, or are the rest of the moms constantly telling their kids to put their shoes back on?

2. We've been trying to get our fruits, veggies, and nuts via smoothies lately. It's pretty easy to slip some kale and carrots in there without too many complaints from the boys.

3. An old photo of Silas from last winter that I never got around to posting. It was really cute when he started riding around the house on that truck.

4. I've finally put my Hunter's away for the year. I wore them pretty much every single day this past winter because they didn't require any bending over or tying! Not to mention they're waterproof, and those are three very good things when you're in the third trimester and living in the North Country.

5. We've started coloring a lot again, it's one of my personal favorite things to do with the boys! Easy, simple, and relaxing. At least until the crayons turn into wall art or a snack for Silas...

6. This was the side of the chalk wall that was not supposed to be drawn on. Haha, oh well!

7. I love a man in flannel.

8. Some recent paintings by Asher.

9. Phinehas, right around three weeks old!

10. Silas has figured out how to get onto all of the beds with the help of his little school chair.

11. This is the owl that inspired this drawing.

12. A photo that was taken by accident but actually turned out kind of pretty.

13. Baby feet! Finn's, to be more specific. I love it when you finally get to see the little feet that you've felt kicking from the inside.

WHAT BOYS DO BEST

It's a little harder to find the time to pick the camera up these days, but when I saw Asher literally showering himself in dirt I made the time! Haha, oh boys.

Lucky for me, Silas decided to abstain from getting absolutely filthy, making clean up time afterward just a tad bit easier. I still can't get over what an absolute blessing it is to be able to go outside in shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops and to feel the warmth of sunshine on our skin- praise God! I'm sure I sound like a broken record because I mention it in just about every post, but get used to it, haha. I think I'll be talking about how much we love the warm weather until winter comes again! It's amazing how much you learn to appreciate the simple blessings when you go without them for a while.

I hope you guys are loving the spring every bit as much as we are!