A Long Time Coming

I have been needing to post this for over a month now. Mike finished the fence!...and a whole lot more. Mike is an amazingly fast worker. He Finished in two weeks! He does great handiwork and it is like my own oasis! These kind of projects are his hobbies. He is a service love language person, so he is telling us that he loves us. This is the sandbox which I said that I never wanted! ha ha. I've known so many people who have hated theirs because it makes your house a mess. Our girls used to go to the neighbot's sandbox and play in it like every day. So he was so nice and came over and offered to make use one if we would pay for the materials. It sounded like a good deal so I went against my better judgement and...I hate it. We have sand in our bed, on our couch and in the girls hair all the time!!!

Mike assembled this playhouse in record time as well! It took him 2 days! The kids love it and I can send them out to play so that I can have me time or take care of MiKaylah. We just need to get the wood chips or something put in.

Eliannah, Tsadakah, Madison.

Michael, the greatest man, the greatest husband, the greatest father!

Michael is so patient with the girls. I try to use him as an example when I am disciplining them. He is strong in every way. He is completely in love with his girls. I love to see him make kissy faces at MiKaylah and talk to her in a soft voice as he, a big strong guy, holds this tiny infant!

Life With Three

Three children has been an adventure! I love my kids more than anything, but I almost feel like a first-time-mom again. I am at a learning curve and I have to work hard to maintain ballance. I have had to limit the activities I go and do.
The thing that I have noticed the most is that it is not just a learning curve for me, but also for the older two. Tsadakah is having to learn to do more for herself than I would have ever pushed her to do if I hadn't had a new baby. Sometimes my hands are just full and I have to tell her that she has to do it herself. She is doing well with that. I think that it is good for her self-esteem. Eliannah's learning curve is learning that tempertantrums don't work. This little one is the queen of tantrum throwing, and in the past I have given in because it was easier than dealing with a tenth tantrum for hour. (ha ha she really wasn't that bad) I usually made Tsadakah give her the toy she wanted or whatever, but now when she takes MiKaylah's toys or her burp rags I take them away and put my foot down. She is learning, but it hurts me too because I feel bad for her having to feel like her place has been taken.
She's been doing some cute and funny things too. She takes MiKaylah's pajamas out of the drawer and tries to put them on. She gets one arm on and runs around the house saying "Mine!"

MiKaylah is doing really well on all her development stages. She is staring at me for a long time to memorize my face, she is moving as if she is cycling a bike, and she is more awake and allert during the day. She is getting chunkier every day which is making her look change a lot. Everywhere I go people are noticing the change. She's a beauty and I have been struck by qupid because I am definitely in love!

Tsadakah is so much like me in her personality! She loves to dress up! She found this horse costume and wanted to wear it. It is like a 18 month old costume so it was a squeeze! Then she found the one that I bought for my sister and she insisted Ellie wear it, as you can see she is not as thrilled! ha ha. They are so much fun!

A Day At the Zoo!

It was mandatory for Mike to work on Father's Day, so we didn't get to see him that day. We really missed him. He got the next day off for it though. I asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate and he said that he wanted to take the kids to the zoo. He is such a great dad because he is always choosing to do things that are great for the kids. Last year we came to the zoo for his birthday. I think that makes him feel the happiest as a dad, to see his kids excited; and they were definitely excited! This is Eliannah who is very excited about an animal that she could see. It was the Giraffe, which is my favorite animal at the zoo, that she is pointing at. Believe it or not, this was not her favorite. We went to the Giraffe building and Mike took them up to the second level. He said that Eliannah climbed under the gate to where the zoo workers only and he had to grab her just by her feet and pull her back. Yeah when we go to Lagoon we will for sure be getting her a monkey leash!!

Tsadakah was more excited about the Rhino than the Elephant and her new baby, Zuri. We went to the Elephant show and I really enjoyed seeing what the elephant could do! She got down on one knee like she was proposing and then down on her tummy like a dog.

Tsadakah loved to see the animals and she was so excited to see them. Just like last year all she talked about and searched for was the Lion. I don't think that they have one, so I am glad we are going to Lagoon because I think that they have some. The Tiger sufficed for the time though.

Ellie playing at the playground.

Sadye being a turtle.

The Zebras weren't there and we missed them a lot. I didn't get a picture of Eliannah in front of the animals that were her favorite because she was so excited about them she wouldn't hold still at all!! She kept moving, jumping, and swinging. It was so cute how excited she got about the monkeys. It made me so happy to see her so excited. That reminds me that we saw an Orangutan sitting right up against the glass. He was eating a fruit and being silly. It was awesome to see face to face like that!

Ward Party & Family Reunion

Tsadakah: She has a LOT of favorites in her little world, but her all time favorite and treasured possession is her yellow blanket! She can't sleep without it and she will not let anyone else play with it. She has even caused Michael to have to break into someone's house once to get it back after she left it there. Well she WILL share it with MiKaylah! She tucks her in with it all the time. CUTE!

Eliannah: So she is doing really well still and she is such a joy! She makes me laugh all the time with her adorable sense of humor and personality. The other day I went into me room and found her stuffing as many nursing pads as possible down her shirt. I totally cracked up! the all fell out the bottom of her shirt. she looked down at the pile and said "oh no"

MiKaylah: She has gained a whole pound already! She never lost weight! The sad thing is that she is already out growing some of her outfits! *sigh! She is changing a lot in the face and looking chubby!! She is now 22" and 8lb 6oz. that puts her at 95% for height!

It was a really great weekend! Friday we went to our ward party. We had good food (dutch oevn chicken), good company and good entertainment. We sat with two of my good friends. One of whom just had her baby girl 2 weeks before I had MiKaylah.
The entertainment was a talent show. Tsadakah definately wanted to get up and do something! She stood up on the stage and confidently sang her favorite primary song, "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" Then they played a little music in the end and Eliannah and I danced the Mocaraina together. It was fun! Mike went around and scared the little girls who were running around the church. They were loving it! it was funny!

Saturday was Mike's family reunion. It is always at the same park. Well we definately got rained out! So we went to the nearest relative's house and BBQ'ed there. It was a good time. The kids still wanted to play outside despite the wind and scattered showers. Well Tsadakah was trying to pick their flowers near the pretty little pond that they had and oops! she fell in! Went under completely! She climbed out and stood there holding her dress out and looking at it. It was quite funny to all the adults who laughed and she ate up all the attention that she was getting for it. I had to wash her at their house. Good thing that I had something to put on her, although it was Eliannah's clothes. ha ha good thing she is such a skinny thing!

Baby Life

For my June goal I am focusing on family. I know that it is really hard on the older kids when there is a new addition to the family because it takes mom's time away. So I am trying to make time for them and create the best environement of love here in our home so that they can feel secure.
The blessings that have come from it have been so wonderful! I feel closer to them and I don't think that I have been as much of a yeller as I have been in the past. I am practicing patience and just trying to stay consistant while still remaining calm.
We have been doing so much better with family scripture study, prayer and FHE too. I feel closer to Mike because we are trying harder to do these things together, and we communicate better.
I think that there is no better way to bring two sisters together than to have another baby. Ha ha. Here is what Tsadakah and Eliannah have been doing to bond, locking each other inside a laundry basket by sitting on top of it. They really were playing well together and laughing about it. Their playing together has gotten more frequent since they realized that the time mommy has for them is lessened but the time their sister has for them hasn't changed.
The other night after tucking them into bed I shut the door to their room and listened to them giggling for some time. I realized that I will never be a part of that relationship. I will never be in on the things that they titter about in the night time. I will not hear the secrets that they share with each other throughout the years. In that sense I will always be the outsider. Knowing that they share that makes be smile though.

MiKaylah is so precious! I want to take her picture all the time! When she is sleeping, when she is waking up, and when she is awake.

She is so fun to hold! I enjoy holding here in quiet moments early in the morning when the other girls haven't gotten up yet, or in the middle of church in the mother's lounge when its just the two of us!

I keep trying to catch a picture of her smiling! she is so cute all the time that I want to document every aspect, not just the sleeping all the time, but the smiles and the scrunched up faces too.

My mom came and helped out for the first coulple days back from the hospital.
She was great! And of course she loved holding MiKaylah.

Eliannah is still all over MiKaylah any time that she is awake! She loves to hold her. I have gotten to the point where I have them lay down together because that is easier for her and less stressful for me! lol. She loves to help burp the baby.

Tsadakah is also a little mommy. Her favorite thing to help give La La baths.

Eliannah hasn't shown any jealousy toward the baby, but she has been super clingy to me. She wants me to hold her all the time!! She is more insecure about going somewhere without me, like when I drop her off at nursery. I prefer this to jealousy so I am glad that she hasn't had that reaction.

Tsadakah's second favorite thing to help with is giving La La her bottle. I think that it is a good way for them to bond. They love her so much!

I am feeling much better and am glad to not be pregnant anymore. I love being a mother and I am so happy because my kids do so many things that make me smile.