Well, I feel like I'm finally able to catch my breath again. Since when? Since last week? Since Christmas, you ask? Since the last time I posted real pictures and life stories? Maybe since Micah was born last February?
After much contemplation, my final answer may be all of the above. This is the first time I have taken the chance to sit down and start writing for over two months. But Wednesday was the first time I made a batch of bread since Micah was born, and I think that is a good indicator that I may be on a brief intermission from the survival mode I fell into exactly a year ago.
"Intermission" because that's what it is. Raising three-under-three can't possibly allow a mother to be in any less of "survival-mode" than two-under-two. So, I expect to return to that state of living in five more months.
But it will be wonderful. And it will be perfectly fine if we need to alternate between boxed mac n' cheese and frozen pizza every night for a month. Eventually my husband will stop coming home hungry for supper and I will begin to see transactions for Subway, Caseys, and Taco John's show up in our bank account.
I am sticking to my new motto: "Overlook the Overwhelming." Instead of being overwhelmed by the future, it's so much more enjoyable to be overwhelmed with love for the two little boys who fill our home with footsteps, giggles, and stinky diapers.
Wow. Six paragraphs down and I have skillfully avoided the commencement of my big ole' catch-up post. Here goes.
November...
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| Though they haven't figured out how to get through our unsecured lock screen, the boys certainly love working on the computer. |
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| Levi loves helping me in the kitchen. On pizza night, I have found it is easiest to give him a chunk of the dough and let him make his own pizza ALL BY HIMSELF. |
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| Matt went to his first auction and brought home this shed. He really just wanted the wood inside of it, but I guess we got a shed out of the deal, too. |
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| The boys got to help out Daddy fixing up the shed. |
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| This is where Matt found Levi one Sunday morning. He had figured out how to open the jar of peanut butter and was eating it by the spoonful. Somehow it didn't end in a huge mess. |
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| This is the first game Levi ever played...and he even won! My brothers found that LCR is simple (and pointless) enough for a two-year-old to play. Levi thought he was pretty cool stuff. |
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| Me and the boys got sick the week of Thanksgiving. Levi was feeling better by Thursday, so Matt took him to the family gathering. Micah and I stayed home and enjoyed fish sticks for our Thanksgiving feast. I accidentally cooked up way more than we could eat, so it kind of did feel like Thanksgiving. :) |
December:
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| We enjoyed having the Sunday School students over one evening to practice for the program and wrap gifts! |
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| Our first family Christmas was in Peoria with my Dad's family. Micah thought his gift from Great-Grandma Knobloch was pretty funny! |
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| "Is that your mommy?" Levi and Max met back up again this year. This time they were both walking and talking. |
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| Walking in Daddy's shoes... |
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| ...Micah realized he didn't need Daddy's shoes to be a klutz. His first few months of walking have been full of bumps and bruises. This bump on his forehead was the result of one of his worst falls. |
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| Not only does he have issues with hitting his head, but he also manages to get into the strangest situations... |
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| Including this one. But hey, it actually made us all happy. He got to go out with Daddy, Daddy hardly noticed his presence, and Mommy was quite productive during his brief absence. |
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| Toddler entertainment for a morning...we made our own play dough by mixing water and flour together until it was the right consistency. (Note: This self-created recipe was great for the day, but didn't keep well.) |
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| Micah turned 10 months old! Walking great now, sleeping well at night, and eating everything we eat! He is getting more and more interactive all the time! |
Then Christmas hit us in full swing...
