Julia’s Journey

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Lila's Winter Wonderland

As with everything it seems lately, I am behind on blogging! But what's new there?!? More for myself than anyone else who might possibly still check in on this long forsaken blog, I need to make some updates before I completely lose all memory of this time of life.

We celebrated Lila's first birthday several weeks ago & had a fabulous time! Since this is our first time to plan a birthday in a holiday season, it was a bit tricky figuring out when to do it and what to do since its been so chilly lately. I did a little searching & found a fun idea of going with a Winter Wonderland theme! Corey was sweet to go along with our girly pink & white Christmas this year - who would have known pink could be so festive at Christmas! We may have to pull it out again next year, it was so much fun.

We had lots of little friends & family come over & enjoy pizza & cake & crafts for the bigger kids. As with all first birthday parties, it was a little crazy, but that's part of the fun! Of all my kids, Lila seemed the least concerned about the crowd at her first birthday. I think she loves all the attention! She was pretty cute opening gifts, of course loving all the paper and boxes like every baby does. Eating the cake was entertaining - I so wish we had a picture of when the beautiful little cake was dumped upside down on the floor just after she blew out the candles! I don't know exactly how it happened, but it cracked me up - what else can you expect with 10 kids wanting to "help"?

It's so hard to believe she is one already! This year has truly flown by - each year, with the addition of each child seems to go faster & faster. I wish I had a better memory for the details of each of my kids growing up, but truth be told, I will not remember much (and have already forgotten many things!). So here are a few things I want to remember about Lila at 1 year old:

She is such a happy baby! She smiles almost constantly, though you really have to work to get her to laugh!
She loves her sisters so much and leans into them & hugs them often. She has just learned how to make kissing noises & yesterday blew kisses for the first time - precious!

She is the first of my girls to be really attached to her daddy at this age. Granted, she's still mostly a mama's girl, but it is so sweet to see her race for the door, repeating his name & reaching for him when he walks in at night.
Her vocabulary has exploded over the last month or so! She has been a little mimic for a long time, repeating words & sounds a lot, but now they're getting much clearer. Among her (clearer) words - go, daddy, Addie, Lila, bye bye, mama, cracker, night night, etc. She has sounds to say - baby, bath, paci, bottle, emma, pat pat, and more. She uses signs for please, eat, more, and all done. It's so nice to have a little bit of communication!
Lila loves baby dolls, bath time, playing peekaboo, and recently dancing! She really gets her head & shoulders moving to the music :). She has decided she loves wearing her sister's dress up clothes, especially tutus. Hats are lots of fun too! It's amazing how so many of these feminine traits come so naturally. Its clear God made her a girl, inside & out!
She knows many animal sounds including those for a cow, duck, pig, sheep, kitty & puppy.

Lila does not enjoy getting dressed at all & screams every time! She has also started to really dislike being in the car, despite the fact that she is turned around now & can watch movies. It doesn't entertain her for long!
She has begun to really fight her two naps...I'm afraid we may be moving to one a day, which could be nice unless it falls during the time I need to pick up one of her sisters from school.
So far, even though she can be quite strong willed, Lila is showing signs of being a pretty obedient child. She will actually stop if we ask her to stop touching something (sometimes anyway!). She has even gotten to where she can follow some instructions ("put the vaseline back in daddy's cabinet" etc.!). We think she's one smart cookie!
Mealtimes are a challenge - she will eat berries and fruit like crazy, but anything else is a struggle. What kid passes on a cookie for a blueberry?!? Apparently this one.

So many things I don't want to forget about this stage...there are so many sweet moments. I am thankful to God daily for my precious girls, their health & my ability to stay home with them. Its such a hard job, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Friday, September 11, 2009

First Day of School

Whew! Three weeks down & I'm finally getting around to posting about the first week of kindergarten! Emma has done great, but if has definitely been a transition for all of us. We were afraid the first day would be a disaster because Emma started getting a cold a couple of days before & she was miserable (which you can tell from the pictures!). But she was excited enough about it that she still got herself up & ready & was looking forward to the day. And yes, I said got herself up! I got the idea from some friends to have her responsible for getting herself up to her alarm clock & we even made a handy little chart with all the things she needs to do to get ready in the morning. Some days are better than others, but overall this is a great system for us so far! The couple of times I've had to help her get up were miserable - she is not a morning person, and never has been. Addie on the other hand wakes up at the same time (they share a room) and is immediately happy and sweet. Thank you Lord for one of them being a morning person! Anyway, Emma loves school and I can tell she is loving being her teacher's helper. We prayed & prayed for a great teacher for Emma's kindergarten year & God answered. We have already been so blessed by this sweet lady and after volunteering the first week, I was reminded again what a special person it takes to do that job! Emma got the rules down within a couple of days & I get a regular report of who made bad choices each day :). She immediately made friends with some sweet little girls and seems to have found her place already. She is going through a very independent phase which I'm sure has a lot to do with her new status as a "big" kindergartener! She is insisting on fixing her own hair each day - her daily choice for hairstyle? Headband. Nothing else will do. Suggestions from me are not appreciated (and I'm thinking, is she 5 or 15??). She is also adamant about wearing her tennis shoes every day, regardless of whether she's wearing shorts or a sundress. I am trying to not care about these things, knowing they truly don't matter. But it's so hard to let her out of the house in something that doesn't match - the truth is, I don't want people to think I dress her that way, like I think it matches :). Dumb, I know & I'm trying to get over it! She's asserting her independence in many ways - along with starting school, Emma has learned to ride her bike with no training wheels! She has wanted to work on it for a while but it finally clicked & she took off. Big girl! We are slowly adjusting to life with a grade schooler, and I think it is finally getting better. More than anything I think it is hard for me to get us in the routine of what we need to do when & where we need to be at what time! It's a constant juggling act!

Adding to the craziness (at least for the moment) Addie also started pre-school this week! We are at a new school this year for a variety of reasons, but it has been great already. Since this is the 4th preschool our family has gone to since Emma started going at age 2 I'm pretty much an expert in preschools in our area :). The great thing is, they have all been wonderful - we've just had good reasons for moving around! But hopefully we're at this one to stay. We are so excited that Addie has two buddies in her class - my cousin Amy's little boy and our good friend Noah! It was much easier going into a new class knowing someone there. Addie was a little anxious for a couple of minutes, but seemed to get over it quickly. It was a great day for all of us! I enjoyed a little extra time with Lila & am looking forward to being able to play with her more and get a few more things done.

Miss Lila is 9 months old & busier than ever! She has suddenly become a climber - everything from the dishwasher door to riding toys to trying to climb out of her bed - this kid is on the move! I really thought she might be walking by now as early as she crawled, but so far she's just perfecting the speed crawl. She is getting more & more opinionated and vocal - still a mute compared to her chatty sisters, but much louder for her! She is still such a mama's girl & would love to be with me every second - I'm pretty sure I do something to perpetuate this since all three of my girls have been like that. We're in the middle of her 5th or 6th ear infection, so we're getting ready to probably do tubes in the next couple of months. No fun for sure, but I hope we can help her avoid having many more painful infections! She's doing pretty well with our new crazy schedule, but I do often feel bad for her since she almost never gets to nap in her bed anymore. But I guess that's why the 3rd child is usually more flexible - they don't have much of a choice!

If you made it through another of my ridiculously long posts, congratulations! I'm so terrible at keeping up with this, but decided even if no one else reads them, its a great way for me to journal our family life at this point in our lives!

Thursday, August 06, 2009

The times they are a changin'

The big girls were flower girls in a wedding in Houston in June. They looked precious, and Addie actually made it down the aisle. They sat with me during the wedding and I have to confess a not-so-great parenting moment of hissing, "If you scream during this wedding I will spank your bottom so hard..." Good times :)

Emma & Addie's hair was ridiculously long! I love long hair on little girls, but the screaming every time we brushed it was getting to be too much for all of us. So we waited until it was long enough, and then did Locks of Love with both of them! They look precious - and a little too old for me!

This little group of girls (and now one boy!) have been buddies since birth! They are such sweet little friends!

A rare family portrait

Now that Lila is crawling she isn't so content to hang out with me in the pool - she's on the move, and so cute with those fat little legs!

I've had a whole week here at home with just one kiddo! Emma and Addie have spent a week with their Mama De & Papa while Lila and I have been enjoying some one on one time. It's been a good week - but very quiet and a little strange! We have left our girls with their grandparents before, but usually we're on vacation, or just had a baby and the time goes much faster that way. I'm ready to see my big girls! But I have thoroughly enjoyed some moments of stillness that at this stage of life are really hard to come by. My to-do list was quite long, and I accomplished a lot of it, but I was also reminded that having "just" one child is still a full time job - especially when that one is teething! Lila is 8 months old now (hard to believe) and has changed so much this summer. She's not a tiny baby anymore! She is crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything (she learned to do these two things within 3 days of each other!), learning to dance, and today she started clapping! All fun changes that are a joy to watch, and make my job busier than ever. We have a little over two weeks until Emma starts Kindergarten, and its finally starting to hit me that our little world is about to change forever! Yes, I know I'm being a little dramatic - its just kindergarten. But soon the days of having all my girls home with me will be gone and we'll never have that back. I would probably be truly sad about that fact if Emma weren't so excited about starting school. She can't wait to meet her teachers and new friends and to learn new things. She is such a smart girl, and we have purposely not worked on things like reading all that much so as to keep her from being way ahead & being bored in Kindergarten. But this summer, she's basically taught herself to read just about anything! I hope she will use her powers for good and not evil when she starts school :). I see her as being the classic teacher's pet, and we're praying for a great teacher who will encourage her love of learning. It's been kind of a hard summer with my big girls. I hadn't realized how good it has been for them to be apart a couple of days a week, but the past few months we have endured a lot of bickering, whining and complaining! We're continuing to work on these things, but I truly think a big part of it is that we have stayed home a lot (since its MUCH easier than going out with all three!) and had a lot of togetherness. I'm fairly certain Addie will love the first few weeks of being home with me while Emma is in school, but then I anticipate her missing her sister a lot. Times are a changin'. In many ways, for good! After several failed attempts on my part at potty training, Addie woke up one morning about a month ago and decided she was ready! She's such a funny kid - she wasn't being stubborn about it (though she is well known for stubbornness); she just truly didn't care. She was talking about how she would one day be changing her own diapers as if she would be wearing them forever - that one got me worried! Thankfully for whatever reason, she's decided to be a big girl. We've had a few setbacks for sure, but overall she has done very well, and I am so excited about having only one child in diapers.

As for me, I am one month into getting up 5 days a week at 5:45 to exercise & have quiet time - this is no small feat for me since the two things I dislike the most just may be getting up early and exercising! But when I finally came to the realization that if I don't do it in the morning it just won't happen, I decided it was time to get busy. The frustrating thing is that I have yet to lose one pound, so I'm beginning to see that my diet needs some adjustments as well. It stinks getting older & losing your figure! But even if I do have to do a lot of self talk to get myself out of bed in the morning & push myself to do things I loathe, I actually do enjoy being up early and taking in the stillness and peace I have found there. I'm trying to listen to God more and seek Him more intently. It's a good way to start my day. Now, if I can just keep it up when school starts...

It's been a good summer, and in many ways, I'm sad to see it come to a close. But I'm looking forward with expectation to the good things this new season of life will bring.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Summertime Summertime!

It's already been a busy summer at the Russell house! And I'm proud of myself actually documenting it (to some degree anyway!). So here's a pictorial update of what's been going on with us.

We are loving our pool! I think every year we get more and more use out of it. The girls would love to swim every day and sometimes we do. Emma is a great little swimmer and Addie is enjoying it immensly from the safety of her floaties :).

Lila is really enjoying the pool too, though I admit I try to schedule our pool time around her naptime so I'm only wrestling two girls! She looks so cute in her little swimsuit & hats though that I can't resist getting her in!

We had a fun visit from my sister & her family - my sweet nephew Canon is the cutest red headed one year old! We just love him!

Emma and Addie took swimming lessons again with Miss Jody and loved them as always!This year it was a special treat to have sweet Miss Breanna helping out every day (my girls adore her).

Summer Spectacular (our church's VBS) was truly spectacular once again! They do a fabulous job of making the Bible story come alive - my kids now know the story of Esther backwards and forwards! We are so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church.

Lila is getting so big - she'll be 7 months old next week! She is sitting really well by herself and can scoot herself anywhere she wants to go. We're in a little bit of trouble here...I forget how much work it takes to keep a little one out of everything. With two big girls to scatter their tiny toys everywhere its going to be a bit of a challenge. On a different note, our poor baby looks like she may be on her way to getting tubes. She's had mulitple ear infections this spring/early summer and we're running out of options. It's so sad to know she's hurting! She's such a sweet baby though and rarely gets fussy even when her ears hurt.

I am pretty impressed with myself that we survived a zoo visit last week! One of Addie's sweet buddies from school invited us to go with them and I decided to brave it! The big girls had fun, and Lila didn't totally lose it, so I guess all in all it was a success. Not planning on making that a regular habit any time soon, but it was an adventure to be sure!

Corey and I celebrated our 10th anniversary last week! It's so hard to believe 10

years have already gone by. Sometimes I could close my eyes and still be that 22-year-old newlywed! Then I open them & see the reality of being a 32-year-old mother of three who has been married 10 years! But truthfully I wouldn't go back if I could. And 30 is the new 20 right? Anyway, I love being Corey's wife - he is so good to me and to our girls. I'm so proud to be his wife and I love the life we have together.

Father's Day was spent hanging out with the Russell family - the cousins had a blast swimming together!

The girls made crowns for themselves and their daddy for Father's day - he was a good sport to wear it for them :). What a great dad! God knew he needed three girls and that these three girls needed him. We're so blessed to have him in our lives!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Springtime at the Russell House

To try to recap the past 5 months would be ridiculous, so I won't even try! Suffice it to say, it has been full! Lila will be 6 months old in a couple of weeks and that completely amazes me. Time truly does fly. Life is beginning to be a little more manageable at this point - we've had a whole week of Lila sleeping through the night & not waking up to eat! It is a huge accomplishment, and I think drastically affects the way I view the world (or at least mine). This first 6 months of Lila's life has been full of joy, but I can tell you it has not been easy! She is a very sweet, smiley baby & really besides not being a great sleeper, she's been an easy baby for the most part. It has just been a long transition for all of us in the Russell family! But I think we're finally settling into a groove & becoming comfortable with our family of 5 status :). Here's a quick update on each of the Russells:

Lila - what a cutie! She is rolling everywhere & has even begun scooting herself around to get just about whatever she wants (within a few feet radius anyway!). She smiles constantly & completely adores her two big sisters. She has recently begun taking a bottle again(woohoo!) after several months of out & out refusing it. Her daddy & I are ready for a date! She's fairly quiet compared to her sisters at this age, but she makes herself heard when necessary! She seems to have a pretty even temperment for the most part, though she still would love to be held 95% of the time. She went through a pretty severe mommy phase, but she's mostly over that for now. She does seem to be pretty sensitive, and the girls startle her constantly. She loves to stand up & is very strong! She looks so much like her sisters, except for the fact that Emma & Addie had a lot of hair at this point in their little lives- having a mostly bald baby is new to us. She is in that sweet stage where they put their toes in their mouths - adorable. I'm trying to enjoy every phase she goes through since we know she's our last baby. It's a strange feeling knowing that we're doing a lot of "lasts" right now, but its not all bad :). I find myself wanting to squeeze her & hold her as much as I possibly can (and I'm beginning to see how the baby of the family gets their reputation for being a little spoiled!).

Addie - This kid is a mess! She is precious, and such a stinker all at the same time! She has the most tender little heart and can be so empathetic and kind, but she can whine with the best of them. She has taken after her big sister & is extremely dramatic and sensitive. Her teachers at preschool have told us they crack up at how she will be standing all alone in part of the room & start crying saying, "Blake pushed me!" and fuss & whine when no one was anywhere near her! There's been a bit of an adjustment to the amount of attention she gets these days...and on that note, I can tell you we have begun the best thing for my girls in a long time - every day I have at least 30 minutes of "mommy time" with both the big girls, by themselves, doing whatever they would like to do with me. It has revolutionized our home! Addie especially needed this one-on-one time with me, and it has been great for all of us. As you can tell from the photos, potty training has finally begun - without much success! We may be putting it off a little longer, but we're getting closer to her being three, and it is time!!

Addie is so precious, and I'm really not looking forward to her growing out of some of the cute ways she says things. For instance, she has a really hard time with "sp" and says "f" instead, so we hear "I fy something pink" or someone needs a "fankin' with the fankin' foon". She's reminding me so much of our sweet friend Ava who did the same thing. Some of my favorites are "farkly" and "fecial". She also says see you "ta-yata" - it makes sense, today, tomorrow, tolater :). She says someone is "pieing" at her when they're smiling, and she almost always introduces Lila to everyone (even people who clearly know her) saying, "This is my fwiend Wiwa". I'm so glad they're already friends!

Emma continues to be so sweet, and such a good helper! She loves to help with both her sisters, but Lila appreciates it a little more :). She is almost finished with pre-school & we recently registered her for kindergarten! Amazing! She has seemed ready for it for a long time, so in a lot of ways, we're all ready for her to go. On the other hand, it was a little overwhelming for both of us to walk around the big school she will attend with all the big kids & think about her busy schedule next year. I'm determined to soak up the next couple of months while I still have her all to myself. She loves to color & draw & write, so we have enrolled her in art lessons for the summer which I think she will love. Swimming is one of her favorite things, too & I hear the question almost daily, "Can we swim yet?". Soon enough that will be our life!

Aren't these some great photos my mom took? I love how she captured my girls & their little personalities so beautifully. You can tell which are my snapshots, and I love those moments too, but my mom is amazing!

Corey - We're gearing up for an upcoming trip for Corey to Uganda to visit our church's missionaries who are developing a Christian Liberal Arts University there. It's very exciting & I'm looking forward to hearing about the experiences he will have there! It's an amazing work & I can't wait to learn even more about what's going on there. I also have to take a moment to say that lately I have become increasingly aware of what an amazing guy I'm married to! Maybe its because our 10th anniversary is coming up, or maybe its because he's really stepped up to the plate with baby number 3 coming into our lives. That's not to say he didn't help out before - he has always been one of the most hands-on, involved dads I know. I just mean that for us having three kids is pretty all-consuming, and he's a true partner with me in all of it. It is really neat to be at this point in our lives & truly say I love him more now than I did when we said "I do" 10 years ago. He's pretty cool :).

Me - see above. That's my life & I love it! I still want to pull my hair out on a semi-regular basis, but the truth is, I wouldn't be doing anything else. I've never had another job that was this difficult, but I've also never where I had moments of pure joy in every day. Thank you Lord for equipping me to do what you've called me to do!