19 weeks

This sweet boy will be 19 weeks old tomorrow. Wasn't he just flopping around inside my tummy? Wasn't he just born last week? He is doing so many new things. Let me fill you in:

1. He is gaining lots more muscle control-- especially when it comes to holding up his little head. And I say little because he is only in the 9th percentile for head size. All my children have had little pin-heads. What's up with that?

2. He can roll over from his tummy to his back. My girls didn't roll at all until 8 months. So I was quite surprised by this one!

3. He is drooling and chewing on his hands like crazy. He would dine on his fingers morning, noon and night. They must be pretty tasty.

4. He can reach for objects, but his coordination is not so great. This means his hand sometimes reaches up and pulls out his pacifier while his face has a confused look on it like, "Who just took that out of my mouth??"

5. He sometimes acts coy. He'll give a super charming smile to a lady passing us on a grocery store aisle, then bury his head in my shoulder like he was embarrassed. He's such a little flirt.

6. When he does flash that awesome smile, he has a dimple on his left cheek.

7. He has noticed his feet and is very interested in them, although he has yet to officially play with them.

I am so grateful this little boy came into our lives 19 weeks ago!!

Dear Autumn

Dear Autumn, I really like you. I think you're neat. Thank you for giving us beautiful leaves to look at. Yellow is my favorite.
And thank you for giving us several days warm enough to play outside, but with enough chill in the air to keep us from sweating. My girls and I played at this park recently on one of your gorgeous good weather days. See all those kids playing outside at that nearby school? That's one of my favorite sounds. I sat and watched my girls while listening to their distant cheers and shouts and laughs. It was quite peaceful.

Thank you for providing enough breeze to gently lift my Hannah's hair into the sunlight. She looks so innocent here, don't you think?

It was such a carefree aftenoon. Leah ran and ran and never once complained about being hot.

She really enjoyed herself. I finally got her to stand still long enough to snap this pretty picture.

Even Lucas was appreciative for the nice weather. He says he can't wait to run around and play one day. Maybe next time you visit us?

Autumn, we really will be sad to see you leave. But we will look forward to your return next year.

Sincerely,

Emily, Hannah, Leah and Lucas

Back of My Hand

"I know this city like the back of my hand."

Have you ever lived anywhere long enough to use that phrase? My mom grew up in a military household, so she and her siblings moved every two or three years. Mike's parents were missionaries, and by the time he was in 6th grade his family had lived in Oklahoma City, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Dallas.

But as for me, I've spent the majority of my life living where I live today: Oklahoma City. (technically I live in Edmond, OK, but it's a suburb, so I lump it in there). I moved to Oklahoma City when I was ten years old, so I've been here now for nearly 23 years. And I think I'm finally able to say that I know this area like the back of my hand.

This thought occurred to me about a week ago when Mike and I were hanging out in The Plaza district, which is near downtown. As we were driving home I was thinking about all the different areas of this city where I've spent time and made memories: The Paseo District, Downtown, Mid-Town, NW 23rd, Bethany, NW OKC, Norman, Edmond, etc. And I thought about all the annual events that I look forward to: the Arts Festival, the State Fair, the Red Bud Classic. I could go on and on. I feel like I'm never lost here. Even if I am slightly off the beaten path, I just have to look for a landmark (like the pineapple dome on 23rd or the cross on top of Mercy hospital) to right myself again.

And what finally solidified the fact that I have definitely lived here a long time was the day after Thanksgiving when the BC Clark commercial aired on television. I started singing right along as this song ushered in the Christmas season-- just like is has for the last several decades. If you know it, feel free to sing along. In Oklahoma, it's just not Christmas until this ad airs on tv.



Have you ever lived anywhere long enough to know it inside and out?

Toothbrushes and Drawings

We're back to the routine this morning: wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, feed the baby, pack lunches, comb hair, brush teeth and make the beds all before 9:00! After I dropped the girls off at school today, I headed by the drugstore to pick up a few things. I needed diapers for Lucas and new toothbrushes for the girls since their brother decided to pee all over their old ones yesterday (see note at the end of the post for an explanation as to how this happened....stay tuned). I looked around to see what toothbrushes were on sale, then grabbed two that looked good. I glanced down and saw that the ones I had picked out were level 3 brushes which the package stated were for 5-7 yr. olds. I started to put them back thinking that sounded too old for my girls. But then, wait! I remembered that they will be five years old a mere 17 days from now! And then it hit me-- my sweet girls will be FIVE! They will start kindergarten next year! They are growing up so fast. It reminded me to slow down and cherish every day with them. So in the end, I did end up buying the level 3 toothbrushes for my nearly five year old girls. It's funny how we get reminded of big truths through the simple things of life.

And speaking of my nearly five year old girls, I have seen a lot of growth in their drawings lately.Both of them love to draw, so here is the latest sample of each girls' artwork.

In this picture, Leah drew the sun, earth and moon. The pink lines represent a shooting star.

This is Hannah's most recent family portrait. I'm on the far left holding baby Lucas, followed by Leah, Hannah and Daddy. We're sitting on the couch and I love that we're all so happy. =)

** Oh and you are probably wondering how Lucas peed all over the girls' toothbrushes, right? I know you're dying to find out, so I'll not keep you waiting. Last night I was about to give Lucas a bath. Before I put him in the tub, however, I thought I'd let my buck naked boy look at himself in the mirror. He's just recently started laughing when he sees his reflection. So I held him up on the bathroom counter, and he smiled and kicked his feet and then promptly shot a stream of urine all over the toothbrush holder (and mirror) in front of him. And that's the story of how Lucas peed all over his sisters' toothbrushes. The End.

The Last Few Days....

have been filled will lots of food and family and friends. Mike's parents flew in on Wednesday and couldn't wait to come see the girls and Mr. Lucas. He has changed so much since he was born. They loved how much more he interacted with them with lots of coos and smiles and giggles. He is such a cuddly little guy. And Hannah and Leah always get excited to see their Gram and DooDad. We had 70 degree weather most of the holiday, so we've spent a lot of time outside riding bikes and chasing DooDad around.

Hannah and Leah playing outside on Thanksgiving Day

Lucas and my lovely aunt Mary

DooDad and my sleepy little guy
Me and my sweet husband. FYI: We did not plan our matching shirts. =)

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Stuff on My Mind

Lucas and I went to visit the girls at school today for a Thanksgiving Feast.
Little Pilgrim girl, Leah, with her friend Mackenzie
Indian princess Hannah

Wow! It is almost Thanksgiving! I cannot believe it. I'm having one of those nights where my brain is bouncing around from thought to thought, so I'll let you in on some of the things going on in my head at the moment.

1. One year ago today, I found out I was pregnant. I had been out running around buying a few last minute groceries for the upcoming holiday when I made the snap decision to buy a pregnancy test. I was just one day late, but just had a feeling that maybe, just maybe I was pregnant. So I grabbed a cheap pregnancy test along with my groceries and headed home. After everything was put away, I took the test and nearly fainted when I saw the positive sign. I felt giddy and shocked and excited all at once. I wish I had come up with a more exciting way to tell Mike, but I couldn't wait, so I called him at work and told him the good news. I don't think either of us stopped smiling for days.

2. Leah has her first real crush. She talks constantly about a boy at school named Colin. She told me, "Mom, I found the perfect boy to marry." What?! She's only 4! Ok, so she'll be 5 in a few weeks, but still-- she's so young! In the mornings before school when she's getting ready, she'll say, "Colin will think I look pretty today." And the other night the girls were at the dining room table drawing pictures when Leah proudly declared that she had drawn a map for Colin so he could find our house! When did you have your first crush?

3. I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. We are celebrating with my mom's side of the family. Plus, my in-laws are flying in from New York tomorrow, so they will be there too! I think there will be about thirty people at our meal Thursday afternoon. I have a very large extended family which is fun since I am an only child. My mom is the second oldest of six children, so there are lots of cousins and now second cousins. Lucas is currently the youngest of them all, so he'll get lots of attention I'm sure.

4. Mike and I hung out at a place called Convergence the other night. It's located in The Plaza district which is undergoing a wonderful revitalization. Check it out!

5. I started listening to Christmas music this week and I can't wait to get our tree, hang up lights, and fully dive into the holiday spirit. We get to add another stocking to the mantle this year too!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family, good food and lots of laughter. =)

Little Brock

I promise I have some great blog posts up and coming, but before I get to those, I wanted to share a prayer request with you all. 12 month old Brock Hart is the son of my friend Jason and his wife Vanessa. At the beginning of October he was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, he has also developed a severe mold infection inside his tiny body. Because of this latest development, the doctors have put a hold on all chemo until the fungal infection is cured. This week has been very hard, as Brock's prognosis is not good. Please join me in praying for this sweet little boy, as well as his parents, his three year old sister Jaycie, and all the doctors taking care of him.

This family has been so heavy on my heart this week. Each time I look at my own children, I say a prayer of thanks for their health and for the opportunity to be their mom.

You can see/read Brock's story here:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/brockhart

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend!