Bloom

Recently my mom gave us a box with a plant in it. Well, what could potentially be a plant. It was an Amaryllis flower. All I had to do what put in into the pot and water it. (You guys have no idea how terrifying this is for someone who has never been able to get plants to stay alive. Of all the plants in the world please let me be able to grow this one.) I heard rumors that these things are really sturdy, and grow in any condition, so potentially this was the plant for me. And obviously I've correctly named my youngest daughter, who is as stubborn and sturdy as her flowery namesake.

I watered it, made sure it was getting sun, all that stuff you're supposed to do for plants. It started growing, and a couple weeks later (today) the blooms finally started to open. I was SO excited. It's great to see this little bit of color in the middle of winter. I even made Amaryllis pose for a few pictures beside it. She was mostly interested in trying to poke it.

The first time I heard of an "amaryllis", was in a song by Shinedown, Billy and I's favorite band. We joked that if we ever had another baby, and it was a girl, we would definitely name her Amaryllis. I didnt realize until a little later that an Amaryllis is a flower. We also didn't think we would really end up having another baby at the time...but you know the rest of that story. I'm so glad that we were able to use that name, and grateful for the wild, stubborn goofball baby who goes by it.

One of the lines of the song goes like this: "Cuz I wanna know you, Amaryllis. Bloom." I love that song, and I love how fitting it is for the youngest member of this family. She is bright and bold and sturdy and stubborn...much like this flower. She is an unexpected bright spot in our lives, one we didn't know if we would ever see when we lost her twin sister. I'm so grateful for the chance to watch Amaryllis bloom.

Caught Up

I've typically been right on schedule with the kiddos well check-ups. I know that they aren't really always necessary...but I kinda like having someone else look at them besides me and say, "hey...they look alright to me...carry on." So we go to our regularly scheduled check-ups and get a shot or two and give a nurse or two a headache. I had recently gotten behind on check-ups, however. I went to schedule them for the three kiddos who needed them, and the office had implemented a new policy where you can only schedule two kids for checkups consecutively. It's like they knew I was coming.

Billy used his skills of persuasion (read: he is WAY nicer than me to people on the telephone and somehow always manages to talk them into stuff that I can't) on them, though, and they let us bring them all in at the same time one last time. One final attempt to see if their doctor ever manages to get rattled by screaming children. He does not...he is the most patient man I have ever met and somehow still manages to crack jokes while an 18 month old is smacking him in the face. I probably would have switched offices by now for various reasons if this guy wasn't just that awesome.

We managed to survive the hour and a half trip with no casualties...just lots of bandaids. The kids are all healthy and growing and successfully wiped out the office stash of lollipops. And I'm just really grateful we don't have any more well checkups until July.

My Biggest Baby Turns 4

 This big ol' baby just had his 4th birthday. It's always hard to believe how fast your kids grow...and this birthday for some reason was even crazier to me. They always say the days are long and the years are short, and the last four years have definitely been particularly short. (But oh the days...definitely some long days in there.)

This guy, as many people know, has always been a "big guy". People are continually surprised when I tell them he's only 4 years old. He may be a big guy, but he's still a baby in so many ways. He hates to sleep without a night light, he has to have his bedtime snuggles, he still calls me "lovie" instead of mom, he still needs a nap every single day or he will just fall asleep wherever he happens to be.

He is also notorious for being a "grumpy cat". He has had those grumpy eyebrows since he was in the hospital as a newborn, and he knows how to use them. But despite those grumpy eyebrows, he has such a big heart. He's the first to tell me, out of the blue, "I love you, lovie." He loves to snuggle. He loves to play with his little sister, and the two of them can often be found in her room, with him showing her how all of her little toys work.

I am so proud of this big little guy. I love watching him grow. I love everything from his big brown eyes to his adorable dimple. He stole my heart, all 9.2 pounds that he was, when I first heard the nurses say, before I even saw him, "he's a big baby!" I'm so proud to be his mama, and as much as I wish time would slow down, I love watching him grow. Happy 4th birthday, J Baby!

Outside the Box

Amaryllis had a great time this Christmas. She didn't actually unwrap a single thing, but she has had a blast playing with all the toys people gave her (and unwrapped for her since she wasn't interested). She got several babies that she loves...including a care bear "baby". (We've realized anything she can carry around and snuggle is a baby.) She also got a barn with animals...they are all dogs of course cuz that's the only animal she will say. We need to work on this obviously.



She had a great time playing with the boxes and wrapping paper people threw away as well. This one particular shoe box made for a great seat for watching siblings unwrap things. That is, until she fell out of it. Then it got real. We all experienced the Christmas cheer that is Amaryllis. She knows how to throw a fit...this one was especially festive.


She definitely adds spice to our lives. Next year I'll make sure to get a box with a seatbelt.

Keep This Moment

I'm not usually one for lots of sappy emotions. But there is a particular song l, called Wintersong, I like to listen to around Christmas (ok ok, I'm dating myself when I say it's by Sarah McLachlan) that gets me right in my (very resistant) feels. It goes something like this: "And this is how I see you, In the snow on Christmas morning, Love and happiness surround you, As you throw your arms up to the sky,
I keep this moment by and by." It always reminds me of how fast my babies are growing. And how soon it'll be when they have babies of their own and it's all different for them, but somehow still the same for me. (Meaning you really never stop seeing your babies as just that...your babies.) It reminds me to hold on, tightly but yet still loosely, to this sweet time with these precious souls.


I have taken pictures of them like this since there were only two of them. And the fact that they change, so much, from year to year just does this weird ripping your heart out but also making it explode with love thing. Parenthood...it does just that to a person. I'm grateful for so much about this season of Christmas, but one of the things I'm most grateful for is these four amazing people, how they make me feel so much more love than I ever thought possible, and how they love me back.



(So you can enjoy that same sappy emotion here is the comparison collage) Happy Holidays, everyone! Don't forget to keep these moments.