Father's Day Interview

Happy Father's Day! I feel so fortunate to have a great dad, father-in-law, and husband. I am really lucky in many ways.


Last week I asked Skylie a few questions about Matt. Kaitlyn had no interest in answering my questions.

Skylie:

My dad is I don't know. 15  years old and weighs 90 pounds. His hair is brown and his eyes are blue. He is 2 feet tall and looks like I don't know. His favorite color is green.

My dad spends most of his day at work. He likes to eat fruit. His favorite movie is Mom and Dad movies. His favorite thing to wear is clothes. If my dad had more money she would buy stuff like treats and food. If my dad had more time she would play with me. I know my dad loves me because I love him. My dad always laughs when I be silly. If I could give my dad anything it would be a lollipop.

My dad makes the best mac and cheese. He is so good at giving us baths. I think my dad is the best dad in the world because he is so fun.  

A Day in the Life

Do you ever wish you could be a fly on the wall and see what other peoples lives are really like? Here's a peek into mine. A friend gave me this idea years ago, but I haven't done this for a long time. If you're interested here's our Day in the Life in 2010 and 2011. It's fun to look back to see how things have changed or remained the same, year after year.

We went to the Children's Museum on Monday and yesterday had swim lessons, hit the gym, and played at the pool. Today is rainy so we're forgoing our church's playgroup to stick at home and tackle the laundry. :) It's just an ordinary day in my life—but I happen to think there's a lot of beauty in ordinary things.

5:45 Ava wakes up. I feed her. Matt's out running. When he gets back, I take off for a few miles.

6:45 Matt leaves for work. I do this workout at home. I definitely prefer working out at a gym, but this summer I'm trying to do more at home since Skylie doesn't love going to child-watch.

7:30 Shower, dress, and blow dry my hair all before the kids wake up! It's a miracle. This never happens. Like ever!

8:00 Skylie wakes up and carries Ava out of her bed. I remind her she's not supposed to go in Ava's room when Ava's sleeping. Skylie reminds me that Ava's door was open and Ava was awake. Fair enough..:) I feed Ava and start laundry. Kaitlyn wakes up. Skylie and Kaitlyn play in her crib.

9:00 Breakfast. Then Skylie and Kaitlyn want me to read books. Ava goes down for a nap. Talk on the phone to the Young Women's president about tonight's activity.

They said they are being pirates

10:00 Skylie and Kaitlyn take a bath. I start making two types of muffins. These ones for the kids and  these ones for me and Matt. I double both batches because I don't want to be making these again anytime soon. I go through phases of trying to eat totally clean. And then I realize I'd rather buy graham crackers than neglect my crying children. :) (That said, I do think lots of people can eat clean without neglecting their kids.)

11:00 Girls get out of the bath. I read a book to distract Kaitlyn while I do her hair. They play while I rush to finish the turkey muffins. Ava wakes up and starts crying, but my hands are covered in raw turkey. By now I'm telling myself that I really don't love cooking and that I need to bed better at simplifying my life. I read to Kaitlyn while I feed Ava. Skylie's downstairs making a house for her baby animals and keeps asking Kaitlyn to come play.



12:00 I confirm that weather has changed the mutual activity for tonight. Send messages on Facebook, text, and call some young women. Skylie lets me do her hair. Kids have been snacking on muffins, but I do actually try to get them to sit and eat something else. I love that they are playing well together.


1:00 Ava's napping. The other girls want to check on the garden. Kaitlyn goes potty (which is an ordeal in itself--but she's doing great). Switch laundry. Both sets of ponytails come out (per Skylie and Kaitlyn's request) and at least half of Skylie's and Kaitlyn's outfit gets changed. "My shirt's dirty!" Kaitlyn insists.


1:30 Kaitlyn goes down for a nap, too. Skylie gets to watch a show. I begin typing this blog because there's no way I'm going to remember the entire day. I tackle the dishes and hear that Ava's awake--way sooner than I'd anticipated. Throw chicken into crock pot for dinner tonight. Matt will actually be home tonight, so I try to put a tiny bit of effort into that meal. :)

2:00 Take care of Ava.

2:30 Kaitlyn wakes up (also sooner than anticipated). I let her watch a little more T.V. with Skylie because that mountain of laundry needs some TLC. All the laundry gets cleaned and put away--all in one day. It's a miracle.



3:00 Ava goes down for a nap, again. I feel like I haven't given Skylie and Kaitlyn enough quality attention, so we do art projects together.

4:00 I start proofreading some applications that Matt's sent me. I get through one paragraph. The kids and I hang up some of their art projects to surprise Daddy.

5:00 Skylie and Kaitlyn squeal with delight when they spot Matt's car pull into the drive. Kaitlyn randomly tells Matt, "When Mommy got married you looked cute!" Ava's up. We all eat.

6:00 Clean up dinner. Matt and I talk while the kids run around.

6:40 I leave to pick up some young women for mutual. I'm so glad Matt's home tonight to watch the kids.

7:00 Mutual. Watching Chronicles of Narnia since our swimming outing got nixed because of the rain.

8:00 Still at mutual.

9:00 I've taken the young women home and swing by Lowe's to get a few supplies for a project I've been meaning to do for...umm...two years. :) Unless I have some late nights, it may be another two years before it gets done.

10:00 Home at last! Matt and I lay in bed and watch part of The Blacklist on the laptop. We're too tired to make it through the entire episode, though. It's been a good day.

With three children and a husband that's gone a lot, I've definitely had to reign in what I commit my time to. At times I've felt bad that I can't help out others more--my friends, neighbors, the church. A friend recently talked in church about mothers and expressed similar sentiments. She helped me realize that I feed the hungry. I cloth the naked. I comfort those in need of comfort. Every. Single. Day.

Even though our day was kind of lame--doing laundry and making muffins--Skylie told Matt that she had "a really fun day at home". I suppose as long as my children feel happy and loved, I should count my day as a win.

Skylie at Four-and-a-Half and Her Summer Bucket List

About a week ago Skylie finished up her last day of preschool for the year. It's been a fantastic experience for her, and one she will repeat next year--with a different teacher. Most of her friends  head to kindergarten in August, but Skylie misses the cut off by a few weeks.

Below are some pics from her past year of preschool that teachers compiled for parents. Skylie and I adore her preschool teachers, and I'm thrilled Kaitlyn will get to know them this upcoming year.

Skylie and her preschool BFF

I recently asked Skylie what she wanted to do this summer. Here's what she said. Thankfully, I think I can make most of her wishes come true. 

Skylie's Summer Bucket List

1. Hiking lots and lots
2. Camp out
3. Go to Grandma's and Nana's house
4. Go fishing at Utah and see the dinosaur museum
5. Sleep in our tent in our backyard
6. Potty train Kaitlyn
7. Swim at the pool and invite our friends
8. Go to two beaches at Indiana Beach
9. Hang out lots and lots with Dad

Things I want to remember about Skylie at 4 1/2 years old:

• She is still fascinated with all living creatures and is daily (sometimes hourly) asking if she can make a bug a home in a container.
• She is so full of ENERGY! Sometimes I feel like she's sucking all the energy out of me and bottling it for her use. Matt's described it well: "Skylie's so full of life. Kaitlyn's so full of attitude."
• She loves babies, and her adoration for Ava hasn't worn off.
• She always wants to have a buddy to play with.
• She tends to make one best friend at preschool or church, and they stick together like glue.
• She loves being silly, making people laugh, and wearing pajamas. 
• She gushes with expressions of her love for me and Matt. It's pretty cute.
• She's recently begun doing chores (setting the table, emptying garbages, folding laundry) to earn a little money. She's excited about it but is certain we should only do chores we like.
• Like all four-year-olds, she's far from perfect. But I love talking to her and better understanding how she perceives her world. She's so animated and communicates her thoughts well.
• I look at her and can't believe my baby is almost five! She's grown so fast. It makes me a little sad sometimes, and I feel like I need be better at cherishing every minute. Even so, I'm excited to watch how my spunky little girl grows and develops.
• I love my Skylie Bug and am so proud to be her mama. 

Lately...

Here's a few pictures and updates of the past few months:

• We are adjusting well to being a family of five. Now that Ava's sleeping through the night it seems like we're getting into a groove again. I'm learning to simplify, say "no", and carefully prioritize so that I can give the best to the people who matter most to me. Like my wise friend Sara once mentioned, "I don't have to be the best at everything or even to everyone. I just have to be the best mom and the best me I can be."

• Lately I've been trying to give each of my children 15 minutes of one-on-one, undivided attention, twice daily.  Sounds easy, right? But I'm finding I really have to work to make it happen.

• Matt's in the final stretch of his third year of residency. He's been busy with work, chief responsibilities, moonlighting, auditing classes, fulfilling church responsibilities, and preparing to apply to fellowship programs. We'll all be glad when things slow down a bit for him.

St. Patrick's Day

Ava in her festive green. Skylie was very concerned about getting pinched on St. Patty's Day.

Matt's Birthday
Matt was at a conference all day and night of his birthday. We met up for lunch downtown, though, and afterward the girls and I decked out Matt's car. Skylie and Kaitlyn seemed ecstatic to keep a secret and surprise Daddy.


My memory is fading, but I'm pretty sure Matt and I (and Ava) had a date night in March to celebrate his birthday and get him some dress clothes.

Easter Highlights
Youth temple trip (for me)
YMCA Egg Hunt on Saturday (Matt took the girls, solo)
Finding Easter baskets and eggs on Sunday
Sunday dinner with Dave and Jenny's family

Painting, Painting, Painting...

While Matt was out of town one weekend our bedroom transformed in the wee hours of the night from this:

...to this. 

It took me months to find bedding I liked and even longer to nail down the shade of gray I envisioned. Our bed is the first new piece of furniture we've bought in 8 1/2 years of marriage. And it is oh so comfy! Good things are definitely worth the wait, in my book. When Matt says "I love you" at night I often reply with "I love this bed." 

In April I painted the master bedroom and bathroom, Ava's room, and I repainted the upstairs bath. Pretty sure I was a little crazy to take that on with a two month old. :) But I think* I'm finally done with all the painting projects in our house. Matt, I'm pretty sure, is just glad he's not being woken up at 3 a.m. to the sounds of me taping and painting.

Ava's Blessing in Kansas City
Our niece, Addy got baptized in May so we made the trip to Kansas City for her special day. While there, Matt blessed Ava. My dad, Matt's dad, and Matt's brother, Layne, participated in the blessing.

Ava was blessed that she will:

• Be a conduit for the Spirit for our family
• Learn from her sisters and help them be the best they can be
• Have the Spirit with her
• Grow spiritually, physically, and be mentally strong
• Have a testimony of the Gospel 
• Work toward making covenants, being sealed in the temple as an eternal family, and returning to her Heavenly Father
• Be an example to others

Visitors

We've loved getting to see lots of family and a few long-time friends this past month: Layne and Becky's family; Matt's parents; my parents; my brother, Lee; and we even saw one of my friends from high school (Peter) and his family. It was great to see everyone, but it does make me wish we could be closer to "home"--family and all things familiar. Maybe someday... For now I'm excited to be in Utah for a bit this summer. :)

When A Four-Year-Old Potty Trains Her Little Sis

Skylie: "Mom, I'll do potty training with Kaitlyn.  So you can go take a nap if you want."

Without hesitation, I agreed. (I haven't made any attempts in that arena, yet.)

That was last week.

Today I found Skylie, Kaitlyn, and Skylie's friend in our backyard. Pants off. Going to the bathroom. I guess that's what happens when I relinquish potty training rights to a four-year-old!

Ava's Two Month Stats

This picture says it all, I think. Baby Ava is dearly loved.

Like both Skylie and Kaitlyn, she is super small.

Ava and Skylie on April 17th

Length: 21 and 7/8th inches; 5th percentile

Weight: 8 pounds, 6.4 ounces; below 5th percentile

Head Circumference: 14 and 3/8th inches; below 5th percentile

Mother's Day Interviews 2014

Happy Mother's Day Weekend! I feel so fortunate to have great women in my life who've shown me what it means to be a mother.

May 3rd with my mom and Matt's mom after Ava's blessing.

My children stretch me, teach me patience, and undoubtedly are sucking years off my life and adding wrinkles to my skin! :) But when all is said and done, they are my everything. I'm filled with gratitude to be entrusted to care for these three crazies.

Above: The one picture of all three of them that's half decent.
It took weeks of trying and hundreds of pictures.
Most of them were more like the one below.

Mother’s Day Interview 2014

I spent some time yesterday asking Skylie and Kaitlyn questions about myself. My favorite is Kaitlyn's response to why she knows that I love her.

Skylie:

My mom is 70 years old and weighs 100 pounds. Her hair is blonde and her eyes are blue. She is 100 feet tall and looks like that you’re pretty and look like a baby. Her favorite color is blue.

My mom spends most of her day with me. She likes to eat healthy stuff. Her favorite movie is Mommy and Daddy movies. Her favorite thing to wear is clothes. If my mom had more money she would buy stuff. If my mom had more time she would jump on the trampoline with me. I know my mom loves me because I love her. My mom always laughs when I be funny. If I could give my mom anything it would be some food.

My mom makes the best mac and cheese. She is so good at giving us baths. I think my mom is the best mom in the world because she does everything and she is really nice and the best mom ever.  She could be an even better mommy by taking us to the beach every day and letting us live at the beach.

Kaitlyn:

My mom is 3 years old and weighs derr pounds. Her hair is brown and her eyes are brown. She is big feet tall and looks like Mommy. Her favorite color is ummm…yellow is my favorite color.

My mom spends most of her day in her dress. She likes to eat cereal. Her favorite movie is no I don’t wanna talk. Her favorite thing to wear is There’s Skylie! If mommy had more money No way, Mom. I don’t wanna talk. If mommy had more time she would No way! I know my mom loves me because Stop it. No. I don’t like you. My mom always laughs when I No way, Mom. I wanna color with this. If I could give my mom anything it would be pretzels.

This clip includes segments from one of my favorite talks about motherhood.

Kaitlyn at Two-And-A-Half Years Old

Photo taken December 2013 courtesy JCPenney Portrait Studio

KAITLYN'S STATS AS OF JANUARY 2013

Length: 32 1/8 inches; below fifth percentile

Weight: 22 pounds, 3 ounces; below fifth percentile

Kaitlyn.
You are full of spunk and personality at two-and-a-half years old. Some refer to your age as the terrible twos, but I'd have to say that I am really enjoying the stage you are at right now. You are great at entertaining yourself, but you also love playing with Skylie. You two have become great buddies and you'll often go into Skylie's room and spend hours reeking havoc together! :) Right now you and Skylie are in the kitchen pretending that little pieces of bubblegum are baby eggs that need to hatch! I hope your friendship lasts a long, long time.

You love playing with dollhouses, pretending to be kittens or puppies, coloring, jumping on the trampoline, playing 'Hide and Go Seek', having family movie night, picking out your own clothes, and playing in child-watch at the gym. You are great at helping clean up, taking care of Baby Ava, sharing, and making dinner. You are a great eater and will down almost anything you're given. Taking off your own dirty diaper is a habit you've gotten into lately. You think you're being so helpful! :) (We should probably work at getting you potty-trained...someday...)

You adore Daddy, although you aren't quite as attached to him as you have been at times. You're skimpy on giving hugs and kisses, but when you first wake in the morning or get up from your nap you'll usually snuggle with me for a good while. I love it!

Ava taking your place as the youngest child hasn't seemed to bother you too much. Only once and a while you'll cry "Don't hold Baby Ava!" if you want dibs on my lap. Thank you for adjusting so well!

*****

You crack me up with the funny things you say. Some of my favorites are:

Me: "Let's go chick-a-dee."
You: "I not a chick-a-dee. I just Kaitlyn."

(You'll say something similar anytime I call you a nickname such as monkey, kiddo, girly, etc.)

*****

Once when I was pregnant and out shopping I held up a cute shirt that didn't fit me at the time (but probably would now).

You were brutally honest: "Mommy, that not fit you. Put it back!"

Later that same shopping trip when I tried on a sweater:

You: "That looks cute, Mommy."

*****

Me: "What are you doing, Kaitlyn?"

You: "Hangin' out."

*****

Kaitlyn, we love you so much. Overall you're a really fun, easy, low-maintenance child. I'm excited to see what the coming months and years bring for you!

Love,
Mom

Month One

Photo taken by 123 Click Photography Thursday, February 20 when Ava was 18 days old.

ONE MONTH STATS

Length: 20 inches; below 5th percentile

Weight: 7 pounds, 5 ounces; below 5th percentile

Head Circumference: 13 1/2 inches; below 5th percentile

Ava,
You are dearly loved and are a welcome addition to our family. A new baby at homes brings a special sweetness that I love. The nighttime feedings, crying, spitting up, and being--well--completely and utterly helpless are your qualities that I'll take any day since it means I get to snuggle with you.

A few things I want to remember about you at this age are:

• I get lots of comments on your beautiful auburn, red hair. People are awed at not only the color, but also the amount.
• Your sisters love you so much! Skylie and Kaitlyn compete to see who gets to throw away dirty diapers or get me burp rags. They talk to you in adorable voices and are endlessly asking to hold you. 
• At birth your nose was pretty smooshed, but it's positioned back nicely now.
• People also comment on how teeny you are. "My babies never saw the light of day that little," someone said today. You are growing well, but at seven pounds, five ounces at six weeks old you are pretty little.
• You are a bit of a lazy eater and take a while to get it all down, but you've sped up quite a bit since your birth.
• You sleep okay during the night, but compared to Skylie and Kaitlyn as newborns, you're a bit of a night owl. Once you wake up to eat you usually want come company for a while.

We are so glad you're here, Ava! 

Love,

Mom

Introducing Ava Marie

Ava Marie Pitcher

Sunday, February 2, 2014

3:33 p.m. EST

Indianapolis, Indiana

Weight: 5 pounds, 14 ounces; Length: 17 1/2 inches

This post is coming later than I'd have liked, but it's not for a lack of love or attention our youngest daughter has been getting. As parents, mine and Matt's time is now split between our children three ways. But whatever attention Ava could possibly lack from us, her big sisters make up the difference. Skylie is especially attentive to Ava and wants to hold her ALL THE TIME.

Ava's Birth Story

I'd been having regular, somewhat strong contractions on and off for about a month, so when contractions started Sunday morning about 9 a.m., I hoped but didn't expect this to be the real deal. Contractions continued while we got ready for church. Matt suggested we go to the hospital, but I held off saying that the contractions weren't strong enough.

At noon I decided we could at least go check it out. Some friends agreed to take Skylie and Kaitlyn to church, and Matt and I said that we'd probably meet them there. (Actually, Matt was betting we'd have the baby instead.) More than once as we drove the 15 minutes to the hospital I second guessed myself, and as we walked into the hospital I told Matt that I thought there was a 60% chance they'd send us home.

After admittance, the nurse checked me and confirmed that I'd be having this baby soon! Contractions were two minutes apart, and I was dilated to almost a seven. Even after moving to a delivery room and getting hooked up to IVs, I was still in disbelief. Nurses reassured me that soon the doctor would  break my water, and then contractions would get more painful.

They were right! I'm a sucker for pain and within an hour I opted for an epidural. The anesthesiologist arrived about 2:45 p.m. to administer it. I still felt a lot, but I was thankful for some pain relief! At about 3:25 I frantically told Matt to call the nurse because I thought it was time to push. It seemed like it took forever for the doctor to arrive, but in reality it was less than five minutes.

I like to know how long things are going to last. Hard things seem a lot more doable if I know there's an end in sight. So when I asked the nurse and doctor how long they thought I'd have to push, they laughed at my question of, "Will it take less than half an hour?"

Three pushes and less than three minutes later, our baby girl was born.

The nurse said it was the easiest delivery she's seen in a long time. I'm fortunate. It was pretty quick, but I won't say that is wasn't without pain! :)

I'm positive there's no one on earth besides Matt that could make me burst out laughing mid-contraction or moments before pushing a baby out of me. I'm so glad he is mine and that Skylie, Kaitlyn, and Ava are his. We are lucky girls.

 My three babies during movie night last night. When Skylie was an infant I'd sometimes hear moms refer to their older children as babies. I naively thought, "Those aren't babies! They're toddlers and kids." But I think I understand a little better now: A mother's baby is always her baby.

We are all adjusting to our new life well. Ava is great. Skylie and Kaitlyn adore her, and I feel better than I have in nine months. Life is good.