Lovely Lillian

I just love that if Lillian is no where to be found, you can likely find her in her room ripping through her closet and drawers trying on as many outfits as possible. She is so cute, and loves to come model them for us. She has also started "reading" books with us, which is more of a mumbling as you read to her. It is quite distracting to have a little voice mumble random words when trying to read, but so so adorable. Love that girl!

Hairy tales

Elle belle never ceases to crack us up. She loves making us laugh and has an adorable laugh I hope she keeps. She recently just started calling pony tails "hairy tales" which is hilarious! Daddy also taught her to yell "trust fall!" As she jumps or falls into someone's arms unexpectedly. Laughter follows. Such joy she brings. She has also been randomly kissing and hugging us and telling is how much she loves us. Sweet sweet girl.

On the move!

Today Caroline rolled over the very first time. She is now on the move! She can only roll from her back to belly but once she can roll the other way too, watch out because she will be on the go. ;)

Thank you God! Day 2

Tara- today I am thankful for our three sweet little girls and all of the laughter and giggles they bring to our house! Even on challenging days, they light up this family!

Lillian- hi God. I'm thankful for Eleanor. I like that Eleanor is so sweet and she's so nice!

Eleanor- I want milk. Thank you milk.

Thank you God! Day 1

Tara - today I am thankful for the husband that God has blessed me with and all of his support. I couldnt ask for a better person to walk through life with than him.

Waiting for the calm amidst stormy seas!

O<p>Life is absolutely amazing but at the same time totally crazy. I love having three girls but since Caroline has been born, we have had nonstop storms. Nothing big, thank God!!!!!! At three weeks, we all got sick. The house was a whirlwind. At 7 weeks, Caroline caught her sisters virus and got a fever, sending her to the er with mommy. She got poked and prodded (I wanted to punch the nurse, she was so upset!), for them to tell me, it is just a virus. If you have ever seen just how tiny a 7 week olds veins are, just imagine how difficult getting an iv in is. It was extremely upsetting to watch and more upsetting for Caroline.  Ugh!!! Then all got colds about two weeks later! Eleanor got an ear infection and had to use a nebulizer to help with breathing! Just as everyone was getting better, we got some sad family news. And then, two days later, tom rushed to the ER to have an emergency appendectomy (by far the biggest scare we had!). No picking up the kids for 4 weeks! Eeek! Poor guy is finally feeling better. We did our best to take care of him!!!! I thought we were done but that same day Caroline was diagnosed with rsv, a virus that can be very dangerous in infants. And now, a few weeks later, everyone has colds again. Elle was up all night so we went to the doc and she has a double ear infection. What is my point to all of this? We are in the middle of a storm, and I really feel like there are so many blessings to come from this!!!!!!! For one, I learned how to take all three girls places myself! I look like a madwoman, but now I have the confidence to do it! We have all gotten plenty of cuddly movie time, which is also so nice. I have needed help, so we have found a few good babysitters that are so needed. Eleanor has learned to walk everywhere and lillian helps when we are all out by holding eleanors hand and my hand!!!!! Our pastor and his wife are going to meet with us to help teach us to be good spiritual leaders to the girls! We have had so much sun our outdoor play has been incredible. I learned to cook enough one night to last the next night or two. I have had a friendship really blossom, and received much needed support from her! I buckled down with sleep training with lil, I had to!, and she is doing great with it. We have had more dance parties together in the last few weeks than I can count, more pizza and movie nights, more staying home and playing and less running around. We got our first smiles and giggles from sweet Caroline. Would any of these things happened if it hadn't stormed? I think not. Does God always have a plan and purpose? Of course. While we are in the middle of a storm it is incredibly hard to see the clearing in the sky. It is always there though, especially if you have faith. I learned how to really pray these last few weeks. Sometimes ridiculous prayers (please God, let lillian go back to sleep! It is 2am!), sometimes prayers of desperation, but also prayers of thanks. I also had numerous prayers answered, more than I can count. The point of this entry is to remember that God cares about you and what you're going through. You're never alone in a storm, in fact you're never alone period. It I'd also so humbling and so sad to think about how the things we went through really were little things. I pray for really sick babies and kids, little ones who have become angels all too soon, wives who are alone in raising their families while their husbands are fighting for our country, or wives who are alone because they have lost their husband.  I'm so thankful for the craziness we have had because it has made me stronger as a mom and wife. It makes me realize how precious each second is, and I'm trying to be better about appreciating each moment, holding toms hand a little tighter.and snuggling the girls a little more. My girls became stronger in their relationship with each other and more confident in their independence. Most importantly, my relationship with God even stronger. I wouldn't want to go through this storm again, but I do know more storms will come. I'm not afraid though, knowing God is by my side. Thank you God for these storms, to help me appreciate the calm, and to have even more faith in your love.

"For our present troubles are small and won't last very long.  yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4-17

'Be strong and of good courage. Do not fear or be afraid of them. For the Lord your God, he is the one who goes with you.He will never leave you nor forsake you"  deuteronomy 31:6

Welcome Caroline Rose Bailey!

Well, the moment both girls and mommy and daddy had been waiting for finally came! Caroline rose Bailey was born July 30 at 610pm. She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 18 and 3/4 inches long (but 19 and 3/4 inches long the next day ha ha). It was a great delivery. Lillian and Eleanor are totally in love with their little dolly. Eleanor loves holding her and lil talks to her and helps mama a lot. Lillian calls her "my little sunshine" . We are incredibly blessed and are enjoying every second with this amazing little love bug and her sweet big sisters! Lillian still says her name is Hot Chocolate Starfish. Hee hee. We went on our first family outing today to the park. The big girls had a blast chasing daddy in the sunshine, and Caroline slept great in the nice weather. Looking forward to many many more fun memories to come as a family of five!

Gapa you visits, and cshell too!

We had a blast with gapa you (as lil calls him) and grammy c shell! We were so excited to spend time with them and finally show grandpa Lou our home. We did so many fun things and made some great memories!!!!!! Eleanor on her own decided that my mom was not "cshell" as lil named her. We would say to Elle, say c shell, and she would say "no, mimi". She refused to even try. Whenever she saw my mom she called her mimi. Lil thought that was hilarious since she knows mimi is my grandm
a and would crack up, saying "that's not mimi baby boots!".

The girls loved the time with my dad. They loved all the fun things we did, and loved just playing at home with him. We went to the harbor and had coffee and walked down the dock, went to Seattle on a rainy and cold day on the ferry, went to Seattle children's museum and had delicious lunch at paseo, went to chucky cheese, played on the beach and at the park, and just had a blast all being together. We can't wait for the next visit. So much fun!!!!!!!!

Hand!

Just a quick post on something so sweet. Lillian and Eleanor are usually best friends. Lately Eleanor has decided she can ask lillian for help and trusts her to help her. They were both up on our outdoor playset platform up high, and Elle has just realized just how high it really is. She usually wants mama or dada to help her walk to the slide. Well lillian was up there with her so I asked lillian to hold her hand to the slide. She did the first time, then every time after. She loved helping her! She even said "oh its ok baby, I coming, ill hold your hand. I'll help you" when Eleanor started asking for us when lil wasn't up there.

We were driving the other day and Eleanor was saying "I yant hand, I yant hand" over and over. I looked back and they were holding hands. So sweet.

Just today lillian was singing an awesome version of Jesus loves me up on our car platform and Eleanor wanted up. She asked lillian for her hand, lillian quickly stopped singing and didn't hesitate to help. They also decided the water play table was a fun pretend pool (no water in it). Lil can easily climb in and out but Elle is a tad too short. First I heard Eleanor ask lillian for help ("I yant help!"). Then lillian tried to pick up Eleanor to put her on the table (unsuccessfully). Lillian didn't give up. I could see her wheels spinning. She went into her playhouse, got out a kid sized chair, and put it right in front of the table. She then took eleanors hand and helped get her on the table (over and over too, since Elle thought that was fun!). I'm just amazed at their love and trust for each other at this age. They are so lucky to have each other as best friends, and baby three will be another life long best friend.

Hot chocolate starfish!

Well, we are excited to announce the name of baby girl three, and lillian picked it. It is hot chocolate starfish! Ha ha. Funny thing is back when we were in Tucson in march, she thought of it. We hadn't talked much about it, but just a few weeks ago I asked again what she wanted her name to be, and she's sticking with hot chocolate starfish! Love it!

The girls are so excited to meet baby sister, which is any day now. Eleanor wants to see my belly and then asks (in a fairly demanding tone!) "I yant mama baby out!" as she tugs at my belly. Ha ha. She loves to kiss and hug her new baby too and pretend to feed her and give her drinks through my belly button. She will be a great big sis. She sees any baby anywhere and gets so excited, saying "baby!" And then making pretend crying sounds.

Lillian is super excited too. She has big plans for hot chocolate starfish. Once she starts talking about them, she doesn't stop. Love it. I was setting up the baby bassinet in our room and lillian told me that she was going to hold new baby, mama and dada will go bye bye. She will put new baby in pack and play and new baby will cry. She then hopped into our bed (to show me her next move) and said "be a good baby new baby, go to sleep. I go to sleep too!" Hilarious. She loves to snuggle my belly, and give it tons of kisses. She always says "ahhhhh, I love you little baby. You're a good baby. New baby so nice!". She also wants to share toys with new baby. Lillian is already such a great big sis, I know she will be absolutely great with this little one. I also love how when Eleanor says "I yant new baby out!" Lil often replies with "no no no, Elle belle, baby too little. Baby need to stay mommy tummy."

We can't wait to see our beautiful little blessing in a week and a half (or less!).

Yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me!

We had another fun weekend with our sweet little family! We started off by going to gig harbors biggest festival of the year, the maritime festival, which is held in downtown gig on the waterfront. It is a two day festival, but most activities are the first day. There is a parade, and a super long one, to start it off. Two hours of dancers, music, floats, and such with people handing out tons of candy and necklaces is super fun for the girls!!!!! Over one hundred floats and Four nursing home shuttles later (I guess they are advertising our options for someday? Ha ha) and the parade was over. There are TONS of people here, no parking, but it is great. There were food vendors, live music and children's area. We didn't last long after the arade as lil calls it, but we enjoyed what we saw. So much fun. Lillian loved sparky the fire dog, and Eleanor loved the 4h dog group. We got to enjoy beautiful sunshine and warm weather while watching the girls Oooh and Ahhh at all the action! We love it here and all it has to offer for families and the community! So blessed!

Lillian the explorer is three years old!!!!!

We have had such a fun few weeks! Lillian turned three and had such a great birth week (we celebrate for a week.around here ha ha). Eleanor caught the flu from lil and woke up with it on Lils birthday, but Elle was happy as could be. For about two months lillian has been telling us she wants a sleepy dora for her present. I figured it was something she made up, but she must have seen it at a friends or something, because upon investigation, I found her to be a real toy! Lillian even told me what she does after about a month. At first, she would say, "oh, sleepy dora no do anything!" And hold her hands up in surprise. But then she told me that she sang lullabies and snuggled. So she knew that's what she was getting and she hasn't let her out of her sight much since. I made a dora doll cake and it was so cute! Lil loved it.

Lillian has really been excited that Eleanor can play more now. She takes good care of Eleanor, and loves to pretend with her. Eleanor usually plays along. Every morning after breakfast they have free play while I clean. I love hearing them chatting and playing in the other room. If Eleanor starts fussing (and I can tell it isn't an I need mommy now fuss), lil will say "are you ok ky little baby? Will this make you happy?" And will bring her various toys. I hear Eleanor answer yes or no, until finally something makes her happy. They also love to copy each other right now. One will do something to make the other laugh, and It's all over from there. They go on and on for quite a while. I love how lillian calls Eleanor baby goofy and baby boots (can you tell her favorite tv characters?). Eleanor is so sweet to lillian too. They make me so happy, playing and giggling together. It's so nice that they are already good friends! It makes it that much easier to get some stuff done while they play.

Lillian had a fun party a few days after her birthday, and it was 75 and sunny as could be. We played outside the whole time, except for when lil was nowhere to be seen and had snuck inside and opened two gift. Oops! Ha ha. She couldn't wait to get the cake and singing over so she could open her gifts officially. I have loved every single day of her life, and she has brought me so many giggles and smiles I can't even count. I wake up every morning excited to spend the day playing and laughing together. It just keeps getting more and more fun, as she can hold in depth conversations (usually about Charlie, friends, dora or Minnie mouse), can play board games, learns things so easily, can be reasoned with in times of sadness, shows compassion towards others (when mommy has a headache or something, if I mention it she always says mommy you ok? And how you get owie on head?), says and does things she knows will crack everyone up, lives in a little creative world of her own imagination, and is just such an amazing and wonderful little girl. She knows her abcs and her colors, most of her shapes, can count to ten and sometimes to fifteen, is starting to dress herself and put shoes on (she's had the undress part down for a while ha ha), and loves to learn, which is so fun for me! She takes amazing care of Eleanor, is great at sharing with friends, is super duper snuggly with mommy and daddy, laughs and smiles almost all day, and is getting to be so independent. We are beyond lucky to be so blessed that we have been given the chance to raise her. She amazes us everyday with something new and has already taught me so much. Three years ago my life changed in a way that has made me a better person. I love you lillian and am so proud of you every single day and will be forever! Oxox.

Easter egg extravaganza!

We had such a fun day today, and it all started with gorgeous sunshine. We walked from our house to downtown, about a fifteen minute walk, and waited in line for the Easter egg hunt at wild birds unlimited. The girls were very excited, especially lillian. When they let the kids in to get eggs, lillian jumped right in and got some eggs. Eleanor was skeptical and I had to hand her eggs to put in her bag. :-). Both girls got to meet the Easter bunny, and much to our surprise, lillian ran right up to him and gave him hugs. She kept going back to him and holding his hand. So sweet. Eleanor needed daddy to hold her if we got near the bunny, but she was definitely interested in him! We walked back home, well mostly I crawled up the big hill, and tom powered through with lillian in a backpack and Eleanor in a stroller. So strong!

After the hunt, we went to the farmers market at uptown, which was a little much for Elle. She didn't want to walk, be held, or ride in a stroller, until we got tutti fruity popcorn. She Sat down right away in the stroller for that. ;-). We went to a fun lunch, then home for naps. After naps, the girls "decorated" Easter eggs, which were plastic, and decorated by putting stickers on them. They had a blast.

What a gorgeous day we had today. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as nice, and what a great way to remember what Jesus did for us! It is so cute because when you ask lillian why we celebrate Easter, she says "baby Jesus", and when you ask what Jesus did for us on Easter, she says "Jesus saved us". So sweet.

One last cute story. After dinner, we wanted to go on a family walk, but I couldn't find my jacket. Tom looked in the car and downstairs. It was mo where to be seen. I went upstairs to look again, and tom yells to me "Eleanor found it!". She dragged it in the kitchen from who knows where saying mama, mama, mama, mama, and smiled when I praised her for helping us. Amazing what she understands and how helpful she is. So sweet.