Baby Owen is here!

Owen Marvin was born on Sunday May 26 at 4:54 p.m.

He's named after both of his grandfathers, weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. and is 20.5 inches long.

(Taken just after his birth)

and I am in newborn bliss!

At some point, I'll post more pictures and document his birth story but for right now, you can find me

sitting in my rocking chair nursing and enjoying Owen.

 I know all too well that these days pass too quickly.

Preschool party and one year ago today....

Today, Colin had his preschool party to celebrate the last day of school. His teacher set up fun activities to do and families could come and participate. I asked Colin if he wanted just me to go with him or his brothers too. Bringing his brothers would certainly add an element of chaos. 

"I want my brothers to go too!"

He was adamant.

So we all went! 

It was a little chaotic to have three two-year-olds running around a preschool classroom, but they were very good. Colin was so proud to show them the ropes. He also loved that our nanny Jordyn could come with us as she is such an important part of his life too. 

..........................

Today also marks one year since we moved to Holland, MI. 

If you'd told me one year ago as we were in the thick of moving, that this year I'd be waiting to welcome our fifth son.... I would have had a hard time believing it! 

But here we are!

38 weeks!

Last soccer game of the season!

Colin had his last soccer practice and game last night. It's been such a positive experience for him and I'm happy that we nudged him to do it even though he wasn't keen on the idea at first. I'm not sure it would have been nearly as successful if Chris hadn't volunteered to be the coach though. My boys have a very special Daddy, that's for sure.

Go Team!

Everett and Carter, spectating

Go Colin!

Finn. This picture makes me smile because it's SO Finn. This is life with him.

Water break!

Carter

Colin and Daddy

Scenes from a weekend

This past weekend was truly wonderful. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed every bit of it!

We went out for ice cream.

We built stuff.

(I mean, what's a weekend without building something?!) 

The boys tried on my sunglasses as they always do.

We relaxed and watched Handy Manny.

(Apparently my belly is also a good arm rest these days.)

We napped together.

We had a picnic lunch in the backyard.

We dined al fresco

My parents were here all weekend which made the weekend even more special. The plan is for them to visit on the weekends until the baby arrives, just in case. I'll be 38 weeks on Wednesday so baby really could arrive any time! 

"Are those ALL your kids?"

Today was the official opening of the Farmer's Market. We were SO excited!!! Love love LOVE the Farmer's Market.

Jordyn, who helps me with the boys, and I loaded up the kiddos and headed there this morning. We took two double strollers.

And here are just a few of the questions we got during the approximately 45 minutes we were there:

"Are those ALL your kids?"

"Are you running a daycare?"

"Those aren't ALL your kids are they?"

"And you're having another?!"

"Is this next one multiples too?!"

"Aren't triplets rare??"

"Are they quads?"

And overheard by people not whispering very well:

"She has TWO sets of twins and look, another on the way! Omg!"

Seriously people! I know you mean well, but some of these questions and the way that they are asked, come off a little rude.

When out and about, we've always heard questions like the above... and sometimes even more personal ones- from complete strangers. Especially when we'd go out with the choo-choo wagon. In a way, we've gotten used to it but still, I'd thought that this summer might be different because the boys are older and besides, today we took two strollers, instead of the choo-choo wagon.

Again, I know people mean well and are just curious but making flippant remarks about me "Sure having my hands full!" or saying "Better you than me!" or even asking highly personal questions about how my children were conceived, especially IN FRONT OF MY CHILDREN is not cool. They're getting older and they hear you. They don't think our family is unusual at all as this is all they know. I usually laugh the comments off but sometimes I'm tempted to give a real inappropriate answer that would shut people up quickly. I wish I had the guts.

I remember once being at the park when the triplets were still babies, when an older woman quietly leaned over to me and asked, "Are those triplets? And you have a toddler too?" 

Oh boy, I'd thought. What inappropriate question/ comment is she going to say next? (because there usually was one)

But all she said was, "What a blessing"

I've never forgotten that comment. Because she got it.

She got it right. Our boys are each a blessing. The end.

The boys, tonight, rockin' their new haircuts!

Left to right, Everett, Carter, Colin and Finn

Tuesday

Today was a good day.

Yesterday, ehhh... not so much. Yesterday was a day that ended with me wondering where the day had gone off track. I was impatient, rushed, tired, feeling about 12 months pregnant..... worried about the coming weeks instead of being present and trusting that the future will be okay. And all of that made me feel like a craptastic mommy by the end of the day. I'd not been the mommy I want to be to my boys. I crawled into bed determined that today would be better.

And it was.

Whenever I get too "in my head" with worries, to-do lists or my own agenda, that's when I find the day gets off track. However, when I focus on my boys, enjoying them for the curious, emotion filled, little dirt magnets that they are, and let the day unfold however it does, I find the day goes so much more smoothly. Which is not to say that there aren't other things that also need to get done, such as meals, laundry and errands, but when I consciously prioritize my children and let the other stuff just be "other, secondary, wayyyy less important stuff", that's when things in the world feel right. It seems so obvious. Why I let myself get offtrack some days and loose focus.... who knows?! I guess that's just part of being human. I'm always thankful for a new day though. A new opportunity to get a fresh start. 

This morning Everett, Colin and I held hands walking in to drop Colin off at preschool. He'll "graduate" from his first year of preschool in less than two weeks! At night before bed, Colin will often ask, "Is tomorrow a preschool day?" with hope and excitement, which was what we dreamed for him this year. We prayed that he would love going to school and he does. He's come so far from that first day!

We played in the yard and in the sandbox. Oh how my boys LOVE the sandbox Chris built for them. Carter got a splinter and briefly thought the world was ending. Each of the triplets paused from their digging to point out sounds like the birds chirping, a distant lawn mower, or a school bus driving by.... they're very into announcing to whomever is around that they hear something and know what it is!

My mom also came for the day, to help however needed. When the triplets napped, we washed and folded the newborn clothes, all of which are clothes that Colin and/or Everett, Carter and Finn once wore. It was a walk down memory lane. "Remember when the trips fit into these???" "Remember when Colin wore this???" we'd ask. People have made light hearted jokes about how our fifth boy will be stuck wearing mostly hand me downs, but personally I think it's pretty special.

Colin snoozing during the process :-)

She also helped me clean out all of my kitchen cupboards, something I've been wanting to do for awhile. Thanks to her, I feel much more ready for baby than I did yesterday!

Later we watched Colin play soccer. Colin continues to believe that you have to share the ball with the other team instead of trying to kick it away from the other team. Watching four year olds play soccer is quite entertaining! It started to rain just a bit and the trips were more than delighted to get to use the umbrella.

Afterward, my mom went home and Chris ran to the store to pick up a few things. Jordyn, who helps me during the day, had also long gone home. It was just me and my boys.

We ran around the yard (as best as I can run) and I helped them best as I could. Colin wanted to show me the machine he'd made, Carter wanted to climb, Finn wanted to sweep dirt off the edges, and Everett wanted to dig and fill a bucket. They all chatted about things important to them. Carter pointed out for the umpteenth time, his "boo boo" on his hand (where the splinter was) and we had to re-talk through what happened for the hundredth time. Today, I was happy to.

I watched them play a silly game where they'd run from the porch into the yard and then yell, "Oh no, it's raining! Get back to the porch." Well, that's what Colin would yell. The trips would yell something like, "Oh no! Raining! Oh no!" (it wasn't raining but that wasn't relevant to their game I suppose). Then they'd race back to the porch for cover.

All four of them were so in sync. Laughing, running, covered in sand, and being little boys.

I took it all in. And gave thanks for a wonderful day.

Do ya think they have enough sand toys??

37 weeks :-)

Afternoon siesta

Whoa, has it really been a week since I've blogged anything?

So what have I been doing? I've been in an organizing frenzy! I got this surge of energy and the desire to organize EVERYTHING in the house toward the end of last week and have been going going going ever since. Although my body isn't quite keeping up at the pace I'd like :-)

We were also blessed to have visits from both sets of grandparents. What would we do without them?!? My mother-in-law came two days in a row. On the second day she brought tons of flowers and planted our front and side flower beds. Our flower beds looked pretty pitiful and now they look beautiful!! My mother in law has a real gift for gardening and our boys love to help her any chance they get. Anything involving dirt, digging and water.... they're IN!

Then my parents came and helped me organize our master closet and bedroom. My mom got up with the boys so that we could sleep in, even though they happened to get up extra extra early that morning! Gotta love grandparents!

I feel like we made real progress getting the house ready and that feels so good!

However, along with my desire to organize and get ready for baby, I feel this intense desire and need to just be with my boys and spend time with them. To savor these last few weeks "just us".

This afternoon, I laid down on the couch near Colin, watching Mighty Machines. While it's my boys absolute favorite show, it has a tendency to put me to sleep. So there I dozed and felt the baby kick off and on. One by one the younger boys woke up from their nap. Finn, still sleepy came over and and climbed into my arms. As we laid there together I noticed that Colin had also given in and fallen asleep.

I love these boys. I love these moments with them. Doing nothing, yet everything.

p.s. Colin is wearing underwear :) Clothes, no. Underwear, yes.

35 weeks!

Homestretch!

Chris took this picture yesterday after we came home from Colin's soccer game. It was a beautiful, warm night.

We were sitting out in the front yard while the boys played and it occurred to me that I'm now 35 weeks along! And then it occurred to me that there aren't many photos of me pregnant this time around. I'm usually the one taking pictures of our family.

So Chris snapped a shot.

And now I know why people at Target, the grocery store, Lowes and my other frequented spots are suddenly asking me when I'm due. This baby looks just about done!

I'm feeling pretty good, just suddenly bigger.

I was looking to see if there was a picture of me 34 weeks pregnant with the triplets to compare and instead I stumbled upon this post. It brought tears to my eyes because I still remember so vividly how difficult those last few weeks of pregnancy were. I really can't complain this time around! It's getting harder to chase the boys, pick them up, tackle diaper changes and fit them on my lap but other than that, we're doing great! I'm getting SO excited to meet him.

On the way to preschool today, Colin said, "Is _____ going to arrive soon?!"   **

"Yup, soon!"

"Good. I want to see what he looks like."





** (______ because although we call him by his name around the house all the time, we're waiting until his birth to share it with others)

Rockstar

Our weekend was pretty good. Saturday, as predicted, was beautiful! The first thing I did on Saturday morning was grab a cup of coffee and run around opening all the windows. Finally, we could open the windows and feel the wonderful warm breeze. It was delightful...

That is until all four of our darling children started melting down for various reasons. All at once. Screaming, hollering, falling to the floor dramatically and crying. The timing was almost comical except that it wasn't. I was just sure you could hear them all over the neighborhood.

So I ran around closing all the windows again. Ha! Perhaps we'll stick with central air this summer.

Finally we got outside and they calmed down. Fresh air is a beautiful thing.

We worked a lot on the garden which is coming along. Chris was able to get the garden beds completed. No more dirt pile! Yay!

Next up, we need to build a fence to go around it, put mulch or something along the paths and of course plant the seeds. I love to build a vertical lettuce garden out of gutters up the side of the house, but that may be pushing it this year. We'll see.

The absolute highlight of my weekend though was when Chris decided to mow the lawn.

"Okay, I'll watch the kids in the yard while you mow" I'd said.

Chris started up the mower and this apparently cued our boys to SPRINT to their lawnmowers. They  raced as fast as they could to get a mower and then fell in line behind Chris. I was laughing so hard because it was so darn cute.

"Seriously, what does it feel like to be such a rockstar in their eyes?!?" I asked Chris.

Our boys love to be like daddy! He does all the "cool" stuff. I mean, I only carried them, birthed them, and keep them fed all day long with as much home cooked food as I can make.... but that's all boring stuff.

:)

It's all good. Besides, apparently no one is as good at kissing "boo-boos" and "owies" as Mommy. That's my turf.