Waiting

The view from my bed

a bassinet (with freshly washed bedding) and a bag packed for the hospital.

In his dresser, Wyatt's clothes wait, smelling sweetly of Dreft.

24 little newborn cloth diapers are stacked in the changing table. Another car seat sits by the door, waiting to be installed in the newly detailed car. The house is clean, the refrigerator and pantry are stocked and the freezer is full of casseroles. October's bills have been paid, birthday gifts and cards have been sent off, regrets have been conveyed for all meetings and social engagements...

I know I've mentioned it before, so although I'm ashamed of it, it's no secret... I have hated this pregnancy. It has been too scary and filled with one "what if" after another. All I've wanted is to have this sweet baby safe in my arms, pretty much from the moment we found out I was pregnant. And now, very, very soon - I will!

I've been really grouchy the past few days - losing it more than once, being snippy with everyone in my family, and just plain wanting to scream that I am SICK OF BEING PREGNANT!! But... really, when I stop whining for a moment, I remember what a special time this is. With my other babies, these days and weeks before birth were just about my favorite time ever - the anticipation of waiting to meet your baby is unlike anything in the world. And so, we wait. And I am stopping daily - sometimes hourly - to remind myself to cherish these waiting days.

The Normals

I haven't been blogging because... well, I've been sitting/laying in my bed for a couple of weeks and there isn't a lot going on in my life, or, sorry to say, my brain. But I got into a bit of a discussion on Facebook today, and it got me thinking about a topic that is obviously on my brain right now - giving birth and feeding a newborn.

I reacted to comments on Facebook by several people who said that feeding baby formula was the "easy way" and that breastfeeding was just so hard and inconvenient. First of all, I found the opposite to be true - formula feeding is a PAIN! When baby is a newborn and waking up in the middle of the night, who wants to get out of bed and go all the way to the kitchen to mix up/warm a bottle while baby wails, instead of just reaching over, getting baby out of the bassinet and nursing them back to sleep before anyone ever fully wakes up?! When Henry was ten months old and I was pregnant with Violet, my supply really tanked, and I was giving him formula about half the time and nursing him the other half. I can't tell you how many times my poor boy was out on some errand with me screaming and hungry, because his bad momma had forgotten to pack a bottle - I was just so used to the ease of always having his food supply with me!

But aside from the fact that I disagree about formula feeding being more convenient, I really have a problem with people going around talking about how hard breastfeeding is. I think we have really turned things upside down in our society by taking perfectly normal as-nature-intended things like breastfeeding and giving birth, and making them into some heroically difficult feats that women must choose to overcome... or choose the alternative, the "easy" way of giving baby a bottle or having a medically-managed delivery.

When we talk about how hard breastfeeding is, and we show images on TV of birth as this horrifically scary, painful, and dramatic event, we scare new mothers! We create doubt. So many women never even try to breastfeed or have a normal delivery, because they have been so programmed to think these things are too difficult. Even those who try, often are set up for failure and give up too soon, because again, they have been told over and over again that they are doing some really hard thing. SURE, there are challenges to breastfeeding and of course giving birth hurts... but we all accept that when we become pregnant we will deal with morning sickness, and backaches, and stretch marks, and heartburn, and swollen feet. There's no alternative - we just know going into it that's what's normal, and we deal with it and move on. Well, if we as a society started saying it's NORMAL for newborns to wake up every couple of hours, it's NORMAL for your nipples to be sore at first, it's NORMAL for your milk not to come in for a day or two and babies are made for that, it's NORMAL for your supply to fluctuate, etc. then moms would go into breastfeeding expecting those obstacles, dealing with them, and continuing on. Similarly, we need to say that it's NORMAL for labor to progress slowly and sometimes stall for a little while, it's NORMAL for contractions to hurt and our bodies are made to withstand that pain, it's NORMAL for baby to crown for a long time, it's NORMAL for baby's heart rate to vary some during birth, etc. then women wouldn't buy into their doctors' arguments that it's time for pitocin and forcepts and c-sections.

I just never really considered NOT breastfeeding an option for me, so when I encountered obstacles (and I did), I just sought out solutions and plowed through it. Not because I felt formula feeding was evil (in fact, I chose to start supplementing with formula once my kids reached 7-10 months, because I wanted to cut out one of my pumping sessions at work), but because I just thought breastfeeding was the way to go - my body was created to feed my baby and my baby was created to drink human milk, so I knew we could do it. I remember after my deliveries, Davis said afterwards that he couldn't believe I never screamed - he had witnessed countless "births" in movies and on TV, and every single one of them portrayed the same thing - a mom screaming at the top of her lungs, in sheer panic, with doctors and nurses running around frantically as if baby and mom would die any minute. It's ridiculous. The VAST majority of births are not medical emergencies, nor are they unbearably painful or traumatic - mothers and babies were made for this and we've been doing it since the beginning of humanity. If we started showing THAT side of birth and talking about birth as NORMAL, the same way we talk about pregnancy as being NORMAL, women would stop doubting themselves and just let their bodies do their thing. Honestly, between pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding - I would say pregnancy is the hardest. All the hardships of giving birth and breastfeeding are very transient, whereas the hardships of pregnancy each last at least several weeks. So why are women making it through 40 weeks of the hard stuff, only to believe they can't make it through a 90 second contraction or a few days of sore nipples? Because we have created alternatives and led women to believe that formula feeding and intervention-heavy births are the norm, and breastfeeding and natural birth is for those crazy women who are more brave or more crunchy or more something than they are.

Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful that we have created baby formula and medical delivery interventions - there are babies who are healthier because they had formula available to them when they were orphaned or some medical issue kept them from being able to be breastfed. I'm thankful that I had the option to pump less and give my older infants formula. I'm thankful that when they thought I had vasa previa, I knew we would most likely be okay because I could have a c-section and have access to a fabulous NICU. I don't begrudge moms the choice of giving their baby formula, of getting an epidural or having a c-section. I just wish that moms (especially first time moms) went into the decision with the perspective of knowing that breastfeeding is what's NORMAL and NATURAL and what our bodies and babies were MADE FOR, and that they are perfectly capable of giving birth without drugs and episiotomies. I wish their decisions were made not because of the doubt that we as a culture have created.

I think it's time to start telling our daughters and our new mother friends, and to start showing on TV and in movies, that the NORMAL is breastfeeding and the NORMAL is for mom to deliver baby without interventions. We need to empower women to believe that their bodies were created to do this. If a doctor tells them that their baby is "too big" to be born vaginally, or a friend tells them that they just need to give up breastfeeding because they don't make enough milk, a confident mom should feel empowered to question them. They should know that true cephalopelvic disproportion is very rare and that changes in milk production are normal and low supply can usually be remedied. That is not to say that these are NEVER the case, but that they are so unusual that more than likely they are not the case and should be questioned before alternatives like c-sections and formula are chosen.

Yes, I'm happy that formula exists, I'm happy women can choose epidurals and that c-sections are available and relatively safe now. BUT they are not normal and not natural. That's just a fact.

33 Weeks

I thought I would get in a pregnancy update before baby comes!

Baby Wyatt is a little over 4 pounds, and he can now tell the difference between night and day (for Wyatt that means day = sleep, night = boogie!) He is pretty active now, which makes me SO happy, because up until now he has been pretty mellow. I think he's finally (hopefully!) stopped doing somersaults, and most just likes to wiggles his hands and feet.

I am feeling good - just trying so hard to keep contractions at bay. I am craving gyros and candy apples, which have been the same cravings I've had every pregnancy. I'm also loving oranges and peaches, and am way too addicted to Metromint water. It's SO much yummier than just plain water, and when I have to chug water all day, it's great. But it's kind of ridiculously expensive.

Other than some heartburn, swelling, and normal 8-month pregnancy fun, I really do feel good, and I'm so thankful for that. I LOVE the end of pregnancy - I've talked about it before, it is just such a special time. That anticipation and getting ready to meet your baby, there is nothing in the world like it. Knowing this is my last time, I just want to cherish every single second of it! Wyatt's bassinet and crib are set up, his bitty clothes are washed and folded in his drawer, and he has a family (and many friends) who are so looking forward to seeing his sweet little face! But we are all praying that he stays put a few more weeks, so he can skip the whole hospital ordeal and be with his family where he belongs.

Report From Bed - 1

Tuesday night, I started having some regular contractions - about 3 minutes apart - but they weren't painful or getting worse. They weren't getting better either. So after a couple of hours or trying to drink water and lay down, I went into Labor & Delivery, just to get everything checked out. They decided that I was having too many contractions, too close together, and gave me a shot of terbutaline to stop things. The contractions did stop, and a few hours later I was back home.

All day Wednesday, which was a busy work day, I had crampy contractions, but they weren't regular. But by the evening they got more and more regular, and suddenly around midnight, they also became quite painful. I went back to L&D and was having pretty powerful contractions

and they had dilated my cervix 2 cm since the night before. Things kicked into high gear and I got stuck by seven needles in one hour - normally shots don't bother me, but toward the end I was really dreading them! Thankfully they did their job, the contractions spaced out pretty quickly after a couple of hours. By the morning I was only having about 2 contractions an hour, and they no longer hurt. The terbutaline (they switched me to an oral dose every 4 hours after the shots) made me very jittery and I was totally unable to sleep. I was discharged around noon - on bed rest. I came home and got caught up on some work from bed, but I felt pretty awful until I finally got some sleep last night!

I am SO thankful that I have made it to 33 weeks before going on bed rest! It seems so much more manageable, and also less scary, to face preterm labor at 33 weeks instead of 29 weeks (like with Henry)! I am also incredibly lucky that I have a job that allows me to work from home. Not only am I able to keep earning a living, but it is a huge blessing to have something that keeps me busy during the day. And I am SO blessed with the most wonderful friends in the world! Within minutes of posting on Facebook that I was on bed rest, I cannot count the number of friends who checked on me, offered to bring meals, keep the kids, come visit, do anything I needed! The girls took it all in stride - Sophia and I laid in bed and did her homework yesterday afternoon, Amelia brought me a pile of books to read, and Henry has already discovered he can climb onto my bed anytime for extra snuggles! And my husband, oh he is the best - after keeping the kids and house under control alone all day, he went to Kroger and got me candy apples and Metromint water - I can't get enough of either! I am one lucky girl!

So, if you could say a little prayer that Baby Wyatt stays put at least for another 3 to 4 weeks, that would be very appreciated! I am still having some contractions here and there, but so far nothing too bad... let's hope it stays that way and we have an uneventful few weeks :)

Thank you, friends!

Forgiveness

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
Lewis Smedes

The topic of forgiveness has been on my mind and heart all summer. It was the topic of our sermon in church Sunday. I have had several great conversations with friends about forgiveness lately. When I can't stop thinking about something, it's usually time to blog about it!

When I wonder, to what lengths are we called upon to forgive? The answer is simple. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." That is the answer to every excuse we may come up with about why we have NOT forgiven something. But what he did was TOO wrong... But it hasn't been long enough... But she's not sorry yet...

Now that we have that out of the way - the question of whether our faith really requires that we forgive under these circumstances - the hard part is the how. C.S. Lewis said "every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive." And it's true, it is much easier to recognize the theoretical value of forgiveness, to acknowledge the spiritual need to forgive, than to actually DO the forgiving.

One reason I wanted to write about this, is because I feel like I have been given a gift. And when I talk about it, it sounds like bragging, like I've figured out something that's hard for other people, and that is why I have NOT wanted to blog about it - because that is not it AT ALL. Believe me, I am absolutely no better of a person than anyone else (quite the contrary - I am in need of much forgiveness myself every day!!). I am just blessed, and I have been my whole life - long before I recognized it. I can forgive - sometimes easier and faster than other times - and when I forgive, I completely forgive, and I forget. We all have our trials, and I also don't want to sound like I have led some horrible life or been some sort of martyr. But I have had people hurt me in my life, deeply. And I have forgiven all of them. And I can honestly tell you that I cannot evoke any feelings of anger or hurt toward them. Some acts against me were big enough that I have not forgotten what happened (though in many, many instances I have), I have forgotten the feelings of mine that those actions brought on.

In one case, a man did something awful to me when I was twelve years old - I remember a lot of things about that night, but I do not remember him. I have lots of reasons to, but I don't. I could not begin to tell you what he looks like, and I don't know his last or his first name. I know the hurt that his actions caused me in the years that followed. But today, I know that pain and the turmoil that it caused in my life brought me to where I am today and made me into the person that I am now. I have been able to look another hurting person in the eye and say "I know" because of what happened. I am stronger and different because of what happened. And so I no longer hurt because of it. And him? Why do I not hate him? Why do I not even remember him? Because he doesn't matter. What mattered was what God ultimately did with me and my life. That is my journey. That man, wherever his life has taken him since, has his own journey. And I have no doubt that God is in charge of it too, so I don't have to worry about it. I don't have to be angry that his prison sentence was too short. I don't have to think about his own children and what his actions did to their lives. I don't have to wonder whether he is sorry or whether he ever realized how much hurt he caused. It's not MY problem, thank God.

And that brings me to what I believe the biggest part of forgiveness is - it is FAITH. Faith that our Father is truly in charge. If we believe that God is the ultimate judge, then we must let go of our own judgment. If we believe that God determines the fate of people's lives and souls, then we can let go of the burden of trying to see that justice through. I don't have to spend the rest of my life keeping track of, thinking about, wondering whether my offender is sorry, whether he "got what he deserved." I can lay that burden down. Because I believe with all of my heart that my Heavenly Father is taking care of it for me. And oh, my friends, THAT is the most amazing blessing EVER!!

When we carry a hurt around, when we are angry, when we stew and obsess and re-live over and over again, it is US being hurt. And I have been there. There have been months and months that I have carried that burden with me - and it is like a cancer that eats away at me. It poisons my spirit and ruins my every day. It creeps in whenever my mind is still, it comes to remind me that "all is not well" when I am happy, and it weighs me down. When there are people in my life with whom I am angry or disappointed, I feel burdened in a way that I cannot stand.

But the temptation to withhold forgiveness is strong sometimes. Why? Our human nature for some reason makes us believe that revenge is sweet. We think that inflicting pain on someone who has hurt us will make it better. Self-righteous anger can be like a drug - even though it is eating at us, ruining our lives, we cling to it. If we can get others to see how we have been wronged, and to join us in condemning and judging our offender, even better. But why? What good does it bring us? How are we healed from our hurt? How can we ever be free?

This sounds funny, but there have been times that it is a disadvantage that I can't remember most wrongs once I have forgiven them. There are people who are no longer in my life, because they were hurtful to me and I chose no longer to associate with them regularly. But now I hold no animosity toward them - I know they were not a positive influence on my life and therefore are not a regular part of it, but I have no memory of why. Once I forgave them, I forgot what hurtful thing they did or said to me. It can be weird sometimes if I encounter them and cannot remember our falling out - but it allows me to smile and say hello. And I don't mind if my mistake is that I am too kind to someone. Even in my marriage - I'm often at a disadvantage during arguments, because I cannot bring up past examples of my husband's bad deeds. I just don't remember.

But ultimately, because all of those wrongdoings are gone, I am free. And the reason I am writing this blog post, is that I wish everyone could know what this freedom feels like. I have been chained by anger and holding grudges, and I know what that feels like. It makes me hurt for everyone out there who is unable to forgive.

One friend I was speaking with recently said, "you should write out your recipe for how to forgive." And so here is my attempt, for anyone who might be struggling with this right now, to share what has worked for me.

1. Pray. It is God who commands us to forgive, and He will help us.

2. Ask yourself: Do you believe that our Savior calls upon us to forgive any wrong done to us by anyone?

3. Ask yourself: Do you believe that it is God's responsibility to judge others and oversee ultimate justice?

4. Think about your actions in the wrong that was committed. You are not confessing anything to anyone else, so feel free to be completely honest with yourself. Are you disappointed in yourself, do you feel responsible for any part of what happened? The answer may be no, but if it is yes, it is helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you have learned from this experience.

5. Think about your offender. Do you believe that he or she is an important person in your life?

a. If the answer is yes (such as a parent or spouse) think about the action or actions that person has done to hurt you. Think about your expectations of that person. In order to continue to have this person in your life, are you expecting them to change who they are? For sure, there are actions that are wrong, which should not be repeated and can be forgiven individually. But you cannot change who that other person is. If your parent has let you down your whole life, you have the option to forgive him or her for not being the best parent to you, to acknowledge that this is the parent that God gave you, and to move forward in your relationship with the understanding that you may have to lower your expectations of them. That does not mean that you have to put up with abuse, but it means you can stop being disappointed that they are not someone else. You can discover the limits of the relationship by saying "I will never be able to rely on my mother for____" and stop seeking that. And then think about what relationship you CAN have - and then let go of your disappointment and expectation and move forward. Your parents will not be around forever, and I promise you that ultimately you will be blessed if you have made peace with them before they are gone. In the case of your spouse, this blog post could get too long (it already is!) so let me just say - if I am going to be with someone for the rest of our lives, I would much rather love them than hate them!

b. If the answer is no, this person is not an important person in your life, then your job is much easier. Although whatever they have done to you has caused you pain, you are solely in control over how much continued pain you allow this person to inflict upon you. What is done, is done. You can now focus on how God will shape your life and your character as a result, you can look hopefully toward a day when you recognize the blessings that come from the pain you are feeling. What you cannot do is undo what happened. You also have no control over how your offender feels. It is not your job to follow up on God to make sure he really takes care of the situation. And so you can let this other person go - they will go from your life and no longer be a person of consequence to you. You may even forget their name, forget the words they have spoken to you, forget the things that anger you about them... none of those things matter any more. This is not an important person in your life. Forgive them, because you want to be free. Forgive them because you want to be filled with love and not hate. Forgive them because you have good things to do in this world and you cannot waste your energy chasing them down (in your mind or literally keeping tabs on them).

6. Follow through. From this day forward, your words and your actions will no longer be motivated by anger or resentment. From this day forward, your actions will be motivated by love. The Dalai Lama said "the more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be.” If you have carried a wrong with you for a long time, you may have to break the habit of acting in bitterness. Stop, before you speak or act, and ask yourself WHY you are taking a certain action or saying a certain thing - is it to hurt the other person? Is it because you doubt that they will face the consequences of their action? Are you acting/speaking in forgiveness or in resentment? When you open your mouth, remember, "words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness." (Mother Theresa) It might take a few times, maybe even a few months or even years, but eventually you will not have to stop yourself in this way. Eventually you will be in the habit of acting in forgiveness toward that person, and it will come naturally to you.

Forgiving is not easy. But we can do hard things. It makes us better.

I Love You, Cool Weather!

This has been the hottest summer ever. on. record. in Arkansas. And I'm pregnant. To say it's been miserable is really an understatement - there were so many days that I just wanted the day to be over, because I couldn't stand the heat.

But the past week has been AMAZING! As soon as the weather turned cooler, even though I was really sick, I was just so much happier! I think pretty much everyone in Arkansas has felt that way.

Labor Day was our first cool day, so for Family Night, we went to a state park close by and grilled hot dogs, played on the playground, went for a walk, and just tried to suck in all the lovely fall-ness in the air!

None of us wanted to leave the park, and we stayed past bedtime.

Solutions

I just thought I'd do another organizing post. I was just talking with a friend about how living in a small house has forced us to be careful about not accumulating too much stuff and also to be creative with our storage. Our little bungalow was built in 1936, and other than one very small closet per bedroom (3), we have no closets. We do a big clothing purge at every season change, and we give away at least one giant box of toys before every Christmas. I'd want to do that even if we had unlimited closet space!

But with soon to be four kids, we really needed a solution for coats, hats, gloves, rain boots, etc. We had some room at the end of a hallway - there's a door there, but we never use it, because on the other side is a door in Henry's room that we have blocked off. So a few weeks ago, my sister in law and I headed to my favorite antique store, in search of a wardrobe.

I ended up getting this rustic cabinet - it was super cheap, and exactly the dimensions of the hallway (it took a little taking apart and putting back together to get it in the spot).

Behind the mirror is a tall cabinet. Davis hung a rod, and that's where everyone's jackets and coats are. On the floor of the cabinet are everyone's rain boots. The top cabinet on the right had a very rickety mirror that kept falling out, so I replaced it with some fabric - that cabinet is the perfect spot for bags (kids' little overnight bags/backpacks, extra diaper bags, library bag, etc. - it's surprisingly deep). And the drawers are just perfect - one for umbrellas, one for gloves, one for hats, one for scarves, and one that's still EMPTY!

One of the things that's hard about having the kids in school and me working, is that Davis picks them up from school at 3 o'clock, and I don't get home until a couple of hours later. Last year, we kept having issues with important school papers getting lost during those two hours! It seemed like I was always searching for permission slips under the car seats. When Sophia was taking dance, Davis and I were always having frantic phone conversations 30 minutes before her lesson about where her tights or ballet shoes or leotard were.

So, now the rule is that when the girls get in the car at school, they throw their backpacks (or in Amelia's case, the little canvas bag the school provides for pre-K kids) in the front passenger seat (so they're not tempted to open them in the back seat on the way home!) And when they get home, they hang them on hooks underneath their initials on the big bulletin board

When I get home, I know everything will still be there for me. Usually Sophia sits down with me at 5 and does homework at the dining room table while I start dinner and look through their folders.

Underneath their school bags, on their hooks, they each have a sports bag. Sophia's soccer bag has her ball, cleats, shin guards, uniform, sunscreen, and water bottle in it.

Amelia's dance bag has her tap and ballet shoes, tights, and leotards in it.

Sunday nights, I wash their uniforms and stick them back in the bags, where they stay until practice/class/games. No more searching!

Henry's hook has his diaper bag on it. I have always kept my diaper bag stocked, so that it's ready to go - when we get back from an outing, I clean it out/re-stock it as needed, which works so much better than trying to throw stuff together when you need to run out the door. Of course the contents change based on the age of my kids... right now it contains 3 cloth diapers, a wetbag, a travel package of disposable wipes, an extra shirt for Henry, an empty sippy cup, a little bag with raisins and Cheerios, a few matchbox cars, a bag of crayons and a little notepad, hand sanitizer, and sunscreen.

One the side of the pantry cabinet, to the left of the bulletin board, I hung a wire basket. That is where library books live. The girls are free to get them out and read them anytime, but as soon as they are done, the books go back in the basket rather than on their bookshelf (or anywhere else). This makes it easy to find them when they are due, and is also a good reminder to me to return them!

Speaking of books - see Sophia's reading caterpillar on the top of the bulletin board? He gets a circle for every book she reads on her own. When he gets to the end, we're having a party!

One more easy solution... I got this from my friend Holly, and I think it's just brilliant! When the weather is nice, we go to the zoo all the time - it is close to our house, and we have a membership so we can go however many times we want and often go for just an hour or two. But I never seem to have tokens (or dollar bills for buying tokens) for riding the train, and Davis can never find his zoo card... So I got this cute little wallet, and in it I put our zoo card, a bunch of zoo tokens, a few dollar bills (for lemonade!), and coupons I have for free stuff at the zoo that we get when we renew our membership. Now when Davis or I head to the zoo - we just grab the zoo wallet off the bulletin board and have everything we need!

There are days that I spend hours on Pinterest, looking at amazing mud rooms and beautiful big houses with lots of storage space, thinking about how nice it would be to have more space than stuff... but really, I am content with our little space for now, and it works.

Ballet and Soccer

My apologies, my computer cord has not been working, and I've been sick as a dog for over a week. Thankfully I'm on the mend now (thanks, unfortunately, to handfuls of drugs).

But we've been busy!

Amelia started dance last week, and oh my gosh, she loves it so much! She does shows for us all the time, and asks just about every day how many more days until Monday. I think waiting until kids are really eager to participate in something before enrolling them is the way to go. I signed Sophia up for gymnastics and dance when she was 3 and 4 years old, just because everyone else was doing it (honestly), and I regret it - I mean, she had fun, but I can really see a difference in their joy and dedication when they start something after longing for and looking forward to it. I'm seeing the same thing with Sophia and violin and soccer - both things she has been wanting to do for about a year.

Anyway, here is Amelia on her first day of dance

Once lessons started, we had to watch through mini blinds and it was really hard to get a good shot - I felt like a private eye, taking pictures between the slats of the blinds. Aren't they adorable?!

Amelia really took it seriously and tried so hard. I'm so proud of her!

And Sophia started soccer the week before - Davis was a long-time soccer player and is really enjoying this time with Sophia, so he has been taking her to practice. But we all went to her first game Saturday morning. It was SO fun, and a gorgeous day too!

Warming up

Henry loved getting in the middle of the girls before the game - Davis finally ended up taking him to an unused part of the field for a little one on one soccer.

I was really impressed with these girls - they have only had two practices and this is their first game, and they all did great! Every girl on both teams did a great job.

It was really fun to watch!

I love this shot - they all played hard and tried their best!

Sophia was totally exhausted. Love it.

After the game, the parents (minus the really pregnant lazy ones with cameras, who stayed in their lawn chair) made a tunnel for the kids to run through after the teams congratulated each other.

I really, really like Sophia's coach. He is not only teaching them great soccer skills, but also good sportsmanship (he always congratulated the girls who scored goals - on both sides!) and he is just really positive and encouraging.

I am so happy that the girls have found activities that truly bring them joy, and that they are motivated to try really hard in. Whatever they undertake, it's important to me that they do their best - aside from my dedication not to over-commit our family, I also am going to expect them to try their best, which I think is easier when they are not doing a million different things.

And Henry - what kind of activities has he been up to? Well... chasing the cat

and he's discovered the girls' passion of swinging from trees

I swear, I gave birth to monkeys. I went to Sam's last weekend and bought SIX POUNDS of bananas - they were gone in less than three days!