my unofficial birth plan has but two items on it: have the baby in the hospital.  as in, not at home, not in the car, not in a taxi, not in an ambulance, not in the parking lot outside the hospital. get a good epidural.  period. i figure if i keep it short and simple, i’ll have a greater chance of having the ‘birth of my dreams’.  i told phil it was his job to make this birth plan happen. will let ya know how it goes. any day now…

just got back last night from a quick weekend trip and now i’m a few entries behind on the joy of love series.  will be back tonight to start getting caught up. but for now, i’m interrupting this month-long series to wish y’all a happy valentine’s day! the kiddos hope your day is filled with lots of love, laughter, and sweet treats! my dear phil has yet to forget v-day, and this year was no exception.  last night he came home with take-out chinese and two lovely bouquets of flowers for me.  unfortunately, our regular flower vases are still packed in boxes awaiting our next move.  so i combined the…

taking pictures of life with our kids generally falls into one of the following scenarios: the kids are dressed decently, teeth brushed, hair somewhat tamed (i.e., like on a sunday when we’re headed to church) but the setting is not so very nice.  like our rather uninspiring ‘hood. the kids are NOT dressed decently but rather are wearing random playclothes, teeth may or may not be brushed, hair might have been tamed the day before, but we happen to be in a nice, inspiring, uncluttered setting. the kids are still in pjs, one has poopy pants, teeth definitely not brushed, hair hopelessly disheveled, AND we are in a downright unpleasant…

hello dear little one,  i’m sorry to have to tell you… that you are not the first to be born into this family. and not the second, or the third, either. no precious one, you will be one of many. though you’re not the first, or the second, or the third… we still eagerly await your arrival with open arms and thankful hearts.  for you are a precious gift from the Lord. and i happen to know a big brother and a couple of big sisters who just can’t wait to hug you and squeeze you and love you forever. see you soon, little guy. love, mommy

if you were to ask her, she’d say she wants to be a mommy when she grows up.  and she’s lately decided that she needs to learn how to do what mommy does in order to be a mommy herself one day.  i like the way the girl thinks. which means, she’s been hanging out with me quite a bit in the kitchen as i’m cooking dinner.  and since she’s the one who is usually around, she tends to be the one who gets to help with things like stirring the sauce, or adding ingredients to the pan.  i’m not together enough to remember to call little people to come…