Quatro

Cale's been very interested in learning how to count in other languages.
...I assume Dora and Deigo have something to do with this.
Me?
I took French....Je m'appelle Katie.
AND...that's pretty much all I know. 

Anyway....my beauty is now 4 months old.
Quatro.

Wasn't it just the other day when she would fall asleep during the commotion?  Now, she's distracted!  She knows something is going on and must squirm and stay awake in order to be a part of it!

Someone at church today asked me if she was always "this happy."  Well yeah...IF she's getting 'face time.'  The girl loves to look at faces.  Toys somewhat interest her - but what she really wants is someone to look at her and babble goofy things or to just smile super big.  She will definitely respond!  She loves to face forward and look around.  Rolling over all the time...and am I crazy, or can she army crawl already!  Crazy girl.

I put her on our scale the other day as I held her from the back (by the way - she is getting ridiculously close to sitting up alone)...and it read just under 12 lbs.
I don't know if that's accurate, but she is still a little thing.  Getting longer for sure - but she can easily still fit into 3 month clothing.  We've got some 3-6 that work as well, and I'm itching to try out some of the 6 month clothes I have for her too (it's not even that they are girly - it's that they are basically NEW!  You get kinda tired of looking at the same clothes year after year! ;).

We are turning in for the night at an earlier hour!  Usually by 9-10p she's out!   Recently even 8:30!!
The "putting her to bed" is getting to be a bit more challenging though.  Naps are easy.  I can tell she's tired...I hold her in my arms for a lil bit and she's out.  At night, I have nicknamed her my "tiny rhino."  Fights it hard, and then conks out!!

Okay - I have to say this cuz it cracks me up - and I can't recall any of my others doing this - but at night I often hear her sorta wake up and squirm. Since she prefers to sleep the length on her belly...I wake to look at her and make sure she's okay.  More times than I can count she's got her little fanny (yep...fanny) in the air (still asleep mind you) and just lets 'em rip!  It's hilarious.  I can almost hear her sigh when she's done and then...back to sleep.  ...what a lady, eh?! :)
ha ha.
What else can I say about my Neve?  She loves to be outside, and has currently been enjoying some stroller rides (though she's still a bit tiny to get all buckled in - I use blankets to fill the space).  She's doing better at being in the car, but still really isn't a fan.  Unless it's a short ride. She still spits up all the time.  I can't remember when Cale stopped doing it, but I think it gets better once they figure out how to sit up....

 And there ya go.  She's a great baby.  A wonderful addition to our family.  

I'm enjoying watching her change all the time! 

heavy

No, I'm not talking about me.
Or my kids.
Or Tim. ;)

Just a few of the past weeks.
Tim's work schedule has been different - that throws me out of wack.  So many of you ask how I "do it?"  Well, routine plays a giant role in it.  Sure, we mix things up a bit - movie nights, ordering pizza, or doing a bonfire...but really, things have been very much the same over the past few months.  Adjusting to a new person will do that.
The kids don't seem to mind.  They live by their structure...and it makes the extra special things - like getting a NEW (free, used) PLAYGROUND...very very exciting!
I prayed for that playground, and God delivered.  As He always does. :)

-Back to the heaviness.
A family in our church lost their little girl 11 days ago.  Heartbreaking.
Part of me wishes I didn't have to know them...didn't have to try to put myself in their shoes, because it's painful and almost too sad.  But that's not fair.  We need to hurt along with them.  Even when we can't be physically with them, we can lift them in prayer and share their story.
Their baby was a 2 year old little girl, adopted from Ethiopia.
...definitely close to our hearts...
felt a little too close.
She was beautiful, and is now enjoying her peace in Heaven with Jesus.

I've watched my husband transform over these past few weeks.
Prior to this, he had not performed a funeral.  It was all new to him...but not the fun kind of new - like learning to ride a bike.  The sad, grieving, panic new. 
Does the term "rise to the occasion" resonate with you?  For sure...but he also rose up with humility.  Like any challenge God presents him with, Tim is willing and able to walk through it.
...And this was a tough one.  Sometimes it doesn't FEEL like I'm a pastor's wife, but when my pastor husband helps a family through something like this, it wakes me up, and I ruffle my pride feathers - because I got me a good one! :)
I've got so much respect for my man 'of the call!' ;)

.......Sometimes Tim and I joke about how different our lives would be if we had ended up with a past interest. Do you ever did that?
Just for fun of course... :)
Who would it have been?  What sort of work would he do...what about hobbies?
Would we have a bunch of kids?  Where would we live....
I'm glad the conclusion is that I DON'T have to think on it for more than a few seconds.  Because I know that none of those answers would be even close to as good as the ones I have now.

Completely in love with my husband.
...With my sons.
...With my daughter.

And while heavy times may come and go, rooting us in reality and the fallen world we live in...
In those moments God gives us glimpses of things that make us grateful for who we are and what He's allowed us to have and experience.

1....2....3!!

My chickie is 3 months old.
Time is zooming!!!

5 kids in the past 6 years and no breaks!

Gosh...it's crazy.  But the fun kind of crazy. 
Fun, mixed with exhaustion, discipline and diapers...
but so much love.
God has been so extraordinarily good to us.

I've started running (I know, blech!)...and when I find myself hating it, I start to think of the blessings that I have. 
First I start off with the obvious - I have legs that work that are pushing me forward.  Some people don't even have the use of their legs! 
Sometimes we take for granted walking, eh?
That usually gets the ball rolling.
I actually thanked God the other day for the baby weight.  *gasp!!*
...hear me out - I thank Him because it reminds me how special my babies are. 
And though Cale is six, and some might not call that a "baby" - he still is. :)
They all are.
Some people can't have children and some won't experience the joys of adoption...but I have and do!

My littlest miracle is just that. 
Never thought we'd be able to have kids "the old fashioned way" - but God never ceases to surprise, eh?
Neve is pure joy!
Happiest baby on the block, says Daddy.
Yes, she does get fussy at night - particularly around the 10pm hour- but it's not always, and it's less often than it was.
She's on a good (enough) schedule - and even when she doesn't nap like we want her to, it's alright...because she's happy. 
She's started cooing last month, and this month has brought on the interactive a-goo-ing.  It's so cute, and she's suuuuper expressive about it...the eyebrows go up, and her teeny lips push forward as she flirts with Tim, the boys or I.  Or that little bear on her bouncer.  She loves that bear.
And I get such a kick out of watching her 'talk' to it. :)
The boys adore her.  They can correctly pronounce her name now.  Before it was Neb or Nef, but the twins can say the 'v' which I'm pretty impressed by!  They are always asking me to put bows on her so they can say "she's pretty." 
Megersa requests on a regular basis if he can hold her and have his picture taken.  The twins pile themselves on her to give her hugs, and Cale loves to get her smiling and cooing.
I got a few full-on laughs the other night, but I cannot wait for it to be a more regular thing! 
Her communication is apprecation, right? ;)  One of my favorite things about babies is when they recognize their parents. 
And Neve loves me! :)  I think it's cuz I know exactly what she needs with merely a sigh on her part - she's tired.  Or chewing on her fist - she has a burp she can't get out.... 
Mommy knows....
 
There are some things that Babs does not like.  She is not a fan of the car seat.  If she's tired enough she'll fall asleep in it...but doesn't stay asleep, and doesn't like to be in it for long.  .....no long car trips in the near future if I have anything to say about it....yikes!!
Neve doesn't like to be hit (understandable) or scared (though that isn't that often).  She spits up all the time and needs a good 30 minutes to be upright after eating (even then sometimes she still struggles with having a burp).  And boy does she burp!  I assume she gets that from me.  My burps erupt out of nowhere! 
Very ladylike; we know. ;)
She still makes a spectacle out of herself when she poops too... It's grosse and funny all at once.
Mainly grosse - especially when she poops up the back, or front, or sides.
Size 1 diapers (at least this one brand we have) are getting a little snug.
Size 3 month clothing fits well if it's Carters brand.  She's not tiny sized like the twins or M were at 3 months, but certainly is not growing as fast as Cale was at this age.  (He was more elephant than baby ;))
Little Miss bears weight pretty darn well and can almost completely roll over from back to belly, with the exception of a stuck arm.  She has yet to go belly to back, but the girl is really close! 
She sleeps on her belly. 
Currently her schedule goes like this: cluster feeding from like 7-11 (usually 3 seperate nursings), then sleeps til about 6-7am.  Goes back to sleep after that until 10:30a.  Then eats, plays and goes down for a nap when the big guys do.  ...and a bunch more random naps thru the day.  Usually 1 solid, for around 2 hours ...but Im less scheduled with this teeny one.  Finally got the hang of "rolling with the punches" come #5.

With Tim letting me sleep in every day with her (yes, he is AWESOME...no, you can't have him!!), I won't complain much.  
Of course, the times where all 4 (or 5 when Cale's home) are awake - I feel like a chicken with my head cut off, wandering around in a mess - occasionally bumping into children to feed them, burp them, wipe them up...    Honestly, this morning I spent an entire 2 hours picking things up....and it looks no different......  But, I suppose if nothing else, we've managed to keep all 5 alive for 3 full months.  So that's an accomplisment! :) ...I digress.
But again, lets praise!
I'm praising the Lord for a house to live in. 
Tons and tons (too many in my opinion) of toys for them to play with. 
And coffee.
Yep, I suppose I'm a coffee drinker now.  Okay - it's half coffee, half cream/sugar.  I've got a major sweet tooth....but it's something to look forward to. ;)
The Lord is always good. 
And if NOTHING else was good in my life besides these things - Tim, Cale, Megersa, Thaddeus, Shepherd, Neve....I should be one of the happiest people alive.  

And that's the end...my 30 min is up!  Madam is awake.

he's funny too

All my boys are funny.  Usually they take turns saying "the dardest things."

Megersa's turn:

Tim: Hey Megersa, you're birthday is in like 5 months...what do you think you want to do?
M: I want to go to....THE JUNGLE!! 
(to be noted: Daddy's been pumping for a zoo visit... ;)

tattletailing is no fun for me to hear usually, but this one gave me a good chuckle:

M: (yelling) MOM!!! Thaddeus got a banana from the counter and he's eating it...
me: (feeding the baby) Okay. Thanks for letting me know.  It's alright.
M: (upset he didn't get his brother in trouble) ...yeah, but he threw the wrapper on the floor!!!
-get it?  the peel is the wrapper?!  I thought it was funny.......

apparently trying to get some attention he comes in the room where I'm feeding Neve:
1st.  Asks a question that he knows the answer to.
2nd.  Puts on a costume and starts dancing around.
3rd time:  with vocal chords warmed up, he belts out:  "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS, WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"
in the middle of April, that last one got my attention and a good laugh on M's behalf. :)

lastly, just to show you that he most certainly is a 3 year old with all the random thoughts and ramblings of such here is my recent favorite:

M: Does baby Neve nap?
me:  Yes.  She naps a lot but not as long as you guys....
M: Oh. yeah everyone naps except Cale.  He doesn't nap anymore...only sometimes. me: Well cale is older...he's 6 and goes to school. they dont nap at school. when you go to school you wont nap either.
M: I can bring my bed to school!
me:  Where will you sleep when you get home?
M:  I'll bring it back.
me:  Thats a good idea but might be a lot of work...
M: ...yeah.  Hey mom?
me: yeah?
M:  When Santa comes at Christmas can I sit on his lap?
 

when you're right, you're right.

According to Sheppy, all said very emphatically:

1. Food is "pizza!"

2. Every kind of fruit is an "apple?!"

3. Anything liquid is "milk."

4. When asked his name, he will announce proudly that he is "Buppy."

and there's no telling him different. ;)

Just one of the many reasons that we love him!!

are we done yet?

...having kids I mean.

Did you squint your eyes to see that? 
It said something about us having kids...so I figured you would. ;)

Tim played a pretty funny April Fools joke on his parents.  Toward the end of the day, he causally sent a family-wide text which read:
"BABY #6 ON THE WAY!!"

It was a good one...because believe it they did. 
His siblings caught on pretty quickly after the initial WHAAAT?! by looking at the date on the calendar.
But his parents (and coincientally grandparents) were served a fake-out platter and chowed down!
After recieving the follow-up "April Fools!" text they called Tim up right away and tore into him with laughter and "oh no you didn'ts!" 
It was a good joke.

Seriously though...Neve is 2 months...we are crazy, but we are most certainly not THAT crazy!!!!

The joke, however, is a great segway into giving an answer to this question:
"Are you guys done having kids now?"

Everyone seems to want to know this....
Understandably so...I always ask people this.  I love to know the answer.  I always wonder HOW people "know."

...Is it a set number you were looking for? 
...A certain gender you were trying for then once you got it, that was it? 
...Some people say they "feel their family is complete."  Well, if I said that after each kid I'd never have the joy of the next one!  It's sorta odd for me to wrap my head around... 

But, here's my answer:

The short version: I don't know.
The long version: I don't know.

Maybe Yes and Maybe No.

Biologically, yes.  I'm getting rid of my maternity clothes and baby clothes that don't fit anyone anymore...
But adoption?
We just don't have a sure answer for that.
Yes we will always have a heart for adoption, but no, we aren't really sure if we will adopt again.
We're confident God will lead us in the right direction.
I can say that we've talked about possibly adopting an older child (younger than Neve though) many years down the road.  But we really aren't positive.  5 kids is a lot for us right now.... ;) 
If we did adopt another child, it would be another girl so Neve would have a sister and most likely from Ethiopia so Megersa would have someone who "matches" him. :)

But I don't know.
We don't know.
God knows.
And either way...we are happy. 

So....stop asking us...and ask YOURSELF this:
AM I DONE?!

"For every parent that says they have enough children there are hundreds of children that would say they dont have enough parents."
(-A quote from one of my adoptive mom friends.)

motivation

I know I have baby weight left to lose.

Tim and I recently joined weight watchers to shed those pounds we added during my pregnancy.

It's going well, I suppose.  Slow going as weight loss is, I'm still itching to feel like I may actually get into normal clothes soon...

Or just not to be so....soft. 

We recently got the Wii Fit and have been having a lot of fun with the little exercises they have on there and the fun games that appeal to kids (Cale LOVES it).   I am quite excellent at the hula hooping one. ;)

Even still, the road to getting back to where I was before I got pregnant with lil miss is gonna be a long one.  My husband is "holding my hand" but my kids?

Cale: Mom, you know, you're a little bit skinny...but because you just had a baby, you're a little bit big too.  Not really big, just not really skinny like me.

...not as gentle. ;)

let's not just blame the princess...

taking care of this lot would cause anyone to become a secret choc-o-holic. ;)