Christmas in Versailles

 We spent this Christmas in my parents' hometown, Versailles, Ohio.  I took full advantage of not having a job to run back to and stayed in Ohio for ten days. My cousin, Andy, kindly opened his home to us.  Being single with no children, I think we were a little 'shock and awe,' but he was a trooper letting us practically take over his house. We didn't take our normal 1,336 pictures because our family photog (Steve) had to go back to work during the week. But, the pictures can be imagined- lots of people laughing, telling stories, swimming, bowling, playing games, cooking, eating, and just spending time together.   It was, as anticipated, a fantastic time with family.  With the challenging year we've had, it was positive to ring in the new year with family. 

 

My kids loved all the attention they received!  At any given moment they had more than one person willing to listen to their stories, requests, and general thoughts on life.  

Cannon loved his 'Elmer Fudd' hat from Grandma Pits.  It helped keep him warm in the Ohio weather.  We hoped for a white Christmas but instead had only a little sleet and a lot of rain. 

Godmother Bailey stayed in Ohio the whole time we were there and got in lots of loving time with Cannon...and Harrison and Gavin, too.  My boys have a thing for pretty girls.  Kinda makes their Daddy proud. 

 All of the Pitsenbarger grandkids, great-grandkids, and a few spouses.  It's always a challenge to get this many people together and smiling, but it's so worth the end result. This was a birthday present for Grandma!

 I'm so thankful Cannon was able to meet and spend time with his only living Great-Grandfather.  

 The farm fields of Ohio....with a random fake deer to climb on.  Seems perfectly normal to me.  

 Steve could not contain himself when he found out my cousin Andy is a apiarist (a beekeeper, Shanita) and was willing to let Steve play beekeeper with him for the day.  Steve was the assistant and did an excellent job of 'smoking' the bees to help keep them calm.  The bees were so calm we were even able to stick our fingers into the honeycomb and pull out a dollop of honey to eat.

 We went to lots of basketball games to watch my cousins play.  Harrison thought it was soo cool that he knew some of the players. He keeps talking about how he hopes one day he can play basketball as good as Dominic, Damien and Noah.  I think because our family is so big he assumes everyone in Ohio is a relative. At one point during a game I turned around to find him sitting with another family behind us.  He's making casual conversation asking them if they're cheering for the orange or blue team.  The funny part is...I think somehow, although distantly, we are related to them!  

We finally broke down and gave Gavin a real haircut.  The winter chapped skin + static-y straight hair + runny nose = a homeless, neglected-looking child. Gavin was so excited to have his locks cut, he kept calling it his 

'man hair.'  He instantly aged, which hurts my heart a little bit, but he now looks handsome as ever. 

Thanksgiving-Yes, I know it was Almost a Month Ago

Oh, blog, how you've been neglected!  Life has been so busy I've barely had time to live it much less write about it.  I'm determined to get back on track and caught up, this blog is about to be on fire with so many posts! 

Let's start all the way back at Thanksgiving.  Remember I posted that the kids and I were boarding a plane?  That was only after a very emotional goodbye to my Mom and Steve's parents.  It's been weeks and I still get emotional when I think of saying goodbye to them. The only thing that saved me from a  total cry-fest was the busy-ness of going to the airport and flying with the kids.  My friend, Nancy, said she would rather have three root canals than fly alone with three kids.  I will admit, it took a lot of mental focus to keep all of us together and moving forward in the airport and finally get us all situated on the airplane, but the kids were fantastic!  May I even go so far as to call them angels?  Yes!  Angels, indeed. 

Instead of taking a straight path to South Carolina we made a detour; Steve met us at the Miami airport to spend a couple days with my Dad and Florida family.

 Swimming in the pool in November is not a problem in Florida.  Well, not a problem for rambunctious kids, a little chilly for adults. 

 I think the total head count was somewhere around fifteen that day. I'm truly blessed to have such a large family that makes the effort to spend time together. 

 Uncle Dave really enjoyed firing up the creme brulee.  Not surprisingly, Steve was enamored with the torch and was quickly trying to find other things that needed a little added heat.  His favorite?  A chocolate covered Rice Crispy treat torched to perfection.  

 

Harrison was able to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a waiter.  He did a great job and took his role very seriously!  He even went around to each person in between courses (yes, courses, this was a meal like no other! Alligator,  pumpkin soup, shrimp cocktail, creme brulee) and offered various breads from the bread basket.   

Thanksgiving Thanks

This Thanksgiving is the most unusual one in recent memory.  No turkey, stuffing, or any of the fixin's.  I'm boarding a plane with my three children and leaving Texas.  Although I am incredibly sad to leave my family and friends here, I am most grateful to once again be a complete family. 

Free Agent

I had my last weekend at work.  Retiring from my job of ten years.  Saying goodbye to my beloved coworkers who have seen me through a wedding and three pregnancies. They have helped me raise my babies with endless advice and lots of laughs.

a small sample of those beloved coworkers

So, I'm officially a free agent.

What's that you say, South Carolina?  You don't have a need for an experienced NICU nurse? 

I'm willing to work nights....weekends....holidays...still, no?

Oh, you have hospice and home health.  I see.  I suppose there can be similarities between the very old and the very young; diapers, soft foods, repeating yourself over and over, stubbornness, but my passion is for babies.  

Well, South Carolina, maybe you'll come around.  I suppose I'll be in retirement until my services are needed again. 

.....Please let my services be needed again.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day

I'm working on this post trying to share my struggles of parenting and Blogger is not cooperating!  My pictures won't align, my text is going awry, and my words aren't coming easily. Oh, the irony!


My dearest children,

        There is no greater gift in life than being a parent.  It is a job that comes with a tall order of raising children into adults that have good character and are blessings in this world.  It's a responsibility that I don't take lightly; I read, learn from others, listen, and genuinely try to be the best mother I can.  I'm not sure what you'll remember of this time in your childhood.  My hope is that you only recount the smiles and hugs, but I'm not that naive.  As with my childhood, it is when you see your parents' vulnerability and imperfections that memories are seared.  As it was with me, you probably won't make sense or understand the emotions until you, yourself, become a parent.  The greatest challenges yield the greatest rewards.  And, right now, it is challenging having our family spread apart. I know it's not intentional when you spill your drink (for the third time during dinner) or behave as you always have, rough housing with each other.  The only difference now is me and my ability to handle all of these things at once.  When you cry and carry on with, "he's looking at me, tell him to stop looking at me!" and I've just gotten off the phone finding out there is no imminent closing date on the house in South Carolina, I'm not as tolerant as I should be. We are incomplete without your dad and our actions are showing it.  Gavin, I'll forgive you for carelessly pulling my computer and coffee off the table causing it to crash to the floor if you forgive me telling you I didn't have enough room in my lap for you to snuggle while I was feeding Cannon.  And, Harrison, when I told you that helping with your homework was a beating, I'm sorry about that, it wasn't nice for me to say.  But, I say we're even after you told me you hated me.  I know we both didn't mean it, we're not at our best right now.  Oh, and my baby, Cannon, I feel terrible when you're crying and I'm helping your brothers do something and can't swoop you up and stop the tears.  I hope you don't end up with abandonment issues like the Russian orphans. Although we're having our fair share of 'terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days' let's take the good with the bad and try to roll with it a little easier. 

                                                                                        I Love you beyond words,
                                                                                                          Mom

P.S. If one day you end up in therapy make sure to throw around your dads name, too.  I'm not going down alone.

I check on you and give you kisses before I go to sleep and then I say my nightly prayer Lord, grant me the serenity to Accept my children as they are; Courage not to scream uncontrollably; And the wisdom to know how to fix and replace things. Living one moment at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting broken furniture as a test; Taking, as other parents before me, this crazy environment As it is, and not how I dream it; Trusting that somehow things will be okay If I surrender to parenthood; That I may enjoy the good times. And be supremely happy when the day comes to an end and I say 'I did my best today.' Amen.

What's The Word On The Street?

 

For all of you who watch Sesame Street you know what I mean with the word on the street.  The word in the Bergman house is "quarantine."

Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous.

Harrison is sick with a fever and sore throat and Gavin is sick with croup. 

I have one healthy one left! 

My healthy child, Cannon is playing in his area of the house.  The older two can't step foot on the rug without hearing the word, 'quarantine' being yelled at them.

Harrison and Gavin can share their nasty germs in this area of the house.  Times like this I would love to have one of the isolation tents with helmet like in the movie E.T.  so I can bring them their medicine and food without cross contamination!

"Harrison, what does quarantine mean?" 

Response,"It means, stay away!" 

Covering the cough like he's taught. 

Gavin, what do you think quarantine means?

Response, "Go away! Don't come any closer, you're sick!"

 The best part IS, in the middle of being elbow deep with sick kids, Steve sends me a text with a picture of this soda and a caption that reads: "Look at what I just found! It's so smooth!"  I'm picturing him sitting back, relaxing, watching ESPN while drinking an ice cold Mello Yello.  He's lucky there are a thousand miles between us right now because if my arms could stretch....

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Words of Encouragement

**as I'm sweeping the floors**

Harrison:  "Mom, thank you for working so hard to keep the house clean so somebody will want to buy it so we can move to South Carolina and be with Daddy." 



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A Day In the Life of

Oh, how my life has changed since I did my last 'a day in the life of' back in June,  these lazy days of summer!  And, just so I will always remember what a day in my life is like now, I feel compelled to do another. I keep telling myself I'm not doing anything many mothers and wives across the country do everyday.  I have a whole nutha level of respect for military wives--at least I know my husband is safe and I can talk to him daily.  My hat and my prayers are extended to these families, for what they deal with far exceeds what I have on my plate.  But, here goes, come with me on a day in my life as a single mom trying to sell a house...

6:14 a.m.- Alarm goes off, but it doesn't wake me up because I've been awake for a while--with Cannon.  I put him down so I can get dressed, I'm volunteering in Harrison's class this morning so I have to look more presentable than my usual morning drop-off-get-up.  I have only about 15 minutes before Cannon is demanding more food.

7:00 a.m. - I go into the guest room where the boys have been sleeping lately.  They like sleeping together in the full bed instead of separately in their bunk beds.  It works well for me because it's only one bed to make and they stay together in the bed instead of coming to mine during the night.  Harrison still needs help getting dressed; tucking in his shirt and tying shoes are not skills he's mastered yet.  I make the bed and pick up clothes as we make our way to the kitchen.

7:20- I have a showing this morning at 9:30 so I have to leave the house ready to show. My realtor sets the bar high for how showing should be and I don't like to disappoint, so it takes time to get it all ready. I have this great idea to have the kids eat breakfast in the car!  I hyped it up so they thought it was cool to take their milk and breakfast bar in the car and watch cartoons while I finished up the house.  I was so proud of myself for coming up with this plan, that is until Harrison came back into the house to show me the chocolate milk he spilled down the front of his white shirt while drinking it in the car.  I did not see this coming, I know I should have with the messiness that is my children, but I didn't.  The only other school uniform shirts I had for him were in the washer I just started!  My tight schedule didn't allocate for a stain removal, and for a second I thought about sending him to school stain and all, but I squeezed in with what little time I had left a t-shirt cleaning with my best friend, bleach.  I turned on all the lights in my house, t.v.'s were tuned into a nice classical music channel, a.c. turned down a couple degrees, movie room turned on and ready to play a movie (today it was Thor) Crap, I didn't have time to pop popcorn, I'll have to come back and do that before the showing.

7:55- Pull away from the school after dropping off Harrison.  My car desperately needs gas, Steve always takes care of this for me so it makes me especially miss him as I pull into the gas station.

8:20- Drop off Gavin at preschool.  He loves this school, and so do I, which is why it's hard to get out of there without chatting with everyone.  Fifteen minutes later Cannon and I buckled in and are on our way.

8:40- Quickly stop by my house, feed Cannon while trying to pop popcorn and start Thor.  Give kisses to my last child as I drop him off at Grammy and PopPop's house.

9:00-11:00- Volunteer in Harrison's classroom.  While it's stressful to get there, I do enjoy the time I'm in his classroom.  I like being with the kids and helping them with reading and Harrison is still young enough to think it's cool that I'm there.

11:15- Pick up Cannon and visit with Steve's parents.  Lois tells me I need to ask for her help more and not stress to do this alone and she's right, I know she's right.  It's just hard to ask for help and when things are so busy I don't take the time to think about how to lighten the load.  I just go, go, go. 

11:45- Back home, showing over, feed Cannon and scarf down some lunch before it's time to pick up Gavin from school.

12:30- Gavin chats on the way home about the songs they sang and who his new friends are.

1:30-I dust and sweep while Cannon takes a nap.  What's considered fun has changed in our house here recently, so entertainment for Gavin often consists of helping me clean.  Give that boy a can of Pledge and he's happy as a clam!  He hears the sounds of an aerosol can and immediately comes running, "I wanna help clean sumpin'!" 

2:45- Pack the kids up and get it that dreaded pick-up line for Harrison.  Cannon has zero tolerance for being in a car seat in a  parked car.  Just about everyday when the van door opens for Harrison to climb in, the entire school gets to hear what great lungs Cannon has. 

3:30-Back home to begin what I call the witching hour.  This consists of wrestling, yelling, running and overall chaos from the boys. Lucky for me a copy of Thor has arrived in the mail and with the promise of good, quiet behavior, I let them watch it with a snack.  There is peace in my house.  Cannon is sleeping and the boys are quiet.  I make myself a cup of coffee and return a long overdue call to my GrandmotherJane.

5:00- This is how family dinners look in our house these days.  I'm grateful we have Skype as it really has helped us stay connected. 

6:00- Cannon watches from his Bumbo as Harrison tackles his homework and Gavin plays on the train tracks.  It is torturous to help Harrison work on his handwriting.  I'm not as patient as I know I need to be, but I think sometimes he messes up just so he can use that stinkin' eraser.  "Look Mom, I erased it!" Now watch me write that d backwards again!

6:45- I clean the kitchen, fold and put away laundry, clean the pee stains from all the toilets (I ask myself why I haven't banned the boys to only one toilet so as to avoid this daily task.) and finally help the boys pick up what few toys they have left in the game room. 

7:15- Showers, brush teeth, read stories, do an impromptu rendition of the Hokey Pokey, kiss and hug my two oldest goodnight.

8:00- It's down to me and C-Ball and he's looking way more alert than me.  We snuggle, nurse, nurse, and snuggle some more until he finally gives out about ten p.m.

10:02- It's lights out for me, too.  My body is exhausted.  I fall asleep thinking about an ongoing to-do list that I assure myself will get tackled tomorrow.

It's Happening.

 

How fitting is was that Harrison picked this book up from the library at school the same day Steve left for South Carolina.  I smiled when I read the title and smiled even more when I saw it wasn't a bazillion pages like the 'Curious George' book he brought home the day before.  That monkey is entirely too curious for entirely too long in my opinion.  

I still can't believe this move is really going to happen. This is real.  It's really happening. 

The kids miss their dad although probably not as much as I miss my husband.

 

Chapter Endings And New Beginnings

I have been sitting at this computer trying to put into words what's in my head.  I'll write five lines and then erase two.  This is pretty much how my last ten days have been spent--scattered and unorganized. Not able to express exactly how I feel, mainly because I'm not exactly sure what I feel. 

Ten days ago I would have never imagined I would see a 'for sale' sign in my front yard, never imagined I could sell most of my worldly goods in two days flat, and certainly never imagined I would be saying goodbye to the life I have known for the past fourteen years.  But, here I am doing just that.

Steve has a job opportunity in Greenville, South Carolina.  We are leaving to start a new adventure and try this new venture.  Growing up a military child moving all over the world I would have assumed this process would be like riding a bike.  It's a lot harder that I thought getting back on that bike.  When I rode that bike as a kid I had my parents as my 'training wheels' offering support and shouldering the responsibilities.  I now have to be the training wheels for my children. I don't get to cry and sulk about leaving my friends and family. I don't get to drag and stomp my feet when it comes to selling our house and making this transition smoothly.

While we are nervous for the unknown we are excited about what the future holds.  As the old adage goes, everything happens for a reason, I have to believe that to be especially true in this situation.

I'll Be Honest

I didn't realize when this came home in Harrison's backpack that it was truly homework. I thought of it as more optional handwriting practice. An option we opted not to do.

When we walked into class this morning his teacher told the students to get out their homework.

Ooops. About that. Again, this is where kindergarten 101 for parents would have been helpful.

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Girls' Weekend 2011

Another girls' weekend has come and gone.  Our numbers have grown in the fifteen years we've been getting together with this year being the biggest yet.  The mellow weather in Detroit was beat only by the fun we all had being together.  Cannon experienced his first plane ride and, I must say, was a stellar passenger to and fro sleeping the entire time. 

Ashly worked hard putting together our wine tasting party.  Grandma's favorite part wasn't the wine but the chocolate that each was paired with.  Having not had a drink in almost a year I really enjoyed this event.  

Ever hear of feather bowling??  Probably not unless you're from the area.  It's a fun game similar to bocci ball.  Not sure if it was beginners luck or I'm just a natural--but I was the closer for my team helping bring in last minute points. (Insert sarcasm here.)  I guess I wasn't that good because I ended up on the losing team!

Nothing brings out the claws like a friendly game of kickball. Daughter against mothers, sisters plotting against sisters, nieces on aunts--it was ruthless and left a lot of us really sore.    

Cannon still has his nights and days confused causing him to sleep like a lamb during the day while kicking my toosh at night.  He loved his morning nap, sleeping peacefully on his Great-GrandmaPits. 

Craft time has become a must!  We made finger bracelets, purse scarves, and even homemade applesauce with apples we handpicked using Grandma's recipe.

Game night introduced many of us to Bunco.  A game that required very little thought which is perfect for ladies that really just want to chat.  Oh, and on this night was potluck dinner, everyone contributed part of the meal.  Aunt Julie and I went healthy with making a salad, but Roxanne and Aunt Peg hit a home run with fruit pizza.  Check out this website for the recipe. 

The weekend always includes lots of group pictures.  Getting this many people to sit still and smile is a challenge but it's worth it for the memories we capture. 

Cannon had lots of snuggle time with his Godmother, Bailey.  Not counting my thumb and pinkie I could count on one hand how many times I changed a diaper, an outfit, or hassled with the car seat.  It was su-weet!

The obligatory foot picture.  Not sure how long ago it started, but girls' weekend isn't complete without pedicures and a resulting picture to show them off.  Cannon enjoyed being the center of attention even if that resulted in him laying in the grass. 

How Does It Feel?

So exactly how does it feel to be a mother of three?  That seems to be the question many are asking me.  As with most life-changing experiences it's not just one emotion that I feel.  It's more like a rainbow of feelings, the feelings are often blended into one another and seem to teeter back and forth multiple times a day.

Red- Red is considered an intense, or even angry, color that creates feelings of excitement or intensity. An easily-explained postpartum color emotion; frustration or anger.  Harrison and Gavin are getting the brunt of this emotion lately.  The brotherly bickering and picking at one another is relentless, especially since we've been spending an ungodly amount of time at home.  I feel like an umpire in a game that's in triple overtime. My mommy guilt kicks in about 10:30 every night when I reflect on the day and feel I've said more words of discipline than words of encouragement.  I know hope this gets better.  It has to, right?  I don't want my kids to remember me only as mean mommy. It doesn't help that Steve (trying only to be helpful and give me a break) comes home and takes the older boys to go do something fun.  It furthers the divide making me ultra lame and mean.

Orange- Orange calls to mind feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth. I actually feel orange a lot.  I'm excited about what the future holds.  I feel kinda like I'm on the sidelines warming up waiting for the game of my life to start.  I hope I don't choke, will cover the spread, and come out the MVP of momma's. 

Yellow- Yellow is a bright color that is often described as cheery and warm.  I'll be honest, yellow is probably the emotion I feel the least. I guess I feel physically warm having three kids in my lap most of the day.  To me, cheery denotes a well-rested body that's full of energy--definitely not me at this time.  I do hope in the near future to feel more yellow.  

Green- Green represents tranquility, good luck, health, and jealousy. I feel immensely fortunate to have had three c-sections and come out relatively unscathed.  I started the day on June 23 with two requests from the Big Guy; let my baby be healthy and let me live. I'm about two weeks from delivery day and I feel a million miles away from where I was struggling to stand and walk.  I'm getting stronger and healthier everyday. Oh, and if I have to be honest, I suppose am jealous of those Heidi Klum's out there who walk the runway three weeks after giving birth. It's an emotional struggle finding clothes to fit in this awkward in-between stage. 

Blue- Blue calls to mind feelings of calmness, serenity, sadness or aloofness. Those baby blues have a way of catching up with me no matter how hard I try to escape them.  I think I've handled most everything of the past two weeks with relative ease, minus a small breakdown here and there (like coming home from the hospital and being in shock when the scale only showed a two pound weight loss! Two pounds?!  I birthed almost an eight pound baby!).  Steve has kindly shared with me, and anyone else who will listen, that I've been the most emotional with this pregnancy and delivery.  Look, it's hard having a baby, okay?  It's not easy having your emotions out of whack, your body looking grossly disfigured, and a newborn baby that needs your constant attention.  Add on top of that two other kids with lots of family and friends--even the strongest woman is bound to crack a little. 

Indigo- Indigo represents religion, spirituality and intuition. Being a mother to a newborn, toddler, and growing child requires me to hone in on all three of these.  The deep spirituality felt when holding your newborn is second to none. In addition to my three, I have witnessed hundreds of babies being born, and every time I feel the presence of God.  Religion helps me answer the really tough questions my little ones ask, like, "What happens when you die?" and intuition let's me know when it's best just to distract and deflect and save those tough answers for when they're older. 
 
Violet-  Violet represents the harmony of the universe because it is a combination of red and blue.  There is a true harmony that I feel looking at the wholeness of what my family is now.  Three children is always what I wanted, what I hoped for.  There is a peacefulness Steve and I both share looking at our three boys. We are content, happy, and in no rush for the next thing to happen.

It's Official!

We are now a family of five!

Cannon Smith Bergman

June 23, 2011

7:18 a.m.

7 pounds 12 ounces

20 inches long

Belly X3

 Harrison and me.  2005

 Gavin and me.  2008

Me and beanie baby.  2011

Fun Facts About These Three Photos:

• Steve was the photographer for all of them.
• Picture number 1 and 3 were taken at the Botanical Gardens. Picture number 2 was taken at my house.
• My age was respectively 26, 28, and 32 years old.  Yes, I am aware of how young I look in the first one.  What can I say?  Motherhood does a number on you.
• I am wearing the same shirt in photo number 2 and 3.  I bought it at a resale shop and wore it endlessly, it even took a hiatus to my friend, Kristen, with her pregnancy.  It's been washed at least three hundred times and still is going strong.  I should give it to the Smithsonian--but that would be such a waste of a good maternity shirt.
• I am about eight months along in all three photos.  
• I am wearing a cross necklace Steve bought me in Key West in 2004 in pictures 1 and 2.  In picture 3 I'm wearing a new cross necklace Steve gave me for Christmas 2009.  
• In all three pictures I'm thinking about my future children looking at the pictures years from now.  I hope they appreciate my sentiment and aren't grossed out by seeing my bare belly. 
• My left hand is the lowest on my belly in all three pics.  I don't know why that is, but my left hand is my dominate one, perhaps I count on that one to hold that massive mound up? 

Dreams and Reality

I had a vivid dream today while sleeping after work last night.  You know, one of those dreams that feel so real it takes a couple minutes after waking up to realize it was all a dream? 

I dreamed my water broke. It was real, or at least felt that way, and I popped up in bed like I was bitten by a snake. For those friends and loved one who see me on a daily basis struggling to get through these next ten days it might seem like this would be a blissful dream, but for me, in that moment, it caused sheer panic.

A million thoughts shot with rapid fire through my brain.  Am I ready to be a mother of three?  How am I going to handle this?  Will I make it through to the other side unscathed? Will my two older kids happily adjust to our new addition? What if this baby is a hellion and not the angel I'm anticipating? 

I know whether I'm ready or not this is happening.  And I think I'm ready.  Ready by means of clothes washed, crib put back together, car seat in the car, and the two older siblings prepped.  But, ready for sleepless nights, a crying newborn, and the needs of my children far exceeding what my two hands can provide?  Now how do you prepare for that?

I've been thinking about that all afternoon.  Being that I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda girl, I'm wondering what more I need to do to prepare for what's to come.  I can't stockpile sleep or clean the bathrooms over and over to cover for the month or so it will lag.  I've concluded being grateful and feeling blessed is what I need to stockpile to help me prepare for the coming months. 

I'm blessed to be pregnant for the third time.  This is possibly my last baby, I may never again be 38 weeks pregnant feeling arms and legs move all about.

I'm grateful that I'm being given the amazing gift of raising three children.  It's a life experience that brings the most challenges with the greatest rewards.

I'm thankful for my health and health of my family.  I know it seems blase, but seeing the many families that are plagued with health adversities I'm truly thankful for the health of mine.

I'm grateful for the chaos in my house.  It's not always the cleanest and definitely not the quietest, but it is filled with love and happiness.  One day my home will be quiet and I will miss the days of pitter-patter and clutter.

I'm blessed to have something to get up for in the morning.  Two and soon three children rely on me to protect, feed, and care for them on a daily basis. While this can sometimes be a daunting and overwhelming task, to be needed and loved unconditionally by my children feels amazing.

I know there will be days where I fall short of my personal expectations of the kind of mother I want to be, especially in the upcoming months.  My prayer is to be blessed with enough grace to know that tomorrow brings another day and another opportunity to do better.  And if tomorrow brings the same adversities, my hope will be to remember the wise words of my GrandmotherJane, "this too shall pass."

So, come on, beanine baby, after my day of contemplation I decided I'm ready!  We're all excited to meet you and have to join this boisterous family.  We are all so blessed and grateful you will be here soon.







 

A Day In The Life Of.....

There is a local children's magazine that I love to read.   There are two specific parts of the magazine that I really, really love--one is the calendar of events that lists what there is to do every day of the month and the other is 'A Day In The Life Of.'  This article has an average mom or dad itemize what they do in a typical day in their life of raising children.  I've been wanting to capture what an average day is for me now so I can look back years from now and see how much my 'average' has changed. So, here goes, a day in the life of Greta....

8:02 a.m.- Alarm goes off, house is still quiet so I hit snooze.

8:10 a.m.- House still quiet but I get up because I don't want to hear that annoying alarm again.

8:15 a.m.- Make myself coffee and sit at the computer to check emails and read any current events.

8:30 a.m.- Gavin makes his way out of his room and looks surprised to see me up (okay, so maybe sometimes he's my alarm clock.) He has to be immediately snuggled and loved on; once content,  he then wants milk and cartoons.

8:45 a.m.- Take a quick shower to get ready for a swim get-together for our local play group at my friend, Alissa's house.

9:10 a.m.- I'm dressed, working on getting our swim bag packed, getting kids breakfast, swimsuits on, and  doused in sunscreen.  This is where time gets away from me, I want to leave my house by ten, I have plenty of time, but somehow we fall ten minutes behind.

10:10 a.m.- We finally get loaded and as I pulled out of driveway I noticed my right front tire was reading low. I've been telling myself for a few months that I have to get that tire fixed, but, for now, I pull out my air compressor thingie, add more air and we're finally off--at 10:20.  The swim party starts at 10:30. Alas, even the best laid plans...

10:30 a.m.- I know many people will cringe at this, but for me, the car is the best time I have to return phone calls.  The kids are usually quiet and always contained, allowing me 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted talk time.   I call my Aunt Mindy and catch up until I arrive at Alissa's.

10:45-1:45 p.m.- We swim, swim, swim, eat lunch, and then swim some more!  I love hanging out with my friends and their kids.  Play group has been getting together every Tuesday for about four years, it takes a dip in attendance here and there, but overall we enjoy getting together and getting the kids out of the house and experiencing all the city has to offer.

2:30 p.m.- I'm whooped!  We're back home and I tell the kids we're going to watch a movie (a.k.a. nap time for Mom!).  They're content and gathered in one room and I'm able to sit with them and nod off a bit--gaining some much needed energy for the rest of the day.  

5:00 p.m.- Dinner time and another terrible confession: we don't all eat the same thing. I would love to insert an amazing dinner menu of homemade this and that with my kids begging for seconds, but that won't happen here. Steve is eating mainly lean meat and fish, the kids eat leftover pizza, and I have a B.L.T. (although, the Tomatoes are fresh from our garden!)

6:30 p.m.- I recruit the kids to help me clean our car.  It's filled with sand from taking them to the 'beach' last week at Lake Granbury.  Gavin vacuums for about ten minutes, well, five minutes actually cleaning the car and the other five spent suctioning the hose to various body parts.  Harrison cleans the windows and he's done helping, too.  They play outside while I finish the car cleaning.  I would love to blame the messy car completely on the kids, and while most of it is theirs, I do clean up a fair amount of coffee spills and loose papers. 

7:15 p.m.- Harrison and Steve have harvested more vegetables from our garden.  We are about to be overtaken with zucchini so I find a recipe for zucchini banana bread and the kids and I get to baking!  They love helping cook.  They are good at helping gather all the ingredients and pouring them into the mixing bowl.  As for cracking eggs?  They need more practice.

8:30 p.m.- A quick shower for the boys.  With the bread still baking in the oven they settle for a snack of cinnamon toast with the promise of tasting their homemade bread in the morning for breakfast.

9:15 p.m.- Kids off to bed and finally quiet time for Steve and me.

10-ish p.m.- Not my usual bedtime, but I'm turning in early tonight because of a super early OB appointment. Steve stays up to finish the Mavericks game and then watch all the sports commentary.  

Belly Full Of Laughs

Funny...

Funnier...

 

Funniest.

 

Somehow I don't think this is the look the designer was intending when designing this shirt.

Pamper Party

I work with the most amazing group of women.  They came together to celebrate the impending birth of baby Bergman #3.  Being that this is my third baby in five years I refused to let it be called a shower--seemed a little excessive, really.  There is little this little one needs.  So, it was coined a Pamper's Party or a Diaper Dinner.  I may just have enough diapers to last me until this baby will be potty trained!  It was humbling seeing the tables filled with friends sending me endless love and support. 

Aren't these cupcakes adorable?!  There were also ones with bottles and baby rattles.  

Plus, they were de-lish!

The kids loved helping unload the car of diapers and goodies.  

They kept saying, "it's the baby's birthday!!"   They made diaper castles...and then had wars knocking the castles to the ground. Oy, my boys!

I had a sonogram yesterday, just to make sure everything looked good--and it does!  Yah!  Check out this 4-D sonogram of my baby.  Isn't this amazing?!  **Yes, the baby does have a complete skull and two completely formed eyes.  The picture just kept cutting it off.**