gavin goes to rally

Being only 6 weeks old, means that you get to stay really close to Mom and Dad most of the time.

Even for Mommy's business trips (Reginal Rally).  Let me tell you, it was way better than 2009 when I went to Des Moines and left my almost 3 month old at home.  I pumped the whole weekend.  And the 6 hour car ride home turned into a 10 hour ride because of a snow storm (ultimately meaning I had to also pump in the CAR!).  So not fun!

We were up before the sun and off to Kansas City in a convoy of what started out to be 4 cars and became 9 later down the road.

I asked Dave months ago if he'd join me on this trip and hang out at the hotel with Gavin, so that he could be there for me to feed.  The hotel is less than a block from the convention center, so I knew either I could walk back and forth at feeding time, or Dave could bring Gavin over to me.

I am so thankful that he went with such a willing heart.  I kept thinking it was an ideal weekend situation for him.  Stuck in a hotel with nothing to do but veg out, watch tv, nap, oh and watch a tiny baby.

But I realized it wasn't as ideal in his book.   He wasn't dreading it, but definitely was worried about being cooped up and bored for a day and a half.

We had a huge suite (even though my reservation was just for a normal king bed room) and a lovely view of the Power and Light District.

But just a hello from our window is all we could give. 

We didn't get to enjoy any of it like we did last year.

I know that some day Gavin will really appreciate the fact that he was present for the revealing of the Spring 2012 line of Premier Designs Jewelry.

Dave ended up bringing Gavin over to the convention center in his stroller for a lot of the time.

It was a win-win for both of us. I didn't have to walk back and forth in the cold, and he didn't have to be cooped up in the hotel.  Not that the convention center was entertaining.  But at least he could do a lot more people-watching.

And I loved getting to spend a little more time with both of then when I wasn't in a session.

  My breaks from sessions worked so perfectly with still being able to feed him on schedule, but I think a combination of just being away from home and having mommy feeding him in strange places, and all the commotion from people, caused him to be pretty out of sorts.

We couldn't get him to go to sleep for the longest time that night.  I think we finally got him down at 1am.  After trying for a few hours.  We didn't bring the pack 'n play because he's never slept in it anyway, and we figured he was young enough to not know if he was just sleeping on a little pallet on the floor.

But he didn't seem to like that very much.

So we tried this instead.

 And he slept for 5 1/2 hours!

 I remembered my mom telling me that they put me in a drawer at a hotel one time too.

What a fun memory!

 The next morning when we opened up the blinds, I couldn't help by grab my camera. I was suppossed to be showering and getting out to my first session, but the natural light and big white bed was too perfect not to have a little photo shoot.

He was a great little traveling buddy.  Even if Mommy did have a hard time keeping her eyes open during the sessions.

dedication

On January 22, we dedicated our sweet little Gavin to the Lord.

In stripes.

Yes, I realize that you can't really tell where I end and Gavin begins.  I just didn't have time that morning to do anything about it once I did realize.

What I didn't realize was that Mason was in stripes also.  Until someone pointed it out to us after we were on stage.

 It was such a neat thing to stand on stage with so many great friends that morning. 

Having friends with the same intentions for their kiddos as we do is so important. 

They help hold us accountable and keep us surrounded by love and support.

They give us a sense of community.  The kind of community that so many don't have.  And that we are so very thankful for. 

This was the first time to dedicate one of our babies since our dear friends' sweet Cora went to heaven. 

And to be completely honest and open, this dedication hit us harder and deeper than with either of our other babies.  

During worship that morning, as we sang the words

 "He gives and takes away...my heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name."

my eyes filled with tears (as usual with this song).

But this particular morning, it was so fitting for what we were about to do.

God gave us Gavin, as he has given each of our other children.  They are His.

And we are blessed, honored, thankful and completely undeserving to be able to be the parents He chose for them. 

He has a good and perfect plan for each of them.  Every moment of their lives were written in His book while they were still being knit in the womb.

He loves them more than Dave and I can even comprehend.

And we must trust him completely with them.

 

 Raising children in the instruction of the Lord is not easy.

But not teaching them the ways of the Lord is like not teaching them how to eat, how to read, how to not touch the hot stove, or how to not run into the street in front of cars.

We teach them these skills to keep them safe and to help them be successful in this world.

And when we truly understand and accept the fact that they were created soley for God's own glory (as we all are)...we realize that our daily instruction and guidance needs to take on a completely different focus than what the world around us leads us to believe.

It's not easy.  And really, it doesn't come natural.  It's a daily commitment.  Sometimes an hourly commitment on the rough days.  And I mess up all the time.

But they are our gift. And as much as I want to believe that I know what's best for them, and that I can keep them safe and that I can teach them all they need to know to get through this life...

I have to remember that they are His.  And by helping my children to know Him intimately, will be the single most important thing I can ever do in their little lives.

We are thankful for the gift that sweet Gavin is to our family.

And we pray that we can guide his little feet, eyes and heart to follow Jesus in all he does.

gavin {two months}

On Saturday you were 2 months old.

We went to Nana and Papa's house for your monthly quilt picture, because their living room has better natural light than ours.  This time, instead of Jeremy and Sydney there to entertain you and get you to look towards the camera, Papa and Nana did the job.  We tried so hard to get you to smile, but you wouldn't have it. Of course, just a few minutes after I put my camera away, you gave a great big one!

We realized we have a quilt that shouldn't belong to us.  We found this note pinned on the underneath side after we got all of the quilts home after Christmas.

(Francis & Jacquie    for there oldest girl   Nov 23 - 1967)

Francis and Jacquie are Dave's parents - and Dave is obviously not the oldest girl.

But wow, this quilt is 45 years old!

In your 2nd month, Mommy started reading up on some sleep training methods - in hopes to get you sleeping through the night much sooner than your big brother and sister (pretty sure it took near 6 months or more to get them sleeping through the night). You have done better than both of them from the first night home from the hospital, so we're hoping you can get this all night thing down soon!  I guess Mommy and Daddy are feeling a bit older this time around and sleep is much more necessary.

In your 2nd month, you found your hands!  You love to suck on your fists and sometimes try to stick your entire fist in your mouth.

 (poor little guy was turning blue just in the few minutes I had his clothes off him for pictures, but he was still happy!  I guess every other house you're in feels cold after being used to the warmth of our house - thanks to Daddy and his love for fires in the stove every. single. day. from October through April.)

In your 2nd month, you have just begun to coo at us. You get your little legs kicking like crazy when you're excited.  You love to lay under your cow and watch it move.  I'm pretty sure you'll be grabbing at the toys very soon!

At your 2nd month doctor appointment you weigh 12 lbs. 7oz. and you're 24 inches long.  We hung out together for 2 hours in the exam room. You weren't a very happy baby for a good portion of it.  I guess you must have known you were about to get your shots.

In your 2nd month you began smiling!  We aren't seeing tons of smiles, but definitely a few times a day.

  

In your 2nd month you are doing pretty good with your naps.  You're still sleeping after every feeding, so 4 times a day.  Morning, around noon, 2-4 while your brother and sister sleep too, and then an evening nap.  Most days you do awesome and get yourself to sleep after mommy lays you down. 

In your 2nd month Mommy moved her ipod and speakers into your room so you could have white noise while you slept. It's really hard for an almost 4 and 5 year old to be super quiet while you are sleeping.  Especially when their room is right next to yours.  You may be having to move downstairs to the basement for your naps. 

In your 2nd month you still love to be swaddled up when you sleep.  And we've pretty much given up on the pacifier.  Which is okay, brother and sister didn't like it either.  We just tried a bit harder with you, in hopes it would help you during your fussy times.  But more times than not, we make your more angry when we try to give it to you. 

In your 2nd month, you got to take a little trip to Kansas City all by yourself with Mommy and Daddy.  Mommy had a Premier conference, and Daddy went along so that he could hang out with you and take you back and forth to Mommy for your feedings.  You were a perfect little traveler, but being away from home and in strange places caused you to be a little out of sorts.  We finally got you to fall asleep and we put you to bed for the night in a dresser drawer in our hotel room.  What a fun memory!  Once we finally got you to sleep, you slept that night longer than you ever had before, 5 hours!  One other time since then, you've made it 6.

(more pictures of our weekend to come)

In your 2nd month, Mommy and Daddy have both realized even more how much we love having a sweet baby in our house again.  Your bring us such joy. 

We love you Gavin Russell.

cutest little subject ever

I was looking back at pictures of Gavin in his first 2 weeks.

 These first 2 pictures were on our first full day home from the hospital, at 3 days old.

I remember pulling the blinds in our room to let the natural light in, something we hardly do since our window faces the street and it's totally weird to me to have people be able to drive by and see in our bedroom. I grabbed my camera and even though I was still in quite a bit of pain from my c-section, I battled through some pretty painful positions to try to capture my sweet little boy who was finally opening his eyes and waking up a bit more than he had been since birth.

And then I was looking at pictures from the last 2 weeks and couldn't believe how much he's changed already.  Mostly in the cute baby chubs category.

 I sure hope there's no photography critics out there who are cringing at issues with my pictures.  (that's not the point of my blog anyway) I just love to take pictures of my kids. I love having a place to post those pictures and the stories that go with them to be forever remembered. I have grown to love photography more than ever over the last few years. And I love learning about photography.  I love the challenge it brings me - with such sweet rewards of having moments in time frozen forever. And even when I know my picture has technical issues, I still look at the picture and see the face or the moment I just captured.  I don't want to hold back from posting and printing pictures just because I know the exposure is wrong, or the lighting is bad, or they are too grainy.

I've been trying to shoot in manual for a few months now.  Some of my pictures probably show that I have a lot to learn.  But I'm having fun, and I'm noticing what a huge difference manual can make sometimes.

A sweet friend got me this book for my birthday, and I am really really loving it!

It's helped me get a good grasp on all the basics (plus some help with manual) and get more comfortable with my camera.

I wasn't so into photography when Taylor and Mason were babies.

And I didn't have a dslr then either.  So I sure am having a blast with this cute little subject.  He gives me a great reason to learn to take good pictures!

 And I'm really hoping he won't get sick of a camera in his face, because at this rate, I may burn him out by the time he's 6 months old.

He's changed a lot already.  So I guess that's more of a reason to keep snapping away with my camera. 

I don't want to miss a thing.

a new normal

I got kind of annoyed with all of our Christmas pictures dating in the middle of January,

and that really messes my blog book up.

So instead of continuing to post everything by current date, I just stuck them all back in December.

So for those of you who really like to stay caught up with us, you can click on these posts - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Taylor's preschool program.

And that way I don't bore you all.

******************************************************
I've gotten a bit behind on posting lately.  I guess I have a good reason.
And he's a pretty cute reason too.

January meant back to the real world for us.  And by that, I mostly mean that our calendar has begun to fill up again.  Preschool, Awana, bible study and small group have all started back, and so have my jewelry shows.

After about 6 weeks of not a whole lot of anything besides family stuff.

So we are trying to get into a good routine, we've been in desperate need of one.  I'm trying to be patient and realistic about the fact that our routine will be different than it used to.  I can't expect the same things when it was just 4 of us. We now have a precious little boy that is causing us all to let go of the "normal" that we were used to.  (but at the same time, he's come along with such ease, that in one way, he seems to just fit right into our days).

By no means am I complaining about being thrown off of our norm.  I love love love having a baby again!  And to be completely honest, I think I love it the most this time.  Not that I didn't love having our other babies and I obviously didn't love any one of them more.  But I am enjoying the "baby experience" quite possibly more with baby #3.
Maybe because with baby #1 we had no idea what we were doing.
And then with baby #2 we had a 16 month old running around the house too.
(ultimately being a much harder transition than adding a third child has been).

This time I feel like I can actually sit back and enjoy this little bundle of joy and savor some of the moments that seemed to be clouded with other obstacles and distractions before.

It's hard to believe Gavin is approaching 2 months old.  I am already not dealing well with this time going so fast.  If it weren't for the middle of the night feedings and the lack of sleep, I would love to keep this little guy a baby forever - or at least for a very long time!

So slowly but surely we are getting used to our new "normal".  You know, things like realizing we can't wake up at 8:30am and expect to have Taylor to preschool at 9.  (or maybe we can, because we did it!)  And things like trying to learn to use quiet voices and quiet feet when baby brother is sleeping (kind of impossible most of the time), and realizing that a 2 hour nap time is much easier controlled/demanded for big kids, and not so much a baby. 

 Most days I feel like nap time is a game called "try to get everyone asleep at the same time, then run fast and try to accomplish something before either A. I have to intervene with the big kids and the poor choices they are making when they are supposed to be going to sleep or B. someone starts crying or C. the dog barks or D. the baby wakes up after a 10 minute nap."

Ever watched Marley and Me?  I think they stole my life script and made it into a movie. And unfortunately decided that Jennifer Anniston would make a much more attractive version of myself.

To be honest - the afternoon hours are the hardest for me.  From 2-4.

I think I just need to LET GO and give up all expectations. I'd do much better not hoping to get anything done, or not hoping to get a nap in myself.  But that is so much harder said than done when the exhaustion sets in some days. 

But all in all, we are making it.  And doing quite well, most days.

It took 7 weeks for my first meltdown- that's pretty good, right?  (disclaimer - okay, okay, this is probably in huge part due to the fact that is was almost 6 weeks before I really even had all 3 kids on my own for full days at a time)

I'm almost certain that by 7 weeks after Mason was born, I had already had too many meltdowns to even count.

And even Daddy is handling 3 kiddos just fine by himself when I leave for jewelry shows.

He's definitely a keeper!

our thursday

It's hard to throw out routine sometimes and just live in the moment.

Sometimes I get so caught up in keeping up with our schedule, keeping up with the mess around me and controlling as much of our day as possible, and my own selfish desires, that I forget that sponataneity can bring such joy to a 3 and 5 year old.

Especially when it involves getting to miss naptime.

Can you believe it was in the 60's today?  Maybe even closer to 70, I'm not sure.

So we lived it up.  We threw out routine. And I ignored the fact that I had 2 kids neeping a nap, and 1 kid needing to eat.

 I chose to ignore the clock and just live in the moment.  Something that I'd like to try to do so much more often. 

We headed to the park, when we should have been headed to nap.  The kids were ecstatic!

 We chose a park we thought no one else would be at.  One that I could pull up super close to the playground, so I could sit in the car to take care of a hungry baby before joining the kids outside.  So much better than the alternative of feeding him at home while I argued with my children about getting down to nap.

I realized on our way home that we are NEVER out during Sonic happy hour.  2-4 is our naptime, so I can't even remember the last time we could make a Sonic run.  

So today was the day. 

As much as I love winter and love snow, today's weather was such a treat! It was absolutely beautiful!

And dare I say it was even worth the complete meltdowns we had this evening because of no naps.

Just like most, the new year always gets me in a reflective mood. I have spent the last few days thinking about goals and priorities. I have thought a lot about the way I spend my days and what I spend my time doing.  And as I enter 2012, my hope is that we can have more days like this. Days when I throw out our routine and all the things around me that need to be done - and just live in the moment with these 3 awesome kids God has blessed me with!

The to-do list will always be there. Schedules are helpful, but not memory-making.

My kids are growing up all too fast. I want to truly LIVE in the day that God has given me.

gavin's newborn pics

We took Gavin to Andover at 5 days old for his newborn session with Sally Cavanaugh Photography. Sally was absolutely fabulous!  She was so sweet and was so patient as I tried so hard to get Gavin into a deep sleep - which only happened for a short period of time.

She had such fun props (some of them didn't end up working too well since we couldn't get Gavin to sleep - he was too squirmy), and the cutest hats!  And she was so good with our bigger kids.  She's the only one in awhile that's gotten THE BEST smiles out of Mason. And she made Taylor's YEAR by letting her pose for several shots all by herself!

So here they are, our sweet baby boy, and big brother and sister...

 (all photos by Sally Cavanaugh Photography)

Thanks so much Sally!  These pictures are so precious to us.