Ivy Carolyn {5 months...even if I am a little late with this post}

Dear Ivy,

First of all, mommy is sorry that she is more than a week late in writing this post. I'm busy!!! {Taking care of you, so your welcome}...

Up until this month, I have been using cute little stickers to document your growth in pictures...well, this month I didn't have a sticker for you! Either I lost it somehow, or the pack that I bought with all the stickers was just randomly missing the 5 month sticker? Weird. But I improvised, and we have a cute little picture of you on your 5 month birthday!



The chalkboard wall is so handy! And you, Ivy, a chubby ball of absolute cuteness.

 You have been a busy little baby, and at 5 months old you...

• Have your first tooth! You cut it on April 11th, and mommy was so surprised!! I had no idea you were getting a tooth until one day you started biting your lower lip. I thought that was strange, so I just stuck my finger in your mouth and boom, a tooth. Crazy kid. Your brother and sister didn't get their first tooth until nearly 8 months old...so at 4 months old, you hold the record. It's your bottom left tooth. And as of now, you haven't cut anymore. Just one little lone toofer :)
• Giggle and smile and yell and scream and babble your little heart out all the time. People comment on how vocal you are. I prayed for you to have a good strong cry when I was in the car laboring with you, and realizing that you would likely be born before we got to the midwife. I asked God to please let you cry right away to tell me you were okay, since I was delivering alone and wouldn't know what to do if something was wrong. And he answered that prayer...and now we are stuck with your set of good lungs. And I wouldn't have it any other way!
• Have begun eating solids. So far you've had avocado, bananas, applesauce, and yams. You love them!
• Can sit up! You are getting stronger and stronger by the day! Sometimes you get tired and topple over after a few minutes, but you are able to sit up unassisted for longer periods of times each day. This picture was taken about a week ago when you used your hands for support, but now you don't even need to...

You Miss Ives are a true blessing!

Happy 5 months baby girl!

The Big Nerdy Dirty Thirty

Something very special happened last week: John turned THIRTY!!! Wow...I still can't believe it. I think of him as a 17 year old skater boy {that baby face I first fell in love with} most days. We are getting old.

Last weekend's beach trip was John's big birthday gift, but his actual birthday was the following Thursday, and I had a few surprises up my sleeve. I couldn't let the day go uncelebrated! We headed out to dinner at our favorite Mexican resturant where our best friends were waiting to surprise him! And the staff sang him "Happy Birthday" in the most obnoxious way possible {which in my opinion is the best way possible}.

We all came back to the house for a few more surprises :) A few gifts...

Then some yummy cupcakes :)

I truly am so blessed to have this old man as my husband. He's our rock.

I found this quote and I shared it with John on his birthday:

"The only time you really live fully is from 30 to 60. The young are slaves to dreams; the old, servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits."

-Hervey Allen

I think about last year at this time...we were indeed slaves to dreams. Dreams of buying a house in South Carolina. Dreams of completing our family. Dreams of making more money so I could quit my part-time gig at the health food store. Dreams of making friends and truly settling. Dreams, dreams, dreams.

And in this moment- though we still have many, many dreams- John has made so many come true. We are no longer slaves to them {glory be to God} and for this reason, this quote so resonates with me: as John turns 30, we have truly begun living fully. My husband has worked hard since he was just a teenager, and his life has a lot to show for that hard work. If this is what "middle-age" is like...bring it on. But first can I just add...I personally am not 30 yet...so I'm still "young" thank you very much :)

Happy 30th Birthday to my handsome, loyal, talented, husband and the World's Best Daddy. Thank you for chosing me as your wife to share this life with, and for the three beautiful children you gave me. We love you.

Weekend Getaway

One of the many things I love about my husband: he's spontaneous. And I missed his random let's-get-in-the-car-and-drive-somewhere antics while he was away for three weeks. But he's back :)

After thinking about it for .02 seconds, John booked us two nights in a an ocean front suite at our favorite hotel in North Myrtle Beach. He had a few reasons that were perfectly valid: he wanted quality time with his family since he was gone for so long, and his big 30th birthday is coming up. And then there is Mother's Day...and he knows I love the beach. So we packed our bags and headed southeast. And it was just what the doctor ordered...

There is something about waking up to a sunrise off the Atlantic Coast that truly puts me at peace. It is nature in raw form...something created by God and untouched by man. Everything about the beach...the sound of the waves, the smell of salt in the air, the way no picture could ever do it justice...I love it. On Saturday morning I got out of bed before John and the kids, and walked out to the shore and watched the sunrise, digging my toes in the sand and letting the very edge of the waves sweep across my feet. And all of the stress melted away. Seriously.

It was a bit of dreary weekend, with rain coming and going and strong ocean breezes swirling, but it didn't bother me. Sure it wasn't your typical hot-sun-bikini-clad, swim-in-the-ocean-all-day kind of trip...but it was a beautiful-skies, fresh-air, and wear-your-hoody-with-your-flip-flops kind of trip. And that was fine by me :)

Plus, we kind of had the beach all to ourselves. Perfect :)

We spent Saturday having as much fun as possible. First we had lunch at Margaritaville (even Ivy)...



I had to nurse Ivy before my margarita on the rocks :) Who doesn't nurse in front on Margaritaville??

Then the aquarium!

It was magical :)

We headed back to the hotel so Ivy could nap, and Jade and Cole played at the waterpark and pool.

That evening, we went to dinner and a show at Medieval Times. Cole and Jade were in awe! And Cole especially, was very serious about being a "knight in armour." :)

On Sunday, I took the older kids to go seashell hunting on the beach...ending our weekend getaway with one last romp in the sand.

We had some lunch, then headed home. About 2 minutes into the drive, this is what I saw...

...and that's always a good sign that they had a lot of fun :)

I'm not sure we'll get another vacation this year. Hopefully we will find some time to sneak away, but with John's work schedule it's not guaranteed. So I cherished every second we had. This spontaneous trip to the beach may have been a short one, but it was the recharge our family needed after a long three weeks without our daddy.

Gosh, I love my family. Making these little (big) memories is what it's all about :)

Not So Super

I have been MIA...but for good reason. My husband just returned this past Saturday from a three week long business trip to Germany. THREE WEEK LONG TRIP. Which left me, alone, to hold down the fort. And when there are three kids, one house, a guinea pig, dishes, laundry, bills oh my...and only one of me...well, blogging got put on the back burner.

I was a little bit in denial before John left for his trip to Germany. I didn't want to face the reality of having to manage without him for so long. That is why I didn't mention it to many people. I didn't say it here, or on Facebook. Only my close friends and family knew he was leaving. I just didn't really want to talk about it. Sure, there are the logistics of managing this household completely alone that completely overwhelmed me, but I also knew I was going to miss him. I was going to be lonely.

It's funny because when I told people that my husband had left to Germany and wouldn't be back for three weeks, the first thing they would say was, "Wow you are Super Mom!" And my first thought was: Huh?? How do you know?? Maybe I'm not. Maybe my house will completely fall apart over the next three weeks. Maybe the chores will go undone. Maybe I'll forget important dates, responsibilities, paying bills...Maybe my kids will be neglected, or feel the stress of an overwhelmed mom. Maybe I am not Super Mom, and I can't do this.

And here is what I learned over the past three weeks...indeed I am not super. I was overwhelmed. I was stressed. A 5.5 year old, a 4 year old, a baby, keeping up with daily chores, putting dinner on the table each night, getting them ready for bed, getting them ready for school, ALONE for THREE WEEKS...well it was all too much. I didn't conquer those three weeks as Super Mom...I was more like Survivor Mom. I was on Survival Mode. With John away, I managed everything I needed to. Things got done. I survived because sometimes in life you just don't have a choice. But nothing was done my best. I wasn't the best mom. I wasn't the best housekeeper. I wasn't the best friend or best neighbor. I was out numbered times 3. I had no patience. My brain was fuzzy. I was stressed, my nerves shot, and tired. I faked it till I made it with my kids...but they are smarter than that. They wanted their daddy home and their mommy back, I could see it in their eyes. I could see it in their behavior. And it made me so sad, feel even more isolated, and the three weeks alone as a parent, miserable.

But no matter how miserable I think something is, there is always a silver lining. Something else I learned over the past three weeks is that we have some great people in our lives (well I guess I already knew this, but the past three weeks confirmed it). When I was going through something extremely overwhelming and isolating, I had friends and neighbors pull through to help us in ways I didn't even anticipate, reminding me...I'm NOT alone. We had neighbors offer to mow the lawn and take our trash to the dump (normally John's job that I just couldn't do). I had friends offer to have us over for dinner, meet up for playdates, and even take Jade and Cole out to a football game for the entire afternoon while I got a break with just the baby (and Jade and Cole got to actually do something fun! Thanks Greg and Stacey!) I had so many friends call or text me just to see how I was, and if there was anything I needed. I had one friend who told me she was praying for me every single day. Three years ago when we first moved out here, I always found myself complaining that we "had no family or friends to help us." Well, I can't say that anymore. We have friends who have become family, and they are here to help. And that is what you call blessed :)

John is my best friend, my rock, and an amazing daddy. He belongs here at home. And in retrospect, I think the three weeks were a good (did I just say the three weeks were good??) yes, a good reminder that John is so valuable here at home. It's good to miss someone every once in a while :) But John and I have already made a pact to never be apart for that long again. The biggest reason why we moved to South Carolina was to keep this family we created close and together, to have a better quality of life as a family, and being apart for so long was a reminder that this is still our dream and a dream we will fight for.

So, since John has been home, my strength is renewed. I'm back to my happy self (and back to blogging apparently, so you know it's good!) and maybe now I can be Super Mom, but only because I have my sidekick Super Dad by my side again :) I have a deep compassion for military families, and families who often spend long lengths of time apart for work related reasons. It takes so much strength to keep it together, a strength I don't think I have in me. So I applaud them in awe and admiration. YOU are the Super Moms.

Leaving on a jet plane...{dropping him off at the airport April 6th}

Anticipating his homecoming! {A goodie basket with a few of his favorite things...beer, beef jerky, nutella, and a fresh shower}

I decorated the chalkboard wall with a welcome home message :)

Jade made this just for daddy! My favorite part is the German and American Flag :)




So happy to see this face {The day he came back home, April 27th}

Welcome home daddy :) Now don't ever leave me for that long again, kay? Thanks!

Ivy Carolyn {4 Months!}

Dear Ivy,

Just when I think you can't get any cuter...you do. You wake up every morning cuter than the night before. You are a ball of cuteness. Cute, cute, CUTE!! This age is so much fun! Your personality is coming out in full force. You're curious, social, and a bit of a firecracker :)

Here's a bunch of photos...you are so super smiley now I get some really cute ones! Have to share them all!

I took you for your first well-child check up last week (yes, I waited until 4 months...you are my third kiddo, I know a healthy happy baby when I see one and I didn't need the doctor to tell me that you are one of them!) You weighed 14 pounds (51st percentile) and almost 25 inches long (59th percentile) and you are officially my smallest baby at the 4 month mark, but you still have baby chunk up to your ears, and I love every inch of it! You got your first set of shots, and it was miserable :( One of the vaccines was not fastened to the needle securely and when injected, it popped off, sort of "exploding" and shifting the needle in your thigh, and I know it was painful. I was so upset. And so were you, poor thing. In that moment, I was extremely grateful to be nursing. I was able to offer you the breast and you calmed down immediately. You are a trooper, Ivy.

You are so super strong and healthy. You are sooooo close to rolling from your back to your tummy. And it probably won't be long until you are sitting up!

You are getting pretty grabby...you have started to play with toys, grabbing them and putting them in your mouth.

You are NOISY. You like to coo, but I think you like yelling and screaming more. You will scream just to hear yourself scream. You are a sweet happy baby, but you are not a quiet one :)

You love to be entertained- by your brother, sister, mommy, daddy, anyone. You are full of smiles, and just recently started to giggle. It melts my heart!

You love the bath! LOVE it!

You still sleep all night, but you are not a huge fan of naps. You like to sleep on the go mostly (and "on the go" describes this busy family most the time!), so when we are at home it is sometimes tough to get you to wind down for a nap. But we are working on it! You suck your thumb sometimes, but are not quite ready to give up the paci and do the thumb full time...I can't wait until we can get rid of the paci though, it's a pain!

You have started going in the nursery at church. You are so good! This is really the only time you are away from mommy or daddy, and I'm proud of you for being so well behaved :)

And I think that sums it up, Miss Ives...

Love you to pieces, and Happy FOUR MONTHS!!!

The Harmon Farm Goes to the Zoo

On this Good Friday, we had the perfect opportunity to get out of town, spend some quality time together as a family, and do some exploring. We headed down to Columbia, South Carolina to the Riverbanks Zoo. And it was awesome. Seriously, I was super impressed! I didn't get as many pics as I'd like, just because the zoo was PACKED and we had our hands full (it's a little harder now that John and I are outnumbered by kids :/ ) but they had gorillas, kangaroos, zebras, penguins, koalas, grizzly bears, pony rides, a train, a ropes course, and so much more! It was truly a beautiful zoo. Jade and Cole were happy campers!



She's standing like a flamingo :)



Cole LOVED the penguins. Don't mind his awkward smile...4 year old boys, I swear.

The Harmons!

It was such a great time! And on our way home we drove by the State Capital since we were so close to Downtown Columbia. The kids were pretty impressed by the fancy schmancy building.

It was a superb roadtrip and zoo day. Days like this remind me how lucky I am to have my little Farm :)

Happy Easter Weekend everyone!