Happy 3rd Birthday, Gideon!

I can't believe my little man is 3!

Here is his birth story, in case you haven't read it, or would like a refresher. =)

http://judithsmama.blogspot.com/2008/09/gideons-birth-story.html

Gideon is my sensitive child. He can be intense at times, but he also loves deeply and it's so sweet. He likes things to be "just right". He has excellent pitch, and we think he will have a talent for music. He loves animals, I hope we can get him a pet some day. He also loves the computer, and of course trains and cars and monster trucks. He has excellent fine motor skills, and loves to draw, although he can't catch or throw a ball to save his life. He just may end up being a nerd like his parents. He loves and idolizes his big sister, and often is sweet to his little sister (other times not so much). He loves life and is easily excited, is adorable beyond words, and I am SO blessed to be his mama!

I love you Gideon, happy birthday!

Another Failure Success Story

I attempted to take Gideon to his swim class on Sunday. It was a big fail. I should have known better, really. He has never liked swimming, and the pool usually freaks him out (he likes lakes better, but even so, he doesn't like going in the water he just likes playing on the beach). I think all the noise bothers him. Even in the change room he was screaming like I was ripping off his toe nails or something. Simply because he didn't like his socks being off. I remember a time when he refused to wear socks, when he was little. Then last winter something flipped a switch in his head and he realized socks = warm, and ever since then he has been very pro-socks. Now to the point where he will not go sockless, even in bed he MUST have socks on (and the world ends if one of his socks gets twisted!). I also realized when we were in the change room that Gideon was not going to be able to take his Blankie in the pool (duh), and that was probably going to be an issue too.

I was really patient and super gentle and tried to coax him into letting me put his swim suit on him. No dice. So then I just started doing it, I had sacrificed my sleep and got up early and got him ready and out on time (despite daylight savings!), so I wanted to at least try. But it was just bad. I took him out and let him see the pool (with his Blankie), I thought maybe he would change his mind, but no, he didn't want to be near there at all. He even calmed down for a while and looked out over the pool, and I pointed out the kids having fun, and the toys, and how he could splash and play. He paused for a moment and thought about it, then calmly said "No, I want to go back to the van." I knew it would be a bad idea to force him, so we just went back and got changed and left.

He was very happy to get his socks back on, and then he was good to go! I took him to the observation area by the pool, and we watched the kids swim and play, and even watched his own class for a while, but he still DID NOT want to go in there. So I guess that's that. I really really should have known, I feel kind of stupid now. That's a total waste of $44. I think I just signed him up because I felt bad that Judith has been to so many classes, and even Ruthie has been to swimming classes with me, but he never has. Obviously there is a reason I never took him!

I have taken him swimming at the pool a couple times with Judith (before and while I was pregnant with Ruthie), and he didn't scream those times, but he did cling to me. I guess now that he's older he can fight me a bit more, and before I could nurse him in the pool, but of course now he's more attached to Blankie, who can't come too. Maybe he would be ok if Judith was there, but obviously she can't come to his class.

The only thing I am really upset about is the money. I know it was an honest mistake, and I'm trying to learn to embrace failure as an opportunity to learn, but I don't like when it costs us financially. I will call and cancel if I can, but I doubt I will get any money back. I really do want to do something special with Gideon, I feel like he gets shafted a lot. I just wish I would have been smart enough to sign him up for a music class or something instead. Something sock-friendly.

Anyway, after our big ordeal, we left the pool. I was super calm the whole time, I'm surprised that I didn't get angry or frustrated at all despite my lack of sleep the night before. I think it's just that I understand Gideon, I just finished reading The Highly Sensitive Child, and it not only helped me with Gideon, but also showed me so much about myself, as I am definitely highly sensitive too. It really validated me, and also reaffirmed what I have been doing with Gideon all along instinctively. I don't feel guilty about "coddling" him anymore, I am just being sensitive to his sensitivity. Hopefully I can teach him to manage his intense emotions and navigate through all of the overwhelming things in life instead of just shutting down all the time like I do.

I knew it was the best decision, even though I was upset with myself for wasting money. I didn't really want to leave, though, since it took so much work to get there. Then I remembered that there are always a lot of school buses parked out back, so we went and checked those out. Gideon was really excited. We have been watching episodes of The Magic School Bus from the library, and Gideon has started to notice and love school buses when we are out. He was thrilled to run up to a big bus, the wheel was bigger than him!

After that we went to a park and he played for a little while. He really wanted to go on the big slide, but had to go across these "treacherous" steps to get there. He wanted to give up right away (like me when I have to try something new), but I held his hand, and he did it! Then he went down the slide and loved it, and climbed back up with confidence, but then when he got to the top of the slide the second time I think he realized how high it was, and he started to freak out. I couldn't reach him, he was too high, so I put my hand up and coaxed him to sit and come down the slide. He had to push off before he would reach my hand, so it took some courage, but he did it! He caught my hand as he was sliding (it was a super slow slide, and he had done it before just fine, but his feelings of fear were valid and I wasn't going to belittle him), and then he was so proud of himself! That was definitely a better lesson for him than if I would have forced him into the pool. If I would have forced him in the water, it probably would have done a lot more damage than good. Not to mention how difficult his screaming would have been for me and annoying for everyone else. I honestly don't really care what the other parents thought of me, even in the change room when he was apparently dying. But still, I wasn't going to push it. I'm really proud of myself for staying calm, trying my best, and then making a wise decision.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, New Years, and all that jazz! Thanks to all of our friends and family for being there for us in 2010!









Blessings for 2011!

9 & 12 Month Comparisons

Better late than never, right?

9 Months

Judith



Gideon



Ruthie



12 Months

Judith



Gideon



Ruthie



I think I make cute babies!

4 & 6 Months

Whoops, I kind of missed a couple comparison shot posts!

I managed to get family portraits done when each baby was 4 months old.

April 2006



August 2008



April 2010



Awwww, we're so cute.

Now, here are the 6 month shots of each bebe.

Judith



Gideon



Ruthie



Such sweet sweetness!

Camping!

A few weeks ago we went camping (we hope to go a few more times before the summer is over, we love it! And by 'we' I mean all but Ruthie, but she is out-voted so too bad).

Eating in the tent the first night due to rain.



Yummy food cooked with fire!



Mmmm, breakfast!



Beach wasn't all that fun in the rain.



We had to keep the princess dry.



We gave up on the outdoors and hung out in the van for a while.



Then went into town and found some treats.



Then played some mini-golf.



Finally the rain stopped so we could make s'mores!





The next day was finally beautiful! So we got up bright and early.



And headed to the beach while Daddy and Ruthie packed up to go home (I hear Ruthie deemed herself foreman, so she just watched and then ordered him around now and then).



Gideon kept making little mounds of dirt, then calling them "Thomas!"



I'm glad that all the kids love road trips and adventures (I'm sure Ruthie will get over sleeping in a tent eventually).



So the moral of the story is: Even though sometimes trying to do stuff with kids, especially with bad weather thrown in, can be a pain in the butt, just have a good attitude and be willing to go with the flow and VOILA! Super fun family times. Honestly I think it's good when things get tough, because it's an opportunity to show our kids how to react properly, and also that in life, things don't always go our way, but we can still make the best of it and we don't have to give up. I want my kids to know that things aren't always easy, and that's ok. I can't see an easy life being a very fulfilling one.

P.S. I almost forgot to post the great video I got of Gideon telling his joke while we were camping!

Gideon's Hair Cut

I forgot to post about this! A couple weeks ago we got Gideon's hair cut, and we think it's so cute!

He's so cool.



Oh, I mean, tough.



We think it suits him. <3

Nice Try...

Judith called me downstairs last night, excitedly telling me that she had cleaned up the ENTIRE BASEMENT.

I was surprised to see this:



Then, laughed when I turned around and saw this:



I love how Gideon was totally chillin' on the pile, haha!

A Few Things

-> We had a great visit with my mom and grandma this past week! We weren't able to do much, because of the weather, but we had fun anyway!

-> Dave finally went back to work today after being off since Feb. 9 due to his hernia, and subsequent surgery. I no longer have someone to hold the baby for me all day. Showers and housework may be things of the past. No big loss I guess! I will miss being able to run errands by myself during the day, though. And having someone to talk to.

-> The sun is finally out today after a long hiatus involving snow. I think we may plant some carrots to celebrate! I think my tomatoes and cucumbers may be dead...

-> The house is a disaster already. Le sigh.

-> Our oven is broken. Hopefully someone will come to look at it soon (we told the landlord 2 days ago). Although that makes me feel kind of bad about the point above...

-> Judith has taken up skateboarding. She's actually pretty good. Although there are a few huge dents in the kitchen walls now from it... We need to find some pavement for her. I would also love to get her into parkour. I think she would rock that too.

-> I have had to get up at 6:30 the last 3 days. My kids normally sleep until about 9, FYI. I will probably be getting up early indefinitely now, because Dave is back at work and it is kind of nice getting up and having coffee with him. And because it gets light out so early, the sun helps to convince me that wakefulness isn't, in fact, the devil.

-> Ruthie is 6 months old today! I can't believe it. We let her try some "solids" last week. So far she has had water, banana, potato, and avocado. She loves it all, and is very good at eating. She doesn't really push the food out with her tongue like the other kids did. She always eats it all up and wants more. She is still going strong with breastfeeding, of course, and hopefully will for another year and a half or so.

-> We have some caterpillars in a jar that will hopefully grow then turn to butterflies! Judith is really excited, but refuses to name them for some reason.

-> Gideon is talking so much. In complete sentences. He says new things every day. I can't believe how big he is getting! We paused potty training while our visitors were here, and I'm kind of reluctant to start again since I just shampooed the carpets...

-> Today is a beautiful day, I should probably go do something with it.

My Kids Rock!

Judith and Gideon giving Ruthie a ride on the rocking chair.



I love Judith's question towards the end of the video. Where does she come up with this stuff?

Blurrrrr

Sorry that I haven't been around much since we got back from our trip. Things have been... busy. I didn't realize how hard this was going to be. Not only do I have all 3 kids to take care of 100% by myself 24/7, but I also have to take care of Dave, making him food, keeping the kids from jumping on him, putting on his socks... Sometimes I forget about him as I'm preoccupied with everything else, then I feel bad. They had to open him right up for the surgery, and staple him back together. It's like he's healing from a c-section! I guess this is good doula practice. Although he actually gets to sleep and doesn't have to breastfeed.





Our trip went fairly well. I had a lot of fun at the ranch and it was great to see my friend Jen (and have her to help with the kids, I don't think I would have survived the first 24 hours post-surgery without her)! Judith suffered a minor (but seemed like major at the time) injury, stretching me to my limits, but we survived. She managed to scrape all of the skin off the top of her toe under a door, it was nasty. But it was nice to be out in the country, and see TREES! The kids loved the horses, and the other kids who lived at the ranch. The drive down, and half of the drive back, was great, I love driving out of the city, I find it therapeutic. The kids slept most of the drive too. On the way home it got stressful though, we drove into very strong winds and rain, making it hard to see and control the van. The temperature also dropped 20 degrees (Celsius) in a really short time. But we made it. My poor nerves, hands and shoulders were the only casualties.





Friday I attempted to go out with the 3 kids, but it was a big fail. I cried a lot. Sunday I tried again and succeeded though! But it was exhausting. Everything has been kind of a blur since we got back, honestly.

The house has been a disaster since we got home, I haven't been getting much sleep, and haven't been eating much/well. I've been really frustrated and short-tempered. Judith's behaviour has actually been ok since we got back, thankfully, she has been really hard to deal with since she turned 4 but during and since the trip she has been better. Well, until today.

Today everything just really got to me. The kids were incessant and would not leave me alone, I could barely think or function. Let's just say, I had a very bad Mommy day. I feel terrible. It takes a lot to get me to openly freak out, but my kids have skillz. I finally kicked the kids outside against their will (I would have rather just physically kicked them, but this seemed like a healthier alternative), then organized and took out the garbage and recycling. I started to cool down, feeling better having finally gotten something done, then I heard a scream, and opened the door to see this...



Seriously, if anyone here needs a facial, it's ME! I was ready to wave the white flag, but instead I tried to laugh and I took a pic. Then ran the bath. Then Gideon and I had cookies (Judith lost cookie priviliges because of the mud thing). Then Judith offered to help me clean up the kitchen and living room (they were disasterous, a major contributor to my stress), so that's what we did. Now the place looks normal again, Judith is making popsicle-stick puppets, Gideon is playing with his puzzles, Ruthie is nursing, and I am finally getting a chance to go online. So I am trying to breathe, while I can.

Dentist

I think Judith may be finally over her fear of the dentist. At her initial appointment back in March, she kicked and screamed and ran away and hid, it was awful. I felt like I was betraying her. Then her first round of work a couple weeks later (extraction, root canal, and 2 teeth filled & capped) on her right side was really rough on me. Thankfully my friend came to help (Thanks Ashley, couldn't have done it without you!!!). Judith screamed and thrashed around, but the sedation helped. She freaked out really bad at one point, but then we realized that she was just mad about a finger-print spot on the sunglasses she was wearing. Once that was cleaned off she was fine. She watched Thomas while the work was being done, and overall it wasn't too bad. The paediatric dentist was good, he was really kind and quick and tried really hard to keep Judith calm and informed. Afterwards she picked out a toy especially for Gideon (seriously, she is so sweet), then my friend kept her happy on the drive home, and she went to sleep on the couch right after.

When she woke up she was happy, the drugs had worn off, and she said "Mommy, my tooth doesn't hurt anymore!" I almost cried (I had already cried quite a bit while she was asleep), I guess her rotten tooth had been causing her a lot of pain, and it felt better even though they yanked it out of her and it was bleeding all over! She recovered quickly, doing her salt rinses without a fuss, and she was very proud of her new "silver" (stainless steel capped) teeth, and loved to show off her "rotten" tooth to any and all visitors. She's a tough cookie.





The second dentist appointment to complete her extensive work was as good as expected. Judith was awesome. She was very brave and did everything the dentist asked, even under the sedation. He was very impressed. The only thing was afterwards, she wouldn't stop biting her tongue! I guess it felt weird since it was frozen, so she kept chewing it. So then it got bloody, and that really freaked her out. She wouldn't stop touching it and checking for blood, I guess the drugs made her all OCD. It took quite a while to get her to go to sleep once we got home, she was really whiny. But she finally slept for a few hours.

She loves her new teeth! She shows them off all the time. She got another root canal and 2 teeth filled & capped on her left side. She has 4 stainless steel ones in all now. My poor little 4 year-old has had 1 extraction, 2 root canals, and 4 teeth filled & capped. Sugar and juice will no longer be regulars in this house! And the kids are no longer allowed to graze all day. Hopefully that was the last time we ever go through this! It's so hard to see a child stoned out of their mind, but we definitely would not have been able to do it without the sedation.

My poor kids! I have never given them any kind of drug or antibiotic or anything, and now just in the last while we've had so much! Gideon had his hernia surgery Feb 24, which went really well (Dave has hernia surgery next week too!). He was put out for it, but when he came to he completely freaked out, I guess the pain medication they gave him didn't work, so they ended up giving him morphine. I hated seeing my baby boy all drugged up, it broke my heart! He was on Tylenol for a few days after, but honestly he bounced back well, and quickly. He's almost all healed up now.



Judith was given a drink that essentially made her "drunk". She was awake, but totally stoned out of her mind. It was a little bit funny, but mostly heartbreaking. It made her easier to handle during the procedure (although it did nothing for pain, she still had to get the regular freezing from the huge needle), and it also clouds her memory of it. We gave her one dose of Tylenol each time after we got home, but then she was fine so she didn't need any more.

Judith actually came up to me after her nap once the drugs wore off and said "I was so brave this time, because now I like the dentist. I'm not afraid anymore!" So, I guess facing her fears was a good thing after all (I finally figured out that she got her crazy fear of the dentist from Finding Nemo!). She experienced the worst that dental work has to offer a child, and lived to tell.

Both of the kids recovered remarkably well from their "traumatic" events. So, hopefully we can put all of this behind us. Now if only I could go and sleep for a week... then maybe I could recover!

Lent

Ok, so I really really need to catch up on everything that happened over lent before it is gone from my brain forever. Ideas and memories don't always have that long of a lifespan in my head these days...

Now, bullets:

* The first week was really frustrating. I literally spent all day, from when I got up until when I went to bed, doing housework. And the house was only marginally cleaner. It really didn't seem worth all of the extra effort. This was compounded by the fact that Dave was on the computer all day, every day, while I worked my butt off.
* I surprisingly didn't miss the internet OR junk food though. My brain still thought in "status" and "blog" mode for the first week or so, but that eventually went away, as I learned to live in real life again. But I discovered that my "need" for sugar and junk food was related to my time spent online. As much as I love being online, and I need my friends there, it also stresses me out. I get stressed because the kids won't leave me alone while I'm trying to focus on writing something, and also because when I spend too much time away from the computer, I get "behind". But I found I wasn't as stressed when I wasn't online, so I didn't really need my other drug (sugar) to cope.
* I really missed juice though. I'm totally a juice junkie and don't like water. But I managed to survive by drinking ice water (for some reason it goes down better than room temp, even though my teeth are sensitive), and eating fresh fruit.
* After the first week, I decided to change my attitude about the computer, and I felt a lot better. I realized that I can only control myself, and what I do. I can't control what Dave decides to do, and there's no point in getting all bent out of shape about it. It was liberating for me.
* I experienced my first ever postpartum hair-fallout. After the first 2 kids were born, I had dreads, so I didn't have to deal with all of the hair. All I can say is: yuck.
* I also quit shampooing my hair. Now I just wash my scalp with baking soda, and rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. I still use a little leave-in conditioner on the ends, but I use less and less each time. My hair is surprisingly fabulous! I can leave it down without needing mousse for the first time ever!
* Gideon's surgery, Dave's Dr appointments and Judith's dentist appointments took a lot out of me, but overall everything went well. I've hung in there.
* Dave and I have been watching movies/tv shows at night after the kids go to bed (like all of seasons 5 & 6 of The Office, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and other movies that I can't think of right now...). It has been nice. I'm not looking forward to when he has to go back to work (early June), I've enjoyed actually being able to spend time with him.
* My mom came for a week-long visit. It went by really quickly as usual, but we did lots of fun stuff. Dave and I even got to go on a date! The kids got a little bit of a break with the sugar fast, having chocolate milk a couple times, and ice cream once. We got to see how even that little bit of sugar affected their behaviour, which was good reinforcement for us to keep it up with them.
* Judith is starting to "accidentally" show off what she has learned in her dance class. It's an unparented class, so I never get to see what she has learned. But I can see it in the way she carries herself, and the little things she does sometimes. They learn a lot of actual dance stuff in the class, I can't wait to see the recital in June!
* Ruthie hit her 3-month growth spurt. Eating all the time and fussing more than usual. I'm glad that's over.
* Gideon has become SO talkative! He says new words everyday, and can repeat anything anyone says. He talks in sentences, and they are becoming more and more understandable. He is seriously so adorable, I can't get over it.
* Computer died March 10 and went in for repairs. Mac customer service = awesome. Definitely buy the Apple Care if you buy a Mac!
* DVD player also died, we got a new media player that connects the tv to our computer, so we can watch tv on the tv that is coming from the computer. No need for cable, and no commercials! And we can rip our dvd's to the external hard drive, and then watch them on tv. It's great, we don't have to mess with actual DVD's anymore!
* The engine light came on in the van. Thankfully, one of Dave's friends is a mechanic, and he took a look at it for free. We just had to replace the air filter and clean out the air intake. Hopefully that was it! The light is off now, but still turns on during long drives (Dave has had to drive 3 hours each way to his Dr's appts, really annoying but that's WCB!). I'm glad we didn't have to take it in, it would have cost so much when it wasn't necessary.
* Did some serious introspection and thinking about where we are at as a family and what we want to do. God really confirmed my doula journey (more on that later), and Dave wants to get his A+ certification for computers, since he can't be a roofer forever. So I signed up for the DONA certification/course, and Dave has been studying up so he can challenge the exam soon. We would both like to have our own businesses some day, and then maybe we can travel again while being able to support ourselves. There is a lot of other spiritual stuff we have discussed too, but that might be for another blog...
* By week 3, I was starting to really miss my friends online. And I was craving sugar (mostly juice and good quality dark chocolate) again. Although I could easily never eat candy or pop again. It sounds so disgusting now. Even bread was starting to taste overwhelmingly sweet.
* I started going to the gym again, and surprisingly had no problem doing 20 mins on the eliptical, and started right where I left off with weights. I guess having 3 kids will do that. I was surprised that I was actually in shape, I guess it's just hiding under all the baby fat.
* I didn't lose any weight over the break, despite going to the gym, not eating junk, and breastfeeding. Well, I lost 4 pounds during Ruthie's growth spurt, but then gained it all back right away. I guess I just can't set any weight loss goals until I'm done breastfeeding, it's always like that for me. Although I do need to go and get some clothes that actually fit... instead of letting my butt hang out of everything while convincing myself I will lose the fat soon.
* I had to move Judith up to size 5 clothes, Ruthie wasn't the only one with a growth spurt over the break! Judith is quite tall for her age, I think. She definitely doesn't get that from me!
* Gideon changed a lot too, although mostly in looks. He's now definitely a toddler, my little boy, with very few traces of baby left in his face.
* I really enjoyed doing a lot of reading. It was great because it was therapeutic for me, and I could still be present with the kids, unlike the computer. It's a hobby that I am definitely going to keep up! I have to figure out what to cut from my computer time in order t o make room for more reading...
* Even without the computer though, I found my mind wandering all the time. It was honestly hard to focus 100% on the kids and just play. I had to fight really hard for it. That saddens me a lot, but is something I want to work on.
* Judith got to perform infront of people for the first time! They are practicing their routine for the recital already, and they came out after class one day and performed it for the teenagers' class. I guess they will be doing that a lot, to get used to it. Judith was SO cute! The other 2 girls in the class (there are just 4 kids), were way too shy and just stood there. The little boy liked the spotlight, but often forgot to actually dance. But Judith, she danced her heart out and soaked up the attention! Half the time she did her own thing instead of what the teacher was doing, but it was SO cute! She does not lack confidence!
* I have been doing Pilates with Ruthie (the PeeWee Pilates book is good!), and Judith likes to do it alongside me, with Lambie. It's so adorable, I keep forgetting to get a photo.
* Ruthie learned to suck her fingers to self-soothe (just like Judith did as a baby), and that has made my life SO much easier! She's a lot quieter, and nurses a bit less (I still have a ton of milk though). She seems to need something in her other hand though, in order to put her fingers in her mouth, and seems drawn to blankies more than stuffies, so I got her a blanket. I hope she gets attached to it, Judith having her Lambie and Gideon having his Blankie has been a huge help in comforting them.
* The last 2 weeks were HARD. I really missed everyone! But I'm glad I stuck it out.
* My friend Jen came to visit! She is one of my best friends, and it was so good and refreshing to connect with her!
* I got to hang out with some of my local friends during lent too, which was really nice. I probably talked too much because I was lacking the interaction, I hope they didn't mind. =) I'm so thankful that I do have friends here now, they are seriously awesome.
* Ruthie laughed for the first time March 28! She laughed for Dave in the morning, and for me in the evening, it was so cute!
* Had to upsize Ruthie to her intermediate sized diapers, and thus also move her into her size 6 months clothing. She's growing up too quickly! She was 16 pounds 4 oz at her 4 month appointment.
* We took the kids to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate Gideon's birthday, and he loved it! Judith loved it more though, haha.

Overall, it was a really good experience. But I'm not going to do it again any time soon, haha! I just need to figure out how to spend less time online, while still being able to connect with my friends and get my thoughts out through writing. I didn't get to rest at all, as I had hoped, I think rest and relaxation are just things that's aren't going to happen while the kids are young. But that's ok, they're worth it. I'm glad that I have this time with the kids while they are little! The less I sleep, the more time I get to spend with my little loves (as long as I get enough sleep to actually function, but now that I have coffee, that amount is less, haha). I was actually way busier than usual, always on my feet, it seemed. I was either doing housework, tending to the kids, running errands, or reading. It was nice to only have to worry about my own little existence for a while, and not about what's going on with everyone else, or the world. I realized that I do totally run on empty all the time, but there isn't much I can do about it. So I carry on. I have learned the meaning of "God's mercies are new every morning." He truly does get me through every day. I'm so thankful that I'm not depressed this time around. I can actually keep up with life, and do simple things like get out of bed, and face the day with a smile. =)

Oh Yeah

Well, they weren't able to fix our iMac, so they gave us a brand new one! It's a bit bigger, and much nicer than our old one, no extra cost. So right now I am basking in the glow and new smell of awesomeness. Go Apple Care!

Anyway, now I can finally post pics! Here are a few from today of the kids.







So, what do you think? I think Gideon has grown for sure since Lent started! He went from "baby" to "little boy" I'm sure Ruthie has gotten bigger too.

And for fun, here is what I look like after a night of only getting 3.5 hours of sleep (and only 5 hours the night before that...), and 2/3 of the kids have colds. We're a happy bunch.



But all is well, because we have a computer again!