Summer is unfortunately quickly coming to an end. I thought I should see where we are at on our Summer Fun Jar list and add some pictures. I've been horrible with taking my camera places but have captured quite a few of these items with my iPhone, so at least some are documented. 

Summer Fun Jar Update

Go to a Farmer's Market

Go to the Library

 Have a Water Balloon Fight

Make Homemade Ice Cream

Go Mini-Golfing with Colin

Go to the Zoo

Go to the Beach

Play at the Splash Pad  

Bubbles!

  Pick Blueberries

Find a New Park to Play at

Picnic at the Airport

Movie Night with Colin at Collin's Park due to bad weather and work we couldn't make this work :(

Picnic in the Backyard

  Play in the Sprinkler

Go Fishing at the Kroc Center

Go to a Whitecaps Game

This post really resonated with me. I never thought I'd be that mom who can't get their kid to sleep through the night; that mom whose almost 1 year old still gets up multiple times during the night.You know the moms I totally judged when I just had Colin the kid who slept consistently through the night at 7 weeks old. Thank you, Sarah, for writing this better than I ever could and for reminding me that there will be a time where I miss these all too frequent nightly moments I share with my sweet round faced baby. 


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My youngest child is 14 months old. And she has never, not once, slept through the night. That is roughly 426 nights, straight, of broken sleep for me.

My first child slept 12 hours through the night from early infancy. My second child was a bit more of a challenge because we lived across the street from a busy urban fire station, but eventually, he, too, became a twelve-hour sleeper. We put our tinies to bed at 7 o’clock, and did not hear from them until the next morning. I waxed philosophic, contemplated writing a baby sleep book to share my wisdom.


Enter Evelynn.

Evelynn is healthy. She hardly ever cries. She has never had a bout with colic. She is happy and delightful. She is secure. She is loved. She is a good eater. She naps consistently and well.

And she does not sleep at night.

For a long time, exhausted and sick with longing for my bed, I tried every trick and tactic to help her sleep through the night. I grappled with my ideals, finally tried out the things I always swore I would never allow, but nothing ever worked. She was up, every hour or two, every night, every night, every night.

This was what she needed, clearly, and so I began to wonder, after several months, if maybe, just maybe, God had something here, for me, too? Grace of God, will you be here for me in this? I asked for wisdom, I asked for help, I cried, I begged, I wondered, I read, and then, in the stillness of one long night of nursing, I heard the Spirit of the living God say to me, let her be, and minister Love to her small soul, and this will be our time, too, Sarah. So I found it easier to roll out of bed, head to her tiny room, nurse her, rock her, hold her, over and over and over again.

I started to pray in those moments. I started to hold the big things of the world and the little things of my home up for God to notice. I started to sing old songs from church. I started to rock until we were both half-asleep. I started to sit in the silence, quiet, waiting, even after she drifted off in my arms. I started to find my energy. I started to be okay with it. I started to find God in the stillness, in the darkness, in the giving, in the exhaustion. It was good. It was sacred. And, yes, it was everyday.

I remember one night this past winter, I stood in the middle of my living room, alone, in the wee small hours. The cold house was lit with stars and street lights. I couldn’t go back to bed, it was so quiet, so still, so other-worldly. I was brimming with something like wonder in the loneliness of the night, I could see the stars, something in me wanted to stay there, awake with all the mothers-hearts, up in the small hours, I felt them. I remembered a phrase from the Common Prayers, that I was with those who wait and watch and weep in the night. A thin connection was there, I felt a holy sorrow and knowing, an enveloping love, I felt held and I felt like I was holding, I was breathing in the Holy Spirit, cold and bright and enough. Two hours later, I wasn’t so sanguine. I was tired, I just wanted to sleep for two hours together, I was muttering and resentful. But as I lifted her, whimpering and longing and alone, again, she exhaled with relief, and she fell asleep minutes later, milk-drunk and peaceful. And I wondered if I was writing a story with my life in these nights, because if I was, then this would be the chapter of metaphors.

At 14 months of age, just this past week or so, she began to sleep most of the night. She still wakes up once, maybe twice, a night. The first few nights that she slept for 6 hours straight, I woke up frequently, panicked, rushing to her room. But she slept, peaceful, and I found I was disappointed.  I missed her. I missed the quiet. I missed the stillness. I missed the prayer. I missed the worship. I missed those hours of communion. I missed the weight of her need in my arms, I missed being able to minister peace and rest. Just like that, it was over, this stage was over, she was sleeping. I went back to bed. 

Sweet Baby:

Daddy and I had the pleasure of seeing you again on Tuesday. It's amazing to me how a fuzzy black and white screen can evoke so much emotions. Emotions from fear to excitement to deep love; a love that literally made my heart swell.

As I sat in the dimly light room squeezing your Daddy's gentle hand, I prayed first and foremost that you were healthy. I prayed that all of my worries and fears were unfounded and that the ultrasound would show you to be as perfect as I picture you to be. And somewhere in between seeing your big round head and your tiny little feet that were crossed at the ankles, I forgot that I had been worried and just knew that everything was going to be okay.

You are measuring pretty much right on track. Head is a little big but I wasn't too shocked with how large your brother's head is. Legs are a little short but sorry little one, look at the genes you were given. Your arms are rather long, perhaps monkey-ish but Meghan (the ultrasound tech) said more than likely your arms just had a growth spurt and everything else will catch up. You are weighing 12 ounces (average 20 week baby is about 10 1/2 ounces) and had a heartbeat of 143. Overall pretty darn perfect.

We decided you were worth waiting another few months to find out your gender. I literally can not wait to hear your Daddy proudly exclaim "It's a ....!!!" Your brother is dead set that you are a girl and tells me I'm silly if I say you could be a boy. He hates that you don't have a name and I promise we are working on that. You probably hear us throwing names out there. Give me a sign little one when we find the right one. Daddy and I could use the help.

Thanks for being cooperative (and for not being cooperative!) on Tuesday. We can't wait to see you again! So until the next time we see each other, keep growing little one. I'll continue to do my part if you continue to do yours. There are a few people really excited to see you but we are willing to be patient until just the right time (perhaps the end of June :)).

Love you more than words!
Mommy

Last night Colin's school had a Fall Festival. The kids came in costumes, ate snacks, played games, decorated pumpkins, and were able to show off their school.

Colin's pumpkin decorations.

Pumpkin Beanbag Toss

Face Painting

Gourd Bowling

Heading outside to play.

Colin and Isaiah playing outside as Woody and Buzz Lightyear

Monday was Mike's 34th Birthday. We ended up cancelling Chicago last minute and headed out to Grand Haven for the evening.

One of my favorites from the day

Not a great picture but put up because when did my little boy get so big?

Mike made me put this picture up.

We thought we'd try these pictures again. Still didn't get a great picture

Happy 34th Birthday to the love of my life and fantastic father of our adorable-shoulder-riding-son!!

{Repost from my Project 365 blog}

Dear Paulina -
Welcome to this wonderful world baby girl. You made your grand entrance into this world today at 2.45am weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces with dark already stylish brown hair, your Daddy's eyes, and your Mommy's beautiful face. Unfortunately we will not be able to meet you for a little while. However we don't even need to be in the same room to know we already love you. Know that we love you more than each long mile that separates us. We can't wait to hold you, cuddle you, and love on you.

Welcome to the family Paulina or as your cousin Colin would say baby Pabina. Don't worry - we'll continue working on it :)

With all our love -
Uncle Mike, Aunt Kristi and Colin

Mike took me to Chicago to celebrate my 30th birthday. We decided to try something different and take the train. We drove part-way and then hopped the train. While the trip took a little longer it was a nice change of pace and we are both already thinking of new reasons to go back to Chicago. We arrived to steamy {heat index was nearing 100 degrees!} Chicago and walked several blocks {many unnecessary but unknown at the time} to get to the beautiful Renaissance hotel. Fittingly, we were assigned to the 20th floor! I joked in the elevator that he must not have been able to pull his usual strings since we weren't able to get us to the Club Floors but when we walked into the room, I saw this! An executive suite overlooking the River!! Living Room area Bedroom area Looking out the bedroom window. Looks like a postcard, huh?

We headed to a fabulous dinner at Wild Fire.

Wonderful dinner ended with a birthday dessert topped with a candle!

After dinner, we decided we needed to walk off our fully bellies and walked to the Riverboats. We were able to get on the last boat that toured the River and Lake Michigan.

After the boat tour, we just walked around the city taking in more sites.

We woke up Saturday to hear helicopters whizzing by. They were filming Transformers 3 right outside our hotel.

We headed outside to see more of the filming and the city.

I've mentioned this before but we take far less pictures when Colin isn't around but we had such a terrific time. Thanks babe for such a fantastic birthday!

Mike and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on May 20th. My parents and Tim graciously offered to watch Colin, so we were able to have some much needed time together. We headed back up to the Inn at Bay Harbor. Once again we were spoiled with a fantastic room, view, and VIP treatment. We had beautiful weather and walked around downtown Petoskey, rented bikes in Bay Harbor, did some gambling, ate some good food, and just relaxed at the resort. While we didn't go overboard with pictures (probably because there was no Colin), I still have too many favorites to chose, so slide show! Often times, the slide shows are off-center for some reason. If so, just click on the slide show and it should allow you to look at the pictures individually.

We've had some warmer weather and beautiful sunshine the past few days. Colin had his first bike ride outside this year. To say he loved it would be an understatement. To say he threw a world class fit when he had to come inside would also be an understatement.

Short-ish video of said bike ride.

Mike, Colin, Merridith, Alexander, and I went to go visit my Grandma tonight. We got there and were surprised to see how well she seemed. She seemed very much like normal Grandma and while we all know that she won't be around forever, we left having hope she might be around longer than we thought before we went. It was a nice visit. Colin was a little apprehensive of Great Grandma at first but warmed up and gave a bunch of hugs and kisses in between watching the trains and finding the birds. We took a few (not so hot) pictures. I feel blessed that we were able to spend some time during her good times and hope to visit again as Colin would say ... "soon."


These next two make my heart melt.