Things That Make Me Smile 7/4/14

 Jake (8½), Alyssa (6), Zac (4½), Tyler (2)

Happy Monday! We had a good Fourth of July weekend: we spent time with family, the kids went swimming, and I even relaxed a little. I could totally get used to Leighton having a 3-day weekend every week. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday, too! 

1. Zac: "Mom, when I'm big, I'm gonna choose to marry you."

2. Alyssa, eating a piece of bread with sesame seeds on it: "If you plant bread, will it grow?"

3. Zac, while watching Frozen: "I don't ever want to ride on a ship in a bad storm, 'cause then you die."
Jake: "Not necessarily. The 12 disciples didn't die." 

4. Zac grabbed his toy laptop, plopped himself at the table, and said, "Now, to get some research done."

5. Jake: "Zac's hair does not taste very good."

6. Alyssa: "When Daddy was leaving, I put my hand to my heart and did this {waves hand toward the window} because it was like I was giving my heart to him."

7. Tyler was pretending to eat some play food. He closed his eyes, folded his hands, and started "praying."

8. While playing Uno with the family, I played a wild card and told Zac (who was on my team and sitting on my lap) to pick the color. I showed him the 2 cards we had left, both yellow. He excitedly shouts out, "BLUE!" because, of course, that's his favorite color.
  
9. Zac, with a handful of Lego mini-figs: " It's a good thing I have my trusty sidekicks with me."

10.

11. Alyssa: "He betraded him!" (betrayed)

12. Jake, after I finished reading our book: "Mom, did ya have to leave us there? I'm so excited I could jump off a cliff!"

13. Zac, seeing the reflection of the computer in my glasses: "How did you get your eyes computered?"


What made you Smile this week?

Tyler's Birth Story

I expected to be welcoming a new life into the world this week. Instead, we're celebrating with our one month old baby boy.

That Saturday morning, one month ago, was a special day. I woke to Alyssa climbing into bed with us.

Me: "Good morning, Sweetheart. Do you know what today is?"

Alyssa: "It's my party!"

She had turned 4 three days before, but we were celebrating with a party at my parents' house that evening.  The whole family was coming (minus one cousin away at college): grandparents, uncle & aunt, cousins. Even great-grandpa and grandma, who were coming home from Florida that afternoon would be there. Aunt Dawn was making a special princess castle cake and everyone was bringing exciting presents. All of this to celebrate 4 years with our little girl.

The boys made their way into our bed a few minutes later. We enjoyed each others company as we laughed and played on that lazy Saturday morning.  We eventually got up and headed to the kitchen. The kids played around us as Leighton cooked eggs and bacon while I made toast.

Tyler Joseph Leaf born at 4:12 pm

I was so thankful that Leighton and my mom convinced me to order pizza for the party. Usually, I make all the food for their parties, but they thought I deserved a break. I wasn't going to use being 8 months pregnant as as excuse, but for once it was nice to not have to spend the day in the kitchen. 

That afternoon, Zac and Alyssa lay down for a nap, Jake was playing with LEGOs, and Leighton was working on the boys' bunk beds. I headed to Michaels a little after 2:00 p.m. to take advantage of some deals. While at the store, I talked to some employees about a few upcoming workshops at the store, helped a lady choose silk flowers for her house, and chit-chatted with a friend's husband who was there doing some shopping as well.

Contraction.

I walked the aisles, looking for inspiration for craft projects for the kids. I spoke to an employee about one of the products.

Contraction.

I continued placing items in my cart - some predetermined, some by impulse. I walked through the entire store, taking advantage of being alone.

Contraction.

weight 5 lbs 10 oz

I made my way to the register and the way-too-long line.

Contraction.

I talked to the cashier and the lady behind me about my baby that would be born in four weeks, paid for my things and headed to the van. I checked over my receipt and realized that I bought the wrong thing. I considered going inside to exchange it, but didn't want to wait in that line again. I headed home instead at 3:00 p.m.

Contraction.

Leighton heard me arrive home and met me at the door.

Leighton, looking at my expression: "Are you ok?"

Me: "No."

Leighton: "Are you having contractions?"

Me: "Yes."

For someone who just talked to half the people at the store, I suddenly didn't have much to say. 

length 19 3/4 inches

I truly thought I was having Braxton Hicks. As long as I was not dilating, I was ok. I sent Leighton to research what could be done to stop the contractions as I headed to our room to lie down on my left side and drink some water.

Leighton: "All I can find is to lie down on your left side and drink some water. Watch a movie or take a nap . . . because there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Me: "What! Call Eileen (my midwife) to see what she says I can do. We have a party tonight!"

He called her and explained the situation. She immediately began to gather her things to come over. I reached for the phone as Leighton started setting up the birthing tub. 

Me: "I just want to know what I can do to make them stop."

Midwife: "There's nothing you can do. You know your history. (I had a 90-minute labor and a 46-minute labor; labor as in from my first contraction to baby's first breath.) I'm putting my things in the car right now."

Me: "But I just want it to stop. I'm not ready. I don't have any baby clothes washed. I don't have my towels together. I'm not ready."

Midwife: "The baby's ready though. You need to call your mom and tell her to come over. I'll be there in a few minutes."

my dad giving Tyler his first Chiropractic adjustment

At this point, I wanted to cry, not because of any pain - it still felt like false labor - but because I wasn't prepared. I like to have things in order. I like to be in control. I like to be ready. I was not.

When my midwife got there, she told Leighton to stop setting up the birthing tub and prepare to catch a baby.

Me: "We don't have time for the tub?"

Midwife: "I can check you. If you're dilated more than 5, we don't have time . . . well . . . you're an 8."

Me, crushed: "Can I at least get in the bathtub?" (I really didn't want another bathtub birth, but it was better than delivering in my non-prepared-bed.)

adoring siblings

The next 30 minutes were busy. My mom arrived and got the kids ready for my brother to pick up. Leighton took down the shower doors. I sent everyone around the house to gather the needed supplies. And somewhere during that time, I made my way to the bathtub. As I birthed our baby into the water, Leighton was able to catch him. It was a special moment. Tyler Joseph Leaf was born.

The next 3 hours were a whirlwind of activity: weighing and measuring the baby, washing a load of clothes, taking an herbal bath, sending Leighton to the store to get some things we didn't have, trying to care for this life that entered the world before his mommy was ready.

Alyssa's princess castle cake

The whole family arrived at 7:00 p.m. for a double celebration - for Alyssa's birthday party and for Tyler's birth day. Alyssa opened her presents, was amazed at her cake, and of course, ate pizza. It didn't matter to me that I birthed a baby less than 3 hours before; I wanted to make sure Alyssa still got her special day that she had been looking forward to for weeks. Her baby brother was not replacing it. Instead, he was her special gift.

Because Tyler was born 4 weeks early, there were some initial concerns. He did need a bit of oxygen after birth, and we practiced Kangaroo care a lot the first couple days. He's doing fantastic though! Last week he weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz. I'm pretty sure it's been the kisses that have ensured his health. After all, he gets at least a thousand of them a day! The other 3 kids absolutely adore him. They are constantly hugging and kissing on him, wanting to hold him, and checking on him while he's sleeping. They run to get me as soon as he makes a peep. Zac tells me every day, "He's so cute!" Jake is convinced that "He's the cutest baby in the world!" And Alyssa acts like she's his mother. Like I said, they absolutely adore him. Zac even gave him his first nickname, Ty Juice (instead of Joseph), and it's stuck with us all.

our family

Little Ty Juice, we love you so much and are glad that you couldn't wait to meet us! We're very grateful for these extra 4 weeks that we get to know you. We thank God for the blessing of you.

Alyssa's 4th Birthday Day

I already shared about our Mommy-Daughter Day to celebrate Alyssa's 4th birthday, but here is how we celebrated her actual birthday day.

It seems that we start each special day with pancakes. I think the kids associate pancakes with celebrations. This time, I colored the batter a pinkish-purple with food coloring and added chocolate chips. Alyssa was a little disappointed when she saw that I made plain ol' circles instead of party hats or something else festive, but she quickly got over it when she saw me top them with whipped cream and star sprinkles.

When we ran out of whipped cream, she asked for ice cream as a replacement. Ice cream for breakfast??? Of course! Who am I to deprive my princess of ice cream-topped pancakes on her birthday?

We all spent the day playing with toys and games of Alyssa's choosing. Multiple times, she told me, "I want to spend the day with you again." I think she liked having mommy to herself and not having to share my attention with her crazy brothers. It's always so special to have one-on-one time with your children. Of course, we also made these chocolate cupcakes and whipped vanilla frosting.

The real fun came when daddy got home from work. It was finally time to open presents!!!

She may have been a little excited to get a new stretchy headband and ribbon clip.

And she even may have been excited to get her new booster seat.

  And she was definitely excited to get a princess castle tent (though I didn't get a picture of her face when she opened it since her little brother was running all over and got in the way.)

My little girl is so sweet and loving, yet sassy and dramatic. She's my girly-girl in my sea of boys, but she can keep her own in a wrestling match. She loves to help and loves to cuddle. And ever since the beginning, she's had her daddy wrapped around her little finger.


Happy 4th Birthday, Princess! We love you so very much!

Happy 4th Birthday, Alyssa!

Happy Birthday to my baby girl! Though I suppose she's not a baby anymore. Any parent will agree that children grow entirely too fast. Could it really have been 4 years ago that she was born? Four years since we first saw her precious face? Four short years that we've been blessed to raise her?  It seems like just the other day we were planning for her arrival, yet it's hard to remember our life without her. Now here we are, 4 years and a little 2-year-old brother later, and we're waiting to add yet another one to our family. 

These days with all the kids being so little can be hectic, sometimes stressful, and always very busy. But even though it can be overwhelming at times, I know that the years are flying by in a flash. If only I could stop the clock or at least slow it down for a bit. I want my kids to know how special they are, how much we love them. That's one reason why I have started to spend a special day alone with the birthday child. Last year, Alyssa and I had a lovely tea party.  Here is our mommy-daughter day this year (a day early so as not to interfere with Wednesday night church.)

After we dropped off the boys, we headed to Burger King for lunch. The kids are signed up for their birthday club and get a free kid's meal. Big spender, I know. Hey, I did pay extra for her chicken nuggets though; only the hamburger meal is free. Now that's love.

She also got to sit in Jake booster seat instead of her 5-point harness. It's always a treat to sit there when he's gone. She'll be so excited to open her very own pink booster today! Since we'll be getting a new little baby soon, Alyssa will be moving to the back of the van, where it will be difficult to climb back and buckle her. Besides, she's a big 4-year-old now. (Side note: I am so excited about not having to wrinkle up her poofy dresses with all those buckles!)

After lunch, we headed back home. My girly-girl loves getting dolled up. We applied some of mommy's make-up, curled her hair, and painted her nails. Don't grow up too fast, little one.

I was surprised when she asked to play the Wii. She had been talking about another real tea party for weeks. I guess the lure of being able to choose the games, instead of playing whatever her big brother picks, was too tempting. Plus, I let her be Player 1 -- bonus!

Such a precious, innocent face. Can she really be 4 already???

After our festivities at home, we went to Toys R Us and stopped by the front desk to get another birthday crown and a balloon. We also heard a personalized birthday wish over the speakers. Every time someone walked by, they said, "Happy Birthday!" And every time she responded with "Happy Birthd . . . uh, thank you."

She got a card and $3 coupon in the mail as part of the birthday club. We like to take the kids to pick out a small gift using that coupon. The only problem? All the smaller, more inexpensive toys are higher up on the shelves and the bigger, more expensive ones are eye level for the kids. Of course. We walked around for an hour - an hour, no lie - before she settled on a $5 clearance bridal dress-up set. She and Jake love to pretend that they're getting married. It was perfect.

Michaels is next to the toy store, so we just had to make a trip there as well. She is a crafty girl all the way. She'll often sit at the table making a mess creating some masterpiece. She loves to cut paper into tiny pieces with scissors or with paper punches. (She doesn't necessarily like to pick up the scraps, but that's a different story.) Her newest obsession is yarn. Not knitting or anything like that since her mommy never learned herself, but cutting it, tying it, taping it, leaving it all around the house. She was very excited to stock up on some new craft supplies for her birthday.

We ended the afternoon with a stop for Slurpees, for her and to surprise each of her brothers. She also got to watch a movie in the van while we headed back.


I am so thankful for the times we get to spend together. I will forever cherish the memories as I do the ones I have of spending time with my own mother. I hope that Alyssa and I will remain best friends as she grows just like my mom and me.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. I am privileged to call you mine.