dear baby mine

My dear little Legend,

Today you are six weeks and four days old.  You may not be an "easy" baby, but absolutely everything about you is easy to love-- from your sweet baby grins to your bright eyes and bubbly goos.  I made a sling to wear you in because you love to be held close.  We chase your brothers and sister around all day long and you usually fall asleep in your sling.  You hold your head up so well and stare at me with eyes far too intelligent and charming for your age.  When daddy or I say your name you break out into the biggest, heart warming smiles.  I've been sweetly surprised to hear you laugh twice already.  Breathy little baby giggles.  

I'm so in love with you, baby mine.

the week of mud pt. 2

This is what happens on adventures with Daddy.

Four wheeling fun.

Thad loved every muddy minute of it.

I even found mud in his ears.

the week of mud pt. 1 {jazz fest}

Yes, we are the crazy hippie people who take our infants to muddy rock n' roll concerts.  

Not just any concert, though.  Legend's initiation into the festival world of music was Simon and Garfunkel's first performance together in six years.  I have to say, it was Legendary.  Our little man slept through the entire show.  Not one peep.  Maybe I should play their music in his room at night, hmmm?

Just that morning, the skies over New Orleans dumped a drencher on the festival grounds.  Two free tickets burned holes in our pockets and we debated about whether or not we wanted to slop through mud and get ridiculously dirty.  We didn't debate for long.  The sun came out and while we knew the mud wouldn't be going anywhere but home with us, it promised to be an adventure.  Joel had already given another set of free tickets to his mom and dad and we arranged to meet them later.

Jazz Fest in New Orleans is a sight and sound to behold.  Music pours from every corner while a sea of people ebb and flow from one band to another.  Every now and then someone gets stuck in a glob of mud and loses their shoes to the greedy goo.  Then there are those who choose not to wear any shoes.  And if there's one thing New Orleans people know how to do right it's how to eat.  The food at Jazz Fest is amazing.  You can find anything from roasted lamb to gator sticks, to sushi, to stuffed mushrooms.  Insanely good.

And the sounds of Simon and Garfunkel.

Insanely good.

  

One muddy day of festival with my man and our papoose.

Insanely good.

this one's for you

Dear man o' mine,

Life with you has always been everything but boring.  You can make me laugh until my sides hurt, and make me smile when all I really want to do is give you a good tongue lashing.  You surprise me, inspire me, dare me, and love me completely (because you never do anything half-way).

I know life's been crazy busy lately, with babies crying around the clock, diapers coming out of our ears, and little ones climbing the walls.  Oh and did I tell you that I finally found the handle to the bathroom faucet in the twin's room?  This is our life.  It makes the rare moments we have alone together that much more special.  Last weekend was one of them.

I fell in love with you all over again.  For the millionth time.  It's the little things you do every day that melt my heart.  And it's those moments we walk hand in hand in a crowd of people and see only each other that make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

So, thank you.  Thank you for sharing your favorite sushi rolls with me.  For going to art exhibits and furniture stores.  For being honest.  Always honest.  For holding our baby through his fussiest times.  For taking all of our kids four-wheeling.  For being such a passionate husband and a stellar dad.

And one of these days, we'll own that jeepster commander that we've always dreamed about.

All my Love,

Rubie your Joye

P.S.  I heard our "newest" song on the radio today and I couldn't stop smiling.  And it made me want to go read our box of love letters because I'm sure we wrote that song.

hair it is

I found a gray hair.

Yep.  One bona fide silver strand.

Does this mean that I'm officially older or wiser?  Or both?

I would like to thank my children for this distinguished award.

And I especially want to thank my hairdresser for making me feel young in spite of my graying hair.

When it comes to hair, I am hopelessly clueless.

I didn't discover the blow dryer until I was a freshman in college.

Before then, I thought the quickest way to dry hair was to roll the windows down and drive fast.

And as for the few tangles I got into with the curling iron, well, lets just say I lost.

Not much has changed since then.

I'm still a mommy who occasionally sticks her head out the window to dry.  

I'm just more careful now not to blind anyone with my silver streak.

anise seed tea

I'm a bit lost in the land of newborn tummy troubles.

Yet I vaguely remember having been here before.

Three times before.

Seriously, you'd think I'd have at least one baby without this issue.

I feel kind of alone.

I call friends with newborns and they report that their babies "hardly ever cry", that they're "easy", and "sleeping through the night" already.

I'm happy for them.  Really.

And I know that we'll find our way through this.  We'll just take one day at a time, for however many days it takes until this little tummy heals.

And it will heal.

And we will sleep more and fuss less.

Eventually.

What is so miraculous is the fact that somehow, in those brief moments of calm, when there is a short respite from the tummy tremors, my baby smiles at me.  

Big, dimpled, beautiful smiles.

I'm in love.

And I'd do anything to soothe away these troubles.

I've even cut all dairy out of my diet.  I avoid broccoli, onions, red sauce, garlic, carbonated drinks and caffeine.  I'm living on turkey sandwiches, folks.  I'm even considering ordering noni juice in case it's acid reflux we're battling.   

My dear friend Donna and her sister in law Rehna show up on my doorstep early in the morning with anise seed.  They brew me some anise seed tea and instruct me to drink it religiously.  It soothes tummies, they tell me.  Later, another beautiful friend from church drops in.  She brings fruit from the produce stand and a wealth of homeopathic wisdom.  I feel so much less alone and more thankful than ever for these amazing women-- these mothers.  They leave me feeling less alone in this journey of motherhood and even more determined than ever to find a natural way to treat this malady.

Anise Seed Tea for a Happy Tummy:

1 tablespoon anise seeds

2 cups boiling water

Steep for 3-4 minutes

add a few drops of honey

mint to be

We love mint, ice cream, and bubbles.  Put them all together and you get these ice cream shaped bubbles that smell as yummy as they look.  Our favorite is the chocolate mint.  Even I was tempted to eat them!

I'm lovin' this mint sprite nail polish.

{image via classic bride}

Vintage jadite is a new crush of mine.    

And we did it. 

 We made puddin' paint. 

 It was so yummy we ate more than we painted.

{image via apartment therapy}

This is mint to the max.

Mint to be worn.

Mint to be adored.

Mint to be savored.

Daily.

i brush teeth

{image}

Toothbrush or Teethbrush?

Which one is really correct?

I would have never asked until I read a little children's pamphlet at the dentist's and the main character kept calling it his "teethbrush".

It makes sense!  

After all, most of us have teeth and not just a tooth!

blog partyin'

It's party time!

And I'm not just referring to the all nighters us mommy's pull with our little partyin' people.

My newest loves to rock and roll all night and party all the time. ^_^

No, this is a party for us.  A blogger bash!

I've been blogging for a little over a year.  

And what's surprised me the most about this entire experience are the friends I've met.

Wonderful, beautiful, encouraging people.

Last year, I jumped head first into 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate Blog Party and had a blast meeting and connecting with other bloggers.

I couldn't resist another party.

Especially one I can go to in my pj's.

I started day dreaming (something I do often while nursing my wee one between the hours of midnight and four in the morning--is it still called day dreaming if it's at night but you're awake?)  Anyways, I got lost in thought about what kind of party I would have in real life  (you know, in all my spare time of raising four kids four and under).

If I could host the perfect party and invite every one of my friends (blogging and non-blogging), now would be the time to do it--while spring is sprightly green and there's a fair weather feeling in the air.   And the perfect theme?  Liberty of London for Target.  I am in love with these florals.  In love.

It would be a lawn party.

Little tables brimming with spring wildflowers and laden with cupcakes.

  We would sip orange, jasmine, and passionfruit green tea from this liberty tea set.  

All while enjoying easy company and delightful conversation.

And I would be wearing this Liberty dress.

 (which looks a little bit like the dress I'm wearing in the post below)

Mmmhmm.  It would be lovely.

Oh why can't the world be just a little bit smaller?
But since it isn't small, and you don't live in my backyard, I'm inviting you to party with me anyways : )
Blog style.

Jump in with us and check out the cool prizes you can win just by partyin' at 5 Minutes for Mom.com

power up

"It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal." 

 - Helen Keller

I am not going to lie.

Motherhood is a task that at times does not seem equal to my powers.

A blessing, an honor, a cherished responsibility, a wondrous experience--yes it is most certainly all of these.  But it can also be overwhelming, challenging, and downright bone-wearying.  It demands everything every second of the day.   And there are times when I feel like I've run out of anything to give.  It's in those times when God gently graces me with His reassurance that my husband and I are not our children's only parents.  They have a Heavenly Father who loves them to distraction.  He will strengthen us and guide us as we raise our children in the knowledge of Him.

There is a scripture that I love to personalize and pray over my children, my husband, and myself.  Lately, I've needed to pray it pretty often!  It's a life changing, faith building, weariness busting, glory filled living kind of scripture.  Just the kind I need.

Colossians 1: 9-13 (paraphrased)

My dear Jesus, I ask that you would fill me with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And I pray this in order that I may live a life worthy of you, Lord, and may please you in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of you, God, being strengthened with all power according to your glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to you, Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 

I'm so glad that His power is available for me.  I don't have to make it on my own steam.  And that's something to be joyful about.

dough boy

Three weeks old.

And what a chunk o' love.

He's got rolls that make the Pillsbury Dough boy jealous.

He's got a smile that melts hearts.  (and no, this mamma is certain it's not just gas)

But tummy troubles, oh does he have them.

I'm praying his little digestive system starts working properly and he (and I) can get some rest.

Life is hard when you're a newborn.

My big little man has a hairline fracture on his shoulder bone from his strenuous journey through the birth canal.

I noticed that he favored his left arm and didn't move it as much as the other one so we had x-rays taken.

It's on the mend, though, and healing fast.

Did I mention how much I love his roly poly-ness?

Easter Loveliness

"Mamma, I love Jesus.  I just want to give him a great big hug."

Thad's words brush my heart strings and I can only imagine what they do to our King Eternal's.

Resurrection Sunday has to be one of my favorite days in the whole year.

Jesus is Alive!  Living, Breathing, Love Incarnate.

What better reason to celebrate than that!

And celebrate we did.

Off to church we went...

And after eating tons of candy in sunday school, mommy gave us more (bribery for pictures).

Boston found a worm and after debating for a couple seconds, he decided the sugar free peep was the better choice.  Mamma breathed a sigh of relief.

I just had to make a yellow fabric rose for my Little Miss Sweetness to wear in her hair.

Her Sweetness looking so very lovely in blue and yellow...

Then it was off to Mimi's house.  Where buckets of candy were consumed by the handfuls and bowls 

brimmed with crawfish bisque.  Where bubbles, chocolate bunnies, new babies, and family made the day divine.

Thaddeus is officially an ex-training wheels bike rider.

It was the loveliest day.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us life!