Parker Colyar

I’ve always loved the name Parker…it just feels so boyish and All-American-perfect for our family! We are still a bit undecided on the middle name. We’ve come up with all kinds of cool options, but when it comes down to it, it feels a little odd to just randomly pick a name you like when our other two kids have our middle names (Emma Nicole and Ashton James)…so I suppose that leaves us with…

Parker “Steven” Colyar

…after Daddy. Hmmmm, we shall see.

I’m really looking forward to meeting this little guy—and my body is looking forward to flying solo again!! I tell ya, I’ve been trying to get back into gym going, but whenever I try the elliptical or even the treadmill, I get some pretty strong achy pain in my belly, which has me going slower and slower on the machine, which eventually makes me ask myself…”WHY am I here if I’m walking at a 2.3 on the treadmill and in pain?!!” *Sigh* This too shall pass. I’m in that trying to savor the end of what will probably be my last pregnancy, yet soooo looking forward to being active again—body jam, zumba, body pump—my oh my have I missed you!!! It’s the endorphins that are lacking these days I do believe.

I even miss getting up early—I can’t sleep till around 1 a.m. most nights regardless of caffeine intake, nap or no nap, activity level, etc…so getting up early hasn’t really been a viable option. I miss eating deli meat cold on a sandwich, not watching my mercury levels with salmon pattys and tuna, not feeling super guilty when I drink the occasional diet soda or forget my prenatal or drink more caffeine than I should. Funny what we moms beat ourselves up over to give our babies the best chance they can have at being healthy and happy.

On the flip side, I love to feel his tiny arms and legs exploring the world inside me; little somersaults at night; the knowledge that something miraculous is happening inside of me that only God has control over. My belly growing bigger by the week—little boy packing on the ounces until his grand arrival.

Lately I’ve been shorter on patience with my other two. I’ve always believed that so much of being a good mother is sacrifice. Closing your laptop, iPhone, scrapbook pages; putting down the mop, soup spoon, or laundry and being present—even when you don’t feel like it. That’s been a challenge for me lately. I find myself just wanting to park on the couch or bed after a busy morning and keep to myself, not do the things my kids would love to do with me because I feel like my energy is too low to make the effort—don’t they know I’m growing a human??!! There is grace in that, but sometimes grace can be an excuse too…Emma is at that adoring, wants-to-be-with-you-at-all-times stage and sometimes I just need a little away time, but she hates that right now, so it’s hard.

Ashton is a bit oblivious, though he does know a “baby Parky” will be joining us after Christmas …like FedEx is gonna drop him off in a big brown box or something . 

He was the gosh darn cutest little tigger, yes not tiger but tigger as in Winnie the Pooh , you ever did see for Halloween. He had a complete ball running around like a mad man getting candy at every house we passed. 2 is such a special age!! I’ll try to post Halloween pics soon.

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A little personal note to those who live overseas!! Teranne and Becca, I miss you girls and I hope you both had a wonderful Halloween in Israel and China!! T, thanks for your lovely long email, such a treat. Glad your pregnancy is progressing so beautifully!! Becca, I wish we could get pics of the girls together right now because they have matching haircuts! Yep, we chopped Emma’s into a cute little A-line bob also…soooo much easier to take care of! Love you girls and think of you both often!!!

Oh yes, and the furniture rearranging…I feel bad for my friends who never know what to expect when they walk in the door!!! It’s kinda out of control!! Here is the current set up…this handy little piece is the perfect launch pad for getting out the door…I keep a pair of both emma and ash’s shoes and sweatshirts in 1 basket, emma’s school bag and any goodies that need to go back to school in another basket, diaper bag, purse, keys, phones, etc…I also have a cute ikat paper organizer (pic to come) that I’ve added to one of the top slots to help keep paperwork off the kitchen counter…where it love to accumulate!!

I can hardly wait to decorate that little pine tree for xmas!!

Here is our current living room arrangement…I loved the last set up—it was super cozy—but there was simply not enough play space and open flooring for the kids to roam and run and dance and play trains, princesses, paper dolls, dinosaurs…function definitely trumps aesthetics when you have little ones!!! They had started following me around like little ducks…yep, I would stop and two would bump into me, I would turn and step on little man over and over…finally realized they just didn’t have they space they needed to do their thing!! Big difference since we’ve rearranged!! Huge. And I am one happy mama!!

This morning was one of those perfectly crisp, a little frosty Autumn mornings. Sigh. I love it. The kids slept in a bit (so lovely!!), so we got breakfast going around 9. Everyone had Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal .

Oatmeal Mix:

• steel cut oats cooked in crockpot with vanilla, cinnamon, and a little milk
• brown sugar
• pumpkin pie spice
• walnuts

So yummy and hearty!! Later on I made a little pumpkin spice latte also (half caf).

Then we got the gang all packed up to go pick out pumpkins and visit the animals at Stutzman Ranch. It is actually Stutzman not Stetzman as I posted from our last visit .

I think we have a winner!!!

Next stop visiting the ducks…

and climbing the hay bales.

After we paid for our pumpkins, we headed back into town to stop in to visit the firefighters who were parked at the Albertsons parking lot to let kids touch the trucks, bounce in a bouncy house, and eat hot dogs. It was wiiiiiiiiinnnnndy!!!! But the kids LOVED the bouncy house and it was neat to see the firefighters and remember how much they’ve meant to us this last month with our crazy fire and smoke issues. Fresh air never smelled so good.

I love when the hustle and bustle of summer start to die down and cool mornings usher babies into your lap for a favorite read; cds of praise music invite little dancers to flit and bob around the kitchen (Emma being the flitter and Bubba the bobber); and cutting and pasting become a cozy morning activity while still nestled in favorite pjs (Rapunzel and Elmo)!!

Emma will start preschool in just a few short days and she can hardly wait!! Any guesses on who did her hair?

I’ve been organizing her closet for what seems like a couple of weeks, getting her ready for school and slowly transitioning little bro into her room so that when Baby #3 comes, he won’t feel that his room has been invaded and he has been replaced…because that is clearly not the case!!

We found out last Monday that our ever growing little one is a baby boy and we couldn’t be more pleased…Emma is delighted that she will be the only girl baby which to her means she is extra special to mommy and daddy!!

Now that I’ve seen a picture of our little guy, I’ve fallen head over heels for him. We’ve decided on his name and calling him by it (and not just “the baby”) makes him seem that much more real and his life so delicate and precious to me.

Even though we have the preschool decision made for Emma for this year, come February, we will have to “choice” her into an elementary school if that is the route we decide to take, but I have wrestled with our decision at great lengths and still do not have a peace in any one direction…homeschool, private school, public…??? It’s a big decision and I feel that so much of it not only depends on your child, but also on your family situation…there are so many factors to be considered. Sigh. This is harder than I thought it would be. I’m so thankful that at least for this time Emma will only be gone MWF from 8 to 11. That is just perfect for her (and me) right now…that and she will only be a block away. Hmmm, perfect.

So, since Whidbey Island was not an option this year, we hit up Kinderfest in Leavenworth with the kiddos and my parents and had SO Much Fun!!!! It’s such a neat event, all put on by local churches and the city of Leavenworth. They have awnings set up all over downtown Leavenworth with booths of fun…ring toss, cupcake walk, fishing for prizes, face painting, bowling, pretty much every childhood game you can remember was there!! Oh, and did I mention the snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn and balloons…all for free? Where else but the Bavarian Disneyland…it really did feel like that with High School Musical piping from the Gazebo and clowns running around shaking hands? Did I mention that the snow cones were a hit? …sooo refreshing on a hot day!

Here is the cupcake Emma won from the cupcake walk . Two little girls ended up on the same square, so to save us all from tears and drama, they gave them both cupcakes. Pretty sure Emma was on the wrong square . But she was thrilled to pieces to get this festive little cake.

Afterwards, we hit up a yummy bratwurst stand to get the best bratwurst dog I’ve ever had!!! They had every topping you could possibly desire for your dog…okay, I’m probably going to gross a lot of you out right now, but I LOVE me some good hot dog toppings…sauerkraut, red onions, relish, ketchup, and mustard of every type (Coney island, hot and spicy, etc.!!!). Heaven in a bun…I make such a mess..it takes at least 10 napkins to keep me clean. After our Leavenworth adventures, we headed home for baths and naps before going to a family BBQ at my in-laws for burgers, fruit kabobs, potato salad, and apple pie + lots of volleyball and relaxing. A great 4th!!!

Don’t worry that children never listen to you;

worry that they are always watching you.

~Robert Fulghum

I never knew before becoming a parent that some of the most important lessons I would teach my children would not be learned in those quiet, nurturing moments when I’m feeling rested and intentional. But in the daily interactions and reactions,  stresses and vices, day in and day out of me modeling life for my children.

I didn’t know that I would constantly have little eyes watching my every move as if I had sat them down one day and said “Do what I do…say what I say.”

Well, we never had that chat, yet even so, I feel those little eyes on me watching, learning about their world and their worth.

I can feel two sets of eyes on mine as I impatiently rush their very sweet, very slow buns into the car, late to an appointment; when I am tired and feeling sorry for myself because I have to clean the kitchen for the umpteenth time today; when I tune them out in need of a few minutes of peace or search the pantry for chocolate to calm frazzled nerves…

Two sweet little girl eyes peer back at me in the bathroom mirror most mornings watching, wondering if I mean what I say that it is truly more important to have a beautiful heart and love Jesus then to simply be beautiful. 

They don’t miss much.

In all of this, I know that there is good and there is grace.

Good being built each time I kiss their daddy and invest in our marriage. Good laid down for every “I was wrong to use that tone of voice with you.” “I was impatient, will you forgive me?”

Grace in the hours spent cuddled in my lap reading book after book, bible story after bible story, snuggling, praying, giggling.

Grace in the crafting, play time, park outings, egg dying, rice crispy treat making…

Grace in knowing that my role is not to be perfect, but to be in relationship with the one who is. If I am close to him, than I pray I will reflect him more than me to those little eyes and hearts that are watching.

Emma and Ash are at a super sweet (and busy!!) stage right now. And there is a whole lot of love in this house…

and lots of cuddles .

I did have the chance to get away for a couple hours from the family chaos for a little shopping and coffee with Margie Lou…I only wished it could have lasted longer!! After some Ross shopping and Starbucks, all felt right in the world.

I’ve been trying to really fill up on veggies and protein this weekend since I’ve been lacking in the produce department (no pun intended) over the last few weeks. I’ll probably try to blog some meals and workouts this week to keep me motivated.

I also made a yummy cookie dough dip from addapinch.com (found on Pinterest). It was a little cream cheesy for me, so I lessened the cream cheese, added a bit more brown sugar, vanilla, and a little flour to make it thicker like an actual cookie dough…Steve LOVED it!! Mine didn’t look nearly as beautiful as hers does….

…but it was tasty all the same! Have a wonderful start to your week!!!

from the Pioneer Woman last night…you have to try it! It looks amazing . I’m going to give it a go this weekend (hopefuly!!!). I’m LOVING the Pioneer Woman!! …Ree is so great…down-to-earth, very witty, and it’s pretty darn cool that she is on the Food Network now!! Her food always looks incredibly delicious.

I’ve been feeling  a little on the sick side the last couple days, so today turned out to be a great day to do some sewing (key words “a little” )…while the kids danced to the Nutcracker in the kitchen. Yes, you have to see Ashton dance…it is a sight to behold and always makes me crack up!!! My mom-in-law dropped by and taught me how to hem my jeans with a super quick whip-stitch. It is easy peasy. Really. Even I can do it super fast, which says a lot. After hemming two pairs of jeans, I practiced making throw pillow covers on my sewing machine with some spare fabric; that way when I buy my good fabric, I won’t waste any of it on mistakes…well that is the goal anyway. I’m very thankful that she came over because I couldn’t get my darn machine to move (note to self: take the sewing machine out of ‘bobbin threading’ mode before you try to sew). The good news is that I feel amazingly more competent after just one mini-lesson with my mom-in-law. She is wonderful.

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It’s funny, I’ve really been trying to cut back on sugar lately, not that I eat a lot these days anyway, but more than my body needs (right, as if it is even a food group!!). BUT, taking chocolate away during you-know-what-time-of-the-month is enough to about make me panic and feel the urge to feast on any and all carby, soft, whitey-looking things I can find (probably because it turns straight into sugar!!). So after 3 days of no sweets in the house (and eating lots of graham cracker, enchiladas, and other not so exciting white ‘”goodies"), we bought a brownie mix and bag of chocolate chips at Fred Meyer when we went to get a movie from their Redbox. Wow. I completely relaxed after having a few chocolate chips and then I was like ”whatever, moving on” and proceeded to snack on fresh pineapple and a veggie patty. So what in the world? I guess it just goes to show that sometimes restricting “too much” isn’t such a good thing . Am I right?

Mmmmmmmm. I do love my chocolate.

But I also love this…

photo credit

So this weekend, load up on the fresh stuff (I’m sure going to try to!!)…fresh fruit, lovely salads topped with crisp veggies and flavorful protein (yum!! I love feeling light and energetic after a meal!)…but definitely fit a little chocolate in there too!! And perhaps a white mocha Americano…ooops, did I say that? Well, I plan to. Tomorrow morning to be exact…and it’s gonna be free (thanks to my Starbucks survey prowess!).

TGIF!!!

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A thoughtful Husband on Valentine’s Day and a very romantic date night!!

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My brand new LAPTOP!!! I am head-over-heels in LOVE!!!

Awww yes, now it feels like mine!!

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Fresh fruit and veggies from Bountiful Baskets: Blackberries, oranges, squash, cukes, lettuce, spinach, mangoes, bananas, tomatoes…even Jerusalem artichokes…whatever those are?!!

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Smooth, caramelly Iced Coffee on a gorgeous spring-like morning.

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My new Starbucks Mug . I loved my other one so much I got a second (thanks for the gift cards mom!!!). Since I drink so much iced coffee these days, I mostly use this for my morning oatmeal!

(Like the disaster in the background…welcome to my life with a toddler and preschooler!!!)

Happy Thursday…it’s almost the weekend!!!