The littlest sister

Sweet Josie Love joined our family
 on Sunday, November 21st at 3am
 in the comfort of her daddy's arms.
She was born a healthy 6 pounds and 12 ounces
at home while her youngest sister slept.
Her biggest sister was an incredible help
throughout the labor and birth
and stayed up with us until dawn
welcoming our little peanut.

Josie's birth story:
The "due date" for our baby was said to be November 20th which we were skeptical of as the other two girls were born ten days and two weeks later than the projected date.  Needless to say I was a bit surprised (although excited) by the contractions that started around 4am on Saturday the 20th.  I asked Matt to call in sick as I was sure the baby was coming.  He did.  And within 3 hours the contractions had stopped almost completely I was so disappointed.  We went on a walk around our neighborhood, visited friends at a birthday party, and laid low for the day.  Matt debated going in to work that afternoon since there was no sign of labor, but stayed home at my request.  By 10:30pm the contractions started coming much more
 regularly and with more power than before.  Bri got out of bed when I told her I thought the baby was coming that night and kept me company until around 1am when I decided to wake the Mr up.
It was not a friendly wake-up.  It was a "why the hell are you sleeping while I'm suffering" awakening.
Needless to say he was slightly dazed and confused by my crankiness.  I wanted to know when the heck he was going to call the midwife cause the contractions were coming fast and furious.  The next couple hours were somewhat of a blur.  My daughter, husband and midwife were readying the room while I concentrated on getting through the contractions.  They took turns assisting and comforting me between preparations.  At 3am our little girl made her entrance with my oldest daughter and husband by my side.  Mr. N held her as she came into the world and announced to me that we had another little girl.  I looked up at Bri who had lost the color from her face and looked like she was about to drop on the floor.  She was helped to a chair where she could regain her stomach.  Josie was wrapped in a towel and brought to my chest immediately.  My Mr woke Maya to meet her new sister.  We were left alone as a family to enjoy our beautiful new gift.

I loved having our little Josie at home.
I loved being in my own room, in my own bed.
I loved the sweetness of our time to enjoy
our little beauty and embrace her new life as a family
in the warmth of our nest.
I loved the peacefulness that surrounded us
from the moment I went into labor,
throughout the birth and after she arrived.

I love my little Josie.
She is yet another blessing in my life.
I am thankful beyond words.

Supercalifragilistic weekend

Last weekend I gathered up my girls and drove to my in-laws house for our much anticipated outing to the musical~

 The show was nothing short of fantastic.  From the stage props, to the costumes to the talent involved it was such a fun time to experience with the girls & my mum-in-law.  What a wonderful gift it was (thank you mum)!

After our day at the theatre, mr. man and I got a night out sans kids.  We had dinner at Malo and then decided to check out the Griffith Observatory.  The view from the newly remodeled building is spectacular!  Entry to the observatory is free, but we decided to watch a show in the planetarium which did not dissapoint. Since I didn't have my camera on hand (and I'd never do it justice anyway), I found this stunning photo online and had to post it.  I randomly found the photography blog for Della Huff and had to share. 

As great as Saturday was, the fun didn't stop there.  Sunday morning I rose to a hike with my dad-in-law in Griffith Park up to the observatory again.  The air was crisp and clean from the latest rain and the view of  L.A. was phenominal! 

Since I knew I would want to get some photos on the hike I stopped specifically to buy batteries for my camera because they were low.  On my way out of the store I opened the package, took the new batteries out in one hand, the old batteries out in the other and got distracted (this happens so easily with me).  When I realized I didn't know which were old and which were new I put some in and it looked like I guessed right...that is until we got to the amazing view when my camera abruptly said to me "you're not so bright, are ya?"  Did I consider putting the other set of batteries in my pocket?  Of course not.  Consequently, the picture above is the only decent photo that was taken before my camera gave me the bird and went to sleep.

After the two hour hike with my FIL, Bri and I went to see a movie that I had heard about.  To Save A Life is like no other teen movie I've seen.  It's message is powerful and positive unlike most movies that are directed at this age group.  It recognizes and addresses some of the major issues that teens are facing with a rawness that gets your attention and then demonstrates that through thoughtful choices and behavior we can save not only others, but ourselves from the slippery slope that only leads downward.  If you know a teenager who hasn't seen this film, I highly recommend it.  It's not playing everywhere, but you can find the closest showing here.

We finished off the day with the last half of the superbowl and pizza.  Not usually my style, but I enjoyed every minute.

Spending time with family is always a gift.  But THIS weekend was simply magical.

Rituals

Hair √

Makeup √

Nails √

Date √

Mom's AnXiEtY √ √ √

The first real dance/date for my sweet (big) baby girl. How did we get to this point? Can't we wait a couple more years? Is that his hand around her waist?

Ready. I am not.

Read & Feed

Her Majesty is mastering the fundamentals of motherhood already.

Mothering, it's not just a job...

Since I had my first daughter at age 18, I have never really known any part of my adult life that I wasn't parenting. It has made me strong. It has made me weak. It has exhausted me. It has taught me courage, patience (still working on that one), and responsibility. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. It makes me feel so deeply for another's pain, joy, frustrations. It has taught me that I am a role model at all times (not always a great one). It has made my heart and soul full with love which I never would have known existed otherwise. It has taught me respect and appreciation for my own mother and all the mothers I know. Mothering has molded me into the person I am and continues to create me and guide me to what I hope to be. It is a gift like no other that I am truly grateful for.

Gotta Lovem

What is it about children, that makes you just want to wrap your arms around them and capture all the joy that they hold? Certainly not the screaming fits at midnight, nor outbursts of rage when they don't get exactly what they are wishing for. But ah, the sweetness that my children surprise me with when least expected or the pure comedy that comes out of their mouths or just the simplicity of their warm and loving hugs completes my days.

Most recent to the adorable list of lines that come out of my Maya's mouth are "I'm sharing" when she wants something someone else has and she's confiscated the object she says this to prove that she's being a well behaved child and has not just hoarded another's belongings, and the sweetest thing out of her mouth lately is when there's a ringing in her ears and she proclaims "there's a bird in my ear" spreading the absolute biggest smile across her mama's face.

Although Maya (the most scrumptious toddler in my life) brightens my days with laughter, I'll have to give full comedy hour credit to the beautiful young teen that still graces us with her presence on a daily basis. As we're driving to volley practice today (Maya a couple hours short on sleep due to her decision against napping today) I hear a whiny, yet desperate cry for intervention between the teen and toddler. Now you'd think that a teen and a toddler would have enough years between them to be somewhat civil with one another, but this is simply not the case in our house. I admit that on most days I see glimpses of love and laughter between the two, but we have our fair share of t&t battles on a regular basis. Anyway, amidst the bickering there comes the pathetic yet serious plea of the teen "MOM! Maya's hitting me in the face with her cheese" causing an explosion of laugher in the car as my husband and I try and figure out how she could have obtained this deadly weapon that she's tormenting her sister with. I have to admit it was the funniest thing I'd heard all day and I'm still smiling about it.

Here's some pics of our weekend.

Love & peace to you.