I know......

I've been neglecting this blog!!!!       But, for good reason, right???!!  :-)

I'm hoping by next week I can get back into the swing of things and get back to a more "normal" schedule.  Mark goes back to work on Thursday, so, I'll be "flying solo" after that!!  It'll take me some time to get used to being by myself with three little ones, but I'm hoping by next week I can get back to my normal schedule with this blog, as well!!

I do want to post my birth story at some point.  I kept journals through, both, Ava and Lukie's pregnancies and throughout their first year, but, it hasn't worked out so well to do that through this pregnancy.  The time just hasn't been there!  But, I do still want to write all about Anna's birth to, at least, have it in writing and documented so that I'll never forget it!  I'm going to do it soon so that the details don't escape me!!  I'm hoping this blog can be a little like a journal, from time to time, so that I'll have some details of Anna's first year of life documented!

So, it's been a sweet time here at home over the past week.   Here are a few tidbits and cute stories since Anna has been home:

---Anyone who comes to our house to visit, Luke has to introduce Anna to all of them.  With one of his hands outstretched pointing to her, he says, "This is Anna.......Say Hi!!"

---The past two nights, Anna has slept 6 hours straight!!!  I'm not expecting it will stay that way, but what a blessing!!

---Anna has already started to smile!  I can tell that she and Ava already have a bond....Ava is obsessed with her and wants to be near her every second!  And as soon as Ava comes by, Anna is glued to her and Ava can always make her smile!  It's adorable.

---Breastfeeding is going amazingly well.  If you remember from my breastfeeding post, I had two totally different experiences breastfeeding Ava and Luke.  I was curious how Anna was going to do, and from day 1, she has taken to it beautifully, and loves it!

---I can't believe I've already forgotten this, but I am continually shocked and amazed at how many times Anna poops!!  (And, how many diapers we're going through!!)  I'm totally honest when I say it's at least once an hour, if not more!  I can't believe I forgot that!  :-)

---Ava's vocabulary is expanding by the minute and she is talking more and more!!  Here are a few of the "new" things I've heard her say to Anna:

"Anna a "tootie!"  (Anna's a cutie!")

Any noise that Anna makes, Ava thinks it's a sneeze and she says:  "Bless You!"

The only other baby the kids have really known in their lives, so far, is Owen, my sister Ruth and her husband Scott's baby.  For the first few days, (and sometimes still!), Ava gets things a little confused and says, "Mommy, me see baby Owee!"

Often Ava will watch Anna sleeping and tell me everything that's going on with her.  And, as soon as Anna starts to wake up, Ava's favorite thing to say, is, "Mommy......one eye open!!"

---Luke is quite an insightful little guy, and as we were all together in our room on the bed, he said:  "Mommy we are a family!"  Oh, so adorable.

There are so many more cute stories, but I'll stop there for now.  I'm so blessed to be the mom of these three little cutie-pies, and the wife of the most wonderful man in the world.  I'm truly, truly blessed!!

So, I won't be worrying about a Meal Plan this week, because I'm sure we'll be eating from my Freezer Stash!  And, we've also had family and friends help us out with meals, and Mark has been doing pretty much all the cooking this past week, as well!  What a treat!!

Hope you all are well and enjoying these last few weeks of August!  Where did the summer go???!!!!