Establishing a new home and a new way to “do” school in the same year summer has been one of the biggest roller-coasters of my life. Pots and pans, Ps and Qs will all get sorted out one way or another; it is the constant personal character development for me and the kids that is so hard to do!

Here are a few snap-shots from our time homeschooling.

Great-Grandma Mary "GG" listens to Ryan's read aloud assignment.

My babies exploring the patio garden.

Post-library visit impact on the living room.

Unit Study bulletin board.

Molly doing "school" on the school room table.

Cheers for school supplies!

Jess

{Applause inserted here.}

She can play without a companion for about 20-30 minutes. Mid-afternoon has become a time for dolls, littlest pet shop, and other rainbow-colored shenanigans.

I am often right next to her as she plays. For real, I could play next to her for hours but somehow I grew up. Dinner and responsibilities cut in and I can only give her short bursts of playtime. Which is good, I guess, but I’d rather play than just about anything. Except snacking and napping. Am I a kid or what?

Molly playing with my dolls from childhood

Molly aka Rainbow Brite

Molly feeding her doll

Love,

Jess

Claire and Leah on our front steps of the new house.

Claire (purple) and Leah (pink) exploring the kiddie pool at a friends' house.

Claire (purple) and Leah (pink) playing in the sprinkler.

Having fun,

Jess

Leah warming-up in her Isolette box in the NICU.

Leah was breach pretty much the whole pregnancy, so her sweet little head spent a great deal of time under my ribs. She was born at 36 weeks at 5 lbs. 5oz. via c-section. She spent 8 days at the Hospital in the Natal Intensive Care Unit. She needed oxygen for the first day or two to help her breath more easily. She fought hard to catch-up to her birth weight. She had a liking for the premie pacifier, which was great because I took a long time to get down to the NICU to breastfeed her in her room. (My Hospital room was across the building from Leah and Claire.) We had to weigh her before and after a feeding and weigh each soiled diaper to monitor her milk intake. She had part-time bottles via feeding tube to help get the calories she needed in her tummy! I pumped a lot during the first few weeks.

Ryan holding Leah for a bottle feeding.

Everyone pitched in to help take care of things before and after Leah and her sister were born. (I had been on partial bed-rest for about a month before I delivered.) Meals came when we needed them the most and loving friends and family took care of my preschoolers when I was unable to attend to them. There were a lot of reasons to be grateful. I can say without a doubt I know what it is like to be ‘held’ by God’s Grace. There was no time to worry, just to hold babies and sigh with joy.

Leah in the baby swing at the "far park" by our townhouse.

As Leah grew she blossomed into a little sweet pea that liked to eat. She loved goldfish crackers, whole milk, apple slices and chicken.  I remember loading the dishwasher, each night, with a “top rack only” load, to keep up the flow of clean bottles and formula pitchers. We bought diapers and formula by the truck load. And we washed clothes and blankets like we ran a laundr-O-mat.

Leah's 1st Birthday Cake Face

Leah turned One!  She watched the “big kids” play outside and identified FUN right away. Leah honed her dare-devil spunk and took to the driveway with her pink motorcycle push-toy. It didn’t stop there. She climbed, pushed or tackled anything that looked adrenaline inducing. Much in her big sister Molly’s footsteps.

Leah, in CJ's coat, at her first Easter Egg Hunt. (Grammy Lu's house)

Her expressive nature became a defining quality.  The coy tilt of her head and the gentle sweep of her lip, took even the toughest adults to their knees. At times, she took on the roll as “youngest” as she used her cries and smiles to try and get all the attention, toys, and cuddles from her siblings.

Leah "sitting" in the fridge at the new house.

Her passion for life is unhidden. Her eyes are as adorable as her spirit is clever. She takes a great deal of effort to steal her Taggie during the day so she can suck her thumb, wrinkle her nose at me and RUN!

I call her Lea-Lu. She calls me Mommy.

Love,

Jess

Claire in the NICU

Born 5 lbs. 12 oz. at 36 weeks via c-section. She spent 8 days in the Natal Intensive Care Unit after birth. She was healthy but too early, so she needed a little help eating and staying warm. We couldn’t have visitors for the whole week because the H1N1 virus had just spread over the community forcing the NICU to only open its doors to necessary visitors, like us. It was hard to have my family and friends excluded from the experience, so we took a lot of photos to share on facebook. She had tubes to help feed her and an Isolette box to keep her warm. The nurses helped feed her while I painfully recovered from surgery back in my room. I came to the NICU as I could but I didn’t see her as much I’d expected to in the first few days. But, we tried as hard as we could to be in the room with her to change her premie diapers and take her temperature. I was so happy to see my “baby a” in person.

Molly at home with Claire (Me nursing Leah in the background)

Home life with Claire was cozy. Two small pack and plays were set-up next to my bed for the twins. I kept Claire and her sister on the same schedule of sleeping and feeding, most of the time. I stayed in my room taking care of the twins for 2 months. I am not sure where Peter slept or what happened to my other kids during that time. I was in a cocoon I guess.

Claire in her car seat

And out the cocoon, popped a bright-eyed healthy baby ready to go-go-go! I swear, Claire taught herself to crawl just so she could dump out the basket of DVDs and reach in to the dishwasher. She sucked her thumb at night with her taggie and eventually made it to the “big crib” in the kids’ bedroom.

Claire's 1st Birthday Cake Face

Claire was a good napper. She took two naps a day at 2 hours a pop. This gave me a much needed break in the day from all the toddler action. Claire loved sweets, peas, cottage cheese, bread and Crazy Bread. I took her to MOPS at local church twice a month.

Claire's first Easter Egg Hunt (in Leah's coat)

With time came confidence. CJ loved brushing her own teeth at bedtime, climbing into her own booster seat in the kitchen, and riding her own push car in the driveway.

Putting her 'feet up' at the beach

Her eyes are as bold as her will is strong. Her heart is not satisfied to conform, but seeks a humble uniqueness. She engages the World with a cautious spirit. She shows ownership in her blanket and taggie lovey and love to her dolls. She likes to set things in motion in her own way.

I call her CJ. She calls me Mom.

Love,

Jess

The Big Blur just hit me and it hit hard. Twin Parenting literature claims up to the first 2 years with multiples can be labeled The Big Blur. I am feeling teary-eyed over every hurdle in my day. It’s like I went to sleep in 2009 and just woke up to today. I don’t remember when the babies learned to walk or what they first had to eat.

I know we had fun, I was present in the everyday. I know I had tons of love for them on every level. But, yet I freaked out when I can’t place certain seasons of their life, or my life for that matter. I can’t even look at the photos from the NICU in the hospital without choking up to the point of serious swelling of the throat. I just flip over the photo for fear of an ‘ugly’ cry consuming my entire afternoon. You know the kind that causes headaches and feverish mascara streaks?  Yep. Feverish.

In a campaign to help me stitch together the last year or so, I will be going serious photo hunting and posting about things that happened. Just a few things that may help me heal.

Remember, what a powerful word.

Love,

Jess

What a year it has been watching my big toddler grow into a little preschooler. In some ways it seems as though Molly has always been apart of our family. It is hard to believe that it has only been 4 years!

At the carnival last summer

Me and Molly on the boat

Ryan and Molly climbing on the Zoo's Mosquito statue

Cleaning at the townhouse with a "scrubbie".

The three PJs Musketeers, Claire, Leah, Molly

Molly proudly displaying her new matching outfit with her doll Stella (sewn by our friend Carrie).

Molly, the morning of her fourth Birthday

Molly, what a spunky little hopper! Our wiggle worm, our middle child, our most adoring fan! We love you Molly!

Love,

Jess

Love,

Jessy

She’s a dreamer, alright.

She wants to:

Be a big kid. Decked out in Ryan’s clothes from head to toe…including boxers.

Drive. She’s drawn to anything with wheels!

Collect sparkly shoes. She claims, its the only way to, “Walk Fancy”.

Get Married. Even a bath towel will do for a veil, in a pinch!

Be a Mama. She loves to rock her little sisters.

Good Golly Miss Molly – don’t forget to be my baby as long as you live!!!!!

Love,

Jess

I’m sorry I don’t have baby books for you all. I have loved your milky grins, curly-q hair and sparkling eyes. I’ve endured sleepless nights, potty training and baby proofing.

You are each very, very loved. Molly, Claire and Leah. So loved, really, even without the baby book, you are loved.

Here a just a few snapshots that will give you insight as to why you don’t have baby books.

Life is survival around here. I’ve spend a lot of energy just trying to give you a tomorrow, let alone write stuff down for you to remember tomorrow!

Eat or be eaten (by a giant dragon or get “hair-clipped” during a Sunday afternoon snooze.)

Love,

Jess