twelve smile wednesday

just a day late...but smiles nonetheless. we're still adjusting more and more everyday. jillian has yet to really "wake up" and is mostly awake just long enough to eat and then fairly quickly go back to sleep...she has, however, found her "voice"...and dear, sweet girl, let mommy tell you...you don't have to sound like someone is continuously pinching you...i promise, we will respond even if you tone down the desperation! :) and kate...sweet kate...mommy is very proud of your ability to undo the tabs on your diaper...and your ability to remove your clothing...now, you don't need to keep showing me, especially at naptime...unless, of course, you want to become successfully potty-trained in the next 24 hours. no, seriously, we are mostly doing well--with our fair share of melt-downs...and perhaps a few mommy tear moments...my tears have mostly been a result of wondering if jillian's desperate cry is just that she is tired (which i think is the case) OR if she is in some kind of extreme pain and just can't tell me...because, really (and i am not complaining), she sleeps FAR more than elizabeth or kate EVER did...and sometimes i feel a bit guilty of neglecting her while she zzzzz's away upstairs in her crib. but i digress from my smiles...

1. this picture really does make me smile. kate in piggies...looking so sweet...grinning ear to ear...loving her baby sister (moments before this she was kissing jillian and petting her hair)...like i've said before, i think God made kate extra cute to balance out the defiant times...

2. beautiful evenings...perfect for backyard playing or even busting out the wagon (and stroller...because that's how we roll these days...in multiple "vehicles")...

3. ...or for our neighborhood hotdog social. even better...the hotdog social fell on a night when we really did need a meal, as our scheduled meal-bringer had to leave town on short notice and couldn't deliver the meal at the last minute. isn't God amazing in the way He provides!

4. the sweet scent of a freshly bathed jillian...although the process still isn't all that enjoyable too our sweet girl...she is SO not a fan of anything involving nakedness (as you can see below!)

5. four weeks...can you believe it! baby girl, you are already growing much, much too quickly...mommy is definitely struggling with the tension of wanting to see you grow and to see your little personality emerge...and yet, oh how i love your little, curled up snuggly newborness...

6. stolen moments with daddy, who is still quick busy with his project at work. we'll take any moments we can snatch here and there...and we'll keep on counting down the days until the end of the project...and in the meantime, i will keep remembering to be thankful for the job God has provided and that daddy works so hard to provide for all his girls each day!

7. sisters...sisters...sisters...i love their coordinating "sister" shirts--just wish i could get them to sit still, smile, and all look at the camera at the same time (and hope that goes better when the photographer takes family pics in a few weeks!). in the meantime i'll just giggle and smile at the wackiness of the shots of all three...because seriously...they so reveal personality!

8. kohls...seriously...kohls made me smile this week...great sales, an extra 30% off, AND kohls cash...i scored some serious bargains, including outfits for our upcoming family photos. i would say i love kohls...but as we remind elizabeth all the time...we love people and we like things...so i suppose i really, really like kohls...of all the stores (other than wal-mart) that exist in our little "burg", i'm sure glad kohls decided to move into town!

9. in other bargain news, i managed to score 2 12-double roll packs of toilet paper, 3 60 count boxes of trash bags, and one big ol' 216 count package of huggies wipes at walgreens this morning for just a quarter...and yes, i'm serious! i had a $25 gift check from transferring a prescription awhile back (mind you that i only paid $1 for the 'script)...such a deal!

10.....and i should mention that going along with smile #9, i scored that deal while spending this morning with just jillian! a sweet friend from church and our small group offered to have the big girls over to play so i could have a bit of a break (mind you that she has four of her own who are 5 and under...bless her heart!). i managed to run 4 or 5 errands, finish some sorting and reorganizing clothes in the girls' room, and eat lunch all by myself (well, kind of...technically jillian was with me). it was splendid...as much as i love my girlies, i must admit, a break does a mommy good! bonus that the girls also had a blast playing with their friends!

11. doing a bit of crafting...hooded towels and a taggie blankie for a baby shower for a sweet friend...and getting supplies for a few other crafty attempts. i'm planning to make some flannel bibs for jillian, who likes to dribble milk all over when she eats, and perhaps whip up a few more paci clips to pass along as gifts...

12. and finally...sisters who share...i must admit, these moments are sometimes few and far between...but we are making progress. as i type i am listening to elizabeth and kate happily play together with miss tisha, kate's speech therapist with first steps (which by the way is going fabulously...our once silent kate is not constantly trying to talk and babble...adding words and stringing them together at a rapid pace!). but, i digress...i have to record (for my own sake to glance back and remember in one of the not-so-happily playing and sharing moments!) the fact that the girls have had so many moments of sharing and laughing and playing...coloring together, playing "lets go fishing" with daddy last night, cooking meals for each other at the kitchen, and on and on...but i must admit, their favorite person to share with is jillian...see, elizabeth even shared her coveted curious george, and as you can see, jillian was thrilled. ;)