The kids and I always look forward to the weekends when Terry's home. Mainly we spend time together as a family which is so nice. Yesterday was a wonderful day. Audrey, Luke and I had a lazy morning at home coloring, playing games, and making muffins for a morning snack. Luke found his new favorite napping place in the “ultimate baby wrap.” It’s the most comfortable baby sling I’ve worn yet!

Josh and Terry joined us after their hockey practice. Terry took on the Head Coach position and he is doing a wonderful job with his 45 or so 4 yr old Rookies. He’s so organized and always comes up with the funnest games. Kids LOVE him and gravitate towards him, even though he doesn’t think so ;) Josh is becoming quite a good skater – it’s amazing how fast children learn things.

In the afternoon, the kids were invited to a birthday party which was really neat – they had a storyteller come to the party for entertainment. Then in the evening, we ordered pizza, took baths and watched Home Alone. The kids are getting so excited for Christmas, as are Terry and I. Kids make Christmas so magical! I cooked (which I enjoy, but don’t have much time for) all evening making my freezer swap meals. Now it’s 10am on Sunday and we’re still in our PJ’s, except for Audrey who is opposed to clothing most of the time. I can’t keep her dressed, even when it’s freezing outside.

It sounds clichés, but it’s truly amazing how much love, laughter, and joy can fill a day in the life of being a parent. I would have never known how vivid an imagination could be until I experienced Josh’s and Audrey’s make-believe play. It’s so fun to watch them play together and makes my heart melt. Whether they are creating something together with their blocks, listening to books on tape in their igloo tent, or playing dress-up like “Luke and Leia” from Star Wars, it’s so rewarding to watch. I think I spotted Lucas smiling this past week and that has been so fun too. He’s been cooing as well, which is so darn cute and I can’t get enough of his chubby little cheeks.

Lucas and I are getting in tons of snuggling this past week, as I have let him officially move into our bed at night. He nestles right in with me and we both are in dreamland. With this co-sleeping arrangement, I can usually get two three-hour periods of sleep which I SO NEED. Then Terry comes to bed around 3am and Lucas moves over to his side for a little snuggle time with Dad (Okay, the rest of the night between feedings J ). Terry’s been super busy with work and then helping me with the kids as much as possible (bless his heart!) At around 7:30am, Josh and Audrey join us for morning cartoons and begin whispering in our ears “I’m hungry, can you make me bresk-kiss.” And then, another day begins and Lucas takes his morning nap. :)

The weather has brought a lot of excitement to our house this past week. It started out with warm and balmy summer like weather with record highs in the 70’s and then by late week it was freezing drizzle and snowy. Josh was absolutely thrilled to see the snow and we had enough accumulation on the deck for him to shovel and snowblow (with his popper mower) to his hearts content. Audrey had all the intentions of going outside in the snow, but was quick to come inside after licking a few snowflakes with Josh. She is very cautious of any weather changes lately, especially if we are going somewhere in the car. As soon as we get in the car, she starts up her weather tune “It’s sunny/rainy/cloudy outside” and sings in until we reach our destination. Either it’s a soothing mechanism or has found her pretty voice and loves to hear herself sing away.  It’s the cutest thing and it makes us all smile and giggle a little. The other day, she was singing “It’s cloudy outside” and Josh pipes in “No, Audrey, it’s sunny” as a little sun was peeping through the clouds. They are kind of in a stage right now where if one thinks it’s black, the other thinks it white. These simple little situations can stir up the craziest arguments. Meanwhile, Lucas just sits by and takes it all in. I can only imagine what he’s thinking. Lucas’s major milestone this week was transitioning to the crib and taking to a pacifier. We were amazed with this, because neither Josh nor Audrey slept in the crib until about 3 months and neither took a pacifier.

Lucas is nearing 1 month old already and all that I can say is WOW it just seems like he was born. He is just starting to finally get on a little bit of a routine and is figuring out life a little. Let's just say we are learning and growing together. I had a planned c-section with Lucas and it was a much different experience than with Josh and Audrey, having both vaginal deliveries. The first few weeks, I was really laid up. However, this past week, I am starting to feel a little bit back to normal. So far, Josh and Audrey are great little helpers and quick to provide assistance whenever needed. Josh has especially been helpful for me, even making me Eggos for breakfast in the morning. He is such a wonderful and caring individual to every member of our family. Audrey has adjusted well to Lucas too and loves to give him his pacifier whenever he cries. She is so very loving, cute and irresistible. Terry has been wonderful these past few weeks and I thank my lucky stars that I have such an amazing husband. Since I have been really preoccupied with caring for Lucas and recovering. He has spent a lot of extra time with Josh and Audrey. All I can say is they LOVE their daddy to pieces and have very special bonds with him. He has definitely made our transition to the life of a family of five more amazing that I could have ever imagined. I am also so thankful for all the meals we have received this past month. Meals on wheels are seriously the best gift after the birth of a baby. Thanks to all those who so graciously delivered the wonderful meals - we SO appreciate your kindness and generosity.