Welcome to the world, Millie!!!

What an extraordinary day it's been!!! We started with a phone call from Willa saying that it looks like her body was starting to get ready for the baby to arrive. We'd be anxiously awaiting updates throughout the morning and then it all came to an abrupt stop around 11:00 when I got the text that everything stopped. So, we went about our day as usual until another phone call came from Dad around 9:00. I was literally just about to climb into bed when I answered the phone and he said they were heading to the hospital. I tried to stay calm and made a miserable attempt to go to sleep (way too excited to drift off!) when I got another call around 10:30. Willa was officially in the hospital and was 6 centimeters. I had no idea how long the progression would take and honestly wasn't in a huge hurry to rush to the hospital quite yet, but told Mom and Dad to keep me updated if things seem to really be happening. Much to my surprise the cell phone rang again at 11:00 and the report was "she's progressing fast". I laid in bed for a few minutes and then suddenly popped out of bed hurried my butt to the hospital in hopes of not missing anything else. I literally was getting out of the car at 11:45 when Mom and Dad called again and said they had the baby. Ahhhhh!!!! Patrick didn't come back to the waiting area yet for the big announcement and I sprinted into the hospital not wanting to miss one of the most fun, miraculous moments in life!!! I got into the waiting room with Mom and Dad and we had the difficult task of waiting there patiently for the big reveal. Suddenly I saw Patrick down the hall and I jumped up and started doing a little dance. He had the biggest smile on his face and then bolted to the end of the hall and came running in. "It's a .......................GIRL. We have another little girl!" And, of course, it was followed by lots of screams and hugs. I had goosebumps all over my whole body. It's really an incredible moment to hear those words followed with both Millie and Mommy are healthy and doing well.

Millicent Sky Freer, 8 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long born on May 23rd!

By 2:00, the three of us were able to see both Willa and Millie. Willa seemed incredibly good and had already taken a shower. I had the pleasure of holding my precious little niece, Millie, for the very first time. These moments are so spiritual for me. There is not a more straightforward reminder than a newborn that our God does exist and He's our eternal Savior. Little Millie is a true miracle in the flesh and I can only dream of the good she will bring this world!

Spontaneous playdate

I love our Friday mornings because it's the only morning of the week where we don't have to rush out of the house to be somewhere. I allow Tyler to watch the entire hour of Sesame Street and hang out in his PJ's and once in a while Matty will watch a few minutes of it too. It's important to have days like this especially considering he's not even 4 yet. Downtime is good. We planned to have Bea visit which the boys love. I got a last minute text from the Reagers about meeting them at Club Kid and instead invited them over as well. It worked out really well and the kids seemed to have a good time. There was a period where the boys were pretending to be super heroes and running laps around our downstairs. Matty tried keeping up with them and was running and laughing and making his silly noises. We played in pretty much every room in the house and ended up on the 3rd floor. My only disappointment was Tyler's behavior. He's usually really good about going along with things, but for whatever reason was in a funk this morning. There were several times when Owen wanted to do something and Ty didn't and was real whinny about it. Honestly, he was being a mean friend and a terrible host, both of which I have NO patience for. When everyone left, we had a long talk about the morning. Now I can only hope some of it sinks in at some point. I had to take advantage of the teachable moment and let him know it's not acceptable. Period. Otherwise, it was a nice morning and I was happy to have some company since I'll be home alone all night while Adam goes to NYC (to support Pawel!).

dancing parts?!

So I'm putting Tyler's diaper on for his nap and he proceeds to grab his penis and say "look Mommy my penis is dancing for you." He's pulling and twisting it and doing all sorts of weird stuff. Honestly, I wasn't so sure what to do, but whether is was appropriate or not I did start laughing (a lot). Then I felt like I shouldn't be encouraging that crazy behavior and had a short 'talk' about private parts and privacy. Still, it was pretty funny and it did make me laugh. I just wonder what made him even think to do that??!! Gotta love little boys!

Patches Creamery Field Trip

Whew! I was nervously anticipating this day for a while. Tyler's class "won" a field trip to Patches Creamery.

Speech Class

Every Monday morning at 8:45 we find ourselves in a classroom at Union Canal Elementary school for speech class. Mrs. Arnold is Tyler's speech teacher and she's been wonderfully helpful and patient. They play all different games while incorporating the speech into the play. I try to be there for it to hear the way Mrs. Arnold is explaining the sounds, but more often than not Matty end up wondering the halls because it's very difficult to keep him in such a small space for 45 minutes. But I get enough of it and a short review at the end of class. Unfortunately she is retiring this summer, so we are very bittersweet of the news because it's been such an important addition to his weekly schedule. Let's hope things keep improving as much as they have.

Dream

When I got Tyler from his nap today, he told me the cutest thing. He was lying on the floor while I changed his diaper and put on his clothes and said "Mommy, guess what? I had the best dream. I dreamed that I was a prince and you were a princess and we got married and lived happily ever after." And he had the very sweetest smile on his face when he said it. Seriously, what do you say to your 3-year-old son when he tell you that??!! Oh my goodness, my heart felt like it burst with joy. It's in these moments where true, unconditional love just feels so pure and so real. It's these simple moments where life happens, where I refuel my tank, and where all the effort and dedication pays me in something much more meaningful than a paycheck. It so simple, yet so significant. It's crazy when a moment is happening and you know you're someday going to look back on this moment with such fondness. So I did what I do best; I hugged him, kissed him, and tried to soak in every single second and made it last as long as possible. It was a good moment...

Happy Birthday, Baca & Tate's Pirate Party

It was the morning of Baca's 62nd birthday and the four of us were hanging out in the living room. We hadn't eatten breakfast yet and it was about 8:45 and decided to invite Baca and Grammy to our house for a pancake breakfast. The timing was perfect, they'd just woken up and within 20 minutes were at our house having a good time.

Spontaneous moments like this are so much fun and awesome that they can happen because of us living so close to each other. After eating pancakes, Tyler pulled out his guitar and sang "happy birthday" to Baca as Adam brought him a piece of pie with a candle in it. It was a sweet, tender moment and one that I think Baca really enjoyed.

Then Tyler was invited to Tate's Pirate Party celebrating the big 4. It started at 11:00 and I stayed with him to help with some of the kiddos and all the games. Misty and Ed went all out and all sorts of fun games and activities planned. They did peg leg races, walking the plank, put the treasure on the X blindfolded, crafts, delicious lunch, a treasure hunt, and a pinata! It was a busy and exciting 2 hours.