Sweet Sophia

If you know me well, you know that I love, love, LOVE babies.

And this time around is no exception.

Sophia Elaine Schmidt is my fourth baby, and I am head-over-heels in love with her.

She is precious in every way.  Her pudgy, baby-chub body is absolutely incredible, her skin is smooth and soft, her hair is this sweet strawberry-blond, and her eyes are so round and a piercing beautiful blue.

The minute you connect eyes with her, she smiles.  And sometimes, it doesn't even take that.  Sometimes I catch her smiling at the walls, the ceiling fan, or just at the sounds of family life around her.  Her smile is the kind that lights up her face, her eyes twinkling, and her chin lifting just a tad.  And she is so wonderfully generous with her smiles, bringing smiles to anyone who stops to take the time to look at her and have a chat.

I love my sweet Sophia, and I am amazed at the way my heart continues to grow and swell and burst with the love that spills from my heart for each child I have birthed.  

Some may create conclusions that a fourth child is not getting as much attention as the others did, and although life is busy and there are many needs to be met, this fourth child seems quite content with the live theatre happening around her (starring Big Brothers 1 and 2 and larger-than-life Big Sister), the baby carrier where she stays safe on my chest, and the quiet time after her siblings are asleep when her daddy and I sit in her personal space and gush over how precious and perfect and wonderful she is.  I love these sweet times at night because I know that I know that I know that being a fourth child is not taking its toll on her.  She has her loud, happy, busy, sibling-lovin'-time during the day (amidst snuggly nursing sessions and adventures to the doctor's office, store, parks, etc) and her sweet mommy and daddy time at night where we pass her back and forth and love on her as best as we can.

She seems pretty happy to be a part of this loud, crazy, full-of-life Schmidt family, and we already can't imagine our lives without her.

Love you, Soph.

My Latest Mothering Discovery

I am certainly no expert in the world of mothering.

But I do know that I can often get overwhelmed with or frustrated by my children's less-than-perfect behavior.

I realized recently that in some of these moments of exasperation, I have made a small discovery...

I need to stop and study my children.

Study them...observe what they're doing...stare at them...learn about them...drink them in.

And, in these moments, after a minute or two of just pausing and pure observation of a particular child, my emotions turn to tender for that small son or daughter of mine.

At lunch today, Sammy was frustrated that his noodles weren't working on his fork and began to whine in [what I thought was] an excessive manner.  Micah decided it would be a good time to prop his plate up with his fork and see what happens, and Ella thought that the volume level in our house definitely needed to be turned up a few [or ten] notches and put much effort into making that happen by herself while Sophia attempted to peacefully nap in the baby swing.  Someone needed water.  Someone wanted pears.  Someone had to go to the bathroom.  And someone started playing with his carrots.  And at that "AHH!" moment in the middle of our day, I stopped and started watching Sammy, then watching Ella, and finally, Micah.  I just quietly observed them and who they are and the effort they put into their everyday tasks of eating and talking and whining and laughing and I. just. melted.  My heart immediately softened and my emotions swelled and I felt that fierce surge of love and affection and protection for my precious littles.

It was both a simple and amazing moment.

So as my days unfold and I start to get overwhelmed by the chaos around, I am going to try to practice my own tip of stopping and drinking in the beauty that is my children.  I am certain it will start to soften my emotions at that moment, and I will make effort to this end.

a few observed moments I am drinking in of my children...

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!

Here are our blessings today in our family...

Micah's Thankful List

I am thankful for...

...going out to ice cream.

...getting a new book, The Avengers.

...having 17 stickers.

...X-Men.

...Grandma and Grandpa coming.

...it being my last day of school yesterday.

Samuel's Thankful List

I am thankful for...

...Daddy

...Nana

...Mommy

...Micah

...Sammy 

(he thought this was hilarious to be thankful for himself and laughed really hard)

...Ella and Sophia

Daddy's Thankful List

(He was home sick today with an eye virus so we had him participate.)

I am thankful for...

...being able to breathe well after getting over a cold.

...cooler weather after the intense heat.

...my wife's high capacity for mothering.

...the "stay-in-bed" chart working well for Sammy and Micah.

My Thankful List

I am thankful for...

...rainy, stay-at-home days in comfy clothes.

...Micah's fabulous last year of preschool with such an amazingly creative and energetic teacher.

...SUMMER!

....Chocolate Fondue Night for our last small group of the season and for an incredible year doing life together.

..Sophia's consistent sleeping through the night...an amazing gift!

...Ella's adorable voice that truly melts me and for the way in which she is starting to put three words together.

-the beauty of forgiveness in marriage...that even when things go awry temporarily, that we can offer each other grace, move on, and continue loving deeply.

...cleansing tears that help release so many emotions from within.

...the spontaneous moments that come from time at home, like my children helping me make eggs this morning for breakfast, Micah reading a book to me on the couch, Ella grabbing a tomato off the counter today while I was making lunch and eating it like an apple, the sweet sibling interactions that happen daily, and the giggles that came from Sammy when I tucked him into bed with a few tickles.

What are you thankful for today?

Welcome, Summer!

It feels as though summer has officially started.

It was one of those "life is wonderful" weekends where each moment just screamed, "Summer is here!"

My in-laws came to town and we grilled chicken, ate out on the patio, and watched the kids play in our yard and run up and down our little hill, I took my boys to a birthday party at a gymnastics center, my hubby and I went out to dinner with friends for a super fun "Couples Night Out" (and left our baby for the first time!), we went to breakfast at my in-laws' hotel, enjoyed being at church, attended a graduation party, and then ended the day at a birthday party for two of my nephews.

Throughout the weekend, the kids did sidewalk chalk and blew bubbles, climbed in the backyard, did races down the hill, ran down trampolines, jumped into a giant foam pit, ate the frosting off birthday cupcakes, brought home new kites, learned how to play volleyball, swam in the pool, dunked their heads in the water, got covered in frosting, ran and giggled with their cousins, ate hamburgers fresh off the grill, and ate more watermelon than any other food for three days.

It was the kind of weekend where they spent more time messy than clean, more time barefoot than with shoes on, more time wet than dry.  It was the kind of weekend where they spent more time with others around than alone, more time at parties than at home, and more time laughing than crying.

It was the pure joy that summer brings.

My daughter, Ella...she just embodies the joy of summer at all times.  Today I watched her, hair disheveled, dripping wet in her bathing suit (and then again later in her only-ten-minutes-dry spare outfit), covered in blue frosting, just smiling at the world, not a care to be had.  She loves life and doesn't let anything get in the way.  She runs and sings and giggles and explores, and she just relishes each moment like there is no tomorrow.  She squeezes the joy out of life as best as she can, and I want to live more like her.

The things of life can often get in the way...chores and schedules, deadlines and sleep-deprivation, discipline and disasters, spills and messy moments...but watching my children from a distance this weekend, I remembered yet again how crazy-in-love I am with all my littles...the amazing miracles that each of them are, and the unique details I love about each of them that make my heart tender and full.  I will confess that my eyes brimmed with tears on more than one occasion this weekend as I watched them LIVE and enjoy the life they've been given.

So this summer, I commit to squeezing the joy that summer can bring, and I commit to living more like Ella.  The days of watermelon, pools, barbeques, flip flops, summer dresses, and sunscreen don't last forever, and I want to live them to the full.

Welcome, summer!

I'm jumping in...

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday...

Sammy's Thankful List
-Christmas
-Christmas presents
-animals...but not crocodiles
-letters
-houses
-Lightning McQueen
-pee and poo
-Elmo
-Daddy

Micah's Thankful List
-my Percival Caterpillar play
-Mason's birthday party that's coming up soon
-that RedSkull is frozen (my side note: this is a superhero toy that got put in a cup of water and placed in the freezer so it can't hurt anyone...)
-that I only have two more golden eggs to find in Angry Birds
-Mommy
-that Grandma and Grandpa are coming soon
-and the moon (my side note again: Micah thought this would be funny cause it rhymes)

-Sammy's Tag reader

-that we have charts and got four stickers

-that Sammy got a new book for getting five stickers on his chart

-that we have lots of events coming up

-breakfast

-that Bike Day is coming up at school

-Bicah (his teddy bear)

-school

-my toys

-that we have a house cause some people don't

-neighbors

-that we went to the Randall Oaks petting zoo

-my Larry picture

(In case you didn't notice, he wanted his list to be REALLY long.)

I am thankful for warm, sunny days, for a fridge full of fresh produce, for presents wrapped, stacked, and ready for all our fun festivities for the weekend coming up.  I am thankful for cleared counters and a motivator to clean my house (as my in-laws come to visit tomorrow).  I am thankful for homemade pizza and for forts built in my house with couch cushions.  I am thankful for a late night phone call with one of my dearest, far-away friends, and I'm thankful for my book study girls that I can gather with and be myself.  I am thankful that we can both share recipes and stories of our kids' silly happenings but also dive into the deeper parts of marriage and mothering.  I am thankful that I can be safe in sharing my struggles with parenting Micah lately, and my hopes and dreams of being a more calm, intentional mama in my discipling of my children.  Thankful for friendships and for not having to do life alone.

What are some of your blessings this week??

Just a Normal Monday

Today was just a normal Monday.

After toast and fruit this morning, we worked on projects at the kitchen table with markers, stickers, and stamps, took a little walk to our neighborhood mailbox, did our typical chores, ate noodles, tomatoes, and strawberries for lunch, and did the drive to preschool.

While the kids napped, I had some phone calls, made a batch of brownies, worked on some laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and nursed my baby.

A totally typical day in my life as a stay-at-home mama.

After we picked up Micah from school, we spontaneously decided to stop at the park.  The 70 degree, sunny afternoon was begging to be enjoyed, so we stopped to play - for just a bit.  I hadn't planned to stop, so I didn't have a diaper bag and had to get home to put together the pizzas I planned to make for dinner.

So as I stood there at the park, Sophia strapped into her carrier on my chest, sun shining on us all, I just wanted to freeze that moment and soak in the joy of the ordinary.

It was such an ordinary day.
Such an ordinary moment.
But I just wanted to capture it all...

Ella's tiny, tenth-percentile-on-the-charts body bouncing through the park in her striped leggings and flip-flops...the way she still holds her arms in the air as she runs and the way her hips wiggle as she moves.  It's almost like a dance-run that she does.

Samuel and Micah - inseparable lately - digging in the sand, running up the grassy hill, and talking through those "trumpets," as Sammy calls them, the speaker/microphone-things that are at the parks where the kids can talk back and forth from yards away.  They would say "Hi, Micah," "Hi, Sammy," over and over again, decide to switch locations, and run past each other to get to the opposite "trumpet" and do it all over again.

I cheered for each of them as they went down the slide, I held Sophia's baby-soft hands and stroked her arms as she contentedly took in all that was happening around her, and pushed Ella in the swing, tickling her legs and listening to her amazing giggle.

Like I said, nothing out of the ordinary...but SO good.

I wanted to freeze that moment and remember Mondays where we threw on sweats, caught up on laundry, and played at the park.  I wanted to always remember their sweet, little voices and the ways in which they move and talk and play.  I wanted to soak up their playing together, doing everything together, and thank God that I have FOUR kids.  FOUR friends.

I want to give thanks in the ordinary, when life is okay.
When the routine is working.
When I have found my rhythm.
Because I know that another day, perhaps even tomorrow, my rhythm might be off.
But for today, I had a rhythm, and it was good.
I enjoyed it.
And I am thankful for the ordinary, for sunny days and littles all around me.

And I just want to remember.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday Time!
I'm hoping that this weekly exercise will help mold my children into grateful people.
I am trying to regularly write my gifts, as well, and I am, by God's grace, seeing myself transform more and more in the joy of thankfulness.

Here goes...

Sammy's Thankful List
-that I got to help Daddy and PaPaPa do the dirt
-that I got dirty

-poo
-pee
(Seriously...we are in the worst, potty-talk phase ever!  Thought I would include this so I remember later that he actually said this when I said, "Thank you God for...")
-Lucky Charms

Ella's Thankful List
-Daddy
-Papa
-Mommy
-Baby
(and definitely in this order!!)

Micah's Thankful List
-that PaPaPa came and that Daddy came back home, even though I already got to see him
-for my field trip (to the Space Discovery Center)

-that we got to see some of the space stuff, even though we only had 10 or 15 minutes (Our train had delays so it threw off the field trip a bit.)
-that we are going to make air tanks for our space unit
-that I got to see Chuck recently

And My Thankful List...

I am thankful that Micah is reading...what a joy it is to have him read books to ME and to read signs everywhere we go.  Zach and I can no longer do the secret-spelling that all parents seem to do...he now knows what we are trying to communicate every. single. time.  He has opened the door to a whole new world, and I love watching him light up with the discoveries!
I am thankful for a day with no plans...I really can't remember the last time I had a day with no plans at all.  So we are throwing on sweats, catching up on laundry, and trying to muddle through some of the piles of my life (and counters).  My kids are making forts with the couch cushions, reading books together, and pretending to go to space.  Love it.
I am thankful for my husband's gracious and appreciative attitude.  I have not put a lot of time and energy into meals this week, as there have been other things taking priority, and so we have had spaghetti, bagel melts, grilled chicken, and baked fish fillets (with tator tots...ha!)...all simple, throw-together-quick meals to which he genuinely responds, "Thank you so much for making dinner."  I love to cook, but when life gets busy, I have to choose other things.  I am so blessed that Zach gets this and appreciates this and doesn't put any pressure on me to do things differently.
I am thankful for new books.  I have three books on my current reading list, and I am excited about each of them for different reasons.  Bloom, a memoir by Kelle Hampton, given to me by my favorite Minnesota friend; Living with Less so your Family has More, by Jill and Mark Savage, the next book we are reading in my treasured book study; and She's Gonna Blow! by Julie Ann Barnhill, a book I got for myself to work on being more patient and calm in my mothering.
I am thankful for an unexpected start to my day.  My husband and father-in-law had early morning Bible Study together today, and as it ended, my father-in-law offered to bring us some mulch for our flower beds. Just as the kids and I were about to eat breakfast, they arrived, so my children were anxious to get outside and see them.  All of us trooped outside in our pajamas before 7 in the morning, and it turned out to be a wonderful way to start the day.  Sammy dug in the mulch in his pajamas and crocs, Micah ran around the yard kicking a ball, and Ella wandered in her rainboots.  It was crisp and sunny and I just stood in the middle of the yard, surrounded by my family, blessed by a new, spring day and my happy children.  I am thankful for our little yard, for fresh mulch, for a generous-with-his-time father-in-law, and for events that deviate from the the norm.

Our early morning romp in the yard...

What are YOU thankful for today?