Grease Monkey

Tonight Xavier was speedily and wildly riding his tricycle on the sidewalk and the wheel rolled right away!

It was simply the cutest thing watching him puzzle and mechanic over that wheel and trying to get it put back on correctly.  He *almost* got it and Daddy helped finalize the safety of the fix when he got home from work.

"Hey, Xavier, do you want to go wash that grease off your hands?"

{proudly} "NO!  I look like Papa Curtis."

{nothin' cuter}

Back on the Wagon

Back on the school wagon today...

It feels good to fall back into our schedule!

It also feels good to have plenty of outdoor time in *almost* 70 degree weather!!

A few more random pics of our darling children whom I am enjoying so much everyday!

Baby Mia as she slept last night.  Perfection.

Newborn Photo Shoot

Do you like my new cover photo?  Lovely...I just love my little growing family.

On Saturday we journeyed a couple of hours to have the fabulous Lacy Nichols do a newborn photo shoot for us (sneaking in a couple of the 3 kids and a family shot).

All the photos below are copyright of Lacy Nichols.  Click HERE to follow the link to her Facebook page.  If you are local you *want* Lacy to do newborn pictures of your angel.  She's a full time OB nurse, so handling and working with babies comes quite naturally to her.  She takes her time, allowing baby to eat and relax instead of pushing them forward at an unreasonable pace.  We are ever so pleased with the sneak peeks and can't wait to see the rest!

Faces of Ameliya

I love this sweet face, especially post nursing when she's all zonked out with milk on her chins, her breath coming in happy little bursts, snuggled up to me.

I love her silly faces, too!  Sometimes she and I just sit and watch each other, making faces and being ornery.  When she's awake and alert she's very watchful, never missing a movement!

Tummy Tub

We are having *so* much fun with our Tummy Tub.

Ameliya loves it and it's so much fun to watch her fully enjoy bath time.  

Sometimes she sleeps through her bath - the last couple of times she has "swam" and kicked her feet - dozing but still staying active and having 'fun.'

We've fielded a few questions regarding using the tub...

Yes it is a bit harder to wash baby, however we feel like the benefit outweighs the burden.  And seriously, how dirty is a baby?

Yes, for now, two of us bathe her.  Dad holds and I wash.  Once she is holding up her own head we'll go solo, and I feel confident that I could bathe her alone if I had to.  However, we like the bonding and do Ameliya's bath time after the big kids are in bed so she gets our full attention.

And yes, we do immerse her with her umbilical cord.  Some hospitals recommend soap and water for the cord, others recommend alcohol/peroxide.  We've done soap and water with all three kids, bathing them fully since day one, and have never had any trouble.  Baby Mia's umbilical cord actually detached yesterday and left us with a cutie belly button.  

 See her little feet up and kicking?  Turkey!

Stay at Home Mom of Three

Mike went back to work this week.  Day two and we are still surviving, and maybe even thriving. ;)

Pictures are proof, right?

Day 1:

We spent a lot of time outdoors, got the good out of our clothesline, and loved on each other.  

We haven't started back into finishing school before summer break but will jump back on that wagon next week.

I finished out my night very tired but fulfilled.  We were blessed to have supper brought to us, and will have for another week+, thanks to my sister's organization.

The end of my day was spent like this...

Seriously, nothing sweeter...

DAY 2:

Woke up to nurse Ameliya and saw this in my bed.  Apparently Daddy going back to work got to Xavier a little and he needed a middle of the night snuggle.

The big kids are excited to be helpers by choosing their own clothes and dressing themselves.  They have also been making their beds every morning and being patient with mommy when breakfast comes late and our routine stays a bit inconsistent.

Baby Mia is quickly outgrowing her newborn clothes and moving into 0-3 month already.

 It's sad but at least she has darling clothes to grow into!

Today before lunch we took a walk to the courthouse to vote.  This was Ameliya's first walk.  She snoozed through the whole thing in the ring sling!

So there ya have it.  We're doing okay and I'm officially a stay at home mom of three.  Though I've been home for almost 2 years now it's a bit different without other little ones here...for the first time in a LONG time I'm not earning an income, relying solely on my dear husband to provide for our family.  I'm so very blessed that he values my role here at home and is supportive of our transitions to this new place in our lives.  And I feel quite fortunate myself to be at this place in my life...raising up my growing pile of treasures...

Ameliya's Name

Awhile back I blogged about how we name our children in this post: http://jennbeeler.blogspot.com/2014/03/whats-in-name.html.

Here is what I wrote about the meaning of Ameliya Darby:
Name #1:  {the work of God} + {deer park}
I know what you're thinking.  Deer park?  Remember, middle names are family and mean a great deal to us.  We didn't find a great way to tie the middle name into the chosen verse (though the song "As the Deer" keeps playing in my head) but I think the meaning of the first name with it's verse screams loud and clear the message we pray for our child.
²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” {John 6:28-29}
 -----------------------------------
While Darby wasn't family to us by blood, she was a young lady who will forever remain in our hearts.  The summer of 2009 we took 8 month old baby Natalee and journeyed to Colorado to the Christian youth camp called NYR.  Our youth group took a young lady named Darby Brooke along and I was privileged to get to mentor her on this trip.  Darby's life changed 360 degrees while in the Rocky Mountains and when we got home our relationship drew closer than ever.  She lived a good hour and a half away, but she popped in often, knowing she was always welcome in the Beeler home.  We kept tabs on her, encouraging her to walk the right path, make good choices, and live for Christ.  Mike and I carved permanent places in our hearts for Darby Brooke and considered her "ours," however unlikely it would be that 20-something youth sponsors would have a teenaged 'kid'. 

I'll never forget the Sunday I walked in to church...Mike had gone before me to start the video projection and Natalee and I arrived a few minutes later.  It was November, and upon immediately entering and seeing Mike's face I knew something had happened.  He came to me and told me our Darby had been in an accident.  Ready to go to her, I asked how badly she was injured.  The pain of hearing she'd left our earth is something that can never be expressed.  I handed Natalee off to family and went downstairs with Mike to weep selfish tears that our Darby was gone and rejoice in the fact that she'd given her life back to Christ on the mountaintops in Colorado.

So, our sweet Ameliya bears the name of one we loved and lost...a constant reminder to us to never be too busy to invest in the life of someone by reaching out and being His hands and feet.

First Tummy Tub Bath at Home

Ameliya's first tummy tub bath at home was amazing.  She slept through it and it was so neat to see her curl up all womb like and completely relax.

 We are using Earth Mama Angel Baby foam soap for her when we use soap.  We use their lotion for her too, but I also like to keep her skin soft with unrefined organic coconut oil.

 Yes, she still has an umbilical cord stump.  We have never done alcohol/peroxide for the umbilical cord, choosing instead to keep it cleaned with soap and water.  Actually, all of our kids have lost their cords pretty quickly with this method and her's is starting to detach.

 look at that relaxed baby

We did this while the big kids were in bed, but I'm sure they'll be eager and ready to help someday soon!