In 36 days...

My oldest will officially be a kindergartner. Today he learned to tie his shoes and my eyes watered.

I am so excited for him. Making new friends, learning new things and beginning his journey in elementary school. He is a sweet, considerate, well mannered little man (although his brother would beg to differ) and I am oh so proud of him!

Ode to Graham and an update on the other Poston kiddos...

My littlest man is almost 3 months old. I'll rewind back to April 7, 2010 and fill you in on his arrival. I awoke at 1:30 a.m. with massive heartburn. Took some tums and decided to do some housework... mainly folding laundry. Contractions started around 3:30 and were INTENSE! By 5:30 it was time to get the kids up and into the car to go to grandma G's. We got to the hospital about 6:30 and I was 7 cm dilated... He arrived at 9:02 a.m. au natural. I can easily say, this labor was the least painful (how lucky am I?).


Duncan, Maxwell and Laurel simply adore Graham... which I am sure by his 2nd birthday will change. But for now, life at our house is mixed with attitude, laughter, dirt, tons of clothes and an infinite amount of love. Duncan turned five in April and has since started Judo... what a character!


Maxwell is quite the kid... very animated and loves to be the center of attention.


Having two older brothers, Laurel is one tough cookie and a girly girl at heart...


I had a yard sale this past weekend and during my cleanup, I found a baby praying mantis... Erghe just loves them and took this awesome close up!


So life with 4 kids age 5 and under is very interesting to say the least. As they each grow, their personalities shine through - I am so intrigued by them. I am so blessed to have these wonderful little human beings in my life. We are all looking forward to our first summer here in our new home - we have already broken in the sprinklers and seen way too many pincher bugs for my liking. Now that baby G is getting a little older, I hope to be able to post more often all of the funny, crazy, weird, and memorable stories of my life to share.

Read this and I love it!

Sometimes I wonder where the day goes... I sure know my husband wonders too. When there are dirty dishes in the sink, crumbs on the ground surrounding the dining table, dirty socks in the hallway.... it is easy to get caught up in the daily to-do list of household chores and be baffled at how much didn't get done... I found this on some random blog today and had to post it to remind me that it is OK (and wonderful) to have these days...

WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

Today I left some dishes dirty,
The bed got made around 3:30.
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall
Will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those window panes
Will still be there next time it rains.


Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?


I held a baby till she slept,
I held a toddler while he wept.
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess that's true.


Unless you think that what I've done,
Might be important to someone
With deep blue eyes and soft brown hair,
If that is true...I've done my share.

Getting ready for Graham

So today I officially have 4 weeks left until my due date. This pregnancy has flown by to say the least. I am so excited to meet this little man and to complete our family. I have enjoyed all of my pregnancies very much and am sad that this will be my last, but happy to know that I will have 4 wonderful children and a great husband to make a lifetime of memories with.

Duncan, Maxwell and Laurel are so ready to meet their little brother too. Every morning when Duncan wakes up he says good morning to me and kisses my tummy to say hello to his brother. He constantly tells me that he can't wait to meet him and that he is excited he will arrive around his own birthday. He also says that baby Graham is going to be just like him... that would be great because Duncan is an awesome son! Anytime Laurel sees a baby she just goes nuts! I am a tad concerned that she will be a little too lovey-dovey with Graham... but I am sure after a week or so she will get over it and go back to beating up on her older brothers. Maxwell adores babies too and I know he will be a great big brother to Graham and be a huge help to me when I ask for a favor when I am in need.

So yes... we are all anxious to meet baby #4 to say the least. I have been busy nesting and getting the last of the "must haves" for when he arrives. All of the kids have co-slept in our bed so we don't have to worry about getting his room ready, as I am sure he will be in our room for at least a year... heck, we still have Laurel in our bed most nights... even the boys manage to sneak in at some point during the night. I am a little concerned of how all of us will fit in a queen sized bed though. Some nights I find myself going into Laurel's room and getting into her bed just to get a bit more space to sleep. Seriously though, I am sure Erghe will help out and do some shuffling of the kids back into their rooms and we won't have to worry much about the space issue... it might just take a few weeks for it to stick.

This past Sunday my friends threw me a little party for the baby. Holly and Summer were awesome planners and hosts and gave me a wonderful non-traditional shower. We played a really fun dice game called LRC, had some finger foods (thank you all for bringing the delicious dishes to share) and just had a nice relaxing afternoon with some of my favorite people...

Tomorrow I have a prenatal appointment and the doctor is going to get personal and do an exam. WOW... it is crunch time! These last weeks are going to zoom by so I need to make sure that I take a step back and enjoy the kids and my husbands company as much as possible... I have no idea what it will be like to go from 3 to 4 kids. I hope my hormones don't get too crazy these last few weeks before and the few months after he arrives.

Oh my... time to go pack my hospital bag. I hope that this labor and delivery are as easy as the last two. Geez, I just hope I make it to the hospital in time. I can't wait to hold you in my arms Graham!

I Love You G-ma!

My G-ma finally entered into rest yesterday, January 25, 2010. She gave a tough fight and amazed us all with her strength. It won't be the same without her around.

Oh so crafty

I am feeling oh-so-crafty these days (Thanks to Ohdeedo and the fabulous craft bloggers out there for their inspiration) and have a project to-do list a mile long in my head. I thought I better write some ideas down before my mommy brain kicks in and I can't remember them:


For Laurel's Room:
~ Finish Embroidery Hoop Wall
~ Make "LAUREL" with Scrapbook Paper
~ Bunting Banner
~ Repaint Fabulous Chairs... Thrift Store Find !!!
~ Repaint Dresser


For Play Room:
~ Re-upholster Bench
~ Sew Throw Pillows

General Crafts:
~ Make a Grocery Bag Holder
~ Finish Laurel's First Year Scrapbook
~ Update Family Scrapbook
~ Get Baby Graham's Handmade Announcements Figured Out

OK so the list isn't a mile long, but in my head it seemed that way. I have two craft sessions this weekend so I am hoping to get some of these items checked off.

why i love being a mom

duncan got in trouble last night for not listening to his dad. he was sent to his room and of course he protested. i told him calmly to go wait for me in his room and he listened and marched up the stairs. when i made it to his room we sat down on his brothers bed. he looked at me with his teary eyes and i just melted. i knew what i needed to do... teach him. i talked to him about why he was sent to his room... for making a bad choice of not listening to daddy. and then reminded him of the consequence for that bad choice. i told him that he is still so young and has a lot to learn and that he learns from his mistakes. i went on to tell him that mommy and daddy sometimes make bad choices and that we are sorry for them and learn from our mistakes as well. i could tell that he was taking it all in. i finaly told him that his consequence for not listening was to spend 5 mintues of alone time to think about what his bad choice was and why he was having some alone time. It is moments like these, when i teach the kids and see them learning about life that make me so proud to be a mom. i know there is no better rewarding job in the world. i have a tough rough ahead of me with 4 kids, but i wouldn't change it for the world...i was meant to be a mom! this is the life that i am building, the memories we make together will pull us through the bad times. how lucky i am.