Almost 5 Weeks and 13.5 lbs

My little man is chunkin' up and trying to catch up to his big brothers fast! 13.5 lbs and 23 inches at his 4 week check up. That just seems like huge growth to me. All of a sudden I can't hold him with one arm any more. He is a happy little guy...hardly causing me any grief..except he doesn't sleep. Do any of my babies? NO. He gets up between 6:30 and 7:30 and stays awake for at least 3 hours. Then he sleeps all afternoon (waking every 2 hours for a meal). Then he is up all evening and wants to go to bed around 7:30. That would all be great if at 7:30 he would sleep for a good 4 or 5 hours...but no. He sometimes sleeps for 3 one time and then 2 for most of the rest of the night...and sometimes just 90 mins. Ugh. I'm tired. I get up 4 or 5 times a night. Really ready for some longer stretches. If he's anything like the other 2, it's not going to happen for the next year. And so I document here, because I will have no recollection of most of the year without a little more sleep. But he's cute. And I love looking at his round little face.

Out of Whack

Life feels totally out of whack these days. We are still trying to find our rhythm here. I always forget how long that takes...after you move....after a baby...after a new job. I have managed to keep up with school for the kids at least. I don't know how, but we're doing good there. I have a couple priorities besides caring for the newborn. One is washing the diapers, because we just can't go running out of those! And two, doing school. We're already behind enough after our long Christmas break and the break we took during our big transition. Holy moly it is hard to get much done besides that, though. Easton is now going on 5 weeks old...so I'm feeling ready for some "normal". Easier said than done. I just don't do the whole, "let the baby cry while you go get things done" thing. Nope. I just nurse, and rock, and carry and hold all the live-long day. So things are getting a little hairy around here. I really need to vacuum, do dishes, dust, put away laundry, change the sheets, mop the tile, put away laundry, grocery shop, do the dishes, clean the bathrooms, put away laundry, run errands, plan dinners, spend more time with the big brothers, do dishes and put away laundry! It's a little overwhelming.
Rand's new job is going well. It is such an improvement! But, he works extra every night after the kids go to bed until about 1 in the morning. Today I went to my parents for the afternoon and dinner. Rand couldn't join us because he was "on call" after 8pm and had the call car and couldn't drive it out. I came home around 8 and he was gone. He called at 9 and said he was heading out on his 3rd call. What is this life? I really wonder sometimes what we are doing, where we are going, what is God teaching us?
Our house is a blessing...and a curse. Rand gets nervous when I complain. He tries to always keep a good perspective about the blessings God has given us...including a place to live. I'm grateful, honest, I just don't love it. The landlord is constantly here fixing things...usually the pool which is usable, but constantly broken. The wall colors and carpet are "not me" and I have no desire to try and change it. I told Rand yesterday, "I'm super thankful that we have a house...and functionally it works great (for the most part). But I look around and it just doesn't look like me and there's really nothing I can do (or am willing to do) to make it feel like our home." All a part of the transition, I guess?
Basically, we have a new baby we're still trying to get to know who has changed everything. A job that we just weren't expecting that barely pays the bills. A work schedule that leaves Rand gone more than we would like. And a house that we're still trying to make ours (or make work until next year). Things just feel a little out of whack.
I drove through our old neighborhood today on my way to my parents RV spot at Lake Pleasant. I went right past our old house...down the streets I used to walk with my friend, Marie-elena, almost every night. Right past the back wall that framed our little yard and fantastic firepit. It was so weird. I felt really, really weird driving through there. It could have been the case that we never left and I was just driving home and turning onto Plum Rd. right into our garage...as if no time had passed at all. Or it could have been the case that it was ages ago, and the kids I had there and the life we had before was long, long gone. I pointed it out to Wyatt. I don't think he recognized it. Ugh. I must be dealing with a bit of baby hormones because it seriously makes me feel totally depressed.
Please pray for us! Rand's heart is still for Liberti. It's hard to do anything but survive right now, though. Really, how do you plant a church AND work more than full time AND take care of your wife who won't do any house work because she insists on nursing the baby all day AND rough house with the 2 other boys who are being somewhat neglected by said mother (not really), AND, AND, AND....?
We're still in transition..and things are just a little out of whack!

Why having 3 is easier than having 1

Today (or is it yesterday now?) Easton was fussing. He was tired, but not conkin' out. So I finally just put him in the swing. He continued fussing and then I captured this:


I didn't get much of it on video, but Brendan sang and hummed his brother to sleep. It was awesome. Pardon the strange behavior with the bubble wand. If you must know, he was rolling his shirt up with it and then he stuck it in his belly button and was twisting it. Strange child. But thanks for putting your brother to sleep!!!

How Many?

How many pictures do you think I will post this summer of the kids swimming? Probably millions. Sorry.
The pool water has warmed up to almost 75 and the air outside to almost 90. Ugh. Summer is coming.

Easton chillin' by the pool.

Pet Rocks

One's name is Mr. Rock and the other is Sammy. Wyatt actually carries his around. He says it's a dog and it bites people.




____________________________like our pet spider? It's remote control and totally scary!

Baby in a Basket

Can you believe how chubby he is getting? It happens so darn fast!

I blame this little blob of wonderful-ness for this next picture. I discovered it yesterday while I was slouching on my piano bench just letting my head hang down out of sheer exhaustion. This sight made me laugh a bit and realize how totally and completely my life has come to a halt. I haven't decided if that's Wyatt or Brendan's foot print in the dust. :)

My Husband: Mortician/Pastor

I don't talk much about Rand or his work on this blog. Mostly it's about me and kids, kids and more kids. I know some people have no idea what he's up to. Sure, we moved to Phoenix to plant a church and Rand is a pastor and what-not, but really, this part of the story needs to be told lest we forget this part of our journey when it eventually (hopefully) comes to an end.
Rand passed up a pastor-job offer in New Jersey right before we decided to move back to Phoenix. It was a tough decision for him. One of his main goals in life is to provide for us and to pass up that job, at first, seemed like maybe a not-so smart move. But moving back towards the West and pursuing his dream of church-planting seemed like good timing. And I agreed.
However, church-planting doesn't provide much of an income! And although it would be great to pastor and minister and worship without the care of money, the truth is, pastors need money! Money to live, and money to minister. Fortunately, Rand has a fall-back career. He's a funeral director! Remember that?! Right before we moved here he landed a job with a "transport" company and it enabled us to get into our house before we got here. That was nice since I was 30 weeks pregnant and double moving just didn't sound like that much fun. So Rand's job, for those who aren't in the "know" was working on-call for a company that did pick-ups from homes and hospitals for funeral homes. It was a HORRIBLE job. By far the worst job he's ever had. The work itself wasn't the bad part, but he was on-call 24 hours a day (96 hours a week) and sometimes was working way too much and sometimes he was sitting at home not working at all. The management was extremely poor and the pay was even worse. This company cannot keep drivers....and now we know why. So Rand started pursuing getting his funeral directors licence reinstated. It happened quickly and he got everything he needed done just in time for the April Board meeting to approve it (state test, finger prints, school transcripts ect). An interview, another interview and some more waiting and ta-da! Rand got hired by a big funeral home to be one of their embalmer/funeral directors. His first day was yesterday. His hours are pretty set and although he will be working overtime regularly (his choice) at least we know when he'll be working and what he'll be making. Phew!
All this is great and all, but let's not forget that this mortician/embalmer, if you will, loves Jesus and telling people about Him and Rand's passion is for that (not embalming!). It's a hard job working more than full time and trying to get Liberti off the ground (not to mention being with us as much as possible). It is going much more slowly than he would like, but he is sticking with it and plugging along. He is talking to guys all over town and anxiously looking forward to his first event: Beer and Bible Night (for the fellas) in May. He is talking to a lot of guys that aren't Christians and it's exciting to see their interest and there is hope for them to be the beginning of strong Christian men that will be a part of Liberti.
So there ya have it! That's what my hubby has been doing. He's busy, a tad stressed out (you should see the giant cold sore on his lip. Let's be glad it wasn't in his eyeball again!) but he is making the best of it all...even though it's hard. We are learning a lot about patience, and trusting God, and being content, and giving thanks for everything. It's hard to do sometimes, believe me.
So hats off to Rand....the best mortician/pastor I know!

I love this blog. I think the author is just awesome and I wish I could articulate as well as she does the wonder and perspective of God in everything...a part of every day...all the little things and the big.

I think this post is perfect for today...for me. A perspective on what life is all about...what Christ is all about.

In missing Willie, in grieving loss, in wishing things could be undone and go back, in being sad about the way things are....I find a greater Truth, a hope. And Easter is just the beginning. There is something more than just surviving and grieving and making the best of things...there is Life.

Signs of the Easter People

2.5 Weeks Old

Caught some more pictures of Easton awake. Seems like he looks a little different every day. I'm anxious for his appointment next week because I swear he has doubled in size!

Pool Duels

Check out what the kids got from their grandpa for Easter!



We've been having on and off summer weather. It's nice because we get some good hot days and then it cools back down to a more "pleasant" temp. Ridiculously hot is coming....I can tell! Good thing we have a pool!!!

Science Experiment #7:: Water Absorption

Last week our science experiment had to do with water and sugar and dried things vs. hydrated things and water and mold and things like that!
I know the kids don't look like they are having all that much fun, but I swear, they love doing their science experiements. You'll even notice Wyatt making notes and drawing pictures of his observations. :)

Kid Quotes::Vol. 15

Just tonight.

Brendan: Hey Mom, do you think in Heaven God would let us eat dessert for dinner?


And one from Wyatt....he will probably die someday when he realizes that I've posted this for the world to see:

Wyatt: Mom, I wish I was a talking dog. You know why?

Me: Why?

Wyatt: Because then I wouldn't have to wipe when I go poop.

(no joke. he thought of that on his own) :)

More Baby

I think photographing newborns is insanely hard. Sleeping pictures are easy enough I guess, but newborns make really weird faces and I don't think the camera is very good at portraying what they really look like....at least mine isn't. So I have to snap like 100 and hope one turns out half way decent. And by decent I just mean that when I look at the picture I think, "Yeah. That looks like him." So, here's some more recent pictures of Easton, awake. It's hard to believe he is still less than 2 weeks old. At church on Saturday night someone asked how old he was and Rand answered "3 weeks". I was like, "umm, actually, one week." Rand said, "Well, it feels like 3 weeks." And that's pretty much true!
Here's Easton, 1.5 weeks old:

Easter Eggs

We managed to dye Easter eggs last night! I feel like I really accomplished something! We have horrible light in our dining room (note to self: buy some light bulbs for the chandelier). Sorry about the dark pictures.