"How Can You Have Too Many Children? That's Like Saying You Have Too Many Flowers" ~ Mother Teresa

A Peek Into Our Hectic, Crazy & Loving Family of Eleven

~♥~

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Breastfeeding Baby Jesus

A friend posted this video on Facebook and I just had to share it here too. It is so beautiful. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these pictures may leave you speechless.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Taken From Another Blog...

but it is so perfect, I had to share. It's from this blog, Mama Birth.

Humbling Moment #547: Women With More Than One Child Are Not Actually Crazy

" Maybe you have been there. I remember having my one toddler. I was so patient. So kind. He was always breastfed to sleep. He was worn in a sling. He was loved all the time. He never cried for long periods. I was such a great mom. It was nice.

I remember seeing other women with two or more children. "Why are they so crazy?" I would ask myself. "Why are they so overwhelmed?" Or a really great one, "Why do they keep having kids when they don't seem to be handling the ones they have that well?"

Bwaaaahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahah!!!!!!!

Sorry, I just needed to take a moment to laugh out loud at myself and my total arrogance and lack of understanding.

Fast forward. I now have three. There will be another one this summer. OH MY GOSH! Four kids.

I actually once saw a friend of mine take a tranquilizer because she was having such a hard time with her kids. I think I was just kind of in shock.

I get it now. I am not saying I take tranquilizers, just that I UNDERSTAND why you might want to on certain days. Just saying.

When you have more than one child you start to learn a few things:

~ You are not a perfect mom. Maybe with one you were. But not with three, and sure as heck not when you are full term and have a few others who can easily outrun you. Yelling starts to look REAL good.

~The first one (or second or third) was just easy. You were not actually doing everything right. It was actually just the child. (Oops on all the times you gave other women advice on how to get their baby to sleep through the night, huh?!) No, you don't have any special knowledge, you just got lucky.

~The other one, was just hard. You did not do anything terribly and horribly wrong. Neither did that friend you had with the "naughty" or "out of control" toddler. It was just a harder child or a difficult stage and you were just seeing them at a bad moment.

~Everybody has bad moments. You might have to have a few kids before you see yourself have a bad moment. But wait, it is coming. Sometimes you see a mom in one of her horrid moments. Don't judge her. It is just a MOMENT. She is not actually crazy and it will pass.

~Even though you appear nuts, you love your kids and want MORE. Yes, your hands are full. No you can not afford them. Yes, you sometimes mix up their names. This is not actually an indicator that you have trudged too far down the path of insanity. It is just LIFE. And life can be hard, but children are still awesome. You see the beautiful moments, where everybody gets along and where there is just a touch of the divine in your home.

~There is a reason women with more than one child say things like, "Yes, but I have 4 kids!" like it is an accomplishment. Or the other thing those mom's say, "You only have one."
They are not actually trying to insult you. They just know that with only one child there are a few things that you might not understand yet. And the whole. "I have X amount of kids comment," well, it is kind of an accomplishment. And it does explain some things in your life. Like the the messy purse/car/ or emotional state.

So, to all those mom's out there who I looked at with horror as you yelled or lost patience or cried in public. I apologize. I get it. I am getting mine. Thank you for actually making it look easier than it really is. "

The bolded is my favorite one.

FAV.OR.ITE.

I 'get' this mama on every level.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

365 Days Of Triplets

I put together a slideshow instead of separate pictures. They are pretty much in age order. For the most part :) I haven't watched the whole thing yet. I keep crying :/

Rosalie Charlotte, Gwendolen Lucy & Emilia Jane
♥ Happy First Year Beautiful Girls ♥


1st Bday - slideshow dvd

Friday, November 19, 2010

**ONE WHOLE YEAR**

'hapy Birth Day to you....
happy Birth Day to you.....
happy Birth Day my dear Rosalie, Gwendolen & Emilia....
happy Birth Day to youuuuuuuu......'

365 days ago, our beautiful baby girls were welcomed earthside.

365 days ago, I became the mama to 9.

365 days ago, our love grew even stronger.

365 days ago, I felt my heart grow even larger.

365 days ago, our lives changed forever.

365 days ago, I finally felt whole.

365 days ago, we held 3 amazing miracles.

365 days ago, I smiled from my soul.

365 days ago, our hearts and souls formed a circle of 11.

365 days ago, I was happier than ever before.

365 days ago, our lives became complete.

I honestly never thought I would marry that 16 year old boy that called me on Halloween night and asked me out on a date. And I surely never dreamed I would carry 9 of his children earthside and 4 in my heart.

But wishes DO come true. I always wanted to be a mother. Always. That was the only life that felt right to me. For as long as I can remember.

I also always dreamed of having twins. I guess the longer you've wished for something, it multiplies. Thrice. I have my forever wish of twins plus a bonus of 1 more.

The Triskelon tattoo that I have, 13 tiny Triskelon running in a chain along my arm and one in the middle of my back may (or not) have something to do with it. In fact, I have no doubt it does.

Triskelon:


The three protrusions (legs, angles, branches, etc) are of significant symbolic importance. However, depending upon the era, region, culture, mythological history, etc...symbologists can have a challenging time defining the exact symbolic meaning of the three protrusions. The various representations of the three protrusions found in the triskelion include:

Spirit, Mind, Body
Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Mother, Father, Child
Past, Present, Future
Power, Intellect, Love
Creator, Destroyer, Sustainer
Creation, Preservation, Destruction

The Power of 3.


I just may have sealed our lives with some ink trailing my arm.


Happy Birth Day my beautiful baby girls.


Happy Birthing Day to me.


Happy Blessings to us all.


I'll post some then and now pictures within the next few days. :)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Fabric. Fabric. I Love Fabric.



Probably more than I love yarn (did I just say that outloud?!). I can, I kid you not, sit on the computer and look at fabric sites for HOURS. I (pretend to) fill up my cart full of beautiful fabrics by the yard. I have all these visions of things I want to make. In my dream world of more time to sit and sew, more money to buy the fabric and of course, more sewing talent.

I have 2 machine. My Grandma gave me one before she died, its in a cabinet and is pretty fancy for the year (I think it's a 70's Singer). I also have a 1958 black metal Singer that I LOVE. It's nothing fancy. Goes forward and backward but it does it so smoothly. It's easy to use and it gets good results. I tried a Serger and it was WAY too technical for me. I don't have the time/patience to learn something new right now.


I've actually only ever made a few things. 3 years ago, I made fleece pajama pants for all my kids for Christmas. 2 years ago, when we went to Sunriver, I hauled my machine with me and I made a huge bunch of pants for Annabel and Cassidy (my niece). I've also sewn a baby clutch ball toy some baby shoes, skirts, peasant tops, and a bag/purse.


I am by no means, an expert seamstress. But, I do like the more instant gratification of sewing versus knitting. Knitting a pair of pants takes me days. Heck, weeks lately. Sewing a pair of pants takes me an hour. And that is for reversible ones. And lately, with my daily schedule, instant results are so satisfying.


That fabric above will soon be 6 pairs of reversible pants for the triplets!