Introducing Our Sixth Messy Baby!

We are so incredibly blessed to introduce to you our sixth messy baby girl!

Meet Violet Rae!

Violet Rae

Miss Violet was born just over a week ago at the healthy weight of 8 pounds 6 ounces, our biggest baby yet. She’s absolutely perfect in every way with deep blue eyes, lots of dark hair, and delicious cheeks!

Precious baby feet

As anticipated, her sisters can’t get enough of her!

The triplets are especially fascinated with this new little person!

They constantly give kisses and want to hold her. So far, Lydia (our 2-year-old) has shown no signs of jealousy. The excitement of the bigger girls has rubbed off on her, and she, too, gives constant kisses.

Lydia holding Violet for the first time. And Lydia suddenly seems so big!

We’ve captured many of Violet’s sweet sleepy smiles already.

Smiling in Meemaw’s arms

And I’ve been having fun setting up photo shoots at home! 🙂

Violet at one week old

Violet in a violet tutu! 🙂

Yes, the baby messes have begun once again! And not only do I have several loads more laundry each day (how exactly does that happen with the addition of one tiny little person?), but Lydia has also decided that she’s a big girl now, ready to potty on the toilet. She noticed that the baby wears diapers, and she’s not a baby anymore! Translation: Now I have lots of toddler messes to clean up too! She’s doing well with it really, but there have been lots of little accidents here and there to mop up. Oh, the stories I could tell… Six messy babies keep this mama hoppin’!!! And, boy, do I look forward to this:

Sweet sleep

In all seriousness, Violet is another miracle to us, a testimony that God is actively involved in our everyday lives. (Check out a little bit of our infertility history here to see what I mean!) SIX GIRLS SIX AND UNDER! Who would have thought?! No, it’s not all sunshine and roses; we’re tired and busy, and Violet can cry with the best of them. But in the midst of it all, I’m trying to enjoy every cuddle, each sweet baby sigh, and all the tender sibling moments. We’re so very thankful for our newest addition, for this precious family that God has given us.

Thankful

I am most thankful for this.

My sweet five messy babies

And one with Daddy!

God has so richly blessed us!

Not only did we celebrate Thanksgiving last week, but also a very special birthday! The triplets turned…

Putting up just three fingers is so hard! 🙂

…THREE!!!

And a few more pictures just for fun!

They were so excited to have a berfday pawty! What they don’t realize is that it’s a party everywhere we go, every day of the year!

A Baby Changes Everything

Five babies change, well,… Is there more than everything? I’m amazed at how much life has changed since having children. Yes, there are the sleepless nights, sweet sloppy kisses, crazy tantrums, love I never knew I could feel… But I’m not talking about all that stuff, as wonderful (and trying) as it all is! I’m talking about how much my perspective and lifestyle have changed.

You see, when the triplets came along, I started thinking about ways I could save us money. We suddenly jumped from one child to four, and I became a stay-at-home mom, cutting out a good chunk of income. Somehow I stumbled upon the giant world of cloth diapers.

And that’s where it all began.

What started as a way to save us money turned into a more natural way of living. I never intended to become so green. It just happened more and more over time. Cloth diapers led to natural remedies, which led to natural cleansers for our home, laundry, and bodies, which led to making my own soap. Once I realized I could make a lot of the things that I used to buy in the store, intrigue and even excitement set in. Creating things from scratch is exciting! It’s domestic triumph! And when you succeed even once, it spurs you on. From making soap to designing soap molds, from crocheting hats to knitting scarves, from making cute hair bows to sewing. The satisfaction that comes from creating is addicting.

This is true in the world of cooking as well. I’ve always loved to cook and bake (which is one of the reasons I love to make soap; it’s just making and following recipes, after all). And lately, I’ve been cooking up a storm. Maybe it’s the change in weather. Fall beckons me to make chili and homemade bread and pumpkin muffins. Or maybe it’s all the fresh produce we’ve been getting this year. Our measly garden has actually produced a nice little crop of tomatoes and cucumbers, and our neighbors have generously shared with us a bounty of strawberries, peaches, corn, potatoes and apples. I’ve spent a large chunk of time making jam and pie fillings, and freezing and canning the tastes of summer. Once again, domestic triumph! Preserving natural goodness and cooking from scratch = victory! And it all tastes SO GOOD! It’s fun to pull real food out of the freezer. It’s fun to make yummy and healthy meals for my family. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not always easy. It takes planning and work. But it’s so worth the effort. 

Five short years ago, it would never have occurred to me to do these types of things! Food from scratch? Canning? Making freezer meals? Being only me and hubby back then, we were content to eat out a lot and throw in a few home-cooked meals every so often. Now, I find myself researching real food cooking and eating. Who knows? Maybe in another five years, we’ll be nearly self-sufficient! My hubs and I are already planning a bigger, better garden for next year, and we’re excited at the thought of including our kids in harvesting, cooking, and eating well. We’re hungry to learn, and we’re fascinated with how it all works. We certainly haven’t arrived yet! We still eat processed foods and get take out, but it’s becoming less frequent. I don’t know if our goal is to always eat all-natural, but we do want to be more natural. This is true of our lifestyle as well.

I’m beginning to feel a little bit Martha Stewart-ish. Or Amish, maybe. An Amish Martha Stewart. From crafting to cooking to making my own soap. But I’ll keep my electricity, please.

In all seriousness, we are so very blessed that God gave us these five babies who changed absolutely everything. We feel like God has called us back to Himself, focusing us on His creation and His intentions for our family, and showing us how He provides for us continually. He’s given us the desire and ability to do all of these things. We love to create because He loves to create. And it’s a fun process, all this creating! We’re thankful for all of the changes that have come with our five messy babies, and we’re looking forward to the changes that will keep coming as we all grow up together.