life as a mom is busy...

dearest loves,

a life as a mom is so busy. it's full of washing clothes, doing dishes, tending a house, going to work, folding clothes, packing bags, making meals, cleaning up toys, giving medicine and baths, and folding diapers. it is also full of kissing boo-boos, wiping tears away, giving time-outs, kissing foreheads, dancing silly, laughing till i cry, being a tickle monster, playing at the park, snuggling, sharing snacks, jumping, running, chasing, and singing. it's a big job. it's a difficult job. it's the best job. it's a job i wanted and longed for, for so long. a job that felt so far away; a job that felt as if i was just too ill-equipped to hold. then just like that, within just a couple years, God blessed me and entrusted me with two beautiful souls who have become so much a part of me that i can't remember what life was like without them. those two little ones are you, buel and amiette. and i will feel this way if God blesses us with anymore little feet and hands to add to our mix. God has been so good to us and deserves all honor, praise, and glory. i should know better that God knew the perfect hour and minute to bring each of you into the world. i am so thankful.

buel: my little bundle of energy. you are so incredible. each day you say more words. you do more things. you grow just a little more. you are an amazing big brother and i'm so glad that you love your sister. it took a little bit to adjust, but you've really embraced the job and you are really good at it. thank you for loving and caring for your sister the best way you know how, at the age of 2! your hair was trimmed recently but its still shaggy and curly. you simply have the best hair around! your smile is contagious and you have different laughs for different things. you have a silly laugh for when you're being silly, you have a belly laugh for when something is really funny or you're being tickled, and you have a machine gun laugh for when you're punchy and tired. you run around, jump, dance, sing, and play with your friends brayden and lahna. you love to play with your cousins carter and evan and they love to play with you, even though they are much older. your favorite show is still paw patrol. however, you love to watch daniel tiger, little einsteins, and dinosaur train as well. you frequently wake up in the morning and start singing... "gonna riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide the dinosaur train!" it's so cute. you eat a lot. you drink a lot of water. you play a lot. you laugh a lot. you smile a lot. and you sleep like a champ! all-in-all, you're amazing. i love you!

amiette river: i'm terrible and have not wrote out your birth story or even announced your arrival here on my blog. bad mommy. but i have even less time to sit and write out my letters that are always on my heart, because i'm busy corralling your brother, nursing, holding, snuggling, and loving you. you are amazing. you were born on december 10, 2015 at 9:41am. you weighed 7lbs 8.2 oz and were 20.5 inches long. when they laid you on my chest, the first words i spoke to you were i love you and then immediately i sang to you, "Jesus loves me." i hope you always know that Jesus loves you! we spent a few days in the hospital together, mostly just you and me as daddy and your grandma - "tu-tu" mo took care of your brother at home. when you came home, life never slowed down. we got to know each other very well and very quickly. you slept on my chest the first few weeks of your life because that's all you wanted. honestly, it's all i wanted too. your first holiday was christmas and then new years. everyone in the family instantly fell in love with you, almost as fast as mommy and daddy did!

you and i took a sad, yet beneficial and much needed trip to california when you were 6 weeks old to bring some love, light, and joy to tu-tu's heart and the rest of our extended families. your sweet great aunt kelly passed away before she got the chance to meet you. but she loved you so much, even from a great distance. she was proud of you and loved you! after our time in california we came home and basically hit the ground running. mommy had to jump back into work and so that means going, going, going, and going. you are such a trooper. you and your brother. you get worn a lot on my chest with our ring sling. THANK GOD FOR BABYWEARING! i don't know how i'd function without being able to wear you. oh amiette, there is just so much i'd love to write and say... but it will have to wait. you're currently down with your first fever and cold. i keep hearing you cough and it breaks my heart. Lord please protect my babes from the sinus and lung problems i've had my entire life.

today you turned 3 months old. your eyes have not picked a color yet, your hair is dark brown, you are a peanut wearing 3 month clothes but can still fit into some 0-3 months. you smile and talk a lot. we don't get a lot of floor time because i'm afraid of your brother stepping on you, but you have really good head control and strength. you sleep through the night, all on your own doing! THANK YOU and thank you, Jesus! you take meds for reflux. you wake up smiling. you sleep loudly and wake-up just as loudly. you nurse every 2-3 hours during waking hours. you're just an incredible little person who i love most ardently. thank you for coming into our lives. you are such a blessing.

so buel and amiette, thank you. thank you for being you. thank you for joining us and helping to make this ride of life more interesting and sweet. the next upcoming months are going to be interesting as we have a big move, big changes of scenery and living quarters, and hopefully more family time. i hope to write more sooner rather than later. but until then, always know that i hold you in my heart. always.

love you,
mommy.