Things have been busy in our neck of the woods. Addy started school [I'm not ready to write about that one yet, although it has TRULY thrown us each for a loop schedule wise], we've had a few family bdays, some Christmas parties, beach days, regular swimming lessons, fun food adventures [both at home and out] and photo shoots that Lester has done.
























And of course, apart from that, lots and lots of growing. Bear is our big, easy going, sweet smiling boy. He rolls over, scoots out of his swing, is close to sitting up on his own, smiles and laughs often, and is an absolute pleasure. I think he take his job of making the world baby hungry very seriously-he cuddles with most everyone, unless he randomly wants something and then only wants me. He drools endlessly, and has a favourite spoon he likes to play with. He talks like he has something to say at all times, and loves his sisters and Luke better then most anyone. Our life is infinitely better now that he is here.







Isla is still out favourite firecracker girl. We both have been loving the more one on one time, although it makes her a little more emotional throughout the days when everyone home and I'm juggling again. But its been nice seeing her thrive academically, and develop her own hobbies and personality. She loves reading and doing cooking shows with me, then pretending she's the host and commentating when we are making lunch. She is so full of life, and fun and creativity. She is at that fun point in between being a baby and a big girl, in attitude and looks. She insists her full name is 'Isla Jane Huckleberry Chocolate Face Not Pace' and I swear, it gets longer every day. She is the friendliest girl in the world, and loves to laugh and make everyone else laugh. She likes to be babied and wants help with anything, whether she really needs it or not, so we are working on being independence. She brings the wonder and our imagination to our lives, and we love it and love her.





Addy is basically a teenager haha.  She is very interested in fashion and art, and she is dealing with a lot of change better then many adults. She constantly surprises me with her maturity, and teenage attitude. She cares very deeply about everyone and everything around her, although she will try very hard not to show that. She is beautiful and puts her all into everything she does. She is compassionate, and also sarcastic.  She is very smart, and loves doing homework and learning new things. She is kind and funny, and we are working on not caring what other people think, and being confident in our own opinions and ideas. We love our Addy and miss her so so much during the day, although we are so happy to see her try to new things and thrive.



Lester and I are still working that grind, and enjoying this special time while our babies our young-we often think about what a gift they are, and how we feel that they are on loan to us from Heavenly Father till they are ready to spread their wings and fly off on their own. We are looking forward to Christmas and all the visitors and great things that come with that. Life is good! 

I want to talk about something uncomfortable here for a second.

Years ago, a boy crazy friend of mine asked our R.A. if being married was just 'the best thing ever'. She smiled [probably at our naivety] and said one of her favourite things was this- there were days where she felt down on herself or kind of dumpy-and he was still there. And days where he was the one who felt down and dumpy-and she was still there. So in a weird way, it kind of evened out, so neither of them had to feel like they were holding the other back, and they still felt loved and supported on their good days, and not so good days. I remember she laughed at our wide eyes and polite responses, realising that this wasn't the answer we were expecting...but now?

I get that. Everyone has moment where they feel a tiny bit down on themselves. I never like to talk about weight, bc its such a personal, sometimes tender subject for everyone. But I think maybe that adds to the taboo nature of it, and therefore can create, and then become a problem. I grew up in a home where weight was never something I ever thought of. I don't know if I just had a huge ego, or an overt sense of self or what, but it wasn't really something I considered too terribly much. I never felt skinny, but I never felt fat and I was happy with who I was and where I was at. I ate what I wanted and what was around [which was often baked yummies], and and didn't think to much about it. Both in high school and beyond. Which I think was both healthy for my self esteem and image, but also unhealthy in creating good habits for the long run.

My point is, I think right now, I'm feeling like its my turn to be in the dumpy phase. Lester and I have spent over a decade together [some of that married, some of it not] and we have both fluctuated with our fitness goals and our weight. Before we found out we were pregnant with Bear, I had this nice year where I felt like I finally had things figured out a bit. Enough so that I was able to do things like my hair and makeup, prepare delicious, healthy meals and work out some. At the time, Lester was on the opposite end of that. And then, in true Lester fashion, once he committed to new fitness goals, he was all in. So for a hot second, we were on the same train and direction. And it was nice. And then I found out I was pregnant-which was wonderful. But obviously, life changing, in regards to all our lives, but also my health. Apart from the healthy lifestyle and the few pounds I had lost before hand, I was suddenly unable to keep virtually anything down. I lost 17 lbs in the first trimester, and like with Isla, the nausea lasted till near the end of the 2nd trimester, and never completely went away [thank you zofran for keeping me alive at that time!] And once I was able to keep things down, the only things I craved were fairly healthy. Things like arugula, all day every day, and oatmeal. In fact, the one time I craved carrot cake, I spent a night making it from scratch, only to have one slice and realise I couldn't eat more because I wanted more greens. I'm not saying this is a healthy way to go about things-it isn't. But that said, despite the baby weight, it was nice that Lester and I were on the same page for the time being-him by choice, me not. So for a while, that was that.

But now we are here, and I am back to learning how to balance three kids [all with different schedules and needs] and life in general, and keep my milk supply up-and the last thing I am thinking of is doing my hair or makeup, or taking time to make myself a healthy meal or work out. I know that I really SHOULD make time for these things-me time and all that ideal crap that people talk about. Its great, and some people make it happen-but its not realistic and not my priority these days. Right now, while I figure it out, my priority for 'my needs' are 1. showering alone, often enough to be somewhat presentable. and 2. extra sleep if the opportunity ever comes. [oh man, could you imagine how amazing a nap would be in the shower?] and then lastly 3. time to read. Just because I like it and it makes me feel like an adult for once, which I love and crave in this beautiful world of imagination and drool. I know I could switch one or two of these out with working out or creating some healthy dish. But I don't want to. Is that so wrong? I don't know. Maybe? I'm debating with myself on it.

I guess its just hard because I'm torn between absolute pride and happiness that my spouse has figured  out how this fits into his lifestyle, but also a little bit of worry that now I'm the weak link in the chain haha. Its just hard to watch him shed the weight and build the muscle [which he deserves and has/is working hard for] and then look in the mirror and realise that I am probably the only person in the world who gains weight AFTER pregnancy, bc I am so excited to be able to eat again, and bc I am always ravenously hungry after feeding my big, beautiful baby boy, and bc I eat what is at hand, which is often convenient food that is ready made, and also unhealthy. So for now, thats where I'm at.

All this said, I want to be clear that I'm not worrying about it to much. Honestly, thats one of the reasons I'm writing it down and getting it out of my system. It therapeutic and it helps me to remember that it isn't always going to be this way. Once I get the hang of three kids, and can start incorporating things, one at a time back into my life, I can figure it out.

And I know I always tell my other friends who are mothers that they need to remember to focus on the positive-that instead of thinking about all the things they or their bodies are lacking, they need to focus on what their incredible bodies are capable of-I mean-for goodness sake I just grew a HUMAN for crying out loud-its ok if it takes my body and mind time to bounce back from that. See-I feel better already!

I think I will always remember what that R.A. said all those years ago. It seemed like strange advice then, but to this day it still ring true. I'm grateful I have a spouse who takes my burdens, and allows me the pleasure of bearing his back. I love that there is always a shared dynamic and support in our marriage, and that he is the person to ride this wave with me-right now, while I'm feeling a bit down, and later on when he may be.

Its break time-literally! A break from all the fun and craziness, a break from staying up too late because we want to catch up with all the guests, and a quick break from the holidays until we enter the next one. While I think we are all ready for it, I would redo it a million times over-I loved so much being able to spend so much time with my sisters and friends, and watch all our kids becoming best friends. That is what its all about.

As I mentioned in my last post, we loved having an impromptu visit from my sisters and their kids. It was nice that it was a bit of a longer one, because we were able to spend some days running around doing cool stuff, but also some just hanging out at home catching up and relaxing. And although we had to deal with our pretty easy going babies [who fed off of each other, leading two of them to start rolling over already!], I feel like the girls all had so much fun that they pretty much entertained each other, which meant we got to do the same haha! I particularly loved watching Addy & Audrey pal around together, posing and talking about accessories, and creating the chocolate club with my buddies Isla and Hannah [who PS is my new best friend-just ask her!] when we drove home from a hike one day. We spent a lot of time at the beach, got to watch Addy's tap performance, and see both Audrey and Addy in the Primary program.  All in all it was a great visit.

























In the end, when Hillary left, Rocio and her family joined-their time even overlapped for a few hours! Despite how often we talk, its actually been several years since we've seen each other [in fact, we EACH had two kids since then!]. So I cannot tell you how looking forward to this visit we all were. And of course, it was instant bond once again. We ended up meeting up throughout the week as often as possible, and loved every second of it. The girls loved having sleepovers in their room with Cali, and playing legos and play dough with the boys too. Still, I feel like its hard to say who had more fun-the kids, or us adults. I just love how EASY it is with them. We have so much in common and I loved it. A highlight for me was going to the store with Chio, sans kids, and having her teach me some cooking techniques.

Thanksgiving itself was crowded, and PERFECTLY smooth and fun! We had some 26 people here, and everyone contributed in some way it was a total blast. A good chunk of us headed over to the beach and played before coming home and digging into Ross's delicious turkey and all the other fixings. I even got to make pie, which always makes me happy. We visited with my in laws afterwards, before coming home and going into a few more days of visiting and fun.






















Another highlight was today-after saying a bittersweet goodbye to Chio and family, my parents and I headed over to the Christmas Dicken's Faire. It was a first for most of us, and it did not disappoint! The sets, outfits, plays, food, shows and everything were pretty amazing. The girls loved the Carousel and weird puppet show, and I loved the dancing at Fezzywicks and seeing Jacob Marley. I was so happy and grateful my parents included us in this fun thing!












Other then that, we've just been doing our usual. Some fun at the farmers markets, some visits with friends, some movies and book clubs, swimming and classes, working and chores, and other stuff. Now, we are going to enjoy a few weeks of routine, and try to get used to the new normal of having our Addy girl in school-but more info and tears on that later haha. I think I'm happy about that-I feel like by the time Christmas is here,  I will be more then ready for some more crazy fun visits!