Snow filled memories

We were finally hit with our first dose of snow and it was a big one! When Mason cried on Christmas because it was 70 and sunny, I told him that winter had just begun and I could pretty much guarentee that we would see our share of snow. Then comes Jonas! We probably got close to 20 inches in Ardmore. Since everything in Philly is in a fairly compact area the snow has no where to go but to pile high into people's yards. It pretty much causes everywhere to shut down for at least a day to get the roads in order. We took advantage of the being cooped up indoors. We watched plenty of movies and Addie's favorite, Sesame Street, which she lovingly calls "Elmo." We played games, built towers, and ate loads of food. The storm started on Friday night and continued through most of Saturday . We tried going out a couple of times but the winds were ripping through and the kids would only last 10-15 minutes before they froze. Poor Tommy was stuck outside shoveling the driveway for at least two hours. The guy was SORE on Sunday. He sucked it up for a good run of sleigh riding on Sunday though, when the wind broke and the temperature warmed up a bit. There wasn't much of a hill at the park by our house due to the amount of snow that we got but we managed to find a good spot that the kids slid up and down a few hundred times. Mason and Ellie LOVED it, Addie, not so much. She pretty much screamed for the entire hour that she was outside. It was as if she was trying to say "um what the hell is the cold wet stuff? Where is the warm sand and sun that I was born into?!!"

I am definitely not a cold weather girl. Give me the heat and the beach any day. But I did enjoy our first storm since being back east and I will always cherish the memories that we made. Here are a couple of shots from our weekend, including these deliciously warm chocolate chip cookies that I couldn't help but make. I mean we were trapped inside and we needed to eat, right?!

What is your favorite way to enjoy a blizzard? Would love to hear your favorite memories!

Xo

K

And baby makes 6!

The Bris Bunch is gaining a new member in July! We are rounding off the bunch to an even 6. Four children is something that tommy and I have always wanted, but, after Mason's prematurity and the Elizabeth's preterm scare and bed rest we weren't sure that we should try again. When we took that leap of faith and went for Addison we both thought "this is it" during the pregnancy. We were so thrilled that she was born healthy and full term (39 weeks!), but there was something in both of us that kept thinking maybe the fourth isn't out of our realm.  On hard parenting days I really thought that I should just stop at 3, but at the end of the night when I would tuck those little nuggets into bed something in me did not want to be done.

Given all of that, I started to panic when I got the double pink line.  Three kids is tough stuff, and now we are adding another?! I was just adjusting to life here and getting into a routine, but this threw me off my game. I felt terrible almost instantly.  I had terrible nausea which lasted all day.  I was beyond tired, but I had insomnia at night.  I would lay awake for hours on end stressing about how I was going to handle taking care of four little human beings.  Even after seeing the baby on the ultrasound I found myself scared.  I asked for a sign that this was the right decision.  That is when I realized that this plan is all greater than I am.  I get so wrapped up in my own decisions and the "what ifs".   It is hard to just have faith in what is supposed to be sometimes, especially when you have crazy pregnancy hormones doing acrobats on you every single day!  We are having a baby and giving our children another amazing person to grow up with.  What isn't wonderfully, magical about that?!

There are a few things that I have noticed about being pregnant for the FOURTH time!

1.)  The belly is no joke this time around.  By day 5 of pregnancy I had a belly the size of someone who was 3 months pregnant.

2.)  No wine or beer sucks.  Tommy is the permanent DD after this one- I had my turn for almost 4 years!

3.)  Hearing that heartbeat on the doppler is still the most magical sound in nature.  I will never tire of hearing the sweet noise of my baby growing inside of my body.

4.)  Newborn baby clothes!  Enough said :)


I look forward to sharing more about my pregnancy, baby Bris, and the Bris Bunch's winters in PA!
xo,
K