Merry Christmas, Love The Thompsons!

Whoooo-Weeee!  This has been a year.  Let's start from the beginning!

We started this year out by welcoming Sam on January 22nd!  It's crazy to think that a year ago we were still just a family of four.   The first few months were rough and all a bit of a blur, but we made it through another newborn stage.  Sam REALLY didn't like sleep, and Evie REALLY didn't like relinquishing her role as youngest child.  This picture below? Pretty much our life from January to April.

The past year Belle started her first organized sport.  Soccer.  I don't have a clue about soccer, other than you run a lot and kick a ball into a goal.  It's a good thing Belle has Paul, because I really hate running and can't kick anything straight to save my life.  Paul coached Belle's team this year.  Nothing entertains quite the same as six 5-year-old girls running around after a ball.  They all run in a swarm and more often than not the ball is kicked into the wrong goal.  We learned a WHOLE lot about Belle while watching her play soccer.  She is just as competitive as her mother, and we are going to have to teach her what it means to be part of a TEAM.

Belle also started DK this year (basically Young Fives).  This girl is meant for school.  I am always fascinated by what she is learning, and how much she retains.  She is JUST starting to sound out words.  As exciting as it is to watch Belle learn to read, I'll be real sad when Paul and I are no longer able to spell things out that we don't want to say it in front of the kids.  Belle might learn early on how to spell a cuss word or two.

Evie is...Evie.  The good Lord clearly has a lot to teach me, however He is certainly entertaining me along the way.  Evie is at this phenomenal age where everything she says is either hysterical, adorable, or makes me want to wring her neck.  I cannot get enough of listening to her language grow.  We started 2014 with her speaking "Evie-nese," and now she is telling stories and bossing us around as clear as day.  

Over the past year it's been fun to watch Evie balance this role as little sister to Belle and big sister to Sam.  She has managed Belle by learning what pushes her buttons, and Sam by pulling him around everywhere and making him laugh.  She is definitely my kid that can easily play with Belle or Sam and be equally entertained.

As mentioned earlier, Sam has been my toughest baby.  He struggled with reflux, and now we are in the process of getting the poor guy tubes.  He just can't seem to kick these ear infections.  The kid has definitely had a rough year.  I am hoping 2015 is much kinder to him.  It has been fun to add him as part of our family, and I could not imagine our family without our chubby boy with a head full of hair.

Nothing major with Paul and I.  2014 started out rough as Paul's department at Meijer was eliminated, which meant he needed to find himself a new position within Meijer or start to look elsewhere.  Thankfully, he found a great position within Meijer and we could stay right where we were at.  Starting out 2014 with a job loss and a new baby definitely put stress in our lives, but it feels good to close out this year much more settled and comfortable than where we started.  Needless to say, we have been growing a lot in our marriage this year.  I am beyond thankful for Paul's dedication to his family, and his hardworking spirit.

I am still the ring leader of this circus at home.  There are days I truly feel like I am on the verge of losing it, but then there are days where I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.  I feel thankful and blessed to be at home doing what I love with the people I love the most.  Alive, MOPS, crocheting, and church are still the outlets in my life that keep me sane.  And I could never live without my loyal friends, unconditional family, and a good bottle of wine. 

We want to wish all of you a fabulous Christmas, and blessings for 2015.  May God bless you richly and far beyond any expectation you could imagine!

Dear Mother of a Chronically Ill Child

Dear Mother of a Chronically Ill Child,

I thought a lot about you today.  I kept thinking about how you get through your days, how you don't lose it every hour, and how you find the energy every day to keep pushing forward.

I can't imagine what life is like for you.  Today I felt exhausted and exasperated as I heard the doc tell me that my son had yet another ear infection.  His 6th one in 12 weeks.  Over the past three months I have rocked him, given him meds, rubbed his ears, kissed his forehead, held him most of the day when he was a disaster, and attended more doctor appointments than I can count.  I have sat with an ache in my heart over the helplessness I have felt over being able to take away the pain from my son.  All over ear infections.  Ear infections...

I have no clue what it must be like to make a decision over chemo, radiation, medications, surgeries, and therapies that are all a hope and a prayer for a cure, or at least remission.

I have no idea what it must be like to watch as your child struggles through a pain they can't understand, and knowing that it may not ever go away.

I can't imagine the struggle it must be to try to care for things in the home that just have to get done, when you know you have a child who just needs their hand held, or their face rubbed.

I can't fathom trying to navigate the medical world with terminology and treatment options.  With second opinions and charts.  Trying to look at a doctor and just hope that they look at their patient as more than just someone to treat, but as someone's baby.  Your baby.

I can't imagine trying to juggle that "Mother's Instinct" with what experts are telling you.  Trying to take what you know in your gut about your child and fit it into what you are learning and hearing about their diagnosis.

I can't imagine the fears.  The "what ifs," the "I'm not going to let my mind go there," the "It's not going to happen..."

And that guilt.  Oh, the mom guilt, the wife guilt.  Are you doing enough?  Are you doing too much?  What about our other kids? What about my spouse? What if we choose wrong?

Ha, and what about nicely managing all the "advice" others want to give you.  Is it comical how everyone becomes some sort of "expert" on what your child is going through and how it should be handled?

But then there are those that just help.  There are people who help, and for some reason you feel guilty because you aren't sure how to repay them...and yet, you know they don't want to be repaid.

I don't know how you find energy to go to another doctor appointment, to schedule things around your career, or find places for the other kids to go.

And I am certain there is begging, bargaining, and the pleading with God.  Praying He would heal your child or at least let you trade places.

I am not sure how you do it, Mom.  I am not sure how you get up each day and work to put that smile on to be strong for your family, and for your child.  I am not sure how you hold it together when you have no clue what the future holds.  And, to be honest, I am sure you don't hold it together real well on many days.  I assume you spend moments crying in the shower because no one can see you and you can just let it out without being questioned or consoled.

Mother-of-a-Chronically-Ill-Child, I hurt for you from the tiniest taste of watching my own child suffer.  My heart physically aches to try to imagine what it is like for you to care, to give, to journey with your child.  You watch your child fight, and you fight alongside them, not knowing how the battle will end.

Your child?  Your child is a warrior.  But you?  You, dear Mom, you are a hero.

Samuel John: 10 Months

Double digits!  I seriously feel like you JUST turned 9 months old.  How did this happen?

This past month has been one of milestones.  You have been crawling all over the place.  Not only that, you are now pulling yourself up and even climbing steps.  I have to admit that I am not ready for this stage.  I dread it.  After your sister, Evie, and her terrible luck with steps I am on high alert with you.

This past month has been a rough one for you as far as health.  You have had another double ear infection, as well as another single ear infection just a couple weeks later.  We finally have you on a new antibiotic and you are a new kid.  I am hoping we are on the mend!  One more ear infection and we are going to have a serious discussion about putting tubes in your ears.

As far as food, you really aren't too picky.  You eat most of what I put on your plate.  Hopefully, that won't change as you get older.

You still remain an early riser.  Oy!  You are usually awake between 5am and 6am.

You LOVE the bath.  This is my go-to activity for you when you are crabby and still have some time before you need to go to bed.  You actually love the bath even more when Evie is in there with you, because she makes you laugh the most out of anyone!

Your most favorite toy is a balloon.  Evie got some for her birthday and a sure fire way to keep you happy is to throw a balloon in your hands :-)

You celebrated your first Halloween as an owl.  You were pretty darn cute! You never actually did any trick or treating, but we enjoyed dressing you up anyway.

And, yup, your hair is still phenomenal.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Evelyn Joy!

Happy Birthday, Ev!!

My sweet girl, you have proven that you have just as much spunk and personality as you do fearless energy.  This past year has been such a pleasure to watch you learn and explore this world around you.  This year....

1. You became a big sister.  It depends on the day what KIND of big sister you want to be but you have been so much fun to watch.  There are days you grab Sam by the arm and drag him across the floor, and then there are the days you tickle him in his car seat to help him laugh when he is crying.
   
2. You are hand down THE BEST snuggler in this house. I love how you grab your paci (which we need to get rid of soon!!!), your blanky, and ask if you can "nuggle" me. It makes my heart ache a little now just thinking about it.
   
3. You still have phenomenal hair.  Girlfriend, your hair is gorgeous.  You had your first hair cut this year, which made you lose some of those curls, but your hair is something to be jealous of.
   
4. Your favorite pastime is antagonizing Belle.  You simply cannot help yourself.   
5. You are my kid that loves pretend play.  You will grab your Anna and Elsa Barbies and play with them for over an hour coming up with your own crazy scenarios.
6. Although it is gone now, you used to speak "Evie-nese."  You would chat and chat and chat, and most of the time we literally had no clue what you were saying.  I miss it.
7.  You are a really great helper.  You pick up your toys most the time that I ask, you love to help me dust, and you want to sit right in the kitchen while I am cooking (and you ALWAYS have to crack the eggs).  You surprise me with how well you follow directions!
8. This past year has been rather calm when it has come to your injuries.  Your last set of stitches was Christmas Eve, and since then things have calmed down a bit.  I am certain that it is NOT because you are less fearless, but you are just more coordinated.
9. You very rarely eat a meal that is put in front of you.  You would much rather graze on everyone else's plates. Drives me crazy!
10. You still absolutely love the water.  Thank goodness we got you into Miss Rita this summer to get you some lessons.  You kinda know what you're doing now!
11. Belle is your best friend.  I adore watching you two play. 
    
12. Potty training you was much easier than it was your sister.  You still have struggles, but overall you're getting it.  I look forward to a day that this house is "Pull-Up Free."
13. Your favorite movie this past year (other than Frozen) is Extremely Goofy Movie.  My favorite part of this is that you refer to it as "Goofy Sad," because there is a part in this movie where Goofy is sad and you cry along with him.  For some reason you love it.
14. You have given up on napping.  This usually means that about 2 times a week I can find you on the couch at 4:00 zonked out.
    
15. You are a biter, scratcher, puncher, and hitter when you are mad.  I cannot tell you the number of times the neighbor kids have told on you for hurting them when you aren't happy.  Eventually, I just started telling them to hit you back.
16. I love my mornings with you when Belle leaves for school and Sam takes a nap.  It's hard to get one on one time, and hanging out with you by yourself is so much fun.
    
17. You love to dance still, but you always want a partner to twirl you around.  Gladly!
18. You love to put people in time out.  "1..2..GO IN TIME OUT!"  Your dad and I think it's really cute, but it usually makes your sister cry.
19. You love to dress yourself.  50% of the time your pants are inside out, your underwear is sideways, and your shirt doesn't match.  I seriously love everything about it, and will miss it when you can dress yourself the "right" way.
20. You have earned yourself the nickname "Gremlin," and rightly so. You are so cute, but quickly turn and wreak havoc all over the house! 
    
21. I always tell people that whether you love someone or are angry at someone, you do so passionately.  You will hug me tight, but when you are mad you have no problem throwing things or hitting someone.  
22. I love that you wait outside with Belle every morning for the bus, and then wave her off when she gets on.
23. I think you would wrestle all day if we had the energy to keep up with you. Girl, you have more energy to burn than I can handle!
24. You love to sit next to me and watch me put on my make up.  You also REALLY love digging through my make up and putting it on yourself.  
    
25. You love to blame others for things we know 100% that you did.  For example, I caught you after you spilled nail polish on the carpet in our bedroom.  You INSISTED that Belle did it, even though you know I saw you..
26. You cannot wait to do the things that Belle is doing.  You constantly ask when you get to ride the bus, when you get to go to school, and when you get to get your ears pierced.  Unfortunately, it's going to be like this our whole life.  You will always watch Belle do thing first, which can be tough, but I promise you will be glad someday that you have some to talk to who has gone through experiences first.  
27. You are a junk food addict.  You would eat pizza, mac and cheese, french fries, and candy all day long.  In fact, you already love Diet Coke and try to steal mine at every chance you get.  
    
28. You love to play and do a really good job playing independently.  Whether it is dress up, Play-Doh, dolls, or Barbies you are a kid that knows how to enjoy life.  
29. If you could, you would be naked all the time.  You love nothing more than to run around the house with your bare buns hanging out.  
30. I absolutely LOVE my little conversations with you.  That is truly the biggest difference I have seen this past year.  You have become chatty and you love to share your thoughts.  I hope that this never changes.

Evie, you are beautiful, hilarious, and such a joy to parent (most days!).  I can't believe that you are 3 already!  Although I love your strong personality, I sure pray that your threes aren't as crazy as your twos!  You, my girl, keep us on our toes :-)

Happy Birthday!!!

Samuel John: 9 Months

Welp, it's official.  You have been out in this world as long as you were in my belly growing.  Crazy how fast time goes!

This past month was a big month for you.  You got two teeth in within days of each other, and JUST today you got in a tooth on top.  And, I am certain you have already figured out how to grind them together because I keep hearing it and it's making me cringe a little.

A few weeks ago you were baptized.  Bepa baptized you and we had our entire family and many friends there.  You were a champ through the whole thing.  You never cried and even flashed your dimples at the entire congregation.

You are still so close to crawling, but not quite there yet.  This doesn't mean that you can't move, because you get yourself everywhere by rolling and scooching backwards.  You can also go from rolling on the ground to sitting yourself up.  I am certain that crawling is going to happen any day now, and then it is time to get all those baby gates out!

You are by far my largest baby yet! At your last well child appointment you topped the scale at 23.3lbs and you were 29.5" long...putting you at the 95th percentile for weight and the 90th for height. I think maybe your large size is the delay on the crawling :-)  That is a while lot of weight to drag around!  I absolutely love my "Fat Baby."

You have pretty well moved on to eating finger foods.  You are a tough kid to feed, because you just want to hold the spoon, or you bite down and won't give it back.  Therefore, I pretty much cut everything we eat up into tiny pieces for you, and you are perfectly content feeding yourself.

You are my earliest riser compared to your sisters at your age, which means that I have had to be much more relaxed with how I work your schedule.  You are usually up by 5:30 am, give me two naps during the day, and are back to sleep by 5:30/6pm.  I am pretty sure it is the plight of the 3rd kid, but you seem to be pretty flexible with your schedule and often have to get woken up or stay awake longer due to your sisters' schedule or other things we have happening.  Ha, or maybe it's the fact that the 3rd time around I am even more relaxed! ;-)  Probably a little bit of both!

9 months in!  Whew, that has gone fast. And, seriously, look how handsome you are!

Samuel John: 8 Months

Nothing major to report this month.  Developmentally, you are sitting up better, and you are DYING to crawl. You pivot around on your belly, but you haven't quite figured out how to move forward. I can tell it drives you nuts, because you get cranky real fast when you can't get to where you want to.

This month you were diagnosed with your first ear infection.  Actually, you had a double ear infection and the doctor said that one of them was close to bursting.  I was SO thankful I trusted my gut instinct. To all those moms out there--if you think something is wrong go with it.

This month you have become much better at feeding yourself. It actually gives me another "activity" to do with you to help you not get cranky. You love to sit in your booster, shove food in your mouth, and watch your sisters and I run around you.

You are such a fat baby, and I LOVE it. Your thighs are phenomenal!  You are currently in 12 months clothing (21.6lbs), but I have a feeling you will be in 18 months soon. You aren't as much of a squishy baby as you are a stout baby! I cannot get enough of it.

You just got yourself a second hair cut. It is still your trademark and people comment on it all the time. You will always be "Little Elvis."

Thanks for your killer smile, you little laughs, and your snuggles. 

Happy 5th Birthday, Isabelle Mae!

5 years. How in the world did we get here? Some days I feel like I have always been a mom, and then other days I feel like I was just in the hospital holding you in my arms scared to death and beyond in love. Happy 5th Birthday, sweet girl.

This past year I feel like you have truly grown by leaps and bounds, and everyday you amaze me at the person you are becoming.

1. This year you have become so much more independent.  You like to do so much on your own, and you are GOOD at it. You remind me every day how much less and less you need me to do things for you.
2. My girl, you are an athlete. You picked up the RipStick in Traverse City and haven't stopped. You started soccer a couple weeks ago and you are "that girl" on the team who is scoring all the goals and even elbowing her own teammates to get to the ball.  We will most likely have to discuss what it means to be part of a team, but for now it's fun to watch your competitive side.
3. I never knew how much I would rely on you when Sam was born.  You became an extension of myself in a smaller person form.  Sam was born and you literally became my extra set of hands. You hold his bottle, you bring me diapers, you pick out his clothes, and you entertain him. You have taken the role of "big sister" to an entirely new level. 
   
4. Now, with Evie, it is a different story. I am so sorry about how much abuse you have to tolerate at the hands of your sister.  Evie isn't nice to you.  She is an antagonist, and you are the world's easiest target.  Someday you will understand why I keep telling you to ignore her. 
   
5. Music is still something you absolutely love. Whether you are belting out every lyric to "Let It Go" at Silver Lake Resort & Campground  or making up your own song it's obvious that music has a place in your heart.
6. You love school. I am pretty sure that it's all the crafting, playing, and coloring. 
   
7. A few weeks ago you took your first of many rides on the school bus. You were confident and excited and hopped on without looking back. I, however, was a sobbing mess the entire walk back to the house. To me, riding the bus was such a HUGE reminder to me of how quickly you are growing.
   
8. You still ask me questions about God. We have had to work through the ones where you tell me you want to die so you can go to Heaven, but watching you grow in your faith has helped me grow in mine.
9. You are still the drama queen of the family. I am amazed at your ability to go from 0 to 60 over basically nothing. You are also able to turn the tears off at the drop of a hat. 
10. This year I have loved watching you conquer your fears. You used to be so scared of the water, but after swim lessons with Miss Rita it was hard to get you OUT of the pool. 
11. Although I feel I am learning to give you more independence, I am also learning that your age is still very unpredictable.  One of the scariest moments I have ever had as a parent was a few weeks ago when you and the neighbor girl decided to ride your bikes to Target while I was inside bathing Sam and Evie. Within 10 minutes you and your little buddy had trekked your butts down to the Target parking lot, played around for a bit, before some VERY nice people decided to help escort you home. I will never forget the look on your face and the conflicted feelings I had. I was SO relieved, yet so angry. I am sure there will be many more of moments like that to come, but for now I am keeping a closer eye on you!
12. You are such a sappy kid. You get teary eyed anytime I mention about how big you are getting. It cracks me up that you are able to relate to this emotion (or at least mimic it.)
13. You are already particular with your clothes. We have had many morning arguments about what you are going to wear. I often pick my battles, but sometimes matching your clothing isn't SO bad.
14. I love that you are still convinced that you are going to marry you cousin, Owen.
15. You love going on dates with your dad and it makes me smile. He takes you to get donuts at Marge's, and I am quite impressed with how good you share that time when Dad invites Evie along too.
    
16. I love watching your creative side. You are in that stage of life where everything is make believe, and you love to "pretend." It's hilarious to watch the mob of neighbor girls outside running from one end of the road to the other playing out one scenario after another.
17. You are a yeller.  The minute you are mad about something you let the lungs go and it hurts my ears. You also have a hard time calming down once you are this mad. Needless to say, we don't get along too well when you do this.
18. I love the different ways you talk with Evie. There are moments where you are screaming and yelling at her because she IS your worst enemy. Then there are the moments you talk to her like she is a baby and your voice is sweet and syrupy.  I am pretty sure you do this because it makes you feel like you are the superior older sister.
    
19. This past year we moved your bedroom downstairs and you didn't skip a beat. I was worried that you would be scared and not like it, but in many ways I feel that it is just the personal space you need.  
20. Unfortunately, you have still proven to be so much like your mother with you ability to literally lose everything that comes into contact with you. Fairly certain that we will find lost shoes for years to come.
21. You never remember to grab your back pack. Never. You will leave it in every minivan that drops you off. I am actually rather shocked it makes it off the bus with you.
22. You just got your ears pierced and thoroughly impressed me with how tough you are. I am pretty sure I was more nervous than you. You decided you wanted them done and never looked back. You handled it like a champ and you LOVE showing your "rainbow daisies" off.
    
23. Your favorite iPad games are Minecraft and Scribblenauts. I am fairly certain that it is because of Scribblenauts that you know how to spell a ton of words already.
24. You STILL love the snow even after last year's winter. Thank goodness you were born in Michigan.
25. Your newest thing is to tell me that you can't walk, or bend down, etc when I ask you to complete a chore. Keep trying.
26. This past summer you learned to ride a 2 wheel bike. You then proceeded to wake up each morning and ride that bike up and down the neighborhood for hours and hours. I have never seen you more proud or eager to "show off" your skills.
27. Your favorite color is still purple. I am certain it always will be.
28. I absolutely love one on one time with you. You are getting to the age where we can have some really great conversations and you ask awesome questions. I look forward to how much more fun this will be as you continue to get older.
29. I love that we chose to send you to DK instead of Kindergarten and you never skipped a beat. I thought you might be upset knowing you'd be in Kindergarten next year without Owen and Maia, but you talk about it openly and seem to have no problem with this. It's such a great reminder of the things adults can get worked up over that kids handle with great resilience. 
    
30. You are my heart, sweet girl. These past 5 years you have strengthened me, challenged me, enriched me, and have made me see life from a new perspective. I am so grateful to you for the love you give to me, and I cannot believe that God chose ME to be your mom. You are spectacular and I can only imagine how much more in love with you I will be in another 5 years.
    

I love you!

Mom

Samuel John: 7 Months

7 is Heaven!  7 months is one of my most favorite ages!  For one, you aren't moving quite yet, however, you are starting to sit up, so you are more easily entertained. I love watching you reach for toys, and every once in awhile get stuck because you have fallen backwards or face planted into the carpet.  Sorry, I find it cute :-)

You are consistently sleeping through the night!  Wahoo! You usually go to bed between 6 or 7 and will sleep straight until 5:30. I never thought you'd be sleeping through the night by 6 months, let alone consistently! I feel like a new woman!

You continue to try new foods, and you have started a little self-feeding. Baby Mum Mums have become a staple in this home and they are a great way to distract you when you are getting crabby in the car.  So far, you aren't much of a picky eater. I haven't found a food yet that you do not like. I sure hope this continues!

A few weeks ago you spent your first night away from me. You did great!  Meme took you for the night, so your dad and I could have a date night and hang out with friends. Even though you're my 3rd, I think that first night away is always a little bittersweet.

This past month you got your first haircut! Your hair has always been quite the talking piece, but it was time to clean it up a bit. Parts of the sides were really long, and the front was getting in your eyes. Can't say you were overly thrilled about your new 'do, but you look so handsome!

I love watching you hit new milestones, and I love watching you grow--I will say that I am still VERY content with you having very little movement!  Ha!  I'm not ready to put those baby gates back up quite yet!

My New Business Venture

I have never been someone who was interested in the direct sales route.  To be quite honest, I never really liked the idea of having to be a saleswoman and begging my friends to host parties to help me sell my products.  I know some people who do this very well, but I have also known people who have done this extremely poorly (and yes, I have hidden a few people on Facebook for filling up my newsfeed with their incessant posts).

Welp, I am here to announce that I have recently signed on to be a Younique Independent Presenter.  I am kind of surprised at myself, but the decision to sign up up seemed like a good fit and something I could absolutely do. What is Younique?  Basically, tt is a direct sales cosmetic company.  We are most known for our 3D Lash Fiber Mascara--the stuff is pretty much amazing.  However, we also have blush, eye pigments, concealer, moisturizers, etc.  

Being a stay at home mom is a job I feel very blessed to have, however there are days I wish I could do more to contribute to the family financially. I have a small crochet business that has helped, but it seems that it takes me a good 9-12 months after having a baby for me to get back into the groove of making hats and playing with yarn.  I love to crochet, but at the end of the day my hands just don't want to be busy anymore.

I had been seeing things for 3D Fiber Lash Mascara parties in my Facebook newsfeed, and after being invited to one by a friend I decided to take the plunge and purchase this miracle stuff.  Once on the web page I began to read more about Younique, their mission, and their products.  I LOVED that their sales approach was very social media driven.  As many of you know, I love me some Facebook!  I could TOTALLY get into that. 

Direct sales has never appealed to me before because it required home parties, which meant time away from my family.  Paul and I are already insanely busy and I didn't want to start taking multiple nights away from each other. After speaking with Paul that I was interested in Younique he was encouraging and told me to go for it.  That was all I needed.  I signed on that night after speaking with another presenter about the requirements. The funny thing is that I still hadn't tried a single product!  

I waited anxiously for my presenter kit to arrive. I was a nervous. What if I just spent $99 to sell some stuff that I hated???  I couldn't possibly try to sell products to my friends if I felt like I couldn't stand behind it.  Besides, they'd probably keep wondering why I wasn't using it myself. Thankfully, the kit came and I gave it a whirl. I was more than thrilled with the 3D Fiber Lash Mascara. Thank goodness!  It truly is an amazing product, and the pictures all over the internet really live up to the hype! My next favorite product were the eye pigments. I've always loved to play around with shadows, but for some reason they would always clump in my crease or blend awfully. Not Younique's pigments!  I actually feel like I have some shadow applying skills when I finish my eyes!

This business stuff is all kind of awkward for me, but I am giving it a whirl.  I really like the Younique products and look forward to having my own "thing" to help the family out (as well as the discount!).  I hope to not bog up any one's Facebook newsfeed too much, but you might see a post from me here and there.  I've created this Facebook business page if you want to check it out.

PLEASE don't assume that this is just another salesperson trying to make a buck.  Based off of my experience with the Younique products I am impressed and totally stand behind them. I'm not out looking to hound people.  I am excited about helping add to the family cash flow, but I also think this stuff is pretty awesome.  I hope I can convey that.

If you're interested in purchasing any products, you can do so by shopping here.

If you'd like to earn free product, then I'd LOVE to help you host a Virtual Facebook Party.  It's really easy and you can do so here.  I help you out every step of the way.

In the meantime, let me answer any questions you might have!  And, obviously, this post wouldn't be complete without a lovely tutorial of the 3D Fiber Lash mascara and some before and after pics.  Enjoy!

Samuel John: 5 AND 6 Months

So, I am certain this is the plight of being the 3rd child, but I forgot to write an update at 5 months.  Therefore, this is going to be a combined update!

At 5 months you proved to us that you are a versatile sleeper.  We stayed in a hotel and you slept like a champ!  You also had your first camping experience and slept fairly good for that too!  I am thankful that you are pretty easy going when it comes to where you will fall asleep.  During this month you napped great, but the nights were still rough.

You took your first trip to the annual Huizinga vacation to Traverse City.  Unfortunately, you weren't the happiest baby while we were there (which we have since learned is because you have reflux).

Here we are at 6 months and I am amazed at how much you've changed!  You are constantly rolling over to you belly and have now become a stomach sleeper.  Who knew??  As soon as we put you to bed, you roll to your belly, put your thumb in your mouth and you zonk out.  I love it.  You are sleeping MUCH MUCH MUCH better at night now.  Thank the Lord!!  You have also shown that you do a great job sleeping in the Ergo.  We are able to go on outings during your nap time and you will fall asleep while I'm carrying you.  I love it!

We finally figured out that you have reflux.  We started you on Zantac early this month and you became a new baby.  The mom guilt in me was bad for waiting so long to get you relief, but I am thankful there was a reason for how crabby you have been the past 6 months.  Poor buddy.  You were in pain!

You just weaned a couple of weeks ago.  I think we were both ready to be done.  You were being supplemented more and more by formula.  You were becoming fussy when you nursed (which may be due to the reflux now that I think about it), and there was a part of me ready to have my body back.  I always thinking that ending nursing is bittersweet.  So far you haven't skipped a beat to being solely bottle fed!

This past month we started some solids and you are doing great with them.  You seem to like them and the girls love to try to help feed you.

Speaking of your sisters, they are becoming more and more intrigued by you.  They love that you are becoming more interactive.  You laugh and smile at them often.

At your 6 month well child visit you were 18 lbs, and ended up being 75th percentile for both height and weight.  At your 4 month you were 50th for height and weight so you are getting bigger faster!  Your head size is in the 97th percentile, but that's not surprising at all :-)

Can't believe you have already been here half a year.  It's going so quick!