Hey friends! I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to update this blog, but I'm going for it.  It's been a wild last few months- settling in the new house, trying to get the baby to sleep through the night, and, you know, just surviving!

This pretty much sums it up, haha:

yes. yes.  

Speaking of this sweet little fourth child (did I mention that we found out "Tessa" means "fourth child"? cool!!)
Poor baby girl, over 6 months have gone by and hardly a picture of her anywhere on this blog! I must make up for lost time....

 She's cruisin' around, more rolling than crawling, but she manages to get pretty far on her own. (read: she is often under the chair or face down on the wood floor before I notice she's moved off her soft blanket where I placed her...oops). And she looks at me like "Mom, whatcha doin!?"

A few more of this little sweetie pie: 

Summer is in full swing, so that means four little crazies in the house all day every day!! Love it :) 

 

I mean, strange things are happening around here. And sometimes Dan and I look at each other and telepathically communicate that we have lost all control. Things like-
...a three year old walking around saying "pee-poop-pee-poop-pee-poop......" just because he's been told not to use potty words
...looking for Dan's wallet for 20 minutes and finally finding it in the guest bathroom trashcan (experience tells us to look in such places)
...my 7 year old gets online and places a hold on the "Bob Marley and the Wailers-Greatest Hits" CD from the public library 
...or hearing giggles from the upstairs bathroom and going up to find three little people taking turns pressing their buns up against the shower door and laughing hysterically
...or when William found Ellie's science project in the garage (see image below) and decided it was a good idea to take a big swig of this tasty treat:

 (we have since taught them that the first rule of science is: if you don't know what it is, don't eat it. Caleb had to learn this one the hard way also- when battery acid leaked from his Wii remote and he wiped it on his face, because "well, whenever I have water on my hands I just wipe it on my face"......i seriously wonder how their little minds work. We've just stopped asking 'why'....) 

...or when #3 took my huge kitchen knife out of the dishwasher and started sawing away at our new leather chair. Thus our mantra, "we can't have nice things." Why don't we ever learn?????
(before you freak out: yes, everyone is ok. no major injuries- except perhaps some mental scarring from my reaction)
...or when I subsequently locked myself in the bathroom for 15 min while the kids banged on the door.  What does mommy have to do to get a time out around here? SOS.
...or this. The picture says it all:

I should never trust them when they are being quiet during rest time!

And then they turn around and be so darn cute, I can't help but snuggle and kiss 'em and thank God that He chose me to raise them!

Getting Tessa to sleep through the night was a true challenge.  She definitely held out longer than any of the other kids. We were so delirious that one night Tessa woke up and I asked Dan if he changed her diaper, and he said..."Yeah...or....was that a dream? Oh, yeah I dreamed that....so no".  Or one night (when Tessa was about 3 months old) I went in to find all of her little pillows and stuffed animals thrown out of the bed and on the floor.  Dan's theory: "I think she wakes up and is scared of her stuffed animals..." Oh my. We're teetering on the edge, people.

 

Actually, the turning point with sleeping came when I took my first trip away from the kids.  I went to Washington DC for a work trip, and I was worried sick about how Dan would fare with all 4.  Don't get me wrong, he's the absolute best dad, but it's not easy. When Dan gets home from work and the house looks like it did when he left that morning, it took a LOT of work to get it there.  So when he called me on my first morning away and told me that Tessa slept through the night (she had been getting up 2-3 times a night, EVERY night) I panicked. Oh no. She cried all night long and Dan slept right through it. Is she traumatized? Then the next day, he said the same thing. But the difference was that his parents were staying in the next room.  Surely Sally would have heard her wake up? Could it be true? And, to my absolute delight, she is STILL sleeping through the night.  Miracle. Sounds like mama needs more vacations.

And the trip turned out to be really fun, too. Ann joined me for this little "getaway".  Aside from the food poisoning the first night, it was so fun!

Juggling the breastfeeding and traveling proved to be quite a challenge. On the way there, I didn't realize we had a 1 hour layover in Chicago.  There were a few of us staying on the plane for the last leg of the flight, so the flight attendants told us we could deplane for a while.  I let her know that I needed to go find a plug-in for my breastpump and would be back soon.  So I found the family restroom (ugh), pumped, and headed back to the gate.  As I approached, there was a loooooong line outside our gate and everyone appeared irritated.  They weren't letting anyone board the plane.  Hmmm...that's odd. I went to the front of the line and let her know I was ready to re-board the plane. Their response: "Ohhhhhhh...YOU'RE the one we've been waiting for." -insert annoyed face-
"OK, we're all accounted for now". Then as I boarded the plane, one of the flight attendants was like, "She was charging her phone." ...um......

On the way home, Ann and I missed all the "last boarding" calls (we may or may not have been leisurely sipping coffee in the terminal) and barely squeeked on the plane before they locked the doors.  All was good...until the big bag of ice I was transporting my breastmilk in sprung a leak.  In a matter of seconds, my lap, seat, and the floor around me on the plane was soaked. Needless to say, if my neighbor wasn't already annoyed that we boarded late, she was really annoyed about the stream of water flowing from my bag.  So much for the "no liquids" rule.  eek.

I eventually made it home (breastmilk made it home too, thanks for asking!), and what a homecoming it was!  Sweet Ellie had prepared to whole house for my arrival. I found this on the door:

("Mommy, we have a surprise for you, frum Ellie. and follow the paper on the floor and look down")

 ("I love mom, frum ellie")

 ("I love my self, frum ellie")....hehe

 (my "happy birthday to mommy" sign....it's not my birthday, but hahaha!)

 ("mommy you will always love us, frum ellie.")

 And last but not least, my "trophy"....LOVE IT.  Best homecoming ever.

Man how I love that girl. For so many reasons. She's thoughtful, nurturing, funny, strong, independent, and makes sure we know she can do anything the boys can do! I love that faith comes easy to her, just like her dad.  She is always saying things like, "I think sometimes God gives me hugs. Like, not real hugs I can feel, but I know He does." presh. 

And Caleb has discovered movie-making.  He finally convinced me to download iMovie to my phone, and I have been so impressed- he's directed/starred in a few short videos and they are so so cute.  I'm super excited about his new little hobby...next time you see me I'll show you!

 

He is my biggest helper at home, and has had a blast playing baseball and making tons of new friends this summer!

And this charming little fella - the cutest darn thing you ever did see....and always knows how to use it to his advantage!

So...what else has happened? 

Easter: 

Fishin' with Phil: 

 

Ellie's first gymnastics "meet": 

 Here favorite is the beam:

 

(Note: lots of baseball happened, too.  Sorry Caleb, no pictures were taken....I was too busy chasing all the other kids around and keeping Tessa happy and making sure Will doesn't eat everyone else's food...maybe next year I will get to watch! haha)

Ryan Graduated from WSU.  I'm so proud of his accomplishments, and can't wait to see what God has planned for him and his sweet little family! 

 Ellie's kindergarten program. Super precious.  She loved being front and center, obviously :)

Lots of tower building and make believe and all-around fun times at the Linhart house:

A sweet visit from our friends the Hunnicutts!!! LOVE them.

 They brought us a little gift....get it? haha!!

Oh, and not to mention three sick kids and a broken AC this week in this 100 degree heat (but according to the technician, 94 degrees and a kid with a 104.5 degree fever is not an emergency situation)....but no need to dwell on that mess! 

We went to the neighborhood pool tonight for a dip 

and on the way home, I looked at Dan and said, "Sometimes I have a hard time believing they are all ours...I mean, so many little ones...to feed, and keep safe, and raise, and worry about..." 

Hands full, but our hearts are full too! 

 Thanks for being by our side!