Happy Anniversary!

Jason and I had a whirlwind of a beginning! We met through a friend of mine, who at the time worked with Jason. She was slightly smitten with his roommate. In order to go out with them that night they wanted her to bring a friend. Now I have to tell you, I was in no mood to go out. I was in the middle of my first student teaching assignment, didn’t feel well and just wanted to go to bed. I had no interest in meeting anyone. I was leaving in a month to finish the second half of my student teaching in Australia. Well… long story short – I went, and met Jason. I was immediately drawn to him. We spent the evening talking and dancing. The next day we met for coffee and that was the end, or the beginning depending on how you look at it. I remember going home and asking my dad when he knew he was going to marry my mom (I am pretty sure he thought I was joking – or was hoping so). Jason and I bought my engagement ring two weeks later, yes two weeks! I then spent four months in Australia and New Zeeland. When I returned, we became engaged and planned our wedding. We were married a little more than a year after we met. I have to admit now that I look back, I can see why our friends and family were a little scared for us :)

I can’t believe that was ten years ago. In one breath I can say it was a very long ten years, yet it has gone by so fast. We have had many ups and downs, and life wasn’t always easy. I look at all that we have accomplished in ten years. We have remodeled two houses, taken many vacations and have four beautiful children. If you would have asked me on our wedding day where I would be in ten years – I probably would have answered, ‘oh, we will probably have two dogs, four kids and I will be teaching’. It is funny how we are at that exact destination, yet our journey here has been far from what I thought it would be. I definitely didn’t see having four kids less than two years apart.

I am living a very full and blessed life. I couldn’t ask for more. I am married to my best friend and have a wonderful family! Thank you to Jason for taking this wild ride with me. I can’t wait to see what the next ten (and more) years have in store for us!

6 Months

The babies turned six months yesterday. Wow, the time has flown! We went for our six month appointment today. The babies are on the grow! Both Gianna and Ellery have made it on to the growth chart, and Easton is so close! Ellery is about 20% on the weight and height charts and Gianna is a little more than 10% on the weight chart. Our doctor used the six month growth chart. We looked at the babies’ stats on the adjusted age chart and they would be between 40-50%. We were shocked that Ellery is 1½ inches longer and one ounce heavier than Gianna. To look at the babies you would think Gianna is the heaviest of the three (we always assume this). She has wonderful chubby cheeks and we have to dig deep into those rolls when we give her baths. Just goes to show that looks can be deceiving! They also had their vaccinations, and were extremely cranky this afternoon and evening – Tylenol and all. Hopefully tomorrow will be back to normal.
Ellery – 13 pounds 6.5 ounces, 24 ¾ inches
Gianna -13 pounds 5.5 ounces, 23 ¼ inches
Easton – 12 pounds 12.5 ounces, 23 ½ inches

Gianna, Ellery and Easton

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Yesterday we were blessed to celebrate my Grandfather’s 83rd birthday! He is my only living grandparent, so I cherish the time that I am able to spend with him. ‘Gampa Gampa’, as Quin calls him, is so full of life. He continues to work part time, actively bowls and golfs, and does all of the upkeep on his home. Grandpa is an inspiration to others around him! He is a wonderful and caring man. When I did the first half of my student teaching I lived part of the time with him and my grandmother. He would offer to do my wash and ironing, always made sure I had enough to eat, double checked that I did my homework, offered to help put materials for lessons together… When Jason worked in Lansing, Jason would sometimes stay over at Grandpa’s if the weather was nasty or if there was an early meeting (instead of making the hour and half drive in the morning). I love the thought of the two of them sitting in the living room, having a drink and watching the Spartans together! Grandpa loves my kids. It is such a treat to see him play with Quin, and entertain and hold the babies. I hope to have many more blessed years with him! Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!

Top Ten, Baby

On a whim, I submitted pictures to a Facebook contest. To my surprise (not because I don't think she deserves it, but because there were 1,067 pictures entered) this picture of Ellery made it into the top ten. I am quite excited because the top nine earn 75 free photo cards (the winner earns a Cannon digital camera). I ordered our Christmas cards through them this past year and thought they turned out really well. There are some adorable pictures in the top ten! If you are on Facebook, feel free to stop over at Photo Affections and leave a comment! Thanks!

My Other 3 Beauties

I also entered Gianna and Easton in the baby photo contest. I submitted the picture of them 'hugging' in their sleep (from an earlier post). Now that I look at the top ten pictures, they were obviously looking for a certain type of picture. Oh well... I still think all of my children are beautiful (yes, I know I am biased, but come on!). To be fair (can you tell I already have mother's guilt) here are individual pictures of our other three :)
Gianna

Easton

Quin - I say watch out for her when she enters the business world!

Baptismal Day

Yesterday we were happy to celebrate the baptism of Ellery, Easton and Gianna. We had a wonderful time with family and friends. Everyone joined us first at church to witness the lovely ceremony. Thanks to Pastor Brown for his patience as we relayed the babies to the baptismal font. :) All three babies did very well - no tears! Below are pictures of each baby with his/her godparents/sponsors.
Ellery with Monica and Jeff (Jason's brother and his wife).

Easton with Christy and Mike (Jason's brother and his wife).

Gianna with Meagon (my amazing friend) and Nate (my brother).

Of course the wild card of the day was Quin. Considering she doesn't usually sit for more than two minutes, I had a feeling that a whole church service might be a bit much to ask for :) She actually did very well, although she did provide one of the most memorable moments of the day. During the baptism she said she had to use the bathroom (mind you, I took her ten minutes before and she didn't want to go because it was 'too loud to flush'). As she re-entered her pew for the second time, she loudly called "Mom". Trying to ignore her, I heard my name again. I turned to smile at her as she announced to me (from her pew as I was standing in front of the church) "Mom, I went pee-pee in the potty" as she sported one of the biggest smiles ever! Oh, I just love her! At least she is proud of her new found potty skills :)

It was raining as we left the church, and I had a moment of panic. I didn't plan for rain, what were we going to do! We don't have room for 30+ people in our house. Fortunately, it was sun shining and barely damp out by the time we arrived home. We enjoyed food, visiting, cornhole and the kids. We are so thankful that everyone was able to join us for this joyful day!
Ellery with her Popa (my dad).
Gianna with her Great Grandpa (my grandpa). Easton with his Uncle Jeff.

So Excited!

This past weekend we celebrated the upcoming arrival of my niece or nephew. My sister, Abbey, is expecting a baby around Labor Day. I couldn't be more excited! Abbey has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders, both in life as well as when I have been pregnant. It has been so much fun to share this experience with her! I can't wait until her little one arrives!!! Abbey is, by far, one of Quin's favorite people - she is always pretending to talk on the phone to her 'Obbey'. Abbey is a wonderful aunt, and is going to be an even better mother.
Abbey (R) and her friend Lisa.

I was impressed. It is definitely a close one when it comes to guessing if the baby will be a girl or a boy.

Of course the triplets had to make an appearance. Don't they look thrilled? :) I am so happy that they will have a cousin so close in age. In a few years, we might be in for some trouble when they are all together.

'Obbey' and Quin

Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone who has sent emails/comments to me (about me going to back to work). The supporting, encouraging and positive sentiments that were sent have been uplifting. I am sorry I have not responded to most of you, but hope to soon. With my sister's baby shower last weekend and the babies' baptism this coming weekend, I feel as if I am running in cirlces. Please know how much I appreciate all of you! Thank you!

"Are You Going Back?"

I have to smile and tell people “no, I am not kidding” when I answer yes I am going back to work. Sometimes I want to lean over and lift up their chin for them. I also often wish I had armor to help fend off criticism. I think all families need to make the best decision for their own families. Some people are meant to stay home full time, others are meant to work part or full time. Each family is different and I respect families who are able to recognize what is best for them. I have worked with moms (and dads) who are fabulous stay at home parents, and others who do an awesome job parenting while working full time.

For me it has never been a question of IF I was going to go back, it was a question of WHEN. If I was asked to finish a list of ‘I am…” I would list wife, mother and then teacher. If you don’t know, I am a first grade teacher. This coming year will be my twelfth year, in the same school and in the same grade. I really do love my job. Don’t get me wrong, there are many days when I ask myself why I do it. But, overall, it is extremely rewarding, challenging and ever changing. I am able to go back to work because I have a supportive husband, wonderful co-workers and great students/families. Teaching does afford some flexibility. It is not as easy as some people think though – I work hard on my weekends and nights so that I am prepared each day. And as far as getting three months off for summer, I can only say I wish. After closing my room in June and then getting it ready for the new school year in August I really have closer to two months off (although, I often take classes in the summer to keep my certification current). But, it is a wonderful bonus that the children and I will be on the same schedule once they are in school.

I think teaching has made me a better parent, and parenting has made me a better teacher. I expect the very best from each person who interacts with my children, and can only imagine that the parents of my students feel the same way.

What about daycare you might wonder? Well to bring all four kids to daycare would cost much more than I make each week. We are currently in the process of finding a person who will come to our house each day. We initially planned to keep Quin in daycare and find a person to watch just the babies. As time as passed, we are now thinking that all four children will stay home. The process of finding just the right person has been a long road, but again, I expect only the best. It will be so nice to not have to bundle them all and bring them in somewhere. I also dread our first winter. The least amount of germs the babies are exposed to, the better.

I know that our lives will drastically change. When I am making dinner in the afternoon, doing laundry in the middle of a Tuesday or I actually have time to vacuum, I think how much less time we will have in about five weeks. The experience of having triplets has taught me to be more easily going, less stressed about the small things and has armed me with the knowledge that things really do work out for the best. These lessons will hopefully serve me well come mid August! :)

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July from the Sizemore Six! We hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!
Gianna (L), Quin and Easton (middle) and Ellery (R)

5 Months

Wow! The babies turned 5 months a few days ago. Time flies when you have fun!
I took Easton to the doctor's office last week because I thought he had an ear infection (turns out he was fine, and just wanted some alone time with me). He weighed 10 pounds and 12.5 ounces. We do not have a doctor appt. at 5 months, so I'm not sure what the girls are weighing in at, but I am sure it is more than Easton. Here are a few pictures that were taken in the last few days.

They are getting so strong. I love it when all three decide to 'lift off' at the same time. Sometimes I catch them checking each other out - I have to wonder what goes through their minds when they see each other.

I love those adorable pictures with four kids all looking at the camera. Unfortunately Ms. Bossy spent most of the time telling the babies to look at the camera, and none of the time following her own advice!