Poor little blog...

My poor, poor little blog is so neglected in the wake of Jones' arrival! I can't tell you how many times I log in to write a post or add some pictures, and get pulled away by one of the three little rugrats! We'll see if I ever get this post up! ;)

Life is good in the Harrison House! We are settling into a groove, and Jones is doing his part by remaining adorable and consistently sleeping through the night! He definitely keeps us busy, but is seriously just so fun to have around. Josh and I were talking last night about how life with a newborn is a lot more enjoyable when you cherish every single little moment. The twins' newborn stage was...what's the word I'm looking for...oh yes, hell. It was hell. Sometimes when Jones cries I get flashbacks of the twins being babies as if I'm a soldier with PTSD. Just to put it into perspective, I was practically still a teenager, Josh was gone 18 hours a day, and there were two of them. Two! Sometimes I wonder how I did it, because Jones is quite a handful himself! But somehow we muddled through, and it is mostly a blur today.

We just didn't get to enjoy this stage with the twins, so we are enjoying Jones' baby stage twice as much to make up for it! Jake and Eisley love him to pieces, and I can't even count the number of times a day I hear, "Can I hold him?" from both of them! They have been huge helpers, so much so that sometimes I have to say, "No guys, it's mommy's turn!"

We are over the moon and in love with this little guy so much. Of course there are challenges adjusting to being a family of five, and Jones and I are still struggling a bit to get the hang of nursing, and I could definitely use a few more hours of sleep and possibly a pedicure and massage, but overall we simply cannot complain. So we won't. :)

Josh and I are celebrating nine years of marriage on Wednesday, and we got to go out for a nice dinner, sans kiddos, last night. Believe it or not, I have been able to tear myself away from the baby for a couple hours at a time at least three times now! ;) It has given the grandparents and aunts and uncles the chance to babysit and love on them, which they thoroughly enjoy and we very much appreciate. Josh and I went out to eat at Black Angus, and we talked about how we ate at that same restaurant on our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. Back then, eight years ago, I had taken Josh there to try and lessen the blow of what I was about to tell him...I was pregnant! I will never forget that dinner, or how we barely tasted our very expensive meal that night! Last night we talked about how much had happened since then, and I thought about how much God has chosen to bless me with in these nine years. He is just way too good to me.

Speaking of which...I got to have the most wonderful Mother's Day ever this year! We were so blessed to get to dedicate Jones at church on Mother's Day, and wow that was so special. Our children's ministry leader talked a little bit about our family's long road and how we have babies in heaven and how Jones is such a huge answer to prayer. Then our pastor held Jones and prayed and we promised to raise him up to love the Lord and come alongside him in prayer. It just meant so much to me, and I cried as I stood up there and thought about how God has entrusted so many of His children to me, asked me to be their mother, trusted me to care for them and love them and raise them up to know Him. Some of those children I had for just moments, others I hope to have for a lifetime, but all of them are just such unbelievable gifts. I do not take for granted what a lucky mama I am!

I am going to be heading back to work in a couple of weeks, and while I miss my co-workers and most aspects of my job, I am terrified to go back and leave Jones for so long! I am not looking forward to that part one bit, and am asking that God somehow make that easier on both of us. One nice thing is that Josh will be on summer break starting next week, so that will make the transition a little bit easier, but Josh is a little nervous to swing it solo against three kids three looooong days a week!

Lots of people have begun asking us what will happen with our adoption plans now that Jones is here. I will tell you what I tell all of them...I have no idea. Josh and I go back and forth. And by that I mean, Josh goes back and I go forth. ;) With Jones so young, there is just no room for thoughts of another child right now. We have no idea what God has in store for us, we never do. Right now we feel we are just supposed to be enjoying this new little blessing and focus on our family. We are totally open to whatever God wants to bring our way, but we are also content with our family just the way it is! So that's the long answer. The short answer is, who knows. :)

Since Jones is due to feed in about five seconds, I will end this entry with some pictures! Yay! ;) Thanks for reading!

Bathtime buddy! 

Jonesy started smiling this month! Can't get enough of it!

At the cabin with the girls! Jones sure got spoiled on that trip!

Jones turned one month old this month!

He's trying to hold up a "one" like Jake and Eisley!

I love that face!

Pouty face

Me and my babies

Going for a walk at sunset

My loves!!!

At church on Mother's Day

Getting ready to dedicate Jones!

Pastor Bull holding Jones

The three most beautiful kids on the planet!!!