my boys

my sister is here!

I have not been patient in waiting for this day, but the day finally came! It has been two long months waiting to get to meet her baby Svea, and on Tuesday Annika and I were finally introduced to each other's babies!

The last time I saw Annika, we looked like this:
That picture was taken at the end of June! And now those babies who were growing on the inside are here on the outside. So, so amazing.

Their arrival caused a bit of a family gathering at our house. My aunt Louie and cousins Kathy and Mark came for dinner and we enjoyed a house full of company. We ate chili, passed the babies around shared some hard laughs. Precious family time.

two weeks

This is the room where we are spending most of our time lately. I still can’t get over how our pace of life has changed. And I can’t figure out if the pace has slowed down or sped up. Life just feels more full...and full of all of the best things: family, calm, intention, and the greatest daily entertainment we’ve ever experienced. I swear we could watch Ivar awake or asleep all day long. I’m pretty sure that’s what we do.

We’re definitely in a groove here at the Groves’ house. We’ve got 3 hour feedings down with lots of naps in between. We also have a solid habit of filling diapers past capacity so that goodness saturates our little guy’s back nearly every time. We have tried different brands and different sizes of diapers and are still stumped as to what we’re doing wrong. If anyone has any helpful tips, please weigh in. We’re getting desperate here.

But other than the wet clothes and frequent wet wipe baths, we’re really doing great for having just started this adventure two weeks ago. I still have moments when I feel clumsy and out of practice and for a life-long babysitter, I am surprised at how awkward I can be with this newborn in my arms. Rory said sometimes when he holds Ivar he feels like he's trying to control multiple slinky's at one time. The good news is that Ivar doesn't seem to notice that we're not pros, or at least he has a lot of grace for us new parents.

We’ve been on a few outings, went for one final lake Harriet picnic this week, got some groceries, have been to church both Sunday’s and ventured to the doctors and Babies-r-us as well. Other than the traffic feeling too fast and chaotic, I think we’re doing alright. I still sit in the back seat with my baby like a stereotyped new mama, but I am a new mama, so stereotype me.

Most days come and go with me still in my pajama pants. I usually wake up hopeful to find some time during the day to catch up on emails or to blog or even just to shower. But somehow the day always seems to slip away and at the end of the day, none of these things end up all that pressing.

What does feel pressing is simply to be present in every moment. I saw a 3-month-old today at church and couldn’t believe how fast my tiny little boy is going to grow.

free music!

You want to see the other half of this graphic? Well, you'll just have to click over to saragroves.com to see the end of each line printed here. (because I have no idea why it is chopped in half!)

Sara and Troy are giving away a recording of a concert they held in a women's prison last December. It is really powerful to hear her proclaim the gospel story so clearly in this setting. I got the goosebumps more than once.

Head on over to saragroves.com and enjoy a free download of some fantastic Christmas music. And then check to see if her Christmas concert is coming to a city near you. The concert page lists that they'll be hitting Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Springfield MO, Oklahoma City OK, a few places in Texas, Knoxville TN and Clearwater FL. It's a great show and listening to this recording got me so excited for the season to come!

checking in

Just a note to say we're still here. Computer time is at a minimum, cuddle time has filled its place. And that feels right. We're soaking up every single minute with this sweet, tiny boy.