Welcome Baby Luke!!

Welcome, little one!!

Luke Kyle Wolfley, our bringer of light.

7 lbs. 9.9 oz. and 19” long

Early Sunday morning, December 14th at 6:12 AM, we welcomed a beautiful baby boy into our family.  This past month has been a whirlwind of ups and downs as we’ve awaited his arrival, but we are especially grateful for the pure love we have felt by so many who have anticipated his presence.  It’s interesting to consider that Luke may have spent time with my dad; I have certainly felt his love for me since Luke’s birth and Gabe has twice made the comment that, “Papa’s here.”

My mom was able to be with Jared & I through the labor and delivery, and it was truly one of the most sacred experiences I’ve ever had.

It’s hard to believe that I am a mother to four.  I love each of my children dearly.  I know I’ve said it before, but there is nothing greater than being a Mother!  I am grateful for this life of mine.  I have cried a lot of tears over the past five months, but the last four days have been filled with tears of gratitude, hope, and happiness over this beautiful newborn who allows us to experience heaven in our home.

Three Rubies

“It is my firm conviction that there has never been a period in my many years of life when our Father in Heaven’s children have needed the guiding hand of faithful, devoted parents more.” - Elder L. Tom Perry

When the challenges of parenthood seem to overwhelm me, I try to take time to capture moments like these and remember that these three babes need me now more than ever.  The spirit of sacrifice takes root and encourages me to press forward.   

Diaper Free/Girls' Room

 Hi everyone!  How has your week been?  School was cancelled today which was nice.  It’s been really cold outside and the freezing temperatures have turned our neighborhood into Ice-ville.  

I’m really excited to report that Gabe has been diaper free for almost three weeks now...including nights.  I had him in diapers for three nights after the first few days of success, but he kept waking up dry, and he started insisting on “undies” during nighttime, too.  I consider it a miracle because I haven’t done hardly anything to instigate this.  In fact, I’ve been fully preparing myself to have two little boys in diapers.  He basically woke up one Monday morning and said “No Mommy, No!” to diapers.  He’s a little obsessed with using the potty (like every 30 minutes), but he’s very consistent, and I couldn’t be more grateful.  We all praise him like crazy every single time though, too, in high hopes that we won’t have a regression here in the near future. ;)

With the new baby coming, we’ve decided to put both girls in the same room.  So far it’s been going better than I thought it would, and I’m really happy with how it looks which is a major plus.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the amount of housework required to sustain a family, especially since I’ve had helping hands in & out of my home the past few weeks - allowing me to rest and get better.   More often than not our days as mothers tend to feel like a giant blur of preparing food, picking up little messes, folding laundry, doing dishes, making beds, mopping floors, wiping down something, on and on.  I came across this quote the other day that struck a chord with me.

  “Housework is constant.  It doesn’t stop when you’re having a bad day.  It doesn’t always feel fun.  It doesn’t always result in Hallmark moments.  However, if we look at housework as family work, and focus on how it encourages love, togetherness, and essential opportunities for meaningful conversations, we’ll find so much more joy in this process of motherhood.”  - April Perry