Yes, we are still alive but very sleep deprived and still adjusting.  Having 3 has literally kicked our butts:)  As someone once told me..."I have two arms and two eyes...where does the third  fit in?"  Well, Harper has fit perfectly in our lives, but it has been quite an adjustment.  The sleep deprivation and little Finley trying to get used to being a big sister and not getting all the attention has certainly been challenging.  Harper is a sweetheart, but she is not a great sleeper.  And if God knows my weakness, it is when I don't get enough sleep.  I am also wondering if Harper may be a bit colicky because her tummy seems upset a lot and she spits up a TON!  If I could just put her to sleep on her tummy I think she may sleep better, but with the SIDS scare that is a big no no.  Anyway, we will make it..sleep deprived (and maybe a little looney) and all. 

Yes, Finley is having a rough time.  It doesn't seem to be directly related to her new little sister, but I know it is because all the change going on in our house.  She is throwing a fit over EVERYTHING!   And the potty training...well, she basically is potty trained...the question is each day in her little mind she either decides "today I will go in the potty." or "today I am going to get lots of negative attention and pee my pants all day."  And it has been more the latter as of late.  BUT...I am not giving in...I am holding to my guns and keeping those big girl panties on.  She has been acting out a little at preschool too and quite frankly, I am not sure I want her to keep going to preschool.  She still is so young yet and all this change may be too much for her let alone 2 mornings in preschool where she has to be disciplined too.  I am praying about this and we will just have to see.

I do LOVE being a mom to a newborn though (despite the nights part).  I love holding and cuddling that little bundle of joy, kissing those chubby cheeks, and having her be totally dependent on me.  With each and every child, I see God more clearly and differently.  With each of my girls, I have seen God's characteristics portrayed in different ways.  It truly is a joy.  Harper is getting to be a little chunk.  At her month appt., she had gained 4 pounds since leaving the hospital.  I keep telling her she doesn't need to get me up as much at night as she could feed off some of her little cheeks...  But she doesn't seem to appreciate that nor listen to it...

More later but for now just some pics of the cutest little 5 week old (in my non-biased opion of course!)...

She has started smiling...:)

Hard to believe that school has been in session for over a month and in 3 days (for sure!) we will be a family of 5!  This past month has flown by and I feel terrible for not blogging about my "little" baby Finley starting preschool.  She started the day after Labor Day.  She is in the 2 1/2 year old class and goes two mornings a week.  I had the worst time deciding whether or not to put her in preschool.  She is so young yet...but I thought maybe it would be good for her.  She is so social and needs to learn important social skills that this preschool setting would teach her.  Plus, I know how hard of an adjustment a new baby in the home will be for her so I thought that having her be a "big girl" and go to school two mornings a week would give her some individuality and excitement.  The first week went great...she loved it.  Now...not so much.  She tells me how she doesn't want to go and I have to leave her screaming with her teachers....Makes me so sad.  Hopefully it is a phase that will soon pass but if after the baby comes and we are still having this much trouble, I may just pull her out.  We will see.  But here is that cutie patootie on her first day...

Well, in other news...Reese is thriving in kindergarten.  Although she is VERY tired, she really has been doing well and it is so fun to see her learning and bringing home books and "reading" them.  They are busy with phonics and sight words and I know it is not going to be long before she is reallly reading.  She had her first field trip this past week--to an apple orchard.  It killed me not to be able to go with her, but with me being almost 39 weeks I didn't' want to give the kids a lesson of birth instead of apples on top of the mountain.  SOO...Steve went with her instead.  He was the only dad to chaperone and it sounds like the kids just gravitated to him.  :) 

Well...yes...this is the last few days of being a family of 4.  I am being induced on Tuesday if this little girl doesn't decide to come before then.  I am being induced a few days early due to the fact that I have rapid labor (dr. wants me to get there in time) plus I have something which requires me to get medicine at least 4 hours in advance of the baby coming out so it doesn't put her at risk.  I am a little nervous about being induced, but thankfully I am already 3 cm dilated, so I am hoping it won't be too long of a day!  :)  I can't wait to meet this new little one.  I haven't been too uncomfortable, but I have just reached the point that I am ready for the next step and be done being preggo.  So here I was at 35 weeks...(let me tell you..I am a lot bigger now, but not real excited to take my picture! )

Please pray for my family.  We have had quite the year this year.  A lot of hard things going on that I am not going to detail all right now...but it has been a rough time.  Last night I found out that my grandmother's husband is quickly passing away.  They are expecting him not to make it through the day.  Please pray for my grandma...They have been married for 35+ years and this is going to be a rough adjustment.  Thank you!

 Well..what now am I into..you ask?  What possibly could be my new endeavor?  Could I actually have a hobby other then shopping?  Could I actually be putting my brain to good use instead of having it waste away in baby babble and baby mush?  Well...no...not really.  Sorry to disappoint, but my new endeavor does include these two items:

Well and this item as well:

And this:

HAHAHA only joking on that....

Well, obviously you probably have guessed by now.  I am starting to make our own bread!  Now, before you start thinking we joined the Amish (per picture above..) please hear me out.  I LOVE to bake.  I LOVE bread.  And of course I want to be a healthy family.  Now, I am not going crazy here...no "all organic" food, we STILL eat at McDonalds much too often, and I do give my girls Little Debbie snacks every now and again.  ALL I am doing is making our own bread.  I have some friends who introduced me to this bread and ever since I tasted it...(the best bread I have ever tasted..) I had to join the bandwagon.  So Steve and I bought a 40 lb bucket of hard white wheat, a nutrimill grinder, and a Bosch mixer.  I grind up the wheat and mill my own whole wheat flour and then mix up the bread.  It is really simple and it makes 6 loaves at a time. And it is delicious.  Yes, Steve about pooped his pants when we found out what the initial investment was to get all this stuff, but after about 3 loaves of my friend, Shea's bread, I had him researching the best deals on the internet.  So...as romantic as my husband is...he bought me all the stuff for our anniversary.    I guess after 7 years of marriage, the lovey dovey notes, cards, chocolates, and flowers fall by the wayside and "work gear" is thrown my way!    So anyway, this bread is a whole lot healthier then the bread we are used to eating...milling your own whole wheat flour not only makes the bread taste better, but it also leaves in important, healthy, immunity fighting ingredients to make you a whole heck of a lot healthier.  Now my friend Shea swears that you can't put on the pounds eating this bread...but that is yet to be determined in the Snavely household.  We are carb eating machines!  After we had our last bout with the stomach flu a couple weeks ago (that is like the 8th time this year in case you were keeping count....) I was ready to try ANYTHING to boost our immune system.  So I will keep you updated on the bread making endeavors.  My girls LOVE the cinnamon sugar bread I made the other night..I can't wait to try out more!

Well in other news...I am Still pregnant.  Here is me at 32 weeks:

At 32 weeks with Finley, I had to go on modified bed rest due to contractions, etc.  I had been feeling great that way up until a few nights ago and all of a sudden it hit.  I was up in the middle of the night with contractions and a lot of the same symptoms I had when I went into the hospital at 32 weeks with Finley.  I got so scared..but kept telling myself that it was nothing and to just go back to sleep.  So I have been taking it VERY easy these last couple of days and have a dr.'s appt. this afternoon.  I can't afford to go on bedrest with Reese starting kindergarten next week (sniff sniff!) and a potty training 2 year old.  I felt horrible yesterday..but today I am feeling MUCH better.  Hopefully the rest is what did it.  I may just have to stop my working out...which makes me sad too since that makes me feel so much better...mentally..anyway!  :)

We didn't have the girls last weekend...my mother and father in law took them.  It was a nice break for Steve and I to have some time alone to celebrate our anniversary and just to have a bit of a break before the baby comes.  We got the baby's room all ready to go (I will post pictures of that at a later date!) and got Finley all moved into her big girl room with Reese.  Now, if only we could do something about Finley getting up at 6:30am every morning.  Now that she is in her big girl bed, she thinks she doesn't need to sleep.  She was my GREAT sleeper..what happened?  She won't go to sleep when I tell her..she is too busy talking to her sister and then at 6:15am-6:30am..I hear whispers..."Sissy...SIssy...wake up and play with me..."  AHHHH!!  Hopefully that will work itself out very soon!

I am also finding that Finley is my "diva" dresser.  She usually is wearing a couple necklaces and about 8 bracelets on her arm...along with her "weng" ie ring.  She is also very specific on how Mommy does her hair.  Lately she specifically asks me for this hairdo---you would think she was born in the 80's:

This is how she likes it...and I am not up for the fight!  I love how she expresses her individualism already!  :)

She also LOVES headbands...so I had to take a "series" of "vintage" pictures of her with one of my favorites on:

Don't you just LOVE the outey belly button..melt my heart...

Cheesin' it up for Mom!

Reese starts school on Tuesday...I will have LOTS of things to say about that and LOTS of pictures of her.  Words can't even describe my emotions about that.  I will update soon...I promise!