Julia.

This little bundle is three months old. Where did the time go?  She is a cutie, and I am loving the little moments so much more this time around.  Not that I didn't enjoy them with the twins... it's just that amid the bleary eyed exhaustion I only remember bits here and there.  Five sounds like a lot of kids, okay it is... I get it, but there is also something wonderfully easy about it this time around.

Being without kids is a very different type of existence where you have things like quiet time, solitude, and moments to ponder.  And then with your first kid, you are still adjusting to being the mom- all the demands, sleepiness, opinions from others about everything from swaddling to co-sleeping, and it still kind of stresses you out.   I guess now with more kids, I feel more confident and happy in the chaos that is my life.  I've grown into the task, and I'm loving it. Having little kids isn't a picnic, and there are more tantrums in a given day than I care to count, but there is something profoundly awesome paired with it.  I know that giving my everything to being a mom matters more than anything because of the beautiful human souls I get to be with. And I get to help them in an intensely personal, menial at times, and cherished way.  I know I'm doing God's work.

Julia was born with a troop of people around her to coo and smile, to sing songs to her, and to give her attention.  And it's a good thing too, because this girl is social.  She loves to watch what the big kids are doing, and is content if she just has someone to look at her and smile.  I love her sweet personality and the way she bobbles her head around so she can be a part of the action. 

There is a lot of spunk in that little body and I am loving getting to see more of it come out.  I love the way she always rotates her legs like she's riding a bike, how she loves to study your face and make connections, and how much she is content to be held.  Love this little baby.

At the end of August, our family was in town for her baby blessing.  I loved seeing a perfect, innocent child cradled so carefully in a circle of strong priesthood hands.  It always strikes me as symbolic of the protection any child can feel by looking to their fathers, and especially to a Heavenly Father who wants nothing more than to pour out blessings and goodness on them. 

I am so grateful for this girl; she is a treasure.