Happy Halloween?!

I know its been a while since I last posted, here are my excuses...
1. Bella doesn't sleep through the night so I go to bed early.
2. William and Adie are very needy these days so sitting down to write a post while they are awake is practically impossible.
3. My husband hogs the computer... ok not really, I was just needing another excuse:)

Life around here is CRAZY!! Three kids under three is not something I would recommend but I wouldn't change a thing. There is never a dull moment that is for sure. For example, last night Adie woke up @ midnight with difficulty breathing and Bella got a nasty runny nose. So Chris and I each had a child sleeping with us all night. Let's just say, we didn't get much sleep. Adie has the croup (lovely) and Bella has a cold. We spent the night and all day today taking turns holding the girls. My wonderful mom came and got the little man so he could have some fun and burn some energy since we were anything but fun. So much for trick or treating. I made the girls matching tutus and now we can't go. Bummer! I will post a picture later once the girls are better and can wear them. The "Dude" was going to dress up as a firefighter. Oh well, everyday is like Halloween at our house because William and Adie are always dressing up, they just don't get candy for doing it:)

Since I don't have any pics from Halloween I thought I would show a few shots that we got a few weeks back while playing out in the fall weather and our trip to the "pumpkin patch."

Adie loves to swing! I didn't get a picture of what happened when I got her out of the swing. She wasn't a happy camper.






The pumpkin patch was a fun little adventure. It was located at a church in the parking lot. We did not have to travel through any mud to get a pumpkin...my kind of pumpkin patch!!




My kiddos saying "Cheese!" Too much fun. Enjoy your weekend. ~Amy


**You might have noticed there were no pics of Bella. That is because she is the third child and gets even less attention. Actually, she was sleeping in her stroller while all of these activities were happening. I will try to remember and take a picture of her in the stroller the next time we go out!!

Hanging with Daddy!

Today I was able to run a few errands with only Bella leaving daddy with William and Adie. Let's just say it was so easy taking little Bella to the stores because she slept the entire time. While I was out and about, Chris took the kids outside for a much needed "burn off some energy" session.

My children love to play ball whether it be soccer, football, baseball or basketball. So we have the gear for all the sports which is really starting to crowd our garage. Oh wait, it was already crowded before the kids were into sports!!

Just wanted to show this picture of Adie with William's pacifier to say that in desperate times our children share each others pacifiers. It's the same thing, just a different color, right?! William actually needed to stop having a paci a long time ago but with the adjustments to having a new baby in the house I haven't pushed the issue. But I am very soon!

And that is a glimpse into our life on a fall Sunday afternoon!

Ready for School?

About a year ago I found these super cute backpacks at Pottery Barn Kids and thought that they would be perfect for the kiddos once they got older. We use William's backpack as a "diaper bag" when we go to church, he always looks so cute wearing it in to church. The other day Adie found her backpack hanging in the mudroom and was very determined to wear hers. So now every time we head out the door to leave, she insists that she wears her backpack the short distance to our van. It actually takes longer to get the backpack on her than it does to walk to the van. But these are the little moments that I love to be a part of.

Here is Adie with her pink backpack acting so proud.

And here is my little man looking more and more like a big boy getting ready for school. I wish he would stop growing so fast! Where did my little baby boy go?

I guess I now need to order little Bella her own backpack so she fits in with her older brother and sister!

Behind the Name - Isabella

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet"

- Romeo and Juliet

Everyone's been asking about the name Isabella. Where did it come from? What does it mean? So I thought I would give you a little background.

Amy and I were brainstorming names prior to Adelyn's birth and narrowed it down to three names - Adelyn, Madelyn, and Isabella. Going to the hospital we still had not decided. When Amy started pushing, she looked up at me paranoid "Oh no, what are we going to name the baby if its a girl?" (We had a name picked out if Adie ended up a boy.) So it was up to Daddy to name our first daughter I knew that the right name would be apparent when I saw my her for the first time. She popped out and I know immediately that she was an Adie.

Well, since we don't live in Kentucky, Madelyn was out. I can picture it it now. Madelyn and Adelyn - I don't think so. Anyway, Isabella moved to the top of the list.

A little bit about Isabella...

Isabella was used widely throughout Europe during the late middle ages, especially in England, Spain, Germany, and Sweden, popularized by Isabella of Castille, Queen of Spain. Yes, the same Queen Isabella that sponsored that intrepid explorer Christopher Columbus, and built the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.

Isabella is the latinate form of "Isabel." "Isabel" was a medieval Provincal (French) form of the Biblical name "Elizabeth"."

No, not that one...

This one...

"Elizabeth" is from the Greek form of the Hebrew work "elisheva" which means 'God in abundance." Fitting form little Bella, as she has already required God's grace just to be born healthy. She is definately living proof that God is, in fact, in abundance.

Isabella was the second most popular girl name in America in 2008.

Girls
Rank	Name	%	+/-
1.	Emma	0.904	(+2)
2.	Isabella	0.894	(0)
3.	Emily	0.838	(-2)
4.	Madison	0.820	(+1)
5.	Ava	0.820	(-1)
6.	Olivia	0.820	(+1)
7.	Sophia	0.773	(-1)
8.	Abigail	0.725	(0)
9.	Elizabeth	0.575	(+1)
10.	Chloe	0.569	(+6)

I guess Amy and I get an F for creativity. Girl names are a weird phenomenon where mom's all over the country spontaneously start liking the same exact same names at the exact same time. Last years names are out and a new batch of names appear as if from by magic. It is similar to how women who work or live together mysteriously sync their monthly cycles. Young mothers mysteriously sync which girl names they like. Blame it on the Ya Ya Sisterhood.

Also odd, Isebella had completely fallen out of favor since the mid-30's. It virtually disappeared from the American naming lexicon until it stormed back on the scene in the early 90's, reaching the top in the last couple years. So some of you might have a grandma to great aunt with the name Isabella, but probably not a mother with that name.

Isabella (Rank by Year)

"Isabelle" makes an appearance in the popularity rankings at number 93 with "Isabel" following shortly thereafter at 96. Our daughter's designated nickname "Bella" is also ranked at number 122.

Now you know everything you never wanted to know about name Isabella. Except, that is, for the main point of this post, why did Amy and I choose Isabella? The answer is simple and uninteresting. We saw a little independent movie called Bella. Cute little girl named Bella and we were hooked.

That's the story.