Gardening With Papa

My dad is an amazing man. One of many things he is amazing at is landscaping. Most don't know that he has a horticulture degree and worked in landscape sales for 15+ years ( is that right dad?) I remember growing up and always being proud of our backyards. He even won an award for one. I got a little spoiled to say the least. I still remember my shock when Chris wanted to have a rock front & back with just a few trees. Something nice & easy. WHAT? No grass and immaculate bushes & flowers? What you don't like spending hours working in the yard?? Now a smart Titus 2 woman would've spent her early years learning from her dad with a green thumb. I unfortunately did no such thing and am having to learn now. Last spring I planted some rose bushes but unfortunately they didn't survive the summer.... could've been because I stopped watering them. What do you think dad? Is water a necessary component for plants to survive?

I am thankful that Taylor is learning at an early age. She went with Papa and Nana to pick out flowers than was taught how to plant them. I'm hoping she learned enough to plant a garden for me :-)


Here's Taylor Picking out Flowers at the nursery



Look at her cute gardening gloves!

Fighting Battles

I won a battle this morning. I've been involved in a lot of battles lately. Battles of the will... battles with a little boy with big blue eyes. Oh it may not seem that big in the scheme of things but it was God's grace to us this morning. Trevor, in anger, threw his cup across the floor. After disciplining him I looked him in the eyes and said "Trevor go pick up your cup and bring it to mommy". He looked me square in the eyes and said his favorite word " NO" and ran away. At least he was clothed while he ran. Yesterday he took his diaper off and when I came to put a new diaper on he ran away from me screaming "NO, NO, NO" over and over. Anyways, this was one of those moments when you just know your in it for the long haul! I disciplined him again and gave him another chance to obey. Again, a loud "NO" and he runs. We repeated this process quite a few times but in the end the word "NO" changed to "Obey" and he picked up his cup and gave it to me. HALLELUJAH!

I remember coming into the "terrible two's" with Taylor. It scared me to death. What happened to my sweet little girl? Whose child is this? Certainly she can't be ours! What I remember most was feeling inadequate to be her mom. This time around with Trevor, I am not surprised by his sin. I know full well that he is our child. But he is our child in need of a savior! However, I am still tempted towards feeling of inadequacy. In perfect timing I read this quote this morning upon waking up.

"God knows the feeling of discouragement, inadequacy, and failure which conscientious parents feel. But it was His idea to make them parents and to give them this particular set of children. He knew they would not do a perfect job. He is Father to the parents, and promises every kind of help they need. He stands beside them in every situation, ready to give wisdom as needed and grace to help in time of need if only they will turn to Him and ask for it" Elisabeth Elliot; Shaping of a Christian Family

I'm praying for all my mommy friends fighting battles today! Remember that God is there in every situation ready to give wisdom.

No More Tears

Taylor has beautiful hair. Always has. Thick, a little wavy and naturally highlighted. Yes, I am jealous of my four year old's hair, I admit it. But beautiful, full bodied hair, equals lots of work. I knew her hair was hard to brush through but I didn't realize how hard until we had one of her friends spend the night. I gave both girls baths. I washed both girls hair and applied half a bottle of conditioner on Taylors hair like normal. Afterwards I brushed through her friends hair first and that took all of 10 seconds and then it was Taylor's turn. Poor girl, it took me 5 to 10 minutes to get it all brushed out. We have had more training moments with Taylor, in doing her hair, then probably any other issue. Now thankfully, through her maturing, there are fewer tears when it's time to brush her hair. Oh I'm not talking about just Taylor either! Usually we'd both end up in tears! So it was time. Time for an easier do for Taylor & Mom. It looks quite cute too and we are going to save money in the long run on detangling spray & conditioner!!

Here's the before picture:


And here are a few after:

One Month Beauty

Our sweet Rylee turned one month yesterday. She has begun to greet us in the mornings with some "real" smiles. The kids have adjusted wonderfully! Taylor is my big helper & Trevor wakes up every morning asking about "baby wrylee". The other morning I came out with Rylee calling her my baby doll. Taylor, always mimicking everything I do, began calling her baby doll too. Trevor, not missing a thing, picked up on the new name and began calling her baby dog. I laughed so hard! "No Trevor, not dog, doll!" He's got it figured out now. She has been my best sleeper of the three! Thank you God! Already I have been graced with an occasional four or five hour stretch. And last night I was given the gift of my first six hour stretch! I pray it continues.

It's That Time Of Year Again....

Yes football season is upon us, preparations have been made, two teams, two different leagues- it's on! What two teams you may wonder? Well I have learned, through being married to Chris, that it is not enough to LOVE football, it is not enough to watch games & be a devoted fan to the Chicago Bears. No, one must join up, with a bunch of other football loving men and play against one another's "fantasy" teams each week. Wow- to say I was unprepared for fantasy football when we got married is an understatement. I can't say I wasn't warned, but really there is not adequate preparation for what happens to a man involved in Fantasy Football. Or should I say what happens to Chris every Sunday night during football season. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy football! I'm one of those girls who understand the game & could follow a team. If AZ could actually get a "team"... although I have hope for the Cardinals this year! I just didn't understand the whole process of being an owner, drafting your own team etc. I admit the first few season I had to fight off being annoyed at his idol, I mean love, for fantasy football. But thankfully the Lord has given me grace to see that this is one way I can support and show love for my husband by taking interest in what interests him. In the Ricucci's book, Love That Lasts, Besty writes about enjoying shared interests with your husband. "Delighting together has made us closer friends" Besty writes, concerning her taking interest in Gary's love for military aviation. She reminds wives of the verse in Philippians:

Do nothing from rivarly or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others (2:3-4)

So, this is an opportunity for my to glorfiy the Lord in our marriage by taking interest in Chris' passion for fantasy football. I can beat him to turning on the game ask lots of questions on Sunday and throughout the week on how his team is doing. So honey, I'm sorry about your loss this week, but I have confidence you'll be ready to take the win next week!

* The trophy is the actual trophy the guys play for each year. Not to brag on my hubby or anything but it has taken up residency in the Daukas house two out of the last three years!

New Mommy Award

I read this in a parenting magazine the other day and it made me laugh. Although I think it could apply to all moms not just "new-moms"!


"Ever think that you should be given a medal just for getting through a day? So do we. If any five of the statements below apply to you, you deserve something engraved."

1. You did not scream " Are you out of your mind!?!? when you childless friend asked if you'd read that newspaper article on the national debt.
2. There is not one Cheerio on the floor of your home. (well not that you know of)
3. You have a complete change of clean clothes on today, socks and underwear included.
4. You did not scream " Are you out of your mind!?!? when your husband asked when you might start cooking again.
5. You managed to laugh when your baby threw up in the supermarket checkout line.
6. You have tissues, toliet paper, paper towels and dipaers in your home at the same time.
7. You have no visible roots.
8. Your baby watched only one video (twice) today.
9. One person in your home has their hair brushed.
10. You smiled reassuringly (okay: you didn't cry) when the baby dropped your cell phone into the toilet. (this really happened to me last month! )
11. You haven't mixed up your kids names once today.
12. You Shaved!
13. Choose one of the following. ( If you choose two, you are a saint and therefore overqualified for this award.)
a. There is a bowl of fresh fruit on your countertop.
b. You have stuffed yourself into your pre-baby jeans and worn them for at least an hour without fainting.
c. You have not stepped on a binky, spit-up, or anything sticky today.
d. You and your children have napped at the same time. ( If so please write and tell us how you accomplished this.)

Week In Review

Not much posting this week... been a little busy. I'm holding on tightly to my sanity. You'll often hear me repeating over and over "if God has called me than he will equip me". Meaning, if God has called me to be a mother to three children than he will equip me and give me Grace for the call! My basic goals for the day are to have my children clothed & feed. Once these goals are accomplished I might get a shower. However, I still haven't figured out how to keep my house clean & laundry done... I don't think it's going to get figured out anytime soon!

Here's the week in review with some pictures.

Taylor had her first day of preschool.

We celebrated Papa's Birthday.

Trevor tried on every pair of shoes he could find. As well as insist on wearing this pajama shirt because it had "balls" on it.

The kids got six shots between the two of them... it seemed like a good idea at the time to get it all done at once

We have a belly button! Rylee got her first official bath!



Have a great labor day weekend!

Zacchaeus & Ikea

During Taylor's morning devotions with Daddy she read Luke 19 and learned about Zacchaeus. In closing there time up Daddy prays and then Taylor follows. The end of her prayer went like this " And God help Ikea give the money back to the poor".

The Joys Of A Newborn

I've been freshly reminded of the sweet joy it is to have a newborn. It can be easy to overlook in the midst of sleep deprivation (yeah, she read my post), caring for other children and recovering. But they are there in ten-fold and end all to quickly. Here are just a few....

1. Her sweet cry, even when it's all out crying, It's still the sweetest thing!
2. The way she smiles in her sleep giving me glimpses of the real thing that's right around the corner
3. Her little frog legs
4. The cute startle reflex with her arms
5. The smell of her after a bath, especially her hair. I could just cuddle with her for hours
6. The way she stares so intently when awake with her big blue eyes
7. Her whole hand holding on tightly to my finger
8. The frantic sound of her trying to suck on her hands in the middle of the night when she's hungry
9. The way she stretches her arms behind her head when waking up
10. Holding her close when swaddled like a cocoon with a receiving blanket

Feel free to add some of your own :-)

Sorry Xanga's

I have fixed my comment moderation so you can now comment as a xangan. Sorry about that and thanks Andrea for letting me know :-)

Happy 1 week Rylee!

Making it through the first week with a newborn is a big deal. Right there along with the one month mark, six week mark and I've now added the "90 days to sanity" mark. Every day I have felt more and more human and I am less frightened by the thought of Chris returning back to work. Daddy boot camp was put in effect earlier in the week and we have enjoyed the sweet fruit of it these past few days. I am always amazed at how quickly our children respond when daddy intervenes! Something else has happened these past few days... Rylee sleeps at night. In her pack n' play nonetheless. Something neither of my other two did this early. Both Taylor & Trevor had their days and night mixed up for the first month. And they would cry,hard, if put to bed anywhere other than a swing, bouncy chair or as my last resort our bed. I'm afraid to even write this, as if somehow she will find out that it's public and suddenly change. But Chris has wisely counseled me to give God thanks for last night and trust him for grace for what tonight will bring. Now by sleep at night I mean she'll go a five hour stretch than another three or four. Last night I was up once between 10:30 and 6:30! So, I am giving God thanks, much thanks, for these past few nights of rest and trusting him for tonight!

Just a few Pictures

Returning Home

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words! I went to bed weds. night disappointed that I was still at home and not in labor. However, in God's kindness both Chris and I were able to get a good night sleep. Sleep is not something we've had with the previous two births. I woke up around 5 am with some strong contractions, determined to keep them coming I went to the gym and walked for for 45 min. They started coming at such a strength & pace that I decided it was best to return home. But of course not before a starbucks coffee, muffin & a little spurgeon! Seriously, there's a devoted starbucks fan for ya, I'm in labor and stopping off to get my morning joe :-) I was able to read morning and evening for a short duration before heading home to wake up Chris. Which really set my soul at peace for the day ahead. We left for the hospital about 8:00 am, hoping that this was the real thing. Sure enough I had dialted closer to 5 centimeters and the nurse sent me walking. Upon returning I was nearing 6 and fully effaced. At this point the contractions turned the corner from these really hurt, to ok these REALLY hurt where's the epi? The nurse started the IV fluids and I recived an epidural about 45 minutes later. The dr. came in and broke my water around 11:30 am and we waited comfortably for a couple of hours. The delivery came very quickly. My parents, our good friends Jon & Lory Payne and my brother were all in the room talking with us at 2:00 pm. The nurse came in to annouce she was going to check me, everyone went out expecting to come back in and at 2:06 pm Rylee was born. Needless to say it was a fast delivery!

I have loved holding and studying Rylee these past few days. She is so sweet & so far has hardly cried. She looks so much like Taylor did it's unbelievable! Taylor & Trevor have done great with their baby sister. Even Trevor seems to instinctively know to be gentle. Something I was concerned about. They both give her kissess & love. However, since returning home their sinfulness has been on full display. Let's just say these past few days has made having two children a walk in the park :-) I am so thankful for Chris' presence and am currently fighting off anxious thoughts for when he returns to work friday. I am confident that God will give me grace! And after all it's only a season, a short one at that.

I am however taking any thoughts or suggestions from expereinced moms out there on handling multiple children :-)

Rylee Grace is HERE!

Hi all! This is Chris (otherwise known as 'The Husband' or during labor..'YOU DID THIS TO ME!')

Just kidding. Everything went very smoothly at the hospital and Rylee Grace Daukas was born 8/17/06 at 2:06pm, weighing in at 7 lbs 3 oz and 20 inches long. God was merciful to us again with an easy delivery and a healthy mom/baby!

Tara was anxious to get some pictures posted, so here are some of the best....

She should be here soon!

I just came back from my dr's appt. and I am at 4 cm. She did some "doctorly" things (spare you the details) to get things going. So I am at home waiting for my contractions to get regular and then we'll be off to the hospital! I am praying that we will be off by tonight. I've been feeling pretty miserable for the past 24 hrs! I was up from midnight to 4 am with contractions and cramping and if God so wills, I would love to not repeat last night without a baby being handed to me afterwards :-)

We'll keep you posted! I can't wait to hold my little girl for the first time!