"mooommmy grace!"

blogging is such an interesting thing...journaling so all can see. what makes us do this?

it feels cathartic to be able to express ourselves without real accountability, but still know that someone (even if its anyone) may be hearing us.

i decided to start re-blogging for another reason. my life has become a little wild. and, i know that i get encouragement hearing about other people's crazy lives because i don't feel quite as crazy...well, usually. :)

to introduce us...

i currently have 3 adorable children (5 & under) and have 3 weeks until our fourth is born. also, this summer, we bought a small (very small & local) fitness business. while my husband is very helpful with it, a lot of it is on me since it focuses on perinatal exercise. (there is not much he can do with that...) so, i feel like i'm trying to learn to juggle...i hope it all stays UP! :)

my oldest (mylie, 5 yr old) is the most beautiful red-haired, fair-skinned princess i have ever seen. (she was quite a surprise since neither my husband nor i have red hair). she is artistic, fun, entertaining, & at times slightly eccentric...like the time she insisted on wearing her knee-high rainbow socks, tennis shoes, soccer shorts, & pig-tails to chick-fil-a). she also gives us a life full of surprises. one day i walked in after nap & she proudly showed me how she wall-papered her room. she used body glitter & water (from her night cup) to make "paste" (as she explained to us) & soaked her coloring pages one by one as she glued them to the wall. yes...

our current middle (charlie, 3.5 yr old) is a warrior embodied in the cutest dimpled tow-headed ball of fire that i have ever met. as soon as we found out our fourth was going to be a baby girl, the first thing he said about it was "dad, if a bad guy ever comes in & takes out his sword to try to hurt our baby girl, i'll take out my sword & kill him." (side note: we don't talk about, watch, or allow "kill" talk in our house...) he will fight for anything that he feels is right. he protects his older sister at all cost.

our current "baby" (zeke) is a bundle of joy explosions. he is 18 months & is content & happy & cuddly & lovable. he smiles & laughs at everything no matter what is going on around him.

and, we can't wait to meet the tiny baby doll.

they are all amazing people & they all keep me going (& going & going). i look forward to sharing our adventures & the things mom learns along the way.

because, really, that is what life is all about. it's about me growing & learning. they have taught me so much. and, one of the biggest things...grace. grace for them, grace for those outside our kiefer-world, & grace for myself.

mylie's middle name is "grace." "mylie" is "forgiving". forgiving grace. that is what this journey has started to help me understand. i call mylie "mylie grace" quite a lot. and, she always responds, "yes, mommy grace?" so there you have it. she is calling that into existence.

my confession: i will be mommy grace. i will have mommy grace. i will walk in grace.

i'm learning. and, this is our adventure. hope you get some encouragement from it.

and, in the words of tigger, ttfn! (tata for now)