Off to Preschool!

Yesterday was a big day! The triplets had their first day of 4 year old preschool! Last year we did some basic preschool lessons that my wonderful sister in law who was gracious enough to teach one day a week. But with a new baby in our family and in my sister in law's too, we decided a formal program might be best. We absolutely love the school they're in. It is 3 afternoons a week, which is just perfect for us, The report from yesterday was very enthusiastic so I know the kids will just love it! It's hard to believe that my babies are getting to be so grown up. I definitely shed a few tears today (they went in and didn't look back!), but I know they are ready and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for our year!

She's here!!!!

Well, she decided to make us wait, but our little baby girl has arrived!!! Josephine "Josie" Miriam Hess arrived on Friday, July 25 at 9:23 a.m.. She was 6 lbs, 14 oz and 19.5 in long. I was able to have a natural birth with her, a completely different experience than with the triplets, and all went very well. (I'll have to write up the whole birth story sometime...maybe when I'm getting more sleep!) Josie fits into our life so perfectly. She has really been a good baby and has been well loved on by her brothers and sister. Here are some pics of our first week and a half with baby girl. :)

Our little peanut soon after she arrived.

The gang all ready to meet their baby sister!

They weren't quite sure what to make of her at first, but soon after were all over her!

Getting ready to head home!

Braden couldn't wait to hold his new sister, he was beaming the whole time.

And of course, Kayla was over the moon. "Isn't my baby beautiful, mama?"

Daniel was the most hesitant, treating her like a fragile doll, but he is so sweet with her.

All hands on deck as we give Josie her first bath!

Life is an adjustment with four kids now, but I've had lots of help from grandmas and friends and it is making settling in a lot easier. Every day I'm feeling a little better and Josie is settling into a routine. It's a new reality for us, but we are just so thrilled to have our baby girl. Now our family really feels complete! Hmmm...guess we may have to change the name to hesstimesfour. :)

It's July!!!

Well, I guess when you have triplets and are pregnant, it's officially time to drop the ball on the old blog! I received a sweet note from a dear friend today reminding me that it has been FOREVER since I did any updates. And here we are, a few short weeks (give or take) away from the arrival of our sweet baby girl. All has been well here. The kids continue to keep us on our toes as their level of energy and endurance seems to increase each day. We've officially outgrown naps so free time is more minimal and every day it seems I'm greeted with the question, "What are we doing today, Mommy?" But they continue to be an absolute joy and we couldn't be more excited thinking about the fun #4 will bring! 

We had a VERY long winter, a lovely spring and summer is off to a wonderful start. I've posted some pictures of the highlights.

The kids finding out they are having a baby sister!

Easter Sunday

On Mother's Day (somehow we dropped the ball on Father's Day, oops)

 Meeting characters Anna and Elsa from the movie "Frozen". It's all the rage in this house these days!

Family pic from Uncle Brian's wedding in May

In terms of baby girl, my pregnancy has been great. I can't say I feel like this has been easy compared to being pregnant with triplets. However, I definitely am more mobile and it's been nice to have my doctor consider me "normal" instead of all the drama that came with a high risk pregnancy. To that end, we've decided that I'll be trying for a natural birth this time around. Of course with multiples, that wasn't really an option so in keeping with everything being completely different this time, I decided to go for a new experience. I'll still be delivering in the hospital, but I hired a doula (kind of like a midwife) that I've started working with and she'll be there with me the whole labor to cheer me on and I think she will be so helpful to keep me pressing on. So if you think of it, please pray for me! And I promise it won't be long before pictures of baby girl hit the blog! :)

Big News!

Well, it may be old news to many of you, but to make it blog official...

Yes, baby #4 is on the way!!! I'm about 16 weeks along now and feeling good. Baby is due to arrive July 20th and we'll find out later this month if it's a boy or girl. Kayla swears it's a girl and refuses to call the baby "he", so I think for her sake we're all voting for that, but we'll be happy no matter what! The kids are so excited to be big brothers and a big sister and I know I will have lots of good helpers! Below is a video of their reaction to the big news. Guess I have to think about renaming the blog now...hesstimesfour? :)

4 years old!

Well, as always I'm a little late for my annual birthday reflections. But can you believe it? 4 years old? I think I've been in denial about the passage of time! But alas, here we are, four years later and couldn't be happier. So without further ado, here comes the babbling of one proud mama.

Kayla
Kayla Ann continues to be full of life. She loves to sing, she loves to dance, and she LOVES to talk. Everyone is amazed at her "talent" of going on and on about any particular subject she is interested in and amazingly enough she has the ability to keep you entertained in the process. Just like every other four year old girl, she has developed a love for all things princess and ballerina and can be seen prancing around the house in a tutu or wearing one of her princess crowns. This year for Christmas, we got her a Cinderella castle for all her little princesses and heard joyful screams about it for days! Kayla continues to be very caring with others and loves to make new friends. She also has a flare for dramatics that can have us rolling our eyes and laughing at the same time. She is mommy's helper and constant companion and in a male dominated house, I'm really starting to value having a kindred spirit around! We are so thankful for our Kayla and rejoice in the Lord as we watch her grow.

Braden
Our Braden is pretty much the leader of the pack. He loves to be in charge and tell everyone what to do, but his delivery is many times so polite and gentle that the others don't seem to mind following along. He is our encourager and has made us smile with his kind words to his siblings or even to us in any given situation. He is concerned for others and seems to be the only one who notices if mommy stubs her toe and is laying on the kitchen floor! Braden continues to know what he wants and when he wants it. He is extremely determined and likes to follow the rules, which most of the times is a plus but can annoy his brother and sister who like to be a little flexible now and then. I find myself relying on him to take care of some bigger things too and I love that I can trust him to be responsible. We are so proud of our Braden boy and pray that God continues to develop his gifts.

Daniel
Daniel is his father's son. I mean that in the best way...most of the time. :) He has an affinity for all things logical: puzzles, legos, lincoln logs, he could sit and be occupied for HOURS! He is our boy who is completely self entertained. That could mean that he quietly works on one of his favorite things, or we simply find him laying in his room singing and wrestling with his favorite bear. Daniel is also our musician. His favorite Christmas gift this year was a "real" guitar that looks just like Daddy's and he plays with it every single day. Daniel just loves any form of music. In the car, I always hear from him, "Mommy, can you please turn this song up." And then he is the back seat drumming away (amazingly many times on beat) and just living it up. He is also our silly, silly guy. He loves to laugh, even if it means cracking himself up and there is nothing better to him than making his brother laugh.  We pray that God will use Daniel's talents in great ways as he grows.

As you would guess, their Birthday and Christmas was a blast this year. We just loved how excited the kids got this year. They really understood everything this year and it was such a delight to see their eyes light up on Christmas morning. Below are a few pictures from their birthday dinner out as well as Christmas day. We trust you all had a wonderful Christmas season and pray God's blessings to you as we all face a new year, learning and growing by His grace alone. Love to you all!