Coffee Break #24

Happy September, friends! School is back in session, I’ve got 2 of the 5 of us out of the house, and I am beyond ready get into a fresh groove for Fall (just this morning, temperatures were actually crisp!) In this month’s behind-the-blog update, I’m sharing a dream we’re finally ready to make into a reality and what life is like with 3 boys. So grab a snack, settle in, and let’s catch up!

Catch up on past Coffee Break posts HERE!

Putting a Dream Out Into the Universe

Can you spot the new addition to our kitchen?

There’s now a little Black Bear sitting on our stove. He’s a souvenir my husband picked up on our recent family vacation out to the Shenandoah Mountains. Greg was about to put it with his other travel tokens down in the basement, when I asked him to put it atop our stove instead…so we can see it…every day.

Why?

You all might remember a while back that I shared an idea we’ve had to purchase a vacation home for our family. Although we have never (and still don’t) feel compelled to purchase a home in the places Greg gets stationed, we are very attracted to the idea of purchasing a home that we can use for Spring, Summer, and Winter breaks no matter where we are living (and then rent it out when we’re not using it).

Beyond the investment possibilities (and getting a whole home to decorate however we want!), what we love most about this idea is that it could serve as a foundation for lasting memories and experiences for our family. In the absence of a permanent “childhood home” and community that comes with staying rooted in one spot, this home could be our grounding point, our special place, our retreat. Our boys will likely not remember each and every home we live in, but this “Mountain Home” could become the true “home base” we’ve never had before.

In recent weeks, after spending even more time out in the Shenandoah Mountains, this “someday” dream has started to shift more into “okay, let’s do this.” So for the very first time in our lives, we are actively looking for a home to buy! Although we now find ourselves in a frustratingly crowded group of hopeful home-buyers and a market that is far more “hot” than we’d like, we’re simply keeping our eyes open and our hearts hopeful.

Our little Black Bear sitting on our stove represents this dream. Placing it in the kitchen keeps this dream in the forefront of our minds and helps us stay motivated when the market proves all-too-exasperating (which is already the case!). Sharing this here is just another way of putting our dream out into the universe in hopes that it someday (soon!) comes true!

Life With Boys

I been asked by several different readers to share about my life with 3 little boys (and one charming husband). Specifically, did I wish we had a little girl in the mix, and what is it like in our household?

The first word that comes to mind? Noisy 😂

Before we found out the genders of our first two, I knew they were boys, both of them. With our last baby, I felt different enough that I was certain he was a girl. But when the blue balloons came out of the gender reveal box, I was soooooooo genuinely happy…and relieved!

It won’t surprise you that on one level, I was just happy we didn’t have to buy new clothes and toys. We had (and kept!) our trains, cars, and (so much) more, not to mention aaaaaalll the little boy clothes. In so many ways, having another little boy saved us a lot of money and space!

I also had a certain amount of relief because, by baby boy #3, I felt like I knew what I was doing (granted, I feel less and less like I know what I’m doing as time goes on, ha!) Crossing over to 3 kids felt really daunting, and there was a lot of comfort knowing I knew how to be a “Boy Mom” and could (theoretically) handle whatever came next.

There’s been quite a few things about being a Mom to three boys that I didn’t at all expect. The first is the noise…”Oh the noise, oh the noise, oh the noise noise noise noise!” I never realized how LOUD 3 kids would be, and I seriously just had my hearing tested because I thought I was loosing it because of them. The constant stream of chatter, singing, whining, squealing, and yelling definitely pushes me to my limits on some days.

I was also not really prepared for the physical fighting. I’m a pretty serious “hands to yourself” Mom when we’re at playgrounds, school, events, etc…but I’m finding that’s a really tough rule to implement on brothers. Although I have siblings, they are much older than I am, so I didn’t grow up with any physical play. The amount of time these boys spend rough housing or legitimately fighting with each other bothers me quite a bit, and I’m doing my best to roll with it and only intervene when really necessary.

The one final thing I didn’t fully realize about having a home full of boys (until recently, actually) was how special it makes me…to all of them. All three of them are very much “Mama’s Boys.” And while I all the time sometimes wish they would just go to their Dad for something instead of me, I am also the receiver of an amazing amount of affection. Sometimes more than I can handle, and oftentimes more than I deserve. These boys love their Mama really hard, and I feel so so so blessed to be the recipients of such big pieces of their hearts.

So to answer the question, “Do I wish we had a girl?” Not really. This is going to sound strange, but the only thing that makes me just a touch sad is that I have an enormous amount of handmade baby clothes that my Mom so lovingly made for me (smocked dresses, knit sweaters, hats, booties, and more). I hate that they are all tucked safely away; I would love nothing more than to dress one of my own kids in these clothes…simply to honor her and her amazing craftsmanship. But hope isn’t gone yet…maybe these great boys of mine will give me some girl grandbabies to wear them instead!

Ask Megan

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That’s it for this month’s Coffee Break. Thanks for catching up with me, and I hope you have a great month ahead!