Time.

Right before I got pregnant, I had a very unsettling experience at Costco.

A man and his wife came up to me while I was standing in line. I had all three kids in the cart and grocery piled high around them. The woman began commenting on Sloane's hair. This is nothing out of the ordinary, people are always complimenting her hair. The man looked at me and said, "Your children are beautiful, but so young! You need to be done. No more. Ok?". He chuckled and walked away with his wife. I was dumbfounded. Here I was, stressed to the max over trying to get pregnant and this guy just told me "No more." I didn't know what to say. The experience stuck with me.

Now that my belly is getting quite round, I'm getting more looks and questions from strangers when I'm out and about with all three kids.

Actually, I get very amused when someone asks about my kids when Holynd is at Preschool. Their eyes always get really wide when I say, "Sloane is 2, Maddox is 1 and my 4 year old is at Preschool. I'm having our 4th baby in July."

Most people are very kind, even though I can see the judgement in their eyes.

People can say and think what they want. My kids are perfect and they love each other, that's all that matters to me.

One question that I'm hearing more and more often is, "How do you spend time with each child?"

This is something I never know how to answer.

Actually, this is a question that I prayed about almost everyday when I was pregnant with Maddox.

"How will I ever be able to spend time with each baby individually?"

I never really got an answer.

I've been confused about it for quite some time. However, recently, I've noticed that the answer has been in front of my face for a long time.

It just happens. I don't know how it happens, but when one of the kids needs time with just me or just Matt the opportunity just sort of presents itself.

This is no coincidence. We're definitely receiving some sort of divine help.

For instance, Maddox loves his dad. Unfortunately, I don't think Maddox gets to spend as much time with Matt as he would like to. A lot of the time, when Matt has to run a more husband-type errand, like getting the oil changed or the tires rotated, Maddox tags along. He loves every minute of it. This, in turn, gives me time to spend with the girls. We do things that normally Maddox would just interrupt, like fingernail painting or playing in make-up.

Holynd is at an age where she's can easily tag along with me on my sort of errands. She loves a trip to Hobby Lobby and I've even taken her with me to have a manicure while I get a pedicure. Sloanie is my grocery shopping buddy. She knows the layout of Smith's just as well as I do. She LOVES to be the one to get things off the shelves and put them in the cart. She's also extremely content sitting in the cart, drawing all over the grocery list with a pen. Matt also makes it a priority to take Sloane with him every morning when he takes Holynd to Preschool. The ride back may not be very long, but Sloane is on top of the world having daddy all to herself for a few short minutes.

Sometimes the opportunity doesn't come in the form of an outing. When Holynd got Croup, she really didn't want anyone around her. As long as she could lay in my bed with a movie on, she was content. This was a strange situation for Sloane, Maddox and I. We stayed downstairs most of the day, playing blocks or cars (things that Holynd normally found BORING). When it was time for Maddox's nap, Sloane basically had me all to herself. By the time Holynd was better, Sloane was SICK OF ME. She wanted her sissy back and Holynd was way ready to play too.

This doesn't come without some sort of sacrifice from Matt and I. Usually, in order to make it happen Matt and I have to split up, which means less time together. It used to bother me more, but I've slowly realized that it just means that we have to be more adamant about having date nights. Matt and I also know that in a few short years, our kids will probably be "too cool" to hang out with us anyway. Matt is also a really good sport about taking the girls on Daddy Daughter Dates. I know he wasn't thrilled about seeing Beauty and the Beast in 3D or taking the girls to Disney on Ice, but he's always 100% willing to take them out. I don't really mind getting to spend time with my baby boy either.

One thing is for sure: taking one or two kids with us is NOTHING compared to taking all three. I took Maddox shopping with me a couple of weeks ago, it was almost like a mini-vacation.

I'm still unsure what to say to people when they ask us how we ever get in quality time with each kid. I'm still trying to tell myself that these people really aren't just being rude. There will probably come a day when I yell and scream at someone at Costco.