Momma's Day

We spent the first part of the weekend in Sewanee but ended it with my parents in Chattanooga and then on home for Mother's Day. Sweet boy greeted me with a "Happy Mother's Day" as soon as he rolled out of bed, he's so good. Since it was a Sunday, and A's last day to sing in the cherub choir at church, we had to be there quite early but the kids gifted me with getting ready quickly and without any yelling on my part. After church we went to lunch and the kids helped me polish off a piece of chocolate cake as big as my head.
Then I took a 2 hour nap with baby girl while the rest of the family went grocery shopping and prepared me dinner in bed (since I couldn't have breakfast in bed with it being a Sunday and all). They made a goat cheese, mushroom, leek quiche, arugula salad with home-roasted almonds, and mixed berries. It was pretty darn perfect.

A rare event, me in front of the camera with all 3 kids.

Dinner in bed, vase made by H.

 

Late Church

The new trend around here is to wait and go to church at 11:15. We've been doing this the past couple of weeks and I'm really starting to enjoy it. This morning the kids woke up in a foul mood (not M, she's practically perfect in every way), which then put me in a foul mood, so I sent them back to their beds and told them to start the day over. They came into the kitchen a few minutes later, I greeted them with a kiss and asked if they had a good night's sleep and then they retreated to their bedroom where they proceeded to play quietly and kindly with each other for an hour and a half!!! There were no demands for breakfast or tv. I was able to drink my coffee in relative peace, feed M a bit of carrots (not a fan yet), watch her play with Gracie and some toys, and then lay her down for a morning nap. Then I had quiet time (wha?!?) while the big kids continued to play. If we had gone to the early service, which used to be our norm, there would have been rushing and yelling and none of this quiet playtime or quiet mommy time. Very nice. Very Sunday.
I think I'll try this morning re-do thing more often.

Spring Break Fun

I'm so behind. April has been, and continues to be, so busy. There are so many things I still need to share here but I just can't seem to find enough time. Spring Break was a few weeks ago and we had a great week. It was quite warm most days and we had a blast doing things around the house as well as visiting with Nana and going to the nearby science museum which had an exhibit on mummies. The kids were kinda freaked out but pretty into it, and we've not had any mummy nightmares since! Yay! Mom and I found it fascinating, I only wish we had caught it earlier in the tour so I could go back and take J, but it's moved on to a new city now. A few days we used one of my favorite free summer time-fillers: the sprinklers! They had such a blast while I took pictures and ran up my water bill. Little miss M was too tired to join in the fun so she slept in the shade.

I've been playing with my 75-300 lens and love how I can get such great close-up action shots without having to be super-close (especially when there's a sprinkler involved!). That last one of A is in need of being blown up and put on the wall. I love it.

Opening Day

We've entered the season of baseball. It's a season I love. Living in Atlanta during the Braves big championship days was thrilling and it inspired my love of baseball. I must admit I'm a fair-weather fan nowadays but watching an occasional game on tv or live is still so much fun. We took the kids to a local minor league game last summer when we first moved here and they loved it. (H) was only 4 at the time but he was really trying to figure out the mechanics of the game. He played tball last year and struggled. This year, he is way into sports. For his birthday he received a soccer ball, 2 baseball bats, a baseball glove, and a basketball goal. He would happily sign-up to play all of these, but we only have time and money to let them choose 1 activity a season, so he chose tball. And he ROCKS! He is loving it and it's so fun to watch his skills and interest develop.

Last week was opening day and so that all the teams could play that day, his team was selected to play a double header. It was fun and they were so tired but (H) kept his energy up right til the end of the 3 hours of playing. We have a big break from practices and games during Spring Break week, but I'm so looking forward to the next few months of ball season!

The Easter Bunny threw the 1st pitch!

He played 2nd most of the game

Getting some batting tips

Excited to be on base

Love the tongue!

Super-serious

Coming home

Spring is coming!

We've been spending more and more time outdoors these past few weeks. Exploring parks, readying the garden, and playing ball. (H) is SO into tball this year and it's so fun to watch! It's amazing the difference between 4 and 5 year old players! I've been waiting for him to find an extracurricular activity that he enjoys, something he is good at and looks forward to, and I think we may have found it! Games start in a few weeks and I look forward to cheering and watching the silly often comical fun that is tball. *A* looks forward to getting goodies at the concession stand. ;)
Also, we're getting ready for a little Spring family vacay, and are so looking forward to it!

A quick catch up

A very toothless girl right now. Love it!

This girl loves her loveys! And is sleeping 8 hours most nights.

Growing too fast! Loves being on her tummy and is starting to roll over already. Where does the time go?!

Spring is coming and we've been playing at a new favorite park, sadly all 5 of us weren't in the picture as M was asleep in the stroller. Makes me realize I don't think we have a picture of all 5 of us yet...

H finished up swimming lessons with flying colors and is in the next level, won't it be wonderful to have 2 independent swimmers this summer?!

Lots of bubbles and drooling teeth are coming soon I bet and she's been eyeing me as I eat and drink. 

This Crazy Life

Life has sped up big time around here. I'm still not sure why this has happened but it's just a constant race through the day lately. Having only one car seems to be part of the issue. It didn't seem to be a big deal before M's arrival but now I just feel we are constantly on the go and she's constantly in her car seat. I've heard 3rd babies live in their car seats; they just have to be on the go all the time with the older kids' activities, etc. Luckily she's such a calm, easy baby that she doesn't seem to mind much and she just goes with the flow (she doesn't really have a choice!). Having 2 school schedules to juggle, J's ever-changing schedule of hospital visits, meetings with parishioners, etc., and new after-school activities (swim lessons for H and Hip-hop for A), we are always in and out of the car and have only a hour or so between places to be during the week.

Today she and I have a rare morning at home. J took H to school and is bringing him home, and A is going to a playdate after school, so we're home with no one to pick up for the rest of the day. I'm hoping to get the house clean and catch up on things I've been wanting to do for a while but haven't had a few hours of uninterrupted time. M's nap schedule isn't regular yet (maybe because she gets interrupted being put in and out of her car seat!), but I can count on her to sleep for a hour or so in the mornings, sometimes more. At night she's been sleeping between 5-7 hours on average which is wonderful and it makes me able to function during the day.

I've missed blogging and taking pictures so I'm trying to be back here more. I don't want this time to pass without documenting some of it. M is already so big and pretty much out of that newborn phase which is sad but she's starting to develop her personality and be more fun. At 10.5 weeks she's "talking" a lot and learning to express herself in ways other than crying. She smiles all the time but hasn't laughed more than a deep "he, he". I'm working on it though and she's so close to laughing! She's pushing 11 lbs and has more rolls on her legs than her brother or sister ever had (which was basically none). She's learning to grasp and play with toys too which makes her awake times longer because she's entertaining herself more.
But, she's asleep now so I think I'll try and get somethings done. I don't have many pictures to share right now but I found all my old photos of the older kids so let's see if they look alike at 2 months....

AJB...

  HWB...

 MPB...

Wow. She's definitely her own person but also such a perfect blend of the other 2.