Geez! I tell you...I don't have a minute to spare anymore. I LOVE being home with the kids...LOVE it! It's super busy and I typically find that I barely have time to use the restroom, but it's been a blast and I'm so glad that I've been keeping Isaiah home with me every day. Miss Violet is awake so much for her age. When I mean a lot I mean sometimes 6-7 hours of being awake with maybe a combined hour nap in between. This girl is SO much like her big sister and wants to be held lots. She's not a big fan of her crib for naps, but sleeps like a rock in it at night so that's good. Yesterday she slept all morning while I played with Isaiah. I treasure that time I have with him and it really makes me realize how fast he is growing up. The other day when he went to preschool Violet decided to wake up and was up from 11:30am-10:00pm with some random small cat naps that totaled 2 hours for the day. We managed to squeeze in a walk with Jackson but other than that...she was a bit fussy and wanted Mommy to hold and love her all day! That day was exhausting but I when I look back at all that precious time I spent with Ava and Isaiah as babies I wouldn't change it for the world. The time that they are little is priceless and time that you can never get back. One of the pieces of advice that I always write down at baby showers is to really take the time to appreciate all the moments you have with your kids...even those late night feedings. They grow up WAY to fast! To think that Ava will be a 1st grader next year and Isaiah will be in EK (early kindergarten) blows my mind. Where have the years gone?
Back to "Let's Rewind..." We've been up to a billion things lately but I seriously have no time to share. So below you will see some "old" pictures that were taken during the first few weeks Violet was home. Miss Violet will be 1 month old on Saturday...crazy, crazy, crazy! I've been taking pictures of her each week to put into a book so we can see how much she's changed. I did this with Ava and Isaiah for a while too...it's neat to look back and compare how their faces, hair, expressions, etc. are different each week. Here are some pictures to "rewind" what we've been up to.
These two are the biggest helpers! They are gentle, kind, and are willing to do anything. They love entertaining her with toys and enjoy reading stories to their. When Violet gets cranky it's typically these two that help calm her down. They both have the magic touch and their little sister is so comforted by their voice and hugs.
Must be random but this little monkey flipped from her stomach to her back 2 different times. I think we have one strong little girl!
Daddy, Boo, and Violet
Love her cheeks...they are so cute!
This little girl is so precious!
Sleep tight!
Violet loves looking at lights and loves being outside...as long as the sun isn't beating down on her for too long.
There's at least one pretty lady in this pictures and it's not me! This one was taken a few days after we were home from the hospital. Ugh!
Taking another snooze. She napped much more the first few weeks we were home...now...not so much!
She likes at least one arm if not two free and likes to be swaddled best from the waist down.
Monday and Tuesday were gorgeous days! Our deck thermometer said 84 on Monday. These pictures were actually taken a week or so ago when the weather was awesome out too. Iowa weather is nuts. Yesterday and today it's been in the 30's and snowing all day! Are you kidding me?
Isaiah and Ava are so good at making up games to play. Typically they play "Pirates of the Caribbean." Isaiah is Jack Sparrow and Ava is Elizabeth. Andy and I are usually asked to play the part of Will Turner. They so creative and imaginative. I love just watching them and listening to the story line they create!
My beautiful Ava Lynn! Her hair is getting so long! She loves it that way. I told her it is time for a trip back to the salon for a trim and style.
Here's Isaiah playing pirates in the backyard on one of our nicer days. Did I mention that on Monday and Tuesday of this week it was 85 degrees and the kids were wearing tank tops and shorts. Yesterday and today it's in the 30's and snow is covering the ground. Our school even had a late start today...a late start...in May! Iowa weather is always unpredictable.
One evening the kids were all ready for bed and wanted to go outside in their footies...here they are playing some game they made up while running around the front yard.
This picture was taken when she was around a week old...those cheeks are adorable!
If you don't have a subscription to Family Fun magazine you need to get one. Andy's Grandma bought me one and renews it each year and we love the ideas that come with each issue. The April magazine had a cute idea for making your own suckers out of Jolly Rancher candy. The kids thought this was fun to make their own creations of flavor. You unwrap all the candy and lay three pieces (any colors) side by side.
Don't forget to line the baking pan with parchment paper...otherwise it will be a disaster trying to get it off the pan.
Here they are unwrapping all the candy and thinking of what flavor combinations they want to make.
I think they baked for about 4-5 minutes at 230 degrees...once they come out of the oven you immediately insert a sucker stick and let them cool. They peel off the parchment paper perfectly and there you have it...your own suckers!
So delicious!
Yum-O!
Ava and Isaiah have been growing grass in their little critter pots. Here they are giving their friends a little trim.
More love to Violet from her amazing big sister!
My Dad with his new granddaughter.
My Mom holding Miss Violet.
Our sweet pea right after a bath...she LOVES baths in her pink tub!!
Mommy and her little monkey!
All zonked out for the night!
It's a happy moment in every parents life but also sad. Mr. Isaiah had kindergarten round-up a few weeks ago. He went for the afternoon to play games, do crafts, meet the kindergarten teachers, and see the classrooms. Here he is playing a game with some kids. He said he had tons of fun!
It was an ocean themed round-up so he wanted to wear his lobster shirt. Here he is when Andy picked him up with the art projects he made and the balloon he got from the parachute game they played.
He told me his favorite part was the parachute game they. Someone is going to love PE when they come to school next year.
Violet taking a snooze in her swing.
Just like Ava she loves sleeping here!
One of my friends Kim brought us over a meal and it was delicious. It was called Poppy Seed Chicken with Rice. I never know what the kids will eat but they both liked it! I told them I wanted a picture to document that they really did like this recipe. Thanks Kim for making a winner for us!
Ava said, "This is so good!"
Crafting with Grandma
Making finger puppets
More snuggle time with Grandpa
A little love and cuddle time with Grandma. Andy coaches junior high track and has been busy with out of town track meets. It's been so nice having both grandparents come down to help with the bedtime routine. At this point it would be hard to do it alone since Violet is a little grumpy in the evenings while we put the kids to bed.
One morning this guy wanted to cook up some chocolate chip and blueberry muffins. He loved the batter most of all.
Another zonked out girl.
One crazy guy who thought putting pants on his head was funny. "Take a picture of me Mommy."
Andy went with Isaiah on a field trip to McFarland Park last week. It was a discovery hike and they were looking for signs of spring. Isaiah is to the left of the girl with a blue/purple coat. He has a red and gray fleece jacket and black hat.
I spy some ducks!
Isaiah and his preschool friend Brody.
A hiking we will go!
Riding the bus...Andy said he later fell asleep on the way home.
Have you ever seen the movie "Beezus and Ramona?" Well if you have then you'd know about how Ramona gets sick at school and goes home with her Dad to make "the largest drawing" in the world. They take a big sheet of white paper and draw a scene together. The kids wanted to do this...here they are hard at work. Isaiah did lots of drawing and added stickers.
Ava was working on a Disney scene of Epcot.
Daddy and his precious baby girl.
Isaiah actually took the next two pictures while I was burping Violet.
Strike a pose...Ava was doing dances for us.
I love that her hair is long enough and thick enough for little clip-on bows.
Miss Violet...our beautiful angel.
Well that should catch you up on a few things. I've seriously been attempting to write this post for over 4 days. I keep having to change some of the wording to match what day it is. When I got pregnant I remember telling my friend Tracy...she has had four kids...and her comment was "Welcome to the world of chaos!" That couldn't be more true...but worth every minute of it!
My Three Happy's:
1) My friend Marissa came over the other day with her daughter Elliana and her new daughter Harper. Violet and Harper are five days apart. I have pictures of the two of them to post eventually. Marissa was talking about a salad she has been craving and I bought the stuff to make it and it is really good! My new favorite salad contains: spinach, strawberries, blueberries, pecans, feta cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. Yum!!
2) Last night I randomly picked a few books from Ava's bookshelf and she read them to me and only needed help with two words in both books. I am so proud to see her grow as a reader. I told her the goal of reading is to understand what you read and to be able to choose any book you'd like...ones that interest you. She's now at the point where she can read almost everything on her shelf...with the exception of a few chapter books. She's growing up so fast. Isaiah knows all his letters...uppercase and lowercase...knows all but two sounds and can write all the letters if I tell him the sounds they make. We were spelling color words the other day and I was just telling him the sounds and he was writing the letters. I told him we are going to start working on basic sight words. Anything you make into a fun game is something he loves. We're going to start that next week.
3) I buckled down and hired a cleaning lady. I have lots of friends who have them and one of them said it really is life changing. You don't have to worry about the house anymore and can just focus on the kids. At this point when they are little I want my time to be all about them. Eventually as they grow older and I'm "less cool" I'll have more time and will be able to do it again. But for now...the work is off my shoulders. She comes well recommended by a friend, we met this week to go over stuff, and she starts this coming Tuesday to deep clean the house. Can't wait!
My Favorite Thing:
*I'm still not drinking pop but a cup of coffee is a must in the morning..more for the flavor and smell if anything. I've never bought Hazelnut flavored coffee and thought I'd try it. I'm in love! If you grew up in Ames you may remember the gift shop that used to be at the mall called Meggies. I used to work there and they had the most amazing coffee bean selection. I loved grinding bags of coffee for customers and the smell of this hazelnut reminds me of working there. It's funny how senses trigger memories.
