Three

An experience characteristic of any day of my life lately...

Setting:  2 of 3 kids crying.

I peek to check on the third & she looks up and says, "Look, mom.  I cut it by myself!"  She is slicing the cheese block with her lil tykes kitchen knife in her lil tykes kitchenette wearing her apron. 

 This is her dipping her popcorn into water before eating it. (Oh. And she is sitting on our kitchen table.  She knows she's not supposed to, but apparently the fact that I am seeing this doesn't phase her.)

Some Easter shots.

You can't make this stuff up.

Rocks

Breanne's rock collection.

True story.

Breanne made these fairy tools at school (for the fairytale unit they just completed). 

She was so excited to share them with Milly!

Milly Mae

Introducing: Amelia Mae

(I mostly call her Milly)

 

This is the contraption some doctor decided we should put her in.  I have a very love/hate relationship with this brace.  On the one hand I feel like it is stealing my newborn cuddle time.  Very annoying.  On the other hand, the doctor seems to feel justified in her reasoning for the torturing of Milly's first moments in this life with it.  I don't know.  But I usually opt to listen to the professionals.  Who am I to argue?  Her mom or something??

I can't believe how fast four weeks have flown.  Milly has been such a joy to feed and change around the clock.  (I'm really only being slightly facetious- she really has been a joy, no matter time of day/night.)  She is our biggest baby yet, a healthy 7 lbs 14 oz, despite being induced a week early.  (I am so glad I didn't go through another week of pregnancy.) 

Grandma came out from sunny CA to tolerate the cold weather and throw a 0-birthday party (for Breanne and Heidi, of course). The girls loved it! They love their grandma, and regularly ask to "drive for a really long time" to see her. So funny. One of these days the prospect of nicer weather is going to be too much for me to turn down...

In the meantime, enjoy my daughters' latest fashion statement- layering their dresses.  These two partners in crime make our little family so entertaining, most of the time ;)

My Sunshine

I have lightly mentioned a few times that we have a child with some sensory challenges.  To be honest, I tore my hair out trying to figure her out for the first three years of her life (poor girl).  If you have a child who seems to be efficient at pushing your buttons, you know what I mean!  I don't consider my experience in this area unique in any way.

Once we found out there was a name for her challenges, we started looking into some of the methods of meeting her needs.  Occupational therapy was on the top of the list.  Next was finding a preschool that would help her be able to integrate successfully into kindergarten (as I was out of ideas and it was the year before she started).  Occupational therapy helped some (I am sure), but overall her preschool really made the difference for us.  I can't say enough about how much she has learned and grown since September!  January has always been my least favorite month in Utah (it always seems like an everlasting chill has settled over our area).  But this January I have found my sunshine coming from the genereal direction of my 4-year-old.  She is such a joy to have as part of our family!  And she is MOST excited to be a big sister...again :)

My Big Kid

Evidence that I married a big kid:

 He turned to me just yesterday and told me that our trampoline has been calling his name.  Maybe it is my being 8+ months pregnant, but there is nothing about this trampoline that calls for me.  Even with the warning, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this.  I love this man :)

 The reason why he can get away with being a big kid:

 

THE SIDING IS ON!  It no longer looks like I live in a project (though I still do...).

Family Christmas 2012

Decorating our Charlie Brown tree...

 

 

Heidi picked up one of the stockings, put it on her head and started saying, "Ho,ho,ho!" 

 It was pretty cute :)

 

You can kind of see the cute trim on their PJs in this one. 

My husband, I mean santa, loves me :)  Or maybe it's the baby he loves... 

she seems to like these too!

Christmas Fun

If you got a plate (or tin) of treats from us, you will be pleased to see how we made them ;)  No worries, our hands were completely sanitized at all times!  This was the peanut butter blossom activity.  When you have toddlers, this recipe works like a charm.  Just sit them down and have them make balls (sometimes you have to pre-portion the dough so they come out the right size).  Have the younger ones roll the ball around in sugar (or eat the dough- the little guy was quite efficient at this job). 

Then, what tot can't unwrap candy kisses?! So we unwrapped them while the cookies baked and put them on the cookies right out of the oven. I want to say the gingerbread men were as fun- but I am not sure there is a recipe that can beat the combined awesomeness of peanut butter blossoms and tots.

Christmas PJs

These took a total of two days to sew together.  When I finished their dresses I started to realize that the whole Christmas PJ thing is a big deal in my husband's family.  (Plus Bree needed a decent PJ dress).  They love their new PJs so much that I have to remind them they can wear them again at night just to get them out of them each day!  They both have cute trim around the bottom hem, stay posted for a good Christmas morning shot to see it!

Dresses

I wish I could say this winter vacation was spent somewhere in Mexico or on a tropical island.  But it was actually spent slaving over two Christmas dresses.  I don't usually make the dresses for the girls (they usually have awesome hand-me-downs...), but this year Breanne needed a dress and I couldn't find any that were warm and that she would actually wear.  SO here they are.  Completed.

If you've every worked with tulle, you know why I posted this.  I suppose I felt the need to document my first experience with the dastardly stuff.  The other picture is of the unfinished skirt.