Mean Mommy

Mr. Independence had a melt down at lunch today because I cut up his food into pieces. It was fun to watch, and will be even more fun to show him when he is older...hee hee hee.

Singing Songs

Cannons voice is so high and sweet....I love it!


Pay close attention to the part of the alphabet that contains " L, M, N, O, P". Its my favorite!

Omi

We got home from camping on Sunday, and found out that my grandma had passed away suddenly. It was a pretty sad day for the entire family. My grandmother was a big part of all of our lives, and the kids had the incredible opportunity to get to know her as well. I have so many great memories of her. I love lists, so here is a list of some good memories.
1. When I was little, she gave me a little wallet with money in it to take to Toy R Us. I lost my wallet and was devastated. She gave me a hug, and a small lecture, and then let me buy what I wanted with some money from her purse.
2. She made the yummiest raspberry pies, and raspberry juice.
3. She helped me clean and move my room around one time, and showed me how to wash the floor because "it was the only way to get it really clean..."
4. She happened to be at my house one day when I came home from the dentist. I had just found out that I was going to need a root canal, and I was crying. She hugged me really tight, and cried with me, because she didn't like the dentist either.
5. She loved my husband and told me that it was ok to marry him.
6. She hugged me and told me it was ok to be scared to having a baby. God makes pregnancy last 9 months so we could get used to the idea and be ready.
7. She sat in the waiting room fretting while I was in labor with my first baby. When Brynn finally arrived, so was almost more worn out than me.


8. She got down on the floor and played with my kids. They loved it, and so did I!
9. She loved to "broom"
10. She showed up to every family function armed with some homemade treat or dessert, even when we told her not to!


11. She tried to pick a fight with me about rules at the condo we were staying at in Hawaii. (I think she was tired of us always making a mess...)
12. She chose to ride with us on the road to Hana, and enjoyed every minute of scenery.


13. She told me on the phone 3 weeks ago that when I was her age, hopefully I would know as much as she did....I hope I do!

I really will miss her. I don't have any regrets though. We have shared dinner together almost every Thursday night for the past 5 years. We have vacationed together, and spent a good deal of time together. She picked fights with me, and I picked fights with her. (Not many people can say that!) She made me laugh and she made me cry. She was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She loved to garden, and always had beautiful flowers and bountiful produce as a result. She taught me the benefit of hard work. She was willing to help out in any way possible. She took advantage of the twists and turns of life and used them how ever she could. She was involved in church ministries, senior groups, and other activities.
I will definitely miss her. I will miss her outspoken opinions. I will miss her presence at the dinner table. I will miss her homemade goodies. My kids will miss the quarters that she always had for them. I will miss the way that she said "oh Angie" when she disapproved of something I said or did. I will probably even tear up the next time we are at the grocery store and Cannon calls another older, white haired lady 'Omi'.
Thanks Omi for having arms to hug me, food to feed me, and time to talk when I needed it. Thanks for being my grandma.

Camping

We took the new tent trailer, 3 kids, a dog, and ourselves out to Ocean Cove to go camping this last weekend. It was the "trial run" for the trailer and here is a list of things that we learned:
1. Don't attempt to drive to your campground when its dinner time, and you haven't fed the kids.
2. Don't choose your campground solely based on some fuzzy pics that are online.
3. Don't choose the first campsite you see, because your kids are screaming in the backseat.
4. Camping on a hillside isn't any easier when you are in a tent trailer.
5. Leveling a tent trailer is not a "quick and easy" process (see above).


6. 9 pm is not really dinner time hour, but food always tastes good when you are camping.
7. S'mores should not be consumed right before bed if you are 3 yrs and under.
8. 11 pm is pretty late at night to go to sleep, unless you are camping.
9. Contrary to popular belief, having an infant with you while you are camping isn't that hard. They only eat, sleep and poop, so as long as those are kept under control, its pretty easy. Having a 2 year old and 3 year old is a different story...


10. If its advertised that they are chemical toilets, then they probably are chemical toilets..
11. Everyone gets up when the sun comes up when you are camping.
12. Dirt is inevitable when you are camping.
13. Camping is the perfect time to work on potty training.


14. Bocce ball is always fun to play, even when you are camping!

15. Food takes 3 times as long to cook when you are camping.
16. Even when its 99 degrees inland, the beach can get pretty cold.


17. To survive cold weather you must have warm clothing.
18. Next time I will bring warm clothing so that we don't have to leave at 6:30 am because we are all shivering....

1 month old

Just a quick pic of the girl who is one month. She is quickly becoming a real member of this family. We are starting to get some smiles, but we have to work hard to earn them. She loves it when the kids sing her Twinkle Twinkle, and Brynn still loves to hold her all the time. Today, she even rocked her to sleep. Very helpful when I need to fold 16 load of laundry!

Don't Tell Daddy

This is a common sight in the house. Usually he is accessorized with pink high heels and a purse. His saving grace is that he usually stuffs the purse with trucks, trains and tractors... Big sister loves having someone to dress up and "mother".

Fathers Day

This is sad, but I have no pics of Rich on fathers day. I did get a few of my dad holding Maeve...
I am thrilled that my parents, and Rich's parents have such a great relationship with the kids. They live close by, and are always willing to help out if needed. It means a lot to me.

BBQ

The social calendar was full this last weekend as we had a family get-together at my parents home to welcome Maeve into the family. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and the purple and green decor fit the sunny yet breezy afternoon perfectly.


The kids entertained themselves on the swing set, and then by "fishing" in the fountain.


The adults had time to chat over some yummy Tri-tip and lots of side dishes, followed by cake!


The guest of honor didn't disappoint in her sparkly pink party dress. After a short meltdown during dressing, she was happy to be held by all the great aunts, grandmothers, and various other relatives.

Our New Venture

This is our new tent trailer. We were inspired to get one after some friends down the street bought one. (Totally keeping up with the Jones' eh?) No, not really, we actually had one when we first got married, but we gave it up because it was so old and broken that we never actually got to use it. It has been something that we have been looking for for the last few years, and we finally found one that was perfect. Its small, easy to tow, and in super nice condition. We are hoping to have our first overnighter this upcoming weekend...

First Bath

The cord has fallen off (last Saturday) and she has had a shower with daddy, but Maeve was pretty stinky today, so she got her first official bath. Apparently she loved it, and I am hoping that she will be a water baby like my other two.

Poop Face

You don't always get these precious moments captured on film....

Big Sister

Brynn loves to hold the baby, even if the baby doesn't love to be held by Brynn....

Fun with the Cousins

We spent an evening with the cousins, and there was plenty of fun to be had! Uncle wrestled with the boys, and oldest girl cousin Lo held her new baby cousin Maeve.

Back to Reality

Rich went back to work this week after a blessed two week paternity leave. I got pretty spoiled having him around. He let me sleep in until 8:30 everyday, helped out with the kids while I was tied up with nursing, changed most of Cannon's diapers, and prepared all the meals that he could. Now, its back to real life. He usually is out the door by 7:45 am, so chaos starts early here. I try to be showered and ready to go by 7 am, so that I can take on breakfast, nursing, diapers, dressing and all the other tasks required before we can leave the house. Its tiring, and by 9pm, I am wiped out.
The kids are doing well adjusting to their newest sibling. Cannon is oblivious to most thing. He sometimes wants to hold the baby, but we mostly have issues with him manhandling her. The other day I walked into the room to find him log rolling her across the living room floor. I guess I should have been watching more closely. That could have been a bad situation.
Brynn is dealing with it in her own way. I think that she is fully embracing "the oldest child" role. Her mentality right now is "Its me, mom and dad - and those other kids..." She has found out that she can antagonize Cannon very easily, and loves to do it. It is really hard for me to watch, because I want to make sure that she treats him lovingly, but I also realize this is part of growing up for both of them. She loves to hold the baby, and Maeve seems to enjoy it to, so its a welcomed break for me.
All in all, having the extra kid is added work, but its easier than I thought it would be. My opinion (today) is that going from one kid to two, was rougher than going from two kids to three.
Off to take my shower and get my day started.

Comparison

Everyone keeps asking me who Maeve looks like. Here is a comparison of all the kids at 2 weeks...

Brynn


Cannon


Maeve




Brynn


Cannon


Maeve