Pregnancy

this pregnancy has been wonderful!some headaches and of course a BIG 'ole belly, but it's been enjoyable and i'm feeling super lucky to have such a smooth sail the third time around!  "beanie" must know momma wants to enjoy every minute as one!

some ice cream is a must!

some lullabies for beanie....

and when i do have a moment where exhaustion and/or pregnancy symptoms take over - the girls are my little rescue team!  they bring me water and a string cheese and make it all better for their momma!

"There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we." ~Ina May Gaskin

3 girls

enjoying...

each...

other.

that's all.

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart." ~Author Unknown

mother's day

this mother's day my brothers came home, so we had a relaxing day hanging with my fam. it was so so nice. unfortunately j was in the fields and missed out.

uncle t-bone getting his uncle role on...

the girls...

steph and e.....

uncle t-bone and sisi....

little e and big e....

papa, e and t....

uncle jim, nana and grandma lorraine....

t-bone, grandpa and nana....

stephy and sisi....

aunt katie and uncle t-bone with their flower girls....

all the girls....

and a little tree climbing for the girls...

a little boost from big sis....

e, steph and sienna....who's not really having it anymore, haha.

my girls and i....and a 14 week old growing fetus.... ;)  such a great mother's day!

"Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible." ~Marion C. Garretty

#3

the girls love to take our phones and take pictures....

they caught me catching a quick nap on the couch.....something i seriously NEVER do!!!

then of course they woke me up....and caught it on camera....

i thought i was possibly recouping from a busy weekend celebrating with family.  while with family, we discussed and planned on making a quick trip to vegas with my brother and sister-in-law.  as it would turn out, we weren't going to be able to go.  i am pregnant!!  the extreme tiredness and two dollar store tests confirmed it...

they were so faint and i was in such shock i drove to target on our only snow day to pick up a digital test...

#3!!!  :D

jason got home later that night and i gave him a little riddle....

Billy Goats Gruff
French Hens
Little Pigs
Bears in Goldilocks
Piece Suit
Ships of Christopher Columbus
Sheets to the Wind
Little Kittens They Lost Their Mittens
Wheels on a Tricycle
Stooges
Blind Mice
Wise Men
Legged Race
Wheeler
Strikes
Is A Crowd
Dimensional
Musketeers
Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmatic
Live, Laugh, Love
Hip, Hip, Hooray
Branches of US Federal govt
Sides of a triangle
Cousins of Donald Duck: Huey, Dewey and Louie
Kennedys (John, Robert and Teddy)
Flavors in Neapolitan Ice Cream
Stars in Orion’s belt
Parts To An Atom: protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Caloric Sources: Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins
Primary colors: red, yellow and blue
Parts to the Personality: Id, Ego, super-ego
Earth Divisions: Core, Mantle, Crust
Times A Lady
Bags Full in Baa Baa Black Sheep
Colors in the Flag
Men and a Baby
Great Pyramids at Giza
Men in a Tub
Holes in a Bowling Ball
Colors in a Set of Traffic Lights
Lines in a Haiku Poem
Life lines in Who Wants to be a Millionaire
Leaves on a Shamrock
Minutes in a Boxing Round
Teaspoons in a Tablespoon
Valves on a Trumpet
Laws of Motion
Ring Circus
Tenors: Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti
Times Peter denied Christ
Body Types: Endomorph, Mesomorph, Ectomorph
Ring Notebook
Germ layers: Endoderm, Mesoderm, Ectoderm
Species of Homo: Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens
Cu*m Laude, Magna Cu*m Laude, and Suma Cu*m Laude
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth
Of the People, By the People, For the People
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil
Faith, Hope and Charity
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Peter, Paul and Mary
Snap, Crack and Pop
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Small, Medium and Large
Alvin, Simon and Theodore
CBS, NBC, ABC
Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Ready, Aim, Fire
3 Pointer - he shoots, he scores
On Your mark, Get Set, Go
3 To Get Ready
3rd time's a charm
3 Trimesters in a Pregnancy
3's Company
Elena, Adelyn & a Third!!
# 3 will be here in November!!

"There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we." ~Ina May Gaskin

kid sleep meets the molly momma

there seriously might not be anything that i love more than to watch my babes sleep.  i go in their room every night, multiple times, and take a moment - or twelve - to admire their innocence, reflect on our day, feel my heart swell with love and pride, pray for their sweet souls.....

 

AND RE-TUCK THEM IN NICELY!!!!

 

SERIOUSLY.

 

part of it is so dang cute...they flip the wrong way...

 

strip themselves of their nice warm covers...

 

have their arms propped up as though they might need to pop out of bed any instant...

 

have their knees up like their lounging on a couch....

get twisted like a burrito in their blankets....

sprawl out as though they are flying squirrels....

and are sometimes sporting compromising positions like the chinese splits!

ugh!  you're doing it wrong girls!!!!

my momma brain cannot possibly walk back out of the room without flipping them back, untwisting them, fixing their blankets, de-propping their limbs, and making sure they LOOK all cozy cuddled and are under blankets....

 

and whisper "good night, i love you." as i re-tuck them in....

 

if i had a dime for every time i re-tucked them in we would be sleeping on gold matresses!

 

now my momma heart AND BRAIN can rest easy....until next time my sweet sweet girls - in a few hours when i check again!

"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep." ~Dale Carnegie

ears are pierced

a few days after christmas the girls and i headed to the mall to get MY ears pierced.  i first got my ears pierced at 24, but let them close right after i had e.  so here i am.....at 33 years old.....getting my ears pierced.

e and ad were in awe...and i of course told them when they're 33 they'll be able to get their ears pierced.  ;)

and here we are.....ears are pierced!

"The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in." ~B.K.S. Iyengar

5 and tres-tres

Our birthday was like any other day really. But that was fine with us. We played and loved and enjoyed! What more is there?

 

 

five and thirty three are going to rock! no doubt!

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip." ~Author Unknown

five

five. five years old. every year is such a milestone, but this seems to be a big one. i'm afraid you can no longer be considered a toddler. :( you are moving out of toddler sizes. your vocabulary is growing at record speed. and you are going to be a full day kindergartner. it's all too much.

elena, at 5 years old, you are still smart as a whip! you soooo amaze us. not just with what you know...but with what you want to know. you tell me all the time, "mom, i'm a learning girl...i just want to learn!" you've been reading books on your own since april. you read very smoothly now. you like to read the sentence to yourself first, then aloud so you "know" it. you read step 2 books like an old man reading the newspaper.  you have a slight obsession with math (you work on first and second grade workbooks) and have already declared you will be asking santa for more math books. you LOVE to be quizzed!!!  it's crazy and can be to the point where it's a bit annoying.  but you truly want to know everything!! our little over achiever!  ;)

you are an emotional spirited little girl.  you reek of passion.  for.every.little.thing.  it makes it extremely hard to rationalize with you.  you see the gray in every thing.  you are always always....ALWAYS right.  the apple doesn't fall far from the tree on this one.  i have no idea where you get that from.

next to learning, you LOVE to tumble.  you became quite obsessed with the olympic gymnasts this month and it's been fun to follow this passion with you.  i, too, love gymnastics.  you practice your moves over and over.  and over.  you've continued classes once a week over the summer.  your favorite event is the bar.  you ask often if you can be an olympic gymnast.

pretend play still makes up for anytime you're not learning or tumbling.  you love to play school and gymnastics coach.  adelyn always being your star student.

you always dance like no one is watching.....unless someone actually is watching - then you are shy about it.  you love to get your groove on and i think you always will.  it's in your blood.  you can easily slip into your "own world."  it's for sure the most admirable part of childhood and i hope yours continues.

you crave independence.  you declare almost everyday how capable you are... yet, you also crave approval. words of admiration is without a doubt your love language.  both run very deep within you.  you would never admit to wanting to please others.  you have a very strong ego.  you also have a very big heart.  you seem to always be leading with both.  you are a very confident girl.  as you should be.  i hope you never lose that.  i will make sure you never lose that.

you quite literally think you are a princess.  that must dress appropriately.  if you could cover yourself in glitter, sequins, diamonds, feathers, pixie dust, ruffles and anything else that screamed I SPARKLE, you soooooo would!  and you'd never want to change.

you wear size 11 shoe with room to grow and size 5 clothes, moving right into 6's.  you are 41lbs and 43.5 inches tall. you love doing hair, singing in the mirror and making a zillion trillion pictures for everyone. you are kind, determined, smart and spirited.  you love to tell jokes and are easily amused.  your laugh is contagious, your conviction is admirable and your passion is desired.  at just 5 years old, we know you not only will do amazing things but that YOU will be the one making them happen.

happy 5th birthday our sweet baby girl!  we love you so much!


newborn  (photo by emiliekarunphotography)

 one year old   (photo by emiliekarunphotography)

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

 

"Childhood is a promise that is never kept." ~Ken Hill