End-Of-The-School-Year-Festivities

Hello all!! Whew!! May has been a super-busy month for us. I'm a little nervous about the school-years-to-come for us, because the end of the year activities for pre-school are already wearing me out! It has been and continues to be a blast, but I will have mixed feelings of relief and sadness when it's all over. In the last week, we wrapped up Abby Kate's Kindermusik class and Christa's pre-school. I will miss both dearly! I am ready for the summer, but we do really well on a routine, and all of our classes and activities have been fantastic this year with awesome people! We will take the summer off of Kindermusik, since it's hard to take all 3 kids. Abby Kate will be going to the same pre-school as Christa 2 days a week starting in the Fall, so I don't know if she and I will participate in that particular activity again or not. Here are some pictures from her last class:

Abby Kate's favorite part of Kindermusik both semesters was the bubbles. It was Mommy's favorite, too!! The teacher turned off the lights and turned on soothing music. She told the Mommies to relax, and made the kids sit down before she would blow any bubbles. Abby Kate would obediently sit down, then jump up to pop the bubbles as soon as Ms. Wendy blew them. She was really cute. Standing with her is Amelia, her "best friend." They seemed really excited to see each other during class. Amelia's mom is one of my good friends, and we leave the kids in the same nursery at MOPS on Thursdays. When Abby Kate was reluctant to go this year, I would say, "Amelia is in there," and she would happily go play.

Popping the bubbles.

Last Wednesday, we went to Christa's end-of-the-year school party at the fountains. We had a picnic lunch of pizza, chips, and "cookie sandwiches" that Christa and two of her classmates made the day before. It was very hot that day, which made the water extra fun for the kids. Here is Christa with her best friend, Ava. They have been classmates for 2 years. Christa talks fondly about all of her classmates, but I hear the most about Ava :) Her teachers tell me that Christa can play with anyone, but she and Ava are good buddies!

It doesn't get any better than running through water on a hot day with your best friend. They were laughing and having a blast!! Sadly, Ava will be at a different school next year, but hopefully, her mom and I can keep the girls in touch. Ava's dad is actually the cousin of one of my closest high school friends! Go figure!

I'm going to miss this group! It was a great one!

Baths, Snuggles, and Family

First baby tub bath...

(This was actually given several weeks after her bellybutton fell off because it always takes that long for me to remember to bathe her on a night when Cline is home and we can photo and video the whole experience)! She seemed to like it!

Christa has started picking Elizabeth up (with or without my permission). Fortunately, she hasn't tried to stand up with her or anything, but I often look over at my infant who is supposed to be lying on the bed or floor to find Christa cuddling her! I try not to scold Christa when she does this, because I want to encourage a love for her sister, while keeping Elizabeth safe. It's a hard balance to strike at this age :).

Christa with her favorite girl cousin, Maggie Beth, on Mother's Day! They don't get to see each other as much as I would like, but they sure are cute together when they do get to play.

My grandparents came to see us all the way from Oklahoma over Mother's Day weekend. This was their first time meeting Elizabeth. Getting a picture of all 5 of them was quite the challenge - this is what we ended up with.

Elizabeth with her great-grandparents.

Sooooo Busy...

Hey!! Just a quick post tonight to let you know that I am planning a real post or two very soon. We have been crazy busy with end-of-the-year activities, birthdays, Spring activities, and just life in general. I have some new pictures and events to share, though, and hope very much to get to that in the next couple of days!
Right now, though, I have end-of-the-year teacher gifts to wrap, a downstairs to straighten, flip flops to find, outfits to lay out for tomorrow, a checkbook to balance, paperwork to put up, dishes to put away, a baby to feed and dress for bed, a husband to talk to, a bible to read, and a bed to sleep in for a few hours to prepare for an early morning.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

The Royal Wedding Party...

... (as told by the Duchess of Camelot)...

So, the world may have gotten up at 4 am to watch the happenings in London, but I have to tell you, the real action was here at Camelot! Up until this week, I knew very little about the British monarchy, and although I was interested in the upcoming nuptials of Will and Kate, I was not obsessing over them like others seemed to be doing. However, as the date got closer, I got sucked into all of the excitement, and for the first time in my life, I watched several documentaries!! I can now speak more intelligently about British history than any other current or historical topic. I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would watch the wedding live, regardless of the sleep cost.
On Monday I heard about a Royal Wedding Party being planned. Due to Cline's work schedule, it was not possible for me to leave my sleeping children home with him so that I could even think about attending. So 3 days ago, I decided to throw my own Royal Wedding Party here at the house. What a blast!! I had a hard time convincing some people that it would be worth it to sacrifice precious hours of sleep for this gathering, and others who were on board with the idea, but had work/childcare conflicts. Eight of us ladies ended up celebrating this occasion during the wee hours this morning. Four of us even donned super-fun, British/Royal-looking outfits. It was a blast, and I am so glad it worked out! I know that I will look back years from now and remember how much fun it was to add a little spunk into an unforgettable event. As I told my friends while I was trying to convince them to drag themselves out of bed and drive to my house at 4am, it's not often that us married mothers get to do something a little fun and crazy!

Here is our Royal Breakfast Buffet! We feasted on donuts, English scones, European sugar cookies, mini-quiches, and an assortment of chocolate - always a delight in all continents! No one was interested in Tea, so we sipped coffee and soda from fine China tea cups (courtesy of my mother:)

Four fine ladies ready to watch history in the making!

Our common friends in their "royal pajamas." I was so glad everyone came, and loved the span of outfits from comfy to ballroom.

Emily's outfit was stunning, including a blue dress, similar to the now-famous blue Issa dress belonging to Kate Middleton, herself. Emily also smartly found a large blue "sapphire" ring to complete the ensemble!

Hostess with a hat!

The Duchess of Camelot and Queen Elizabeth (and you thought she would be at the actual wedding)! We also had a guest whose first name is Kate and another guest whose last name is Middleton, so I guess you could say that Kate Middleton at our party! (Paulene Middleton joked that she was attending the party as Kate's cousin, which I thought was pretty clever, too)!

Anyway, we behaved like typical women do, tearing up as Kate walked down the aisle, commenting on the gown and hats, and laughing a lot! (Everything is always funnier during hours you are supposed to be sleeping). We all reflected on our own wedding days, and tried to imagine what Kate might be thinking on hers. It was spectacular!

Easter Festivities, Picture Success, and Not-so-Tummy-Time

"For God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Hello all!! It's been a fun-filled weekend with lots of pictures, so get ready for a long post (assuming Elizabeth will let me finish this up - she was very good while I downloaded these pictures). Anyway, we had lots of fun Easter activities this weekend, and Cline was off work the whole time, so it was a great holiday this year! (It's a great holiday every year, and I am truly grateful for the amazing sacrifice that is Easter. It's even better with an extra set of hands to help cart 3 little ones to the 4 different egg hunts, however :) On Easter morning, we checked out the Big Bunny's leavings, shot a few pictures, made it to church on time, and spent the rest of the beautiful day outside at Cline's family's lake house. We all hunted more eggs, ate great food, played with bubbles and play-dough, and dyed Easter eggs. (I love that my mother-in-law does all this, so I don't have to :) Well, Elizabeth is getting fussy, so I suppose I should get on with the picture captions :)

Abby Kate is enjoying some early Easter presents from Mimi and Pa (and once again reminding us that she is wayyyyy too cool for 19 months:)

Christa actually stepped out of her comfort zone and pet a live bunny at our MOPS Easter Egg hunt on Friday!

Not a bad family shot, if I do say so myself! Everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. And the best part is, I'm hidden from the neck down, so it's a flattering shot!

Abby Kate got the hang of hunting eggs very quickly!

Christa really got into the egg hunting this year. Neither of my girls were overly competitive about it, though, so it was very fun. I'm sure all that will come in the next few years, but I like that they are satisfied with what they get for now.

We went to another egg hunt and breakfast on Saturday. Thank goodness the Easter bunny was there, because I totally forgot to take everyone to the mall this year!

The Easter bunny was very kind to the girls. He understood that we generally have way too much candy in our house, so he opted for some inexpensive toys, instead. Toys that can be used up or lost without being a big deal - our favorite!

Elizabeth's first Easter! So, that hair bow stayed in for a good hour, then fell off. I still don't get it! The Easter bunny left a few of her favorite things: new pacifiers, bottles, and Mylicon!

Everyone is dressed, smiling, looking at the camera - I'll take it!

Another semi-decent family photo! Could this be a new trend??

Our good friend, Meredith, gave the girls matching shirts for a baby gift. They say "Big Sister, Christa," "Little Sister, Abby Kate," and "Baby Sister, Elizabeth." Since we were on a roll with the whole picture-taking thing, I dressed them this morning, and snapped a few shots.

So, here's what Elizabeth thinks of Tummy Time....

.... she's opting out of it entirely, with a smile to boot! I put her on the couch on her tummy several weeks ago, just to give her a different position while I picked up some things nearby. When I looked back over at her, she was nearly on her back - the couch cushion prevented her from being totally on her back. She was 2, maybe 3 weeks?? I totally thought it had to be a fluke. But we tried Tummy Time again today, on the floor, and she rolled over twice. How am I going to prevent her from getting a flat head??? I've never had a newborn who loves her back so much - I've gotta say, I'm liking this!

Alright, Elizabeth has been patient enough, so I'm going to run. I hope all of you had a fantastic Easter!

Elizabeth is One Month!

Hello all! As of today, we have officially survived our first full month with 3 children under the age of 4. It is so much fun, and I am having a blast! I keep wondering if this is as hard as it gets, or if I need to be bracing myself for some crazy times ahead in the next few weeks/months. This, though, I can handle. Elizabeth continues to be a delightful baby, although she's decided she likes being held a lot more, and some gas issues regularly interrupt a peaceful sleep. We are still getting a decent amount of rest, though, and I feel good throughout the day, so I am a happy girl. Christa and Abby Kate are doing great, as well. They play well together and still love the new baby, so things are going as well as I could ask. We are busy getting ready for Easter, and figuring out which activities we want to do over the summer. Last summer, I didn't sign anyone up for anything - which was a huge mistake. That was the beginning of the sleeping problems with Christa. Determined not to make the same mistake this year, I am trying to find a nice balance between having a relaxing summer with time for my own play dates and enough activity and stimulation to keep the girls from getting bored.

I hear Abby Kate waking up, so I am writing on borrowed time. Enjoy the pictures from our last week!
4 weeks old!

Smiling for Daddy - we still haven't decided if these are "real" smiles or not. The terrible lighting is my fault - I had the flash turned off from taking pictures of the 6 inches of hail outside our window from a pretty severe thunderstorm.

Today - 1 month old!

Well, I got one with everyone smiling/looking pleasant. We'll just pretend everyone's eyes are open :) I took the little girls to Christa's school picture session earlier this week - they said they got a good shot of everyone - we'll see :)

Have a great day!

Elizabeth is was Three Weeks! (A few days ago :)

Hello all! I'm a few days late with this post. Cline just finished up a long stretch at work, and it's very difficult to get to the computer without children at an hour when I'm not completely exhausted, so that's my excuse. We are still doing really well, and I'm starting to think that 3 kids is easier than 2. This time around, Abby Kate and Christa entertain each other, so I am getting plenty of time to snuggle with sweet Elizabeth. She is still eating and sleeping like a champ! Oh, and her belly button finally fell off today. That's always a little bittersweet for me - I'm excited to give her a "real" bath, but that belly button was the mark of a true newborn... and now it's gone. Oh well - onto bigger and better things, I guess. Here are some pictures from our last week (and a half:)!


Crazy hair after a bath. She might not have much, but we had a good laugh at what she had this day!

1st trip to church (last Sunday). We hesitated, because we try to keep our newborns away from big crowds this early on. But I'm just not the sit-at-home type, and I was ready to see friends and get back into some semblance of our routine, so we decided to go.

Yet, another attempt to get a picture of all 3 girls! The green outfits were actually matching rompers that Christa and Abby Kate wore shortly after Abby Kate was born.

3 week birthday! This is one of my favorite outfits - all 3 of my girls have worn it.

I swear this child has smiled already - with her eyes open! It seems crazy early, and I'm sure they're still just the random facial movements, but she's done it several times. (This is probably my very favorite outfit, and all 3 girls have worn it, too. I still remember seeing it in Janie and Jack - now, my very favorite store - and hinting to my mom that I loved it when I was pregnant with Christa. It wasn't cheap, but my mom bought it for me anyway, along with the matching hat, and all 3 of my girls have had their newborn pictures made in it.)

Ready for church again today!

By the way, does anyone know how to actually get the hairbow to stick to the head?? I never tried it with Christa or Abby Kate, but the pink hairbow looked so cute in Elizabeth's hair in the hospital, that I've tried to replicate it several times. The nurses told me that they use KY Jelly, so that's what I've tried. It stuck like glue in the hospital, but now I can't get the bow to stay long enough for the jelly to dry, despite multiple efforts! Suggestions would be appreciated :)

Off to relax with my sweet husband for a while! Have a great day!