Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Smile!


Jim Henson's newest Muppet?


That look always gets me.


Staring contest anyone?!


Whoa Nelly!

Ruby is our class clown.  I was laughing so hard today that I had tears in my eyes.  Who knew big googly eyes could be so much fun!?

What fun captions would you put with these pictures?  Leave your captions in a comment.  There will be a prize for the funniest caption.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Warning: gross story involving poo

Recently I was a baby shower and in all the talk about kids, the topic of "blowouts" came up.  The father-to-be innocently asked what a blowout is...

This, my friend, is a blowout story.

Today Andy had to go into work.  Marissa's fiance is in town, so they were out and about.  Alli was at a play date next door.  I was home with Ruby and June.  Ruby and I made some art projects while June slept.  Fun stuff.
When June woke up, she was hungry.  So I nursed her.  Then she began to grunt, which is not uncommon.  The diaper rumbles started... and they kept going.  I was not fearful... and then I felt the warm, moist feeling on my lap.  June must have been in the wrong position, because everything went up her back, through her shirt, and onto me.  By "everything" I mean poo.
I sat very still until the grunts and rumbles stopped.  Deep breath.  Warm wet spots were spreading.  It's a gross feeling.
Then the doorbell rang.
Seriously.
I thought about not answering it, but Alli was due back any minute.  So with June in hand (I couldn't put her down), I went to the door.  Luckily, it was just Alli and her friend Elijah. 
I had poo on my shirt and it was dripping down my jeans.  I was holding June and her gooey back was facing out.
Alli gagged at the sight (she is sensitive to yucky stuff).  Elijah's eyes were huge as he looked me up and down.  His eyes stopped on my pant leg.  Then he smiled at me... as if saying, "Is that what I think it is?!"  Elijah kept chatting away about whatever (I wasn't listening very well) and I was trying to get him to go back home so I could start cleaning up this horrific mess.  He may have still been talking when I shut the door.
For a diaper explosion like this, preparation is needed before changing.  I laid out the vinyl changing pad, wipes, a garbage can, towels... and then I proceeded with caution.  Gross.
June and I both needed a shower.  All of the soiled clothes went into the sink: June's shirt, onesie, and pants, my shirt and jeans too.  Everything needed stain remover.  Here is her shirt... that is not mustard.
 
* There was a picture here, but Andy thought it was way too gross.

June was delighted to be clean again.  And naked too.

Her belly looks huge in this picture... she had just sucked in a big breath because she was so excited to be naked.
While the water warmed up, June peed on the mat.
After a quick yet thorough shower, diaper for June, and new outfits for both of us, I set about cleaning up the damage.  Clean up involved Clorox wipes, Oxi-Clean, and a load of laundry... and scrubbing a spot on the carpet.  And wiping down the hallway floor.  Whew.

I would classify this experience as a major blowout.




Tuesday, March 17, 2009

going green

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!
This morning I overheard Alli tell Ruby, "On St. Patrick's Day if we see a rainbow and follow it we will find a real pot of gold.  And it will be OURS!" 
We kicked off the day with a hearty green breakfast: green whole wheat pancakes topped with sauteed apples and green syrup.  And green milk too.  Delicious.

Alli and Ruby picked some festive clothes to wear.
The weather was summery.  So we played at the park.  And we had a picnic.  I didn't go all out with green food for the picnic.  Alli suggested that I color the peanut butter green, but the thought of it grossed me out... we did have green Veggie Booty though.  Better than that, lots of our friends were at the park!  We spent four hours getting sweaty, sandy, dirty, and tired at the park.  A 70 degree day in March is a holiday regardless of the Irish.

I made a green feast for dinner: pesto-crusted chicken, homemade spinach linguine and alfredo sauce with broiled cherry tomatoes, and sauteed zucchini.  And green lemonade.  We even got out some green candles to fancy-up our table.

(Our table really isn't this big, there is a wall-sized mirror in our dining area... makes our dinner look twice as big.)
Alli made some fun paper crafts to celebrate.  I got a shamrock crown.

Our house is a mess today.  That is the price I pay for a day of fun-only.

Other fun happenings at our house today:

We all filled out our brackets for the NCAA basketball tournament.  Alli and Ruby like teams with funny names... Chattanoooooga.



A fun green day for all at our house.  We hope your day was just as lucky!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Deep questions...

After school today, Alli hit me with this question...

Mom, sometimes do you think, "are we really alive, or is it all just a dream?"

Excuse me?  Is my five-year-old waxing philosophical?

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Alli Alli bo balli banana fana fo falli


I have to give credit to my talented sister-in-law for this picture of Alli... but I painted the backdrop for her. 

Monday, March 9, 2009

link

Check out these pictures from my parents' visit last week on their website!
Grandma and Grandpa Ohio brought Alli and Ruby some twirly-ribbon-things that they had lots of fun with.  Thanks!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

June


This little one is smiling more and more.  My tiny sunshine.  She melts my heart.  She has delicious chubby cheeks that I nibble-kiss a hundred times a day.  She can coo now... and we have very deep conversations regularly.  She is a champion belcher.  Though her burps are terrifyingly loud, they are generally dry and harmless.  I love to breathe her in... she has that heavenly baby scent (except for when she doesn't).  She has a thing for fashion, sometimes demanding a wardrobe change mid-day.  She requires loads of extra laundry... and I comply... though my favorite look for her is the one she arrived in (with a diaper for safety).

Oh I love this baby!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

talents of the third kid


Apparently June can sleep through anything.

Monday, March 2, 2009

blessed

Every time I attend a baby blessing, I am reminded of years ago when we had miscarriages instead of babies.  That was a hard time (major understatement).  It was nearly impossible then to imagine having one baby... let alone the three cuties that we now have.  Baby blessings reminded me then that my arms were empty, and I didn't understand why.  And it hurt.

I still don't understand why we had two late-first-trimester miscarriages before we had Alli, but now with 20/20 hindsight I am thankful for the experiences we had.  Andy and I learned much.  And we grew.  And when I think back to those dark days, I give my babies an extra squeeze.  I am so thankful for my babies... big, medium, and small.  If only I could have known six years ago how full my arms would be!

Yesterday was June's blessing day at church.  My parents and brother Ben came for the occasion.  Andy's parents came too.  Andy's mom made a beautiful dress for June.  It was a beautiful blessing and a beautiful day.  My heart was full.  I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and three beautiful daughters.

Being a mom isn't easy.  This is not a job for the faint of heart.  But I love being a mom.  There is no better work than this.
 
PS- June didn't cry during the blessing.  She didn't spit up or poop on her dress.  Success!





Sunday, March 1, 2009

five pounds of cuteness


Here is my newest nephew.  Taylor Michael Mars. 
He arrived a little bit early, but all was well.  We got to meet him in Idaho last week.  Alli and Ruby adored their tiny cousin.  We kept June away because she was sick.  June and Taylor are one month apart.  On the weekend that they met, there were 15 pounds between the two of them.

This little guy fits in a stocking cap.

He has awesome hair... all over his tiny, wrinkly body.  Newborn fuzz is pretty cute though.
Congratulations Chris and LaTrisha!  Taylor is darling.