Naptime Novels

Two Special Gals

2012-02-23T17:57:00.001-08:00

I got to have a really quick mini-mommy vacation this weekend…well, mostly just Saturday. But, it was a whole day event. I got to drive for two hours without children in the car and listen to the radio, host an awesome baby shower and visit the bestie. Chris manned the fort, took care of all of the babies, and even did laundry while I was gone! He rocks!

We were celebrating this amazing gal…

Yep! Kim is due with her first baby in April and Chris and I couldn’t be more excited for her and Adam!! I love how excited they both are and nervous about this new baby arriving. That first baby is so amazing and so so scary at the same time. I remember feeling exactly the same way, and then you just dive in head first into parenthood. No one can quite prepare you for the job, but I know they will do great!

I had to put my stamp on the shower, with a few little handmade items! I tried making the tissue paper pom poms and they turned out so sweet! I will be using that idea again for Ellie’s birthday. The yummy lemonade was a hit, with my hand made little bunting banner on the jar, love it!

Kim has so many amazing friends that I have gotten to know over the years from her wedding. It was so great to see them all again and catch up on their lives. She is one lucky girl and got spoiled by everyone! She had friends fly in from Chicago and drive down from New York too!

Her best friend Sarah hosted the shower at her house. Here she is with her adorable little 12 month old daughter Samantha who was a guest of honor!!

I love you Kim!! I can’t wait to meet this new little baby, and line up the cousins on the couch for a big old family photo!!

PS…doesn’t Kim look amazing?? She is one of the most adorable pregnant people I have ever seen!

After all that fun I drove down the road a ways to catch up with this sweet friend. How is it possible that I am just meeting Janna’s six month son Christopher? Man life gets busy when you add a few kids in the mix. This lady has been on my mind so much in the past year and it was so great to get to see her and give her a big mama squeeze. Her little family is going through a lot and any prayers you can say are certainly welcomed!

I love you sweet lady and I loved getting to wrap my arms around that adorable baby!! We snuck out for a yummy dinner and lots of catching up. Thank goodness we both have awesome husbands that will take over when duty calls!

After all of this traveling, my body gave out on me and I came down with a nasty cold. I am just now finally feeling better, but I lost my voice (literally) for about three days. Monday I was stuck at home with all three kids and no voice. That went over well when I was trying to give Ellie important directions. Chris said he was loving me without a voice…not sure what he is implying? Do I annoy you honey? Guess we need to have a chat about that later. I feel like I am on the mend, but poor Ellie caught the cold too and ended up with a double ear infection. I think we all just spread it around to each other again and again.

I hoping to be back up and running like normal soon! Love, Clare

A Colorful Valentine’s Day

2012-02-15T12:16:00.001-08:00

Thank you to Pinterest for the sweet, sweet Valentine's card idea...

We had crayon hearts coming out of our eyeballs! We made girl crayons and boy crayons…can’t you tell by the colors??

Then we attached to this adorable card I found on Pinterest from this adorable blog The Long Thread. She has lots and lots of great ideas, and had the card print out for free!

Then we worked on another great Pinterest idea, Valentine’s Marshmallow Pops!

They are so simple and so yummy! I had all of the ingredients so my Mom and Bradley put them together on Monday. Dip the Marshmallow pop in melted chocolate, add some sprinkles and Enjoy!

Our day started with a sweet little Valentine’s breakfast….cinnamon roll hearts, a new stencil set for Bradley, and a new ball for Ellie. Topped off with Valentine’s balloons and cards from Daddy too! And yes, I even cut up the bananas into little teeny tiny hearts!

We finished off Valentine’s with a homemade heart shaped pizza. I didn’t snap a photo because I was rushing out the door to be tortured at the gym, but apparently it was a hit!

I adore this photo…Bradley trying to get Gracie to smile! He is the master at getting her to talk, coo, and give the biggest gummy smiles ever!

We alllllmost got on! She was being strict with her smiles on Valentine’s day!

I was proud of myself, I have picked up my camera a bunch this week! I hope to keep it going!! Give your Valentine a squeeze, Love, Clare

Some Random Thoughts

2012-02-07T18:05:00.001-08:00

Life has just been full lately. In a good way.

I just can’t get enough of this little one. I can hardly believe that she is three and a half months!! She is chubby as ever, the rolls just grow daily. Our routine is definitely working, just sleep, eat, play, sleep, again and again and again. Then sleep all night and start it over. There are a few smiles, coos, thumb sucking and poopy diapers thrown in there, but you get the picture. We have our little rhythm and things are flowing (mostly) well.

I am slowly trying to get my life back to normal. Exercise and eating better are all part of this plan. I think I am driving Chris crazy with my talk of healthier eating, needing to run, etc. I am taking a small group interval training class on Tuesday nights. It is amazing! There is only one other lady that takes it with me, and each week I think I am going to die. Then I don’t, and I go back the next week. Last week the other lady didn’t show, so basically I died twice during the 60 minutes. Running, stair climber, weights, core, planks, bosu ball. She just throws things at you and you have to do them again and again. The first go round doesn’t seem so bad, but by the third round you realize that you are shaking. It feels so good to sweat again and be in control of my body.

We had a Superbowl party on Sunday night. I just emailed a few friends at the last minute, figuring most people already had plans. Pretty much everyone came! 20 adults, 21 children. It was crazy fun, and I didn’t take one picture. Between hosting, watching Grace, trying to refill bowls of chips, there wasn’t a free moment. Ellie stayed up through the halftime show and danced for all of the Madonna songs while the moms sang along. It was hilarious. We bought Ellie a bounce house for her upcoming birthday and had it up for the party. I promise to get some pictures, it is AWESOME!

This little man has the class Teddy Bear this week. He has to send in things from home to share with his friends. Tomorrow he is taking his baby book. I quickly flipped through it before I put it in his bag. Little ink prints of his tiny baby feet caught my eye. Like a flash they grow up, without asking you first. I put him to bed tonight. We are reading one story at a time from a huge Curious George Collection book. I love that he still loves little George. I love that at the end of the book, he opened his arms out wide for a hug and said, “I love you mom.” I hugged him and kissed him and told him he was so special. I hope he knows it in the craziness of our house.

I read a blog that just posted about the transition to quiet time. We have been doing quiet time with this little man for almost two years. He doesn’t have it on the weekends anymore, but I still make him do it during the week. He has been resisting it more and more. I really needed him to do it when I brought Grace home. I would take a nap or a shower or just have some peace. Now, all I can think about is Bradley being in school all day next year. So, we are starting some new traditions of reading together, learning sight words, or just playing with Grace if she is awake. I only have a few more months and then Kindergarten, super sigh.

I don’t have any pictures of Ellie to share. Probably because she is a wild toddler and I hardly have a moment to snap her photo. We have been at odds in the past few months. The on and off sickness, approaching terrible twos, she can just be plain exhausting and demanding. I am hoping for clearer skies ahead with her as we turn the corner to her 2nd birthday next month. Will it happen?? She just is at that really hard stage and then you add in Grace and I can get really overwhelmed by her. Trying to go places is really next to impossible.

Today was a good day though. Today I set up the Phil and Teds with Grace in the little seat in the back. I had a feeling that she was getting strong enough to hold up her head in the regular seat. I snapped them both in and we went for a long walk in the beautiful weather. I thought Grace would just lay her head back, but she pulled her little head up for the whole ride taking in the fresh air and the world. I am sure that is the most fresh air she has had in weeks. She is always in the Eurgo or car seat carrier. It was that turning point moment. The one when I dreamt of spring around the corner, babies that could stay away longer than 55 minutes, and little girls that become sweet and wise 2 year olds. Ok, maybe that last part was really a stretch. And of course I didn’t take a picture, because I barely managed to get the stroller all set up and the girls buckled in and go for our walk in time to throw them in the car to pick up Bradley. There is always next time, right?

This post is officially all over the place. Kind of how my head feels 99% of the time.

Off for some much needing reading and relaxation.

Getting Crafty

2012-02-01T12:20:00.001-08:00

You know that you are getting rest again when you find some time to do things around the house.

I have become a serious addict to Pinterest and my list of “things I would love to make someday” continues to grow. There just isn’t enough time in the day! Between wanting to do crafts with the kids, my own list of things to do, planning Kim’s upcoming baby shower and Ellie’s upcoming 2nd birthday there are little mini project centers all over the house! Not to mention the heart shaped crayons Bradley and I made for his Valentine’s at school!

I think crafting and being neat just don’t go together sometimes. I need a little storage space that I can set up all of these projects, leave them half finished without having to look at them every day until they are done?!

Back to my first finished project since Grace was born…my Valentine’s wreath. I have had my eye on these yarn wreaths on Etsy. I was inspired by this vendor especially. I’m not sure how I happened upon her shop, but I thought, I can do that! So here is my take on a very simple Valentine’s wreath.

Just get a Styrofoam wreath from the craft store, two or three colors of pink/red yarn, and a wooden “X” and “O.”

Wrap the wreath with the different colors, adhering it with hot glue every so often. I started with a lot of glue for the first piece then would give a good amount every few wraps to make it sturdy.

Paint the “X” and “O” with pink craft paint. Then I wrapped it with the darker pink yarn. I also adhered it with a glue gun. (Glue guns are awesome by the way!!)

Then I took six strands of the yarn to make the bow. Hang it up and you now have a beautiful Valentine’s Decoration!!

Happy Heart Day!

Just Because

2012-01-29T18:18:00.001-08:00

Just because you are simply scrumptious in your dress that Aunt Kim bought you I had to take your picture. And of course you are now officially “THREE” months old! How in the world did that happen??

Just because you have perfected your smile and I was trying extremely hard to catch it on camera!! I would laugh and giggle and make googlie eyes at you…you would smile and then click it would be gone for the camera. I did manage to catch this little one though it hardly does your gummy mouthy smile justice.

You light up the room when mommy or daddy walk in. It is like you are saying, “Oh there she is! My most favorite person on the planet!”

I hope you will always look at me that way, because I know that is how I look at you!

Just because the serious face is probably just as cute as the smilie face is…along with the amazing size of your belly! It rivals the great budda bellies and the amazing rolly polly legs. I think there are knees somewhere hidden there.

Just because you have decided that you are going to be the easiest baby we have ever had. You figured it out a few weeks ago. The napping on your own. You fuss for a minute or two, but then you lay your head down and put yourself to sleep. The night time sleep took some time, but we have finally arrived. A few weeks ago you started stretching it out, six, eight, then ten or eleven hours. Then two weeks ago you found your thumb and have hardly looked back. You suck on it during naps and at night. You have slept 12 hours for two weeks now. Fussing out a few times, but by the time I run in I find you back asleep and sucking your thumb. Thank you sweet Grace for this gift of sleep! It feels amazing and makes me a better mommy and wife and just makes the house a happier place when everyone is getting rest.

I love you sweet Gracie girl. I love your rolls and your little mouth and most perfect little blue eyes.

You remind me of your brother and sister and that makes me smile too.

I love to see you sucking your thumb or trying to find it when you are sitting in the bouncy seat. You are so proud and happy when you get it in your mouth!

Don’t grow up too fast little babe, I’m not ready for any more changes yet! I just want to soak you up as you are!

Toddler + Shaving Cream =

2012-01-23T19:11:00.001-08:00

yes, we have been spending a lot of time at home. and just to add to our crazy little house, I let my 21 month old have a shaving cream match in the kitchen. ellie –1 kitchen – 0

we were all home the other day and decided to do some crafts in the kitchen. Ellie had a ball with the shaving cream, as you can see. Bradley stuck his hands in his tray and starting crying. He looked at me and said, “I don’t like it!”

I think he’ll stick with water colors for now…

We have filled our days with some major arts and crafts. Some of this…

finger paint for ellie, water colors for bradley, and a lot of watching the big kids by grace. I love it!

I love this sweet little thing in a bumbo…

It doesn’t get much cuter!

Bradley made snowmen with a paper towel roll the other day. They turned out quite cute! Of course I didn’t get a picture of the final product, I was lucky to snap this one! When we aren’t crafting, you will often find the kiddos doing a lot of this…

Elmo, Angry Birds, Super Why, Read Aloud Books, apps, apps, and more apps, how in the world did we survive without the ipad just a month ago??

Or we may just have a pow wow on the floor, surrounded by Cheez-its, a spit up covered baby, a boppy, and the play gym, my house has exploded children and baby toys and will never, ever be the same.

Just a quick update…Ellie hated getting her eye drops for pink eye. Especially when we had to give them every two hours for two days. She seems to be better, but they both are still working on some yucky colds. Lord, spring will not come soon enough!

Crazy Town

2012-01-17T19:33:00.001-08:00

I live in a place I like to call “Crazy Town.” It is my own little place, in my own little house, where children eat their lunches while wearing knit hats and little scooters fly around the house with crazy drivers at the wheel…

crazy town drivers

Crazy town is beginning to get the best of me these days. I haven’t really mentioned in my past blog posts about our winter, but it has been a sick one. And what I mean by that is that Ellie has been sick, sick, sick. Fussy, fussy, fussy, and mommy is just plain tired. She is making our little crazy town even more crazy every day!

In no particular order, we have had throw up, hives, fevers, ruptured ear infections, more ear infections, nasty cough, nasty colds, three different rounds of antibiotics. This has all been since Thanksgiving!! I am pulling my hair out with her on a daily basis. She HATES her medicine, you have to hold her down or use two people just to give it to her. She kicks, hits, and spits it out if you don’t hold her mouth open to make her swallow it. She HATES to have her diaper changed. She hits, kicks, and sticks her foot in her poopy diaper in the process, pretty much every single time. Every seen a poopy diaper after three rounds of antibiotics??

She HATES pretty much anything that involves telling her what she has to do if it isn’t her idea. Granted she has felt like crap, but SERIOUSLY!!?! Then we were finally well…no cold, no cough, nada. For all of four days (I am not kidding!). Then Bradley got a fever and a double ear infection. Then poor Ellie woke up sunday night with a fever of 103 and now pink eye. Chris just picked up the drops tonight….

You must give them every TWO hours!!! They didn’t prescribe a straight jacket to give them with, so I am not sure how this is going to fly tomorrow.

I know I am venting. I am grateful and happy, blah blah blah. But I also have had the sickest winter ever, and a fussy toddler and a newborn too! Yikes!! I still am not quite sure where we are getting all of this from, because we are lucky if we leave the house to pick up Bradley from preschool on time. Let alone go out and about on the town!

This little peanut sure makes crazy town cuter, but it is still crazy. She must be wondering what type of loony bin she ended up in!

Ellie on her scooter

I wanted to write a blog post about my sweet little kiddos. Take some beautiful pictures of Gracie making the most adorable gummy smiles I have ever seen. I then realized that I haven’t picked up my camera in days. I have taken all of 20 or so pictures in January. At least I have picked up my iphone long enough to video tape Ellie riding her scooter in full on jewelry and sunglasses, all while sporting a fever of 103. You would never know by the video that she was sick as a dog.

I am just trying to keep it real. This blog is about our crazy little life, and the adventure we are on with three little kiddos. Some parts of life are just hard, and you have to stumble through. Waking up and wondering how you are going to tackle another day stuck in your house with a sick toddler and a newborn baby. I want to remember these hard times too. These are the times that form us, and make us realize how strong we are. None of this is life threatening or really that bad in the scheme of things. It is just the daily grind of being at home. I love it. And sometimes I hate it. And I love the in between of it.

Someday I will wonder what to do with all of my free time. We went downstairs to clean up the basement the other day before the holidays. I had to nurse Grace before we started picking up. This is what happened to the basement while I was nursing….

Yup. That blue bucket…that is what I was going to use to clean. That little blurry head is Ellie. And that is definitely Woody going for a ride in the shopping cart.

This is what life is sometimes. Well my life that is. Don’t be jealous people.

The Overdue Birthday Letter to My Big Five Year Old

2012-01-13T18:04:00.001-08:00

This post is long overdue…

Bradley I can’t believe that you are an AMAZING five years old! On the day you were born I never would have dreamed the adventures that lay before us. The love that would capture us. And the bond that would form between us. You taught me everything I know about how to be a Mom. Loving unconditionally. Giving more of myself than I ever thought possible. And truly feeling for another human more compassion than I ever thought possible.

Your gorgeous baby face I could have eaten up with a spoon. Those little cheeks, the lips, and the drool hanging from your chin. I never thought that you would grow up so fast. I remember imagining the day I would send you off to school, and to think that day is just months away breaks my heart.

We talk about it often. You being a big boy and riding on the bus to school every day. I tell you how sad I will be to have you gone and how much I will miss you. You say not to worry mommy, the bus will bring me home in the afternoon. silly mommy.

you turned one. time marches on. quicker than I would like. life catches you by surprise sometimes. looking back through these pictures remind me of the mommy I was when I just had one little person to worry over. and the mommy I am now balancing the care of three little children. I will always treasure those first three years, of just me and bradley time. what a special time we had together. I will be thankful for it, and for my sweet husband letting me be home to enjoy it.

I just started going through your bin of little itty bitty first year clothes last week. there were just some things I couldn’t part with. it is almost like holding on to them makes me feel better. the little matching sweaters and hats. I am saving them for someone special. a friend or a nephew that will truly love them. I can’t just sell them to a stranger. the memories are too strong. isn’t that weird that clothes can remind us specific places and times in our lives?

then two came and went. you grew up from a toddler to little speaking, singing, and opinionated two year old. no one told me what was in store for me from the ages of 15 months to 24 months. you blew my mind! I saw a lot of this…

but we made it through together, me and my little man. it all feels like a blur now, the tantrums, the fits, and the power of wills. you showed me that love means even more when you are ready to pull your hair out! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with ellie, the words are increasing and the tantrums are slowing down with her. it is a process!

My sweet three year old! Turning two to three was such a special year for me. I was pregnant with ellie for part of the year, but we had lots and lots of time together. We went on many play dates, to the little gym every week, to the library, and two mornings to preschool. you turned into such a fun loving little boy, who would sleep in a big bed and go pee pee on the potty. You were the apple of our eye, and turning into such a little man.

From three to four I saw the sweetness in you come out full force. you became a big brother, learned how to share your time with Mommy, and loved every second of it. You also started to love “big boy” things like batman and spiderman. We had ellie, built our house, and moved all the while you handled it with ease. I would say three to four was one of my favorite years with you by far. You just blossomed socially and in school.

And here we are, wrapping up the year of four to five. This past year was another big one! You became a big brother for the second time, handing it with amazing love and patience. We have seen little sides of jealousy and fighting for our attention lately, but that is to be expected. You are still so gentle and sweet with Grace it amazes me. Your patience for Ellie is about as long as mine, she definitely loves you so much and loves to get into your stuff too!

This picture just brings me to tears. The thought that you were once that small just a short, short time ago. Now you are the big one, with the hazel eyes, the loving smile and the stories that last a million years. You have inherited my story telling abilities for sure. You will talk mommy and daddy to death and talk to just about anyone who will listen. From Gigi and Pop Pop, to Grandma on skype, to the Orkin man Melvin when he stops by once a month.

I hope you will know how truly special you are. I know my patience is short these days. I am tired and worn out. I don’t have time to play with you as much as I would like. As soon as I sit down to get started coloring with you someone needs me or Ellie has stolen a marker to write with on the walls (she just did that this week!). But I promise that things will settle down soon, and I won’t always have a crazy toddler to chase after.

You are my little golden boy. Sweet as pie. A rule follower. A demander of justice and right and wrong. You want to please and always do the right thing. I hope that never changes. I hope that you continue to grow up as happy and sweet as you are right now. I want to bottle up your kindness and pass it around. The world needs a million more people as kind and compassionate as you.

I love you, my Big Five year old boy! Love your mama

Let’s Review 2011…

2012-01-07T19:10:00.001-08:00

We kicked off January with a baby meeting in northern, va. Gotta love the besties and their sweet little ones! I spent a lot of January taking photography classes and knitting. Little did I know what was in store for me in 2011!!

My pictures slowly started getting better, with a face like this who needs inspiration?

February was spent taking more and more photos, learning how to sew, and wondering why in the world I was SO exhausted?!

March I soon realized exactly why I wasn’t feeling so hot. I didn’t reveal it for a little bit longer…so instead we spent the month getting ready for the little lady to turn one!

She turned one in style, and announced to the world that she was going to be a big sister soon too!

April brought spring and me finally feeling better! Chris and I got to get away for a fantastic weekend at a B & B!

Along with an amazing trip with just Bradley to Busch Gardens! Such a special time with him!

May brought an amazing first camping trip with Uncle Adam and Aunt Kim, complete with our very first head lamps!

Along with some much needed outside adventures down to creek!

June began our fun in the sun, with many many trips to the pool!

Ellie spent a good part of June working on the whole walking gig. She finally figured it out! (I also see the beginning of some beautiful curls starting to grow!)

One part of June that I would rather forget was the terrible, horrible fever that lasted for two weeks and sent us to the hospital three times. So not fun!

July was spent recovering and trying to enjoy as much of summer as possible once everyone was healthy!

Bradley trying to enjoy the 4th of July parade despite the heat. We had to leave early because he started to feel bad again. It was a long virus!!

August took us to the beach for another wonderful summer vacation!

September was back to school and getting ready for baby Grace! Full nesting mode had set in! Someone started to grow her first piggy tail!

And a bigger boy tried out soccer for the first time and fell in love with the sport!

October was an unforgettable month with the birth of Grace…

Letting her get to know her brother and sister…

And some really cute trick or treaters

November was a whirlwind of late night feedings and full on survival mode. We cuddled that sweet baby…

and tried to entertain a very busy toddler

December was a jammed packed month as always with Bradley turning five and a beautiful Christmas with three children!

What an amazing 2011! I couldn’t have asked or even imagined that this would be our life last year at the end of 2010. You never know where the path of life is going to lead, you just have to follow the road bumpy and smooth.

Cheers to a New Year!

Happy 2012, may yours be magical!

Just Another Month, No Biggie

2012-01-03T11:43:00.001-08:00

My how little Grace has changed in just a few weeks! She is making more eye contact, smiling all of the time, and adding on to her rolls of chub daily!

Have you ever seen a chubby naked baby in a bumbo? It might be one of the cutest things on the planet!!

She is getting bigger by the second and starting to look more and more like Ellie and Bradley. I think she still favors Bradley in his newborn phase. Her skin is SO beautiful and clear. I don’t think she ever had any of the baby acne, and just kept her soft baby skin since day one. Ellie is obsessed with seeing Grace in the bumbo. She sits down right in front of her and talks to her. I have to get a video of it for you to witness the cuteness!

Our days are beginning to develop a pattern and we are starting to have a schedule unfold. I have been working hard at it in the past few weeks, and she has really responded. She can now go down for her naps and bed by herself and with very little fussing if I catch her at the right time. She is still feeding at 9 or 10 and getting me up between 2 and 4 for a middle of the night feeding, but that is beginning to get more predictable. Sometimes we would have a hard time getting her back to sleep after that feeding, and now she just goes right back to bed (knock on wood). We have had to let her fuss some for naps and bedtime, but she is getting the hang of it. Once we can get rid of the 9 or 10 pm feed I will feel a lot more freedom.

I can’t believe she will be 11 weeks on Friday. It really is flying by! I have to say that I have really tried to enjoy these first few weeks, but they are just so tough. I am finally exercising some and starting to feel more and more like myself. I still feel like I could sleep for a week and then I would really feel great.

I have taken some pleasure in counting down this tail end of the first 12 weeks, packing away the itty bitty clothes, and knowing that we will never, ever do this again. Motherhood, postpartum, and newborns are hard. Anyone who tells you different must have had the easiest baby on the planet and nipples of steal. I would consider Grace really easy going, and we still had some LONG nights, and some really tired days. I enjoy routine, pattern, and babies who sleep through the night. A happy mama is a happy family. I know those days are approaching around the corner, and the light at the end of the tunnel feels great! I am just doing my best to soak it in, enjoy my other children, and know that someday I will look back on these busy, busy days with envy. I told Chris the other night that I have never worked this hard in my entire life. It is true. From sun up to sun down and in between I am mother to three young children. It is the greatest blessing and the truest test I have had.

I love you sweet Grace, you have made my life full and fulfilled!

Joyous Day

2012-01-01T17:22:00.001-08:00

This picture pretty much sums up Christmas as our house. Happy children, lots of family, and of course pom poms for $3.99 make it truly priceless! My mom decided that Ellie didn’t have enough “girlie” stuff around the house, so she got her quite a few girl dress up items. The pom poms were a huge hit, and still continue to be even at our house.

And I think Ellie coming over for Christmas Eve dinner in my sister’s old Christmas dress made the holiday priceless for my parents. My mom started to tear up when she saw Ellie come into the house. She said it felt like just the other day that Lindsay wore that dress. I guess that is how quickly time flies.

We did our best to soak up the holiday. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents for a brunch and gift opening. Ellie could be found with her pom poms and the boys could be found at the train table. That is the real steam train that my Dad brings out every year.

The kids were mesmerized by them, can you tell?

Sweet Grace made a few appearances in between nap and feeding times. She even gave us some smiles…

Bradley and Sammy also got the Vtech Innotab Tablets and they were a HUGE hit. Bradley has hardly put it down and we loaded it up with tons of ebooks and games. I highly recommend this toy!!

Between getting up to feed Grace, preparing for Christmas, and all of the festivities, I must say that I was completely wiped out by Sunday. I don’t know how we pulled it off? I don’t think it would have happened without Chris’ determination. He was a wrapping machine, and let me go to bed early a few nights to catch up on sleep while he put toys together and got things prepared. Gotta love this man!

He said it took him hours to put together the playmobil police station, and just as long to blow up the bounce pit. He had to switch between the electric pump and the bike pump because they both kept running out of steam. It was quite a Christmas Eve, but we got it done!

Our beautiful tree and mounds of gifts

it was a spectacular morning…

the gift that he asked Santa for, a seascope to take to the creek?? sure!!

She absolutely loved the ball pit that quickly got a leak and is now being sent back to amazon…boo!

And the ipad was the biggest hit, even with Chris. He is now officially obsessed with Angry Birds and Boggle, and he swore he would never get on it!

Bradley spent the rest of Christmas playing with his Playmobil village that we set up on the kitchen table. He loved it! It is such a joy to watch them play with things for hours on end!

Merry Christmas 2011!!

Deck the Halls, Traditions Old and New

2011-12-19T17:20:00.001-08:00

Even with three children underfoot we have managed to get the house cheery with holiday spirit. Right after we had breakfast with Santa, we popped in a local nursery and picked out the perfect Christmas tree. Everyone got in on the decorating action, even Grace!

Our newest tradition this year has been our sock advent calendar. Each day I have an activity, project or just something fun to do as a family written in the Christmas sock. Bradley pulls out the paper, and we work on something new each day. I lined up the socks on the ABC string in the basement…

A lot of the activities are little projects I found online, crafts from Michaels, etc. But, some of them are drinking hot cocoa after dinner, watching “The Grinch that Stole Christmas,” “The Polar Express,” making Christmas cookies, driving around as a family to see the Christmas lights, making gingerbread houses, and many more. It has been so fun to spread out all of the holiday activities and do a little something special each day. Bradley has been SO into the sock activities, and Ellie is learning to do a lot of them along with her big brother.

The first day of December was Christmas tree stickers…

Chris putting the angel up on our tree

And of course I was so excited to get this little girl’s stocking in the mail after Thanksgiving. I still have to take a picture of our mantel with all of the stockings hung up. I sometimes can’t believe I have that many children, and our house is so full!

Deck the Halls!!

Sweet Holiday Memories

2011-12-14T07:35:00.001-08:00

What an amazing Christmas memory…Breakfast with Santa at the Boar’s Head Inn. Beautiful decorations, sweet children dressed in their holiday best, and a yummy breakfast complete with hot cocoa. This picture is my favorite of the morning. There were beautiful nutcrackers lining the hallways and Bradley and Ellie were in awe of them. The decorations were just plain amazing, I think I was as spell bound as the kiddos.

Sweet Grace slept away in her car seat during the whole breakfast, so we didn’t take her out for the family photo. Especially considering this was the best we got, Bradley in tears and Ellie not looking at the camera. Tis’ the season!

Last year this was Ellie visiting Santa ~

It is amazing how much can change in one year, a crying toddler, and a whole new member of our family to bring to breakfast with Santa. I never would have dreamed it in a million years that we would be a family of five this Christmas!

We went to breakfast with our great friends, Brandi, Kevin, Anna and Grey. I met Brandi two years ago when we were taking prenatal yoga and both pregnant with our girls. Anna and Elli are only a few days apart from each other and are best buddies. She has become such a special friend in my life!

Then we headed outside for our carriage rides. Here are the kiddos waiting patiently for the horses to return.

It was truly a breakfast to remember! I love this time of year, the spirit, the wonder and seeing it all through my children’s eyes makes it even more special. Merry Christmas!

The Batman Birthday Bash

2011-12-12T19:05:00.001-08:00

My sweet boy turned FIVE last week!! I can hardly believe it! I feel like we celebrated for days and he was on cloud nine for a week. It was actually nice to have the focus on him, since everything has been about the new baby. I keep reminding him that he is so special, he made me a mommy. He is obsessed with how old he is compared to Ellie and Grace. He asked Chris in the car recently, “when I am 100, how old will ellie be?” chris said, 97. “Yes! I will ALWAYS be older.” Chris just said that he hoped his children will live to be that old.

You can see that we are still obsessed with all things superhero. I am trying to embrace it, since I see lots of girly parties in the future too! Batman it is! I tried to make it somewhat sweet with little Batman masks, and a happy birthday banner that I finished up the week before my c-section. Literally, this entire party was done before Grace arrived. We hardly made it to the bounce place on time with our entire crew. I can’t imagine doing it at our house!

This was the first year when Bradley and I sat down to really make the guest list together. He has so many buddies from school, he is quite the little social butterfly.

Ellie got in on the batman action too!

Since life is crazy right now, and I am trying to write this post while I run up and down the stairs dealing with Grace I will give you the play by play of the party in pictures…

Of course there was a cake, a little bit of coloring, and lots of balloons…

Sweet friends from our neighborhood, school, family and lovely friends we have collected over the years…

This little (big) boy that wouldn’t go down one of these slides just a short time ago was on a mission. Sliding, spinning, chasing friends, and just plain having the time of his life! I haven’t seen him quite so happy or pumped up!

Of course little sister wanted to be a part of the party too! We had quite a week with her leading up to the party, more on that later! I was trying so hard to catch him coming down the slide…love this one!

Then of course there were more celebrations during the week. Here is Bradley with his fifth birthday loot from mom and dad. Building was the theme…knex, trio blocks, and a batman costume to top it all off. I hope to put some thoughts together about my littlest first born boy turning five. What a milestone for him and for Chris and I. Five years. If the next 13 go as quickly, I am in trouble when he heads to college.

He is such a sweet, kind, and special little boy. I hope he knows just how much he is loved.

Happy Birthday Bradley-boo!

The Meaning of Grace

2011-11-30T18:51:00.001-08:00

I finally got my act together today and took some pictures of sweet Gracie today. She is approaching on six weeks old, but what the heck! I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought, so so cute! I am going to attempt to do one a month and then put them together in her room somehow. They change so fast!!

I have wanted to sit down and finally put some thoughts together on having Grace and what this whole experience has meant to me. For a good part of my twenties I was looking for forgiveness. After being in a horrible car accident my life was changed forever. Part of my healing was helped by meeting Chris. He was my little knight that scooped me up when the world was falling apart around me. The amount of tears that he wiped from my eyes it too great to even count. When most guys would have run in the other direction, he met me where I was and held my hand while I grieved the most tragic experience of my life. I will never forget the love and compassion he showed me in those dark moments and months of 2002 and 2003, and the many years following.

After years of reflection I feel that I emerged from the accident a better person. I am much more aware of the fragility of life and the impact I would like to leave on the people around me. I used to tell Chris that I always wanted a sign that I was forgiven. I could rationalize in my head that what had happened was an accident, but in my heart I carried a heavy burden. So dark and deep that I could only share it on my saddest moments. Although I had already had two other children, this third pregnancy was that sign for me. We had spent so many months and tears praying for Ellie, and she was such a special gift. With Grace I walked around for weeks not knowing that a beautiful life was growing inside me. I had always had a little place in my heart and mind that wanted three children, but I didn’t want to let myself dream too big.

After my accident I spent so many nights wondering why I was left here to endure such pain. I felt so confused about why something so tragic would happen to me and to another family. Next year I will have my ten year anniversary of my accident. I often wondered in the beginning if I would ever be able to think or talk about it without breaking down into a sobbing mess. I wondered what lay ahead for me, when the pain would ever ease up, and I could get through one day without thinking about it and his family. I remember going to the beach with my Dad the summer after it happened. We were sitting at a diner eating pancakes and he asked me how often I thought about the accident. I told him probably over 100 times a day. I remember the shock on his face. It was consuming me, eating away at me, and I was afraid the pain was going to gobble every good part of me up. Only leaving a shell of myself left to go on living.

Getting that positive pregnancy test was a moment of unexpected joy. It was such an amazing feeling, almost as if God had given me a little gift. If you look up the meaning of the name Grace, it means Grace of God, forgiveness. To me that is what she is. Just a little slice of heaven that I get to call my daughter. I feel honored and humbled to have three healthy and beautiful babies sleeping in our house. I hope I can be the best mom there is for them.

Now ten years later I know why I am still here. I am here for Chris and for my family. I am here to raise these beautiful babies. I am here to learn about the amazing power of forgiveness, and the power of love. Chris and these three babies have filled a hole in my heart that I didn’t think would ever heal. And Grace was that last little piece of forgiveness. That “sign” I had been looking for all those years ago. I know this process will never fully end. But I have reached the best place I have ever been in. Even up to my eyeballs in baby poop and newborn diapers. I am right where I should be, and I finally know that now. I love you my sweet Gracie. Thank you for choosing me.

A Little Moment to Breath

2011-11-27T19:45:00.001-08:00

I am finally getting a chance to sit down and jot some thoughts at 10 pm on a Sunday night. Life has been busy. I know we use that term a lot, but I feel like I can truly say it with meaning. Taking care of three children is not a job for the lazy. Motherhood is an all encompassing position. When you have a toddler that gets into everything in the house, and newborn that requires massive amounts of time to sit and nurse life can get interesting.

I am doing my best to take it all in and just go along for this crazy ride. A mighty hard task for a perfectionist A type personality. Chris was sweet enough to snap these pictures on the eve of Thanksgiving. We were making handprint turkeys with the big ones, while Grace napped (check out the monitor in the background…)

I have been doing my best to get creative around the house. We have been home bound a lot. Who wants to take our crew anywhere besides a short walk to the playground? There is a lot of divide and conquer between Chris and I. Chris with the big ones while I nurse the baby, or me giving the big kiddos their bedtime bath while Chris rocks Grace during the witching hour. Pretty much that is life around here. I wouldn’t change it for the world. But, I will admit I have a countdown in my head to the upcoming weeks when things get a little bit easier. When Grace can nurse more quickly, when we are getting sleep at night, and when all three of my children go to bed at seven and I don’t see them again until seven the next morning. That will be a sight to be seen.

I nurse this little babe at night and think about creative blog posts about newborn life. Topics I would love to write about once I had the time…sleeplessness-its cruel, the truth about postpartum, breastfeeding is hard, babies are awesome, how do people have four kids?, the list goes on and on…

I think “Life in a Haze” would best describe the past five weeks. I have hardly pulled out my camera. I have had “Four week Photo Shoot” on my list of things to do for a week. This picture on the changing table was the best I got…back to life in a haze.

As much as I am talking about being tired, Grace is actually doing really well. She is definitely fussy and doesn’t settle between 8 or 9 until 11 or 12 am. Once I can get her settled she is usually down for the night!! Usually she will only wake up around 4 for a quick feeding and then back to sleep until 7 or 8. The trickiest part is getting her down for the night. There is a lot of rocking, swaddling, bathing, massaging, nursing, bottle feeding, we will pretty much do anything for those four hours to get her to bed. She will fall asleep easily in your arms, but the transition to the bed just doesn’t happen. Often she falls asleep in the bouncy seat with it on and then I go turn it off once I know she is asleep.

There have been a few horrible nights, and I mean horrible. Chris and I both living on three to four hours of sleep and just laughing at the state of our lives and our bloodshot eye balls! There have also been some nights when she nursed at 11 and didn’t wake up once until 7…heaven!!

Grace during the daytime is absolute BLISS. I have NEVER had a baby like her. Maybe I am more laid back, maybe it is her personality, maybe I just feel more confident?

She feeds in the morning, I let her look around at the kids for a few minutes, I swaddle her up and lay her down. She yawns a few times and falls asleep. I’m Not kidding! No rocking, no pacifier, just yawns and puts herself to sleep. She will usually nap for THREE hours! It is unbelievable. This cycle will repeat itself a few more times throughout the day. Every once in a while she is a bit harder to get down for her nap, but she is a great napper so far. I hope it keeps up! It is the only way I am able to keep up with the other two and grab a wink of rest in the afternoon.

She rarely cries more than once or twice and then she seems to patiently wait until you come and get her. Just the sweetest little baby I have ever had.

That is my life right now in a nutshell. Babies, milk, crafts, and children…

I hope to get some posts about the holidays and my wonderful son turning FIVE next week! Oh yeah, and that four week photo shoot too!! Off to bed!

Love, Clare

It Takes a Village

2011-11-16T07:55:00.001-08:00

It truly does take a village when you have a baby. I cannot say enough about the amazing community we live in. I feel so lucky to call it my home. We are surrounded by great, great people. We have had so much help since Grace arrived. I don’t know how I would do it! Cali set up a “meal train” for us, and we have had meals coming every other day since Grace came home. People are signed up until the middle of December!! It is amazing! I don’t know what I will do when I have to cook again?

On Sunday Megan and Brandi had a “sip and see” for Grace and I. They had so much wonderful food and it was so great to see a lot of friends. It was just a little get together for all of my friends that haven’t had a chance to visit with Grace yet. She was the center of attention and slept through the whole party! Sweet little thing!

Speaking of Grace, she is doing great! We have had a lot of progress with nursing, and she is getting better and better with each day. I am still pumping extra bottles throughout the day to offer her when she needs it. It is still A LOT of pumping and I will be so glad to be done with that machine. I told Chris when I am totally done nursing Grace I think I may run over that thing with my car. Man that would feel good!

Another part of the village has been my Mom and our babysitter. My Mom has been coming EVERY Monday! It is such a huge help to have her come weekly. She has been picking Bradley up from school, and helping me in the afternoon. Getting children up from naps, feeding Ellie dinner, driving Bradley to gymnastics. It is such a great way to start the week, with a bit of extra help and adult conversation. Tuesday and Thursday we hired a babysitter (I use the term loosely) for Ellie. She is actually my friend’s Mom and she is great! She was a first grade teacher for years, had three children, and it so helpful. It truly does take a village…

And getting outside to play never hurts! I definitely feel more home bound than ever, but once I get Grace settled, Ellie and I have spent a lot of time outdoors. We just get bundled up and head to the driveway for some fun! I guess I will venture out some day with all three kids, just not quite yet!

Love, Clare

Two Weeks

2011-11-06T13:21:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe that two weeks has gone by since we have brought sweet Grace home. I was just looking back at my posts about Ellie at this age, and the difficulties of having two children. Little did I know what was in store for me just one year later! Chris and I both said today that once they are here you just can’t imagine what life was like before them. Did we ever only have two kids? It seems like a distant memory already!

The transition from two to three seems to be going as smooth as it can be. There are moments that feel like chaos, and there are moments when the stars align and life seems to be as perfect as can be. I am working hard to take it day by day, not to get too overwhelmed with the future. Just live in the moment, rest when I can, and feel lucky when I get to take a shower.

Everyone was resting today at the same time, so I pulled on my sneakers and when for a thirty minute walk all by my lonesome. I only made it up to the pool and back. But the chance to listen to music and not think about nursing was perfection.

Nursing is still an uphill battle right now. Gracie is gaining lots of weight, but it is because I am pumping extra milk and give her another bottle at every nursing session. This upcoming week will be my first week doing this by myself, with Ellie, Bradley’s school schedule, and our normal every day routine. We’ll see how it all fits in. I am truly praying that she gets the hang of things here soon, because I’m not sure how long I can maintain the nursing and extra pumping. She may have to be my first hybrid baby. Part breast milk/part formula, unless we can get over this hurtle in the next week or two. I really feel at peace with whatever happens. I have to be realistic about life with three, and not put too many expectations on myself.

This little one has continued to make me smile daily. I am interested to see how her first week of mommy and gracie time goes. I am sure there will be a lot of Elmo and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse watching going on. Again, trying to be realistic. There aren’t many options for outings when it takes over an hour to feed Gracie. She seems to be taking it all in stride. She is very interested in Gracie, and follows me around the house while we feed, pump, and do laundry. Just another day in her world. Well that and being addicted to stickers. I swear I have a picture of Bradley in his PJs covered in stickers too. If only my brain was working, I could actually look it up on the computer.

Off to get the grunting newborn and pop dinner in the oven. Week one as a solo mama of three, here I come!!

Life with Three

2011-11-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

Halloween was a huge hit at our house!! My little Firefighter and his Fire Dog were out on the hunt for some major candy! Life with three has been intense and we have had a lot of help. My parents have been a huge help! They camped out at our house on Monday and took me to Bradley’s parade at school, with Ellie and Grace. It took three people and lots of hands, but we made it happen. It is divide and conquer these days!

Daddy got the big children dressed, with their make-up on and took this wonderful photo. Gotta love Daddy!

I have been spending lots of time with the third little peanut. Nursing, pumping, giving extra bottles, the never ending feeding cycle. I had to do the same thing with Ellie! Grace is just so sleepy and isn’t nursing at 100%, and wasn’t gaining weight. We will get there! In the mean time it takes over 45 minutes just to feed this little thing, pump milk, and clean up. Never mind changing diapers and getting her settled back down. I am in love up to my eyeballs!

I am thankful for rest. Grace is giving us some, and that is a blessing. I will take what I can get, and squeeze in a nap in while my Mom is manning the other children in the house…oh and handing out Halloween candy too! They thought they were just “helping out” they might not have realized I was putting them to work!

Happy Halloween 2011! It will be one for the record books around here!

Grace Ivy

2011-10-26T08:35:00.001-07:00

She arrived at 8:01 Friday morning. Grace Ivy has completed our family, and made me the happiest mama. My heart is overjoyed to finally have her here, healthy, and getting to see her sweet little face. The nerves Thursday night and on our drive to the hospital were out of control. Excitement to meet our sweet baby and emotions about our last hospital trip were on Chris and I’s mind Friday morning.

But she has taken away all our fears and replaced them with joy. Grace has a special place in my heart. My little gift from God. I will explain more of that later when I have a moment to reflect, right now she is just perfect…

The meeting of Bradley and Grace was no less than perfect. He just spent the whole time tracing the outline of her face, inspecting her little hands, and kissing her sweet head. This is a little boy in love, and will someday make a wonderful father. I have never seen an almost five year be sweeter and gentler to anything before.

We made the decision to keep Ellie at home. She just wouldn’t understand the hospital and not being able to climb up on me. I think it was the right thing to do, she is just so little. Her homecoming with Grace was just as sweet…

She is really interested in Baby Grace and brings her pacifiers and baby hats. She has exceeded my expectations and wants to know where “baby” is at all times. I have the sweetest video to share, once I get things more organized. She is going to be a great big sister and I know they will be great friends.

Right now we are settling in, adjusting, and trying to catch little cat naps whenever we can. I am 100% in love with these three babies, and I have never felt more blessed or complete in my life.

Grace Ivy

7 lbs. 8 oz.

20 inches long

8:01 am Friday, October 21st, 2011

Welcome to the world sweet baby!! You are very loved!

2 More Days and Holding…

2011-10-19T12:42:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe our lives are about to completely change in just two days. I snapped some photos of the nursery the other day, and yes that is Ellie ripping out a piece from her book, and Bradley eating yogurt covered raisins and graham crackers upstairs. You do what you have to do!! All for the sake of getting some pictures of the nursery finally finished.

The bedroom is completed and looking quite cute!! Using Bradley’s bedding has brought back so many memories and emotions. I can’t believe that just a little less than five years ago I was getting his room ready. Ready to welcome our first child into the world. After bringing him home I vividly remember being more tired that I had ever felt in my life and thinking…. "I will NEVER do this again. This is so hard.” How things change, your children grow up and holding a little baby seems like a piece of cake compared to a tantruming toddler or dealing with kids hurting your child’s feelings at school.

They grow up without us even getting the chance to just soak it all in. Life just flies by and now I am on the eve of a mothering marathon. I have no illusions about how difficult the next four to five months will be. Tired, nursing, postpartum, all wrapped up with a bow, with the addition of taking care of two other children. One of which still needs her diaper changed, food cut up, and can’t speak more than one word sentences.

But I also know this, I spent a good part of two years praying and wishing for a second child. I never in a million years thought we would ever have the chance to even have three kids, let alone two. More than the difficult days that lie ahead (which I am sure I will blog about!), I feel extremely blessed. My life hasn’t always taken the easiest turns. And because of those moments, the eve of the birth of our third child feels like a miracle of all miracles. Happiness is here in our home. Life is in our home. We have made a home, filled with beautiful children, and a strong couple. There is not much more I would or could ever ask for.

I have less than 48 hours left of feeling the kicks and jabs of little baby hands and feet inside my belly. The anticipation of this little person’s life about to begin is overwhelming. Sleep is hard to come by these days. Last night I dreamt there were 15 babies in my belly that they pulled out in the OR. I was extremely worried about how we were going to take care of them all, and pretty sure I only saw one baby in the ultrasound. I guess that is my mind preparing me for the feeling of taking care of three little birds at home by myself. Probably the hardest job I will ever have.

There is so much more in store for our almost family of five. I can’t wait to see it all unfold in the upcoming years. Just seeing the sparkle in Bradley’s eye when he talks about being the OLDEST brother in the house. How he will sit on the couch next to me with his hands patiently waiting on my belly for the next kick. Then he will scream out, “I felt the baby!! I just felt a kick!!”

This is it!! 39 weeks and ready to pop! Updates coming soon!!

Love, Clare

The Littlest Pumpkin

2011-10-10T19:32:00.001-07:00

OK, so the title is a bit misleading…still no baby, only 10 days to go! We are squeezing it all in over here! This weekend was spent at soccer, an arts and crafts festival with a great friend from my past life as a teacher, and of course the annual pumpkin patch trip. You think that these moments are going to slip by. It will only be October for a few more weekends, so you go over the mountain to the AWESOME pumpkin patch. You know the one with the slide….

And all of the farm animals to pet and feed. The animals that your little toddler spends hours a day practicing their noises. She has never seen them up close, until now…

I swear she would have stood by the goats saying, “Baaaa” for hours.

We could hardly peel her away. But, I told her there were BUNNIES and she came running to say, “Hop, hop, hop, hop” five hundred times.

Yes, that is her reaching into the bunny cage while I snap a photo. Good parenting, I know!

Bradley had just as much fun with the animals too. He spent most of the trip asking to go to the next thing. Come on MOOOOM there is SO much to do!

Giant game of volleyball anyone?

I love this pumpkin patch. We have been going with my sister for years, and each year it gets bigger and bigger. There was quite a crowd there this year. I was surprised. I guess other people have found our little secret!

What is the pumpkin patch without a pig race?

I always have high hopes for the perfect pumpkin picture. This is as good as it got with the kiddos….

Tromping through the vines with an 18 month old, a five year old that wants the biggest pumpkin in the patch, at 38 weeks pregnant isn’t the easiest thing to do. I did get a few of the kids on the hay ride that I am in love with…

Look at those smiles on the right?? They look so much alike it is scary!

These two boys melt my heart, my how they have grown!!

Although I can’t wait to meet the littlest pumpkin, I am so glad I got the chance to have these last few moments as a family of four. Even if we did look like a three ring circus. Crazy toddler, pregnant mother, and trying to carry a million pumpkins back to the hay ride. We were definitely a sight for sore eyes.

But then you look back and know that it was worth it. And next year we will do it again, as a family of five. With an almost six year old, a 2 1/2 year old and a one year old. Hopefully my sister will come again to help us carry all of our pumpkins back to the tractor. Love you Lindsay!

Yep, definitely worth it!

Happy fall, love, Clare

Love is in the Details

2011-10-06T19:05:00.001-07:00

Life is full right now. The weather is scrumptious. It begs for us to go outside. Go for a bike ride or a long stroller walk. It puts me in the greatest mood. It feels so good to not sweat constantly and huff and puff when I step outside. But, there are the great moments inside too. The happy little blips inside the house, right after nap time that make being at home 100% worth it.

Just when I am feeling worn out, I have this moment. After a weekend with a tummy bug, and a diaper rash from HELL. A weekend spent fighting a toddler who kicks you and screams while you change her. Then we are better and I remember how in love I am with these two.

What big brother is content to sit on the floor of his sister’s recently moved around room and read Elmo books until the cows come home? Melt my heart these two….

Oh yeah, and this face is after a three hour nap. A nap that started at 11:35 because I think I saw the exorcist come out of her at 11:15. Ellie was spinning on the floor, crying, snotting, and walking around the kitchen slamming cabinet doors. No, I am not kidding. Chris happened to witness it because he had just dropped off Bradley from his field trip to the apple orchard. Chris practically ran from the house, telling me that he had to get to work. I was left with a ranting 18 month old that was spinning circles on the hard wood floor and had saliva dripping down her dress.

I guess we missed some sleep in the mist of our tummy issues and diaper problems. Luckily two VERY long nap days helped us catch up. Now we are back to normal.

I hope that I don’t forget all the small details of being a mommy to little ones. All the noses I have wiped, and bums I have cleaned up. The meltdowns I have witnessed or new words I hear from Ellie that seem to come so easily now. There seems to be a new one every day. Paci, Moo, Bowl, Fish, Doggie, the list goes on and on. They just sprout out of her like magic.

The moments after nap, when the Earth is aligned, babies are happy and big brothers are mellowed out from school. When spending an hour sorting through books and saying animal sounds seems like the perfect thing to do. Don’t let me forget these details. The little things that make our week special and normal at the same time.

We are two weeks away from meeting #3. She is going to be a big sister and she doesn’t even know it yet. I want to soak up these last few moments of two kiddos. It is going to be a distant memory in just 14 days. It will be chaos, I have no illusions. But, I know with time it will mellow out and we will find our new normal. We will soak up the details of three children at home. I don’t want to forget this. This is love. All of it, dirty bums, meltdowns, and peaceful moments.

Festivities

2011-09-28T10:38:00.001-07:00

Signs of fall are all around, mostly. It could be just a touch cooler, and the rain could really stop now. I feel like it has rained for over a week straight at our house. Two weeks ago we had our neighborhood’s fall camp out. Here is the view from our back deck! I bet there were between 30 and 40 tents in our neighborhood’s common space. The kids ran around in mobs, playing and hiding in different tents. Ellie wandered around Chris and I mooching food off of tables and socializing of course!

We didn’t sleep outside this time. There is no way you would catch me in a tent right now at 36 weeks pregnant. And Ellie for that matter. I can’t even imagine. Chris set up the tent for Bradley, but he had an ear infection and we didn’t think it was best to have him out sleeping in the cold. It was actually a pretty cool afternoon and evening. The boys did stay out after I put Ellie to bed. They roasted smores, played, and didn’t come back in the house until 10:15. I know, gasp and shock!! I can’t believe our first born can actually handle staying up that late. I never thought I would see the day! He did fall asleep in the car on Sunday when we were driving around, and go to bed at 6:30. But that is a different story!

I did get a chance to snap a quick photo before I spent most of the evening trying to talk to friends and follow Ellie around. What a great event, and I love that our neighborhood does these things for the kids. Such special memories for them too!

On Sunday we went to the horse races with some friends. I didn’t do a very good job with getting pictures, but we had a great time despite the rain. The horse races are very family oriented in the fall. As opposed to the college craziness that happens in the spring. There are moon bounces, pony rides, and jack Russell terrier races. It really is a fun day!

Here are some of the wee ones waiting for the horse races to start. They blow the bugle and everyone runs to the fence to check it out. We were really close to the horse jumps on Sunday, which was nerve wracking! You held your breath until all of the horses were over the jumps.

Little Hudson waiting for more horses to come by. And even sweet baby Haven got in on the action…

I guess it was too much for her! She slept for most of the event!!

The weeks are flying by…just three weeks until we meet baby #3!!!

Love, Clare

Sweet Baby Boy

2011-09-26T11:45:00.001-07:00

I don’t when it happened, but you grew up. You are changing faster than Daddy or I can even keep track of. You surprised us this weekend at your first real soccer practice. The running, the kicking, and the physical growth is amazing. I mean look at this….going after the ball like a real athlete!!

The biggest shock of the morning was how grown up you are. There wasn’t a tear shed. Daddy and I were waiting for it. When you got knocked down and scraped your knee, you just got up and kept on going. The running back and forth for 30 minutes straight. It was exhausting to watch. I was waiting for you to limp over and complain of being tired. It didn’t happen. You just kept up with the pack and I was so proud. It was the first time we have tried a new activity without any sort of nervous tears. You are almost five and showing us every day the little boy you are becoming. You can play with the big kids and it makes mommy so proud!

Just make sure you look back and remember that Daddy are right here if you need us. We love you sweet boy…you with your muddy cleats, shin guards and little boy things.

And then I realize that she isn’t too far behind and wants to big like her brother in every sense of the word. Point being, this is where you could find her during soccer practice…

Oh, it happens so fast! I need to remember this post when I am nursing a baby 10 times a day in just a few weeks. They grow up. So quickly.

I love you sweet baby boy. You will always be that to me.

Love, Clare

I’m So Cute My Shoes Squeak

2011-09-22T12:04:00.001-07:00

Squeaky Shoes

This is what you blog about when you realize you haven’t downloaded a thing from your iphone in months. You find hidden treasures…like your little cutie walking around the house in her new squeaky shoes. These shoes are so adorable, for about five minutes. I thought they were so fun, and Ellie would just tromp around the house in them. After a few days the novelty wore off, and Chris pulled out the squeakers. I love this video though…the shoes + the piggy tale = cuteness times 1,000. I could just eat her up!

(If you are having trouble viewing this, just lower the HD setting at the bottom right corner of the video.)

Gotta Love Elmo!

Ellie just can’t get enough of Elmo. He is the best. And the most annoying thing on the planet. It is the only show that she will actually sit and watch, and I am just happy to have 20 minutes to cook dinner. I don’t understand what it is about him…

They have a Sesame Street Place at Busch Gardens, complete with a live show. Ellie was in awe. This video makes my heart happy, to see her giddy with her two favorite men. Elmo and Daddy. enough said!

first ride at BG

Last, but not least is Ellie on on of her first rides at Busch Gardens. She got to sit next to her big brother, and handled it all pretty well. She is hunched over and looks slightly terrified.

Just to show you how worn out this whole trip made her. Here she is on the ride home. Gotta love a napping baby in the car. Even if it only lasted 30 minutes. Why don’t either of my children sleep well in the car? They just really must love their cribs!

Some other phone fun

Ellie is all about pointing at your eyes, nose, and mouth. Her newest trick is to get you to stick out your tongue. The whole family plays along…

We are working every day on using our fork and spoon. Ellie has made SO much progress. She can now a lot of things with a little help from mommy and daddy. I am just trying to make my life as easy as possible once baby #3 arrives, and getting her to eat independently will be a huge accomplishment!

These guys make me smile, and they make Ellie happy. While Bradley is at school we will sit and play potato heads for a long time. She love pointing at the eyes, nose, and of course the ears. How could you miss them?

Less than four weeks from our c-section date!!! Yikes! We are still awaiting Ellie’s bedroom furniture. Fingers crossed it all arrives soon!! Love, Clare

Getting Organized!!

2011-09-16T12:14:00.001-07:00

I know you all are dying to see the inside of my fridge. But literally, this is what my weeks have been consumed with lately. It seems that this third baby is very concerned with the state of our fridge and the organization of our picture albums.

I went to a Tupperware party a few weeks ago. I couldn’t believe that a Tupperware party could by so exciting….IT IS! And I didn’t even know that they sold Tupperware anymore, but THEY DO! I got the Fridge mates System. It is the four long containers on the left of the fridge. They prolong the life of your produce up to two weeks. They have ridged bottoms, so your food doesn’t get slimy on the bottom. You don’t put anything in a plastic bag, so it can breath. Then you open one, two, or none of the vents on the side depending on the type of food you have in there. The greatest part about them, is they free up all of your crisper drawer space. Now I can put as many little yogurts, apple sauces, and mandarin oranges as I want in the drawer. It just makes the fridge so organized, and my little nesting state of mind at peace…I think I have a problem!

The baby must be really concerned about photos and photo albums, because I have been an organizing machine! I am completely up to date with all of my pictures. I decided a few years ago, that the most efficient way for me to keep my pictures was just in plain albums, in order by date. I buy a common theme or color for each year and print out my favorites from each month. Here is the first half of 2011:

Right where I can find them and easy to add to…

Having my pictures printed and organized makes me happy…again I think I have a problem!!

I also wanted to be sure that all of the other baby books were completely up to date. I have always loved these simple baby books from Hallmark. They cover the basics, give you space for lots of pictures, and have little areas for mementos. You can also add information for the first five birthday parties. I can’t believe Bradley’s will be actually filled up this year!

Ellie’s is almost finished, sparing the birthdays she hasn’t had. I started the beginning of baby #3s book, and got as much of it filled out as possible. I just love looking back through them, and now Bradley loves looking at his book. Here is the inside of Ellie’s book…I try to include any cards, family photos, and as much of their first year I can squeeze into one book!

Just a view of my office…baby books, red albums 2010, blue albums 2007, black albums 2009. I know as some point I will have to store them other places. But, I love looking through them with Bradley and talking about things we did.

Cheers to getting organized, I can’t get enough of it!!

Love, Clare

The Project Post

2011-09-12T18:01:00.001-07:00

I feel like the past few weeks have been jammed packed full of projects and getting things done around here! The list has been long, but I have been marking things off as fast as I add them. Hopefully, I will be ready for baby #3 soon, and I can sit around a bit. We have hit a major glitch in getting the baby’s room completed. I dragged Chris to a furniture store in July to buy Ellie a big girl bedroom set. There I was thinking that I was all organized and on top of my game.

Well, the store went of out business. This weekend we should have been receiving our new bedroom set. Then we were going to take everything out of Ellie’s room and put it in the nursery. After a minor meltdown last week, we have figured it all out. Luckily we were able to get all of our money back, which is huge. I have re-ordered the furniture from another store, that said it should be shipped and in their warehouse in three weeks.
Fingers crossed that it all works out great, and we will have it in the nick of time.

I know in the scheme of things that this is not such a big deal. I just would love to have the baby’s room completed so I could just be ready to go on October 21st…

Oh, did I mention that is my c-section date…yeah, that is close people!!

I did buy a crib off of craigslist for baby 3. Ellie is nowhere in a million years ready to be out of her crib. So, we will be using two cribs until she is ready for her big girl bed. At least the baby has a freshly painted room, a newly scrubbed bed, with clean sheets. All of the bedding is circa Bradley’s nursery. It is going for round two…hopefully it is up for the challenge.

On to the projects…

I didn’t have one single thing to hang up on the walls of the nursery. When we had Bradley we brought in an artist to paint the walls based off of his bedding. Seeing as this is baby #3, and that just isn’t going to happen I was stumped. But, I came across these valances when I was going through Bradley’s bedding…

They were so cute, and I had completely forgotten about them. Since I am much wiser, this being the third time around, I already have large, heavy, dark room darkening curtains hanging up in the nursery. I decided instead of having them sit in a drawer, I should cut these and frame them for some artwork.

Now I have some beautiful pictures to hang above the crib. So, so excited!!

Even Ellie thinks they are great. She walks into the baby’s room and says, “This, This.” This is her new word, for ‘tell me what this is mama’

Other than the baby’s room still being incomplete (which is totally driving me nuts!!!) I have been a sewing machine! I have been cranking out pillows right and left. After reading a pillow tutorial online, I thought, I can do that!! This winter I bought the fabric and pillow inserts and then got pregnant. The supplies have been sitting in my basement closet for months and I just didn’t have the energy to get them completed. Now I am on a mission. I have finished six pillows, learned how sew a zipper, and have two more to go! I love the different colors, how the punch up the family room couches, and I just love the feeling of a finished project.

I made two in the soft blue, two coral, and two in the patterned beige. I have two left to make in an olive green, and the look will be complete. I think I am going to take the original sofa pillows off the couch and just leave the new ones.

Other than sewing pillows I am trying to finish a knit hat for Ellie, and I want to make a little knit fish toy for the baby’s room. We’ll see if I can squeeze it all in, I am going to try!

Happy sewing, Love, Clare

Kickoff to Fall

2011-09-07T16:58:00.001-07:00

This weekend marked the end of the summer madness, the beginning of football season, and the official countdown to baby #3. We attempted one last trip to the pool, but with all of the rain it was FREEZING!! So, we settled on some Virginia Tech football and some really cute kids in jerseys.

The Hokies started off their season with lots of touchdowns and a WIN. Even the little lady got in the Hokie spirit…

We spent the rest of the weekend doing little things here and there. I made dinner for Ellie’s godparents that just had twin baby boys. They were adorable, but I didn’t snap one photo. I spent the whole time holding Matthew and watching Ellie terrorize their house. It gave me a little glimpse into my life in a few weeks.

We hosted neighbors for a BBQ dinner, and spent a lot of time hanging out inside because of all of the rain. Lots and lots of rain.

While I was baking three dishes of chicken pot pie, I set up the kiddos with macaroni noodles. It is amazing to see them both playing and enjoying the same activity. Ellie is growing up so fast! Yes, they are both wearing really cool t-shirts from the Outer Banks purchased by daddy. Daddy even matched Ellie’s shirt with green, pink, and blue striped shorts. Love those Daddies…

I am in the middle of project central. I have made two of five pillows for the family room couch, just mailed a knit hat to my best friend Janna for her new baby, and have a million other things I really want to get done. Project post coming soon!!

Little Miss Piggy Tails

2011-09-01T19:20:00.001-07:00

The baby is growing up…just the summer it happened. She was just a crawling baby at the beginning of June. I now have a full fledged running toddler on my hands. She can navigate a play ground with the best of them. Stairs, swings, slides, she loves it all.

The most noticeable difference this summer has been her sweet soft baby hair. It has grown, curled, gotten long and I am in mommy heaven. I just realized that the top was long enough for piggy tails. Of course it looks perfect spiked off the top. Who would want it any other way at 16 months?

Ellie says “hair bow,” and loves to point to the many ribbons I have tucked up in her room. She wants me to put her hair up every morning. We can’t leave her room without one in her hair. I guess this is a good thing, since it is the perfect length to fall her eyes.

Now that Bradley is in school we have had a few play dates at the park. Just me and Elle and a baby friend or two. The mommies and I spend most of our time running in opposite directions. Helping someone who fell or holding tight to little toddler fingers as the cross the shaky bridge. It reminds me of my days spent just with Bradley. Finally going to the park and rejoicing in the end of the morning nap.

In just a few short weeks I will be in the thick of it all again. Naps, nursing, and more diapers. Good thing she doesn’t know what she is missing.

Don’t let that little smile fool you. There is mischief in there at every turn. From the normal toddler behavior like dipping her hands in the toilet water, to full on toddler tantrums, and battles with her big brother.

The sibling relationship has been my biggest struggle over the summer months. Bradley is great with her. He tries so hard to play with her and be on her level. But, this summer starting the scratching, hitting, and now pinching phase for Ellie. Ellie has gotten Bradley good. Drawn blood, scratched his face, and just plain wacked him hard. She has visited time out more times than I would like to count. She will sit there for 45 seconds to a minute and then go and give him a kiss. She is a sneaky little one. As soon as he starts crying or a parent walks over to check on her, she runs behind the couch. The evidence is usually the large welt on Bradley’s cheeks or arms. This has been going on for weeks now. Our newest problem is Bradley has begun to cry wolf when she just walks by him. I don’t think he has quite realized that he is a lot bigger and stronger than her.

I am hoping this is a language and frustration behavior and soon we will be moving past it. It can be exhausting and down right annoying to deal with day in and day out. I am hoping to have it mostly resolved before the arrival of the new baby!!

There is so much of her than I enjoy beyond words. She is more social and adventuresome that Bradley ever was at this age. She will say Hi to strangers. Dance in circles in the middle of music class. Ellie could care less if she falls down or gets hurt. She fell twice in the driveway last week and had a bloody knee. She didn’t even fuss. Just wiped off her hands and kept on running. Bradley would have been down for the count. I love that about her!

Ellie is a lot less verbal than Bradley at this age. She only has about 20 or so words. She still uses a lot of signs and babbles and talks in her on little way all the time. Her brand new words are “more” which she says, “mo” and please which she says, “peas.” She relies on “MAMA” a lot. She says it for help, I’m hungry, I’m stuck, I’m tired, and a million other things. I will hear yelling, “MAMA, MAMA, MAMA” in the kitchen to find her digging through the graham cracker box trying to open it.

She understands SO much, and has a lot of receptive language. If you tell her it is time to go, she will walk into the mud room, wait for you to get her shoes, and then go sit on the carpet to get her shoes on to leave. If you tell her it is time for lunch, she will walk to her high chair and tap on the edges to get in. She is so aware of our daily routine and of course thrives on things being the same.

This little girl LOVES music. We have a stereo system that runs throughout the house. When you plug in the ipod in the kitchen it can play in the family room and out on the deck. She will run up to it and say “peas, peas” to get me to turn on the music. She even has favorite songs from our music class this summer. When she hears a favorite song she gets so excited and dances in circles. I think a dance video is in store!!

Well, that is a whole lot of rambling about Miss Piggy Tails. I can’t believe how much she has changed since her birthday and even since the beginning of the summer. I love you Miss Elle Belle…

Just Peachy

2011-08-29T18:19:00.001-07:00

It seems that summer has left and the last few moments went by so quick. One last memory for the summer 2011 record books. A wagon ride. A beautiful summer peach to fill up our basket. I tried to squeeze it all in. As much of it as I could. Last week we fully recovered from Bradley’s fever and sent him off to his first week of school happy. Honestly, I was so stressed with his sickness, I didn’t even take a photo of the first day. I walked in with Ellie on my hip and saw a mom leaving with her big old Nikon hanging from her neck. I got a pit in my stomach that I didn’t even document the first day. How is that possible?

But, the week went on and I forgot to do it the following mornings too. I can’t even imagine how life with three is going to diminish my brain function even further??

Bradley seems to be out of the woods from his last fever spell. The doctor is still concerned about some of his blood work results. We are going to give him six to eight weeks to fully recover and then do another blood panel to check on him. Great, we haven’t even gone four weeks without getting another fever. The doctor says we’ll just cross that bridge when we get there. Parenthood just fills you with so much joy and fear at the same time.

These pictures are from our last little “squeeze in as much of summer as possible” days. We went to the peach orchard with Grey and Anna. The peaches actually weren’t very ripe. We trudged around in the grass, got bitten by a million mosquitos and ended up buying the pre-picked peaches at the orchard’s store.

Anna’s trying to tell us that she sees a million peaches. But, they were hard as rocks.

Oh well, trying to make a last little summer memory didn’t go quite as planned. The pictures still turned out cute!

In other news….we survived an earthquake. Without giving away our exact neighborhood, we actually aren’t very far from the earthquake’s epicenter. I now know that you don’t run to the basement in an earthquake. How should I know, I have never lived through one? And that Ellie will nap through anything, including a huge earthquake. Bradley, not so much. He was completely traumatized and hasn’t stopped talking about the “Earthshake.”

The aftershocks are what totally freak me out. Wednesday night we were woken up by one in the middle of the night. Very scary. You feel so vulnerable when you are sleeping. It took me forever to fall back asleep, and poor Bradley was woken up too. Again Ellie…slept through the whole thing. God, that girl is on 110% and then she crashes.

Baby Ellie post and first ponytail post coming soon!! Along with….

I am in major to do list, nesting, cleaning, organizing, sewing mode. More to come on all that later!! Off to rest these feet that are swelling up by the second.

Love, Clare

Big One

2011-08-24T11:42:00.001-07:00

Bradley Boo you have had quite an interesting summer!

You have been sicker than I have ever seen you. You have worried Daddy and I to death with your fevers, blood shot eyes, and little chapped lips. You have laid on the couch for more hours that I would like to count. Now it is time for school to start and I just want you to feel better.

You started running another fever this weekend. No other symptoms, just fever and you tied my stomach in knots.

After a visit to the doctor on Monday he sent us back to the hospital for a chest xray and another blood panel. You didn’t like it one bit, and put up quite a fight. Even pulling out the needle!

The doctor said that your white blood cell count is really low. It was also really low in June when you had the first virus. He said this is a “chicken or the egg” scenario. Is your white blood cell count low because you have had a fever, or are you getting all of these fevers because you have a low white cell count?

He is going to talk to a specialist and go over Bradley’s case history. But, for now Bradley is feeling better. He wants to run another blood panel in two to three weeks and see if his white blood count is going back up.

All of these things just make me realize how much I love my kids. It is almost scary the love and worry moments like this produce. You can’t imagine them being sick or even want your mind to go there. There is the smart side of my brain that just thinks, things like this happen, kids get sick. Then there is the deep down worry in my mommy belly, hoping that he is a OK.

For now he is fine, so we are going to roll with that…

Love, Clare

The Pool is Cool

2011-08-22T12:42:00.001-07:00

This was the first year that Bradley really LOVED the ocean. But, after a few hours he was always ready to head back to the house. Let’s go to the pool, was the mantra of the three big kiddos.

Really? It looks like you are having so much fun? But, I think they were all feeling so confident about their swimming that they really wanted to practice. I can’t believe that just last summer Bradley would hardly get his face wet, and always had to wear his swimmies. Now look….

This became their favorite pool game, talking to each other underneath the water. Oh, that and the Flying Squirrel

Is this the same little girl from last summer?? I think not!

They had so much fun at the pool. Diving for dive sticks, even in the deep end, wearing real goggles, and pretending to be lifeguards. There were a few evenings when they wanted to swim after dinner. Once the babies were in bed, we could sit on the pool deck and watch them all swim without any help. Oh my…

If the littles were around you were definitely in the water, because they required a ton of attention.

And just in case you were worried, Ellie was always on duty…she was watching over Haven of course!

Other than the pool and the beach we did some other fun things. We painted nails…

And went putt putting for the first time and visited the turtles…

Had friends over for a BBQ that happened to be down at the beach at the same time…

Ate lots of popsicles on the deck

And of course had a final day photo shoot. It was supposed to be our last night at the beach and our traditional picnic at the light house. Instead it rained on us and we crammed on the front porch for a final day of pictures.

I think we have a winner people. Looking at the camera, check, not covered in water and sand, check, actually smiling, double check!! Wow, you can get a great photo of a 16 month old!

My two little beans…

I have to share this to show the reality of trying to capture a family photo…

So we settled for one with a pacifier. You win some you lose some, 3 out of 4 works for me!

Then these three couldn’t be cuter!!!

All three children looking at the camera, no pacifiers needed! Aren’t they the cutest?

I could just eat her up with a spoon…

Overall it was a fantastic trip. I mean fantastic! I am finally done editing the photos and actually wanting to pick up my camera again. Do you ever feel like that?

In other news we are battling a fever again over here. This is Bradley’s third fever episode this summer. Please keep him in your thoughts. A visit to the doctor and the hospital for more blood work today. It feels a bit like groundhog day for us and him. He wakes up with a headache and fights a fever for a few days.

I would almost feel more comforted if Ellie was sick too, but she is just fine. As I write this we are waiting for the doctor’s call with the test results. I will keep you posted.

Love, Clare

Love By the Sea

2011-08-17T04:49:00.001-07:00

So this is the post where I have a million pictures of my kiddos on the beach.

Usually we do our big "photo shoot" on the last day of our trip at the light house. This year, Cali and I really wanted some pictures of the kids in the sand and by the water. This sounded like such a great idea in theory. I got both children dressed, matching so cute, hair brushed, bows in, ready to go. Then we got down to the ocean and this is what a 16 month old does within two minutes….

The experienced mommy in me should have seen that coming a mile away, but I really didn't think it through. Chris spent 90% of his time at the beach chasing ellie around and catching her after she toppled into the water and sand. So much for the adorable outfits! Oh well, I just went with it. She cooperated for part of the pictures, and the rest of them I just followed her around. I have a ton of pictures of Ellie walking or running away from me. At least she has adorable curls and the yummiest legs to look at, right?!

When I wasn’t chasing little miss crazy around I did get some great pictures of the big kiddos…

Amalie and Larken are pros and completely worked it for the camera! and of course baby Haven just had to sit and look cute, which isn’t a problem for her!

Things went from really sweet to complete craziness…

Oh life at the beach with little kids, such fun!! There is still a lot more to share, I am working at it little by little.

Until next time….

The Beach Revealed

2011-08-14T19:13:00.001-07:00

I think it has taken me a week to recover from our awesome beach trip. I have done a million loads of wash, returned all DVDs and toys to the rightful places, and gone to bed really early for most of this week. The car has been washed and de-snacked. I think Chris and I dumped a pound of goldfish and crackers out of Ellie’s car seat. Where does all of that come from??

It was such a great trip, and I have been very slow to go through all of my photos and edit them. I finally took a stab at some of them tonight. What, 558 photos isn’t a daunting task? I have definitely fallen in love with a bunch of them, and I can’t wait to get the printed out and up in our house somewhere.

There is something about a great beach photo….

It makes the little photographer inside me dying to get out happy…

It is so great going back to the same neighborhood and beach a few years in a row. We have always rented a different house, because someone between our two families has had another baby. We always stay in the same place, The Currituck Club. The kids are starting to create so many memories. Trips on the trolley. Rides in the bike trailer up to get doughnuts. Going to a different pool in the neighborhood. And this year we get to add Putt Putt and Go-Karting to the list.

There were lots of magical castles built. One that was dedicated to a washed up crab. He got a lot of attention from the big kiddos. They inspected him and got braver as time wore on. This was a special morning at the beach, because our friends brought their baby sitter. So, she was watching the littles while they napped. The big kids got a lot of time with us.

These two have officially become water lovers. They let us take them way out into the ocean. When we didn’t have the little ones to look after! There were a few days that the ocean was really calm, and Bradley was swimming back and forth between Chris and I. Then the big waves would come and he would just laugh and giggle as you jumped them. I would hold him between waves and his heart would be racing. He loved it though. I just can’t believe the growth in confidence and swimming that he has made from last year to this year. It is always so evident when you think about past trips.

Jumping and waiting for the waves…

I just love Cali and Rick and there girls. Each year the beach gets better and better. We get along great, the kids play together well, and we get lots of time to hang out!! I hope we can keep the tradition going, next year we will have six kids and four parents, yikes!!! We mostly cook at home during the week, but one night we get dolled up for our parents night dinner.

The kiddos had a great time just hanging out around the house. I think they had 400 outfit changes between the five of them. Bradley mostly wore his old and new Outer Banks t-shirts. He pretty much hasn’t taken them off since getting home. And this little just thought diapers and mixing cups were the best…

This is a random beach post. I have covered wave jumping and diaper wearing toddlers. Life is good, and so was our trip! I am hoping to sort through all of our photo shoots and get some more posts up this week!

I think I am still in vacation mode. Love, Clare

Life’s a Beach

2011-08-07T18:19:00.001-07:00

I wish we had a few more days of vacation. A week just always seems to fly by. We had so much fun in OBX. The beach, the sand, the pool, and two water loving babes.

The little one took to the beach like she had been there a million times.

She was one with the sand and the water. You couldn’t leave her side for a second.

The big one full on swam in the ocean. Out in the deep waves. Swimming between Chris and I, giggling with joy when a big one was headed our way. I have never seen anything like it. He is growing up.

Family photos didn’t go quite as planned, but what can you do with a toddler and a little boy that thinks his mama’s matching outfits and picture taking is annoying? They still look cute and will always remind me of these special moments.

And of course I can’t forget about these adorable little girls that stole our hearts this week. They are our family. I love these littles and we are thinking a four ‘peat is in the mix for next summer.

I have LOTS of laundry to do. A little doggie that I know can’t wait to see us tomorrow morning. And some much needed sleep in my own bed. There is nothing like vacation, and nothing like getting back home. I will sort through my 100s of photos and be posting again soon. These were just a few that jumped out at me.

Love, Clare

The “To Do” List

2011-07-28T07:07:00.001-07:00

My “to do” list is extremely long these days. It also has a new home too! It moved from my journal that I used to walk around with, to the Priorities App on my iphone. I can add items, mark them off, move them around. It is amazing! And it comes with my everywhere!

One of the items on my list was to go back through my photos from Jan-June, edit some that I didn’t get to, and delete the bad pictures. Sometimes marking things off of the to do list can be fun. You can unearth a picture you had forgotten about. A picture of a baby and her big brother.

I still was learning a lot about my camera. My ISO was set too high, and a lot of pictures were a bit too noisy for me. But there were a few gems hidden back in the Jan 11 file. I am happy to report that this was marked off the list and we now have a stack of edited photos from Jan until June. Now for the albums…that would requiring driving two children to the store, so it hasn’t been marked off the list yet!

Chris has been busy marking off items from the baby #3 to do list. We have four bedrooms upstairs and the third room was an extra guest room (we have one in the basement too!). So the third room will be the new nursery. It is slowly in transition. I sold the furniture in it on craiglist. Chris put the full bed back in the storage room, and it was painted this week a perfect buttery yellow. I bought a second crib from craiglist awhile ago. I am going to leave Ellie’s crib in her room until she is ready for a big bed.

We are going to move all of the other nursery furniture, changing table, glider, night stand, bookshelf, etc. into the nursery. Ellie is going to get this bed when she is ready…

We also bought her a dresser, mirror and nightstand. I couldn’t find a picture of the exact dresser, but this one is similar. Ellie’s has more of a raised panel on the drawers.

It is amazing to think that she will some day be big enough for all of this furniture. We have extra white bookshelves that we are going to leave in her room, but as she grows we will eventually get her a desk for homework. I loved this furniture store we went to, and there prices were really good. Better than what we could find online. Next year we will be going back to get Bradley some better furniture. We got his from Target and it is falling apart. Ellie’s furniture should be here in September, and then we will make the big switcheroo.

I think Chris was inspired on Saturday after our trip to the furniture store. We spent a few hours on Saturday night playing the name game. We have a lot of girl’s names that we really like, but are having a harder time with the boy’s names. I think picking a baby’s name is so hard. I guess not knowing what we are having is multiplying the problem too.

Once Ellie’s room and the nursery are pulled together I think we will be ready for this baby. I have the new double stroller, I have sold ALL of my other strollers on craigslist, and a new baby car seat. In the fall I just need to go through all of my baby clothes and pull out the gender neutral things to get them washed and ready! Wow, three short months and this baby will be here!!!!

Now I need to get my stuff in gear and get packing for the beach, OBX in two days!!

Love, Clare

The Big Jump

2011-07-26T19:10:00.001-07:00

My little man did the big jump last week. The little boy that would hardly jump off the side of the pool last summer. The sweet one that would cry and cry if his face got wet. Well he grew up into a big old swimmer. I am so proud of him…

Bradley’s First Jump Off the Board July 2011

There have been a few more jumps since then, but most of them involved some sort of crying or tantrum at the end of the board. I think he “wants” to do it, he just doesn’t “love” doing it yet! Either way, I am so beyond proud of this little guy. He told me for the entire summer that he wasn’t going to jump off the board until he was 5. I guess wonders never cease. Go Bradley!!

On the other hand, this little lady jumped off the side of the pool today with out Mommy’s help.

We spent the morning at the spray park. Which was a much needed water break for me. This little lady is a lot to handle at the pool these days. So to be a enjoying a water activity without me having to worry about her going under every 5 seconds was nice. It was also great to see how much she has grown. Since our last visit back in June, she was still crawling. Today I actually had two children running, playing, and splashing.

She insisted on climbing up on these sprayers. She saw all the cool kids doing it. Ellie would walk right up to them and say, “up, up.” I am thinking I have a dare devil/thrill seeker on my hands. After two minutes of this…

She would slide off and go running to the front to get really wet.

yes, I am adorable. I wear froggy bathing suits and water shoes. I am big!

We met a bunch of old friends there. Of course by the time I pulled out my camera, all of the big kids had moved on to the playground. Besides Margaret. She has a thing for Ellie and always keeps a close eye on her for me.

The summer check list is slowly getting checked off. Play dates. Bathing suits. Diving boards.

Summer Overload!

Now time to gear up for our week at the beach!! Love, Clare

Mommy Memories

2011-07-21T18:10:00.001-07:00

Being pregnant with my third child in the summer has been interesting. Kind of hard to ignore the bigger my belly gets and the tighter my swimsuit starts to feel. I am finding it not so enjoyable. my feet are beginning to ache. I don’t last very long outside or at the pool, especially with all of our crazy HOT weather.

for some reason blogging has felt like a lot of effort. I haven’t been picking up my camera as much lately. by seven o’clock I am spent. usually I still have one child to put to bed, dishes in the sink, and ellie makes the family room look like it exploded toys even if she was in there for five minutes. when I finally sit down after getting the house in order, the thought of uploading pics seems crazy. chris and I will scramble around to clean up, pull out the vacuum, and then collapse on the couch.

I have been wanting to make pillows for the family room for months. right now one square is cut out and sitting on the tables in the basement. motivation zero.

this little mamacita is hell on wheels right now. she is definitely keeping chris and I on our toes. today I took her to the pool dressed in her bathing suit, a front and back life vest, and “swimmies” on her arms. After a few minutes of fussing and realizing that I wasn’t going to take it off, she went with it. literally, walked right into the water and kept on going. When she started to float, she just kicked her little feet until she got where she wanted to go. She LOVES the water, but is very scary at the pool. I decided to dress her in no less that three floatation devices, because she likes to walk into the deep water, climb up the side and run over to the deep end and peer in, run into the pool during break time with her hands full of food, and give me 1,000 heart attacks while we are there. I will turn around to tell bradley something and next thing I know she is under the water. She thinks it is hilarious. She blows bubbles and holds her breath. When you bring her to the surface she doesn’t even cough, she just laughs and squirms to be put down.

She balances all of these crazy water antics with adorable moments. For example learning her body parts, and being obsessed with her belly. She will point to it and say “babbly” or something to that tune.

all of this made even more adorable when she juts it out for a better view. literally, I could eat her up with a spoon.

then there are the curls. chris calls her the wild-a-beast right now if that gives you any insight to her little developing personality.

she has a new obsession. he is red and really annoying. melmo strikes again. we have watched him in the car during some fussy road trips. now every time you strap her in she says, “melmo” and points to the tv screen that is folded away. ummm, we are just driving two minutes to the gym ellie. sorry.

we now watch him every morning while we eat our oatmeal, eggs, or waffles for breakfast. Elmo’s world just isn’t the greatest thing to wake up to in the morning.

we have driven up to the pool twice now to be sent home for thunder. the other day we were signing in at the stand and the lifeguard called for thunder. then you have to turn around, pack up the car and head home. out comes the water table. we sat outside and played in the table while the storm clouds made a lot of noise. the rain never came.

bradley seems to be completely back to his normal self. he is truly a helper around the house, and I try not to depend on him too much. He is always willing to turn on the hose to fill up the water table and the pool. carry the towels to the car while I handle the baby and the pool bag. grab ellie’s paci, diaper or snack. he just seems mature and grown up all of the sudden.

our new summer activity is gymnastics. he is in love. after the first class he asked me how many days until he gets to go back. he talked about the foam pit for five days straight. he was convinced there was water under the foam pieces.

today we went together, just the two of us. chris was home early because of the heat and volunteered to watch ellie. this is bradley about to swing into the pit after touching the bar with his toes. I thought he was so grown up when I didn’t take him into Little Gym anymore. this just seems unreal!

my big boy flipping over. seeing your child conquer something new is the best mommy feeling ever.

we are finishing up some private swim lessons tomorrow. he told his teacher that he was going to jump off the diving board. I don’t want to pressure him, but I know he can do it. I’ll just have to figure out how to take pictures and videos of that without letting ellie jump into the deep end.

summer if flying by, and I am just trying to soak it in. tomorrow will be filled with a play date with cousin sammy, and possibly our first jump off the diving board. the mommy memories are too much.

now off to prop up these feet and watch SYTYCD! Love, Clare

I promise to post some belly pics and actually write an entire baby post. poor baby #3!!

Big One You Make Me Smile…

2011-07-19T17:09:00.001-07:00

You amaze me with your positive attitude. These past few weeks of summer haven’t really gone your way. Two weeks of illness, fever and just plain torture for me and you. We were happy as clams to see you finally back to your normal self for the past two weeks.

Then this weekend, fever struck again. No other symptoms, just fever, tiredness, and concern. We kept a watchful eye over you, and nursed you back to health. A few scared calls to the pediatrician, and I was talked down from the ledge. You are really making this summer interesting! He isn’t quite sure why you would pop back up with another fever. He felt that you may have caught something else.

Daddy and I think that maybe you just weren’t fully recovered from your first round, and it decided to strike again. Whatever the case, please cut is out! This mama has been worried and pregnant to boot. That equals lots of tears people!!

Also, I just hate that a better part of this summer you haven’t been feeling well. I hope this is just a fluke and all will be well in our house for the months to come. But, between now and then I am keeping a close eye on you. Trying to take it easy, get to bed early, and keep you out of the heat (hello, heat wave hitting the US!).

So we are finding some things to do around the house. The stash of Michael’s crafts have been dipped into quite a bit. I snapped these photos the other afternoon while you were stamping jungle animals and coloring in a jungle scene. We have pulled out play doh, made sports bead bracelets, and of course we have played Candyland 100 times.

There have been mini trips to the pool, and earning prizes from the library reading program. I am trying my best to make it fun, while we stick close to home.

We are heading to one of our favorite spots next week, and then to the beach! I want you to feel well and enjoy your trips. But, I think we are going to have to take it easy and follow your lead. That nasty virus really did a number on your energy level!

Big one you make me smile with that little look over your shoulder, and the happiness you bring around our house. You want to listen to the music from music class during quiet time. You are starting this huge obsession with the solar system. Doing your best to learn to swim. Wanting to beat everyone at Candyland. Puzzles, puzzles and more puzzles. You make life fun. You make your baby sister laugh.

Stay well my big one! Love, mama

Just a Few Things

2011-07-11T20:03:00.001-07:00

Sum, summ, summertime.

Finally I feel like we are in the full swing of summer. Bradley is fully recovered. It is almost like he totally forgot about the whole ordeal, but I am a bit more traumatized. That was a horrible way to spend the second half of June.

But now summer is ahead of us and I am going full steam. Last week after a low key fourth of July I got to start Tuesday with an ultrasound. Everything is going great in baby land. Baby 3 is growing perfectly. One pound, six ounces. 24 weeks along. The due date is creeping up around the corner.

I have to admit that I got home from the ultrasound a bit freaked out. The nursery is far from ready. We have done very little as far as preparing. I keep waiting to kick into full on nesting mode, but I have just been tired. During naptime and at night the couch just calls to me. If I don’t rest in the afternoon and at least put my feet up, by seven I am completely beat. I guess it is a combo of having two children to chase around and the summertime heat. I did jump online and order blackout curtains for the nursery, a complete necessity. Chris’ painters are coming through next week to touch up some items around the house, paint our new fence, and paint the nursery. A buttery yellow is on tap. With Bradley’s help we narrowed it down to two different yellows. It isn’t going to be the most glamorous nursery, but it should be cute. Our next big “to do” item is to buy Ellie a bedroom set, so we can move a majority of the nursery furniture over. She will keep her crib, there is no way I am going to teach an 18 month old how to sleep in her own bed. One thing at a time. Newborn. Toddlerhood. THEN big girl bed.

We had visitors for a few days last week. Aimee and her sweet little 13 month old Finn came down to our house. Aimee and I have known each other since working together years ago. Almost straight out of school! I was so so lucky to have Aimee walk into that school building years ago. Who knew what we would endure in an overwhelming building, with an overwhelmed staff, and children that needed so much. We totally and completely bonded. She is truly an inspiration. I learned a lot from her, and we definitely have identical teaching philosophies.

I ended up looping with my entire class of first graders, to get into her second grade team. We had an open classroom, and the rest is history. One large grant from Target and we were in reading bliss. You get to really bond with someone when you hear them reading, teaching, and singing the clean up song a 1,000 times over the course of a school year. She moved on to bigger and better things, getting her masters degree, and consulting for schools around the country (see I told you she was awesome!!).

I think Finn had fun splashing around in the pool and of course watching Bradley all day. What is it about the big kids? They are so memorizing?

We played in the pool, trotted off to gymnastics, and chased the babies around the first floor. They were literally having a war over the push toys. Try convincing a 13 and 15 month old that it is their turn with the hippo. Not an easy task! Ellie isn’t a stranger to fighting for her things, she has an older brother.

They were so cute, racing up and down the hard wood floor. I hope we can make it to her neck of the woods soon and get in a visit before my life gets turned upside down with three kiddos.

Sunday we made our way to the local vineyard for a Polo match. One of my great childhood friends, Colleen and her husband Steve met us there for wine and horses. Unfortunately it was HOT!! We made the best of it, and ate sandwiches and watched the match.

The poor boys trucked all the way over the winery (you can see it in the background) to get wine. They arrived back just in time for the golf cart to come around selling wine to all of the spectators. They didn’t think that was very funny.

At half time we walked onto the field to stomp the divots. Can we say, Pretty women?? So fun!

Bradley did come with us, but he spent 99% of the time watching from inside the minivan. I don’t blame him. It was actually much cooler in there. I’m still glad we went. It is located right by our neighborhood, and such a shame not to go once in a while. Next time, we will plan ahead for a breezy summer day.

I think this post got me pretty much up to date. Happy Summertime!!

parenthood.

2011-07-04T18:08:00.001-07:00

there really aren’t words to explain the complexities of parenthood. nobody tells you before the birth of your first child the crazy love that will blossom from your heart. a love that is so powerful, it can bring you to tears, or may you feel that you could move mountains for them.

(bradley getting some fresh air on our shaded porch, after eight days of fever.)

these past two weeks I have been on a parenting roller coaster. highs and lows. worries and sleepless nights.

9 days straight of fever. really, really high fever.

there have been two trips to the doctor and two trips to the local hospital.

six days of fever reaching 103.5 or higher.

two entire bottles of tylenol and ibuprofen used completely up. completely gone.

giving him medicine before bed. medicine at 11. bradley waking us up at 4 on FIRE. wanting more medicine.

shedding tears night after night. bradley just wanting to feel better. asking us to make my head stop aching.

I wish I could.

many loads of laundry washing sheets that were so wet with sweat they felt like he had peed the bed.

five days where he didn’t eat much more than a cup of applesauce.

two blood draws. horrible.

an EKG.

a Heart Echo.

my baby was very brave, and has a beautiful, perfect heart by the way!

and finally our health.

after all of that. worrying about the tests, what was going on with him. why ellie only had this virus for three days, but Bradley had it for almost 10.

we are healthy. all the tests are normal. he had the same summer virus as ellie, except he had it much worse.

we spent the remainder of the fourth of july weekend celebrating independence. and our big boy’s health. slowly getting him back to normal. he was really weak and tired.

saturday he begged us to go to the 4th of july parade. it was so hot. we stayed for 25 minutes before he wanted to go back home.

he was hot for almost two weeks. I don’t blame him if he wanted to be in the AC for the rest of the summer.

sunday we made an hour trip up to the pool and he slept for three hours afterwards. he is completely worn out.

today he seems more like his old self. happy. chipper. talkative. playing around the house and at the pool.

I am just in awe of his little personality. He seems to have almost forgotten about the whole ordeal. I haven’t and probably won’t for a long time. That was truly scary. To have a fever stretch on for so many days is just unreal. You just want to wave a magic wand and make them better. You are their Mommy, and they think you can. Chris and I are worn out. After almost an entire day at the hospital on Friday we collapsed on the couch and went to bed early. We were fried.

Things are getting back to normal, and I hope this is just a little blip in a summer of fun.

The pediatrician joked with me on the phone Friday night. He said he hoped that baby #3 was a boring baby. He said he was really worried. He has called twice this weekend to check on Bradley. Yes, he visits you at your home, and calls to check on your kids to make sure they are ok. I told him he deserves to be nominated as a saint.

I feel blessed to have an amazing doctor that loves my kiddos. And I am blessed that we have our health. How easily we take it for granted.

Happy 4th of July! I know it has been a good one for us!

Love, Clare

Life in the Slow Lane

2011-06-29T20:20:00.001-07:00

Well, this virus has really knocked us off our feet. Your prayers worked on Monday, because Tuesday Bradley woke up warm 100.5, but not blazing hot. It was an improvement!

Tuesday afternoon he almost felt cool again to me. He started laughing and playing on the floor with Ellie. Man it was so great to hear his little giggles.

Wednesday he woke up warm again, but he seemed better. He said he was feeling better. I talked to the doctor and he wanted me to get him outside, off the couch, into the sunshine. Get him hungry so he would actually eat. Not just 1/2 of an eggo waffle. We went for a trip to the park, where Ellie walked around picking up mulch and just happy as a clam. I think she was in shock to see sunlight and something other than the living room carpet. Bradley spent the entire trip sitting on the park bench sipping on water. After 30 minutes he told me that he wasn’t feeling well. We got home and I prepped lunch. After a while I checked on him on the couch and bam…the thermometer read 102.5.

mama lost her marbles. I didn’t say anything in front of Bradley, but to see him laying there again, on fire, I was just beside myself. A few frantic calls to the hubby and the doctor and I felt better, but how could this be happening again, I thought we were getting better? So frustrating. The doctor still seems encouraged that his temp was lower yesterday, and just thinks that this can happen with these nasty viruses. The poor boy crawled right into bed and slept for almost three hours. We are ordered to continue with dosing the medicine and to try again tomorrow to get him up and moving. He is just plain feeble and weak from so many days of fever and laying around.

Tomorrow is a new day. I am praying for a time when I finally don’t have to force Tylenol and ibuprofen down him. I am just praying to get out of the house, have a play date, go to dinner, pretty much anything outside!

I did set up the baby pool for Ellie the other day on the deck. She was in heaven…

Of course Bradley wanted to join her on the deck to test out the baby pool.

Just another day in paradise.

Oh how much you love your children. I would take this away from him in a second if I could. I can’t believe how hard his little body is fighting to get better. It is painful to see your children so ill.

my mantra, tomorrow he WILL get better. xo, Clare

Earning My Mommy Badge

2011-06-28T12:41:00.001-07:00

The past nine days have been a roller coaster. Sick babies, sick big brothers, and two tired parents.

First it was Ellie. She is the culprit. She picked up the summer virus somewhere along the way (my guess is the children’s museum).

Three days of high fever and fussiness, but then all was well.

Wednesday we went to camp and Bradley started feeling sick. I came to get him with a fever of 102. Well, it didn’t drop for days. Medicine made it tolerable. But, he was miserable for the most part.

We vegged out. We watched hours and hours of TV, movies, blu-ray, shows on the Wii. We played on the couch. We played in the basement. Ellie and I played on the deck while he rested. Three days passed and he didn’t get better.

Still feverish on Saturday. Still 103.5. Still waking up at 11, then 4 or 6 on FIRE in the middle of the night, needing more medicine.

Then Sunday morning he walked in HOT, and this mama started to get worried. We called the pediatrician immediately. Five days at 102 or 103+ wasn’t acceptable. The doctor stopped by. Yes, on Sunday afternoon (he is amazing). Looked him over from head to toe. Checked for strep. Said, he was all clear for strep, but we would have to get blood work done on Monday if his fever didn’t break. That this was a summer virus going around. No other symptoms besides high, high fever and watery eyes. Nothing else.

I was convinced it would be gone in the morning. He is going to be fine tomorrow, I told myself. We will wake up with our old Bradley back. I missed his chatty old self. He was so, so quiet. So tired. Gray circles under his eyes. Sunday night he cried saying that he didn’t feel good. He just wanted to be better. His eyes hurt. His brain hurt. His arms ached. His shoulders ached.

I have never in my life seen him this sick. It is scary to feel so helpless. To only be able to offer your child two teaspoons of some sugary medicine and tell them that it is going to be better tomorrow, when you aren’t quite sure yourself.

Monday morning came. The thermometer read 103.1. I was devastated. We went to the hospital to get his blood drawn. The pediatrician gave us good advice on how to handle the situation with him. There was quite a bit of fear and tears, but we all survived. Daddy went to Toys R Us and surprised him with lots of goodies to take home.

Chris and I didn’t talk about it much, but we were both really scared. Why wasn’t he getting better? Was there something more serious going on? Ellie was only sick for a few days. He should be better. The doc encouraged us that this was just routine when any child has a high fever for over five days. I was deeply worried. I waited all day for the call.

He was fine. All of the blood work was normal. But, we were going to have to wait it out. Two to three more days the doctor said. I said some prayers last night for my little guy. Please just let him get better.

He didn’t wake us up for medicine in the middle of the night. We checked on him and he felt warm but not HOT. This morning the thermometer read 100.5. We are making progress.

We aren’t completely out of the woods. But, it is a heck of a lot better than 103.5. I’ll take it for now. Bradley said he felt better. Which is crazy, because this would normally be a high fever. I am sure it must feel better than 103.

I don’t know why this virus hit him so hard. Today I am just plain thankful. I am glad we are healthy. I am so thankful that this wasn’t something else, something much worse that I don’t want to even comprehend. Even if his fever is gone tomorrow, it is going to take us a while to be back to normal. He is really worn out. He has hardly eaten a thing in seven days. He is weak.

Next week I am hoping to be back at the pool. Back in action. For now, I just want that thermometer to read 98.6. I will be one happy mama.

stay well, love, Clare

sometimes its rough

2011-06-23T17:19:00.001-07:00

sometimes it is tough to be the mommy

the baby gets sick, she gets hot, hot, hot

she wakes you up with her fever and her scared little moaning cry

she whines and clings and won’t accept anything less than being held by mommy for three days straight

but she is a really, really cute laundry folder

and she loves to play peek a boo with you for entertainment

then….

you know the drill, big brother gets sick next

he misses days at camp and gets hot, hot, hot

he cries and whines and takes lots of medicine

luckily for mommy, he likes to watch movies and lay on the couch

and legos have become a new favorite thing

they have 589 pieces and take a good majority of ellie’s naptime to put together (ok, only 231)

bradley insists that he knows how to put it together,

while mommy insists that we read the 70 page book and follow the directions properly

is it already in their DNA to not follow directions at the age of 4?

after a fun visit from the fed ex man, this arrived

mommy put it together all by herself, with the help of a sweet little baby

we gave it a test drive just to venture out of the house

I hope tomorrow is the end of it, poor little babies and poor mommy

thank you amanda for showing me instagrams on my iphone

I’m hooked in a major way

and yes my iphone hasn’t left my side since last wednesday

totally obsessed!!

since we are on a kick of phone pics, here are some from a sunnier day…

bradley riding a horse for the first time down by the farm

he even got to ride around the barrels, so big!!

gotta love daddy documenting the first time even though I missed it!!

Love, Clare

Up, Up and Away

2011-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived the first week of summer. The first week I have had both kids at home all day every day in almost 10 months! Of course just give me a bit more of a challenge Ellie decided to go from this…

Stroller Walking June 2011

to this…

First Steps June 2011

Wow, I forgot how much walking changes things! We went from the manageable crawl to the full blown, watch her every second, she is going to fall, let me help you, won’t let me hold her for one second, walking. I know, I know, running is next!

I am totally a sucker for that adorable baby waddle. I just spend time watching her with googlie eyes while she stomps around in that little flat footed walk. Miss Independent here we come!

We spent the week doing lots of fun stuff. Mostly the pool, little visits to the gym, and some great little play dates. Daddy went golfing for father’s day with his buddies. Mommy lost her mind by day four and was requesting personal quiet time from four year old that NEVER stop talking. I mean never. Going to one of our favorite Children’s Museums on Thursday, Amazement Square was a nice change of pace.

The kiddos spent a great deal of time at the entrance of the museum pushing these things back and forth on a large board. If one side went in, the other popped out. You can say it was a bit of a battle…

A few buddies met us for the trip. I only took four pictures. Four.

Remember, I was following this little girl that wants to walk all over kingdom come? Don’t let her innocent smock watermelon outfit fool you. She is on a mission!

At least strollers, and snack traps can keep her entertained for five minutes.

This week Bradley has “camp” and Ellie has been a little sick. So I think our game plan will be to take it easy, rest up, and prep for my next three weeks with both kiddos at home.

I need to look up some other fun stuff to do, suggestions?

Love, Clare

Because He Rocks!

2011-06-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

It’s true, he does!! He will do it all. Change diapers, bath kiddos, heat up bottles of milk for his sweet princess, play t-ball in the backyard (just one more hit daddy), color endless spider man pages, and cut up hot dogs into bite size pieces.

All of it. Fatherhood. He embraces all aspects of it. He passes the test. Here’s the proof.

Not many Daddies volunteer to coach 4 year olds playing t-ball. He was awesome with the team, and I wouldn’t have expected any less. Even when they missed the ball for the third time in a row, Chris was right there cheering them on.

Babe, you work so hard. I don’t know how you balance it all? Your business. Your customers. And still giving us so much at home. I am one lucky gal. And these two are the luckiest of them all.

Because they have you. And that is priceless.

Bradley got the cake right. You are the #1 Dad around here.

Happy Father’s Day to you and all of the other amazing Dad’s out there!

Including my Dad! You’re pretty fabulous too!

Can you believe how little Ellie looks in this picture from Christmas? Crazy!

Love, Clare

After Dinner

2011-06-13T18:17:00.001-07:00

Sometimes after dinner we like to go outside. Sometimes it is still really hot and sticky. After we eat our ice cream, we watch daddy turn on the sprinklers. Then chaos ensues.

Clothes get stripped off. Bradley waits patiently for the cool sprinkle of the water to reach the front porch.

Ellie isn’t sure that she is up for this game of getting soaked before bed.

Then Bradley goes for it. Full force in the yard. Butt crack and all.

Sometimes he just reminds me so much of Chris. The resemblance is unmistakable.

We try Ellie one more time under the water. Just to see if she likes it or not.

I think NOT.

Off to bed with one wet baby and one soaked big brother. Isn’t summer the best?

Love, Clare