Day 90: Happy Easter!

He IS Risen!

While our Easter tradition of going "camping" is always fun, its always nice to reflect on the real reason to celebrate and that is that Christ who came to this world, died on the cross and rose again for ME! Skylar has been going around singing different songs she's learned at school at one of them is "your love never fails, never gives up. never runs out on me." I love hearing her sing that song because it really evokes such emotion.

Today we made our trip home and thankfully, were able to drop the kiddos off with my parent so that we could unload our camper. What. A. Mess. It took us a good hour or more to get it all unloaded and that's not even the half of it. There still all the unpacking to do and then the laundry. As we kind of expected, the kids fell asleep at my parents house giving us time to shower and unwind a bit before "checking in" again. It was nice but man are we pooped! It was such a great Easter filled with so much love and excitement. Now to get back to reality...

Day 88 & 89

Friday was another fun and busy day. I think I saw Bryce and Skylar only a handful of times as they were busy playing with all of their cousins. And each time I did see Bryce, he was usually covered up in stickers. Poor dude. The stickers were bad again this year (a re-occurring issue) and Bryce seemed to find them all. It took him a good day or 2 to finally realize that you can NOT walk through the grass without shoes. But even once he got that down he'd get so excited that he'd trip and have them stuck every where else. He handled it pretty well and seemed to be right at home in the country. I made a comment at one point that while he likes to get dirty and I didn't really see him as a country boy because he doesn't like bugs or other creepy-crawling things. But seeing how he rocked a junebug to sleep while singing "rock-a-bye-baby" I obviously had no clue what I was talking about. He also took little adventures with Uncle B (who he called "Papa") to go see the tractor and the moo-cows. I'm pretty sure our little Brycie was a big hit and this little shindig and I heard often "he's so cute" or "he certainly is ALL boy."

It goes without saying that Eva was also a huge hit since most haven't even met her yet. She was so spoiled this weekend with just about everyone taking turns holding her. I can only recall a handful of moments that she was in her swing or her stroller. Most times it was someones lap or shoulder. Her best buddy of the week had to be Melissa (Matthew's eldest cousin) and she took a few naps curled up in her chest. But Aunt Biggon even got to love on her and a few of the kids also took turns loving on her too. At one point she and Aunt Biggon were "talking" and Melissa called out "look, it's Eva and Reva talking." As I mentioned in an earlier post Aunt Biggons twin sister is Eva (Matthew's grandmother) so seeing the Aunt Biggon get a chance to meet little Eva evoked so much emotion. This was a much needed trip as I think that our sweet Aunt Biggon won't be with us much longer. Matthew and I are so happy we made this trip for her to get a chance to meet our sweet Eva-girl just in case. I loved that Eva was not afraid one bit and smiled and cooed at every thing Aunt Biggon said to her. I only pray we can have one more year.

This is Cara holding her which is just craaaaazy since I can remember Cara being this little once. Crazy how time files. We don't have very many pics of Skylar because the girl was always gone. She had SO much fun and each night crashed hard from all of the playing she did. She was either in the bounce house, playing softball, coloring with chalk, hiking in the woods, fishing for tadpoles, or going on a tailgate ride. It was always a busy day for her and she always came back looking filthy and smelling foul. She may look "country girl" but she did it in such a girly way that I couldn't help but laugh. She would go on her adventures and come back saying "it's too muddy for me" as her face and bottom were covered in dirt. I love that she got to make memories and one night as were putting her to bed she said "mama, I LOVE my friends but act-sha-we, they're my cousins too!" She had her own name for Uncle B too but it wasn't "Papa" like Bryce called him. It was "Ugga-Bee." I love her sass and she was NOT shy to jump right in and tell it like it is. We had an amazing trip and Matthew and I were sad to leave. In fact, we were supposed to leave Saturday but just couldn't bring ourselves to do it and left Sunday instead. Matthew spent what time he could with his Aunt Biggon and I'm so glad that he did. LOVE our family!

Day 87: On the road again...

Yea! Our much anticipated, yearly Easter-tradition is finally here!! So we didn't get an early start like we had hoped but like I told daddy, you can't ever have an "itinerary" with 3 kids. It's impossible. And with the worlds biggest trailer (leave it to my husband to rent the biggest), we were moving at a snails pace to avoid running into anything. The trip up wasn't too terrible. My kids are used to having a DVD player (spoiled, I know) and so we had a few moments of tears and threats of "don't make me pull this car over." Daddy did stop at a gas station and I was able to find a few things to entertain them for a short bit but they were just ready to be out of the car. I think we were all ready to be out of the car but like I said, for the most part - they did good.

Our biggest fear was how we were going to pull this trailer into Aunt Biggon's driveway since the corner was so tight. I know Matthew was dreading it the whole way up but once we were there - easy peasy! He had no issues whatsoever. Phew. The kids were so happy to get out of the truck and took off right away to go find trouble. After giving a few hugs and kisses, we got our trailer set up (our new home for the weekend), and Matthew and his cousin Andy set up the bounce house. This was the first year that anyone has done anything like that. My husband amazes me. His reason behind renting one (which totally makes sense) was to keep the kids from hiking off into the woods too often and risking either a snake bite or something worse. The kids loved having it but no, it didn't keep them from taking their explorations. That's part of the fun of Aunt Biggon's and we just all have to sit back and pray! That night after everyone set up their campers/trailers, it was such an amazing sight. This year we had over 30 people and the yard was just full of cars and trailers. It makes my heart sing to have all of us together like this and I'm sure Aunt Biggon loved it as well.

 After our busy day of packing and then our long drive, we are pooped and off to bed...it's going to be a great weekend ahead so stay tuned!

Day 86: Packing Day

So today was a pretty fun day. Normally Skylar would be at school but because I had a ton of errands to run and clothes to pack for our trip tomorrow, I just kept her home to help out with her very busy brother. Not only busy brother but kinda-feelin yucky brother. It looks like he may have caught some kind of stomach bug which has him going to the bathroom - A LOT. But it's not slowing him down any as he's still determined to run around like a madman. First stop - donuts! I didn't feel up to making anything because we had just cleaned the kitchen and I didn't want things left out for our trip so we went to Shipley's. My kiddos LOVE donuts. After picking up some to go, we went to Walmart to get the remaining items on our list. One of the things I still needed to get was suitcases. Up to this point we always pack things in their backpacks but that's just a pain so I felt it was time for them to have their own suitcase. Added bonus was it kept them distracted as we walked through the store.

My little cuties! After we made all of our purchases, it was time to head home and pack. This is an almost impossible venture with 3 kids but somehow we survived. And because my OCD knows no bounds, I also did little projects around the house like tidy up the pantry (again) and finally organize my girls bows!

Saw this idea on pinterest and loved it! I'll post again later on how affective it is and staying organized. After packing suitcases with just about anything and everything, it was time to pack up the Easter stuff and I may have gone a tiny bit overboard...just a wee bit. ;)

This entire bag is filled with candy and toys and that didn't include another grocery sack of stuff that wouldn't fit or the Granny basket we made. I didn't know I had this much until I put it all together but oh well, its supposed to be a good turnout this year so I'll be glad I had enough to pass around! Now its off to bed so we can hopefully leave early tomorrow morning! Woohoo!

Day 84 & 85

Monday:
Given the hectic events of last weekend, we used this day as of a day of rest. It was no help that the night before the baby was up twice and then last night the smoke detector went off in the girls room at 2am. I was NOT a happy camper. So Monday, we were dragging. I tried to make us a pick-me-up smoothie in hopes to have a bit more energy but sometimes your body just needs rest. Speaking of smoothies, Matthew recently purchased a Vitamix and I have to say - it. is. awesome. Even Bryce and Skylar have enjoyed some "hulk juice" here and there.

This bad boy was loaded up with yummy goodness. It had a banana, blueberries, peach, 2c spinach, coconut water, protein powder and ice. The kids looooooved it! I'll do anything to sneak in those veggies. But even after this yummo drink, I was still pretty tired and the kids were also so off to nap WE went. I emphasize "we" because I normally use this time to catch up on things around the house but not today. Today, I decided to join them and even though it was only 45 minutes for me - it felt like heaven. Especially since I got to do this...

I'll take any opportunity I can to cuddle with her because she is growing SO fast. I had to readjust the straps on her carseat, take out the infant pillows in her swing, and raise her excersaucer level up one. She's growing. And not only is she growing in length but she's trying out new things like this....

...which just breaks my heart. Don't get me wrong, I love to see that she's advancing developmentally but my gosh - why so fast?!!! So even though things may go undone around my home, I'm reminded of how quickly it all goes and to hold her a little longer, sing to her a while more, and just enjoy each moment of her sweet innocence because it is all but fleeting. Monday was a lazy but GOOD day.

Tuesday:
Back to the grind. Today the kids went back to school and we are still dragging - what is the deal?! I was running late today and Skylar received a tardy. So sad, mama. I just can't seem to get it together but must! Eva-love and I dropped off the kiddos and would normally go for a run before restore but instead, we sat outside of the church nursing and snuggling. Much better choice if you ask me. Restore was brutal but that's what I pay for, right? After we were done it was off to run some errands and buy some spring clothes for my growing weeds. Because man, they are ALL growing. Skylar has been eating like a horse (something she NEVER does) and sleeping late and Bryce..well he always eats so no difference there. But I'm certain Skylar sprouted because the pants I just bought last month are now too short and when she comes to hug me she's right below my hips - waaaaaah. Bryce also seems a bit taller but poor dude, every time it seems like he may of gotten taller - Skylar shoots up again so it makes his growth go unnoticed. Sibling rivalry on a subconscious level? So because of all of this growth (maybe we'll cut back on those shakes), I had to go get them stocked up for spring. Baby girl did great and chatted with me the entire time. We even purchased a few matchy-matchy stuff for her and big sis! Gotta do it while I can. After our shopping excursion was done, it was home for a quick shower, snack (for her), and off to get the kiddos. Tonight we surprised them with family date night at Shoguns. This was their first time having hibachi and they LOVED it. Bryce kept saying "pire! pire daddy! pire!" I love our family date nights!

Bryce cracks me up! Now it's off to bed because tomorrow we have LOTS to do to get ready for our Aunt Biggon Easter trip. It's tradition. Adios.

Day 83: The Big Day

Hooray! The big day is finally here! Baby girl was my alarm clock this morning and decided to wake up at 5:30am. It worked out well though because it meant I could go to the wedding earlier then scheduled to help set up. Such a beautiful morning. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a pretty windy day though and each time the wind blew it felt like it dropped 20 degrees, but it was still lovely. Thankfully I had packed out things the night before so there was no need to rush around like a mad woman which was nice. We got to the wedding and I was able to help set up a few tables before Eva was ready to be out and fed. I'm so thankful for everyone there because they all seemed to chip in and help out with her when I couldn't. I had really envisioned me being cooped up in some bathroom trying to feed her or put her to bed and running late on things like hair and makeup. But that was not the case. My mom also showed up way early too and that was a HUGE blessing. She kept the baby in the car with her while she napped and would bring her to me only when she was ready to be fed. It worked out great.

The ceremony was beautiful and I cried, of course. I feel like I'm becoming more and more like my Aunt Susie everyday and cry and just about everything. Tara looked radiant and you can really see how much they are in love. The plan was after the ceremony to feed the baby, then she and Skylar would leave with my mom. But once I saw other girls there that are around Skylar's age, I knew she wasn't going anywhere. She and Bryce both had so much fun. They danced there little hearts out and if they weren't dancing, you could find them in the photo booth taking umpteen number of pictures. It really was such a fun, fun night. Even daddy had fun and got a chance to dance with the bride to "Footloose." It was a beautiful wedding and I couldn't be more happy for Tara. She waited a long time but she found the one that is perfect for her. Now for a few pics from our fun evening...

It's crazy to think of just how long some of us have known each other. The pic above with just 4 of us is I've known 2 of them for 17 years and Deborah (standing beside me), I've known her for 19 years. Just craziness.
One of my favorite pics from the night was capturing a sweet daddy/daughter moment and no it wasn't the father and the bride dance. I high-tailed it out of there when I heard that coming. No, it was my husband with our firstborn. This picture evokes so much emotion because one day, it will be HER wedding and he will give her away. Sigh.

Day 82: Wedding Weekend has begun

The wedding weekend has finally arrived and naturally, I'm scrambling. Let's see - I started my morning off with a quick 4 mile run because I've not been able to do any exercise lately with the kiddos. I got home, took a quick shower and then headed to get my nails did and my 5:00 shadow removed because yes, I have one. I brought both of the girls with me and they did so good. Skylar chose sparkly purple nail polish and chatted away with everyone working there. I loved how even when they talked to each other (in whatever language - Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese?), Skylar would giggle like she understood exactly what they were saying. They were all so nice though because at one point Skylar told me she was hungry and they brought her out a piece of their pizza they had just ordered. And when Eva started fussing a bit they sat there and played with her in her car seat. So I think this is my new favorite place. :)

After getting that done, I wanted to attempt going to the mall to find some different shoes because mine are SO tall making me like 6'2"! Buuuuut, I looked at the clock and noticed it was already noon so there was no way because I still had to get dressed, pack the kids overnight bag, feed the baby, and so on. Thankfully I misread the invitation and thought we were supposed to be at rehearsal at 4:00pm and it wasn't until 4:30. So for once, this girl was not only on time but early! Let that be a lesson for anyone inviting us anywhere, tell us it starts 30 minutes earlier then it actually does. ;)

Rehearsal was fun and the bride was glowing. I loved that she wore white! The groom's grandpa was standing with Matthew at one point and saw Tara walk by and asked "is THAT her wedding dress?" He was such a sweet older man and I'm sure was completely surprised to see this gorgeous tall woman walking past in a short white dress. Matthew explained that it was not her wedding dress just her dress for rehearsal. Eva- love did pretty good as well but there were moments that both she and her daddy were giving me looks of "get over here and feed me!" But she hung in there pretty good and everyone loved on her. I made a silly decision in wearing a dress that you absolutely cannot nurse in. I have to literally remove the entire dress just to have access. Our first go round, I decided to feed her in the car and Matthew came with. When I was done feeding her, I rolled out of the backseat of the van, with my dress a mess and hiked up, my belt hanging off the side and bra straps down. At the same time I'm fixing my dress, Matthew decided to stuff his shirt in his pants a little more and oh my...the looks we got as people made there way through the parking lot. We both looked at them, then each other and laughed because it certainly did look a little fishy.

We had a wonderful dinner and I got to visit with old friends. They showed a video of Tara and Karl from the old days which made me tear up a bit. It wasn't until her dad gave a speech that then the waterworks came. It's such an emotional moment to watch a father give up his daughter because that is what he's doing. He is stepping aside and handing off the responsibility of her care to another man and I can't even begin to imagine the emotion involved in that. I know Matthew is going to be a mess. So tomorrow is the big day and my friend of 17 years will finally become a "Mrs." Stay tuned for stories and pics...

Day 81: Part II

So I picked up my dress and I'm happy to report that it fits! It's pretty snug though so I'll have to go through most of the night standing with only minimal snacking. :) Skylar things I look like a beautiful princess so I'll remind myself of that if I feel frumpy. I'm also not nearly as orange as before and thankfully the areas that are hide beneath my dress.

Today was a challenging day. Bryce and Eva were both so fussy and because I'm behind on laundry (again), I was stuck home for most of the day trying to get caught up. I managed to finally get them out for a quick trip to get my dress and that seemed to lift their moods a bit but I was definitely counting down the minutes until daddy would be home.

When daddy did finally get home, we had to quickly get everyone dressed to head to ORCA's showcase at The Woodlands United Methodist Church. We were told to be there at 5:45pm and didn't leave our house until 5:30 so as you can imagine, it was pretty stressful but it all worked out. Skylars booth was so cute and themed "past, present, and future." It made me cry. Brycen's MDO booth had their hand prints and also clay paper weights in the shape of fruit that each of them painted. Brycen's was a pear and daddy has now confiscated it to take to his office. Proud daddy. Highlight was seeing our baby girl dance her heart out on stage without any fear. She's so full of life. I adore her. After she was done, daddy took us all out to TCBY for a sweet treat. That was chaos but still fun. Bryce made a mess as usual and Skylar was busy eating off everyone's bowl but her own and saying off the wall stuff like "mama, why did you steal me from my other mama?" And Eva was busy snacking while also trying to show off mama's boobs. It was entertaining to say the least.

I'm pretty worn out from this long day and heading off to bed. Tomorrow starts the busy wedding weekend and I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it all runs smoothly.

Day 81: You shine up like a new penny...

this is what I'm imagining my husband saying when he gets home from work today. Why must everything I do end up ORANGE?! I'm cursed and officially hate that color! So I woke up this morning to find a nice lovely glow and took a really hot shower. It really didn't look bad and I felt good about myself. Let's face it, even if "fair" is in, everyone loves a nice golden tan for the Summer and if I could get that without exposure to UV rays (aka - dark spots and wrinkles), I'm all in. But nope. No such luck. Waaaaaah. Now I can only hope that it fades enough before the wedding so I'm not some orange blob in my friends wedding album. I'd offer up pics but with the combo of greasy hair, no makeup, and an orange spotty mess - I'm saving myself the humiliation.

Heading to go pick up my bridesmaids dress. Please God, let this one thing be right...

Day 80: 4 month Check-up

So our big 4 month old had her check up today and she's doing great. Duh. She weighs 15lbs 11oz (77%) and is 26 1/2" (95%). I was pretty shocked that she was only in the 77th percentile for weight. I mean, look at her. That makes her my smallest baby - still! She was born the smallest and Bryce and Skylar rocked the charts on both height and weight at this age. Not to say that 77th percentile is tiny by any means but you look at her and you just see rolls! Her doctor made an early guess that she'll be built just like me and maybe even a bit taller then me. I'm happy that she'll be tall and lean but hoping she isn't taller then me because it's hard being a tall girl. She's right on track developmentally and doc even said she could start rice cereal if we're ready. We're not. Well, I'm not. The recommendation is between 4-6 months and considering she just turned 4 months, we've got time. What's the rush, right? I also asked the doctor if he would take a look at her ears because for the past two nights she's been waking up. She's teething right now but my speculation was ear infection and I was right. Poor sweetness has her first ear infection. We started her on antibiotics tonight so hopefully we knock the crud out soon. She also had her shots and I cried - again. Hate that! But other then that she did great!

Tonight I also had my very first spray tan and what a mess. First off, it's with a technician so they have a gun spraying an even coat all over you rather then a concentrated mess in a booth. Sounds good, right? Problem is you have to bend over, lift up your butt cheeks, open your legs, etc. Not really a confidence booster 4 months after giving birth. And the greasy, sticky feeling afterwards?! YUCK! I'm also a bit worried because I had to nurse Eva and even though I didn't spray my breasts, she was breathing it in and later I found a brown smudge across her face. Sigh. I really want to take a shower but Matthew is insisting I wait until the scheduled time so I don't undo what I just paid for. So stay tuned for the final review...

Bryce and Skylar helped in taking my mind off of how gross I felt by entertaining us with a "caution party." I think she was trying to say fashion party but maybe mixed in a bit of costume party and we got "caution party." First up was the damsel in distress...kissing the naked dragon?

Bet you don't ever read that in your fairy tell books! They love each other so much! And this had Matthew and I laughing hysterically. Next up was my favorite but definitely not Daddy's. Two lovely princesses on an evening stroll...

He makes a pretty princess, right? Tell me God doesn't know what he's doing when he gives my "gentle-giant" 2 sisters?! Bryce has so much patience and will do just about anything to make Skylar happy! LOVE OUR BABES! Once the "caution-party" was over, it was off to bed for my little dears. Mama too. I'm tuckered out and ready for my pillow! zzzz

Day 79: Wedding Rush

Before I start...a quick update from yesterday's post:

Brycen's hair cut went great. I picked him up from school and went to a little barber shop just up the street from Skylar's school. He walked right in yelled out "hi" and made his way to one of the chairs. The lady just laughed. Because Matthew and I are enjoying his wavy locks, we decided to only take a wee bit and clean up the rest. I'm so proud of my big boy..

Baby sis also did very good (naturally) and we could hear her cooing and playing with her little toy. Bryce would call out "shh shh. it ok baby wee-ba!" I love how protective he is of her and hates hearing her cry. I tried to snap a quick pic of the two of them but Bryce was being such a ham so that's the best we got...

Now, back to today -

So as mentioned before, a good friend of mine is getting married and has asked me to be a bridesmaid. Now the big day is finally here and I'm on a mad rush to get things done. So today we used this time to go to bootcamp and then run some errands. I already dropped my dress off for alterations on Monday to which the little Vietnamese man said "oh, you too small for this dress." Well, thank you! :) I'm a bit worried now though on just how tight he's gonna make this puppy. Bryce did so good at bootcamp and never once got out of the stroller - A MIRACLE. He threw my restore ball around a couple of times but no fussing whatsoever to get out. So despite having a million and one things to do, I took him to the "germ tree" to reward his good behavior and to give little miss a quick snack. He loves playing there and tries to be friends with everybody. Thing about my boy is that big as he may be, he's so tender. Our own gentle-giant. Another little boy who was much younger and much smaller walked up and pushed Bryce and Bryce looked back at me with his bottom lip out. He doesn't understand things like that and even though his daddy would like for him to toughen up, it's one of my favorite things about him. The little boy's dad rushed over and made him apologize which is something you NEVER see. After I wore him out, we got a pretzel and mama started in on the hunt for shoes, and clothes for my crew. It's so hard shopping with kids. So very, very hard. We eventually found a few things that would work but I still need to get back to have my nails painted, eye brows waxed, and spray tanning (dreading). All of this before Saturday with 3 kids. Aye. I succeeded in wearing the boy out though because when I pulled in the garage, I found this...

A busy but good day. :)

Day 78: Spring Break Is OVER!

Hallelujah! Now kids..mama loves you but we're going on almost 2 weeks of being home from illnesses and no school; we all need a break. I woke up early this morning, made the kids breakfast and jetted them to school! I'm sure the teachers wondered what was up when they saw me skipping through the parking lot. No really - even though I'm excited that they are finally back at school, I am also a bit sad. I've walked around my house feeling off or incomplete. The cleaning lady came today so the house is spotless (which it never is) and with the lack of kids screaming or playing, it's just weird! Little miss and I started our day off right with a little morning jog and I'll say this - spring break may be gone but the pollen certainly is NOT. Yuck, yuck, yuck! After getting out of the snow..er, I mean pollen - we headed in for some restore the core. Our instructor is back and clearly on a mission to lose that baby weight because WOW, pretty sure I'll be unable to walk tomorrow. After restore, we came home and had some sweet cuddle time...

She's a lot more active which means a lot more projects left undone. But that's okay. I look at her and then I'll turn and look at Skylar and think, nope - the dishes can definitely wait! It goes so fast. She's now in her swing (her favorite place) and I'm heading in to make some lunch and wash this stink off before the mister gets home. Also on the schedule for today is to pick up the kids and go get Brycen's hair cut so stay tuned...

Day 77: Our little buddy!

Since the time Brycen was really small (somewhere around 6 months), Matthew started calling him "buddy." Bryce has a lot of nicknames. His name is Brycen but we call him Bryce, bubba, buddy, bud, squish, son, and on occasion - turd! The "buddy" thing is really more from daddy and the other day he completely surprised us when he walked out and said "buddy? buuuudddy? Is dis yo copy (coffee)?" Matthew and I both looked at each other and then laughed. My boys. They are definitely buddy's. And just like daddy, Bryce likes his morning "copy" to get his day started. :)

Day 76: But what about bubba?

This was the question I got after showing Skylar her new room that she'll be sharing with her sister. Funny how they can fight and be at each others throats all day but in one small moment, they'll feel like they can't be separated from one another. It's very cute. So today was a very busy and productive day. We started out by making a long overdue trip to the grocery store to stock up our naked fridge. It really was completely bare since I went on a cleaning spree, throwing everything away. It was so nice having daddy there to help and since Skylar was still at her Nana and Papa's house, we just had the two kiddos. Daddy and Eva strolled around the store in their own cart, grabbing a couple of things off the list then returning to me. Bryce and I made our way aisle by aisle with him waving and yelling out "hi" to each person that passed us. We were in and out of there in an hour!! After getting home and unloading all of the groceries, my mom came over with Skylar and I put her to work while daddy and the kids watched a movie.

Thank God for her because if it were only me putting this puppy up it would be all kinds of crooked. It took us a bit longer then expected because there were so many parts and components but I must say, I am in looooove with the finished product:

Skylar really seemed to like it and was understanding once we explained why Bryce didn't have an owl in there too. I think she's pretty excited about her baby sis finally spending the night! That's the plan for tonight at least so we'll see how it goes.

Earlier this evening, we finally got the kids back on their normal schedules and had baths and dinner done at 6:00pm. With Daylight Savings their new bedtime is 7:30pm so we had some time (and energy) to burn. It worked out great because Skylar had a project that I kept putting on the back burner all week so now that we had the time....tada...

Daddy is the artist in the family. I loved watching them do this together and I know she enjoyed it as well. She is such a stubborn little thing though and would often times grab the paint brush from him and say "DADDY! I can DO it MYSELF!" I would watch him take several deep breaths to calm his nerves..it was cute and they did such a good job. The project was to pick which of God's many creations was your favorite. We may have collectively decided as a group that her favorite was a rainbow. She didn't put up much of a fight because she realized it meant getting to paint!

Pretty, right? Can you tell how proud she is?!

After cleaning up the paint from their little project and the markers from Brycen's, it was time for bed. We brushed teeth, read books, and off they went. I brought sweet Eva in our room to feed her and put her pj's on. After cuddling with her a bit, I very carefully placed her in her new bed and walked away, tears and all. Daddy is enjoying making fun of me but this is tough. It's taking everything inside of me not to go in and grab her...here's to a restful night for all of us (hopefully).

Day 75: Ode to Bruce

I figured it was high time I mention the other "family" member in our household since I know I've mentioned Roxy on a few occasions now. Well, we also have a beta fish named Bruce. He is such a pretty fish (as are all betas) but unfortunately he gets overlooked a lot of the time. I tell you this much, he is a resilient little fish though considering he's gone without food, occupied a pretty dirty home, and fell down the sink (that was a scary moment)! Buuuut Skylar loves him. She'll ask to feed him or to help clean his tank and most days we are so busy that I'll tell her we'll do it later. We never do. A couple of days ago both kids helped me in cleaning out his tank and putting in his new "tree" and then finally feeding the poor fellow. While I was cleaning out the tank, Bruce hung out in a little coffee mug and Skylar kept saying over and over "I love you, Bruce. You're my sweet fishy-boy. Eat your food, k?" I told Matthew that the day Bruce goes to visit the sewer god is the day he'll be going to Petsmart. We laughed at the idea that she'll be 18 years old and still telling her friends...I've had Bruce since I was a baby. If only it were that simple...

So, here he is...our little fishy-boy Bruce:

Day 73 & 74: Is Spring Break over yet?!

...because I am falling behind in every area of my daily life. Outside of forgetting to update the blog daily, I'm also behind on laundry, grocery shopping, bills, and Skylar's homework. Sigh. I'm so ready for Spring Break to be over. Don't get me wrong. I love spending time with my babies but being stuck inside with them is pretty insane. I'm pretty much insane. We did manage to slip out for a bit both yesterday and today but not for long. I miss bootcamp. They miss school. We are all ready to have a normal schedule back again.

Thursday we spent most of the day at home so I could try and get caught up on a few things around the house and to also keep Eva out of the nasty pollen. And it really is nasty. Everything has a yucky yellowish-hue and it's murder on all of us. But since I had no way of predicting that Eva would be sick OR that the pollen would be so bad, I booked a session weeks ago for them to have some Easter pics done. Matthew tried very hard to convince me to cancel but I'm so glad I didn't because they truly looked amazing. And I know that in 20 years I'll look at these pics with him and say "remember when." This was also by far the easiest photo session I've ever done and we were in and out of there in a jiffy. Matthew came along just in case it was mayhem which it usually is and even he commented on how easy it all seemed but then finished up with "well, before we get too excited let's wait and see the finished product." And I'm happy to report that the sneak we got today is purrrrrrfect!

They're pretty darn cute, right?! I can't keep staring at this pic and being just completely amazed that these are MY babies!! God has blessed me! The photographer was absolutely in love with Bryce (can you blame her) and just kept commenting on how cute he is and how well behaved he is. Today was a good day and each of my babies cooperated - SUCCESS!

We also celebrated our sweet Eva-girls 4 month birthday. Time flies. I don't have any of her stats yet since her appointment isn't until next week but I'm fairly certain she's going to be at the top of the chart. She's our chubba and we love all of her little rolls! She's "talking" a lot more and also started giggling. She rolls around just about everywhere these days. If I put her on her tummy mat and walk away by the time I come back she's 6 feet away from it, working herself into a frenzy because she's mad. She still has no interest in her bumbo so we haven't been able to practice sitting other then sitting in our laps. She's definitely teething and trying to bite down on anything so watch out! She loves her bubba and sissy but you can tell she still has a soft spot for Skylar. She's finally become more comfortable allowing other people (such as Nana or Aunt Kelli) to hold her which is such a relief. No luck on the bottles or pacifiers yet which is still prosing a problem since I'm still scheduled to be in a wedding in a couple of weeks. Praying all goes well. Other then that, she's doing great!

Friday was another beautiful pollen-y day but I decided again to head out a bit so the kids would stop torturing each other. Eva has an excersaucer that's been passed down from her siblings but we decided (or I decided) to try a jumparoo with her instead. So Aunt Kelli came over with the girls and we headed out. Praise God for Aunt Kelli because most of my shopping trips are spent separating fights, chasing kids down the aisle, putting back all miscellaneous items that have somehow ended up in our cart, and then finally making it to the register - 3 hours later with a roll of toilet paper. But today was a real treat. Today Aunt Kelli took the kids to the little cafe area inside of Target and bought them all lunch and I got to shop kid-free. Well, almost. Eva was with me but she was snooze-cruised so it was basically kid-free and it was HEAVEN. I stocked up on Easter stuff (why is it in March this year?!!) and also bought our sweet girl her new jumparoo. Aunt Kelli and Bree-Bree put it together and she really seems to love it. Especially the little sun that sits there, smiling at her. Our kiddos had another fun day playing outside and now this mama is beat. Thankfully Skylar gets to spend the night with Nana and we can have a little break. Great weekend ahead!

Day 72: Easter Bunny time!

Despite little miss still feeling puny, we decided to go pay a visit to the Easter Bunny since they're out on Spring Break. I know myself all too well that if I wait until next week when they go back to school, we'd never make it. Again I say - Daylight Savings stinks! It's still keeping us off schedule. Anywho - I made the decision to go and started trying to get everyone dressed. I hate last minute planning because it's always so stressful. At one point Skylar had asked if she could have more "mucky charms" and I told her to give me a minute. She said - I can do it mama. So I told her to be careful and that she could. After getting everyone dressed and put together, I come out to the living room to see Lucky Charms poured everywhere but mainly mounded up in this big bowl. You'd think Bryce right? Wrong! So I ask - Skylar?! Did you make this mess?? To which she says "yes, mama. You said I could have more." "I didn't tell you to pour out the entire box!" "But then HOW am I 'pose to get all the marshmallows?!!" And sure enough this huge mound of cereal had been picked clean of any marshmallows. What a turkey! To avoid adding any further stress or tearing up my 4 year olds bottom I took a long sigh and said "just get in the car. I'll take care of it later." And off we went.

I was so relieved to find that there was absolutely NO line to see Mr E Bunny because with the way my morning was going, I was just certain it would be a looooong wait. Both Skylar and Bryce walked right up and said hello. Skylar jumped on his lap while Bryce decided to just sit next to the bunny and even when Mr Bunny went to pat his head, Bryce gave him a look that said you better not do that again. And taaadaaaa...pics done.

Next stop, Stride Right. Aye - that store. I wouldn't shop there if it weren't for the fact that my kids HAVE to go there. Skylar has long skinny feet so she needs shoes that come in narrow and Bryce has...ahem...wide feet. Okay - the kid has FAT feet! Matthew said it looks like he's baking bread in his shoes the way the pudge will squeeze out at times. So, expensive as they are - Stride Right is the only store that can accommodate my kids feet. Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long and the girl could tell I had my hands full so she had us out of there in a jiffy. We came home, had lunch, played with Bree and Aidree who met us here after the mall trip, and then it's off to bed for my little dears. Tomorrow they have pics scheduled so I'm hoping Eva-cakes starts feeling better stat.

Day 70 & 71

ugh! Behind again! I will stay focused and finish this blog challenge. I will stay focused and finish this blog challenge. It IS a challenge though! Especially now that it's Spring Break and Daylight Savings still has us walking around like zombies. I've never had this problem with it before but am so thankful that it happened when they are out of school because we'd never make it. So Monday, everyone seemed to be doing better on the allergies/colds/ear infection end, so I decided to take them to bootcamp to burn off energy for them and calories for me. :) Eva had a bit of a runny nose but again, who didn't with all of the pollen in the air. I kept her all covered up in her little "cave" and didn't bring her out once. And I only let the kids play for just a bit before returning to the car to feed her so she wouldn't really be exposed to the outside elements. Can you hear the guilt behind my message?! Sigh. She took a turn for the worse by mid-afternoon. Coughing, sneezing, severe congestion - the works. It's hard not to blame myself as a mama even though I know there's nothing I could've done to prevent it. The fact that her brother and sister have had ongoing colds for months and she's only been a tad sick, is pretty amazing. But she just couldn't fight off this one. Nope. It got her good. I put in call to her doctor who advised to continue using saline drops and a humidifier and to keep a close eye on her. HATE seeing her sick! Hate, hate, HATE IT! Buuuuut, despite this sad news we had some good news too. Aunt Kelli stopped by for a visit and Skylar finally got to see Bree and Aidree. She hasn't seem them in FOREVER but yet every time we went anywhere, even the grocery store, it was always "are Bree and Aidree gonna be there?" So when I told her they were coming over for a visit she was just beside herself. I asked her to go straighten her playroom and her response "yes ma'am mama." Whaaaaaat?! And then when I went in there to help her she grabbed the toy I was getting ready to pick up and said "mama! I GOT this. YOU go do the dishes." She's her fathers-daughter. Bryce only slept for about 15 minutes so he too was excited to see Bree and Aidree over and man, they all played hard! Bree had more fun playing babysitter to our sweet Eva...

Aren't they cute. The oldest and the youngest. After a long, hard day of playing it was finally time for baths for our dirty crew and we were able to convince Aunt Kelli to let them spend the night. Best part was Aidree trying to explain to her mama that all 3 girls could fit into Skylar's bed. "Mama! Skylar's skinny. Bree's skinny and I'm part skinny so we can fit!" Part-skinny. I died. And they did...they all fit fine and slept beautifully once the giggles and singing finally commenced. Wish I would've snapped a pic of our sleeping beauties.

Tuesday -
THIS was a tough morning. Kelli and I stayed up till 1am chatting and little Eva didn't sleep at all because of her terrible congestion so I was dragging. Thankfully the kids had their cousins to keep them entertained while I tried to pull it together. First stop - coffee, second donuts. We finished off our coffee, loaded the kids up and headed to Shipley's. We probably should've just drove around a bit because once the sugar high was over, my kids were a mess! A whiny, cranky mess. Aunt Kelli and the girls were heading to the Rodeo and as much as I wanted to go, Eva was not making any improvements so cue total meltdown from Skylar when it was time to go. In fact, everyone was crying and I thought I was literally being filmed. There's no way this could be happening. Skylar was crying because she wanted to go. Bree was crying because she wanted Skylar to go. Bryce was crying because he thought Skylar was going. Eva was crying because she's sick and wanting to be held constantly. And then Aidree started crying...but I'm not really sure why. lol. They drove off and Skylar literally threw herself on the ground as if her one true love had just left her destitute. Drama. So I gathered them up and sent them straight to bed, kicking and screaming. Skylar only lasted about 5 minutes before she was completely out but Bryce put up a better fight. He cried for about 20 and was determined to kick the door down but finally, his body won the fight and he was out too. I scooped up Eva, took her into my room and nursed her to sleep. Only thing was, each time I tried to put her down she'd wake up and cry again. So I took a power nap with her in my arms. She's sick so of course I don't mind spoiling her. Bryce woke up first and was kind of fussy so we made some quick facetime calls to Nana and then to Papa. He loves that. And my parents are soooo cool because they oblige him in making silly faces on the phone. Best grandparents, seriously. After Skylar woke up and I could see that we were beginning to head down a dark road of crankiness, I quickly yelled out "who wants to go on a car ride?" To which both kids screamed MEEEEE! And off we went. You do what ya gotta do. Tonight was our night to try and get back on a schedule so the kids were put to bed by 7:15 and mama is following suit and calling it a night. Goodnight moon....ish. I HATE you Daylight Savings.

Day 68 and Day 69

Noticing a trend here with my posts. I can keep up with my daily posts during the week (somewhat) but the weekend comes and I always fall behind. Aye. How many days left in this year??

Okay so Saturday was a bust. Our babies are still up and down with their colds which means their moods are all over the place. We were scheduled to be at 2 birthday parties which we were not going to be able to swing due to the time and location of parties so we chose to go to cousin CJ's party. Problem was our kids had other plans. They were all sleeping soundly when Matthew and I woke them up to get dressed to go. Big mistake. Soooo...after many shed tears and a few threats of the pop spoon, we were off. We didn't even make it to I-45 before daddy was just about ready to jump out of the car and because I needed gas, he used that opportunity to get out and get some fresh air because our kids were just a nightmare. Even Eva, who is normally so laid back was fussing. After getting gas and heading onto the freeway, we noticed that it was 4:30 and the party started at 3. Time flies when you're having fun, eh? It was then that we decided not to make the additional 30 minute trip, making us 2 hours late for the party, with 3 sick and fussy kids. So we threw in the towel. 100 points kids, 0 for mama and daddy. As we were considering what to grab to eat, we realized that Skylar will have a fit if we don't do something "fun." After all we did wake her up, wrestle her in the car, and promise her a party and cupcakes. Daddy and I began tossing out ideas and he decided on Main Event. We've never been before but we figured we could spend a quick hour, let them get their party fix in, bring them home and back to bed. And for once - things actually went according to plan. The kids had a lot of fun but I think daddy had the most fun of all. He was content pushing Eva-cakes around in her stroller while he drank a double crown and coke. It was one of those days. We played all sorts of games but our favorite was the simulator that moved around like you were on a ride. We had pizza, fries, drinks, won some tickets which got us some bubble gum, and even took time for some quick pics...

Story behind the pics...I had to hold them. Which seemed okay at the time until the thing is counting down from 5 and I'm trying to lift "tugboat" (aka- Brycen) up in my arms. So that's why a few look a little...um...crazy. We got in the car and Skylar said "thank you so much daddy. That was FUN" and it made it all worth it. We feel bad for missing not just one but BOTH birthday parties but sometimes, you just gotta go with the flow and it worked out well.

Sunday was kind of a lazy day. We sprung forward for Daylight Savings (which stinks) and we were all feeling the aftermath. Slept in later. Couldn't get kids to nap. It was a mess. But thankfully it was such a beautiful day that the kids were able to enjoy a lot of time outdoors with daddy while mama tried her best to get things done around the house. I did laundry, finally moved Eva's clothes over to her sisters room, cleaned and organized a couple of closets, etc. I even pulled out the next set of Eva's clothes and was so happy to find that she can fit into her new smocked stuff. Most everything I bought starts at 6 months and my little 4 month old fills it out nicely...

Bonus! She totally looks like me in this pic!! I'm enjoying it now only because I know it won't last before she'll begin looking like daddy. My poor dear is beginning to get sneezy and sniffly as is everyone with the high pollen. Gotta love seasonal allergies. Bleh.