Hey, man, there's a ballerina on your bum!

Two years ago, I saw this scrapbook page on TwoPeas:
I have no idea who to give credit to for this adorable page, but I saved it because I thought it was so hilarious. But it never occurred to me why it was hilarious: because I was destined to do the same thing.

The other day I was feeding Max,

and as I looked at him with his pink bowl and purple spoon, sporting a pink bib with flowers and hearts on it all I could think of was, "Hey, man, there's a ballerina on your bum!"

Yeah, I'm that mom.

Manicure a la Adam

What a great daddy! Need I say more?

Easter

Here are my favorite shots from Easter:

Probably the only year Max will be thrilled with empty eggs from the Easter Bunny.

The Easter Bunny leaves eggs all over the house when he comes.

That sneaky Bunny! He knows our kids are older this year and can handle a little harder hiding spots . . .

Dressed in their Easter best.

Okay, I know Isaiah is blinking, but doesn't he look like he's trying to be suave? (This is probably one of my all-time favorite pictures of Katie. But she is just so dang pretty that there are a lot of them.)

Farm Field Trip

Here are some shots from the traditional kindergarten field trip to the farm--Isaiah's first field trip ever.

I love his face in this, even though it's a terrible shot. I'm not sure if he's reacting to the smell of the cows, but I know I was.

Cute pigs. And Isaiah's holding a girl's hand! Awww . . . (For the record, he doesn't know about the cooties thing. He's my social kid and loves hanging out with anyone, girl or boy.)

You almost can't tell this piglet is squealing his head off in terror. It didn't stop the kids from petting it.


What a cute class! And what a fun field trip!

Wordless Wednesday - Brothers

Adventure

Today I went to the doctor's office, and on the way out I took the elevator (I know, I know, I'm super lazy . . . ). The elevator went down, and then . . . nothing. The doors didn't open, nothing happened. I pushed the button. Still nothing. I pushed all the buttons (except for the alarm, I didn't want to draw attention to myself if it was just me being dumb). Still nothing.

I called Adam on my cell phone, laughing. "Guess where I am?" I said. After a brief conversation (it was just long enough for me to be sure that the elevator really wasn't working), we decided I would call the office I had just left and let them know their elevator was stuck. And to please come get me out of it. The receptionist was so sweet, and promised it would be fine, after all it happened occasionally (what the heck?!), and the fire department was on their way--and did I want to stay on the phone with her while we waited? I laughed and told her no and proceeded to enjoy probably the only 20 minute break I'll be having all week.

I even closed my eyes and rested for a minute . . . well, untill the fireman banged on the door and yelled, "Ma'am, can you hear me? Are you all right? Don't worry, we're going to get you out of there!" I answered back, but apparently no one heard me. A minute later the elevator went down a bit (gently), and the doors whoosed open . . . and there was no one there. The fire department was all upstairs waiting for me to reappear, and forced the doors open only to find me not there. I could hear them hollering, so I opened up the door to the stairs (there was no way I was going back into the elevator!) and they were all pounding down the stairs, "Is she down here? Did anyone hear her?"

I met them, thanking them for their (sort of) prompt service, then excused myself to pick up dinner before we ran off to soccer. And then I returned to my regularly scheduled chaos (as opposed to the unscheduled chaos). But not before I had a good laugh at my adventure!

Veggie Tales

"Broccoli, celery, gotta be, Veggie Tales!" This post actually has nothing to do with the show. I just like this song. And most of the songs on the shows. They're very catchy.


I like vegetables. The rest of the family does not. Enter Max . . . I have a chance to convert someone! So, here goes, the first taste of green beans . . . drumroll, please . . .

*Sigh* Chalk another one up for the other team.

Soccer

This is Isaiah's first soccer game of his first soccer season. Of course, he volunteered to be goalie right off.

Here comes the ball!


There went the ball!

Look at the perfect form of that kick! Do we have a pro soccer player in the making?!

Sarcasm aside, we are so proud of Isaiah as he tackles his first soccer season. He has great sportsmanship and loves playing with his team. His coach is amazing and really encouraging of the kids. And I'm really grateful they don't keep score in his league . . .

Playing Catch-Up

I've been terribly neglectful of my blog over the last little bit. I've been a bit busy with showing the house (buy our house! it's really great!), and getting ready to move into the new one this week. I'll blog about that. Really. If I don't die trying to do everything that needs doing this week. Really.

What I'm getting to is that I'm going to try to play catch up with all the things that have been going on by posting once a day for the next few days something that has happened in the last few weeks. (I'm really not nuts, I know I'm way too busy to post every day this week. I'm setting it ahead to post each day.)

Enjoy!

These are a few of my favorite things (baby edition)

I did this for my favorite things during pregnancy, now it's time to share my favorite baby products that make life easier with a little one.

• I am a swaddling mom; every one of my children was (is) swaddled as a baby, and I believe it's the best way to help infants sleep. My friend, Kelie, gave me Dwell Studio receiving blankets from Target, and I have decided they are the very best swaddling blankets because they are extra large. And they are super cute!


• Some babies take pacifiers, others don't, and some mothers believe in pacifiers while others don't. I'm a believer in pacifiers to help babies soothe to sleep and to temporarily stretch time between feedings (like when a 2.5 hour feeding schedule needs to become a 3 hour feeding schedule as Baby gets older). And I am a believer in the pacifier that soothes when nothing else will; we all know the desperation we feel when nothing else works. Isaiah loved his Nuk, Katie didn't take a pacifier (I tried every one I could find--she was a fussy baby!), and Max will only take a Soothie. I really like Soothie pacifiers. Unfortunately, sometimes a pacifier needs a clip, and Soothies don't have a hole. Never fear, Shelli to the rescue! All you have to do is use a regular hole punch to punch a hole in the little tabby thingy. Works great!


• Speaking of Soothies, I really like Soothie bottles, which my friend, Teresa, introduced me to. I like the nipple on both the binkies and the bottles, it just seems more realistic, if you know what I mean, which is nice for breastfeeding moms like me who only occasionally bottle-feed. But the bottles are also cool because the lids snap onto the bottom of the bottle so you don't lose them!


• And while I'm mentioning breastfeeding, I just have to thank Haley again for my Hooter Hider (yeah, that beautiful one was for me!). Real Hooter Hiders are pricey, so despite how useful and beautiful they are, they're just not practical for normal girls like me. I was lucky to be the recipient of a beautiful handmade one.


• Okay, I don't own this, but if I did I would wear it under my clothes to make quick changes into SuperMom. This slogan is probably my favorite mantra when I get odd looks from people who ask if I'm still breastfeeding. (Okay, no one's said that this baby--yet. But it's only a matter of time!)


• We haven't used Hyland's teething tablets with Max because he hasn't teethed yet, but Hyland's also has colic tablets which we have used when he's had a stomach ache. We love Hyland's!


• I'm a thrifty girl, so I feel like a hypocrite saying how much I love Huggies cucumber and green tea wipes. Normally I use regular old Kirkland wipes, but when there's a coupon at Costco, I will buy the thick, lovely-smelling Huggies wipes. The coordinating baby wash and lotion are some of my favorite things, too. Shhh, don't tell: I use the lotion myself sometimes.


• The most expensive thing I bought this time around, and by far my most researched and loved baby purchase probably ever, was the Graco carseat. Yeah, Graco isn't exactly top-of-the-line, but it had all the features I wanted and was rated one of the top in safety. Plus, it doesn't weigh 20 lbs, which is important for a wussy girl like me. And I love, love, love the Darius pattern. Every time someone compliments it, I feel like I'm glowing because I spent months looking for the perfect carseat, and I got it!

Well, I'm sure to remember more after I post this . . . I've already waited a week from when I started writing it until posting (and I keep coming up with more!), but I'll stop here.

Max - 5 months

5 months

approx. 19.8 lbs

(according to the bathroom scale)

red hair

blue eyes

Loves: drooling, grabbing anything within reach, chewing or sucking on anything grabbed, watching Isaiah and Katie, being tickled, being kissed and giving "kisses"

Hates: sitting in the carseat for too long, being left on the floor with no one to entertain for too long

Milestones: rolling back to front, eating solid foods (baby cereal, squash, sweet potatoes), staying the night away from Mom (with Dad), first time swimming

You are moving more and more, sometimes moving a foot or two away from the position I leave you in, especially now that you can roll from your back to your tummy. Unlike your older siblings at this age, you actually like your tummy, at least for a few minutes at a time. I love to make you laugh, and if I kiss you or tickle you, I can get a chuckle. However, two days after your 5 month birthday, you burst into spontaneous giggles at the sight of your cousin, Kamry, which I haven't seen you do before or since. You love to give "kisses" (which involve you sliming my cheek with your wide open mouth), and love being kissed. Katie is your main entertainment and torment, but Isaiah loves to try to pick you up and play with you as well.

Just after your 5 month birthday, Mom stayed with family at a resort in town, and you got to swim for the first time. You weren't terribly impressed, mostly because it was pretty chilly outside (the pool was warm, but there was wind), but you attempted splashing. That night you went home with Dad and stayed the night without Mom!

eating your first solid food (rice cereal)

swimming for the first time