Sweet Baby Boy

We have sure enjoyed having a little baby with us during the holidays....even if he did teach me this morning that you must be very cautious around little boys when they don't have their diapers on!  Anna found it very humorous.

How do they sleep with their hands

in the air like this?!

"His Story"

Driving in the car the other day we were listening to Christmas music on the radio. The song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" came on and the girls asked me to turn it up. We all sang along and then got to our destination and started shopping.

While walking around the store Kate asked me, "Mom, what's his story?" I couldn't figure out who she was talking about, so I asked her, "Whose story, Kate?" The conversation went back and forth for a little while with both of us becoming frustrated that I couldn't figure out who she was talking about. She kept referring to "his story in the song!"

Finally, it dawned on me that she was talking about the last line in the Rudolph song, "You'll..... go down.....in h-iii-st-ooo-ry!" 

Oh, that story. I'll never hear that song the same again.

Our girlies in their Christmas dresses for church today.

Tic Tac Toe

The other day Barrett was holding Luke and while studying his feet said, "His toes are the size of little tic-tacs." So while checking out at the store the other day I looked up and saw some and decided to do a comparison. Sure enough...they look like little tic-tac-toes!

Five Years and Two Weeks

Our kids are growing up in spite of our protests.

Happy 5th Birthday Anna!

Happy 2-week Birthday Mr. Luke!

Sushi Monsters

Our girls l-o-v-e Japanese food. So for Anna's pre-birthday celebration with Grandma, we went to get some sushi.

It started out as a peaceful night at Ichiban's.

Don't be fooled, that is the face of a sushi monster.

Wonder where she learned her ravenous ways...

From the sushi monster herself!

Lovin' Life with Luke

I don't think this little guy is going to have a hard time getting attention in our house! He is the sweetest little thing ever.

He has Barrett's feet, for sure.

And so far, is very calm and mellow.

I caught a moment with his eyes open.

The spike...it's natural...no hair product needed.

I thought it might feel strange having a boy after two girls, but he's definitely got us all smitten.
I just wish he didn't ever have to grow up. I was thinking of that poem the other day....

"Quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep;
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

...and couldn't help the tears. The swollen feet were worth it. I'd do it a million times over again. And a huge THANK YOU to all of our amazing friends and family. We have felt very loved and taken care of this week. It's been wonderful.

The Lil' Man

Here he is. He was born Monday, November 26th, at 9:15 am. Mother and baby are doing great. Labor and delivery were quick and painless, for the most part. Nicole may have a different story. Everyone is home, so we have a full family again--plus one. Life is good! Here are some pics from the hospital.



Here's his weigh-in. 8 pounds, 9 ounces! The little chunk!!! That's light heavyweight for sure, maybe even cruiserweight. (I know, what father can talk about his son without throwing in some sports analogy. I considered the overused "perfect for a fullback" quip, but went with boxing instead.)


And yes, he does have a name. We decided on Luke. Luke Samuel. Welcome home lil' Luke!!!

Turkey Trot

When Anna first started preschool, we were given the opportunity to sign up to help out with one of the "special" classroom days. I thought it would be really smart to offer to help with a celebration as close to my due date as possible. ;o)

A few years ago our friend Joni brought us these adorable (and tasty!) little turkeys, so another friend and I decided to make them for our kids' preschool classes.

Aren't they cute?

I think Anna enjoyed being the snack helper.

Mmmmm.....good!

And I had to add this.
I started wondering if fall would ever come here.
This is the view out one of our windows....I LOVE it!
It's just sad they have to fall off.

Thankful

My sister sent me an email the other day after a humanitarian trip to the Dominican Republic. She took some beautiful pictures of the kids there, but there was one picture in particular that really stood out to me. Talk about an immediate and overwhelming sense of gratitude. I have much to be thankful for, and certainly could not just limit the list to physical things.

I'm sure because of the pending birth of our little one,

this was particularly poignant.....
a disposable diaper drying on a clothesline.

And I am always impressed that in these settings,
you find so many happy people amidst the lack of "stuff"....
and maybe as a direct result of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(Belated) Halloween Costume Pics

We were supposed to have dual "Mulans" this year for halloween, but in a last minute upheaval, Kate opted to go with the chicken costume instead. The little cheese! So here's Anna in her full geisha glory...and our funky lil' chicken.

Christmas is Coming!

In our house anyway. For us, Christmas starts the day after Halloween. Barrett took some pics while we were putting up the tree.

More "Just Pictures"

I think it's pretty obvious which of my kids LIKES having their picture taken and which one just acts like a goof-ball (see header) I don't think Kate can make a normal face if there is a camera within ten feet of her. And if you ask "can I take your picture?" she'll tell you flat out, "no" and walk away! She still looks cute even if she does have to contort her face.

Just Pictures

Pumpkins Past and Present

Barrett's favorite from two years ago:

My favorite from last year:

And this year's pumpkin:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A Name?

Of course now that the baby is almost here, we are asked all the time what we're going to name him. When I respond "I don't know," I usually get an apology. Something like, "Oh, I'm sorry...you like to keep it a secret." Not at all....we really just have no idea! So sometimes I'll throw one around for a while to see how I like it and my kids usually give me their two cents too.

The other day, I had called maintenance because our alarm system was beeping. The fix-it guy came and fixed the system while we were out and about. He's a great guy...sort of looks like the quintessential maintenance man...very slender, has a mustache, and a nice mullet. He has a very southern way about him...a nice slow drawl and always calls everyone "honey".

Anyway, later that day as I was getting ready to run another errand, I asked the girls to get their shoes on. They went over to the basket by the door to get their shoes and there were coats stacked on top of the basket. So Kate said, "Mom! Why did you put these on the shoes?" It took me a second to figure out how they'd gotten there and then I realized the alarm system thing is in our coat closet, so I told Kate, "Oh, Jimmy must have taken those out when he was here." She sat there for a minute and said, "Jimmy...is that a boy name?" I told her it was indeed. She very seriously said, "We should name our baby brother Jimmy." I just about died laughing. Name Anna after me, Kate after her grandma and name the baby after the maintenance man...very clever Miss Kate. What do you think Joni? You know Jimmy!

So, any suggestions?

"I Don't Know Why You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello!"

That was the song I had in my head this morning when I looked down at my ankles. I say "hi" to them in the morning....and then they're gone by the end of the day. I miss them. My OB asked what it was with women and their love affair with their ankles. I don't know, but I wish they'd stick around more often. 4 1/2 weeks.....

(Sorry, I know feet are icky.)

Family Outing

Early in the week Barrett had a few days off for fall break. He also had a voucher to a golf course not far away and so he took the girls for an outing on Monday...and then again on Tuesday...and then we ALL went out on Wednesday. It was the most spectacular weather and we had a great time bouncing around in the golf cart together. I didn't take any swings with the club, but enjoyed just "hanging out" with the family snapping pictures.

It really is fun to watch Barrett play. He's good, but doesn't like to say as much.

Does this look familiar? I'm remembering big wheels. Hmmm, do they like me? Kate was so sweet. She was genuinely worried and started yelling "watch out mama!" If you look at the picture bigger, you can see the concern in her eyes. Anna seems to be enjoying herself. Typical.

Anna raced us on foot to the green. She looked so cute! I took this shot from a bouncing golf cart while laughing. The little munchkin beat us!

Celebrating her victory at the flag.

Barrett, making faces at the girls.

We rounded a bend and saw this gorgeous scene. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Creepy Jim

Last night I was reading the girls a story, Dr. Seuss's "Hop on Pop". I wasn't paying too much attention to anything, just reading the words, until I got to this page:

And then Anna said "there's creepy Jim," and so I looked more closely:

Seriously, is there a more appropriate word to describe this character?
He's creepy!