Dance Recital 2009

Avery is such a girly girl and loves to dance. It's so funny to watch the little ones at the recital. Miss Debbie is up on stage with them doing the dance off to the side. The 1st year, Avery looked at her pretty much the whole time to see what she was supposed to be doing. Last year she still looked at her a good bit. But, this year she actually did a bunch of the dance without looking. I was so proud of her. I don't think she has any concept of stage fright!


For ballet, they did a baby doll dance and for tap, they danced to the song Sugar Sugar. It was precious!

I find myself playing a never ending game of catch-up with this blog. I started out updating daily. That moved to a couple of times a week. Not too bad for a mom of 3 kids I don't think. But, seriously, I looked at a friends blog the other day and it said mine was last updated over a month ago. What has happened to me. What has taken up my time so much that I can't even sit down and document our daily life? Then I remembered. Soccer practice, dance classes, homework, soccer games, awards programs, dance recital, 2 weddings (one that included a weekend away in Charleston!), and a garden project that ended up with my husband in the hospital for 3 days. That's what we've been doing and now I need to back up and document it all so that when I look back on this in a few years, I'll remember!

Graysen started soccer in March. I know I've mentioned before that I LOVE Upwards sports and my opinion still stands. It is such a great program for the kids. We started out the season with a bang winning the first game 11-4. Graysen and his buddy were talking big about being the best team and I think an undefeated season was even mentioned. The second game..... reverse those figures and chalk it up to a lesson in humility!

We finished up the season this past Saturday with a win. Soccer is definitely Graysen's sport. We've tried baseball, but it seems we always come back to soccer. I was happy to hear that this church will also be doing a fall season starting in August!

Happy Birthday Morgan!

This time 1 year ago, I was heading to the hospital for a scheduled c-section and anxiously awaiting the arrival of my 3rd baby. I had been on bed rest for a couple of weeks for elevated blood pressure so I was ready to get the show on the road. Graysen and Avery were so excited to finally be meeting their baby sister. At 8:05 am, Morgan Claire was born. She was 8lbs 4oz of sweet baby girl. I can't complain about any of my babies. But, Morgan has by far, been the easiest one. She has slept through the night since she was 5 weeks old. And even before that, she was going 6 hours in between feedings. She rarely cried and was perfectly content sitting back and taking in all the action around our house. But, best of all, she slept in her own bed! Even if I screwed everything else up this time, I was determined that she would not sleep in the bed with me.

This year has flown by. I can't even believe that Morgan is 1 yr old. I have truly soaked in every minute of her 1st year. I have been there for every first and let many a chore go to get in some extra snuggle time with her. She is a bundle of joy with a sweet smile and the biggest blue eyes I've ever seen. She is saying simple words like mama and dada, dooce (juice), sasen (Graysen), nack (snack), piper (diaper), tanks (thanks), and pees (please). Much to my mom's disappointment, she still doesn't say Mimi. She is cruising all over the place on her hands and knees but hasn't quite gotten brave enough to let go to walk. She stands by herself for short periods of time and then plops down on her bottom. Best of all, she falls asleep by herself and sleeps in her own room!

She lives up to her nickname of "Peanut". I've called her that since she was in my belly and I first saw her on that 8 week ultrasound. At 1 year, she weighs 14lb 5 oz and is 27 in tall. Petite may be an understatement! The doctor isn't concerned, just says she's gonna be little. She loves to eat, so that isn't a concern and has met every developmental milestone that she should have met. I think it's funny that she started out as my biggest, yet has turned out to be the littlest.

Sharing some Apple Jacks with Daddy
Notice the big bruise on her forehead. It's hard learning how to stand up with out a few bumps along the way!

We had a fabulous time this weekend celebrating with family and friends. Morgan loved her cake and got some cute clothes and fun toys. Here are some pictures from the party...
Trying to be a lady while eating her cake
Still not so sure she was supposed to have it
Totally going at it with 2 hands
Maybe on a little sugar high about now. I love the look in her eyes!
All laid back smacking on her hands. What you can't see is that she had her foot pulled up into the seat and had been playing with the icing in her toes.




Thanks to everyone who was able to brave the nasty weather on Saturday and help us celebrate!

Long Time Overdue

I have been horrible at updating this blog lately. I've sat down several times to do it, but seems I either have trouble uploading pictures or just a lack of enthusiasm to write anything. I guess I've just been in a blogging funk and let it slip to the back burner.

Life around our house has been at top speed for the past month or so. We always have a lot on our schedule, but seems it's gotten even crazier if that's possible. Spring soccer started last week so that's one more thing added into the mix. As much as I talk about how we're on the go so much, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Being a full time stay at home momma is right up my alley and I thrive off of the chaos that is our everyday life. I'm thankful for the normal things that fill up our schedule. I'm thankful that when my baby girl is up a bazillion times a couple of nights in a row that it's nothing but her being cranky from some 1 yr old shots or that she may possibly, hopefully, but probably not be finally getting a tooth or two. I'm thankful that I'm doing homework and running back and forth to dance and soccer and school. Because there is a momma out there who has been in a hospital for over a week now watching her precious baby boy lay in a bed with a heart rate that is totally out of control. Stellan isn't doing well at all. His family needs our prayers more than ever right now.

Praying for Baby Stellan

Please keep this family in your prayers.

Saw this on another blog and thought it was well worth posting. So true how fast these babies grow up. I'm savoring every moment and soaking in all I can.

Song for a Fifth Child.

by

Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Avery: (just coming downstairs from a good night of sleep in her own bed) "Momma, is Graysen at school today?

Me: yes, he is.

Avery: Oh, who delivered him today?

History Fair Project

They give the premise that these projects are "family" projects. I think it ends up being more of a momma project. Honestly, how is a 7 year old supposed to write a one page book report and do a display board and model all by himself. Graysen did help with the play doh ocean and the collecting of pine tree branches and tumbleweeds. He wrote his captions on the pictures, and he listened as I read him the story of The Lost Colony a couple of times. He now knows that Queen Elizabeth told Sir Walter Raleigh that he could start a colony in the new world and that the colony disappeared only leaving the name of an Indian tribe inscribed on a post. But other than that, the details are all a blur to him . Hopefully, he'll at least remember enough for his presentation to the class.

Picture Overload

I took some pictures of my baby girl yesterday. She's been able to sport some hairbows lately and I thought she looked extra cute in this outfit.

Tooth Fairy Visits Again

I know it's crazy for me to be a nurse and to have such a thing against teeth. I don't like them, can't stand to see them wiggle, and really don't like the squeaky, creaky sound they make when they wiggle.

Graysen lost 2 teeth within 2 days almost 18 months ago. I got lucky with those. The first one fell out in his bed during the night and the other my sweet friend April pulled for him in the parking lot at the water park so that he wouldn't lose it while we were there. I could have never done it myself. So, I've been in the clear for over a year.

No more my friends. He started bragging about a month ago that he had a loose tooth. Not one of them. 4 of them. 4. Ugh.

After a couple of weeks of not being able to bite into anything and more wiggling than I could stand (the kind where the tooth ends up sideways cause it's so loose) one of the teeth came out. Get this....Graysen pulled it himself.

My child who cries anytime there's blood on him pulled his own tooth. What's better than that? He thought it was cool that he pulled his own tooth and plans on pulling the rest of them when they're ready! Looks like I'm off the hook completely. Only problem, he informed me that he thought the tooth fairy might leave him a little extra for pulling it himself.