I will not freak out...

So we're heading up to Elizabeth's ballet class.  The walk from the parking lot takes a few minutes so we make quite the entry.  The four year old dying to get in and see her friends.  The two year old who had to be awaken from her nap.  The baby who just is over her carseat, period. By the time we get to the front door, there is no one in the zip code that is unaware that we have arrived.

This week as we walked up, I was wrapping up a phone call with a good friend who I simply haven't talked to enough lately.  As we approached the front door, I notice that E is talking in a very animated manner but to no one in particular.  I stopped to listen and this is what I overheard:

(Confession: I admit that I once made her miss ballet because I remembered the time wrong and so I got the all tutued up only to realize that we had arrived an hour late...right as all her friends walked out).

So she has her hands gesturing all out in front if her, so emphatically.

"I will not freak out.  I am not going to panic.  This is not something I need to cry about.  This will be fine.  Even if we are late, even if we missed my class.  It's just not that big of a deal.  I am totally ok. This is fine,  this is just completely fine.  I WILL NOT CRY."

Is that so adorable? She had no idea I was listening,  this was entirely her self pep talk.  What? Don't lie.  You give yourselves pep talks too!

S has learned to talk. Ok not really but she says uh oh and she copies the girls when they say it.  It's so much fun for me when they find they can use their voices to make actual intelligible sounds.  It's my very first glimpse into what they are thinking in their busy young minds.  It all goes so fast,  I'm shocked with each baby how quickly we get to the point that it seems to be going dizzyingly fast.

Slow down, little lady.  Don't be in too big of a hurry to grow up.  We love every minute of your cuteness so just take your time. 

The setting: Mall play place

N comes running around the corner beside this 4' high bear thing she'd repeatedly jumped off off.  (Twice her height!)

"Mom, I'm super!"
"You're super?"
"I'm super n because I'm super!!!" And off she goes to jump off the top again.

The setting: family prayer

N has this new habit (aside from pretending to be a kitty all the time and insisting we call her N kitty) of praying without opening her mouth.  like, you can hear her voice and the inflection in her voicem you just can't make out the words.  its very high pitched and squeaky.  I feel like that is how a dolphin would sound when saying its prayers.  Anyway, N was said her prayers in the non opening her mouth way.

Immediately after N finished, E smirks, looks over at me and says "well I don't speak Orca so I'll take that as amen.". She then proceeds to say her prayers and says "please bless N to stop speaking Orca." Completely matter of factly.

No seriously, where do these kids come up with these things?

N has taken to announcing when S is freaking out.

Super loudly she'll announce in public "Mom, Our baby is having a fit!!!!"

But N can't say her " f " sound.  She replaces it with the "sh" sound.  Can you imagine the looks I get in the grocery store?  I've tried getting her to use another term besides "fit" but she is not interested in that idea.  What do I do with that?

She is trying out all kinds of new phrases.  She always beams when she correctly uses "that's the one"   Or " you got it!"

Today at the zoo, we randomly ran into some girls from our ward who graciously invited us to amble the grounds with them.  I was chatting with one of the girls, just casually making small talk.  My girls were sitting in front of me at one of the zoo exhibits, happily occupied and busily playing together.  My new ward mate asked how long the hubs and I have been married.  I said "About seven years."  E, without even looking up says, " no, mom.  Six years."  My new friend chuckled at E purported knowledge.  I laughed too ...and then I realized she was right.  "Oh yeah" I say. "It has been six years."  E says again without looking up, "it is, Mom. Six years."

Yep. I should be embarrassed that my four year old has a better memory than I.  On the other hand, it is a little gratifying to know for sure that all the brain cells that evacuated my head when I was expecting her  found a good home with her.  Thank the heavens for oldest children.

She's figured me out!

The scene: driving home from church last Sunday (it takes about 20 minutes) E staring out the window and sees a restaurant.

E:  mom, can we try that restaurant?

I look out to see which one she's talking about. Not appetizing. AT ALL.

M: maybe. ( I was trying to sound optimistic about the prospect.)

E: awwwww. Maybe means no.

Yep, sure does! But when did she figure that out?

Poor baby!

Tooth number two just erupted. She is over teething and she only just started...

This just in

S cut her first tooth. Big girl!!!

Paging Natalie.

Natalie has the happiest natural disposition. Ever.  But now she is two.  Where has the unsolicited happiness gone sometimes?

Setting: on the route to pick up e from preschool
Mom: Natalie, are you a happy baby?
Natalie: no, I'm crabby
Mom: why?
N: because I'm frustrated (pronounced shush rated)
M: how come?
N: because I'm mad
M: why?
N: because I'm whining
M: why?
N: because I'm crying (pronounced ca wying)

Um...what?

She's back.

Once upon a time, I called my oldest sister (aka my sanity hotline when I am out of good ideas) to ask her what to do with my oldest. She was acting completely irrational, out of sorts and generally making me crazy. She was 18 months old at the time,  Big sis laughed and said " it's the terrible twos. Hunker down and wait till she turns 4.  That's pretty much all you can do!"

I am here to tell you she was right.  Our first Sunday here in our new pad, E goes to her primary class where they give her a CTR ring.  She practically a floated out of the room after class and showed it to me. The first thing out of her mouth was "mom, Natalie would love one of these. I want to go ask my teachers if they have any extras that I can give to Natalie." 

Earlier this week, we were heading back from my sister's house way later than planned.  i've been sick all week and i was worn out and feeling too blah to make dinner. the hubs wasn't going to be home for dinner so i just drove thru and got some chicken nuggets and fries for the girls,  (don't judge. i was sick!!!) anyway, we got home and i set their dinner out for them.  i was feeding S some delicious strained squash when E looks up and sayd "mom, where are your chicken nuggets? i told her  i didnt get any so she asks me if i got something else for my dinner. i told her that i didnt.  she git this super sad look on her face and said that since i didnt have any dinner, she really wanted to share hers with me.  i told here i wasn't hungry and she was just insistent that i had to eat some of her dinner,.  i tried to reassure her that i did not want any but she kept insisting and insisting and finally tried feeding me french fries and dropping them off in front of my seat t the table,  See? My super sweet thoughtful intuitive girl is 4...and I think she is coming back to me!

Natalie was whining vigorously and forever long about something, who knows what.  I smiled at E and said "what are we going to do with her?" E shrugs and says "just love her, Mom" 

Oh...but in case you think all sass is gone, on the way home from church today she saw a new restaurant sign and asked if we could try it out sometime.  I said maybe,  from the back of the car I hear "maybe means "no" Mom."  What can I say? She is right!

You know who you are...

Actually, now that I think about it, women like you never do know who you are.  It's simply not in your nature. You see me, the mom of a brand new family in your ward, walk in to church just as the opening hymn is starting. You see my three tiny girls in tow. You see me survey the chapel and the overflow only to realize that a missionary has returned home this week and there is no where for me and my girls to sit. You hear me try to hush their discontent at being dragged back to the foyer where I tell them we'll spend the rest of the meeting. With Adam out of town yet again and some rather unenthusiastic little ones, I tell myself it will be better for everyone if we just stay out of the way.

And to my utter shock, you kind sweet soul, you come almost immediately out the same door I only just walked out to tell me you've made some room for my children and I in your row.  In your tight little row, I can see you have rearranged your things, asked your benevolent row mates to scoot over and are standing aside to let my family and I pass.  We sit down and make is through soundly half of the meeting without a meltdown.  And then...you moms of little ones close in age know what comes next.  The little one registers her discontent.  The two year old matches it with her own.  The four year old starts asking questions like "why are they freaking out?"   Meanwhile I am trying to dodge the back arching, head rearing of the baby  and the laying on the floor of the tantering two year old as  I calculate how I will gracefully drag my unwilling toddler, my wailing infant and my confused toddler out of the aisle while hurdling you and hopefully not thwacking you in your beautifully coifed    Head. Naturally, i am secretly chiding myself for not refused your kind invitation to come back into the meeting because i really should have just stayed in the lobby and now look at the mess i have to get out of.  But before I got to a solution, you have artfully swooped up the baby and enlisted your neighbor to hold the toddler. Both have stopped fussing and settled happily in before I knew what was happening. And there they stayed until the meeting ended.  As the meeting ends, you float over and thank me for allowing me the pleasure of holding my children.  And you were so enthusiastic, I actually believe you meant it.  When I told you that my husband was out of town and that I was sure we could be less unruly next Sunday, you simply said that it was great that I had come to church while he was gone but that you hoped that I would still allow you the privilege of holding my girls even when he was in town.

This week, now weeks since that Sunday, I watched you swoop in and soothe another woman's baby. A woman who was also flying solo. I saw the grateful relief on her face when her little one who was  a little unruly was quieted by someone who was thrilled to be holding a baby. I thought it was time I thanked you. For the obvious reasons, of course, but more particularly for being "that woman."   One who, I later learned, remembers very vividly being a mom of small children who occasionally talked a little louder, protested a bit more fervently than may have been called for in sacrament meeting while her hubby was out of pocket and who genuinely misses having the responsibility for soothing those tiny tantrums. Thank you for reminding me how much I'll miss this stage even ten years from now.  Thank you for reminding me that my children and I are not nuisances at church even if we make sacrament meeting a little louder.  Thank for not being that older woman who turned around literally every 30 seconds to scowl at me or my sweet babies because I seriously just about burst in to tears.  I felt so uncomfortable for how upset I was clearly making her.  But I needed that. Because since that day, I have been praying that I will never forget the difference between Miss Scowlyface and my dear super hero pinch hitting supper nanny.  I hope to never forget the kindness of the latter.  She had no idea who I was, that my babies were sick of Daddy being out of town, that I was wishing I had just hidden in the corner.  I hope I will remember that I have a choice in how I react to sitiuations and I hope I can rise above being Scowlyface lady.  Yes, "that woman," I want to be you when I grow up. Thank you, my dear.

Breathtaking, in my unbiased opinion. :)

 Absolutely.

 Beautiful.

Girls.

Thank you Nikki for helping them hold still to capture these perfect, precious moments.  They  grow up all too fast.  How we love our beautiful baby girls.

Ready or not, here we go...

 So, I was switching a load of laundry.  Scarlett was sleeping on her blanket on the floor and the big girls were playing in their room.  I came back to find this.  The girls had each brought out their favorite blanket and covered Scarlett up with them.  Then they created a nest out of pillows from the couch that they built around poor unsuspecting baby Scarlett (who, bless her heart, slept through the entire affair.)  Then, they both brought in their favorite stuffed animals and stacked them next to Scarlett so she could snuggle them while she slept.

 I could not believe how long Natty stayed there.  I thought she'd get bored and go running off to do something (because she has an attention span similar to mine) but she didn't.  She was just so happy snuggle (and/ or unwittingly almost smother) her sister.

 This is how we most often find Natalie.  She is the official paci finder.  She wanders around the house looking for pacis and handing them to whomever is holding Scarlett...and if no one is holding her, Natty takes matters into her own hands.

 But the love doesn't stop there.  The girls can't stop snuggling each other since Scarlett came on the scene.  They are always pretty much sitting on top of one another whenever they are holding still.  It's so funny!

 This is how Daddy spent "paternity leave."  Working all day on his computer while the girls did their best to get his attention and lure him out to play with them.  Even though he had to work every day, it was still nice having him home.  The kids are just different (read: happier, sane, less manic, etc.) when daddy is home.  It's just better when Dad is home.

 Randomly, this is just a pic of Scarlett after her first bath that I just had to post.  Can't you just smell the baby lotion?  I love squishy, clean, brand new babies!

 Adam's friends sent a sweet litte baby gift basket for Scarlett and in it were the two cutest little medals for the bigger girls that said "New Big Sister."  The girls were so excited to put them on and they wore them to church, reportedly for all three hours.  I can't stand how much fun we're having here.  3 girls at a time.  We'll be insane before long, I'm sure, but we'll have a great time doing it.  :)

Much to my dismay, Nana was needed elsewhere so she left on Sunday night.  She was so awesome.  Seriously, I don't know if I would have made it through labor let alone recovery and the week after without my live in nurse/ mama/ other brain/ right hand woman.  I love you mom!  Thanks for helping me pretend like I have it all together.  We miss you already!

Miss Scarlett comes home!

What in the mutation is wrong?  I swear these pics are all oriented correctly in my files but I can not get them to go in the right direction.  Anyway, just tilt your screen so you can see this correctly.  (Perhaps it's the sleep deprivation because I don't recall having this problem anymore...)  ANYWAY, here's Daddy getting ready to debut this new little girl to the world.  Is he a proud Dad or what?

This was just a random pic that Adam took when I was just hanging out with the baby but it so captures my time in the hospital.  I love love love those little hours in the hospital in the middle of the night when it's just me and my new baby and we get to just hang out and get to know one another.  I love how at those times, I don't have to share her or let anybody else hold her and I can just hoard her all to myself.  It never gets old to me how their little faces literally change each day and every morning I get to memorize her face and those perfect little features over and over. 

Here she is, sideways unfortunately, but all dressed up and ready for her debut.  Thanks Kristin for her ensemble, head to toe.  I can not get enough of that fluff.  I LOVE LITTLE GIRLS! :)

And away we go...ready or not Scarlett, here comes the real world!

A brand new Braun!

 What on earth?  I can't get these pics to rotate the right way but anyway...out of respect for tradition, here is Mama right before delivery.  Doesn't 9 months pregnant looks SO GLAM?  Seriously people, let this be a lesson to you next time you see a cute baby and think ...aw, it wasn't SO hideous when I was pregnant. :) 

 Here's our little family of 4 before we became a family of 5!

 And 15 hours after we got the party started, my little beauty made her appearance.  She has got a mind of her own but that shouldn't surprise us.  A beautiful 8 lbs even and 21 inches long.  Do you LOVE those cheeks because WE ADORE THEM!

 Daddy looks great after 15 hours of labor, doesn't he? 

 I was just as giddy as I could possibly be.  I got a brand newgorgeous perfect baby out of the deal.  I couldn't be happier.

 Here's Nana who also weathered labor well.  Check the clock behind her, folks.  It says 1:10...that's a.m.!  Do you look that great at 1 am?  Because I sure don't!

 It was the best when the girls came.  We were so happy to see them in the morning and, despite our nerves, they were in love with the baby from the minute they saw her.  (p.s. daddy did their hair AND dressed them and they don't even look like orphans!)

 We are all vying for title of her biggest fan but Elizabeth is sure making a pretty good push.  She can not get enough of her.  She just stares and sings and smiles and talks.  She tells the baby that she'll be right back any time she has to leave the room.  She tells her where she's going and when she's coming back and gives her at least a dozen kisses.  Too cute!

 Natalie loves to bring her her paci and always drops her stuffed animals into the baby's bassinet when I'm not looking so the baby doesn't feel sad or get lonely. 

 I am so in love with the way they stare at her and are so curious and loving.  It's adorable.  They just took to her she had been in our family since they could remember and it was so sweet!

Oh, and Elizabeth still spends most of her days like this.  Little miss Scarlett is so lucky to have two big sisters that adore her.  And we are about the happiest parents in the world to have 3 beautiful little girls.  What can we say?  Some folks have all the luck!

Ballet Beauties

Look at this face! Can you stand her? I swear I did not pose her. My shy Elizabeth did this all on her own!





Anyway, here she is learning to plie.

And working on balance.


And look at these three little ballet princess cousins all in a row. If there's anything more endearing than your little girl's first ballet class, it's watching her share it with her tiny cousins.

Halloween

Here's a recap of our halloween activities.

First, the Trunk or Treat. Elizabeth was Abby Cadabby (from Sesame Street.)

It was cold that night so Natalie was a flamingo. (And she would NOT let me take a decent picture of her!)


The girls got WAY too much candy.

On Halloween, Elizabeth and I carved her pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and made her first Jack-O-Lantern. She picked the face out all by herself from a bunch of samples on the internet.


We went trick or treating at the outlet mall by our house that afternoon with Elizabeth's 3 quasi brothers. She liked being Abby so much she wanted to do it again.


That day was unseasonably warm so Natalie was Tinkerbell.

And she was still not interested in letting me take a decent picture of her.

Here's Elizabeth and her entourage. Do you love the mario and luigi costumes because I did.

Elizabeth did not want to take her nap on Halloween so I didn't make her...and this is what she looked like on the way home from the outlets. It was only 5:30 pm.

She woke up in time for dinner and decided she wanted to trick or treat at the neighbor's house and like 5 others. It worked out great. That was plenty for Natalie's attention span. Evidently she was over being told what a cute Tinkerbell she was.

Hope yours was great too!

What a lucky summer evening...

So there we were, chillin at the park watching Adam's rec league softball game when cutest ever Nikki Morris turns around with a camera in hand. The next thing I knew I see Elizabeth and Natalie smiling from ear to ear while actually LOOKING AT THE CAMERA! What? Who knew that was actually possible! Anyone who knows me knows that I am INCAPABLE of getting my children to look at the camera which is clear evidence to me that Nikki has some kind of super power. She claims to be a novice, but I think you'll agree with me that these pictures don't look like the work of a rookie.








The softball games are such fun. The team is made up of a bunch of guys Adam really likes. And the wives are girls I just love to be around so it's a good chance for us to visit while we watch Dad show off his mad baseball skillz. Fingers crossed for another season of baseball!

Natalie had been running a pretty high random fever. I was taking her temp and Elizabeth was watching. I was trying to keep her from bugging Natalie or from catching whatever Natalie had.

E:"Mom, what are you doing?"
Mom: "I'm taking Natalie's temperature to see if she's sick."
E:"Mom, is Natalie sick?"
Mom:"She's got a fever. I'm not sure if she's sick though so please don't touch her."

Enter Dad.

E: "Dad, don't touch Natalie. She's got a beaver."

After baths we were putting lotion on Elizabeth. She saw a freckle on her ankle and in a super whiny, I'm just about to cry voice she starts to panic.

E: MOM! I've got an owie!
M: Silly, that's not an owie. It's a freckle. Freckles don't hurt!

In a super happy, perky voice and while pointing at her freckle:

E. MOM! Look at my pickle!

Last night we were reading scriptures and talking about the wicked king Noah. We were talking about how he had all his wicked priests replace all the righteous ones. Elizabeth in her super emphatic way puts both hands out, palms up,and shouts "oh no! That's horbidle" then when Adam was able to hold a straight face, we told her how they were going to kill abinadi. Elizabeth strikes the same pose as before. This time she says "dad, that's diculous!" a la la la!

During prayers this morning, we were helping Elizabeth. I told her to say "help me not to hit." Elizabeth said "help me to spit." ah, what a difference a letter makes. :)

And Natalie got a top tooth today! Who told that squishy little angel she could get bigger?

A day in the life...

The scene:
Elizabeth is in the back yard playing with her little friend Camden. I'm sitting in the frame of the back door watching the kids. Elizabeth runs inside past me and quickly turns around and heads back outside.

E: "Eckoos me, mom. I need to run an errand."
M: "Oh, sorry. Am I in your way? Here, I'll scoot over."
E: "Thanks, Mom. I have to run an errand, ok Mom?"
Pause
E: "OK Mom?"
M: It dawns on me that she's waiting until I say ok. "OK honey. Have a good trip."
E: running toward her little play house. "I'll be right back, Mom."

E opens the door to her play house and shouts "Erin? Erin!"

Oh...THAT kind of errand. (We know an adorable little girl named Erin)

LATER THAT DAY, driving in the car home.

E: MOM! I need a drink!
M: Say "please," honey.
E: (Completely sincerely and in the most earnest tone): Please honey.

Careful what you say. They're listening!