Ballerina Girl

Ka put Katie's tutu/ballerina outfit on while they were upstairs.  When Katie came downstairs, she was transformed into a ballerina.  We decided to have a dance party.  Katie LOVES music and dancing.  Andy loves to dance as well...usually.  This night it was pretty apparent the difference between a son and a daughter.  We put the music on and Katie started twirling and was somewhat graceful.  Andy. on the other hand, started running in circles and after half of a song, he grabbed the football and played football by himself to the music (and decided to tackle graceful Katie).  Katie usually is quite the tomboy, so it was fun to see her totally in her ballerina element.

 

 

Towel Heads

My mom and I were in the basement while I was feeding Abi.  Kyle has been in charge of putting Andy and Katie down for bed each night (such a great dad!!!!).  My mom and I were watching one of our favorite shows and all of the sudden we heard a loud roar of excitement barreling down the stairs.  Yep, the towel heads made an appearance.  As Andy and Katie were circling around, I had to laugh at their buns.  So different...and we can tell which family each set came from.  I love Katie's "bodankadonk."  (Warning, nakedness ahead)

 

 

Happy Birthday Gamma!

We were lucky to celebrate Gamma's birthday on her actual birthday.  We went to Swanson's and saw the reindeer and camel.  Katie was in a funk...until we got some hot chocolate in her!  Unfortunately it was very wet and very cold...but we still made it and had a good time.  We had dinner at Louie's, which was a treat!  The kids decided to flip flop - Katie was full of spunk at dinner - trying every type of food.  Andy, well, when he walked in, his face turned grey and he told me had to go throw up in the potty.  He didn't, but after 10 minutes of rocking, he feel asleep and hit his forehead on the table.  I've never seen him like that - so he slept next to me for the whole dinner.  After dinner we drove through Gamma's neighborhood and looked at all of the lights.  Highlights were the "candy canies" and Santa in a race car.  Happy Birthday Gamma!

 

 

Spontaneous Fun

Since we've been spending a lot of time at home, we have had a lot of moments where we have had some spontaneous fun. 

1)  Who would've though a huggies box could entertain the kids for hours...first coloring it, then turning it into trains, cars, etc. 

2)  We've had rats...around 8 of them (caught) in our yard.  YUCK.  The kids think it's pretty "fun" but Kyle and I don't agree. 

3)  We've had a lot of cozy time - and finally Andy and Katie like to cuddle together.  Since Abi has been born, we've watched quite a lot of movies and TV.

4)  Sleep and more cuddling with Abi

5)  Popcorn before seeing Caspar Babypants at Teatro Zinzanni with the Johnsons

6)  And being a chopper dude in jammies

 

 



Andy's Singalong

Andy had his preschool Singalong last week.  He was so excited about it as he had been practicing his Christmas songs at home.  He did a great job and was very animated.  Mostly, he was excited to see our faces in the audience : )  Such a difference from last year when he just stared at the floor! It is pretty cool to see him shine as the oldest in the class versus the youngest.  Although, looking at the line-up of his class - he still is one of the shortest.  The joys of being in the 5th percentile!

 

 

Great Grandmas

Last week we introduced Abi to her great-grandmothers: Mum (Campbell) and Grandma Jane (Kettering).  Abigail is great-grandchild #13 for Mum and great-grandchild #16 for Grandma Jane.  We are so fortunate to have these wonderful women in our lives!



Party Dress

Katie has a sweet blue dress that she received for the holidays.  Since we are not doing a lot of holiday celebrating this Christmas and cozying in at home, she won't have many chances to wear it.  The other day, she wanted to wear it around the house and felt SO special, so I had to take a picture.  She also was able to go watch Gamma play at a Christmas bell concert and wore it there too.  I love her expressions.

 

 

Santa Train

Ka and Bapa took "the boys" - Robbie, Nick, Andy, and Miller, on the Santa train this year.  What 3 - 6 year old boy wouldn't like riding a real train to see Santa and get hot chocolate?  While they were on their adventure, we received these pictures from Bapa.  Thanks for a fun adventure for the boys.  Andy had a blast!

 

 

One of my favorite nights of the year...

For the past few years, my mom has treated Mol, Bets, and me to a dinner with "just the girls."  It started as a celebration for Mollie's birthday, and turned into a holiday gift to us all.  I am so fortunate to have these three women in my life.  Even though we spend a lot of time together, it's mostly with our kids running circles around us, so it is a real treat to have an evening of time together.  We headed to Umi in Belltown and enjoyed a great night out. Cheers and Thank You!

 

 

Coop

I haven't been in class with Katie much this past month.  My first day back was chaotic and fun.  I had Abi attached to me and Katie and our buddy Sylvie were busy bees.  At 2 1/2 they finally are wanting to play together sometimes instead of each being into their own activity.  I was able to quickly capture they at one of these "together" moments.

 

 

The next week of Coop, I dropped Katie off.  On my way home, I heard the news of the mass shooting in Newton.  I almost threw up.  My instinct was to turn the car around and scoop Katie up and then go get Andy from his preschool.  But I didn't.  I didn't want to let the terror and tragedy define me in that moment because in a way I feel like it's allowing the shooter to win - his actions impact my decisions.  So against my instinct, I drove home in tears and tried to process what really had happened.  My heart aches and my prayers are lifted for those families and the losses and pain they will be experiencing for the rest of their lives.  

 

I was so happy to pick the kids up.  I drove up and Katie had a HUGE smile on her face.  Sylvie's mom said they had a great morning full of joy.  I just stood there thankful and gave Katie a humongous hug.  And when Katie didn't want to get into the car because she wanted to play hide and seek...I took the time and just played, delighted in her laughter.

 

Such a great hiding space under the sign - huh?

 

Meals

Kyle and I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends, neighbors, and school friends.  We have received so many yummy meals to help us through baby boot camp.  Making dinner is the last think on our minds and if we hadn't received meals, we all would have had a lot more "breakfast for dinner," chicken nuggies, and mac n cheese than we have.  THANK YOU!!!

One of our preschool friends brought over some art projects for the kids.  They were a hit and kept them occupied for at least an hour...on more than one occasion.  You never know what is going to keep these two busy, so it was the best gift!

 

Katie didn't quite get the painting, but it sure kept her busy.  She was very proud of her "projects" so she displayed them in the window.

Oh Andy...

While Bapa was at our house he received an e-mail showing some Orca whales off the coast of Bainbridge Island.  Knowing that Andy would appreciate the video, he showed it to Andy.  While the whales were in the air, Bapa said, "look at them breach."  Andy turned to Bapa nonchalantly and said, "oh yeah, they're copinating," like it was no big deal.  Although we are not sure what word Andy was trying to use (we don't think he's been taught copulating), the way it rolled off his tongue was hilarious.

 

 

 

 

Big sister Katie

I have found that in order to capture the little things that the kids do around the house, the only way I can be fast enough is with my phone.  Katie loves to pick up books and pretend to read. I caught her holding up this (Halloween?!?) book to Abi and pretending to read to her.  I love these little moments.

Abi Update

Today Abi is 6 weeks old.  I definitely have been in a fog (and still am!) over these past weeks as I cannot separate one day from another over Abi's lifetime.  She overall is a really good baby.  At this point, her days (and my days) are filled with eating, sleeping, pooping, and grunting. 

 

Just last week (11/12) I caught her first smile while she was looking right in my eyes.  It was a big day as a mom.  The day you feel some sort of feedback after weeks of baby bootcamp.  Since then, she has given us a few more smiles, but only when she's in a really awake state. 

 

With #3 the biggest difference I have noticed is not being able to snuggle, examine every little feature, and sing to Abi.  It's all business.  The moment she's done eating, I'm done changing a diaper, or she's content in a bouncy seat, swing, or someone else's arms, I'm off caring for another child...or trying to fit in going to the bathroom or changing my stinky spit-up clothes.  I hope to be able to have some quality time with Abi at some point...I definitely have quantity time with her, but it's mostly while she's attached to my boob.

 

Overall, the feeling I have right now is gratitude.  I am grateful that she's here and healthy.  I'm grateful for the spunk, energy and happiness that Katie and Andy have these days.  And...I'm tired : )

 

The only health concern/watch we have right now is getting Abi to gain weight.  We've had to get her weighed quite frequently.  Getting to the doctor without the other two kids is more of a challenge than I thought, but thank goodness for preschool and my mom to take over!

 

Her weight progression: 

Birth:  5 lbs, 11 oz

1 week old:  5 lbs, 9 oz

2 weeks old, 6 lbs

3 weeks old: 6 lbs, 4 oz

5 weeks old:  7 lbs

 

Our goal is to be at 9 lbs by her 2 month check up.  I didn't have to watch either Andy's or Katie's weight at all, so this process is all new to me.  Luckily, Abi is a great little eater and we have lots of milk - so it's just a lot of time spent feeding.

 

Abi at 3 weeks:

Abi at 4 weeks:

Abi at 5 weeks (first little smile):

Abi at 6 weeks: