Christmas in April

We had a fun and exhausting April at our house.  With two birthdays, Easter and spring fever, it was all we could do to keep the dishes and laundry from overtaking the house as we celebrated and socialized. Here we are below decorating Easter eggs and getting ready to celebrate our first Easter with Violet.

Easter morning dawned early, and it was fun watching Violet try to eat chocolate eggs with wrappers still on them as the older girls ran around the house looking for their Easter baskets.

After church, the girls enjoyed an Easter egg hunt in our backyard.

Over Will's spring break, we went to the new aquarium by our house with Will's family.  The girls had fun seeing all of the fish.

Somehow we found time for lots of crafts too, and the girls continued to perfect their rubber band bracelets, as well as try new forms of bracelet making that included supplies from when I was a kid - beads and string for friendship bracelets.  It was crazy to me to open up craft boxes I hadn't touched in twenty plus years and to even find bracelets that were half finished.  It made me pause and wonder what shift happened in my young life that caused me to move on from bracelet making, even with several still in progress.  I was quite a bracelet maker in my day and the girls were impressed by my skills.  With Violet on the move these days, it is difficult for me to join Lucy and Emma in their crafting, so it has definitely been a change to see them figure things out independently with less participation from me.  I am looking forward to the day when I can sit with them again, instead of stand and offer "drive-by" advice as I chase after Violet.

This month we studied fungi, bacteria and mold for our science unit.  We cultured petri dishes with the stuff found between Emma's toes and we even learned about how yeast plays an integral role in bread making.

The girls have been saving up their money since Christmas for some Lego sets that were out of Will's and my gift giving budget.  They finally had enough money this past month, and were excited to buy the coveted sets.  They spent a lot of time building Legos at the kitchen table, what with Easter gifts, birthday gifts and the sets that they earned for themselves.  This was another instance where I wish I had more free time to sit down and build with them, but Violet kept me active and the girls were able to build their sets mostly on their own.

 It is officially spring here, and so we did the twice yearly clothes swap for the girls.  What a nightmare and a blessing all at the same time.  It always takes so much longer than I plan for, and I definitely need Will here when I do it as Violet pulls out all of the clothes from all of the bins, making sorting impossible.  We are incredibly blessed to have three girls go through the clothes that were generously handed down and gifted to us and I do enjoy seeing the favorites with all of the memories attached to them come out for each subsequent girl.

Life with three girls is definitely busy.  Most days the dishes are stacked higher than the sink, the laundry is on perpetual rinse because I keep forgetting to put it in the dryer and a chicken is loose in the yard while Violet is refusing to let me put her down.  As a former professional organizer, it is hard at times for me to let the details go while I tend to the more pressing needs of my daughters - and chickens.  Yup, I feel like I am treading water wearing yesterdays clothes but Will always reminds me that as long as our girls know that we love them at the end of the day, then we are doing okay.

Sometimes it's nice to have a reminder at the beginning of the day that they are loved too.  Below is a picture of a box of donuts that Will got at 6 a.m. for us one morning before leaving for work.

It is so nice being able to send the girls outside to play now that the weather is finally warming up.  One day I came outside and Lucy and Emma had set out a blanket in the yard and were enjoying a treat from the ice cream truck despite the fact that it was cold enough that Violet's bald head needed a winter hat.

We started our garden and planted lettuce, carrots, beets and onions this past month and watched our perennial plants start to sprout back as well.  We took many walks...

…and even discovered a frog with a slip of paper from a fortune cookie stuck on it's back.  Lucy still loves frogs, so we attended a frog class at a local nature park with friends this past month as well.

The girls attended another nature center event called River of Light with friends as well, as I lay home sick with a sinus infection.  The girls had so much fun making little rafts out of Popsicle sticks to send Dixie cup votive lights down the river.  They also enjoyed a campfire, s'mores, and riding in their friend's minivan complete with a DVD player!  Our ten year old car doesn't have a working CD player, so this was very exciting for Lucy and Emma.

More ice cream truck visits were enjoyed with friends...

 …and birthday parties with fellow April birthday friends were also enjoyed.

 We were so excited to attend a local high school performance of the musical production of Mary Poppins.  It was one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen, and it was a great experience for Lucy and Emma.  The talent at this school was unbelievable and when we met the actors after the show, Lucy and Emma were excited to find out that the boy who played Burt took tap lessons at the same dance studio Lucy and Emma go to!

What a month!  It is like Christmas in April at our house and May is shaping up to be almost as busy.  I am thankful for the moments of quiet and calm in our busy life, and for my three girls who help me remember what is important!

Violet's 1st Birthday

The violets are blooming all over our yard right now, and I love how the timing is the same as our Violet's birthday.  Violet turned one at the beginning of this month, and is a very active little girl.  Here she is below, climbing into things, onto things and stuck in things.

She loves looking out of the windows and playing the piano and doesn't let vertical challenges stop her from pursuing these interests.

Violet also loves things that begin with the letter "B" - balls (bah), babies (bee bee), bath  (bah?), books (buh), blueberries (boo), bird (buh!) and balloons (ba?).

She can walk a couple of steps now before falling down, and even tried walking in the girls dress up high heels the other day.  She has enjoyed her first experiences at playgrounds too this past month, where she had more fun eating wood chips than playing on the structures with me in hot pursuit.

Violet is very loving to her baby dolls, and has shown compassion this past month to her family members when they are sad or hurt.  Mostly this translates to showing concern and love towards Emma, who is sad and hurt quite often.  Violet will go over to Emma and pat her repeatedly while saying "Ma?  Ma?  Ma?" until Emma can't help but smile.  It is amazing to me how much Violet comprehends.  Will reassures me that I felt this way about each of our kids, but it is truly remarkable how if I ask Violet a question she will answer by nodding her head up and down vigorously, or by shaking her hands for "all done" in sign language.  In the top left picture she is indicating that she is all done eating, and in the top right picture she went and got her shoes when I asked her if she wanted to go outside.  In the bottom left hand picture I asked her if she was hungry and she went to her chair at the table and tried to climb up.

Violet also waves bye bye now and I swear sings the Heartbeat Song by Kelly Clarkson and Wiggle Wiggle Hold Still from Yo Gabba Gabba.  As if I wasn't amazed enough by Violet's budding intelligence, the other day one of the wheels fell off of her push toy and she squatted down next to it and tried to put the wheel back on.  It is truly miraculous the changes that take place over the course of one year from newborn infant to a full-fledged toddler.

Will was able to take the day off for Violet's birthday and we decided to celebrate by going to the zoo.  It was Violet's first trip to the zoo...

…her first train ride…

…and her first carousel ride.  I think the carousel was her favorite.

Her favorite presents included her own snack cup filled with Cheerios to match her older sisters snack cups that she is always swiping, and her own water bottle - also to match her sisters that she is always sneaking sips from.  She also loved the little Duplo baby with a stroller and bottle that we got her.  In the top right hand picture she is hugging the little baby.

It has been quite a year with our Violet from her feeding issues, her mouth surgery and recovery, breaking my tailbone when she was six days old and not being able to sit for months, a third kid with acid reflux and of course, her horrific sleep.  I feel like we have been through the ringer and I am both exhausted and resigned.  I know all of these challenges will eventually resolve themselves - some already have.  In the meantime, I have gotten rid of all of my books on sleep.  After three kids - each one progressively worse with sleep - I give up.  I am throwing up the white flag of surrender.  I have no explanation as to why my kids sleep so badly and I can honestly say I have tried EVERYTHING.  At this point I still hold Violet for her naps, and I've decided that after fighting it for three kids, I will just embrace my fate and enjoy it.  It gives me a chance to relax, put my feet up, soak in my baby cuddles and read a good book that has nothing to do with trying to get your baby to sleep.

Violet, you have taught me so many things in this past year, including perseverance and the ability to live life in the moment - without thought to the future or past.  This perhaps is the greatest thing I have learned so far - to live life in the moment without worry or guilt and to really be present.  Because of you Violet, I have found strength I didn't know I had, and a feeling of being so very blessed to watch my beautiful third daughter, my Violet, blossom.  I am still in awe that I have been blessed with a third daughter, and I love how you fit into our lives, your already apparent sense of humor, your love and care for the ones you love, your relentless curiosity and your certainty as to what you like and don't like.  I love you Violet Rose!!!

Lucy's 6th Birthday

We celebrated Lucy's 6th birthday at the end of April.  Lucy had her birthday activities and menu planned out weeks in advance so on the day of her birthday, we definitely had a schedule to follow!

Lucy was excited to open her presents as soon as she came downstairs in the morning, and seemed to be quite pleased with her Friends Lego Hair Salon set, her tadpoles that were to arrive in the mail any day, a dress, a garden stepping stone kit, the book that the Mary Poppins movie was based on, and a dress she had been wanting.

She built the Lego set that day, which kept her happy and out of trouble.

 Another favorite gift she received was a cat stuffed animal from Emma.

These cat stuffed animals have enormous eyes and I can't tell if the kids like them because it provides encouragement for begging, or if the eyes seem nice and familiar to them, since my kids are always looking at us with big, begging eyes.  In the below picture, both Lucy and her stuffed animal are asking for more ice cream without saying a single word.

For breakfast on Lucy's birthday she requested waffles and bacon.  Afterwards, she planned to have free time to play with her new presents, and then we all went to the park for a picnic of our favorite sub shop.  Here are the girls below, enjoying time on the playground after our picnic.

I iced and decorated Lucy's birthday cake while Will took the girls to dance class in the afternoon.  Lucy enjoyed her classmates rendition of Happy Birthday, and when they came home, I had a meal of mac and cheese ready and waiting.  Afterwards, we enjoyed a vanilla and strawberry cake, coupled with a side of vanilla and strawberry trifle as the first attempt at her cake came out of the pan in a multitude of crumbly pieces.  The second attempt I decided not to take any risks, so I baked it in a glass dish worthy of presenting it in.  Future Lucy would like me to add that she ended up throwing up the cake in the middle of the night, so despite my efforts of having a food-dye free cake (Lucy is allergic to petroleum based additives) to avoid any tummy upset on her part later, I neglected to read the ingredients on the whipping cream I used and sure enough, there was an offending additive in it.  Poor girl.  Needless to say, with a double batch of cake and no birthday girl to eat it, the baker ate a lot of cake that week.

 To end the day, we read the Day Lucy was Born book and measured her height on our growth stick.

It was a great day, and amazing to Will and I that our rainbow baby is now six.  Six years ago Lucy brought joy back to Will and I.  Luke promised us that we would have a healthy baby girl named Lucy, and not a day goes by where we are not thankful for her in our lives.  Lucy knows exactly what she wants, and isn't afraid to ask for it.  She refuses to settle for anything less than her dreams and she is extremely conscious of following the rules and making sure her sisters are safe.  She has an amazing eye for design and thrives on arranging spaces and items into the most unique and beautiful combinations.  She is becoming less shy when interacting with adults, and has even told me that I have embarrassed her in social settings (this is more fun that I thought it would be!).  Each of my children have taught me so much, and Lucy is no exception.  She has taught me that respect and understanding will build a relationship so much stronger than control and that each of us arrive on this earth with our own unique personalities, plans, and innate wisdom.  Lucy, we love you ever so much, and are so happy that you chose us to be your parents!

Emma's 4th Birthday

Emma turned four this past month and she is already talking about turning five soon.  She assured me that she would still love snuggling with me when she is five, so not to worry.  Here she is coming down the stairs on her birthday morning.

Will was able to take the morning off from work, so Emma was able to open her presents as soon as she got downstairs.

As a four year old, she can now chew gum like her big sister.  We bought Emma four packs of gum, and they were all gone in two days.  She chain chewed that gum like it was going out of style!

Emma chose a cider mill breakfast for her birthday, and was in luck that they had opened for a special spring pressing.  We brought cooked sausage from home to add protein to the breakfast so that no one experienced crankiness from a drop in blood sugar.  We took a walk after breakfast on the hiking trail by the cider mill.

When we got home, Emma hopped on her new birthday bike called a Ziggle.  You drive it with your hands instead of pedaling with your feet and she LOVES it.

For lunch we had mac and cheese, another Emma pick, and then headed to the girls yoga class while Will headed to work.  For dinner we took a walk to our favorite local sub shop.  It started raining on the  walk but we were prepared with umbrellas.

When we got home, we enjoyed a double chocolate cake after singing Happy Birthday to Emma.

 Emma loved how fancy I decorated her cake.  I got a little carried away with the decorations, but then remembered that with Emma, less is definitely not more - more is more!  It was the perfect cake for Emma.

 Before bed, we read the Day Emma was Born book, and the stories that Emma got for her birthday.

Finally, we measured Emma on the family growth stick.  Amazingly, she is exactly the same height Lucy was on her fourth birthday!

Emma, you are our sweet, sensitive and thoughtful middle daughter.  I love how thoughtful you are, and how you know just what to do to cheer up the ones you love when they are sad.  You always make sure that your mama isn't left behind, and your laugh is contagious.  You are helping me become a more patient person with your consistent ability to lose your socks, shoes, crayons, scissors, jacket, etc. but when I am patient, the sweet "Thank you, mama" as you bat your long dark eyelashes at me are so worth it.  You remind me of a butterfly, as you flit around, never still for very long, and bring such beauty to my life.  Happy birthday sweet Emma, we love you!

March Madness

I don't have as many pictures or stories from this past month as I was pretty much in survival mode with Will working lots of late nights due to his high school's basketball team's amazing accomplishments combined with his regularly scheduled late nights.  I like to say that parenting is ideally set up to be a two person job, but at times I feel like to get ahead it really is more of a three person job, at least with three young kids.  Since it was mostly just me and the kids in March my focus was making sure everyone was fed and rested.  At one point I decided that it wasn't worth the health or money savings to eat home cooked meals with Will gone, and so had an epiphany moment that at least until his schedule cleared up a bit, we would rely on Jimmy John's and other convenience foods.  The reality however, is that it is just as much work to pick up take out or even to call for delivery and wait for the food than to just make it myself for cheaper and healthier.  Someone was always crying regardless, and someone else was always complaining about the menu.  We survived and I'm hoping after making it through this past month that it will only get easier from here.  Basketball season is over, and the first week of April Will has the week off.

We had several big family celebrations this past month.  My newest nephew was baptized…

…and Will's cousin got married.  We had fun at her wedding, especially since our kids were invited.  It added an entirely new dimension to wedding fun, watching the kids get excited about the wedding cupcakes, the food, the family and the dancing.  It was so much fun having a legitimate dance party, after all of our impromptu dance parties at home.  The DJ even played the Katie Perry song I requested as a surprise to the girls.  They sang "Cause baby you're a firework!" at the top of their lungs and we made memories I will not soon forget.

My sister came to town this past month too so we had a meeting of two generations of sisters.  My brother Patrick had a birthday party too, giving the cousins lots of time together.

 We had fun visiting with friends...

 …and the weather finally warmed up enough to play outside and go for walks!

We enjoyed our last story time for Lucy and her friend, as they will be too old for the five and under crowd in another month.  It was kind of emotional for us moms, as it seems like it was just yesterday Lucy was a baby, making her very first friend at her very first story time.  We will be friends for life though and all thanks to our library's story time.

We plugged away at school and I would like to say that our routine is comfortable enough that we can take it on the road and stay fairly efficient even at doctor appointments.

One of the things I love about our homeschooling routine, is that it is very efficient, and leaves plenty of time for creative play.  In the pictures below, Lucy and Emma set up a restaurant, complete with menus, signs and beautiful place settings.  They also crafted matching bracelets for themselves and their dolls.

I was busy crafting this past month as well, trying my hand at various products that utilize the beeswax from my bees.  I tried various lotions, chapstick and even soap.  The soap I was the most hesitant about because of all the dangers I read about using lye.  My cousin and I tackled the project though and made two successful batches of soap.  

It was a long day making soap with four kids and four dogs, but the feelings of satisfaction when we saw the soap make actual, real foam bubbles was amazing.  I traded some soap bars for a jar of pure maple syrup that a friend of mine made from her own backyard, and it was delicious.  It is so exciting to make and enjoy such practical things made by myself or someone I know.

March was mostly work, but we are looking forward to mostly play in April with Easter, and Emma and Lucy's birthdays!