Grandma Nay turns "50"

A certain lovely lady turned the big 5-0 this month. 

We were lucky enough to have my parents join us for Christmas. While she was here we had the simplest little surprise party just the 7 of us. For the past month I had been collecting memories of my mom from friends and family. My Aunt Myrna sent me over 100 images from my mom's past. I took those images and made a beautiful blurb book and printed off all the memories and stuffed them in individual envelopes, everything went into a photo box for my mom to pull out and enjoy whenever she likes.

It was so fun to see pictures of my mom as a child, some she had never seen! Beautiful black and white images, she was one cute little blondie. I loved seeing through the pictures that my Grandma Fenn's house never really changed. I love that Grandma raised her 12 children there and she and Grandpa lived there til they died. 

Doing this project reinforced how very important it is to capture snippets of life, my babies growing up, our home. It was a wonderful gift for my mom to be able to look back at her childhood and relive those memories shared through image and word. A wonderful gift for the most wonderful woman, wife, mother and grandmother. Love you Mom! 

On the list...

I want to blog, I really do. I have so much I want to say, pictures to post and yet my Christmas to-do list is still a titch long and time is running out! With Phil gone all the time, three kids to tend, a house that is never completely clean and a baby that nurses all the live long day (one of my favorite parts of babyhood- I love nursing), my list gets nary a check mark on it. I make a little progress every few days. Which means blogging keeps getting pushed back. And will most likely continue to do so until after the New Year as we will be playing with family since Phil is on Christmas break as of tomorrow, hooray! I will catch up. I will, I will!

Around the House

I mentioned last week that I was being deliberate about documenting the everyday. Since I want to print our blog into a book/family journal I am going to make a weekly post of the images I've captured in addition to what I usually post. So these will be picture heavy because I am enamored with my children, I can't narrow down my images (and in reality this is a small sampling!) and I know years down the road I will want to remember the little things that made up our days.

Our days start with warm milk in sippies, breakfast; usually fruit, oatmeal, cheerios, toast, etc. We are messy oatmeal eaters, rather just messy in general.

PBS kids and footie jammies.

Random toys sometimes make it to the tray, my concession to avoid the screaming tantrum if I take it away during the meal.

Teasing your sister is usually present. 

After breakfast, Max and Kate get cleaned up, dressed and then are free to play while I do the morning dishes and tend to Rhett. This babe is the best; low-key, happy as can be and never complains. 

Burrito baby nap time smiles. He's such a ham.

And completely irresistible.

When Kate is ready for her nap she plops down anywhere with her blankie and thumb.

Max after his nap; sleepy eyes, tousled hair, warm milk, blankie and his bed buddies. 

They play and play and play. I clean, cook, step over toys constantly and pick up after the natives. They usually win as far as toy to clean house ratio goes. 

Max had a rough week. He fell at the library, bruised his eyebrow and side of his nose. And Saturday he got his first black eye when he went head to head with a picnic table at a birthday party. The kid fell like 3 times at the library and 5 times at the party. He goes too fast for his own good and has a scream like a siren. One volume-LOUD. We were those people at the library that day, the ones where everyone sighs in relief when we leave.

Dinner is always followed by a bath. 

Rhett is a tummy time expert. He is so strong, lifting his head high and hangs out for quite some time. The kids love to join him. He always smiles so big when they come and talk to him.

I love that they love him.

Rare snuggles with our daddy who is always studying.

Meeting Santa

Yesterday we met some friends at a little shopping center across from Midwestern. The local businesses were having a holiday open house complete with Santa, hot cocoa, cookies and samples.

Armed with cookies I pushed the double stroller into the State Farm office to meet the big guy. Max and Kate have no idea who Santa Clause is, they could care less really. We'll work on that myth next year. The two sweet lady agents working there oohed and aahed over the kids and told me I have my hands full (I hear that everywhere we go). They helpfully unloaded Max and Kate and set them on Santa's lap. He was very kind and had a lovely real beard and twinkly blue eyes.

You can see the apprehension on Max's face.

Clearly, he is not a fan!

After the requisite shots were taken I saved the boy and since Kate could've cared less we snapped a few of  just her. Santa offered to take Rhett but since I had him strapped in I declined.

It was a cute set-up and very kind of them to host us all. We now have the classic meeting Santa moment documented, screaming child and all. 

Around the House

I followed the kids around one morning, shooting our everyday-ness. Lest you think everything is rainbows and unicorns around here from the previous posts I should have included pictures of tantrums and meltdowns and a grumpy impatient mom when the whining pushes me over the top, because that is also our reality. But for now let's just focus on the positive, I need that. Pictures and commentary...

Gah! Don't you love him? I do! I love his sweet eyes and long lashes that are growing everyday. Poor baby got a goopy, weepy eye Wednesday that sealed itself shut with every sleep, thanks to booger kisses from Kate. It started in the left eye and now has moved to the right. We have eye drops to get his eyes all sparkly again.

Someone is getting rubberband wrists! Yum. We went to the doctor this week for his eye and the boy has gained another 12 ounces. Seriously. Officically 12 pounds 4 ounces. I went on the mini-pill this month and was a wee bit (read: a lot!) worried that my milk supply would be affected even though it is not supposed to change anything. Clearly my milk and Rhett are doing juuuust fine.

Kate loves to sit in baskets, anything cozy and confined really. Shoe boxes, toy totes. Everything gets dumped  out so she and her beloveds can nest. The more the merrier.

Kate now says "I love you". It is the sweetest and I need to capture it on video. She only does it in a whisper-y voice and you need to say it first. Phil discovered it first when he was tucking her in at night. He takes her little face in his hands, brushes her hair back and whispers "I love you" and she says it right back, often putting her hand on his chin as she does it. We both die from the sweetness and have to say it at least five times just to hear it return the sentiment. And because we really do love her at least that much. 

The last three images were all shot in sequence. So many faces and emotions! Love this boy. He is so observant and helpful. He surprises me all the time with what he understands. Examples: I was folding a blanket and he went straight to the correct drawer and opened it for me so I could put it away. He muscled the vacuum that was sitting in the hall into it's proper position in the hall closet and shut the door, clapped his hands and said "good job!".

He throws my discipline right back at me and I regularly see my "mean mom" self through him. When he is doing something wrong and I tell him no, he tells me no right back and claps his hands once. Not in a defiant way but telling me that he already knows it is wrong. (I usually clap my hands once to get their attention and say "no!"). Sigh. It is humbling to be a parent. And I usually need it, thank you Max.

Max has worn the pictured shirt several days in a row. I tried another shirt and he cried and cried until I let him change. I offered other shirts since he had just worn the brown one and nothing would do but this one.

If anything ever happens to their blankies or bears we are toast. Massive meltdowns and hysteria will ensue. I love that they love them.

The past week has been nice and relatively smooth. Phil has returned to school, I have been organized and the house has remained tidy. My meals are planned through the end of the month and that alone smooths the way. I haven't been brave enough to take all three kids on a retail errand(s). Multiple stores mean multiple unloading/loading, not sure it is worth all the hassle. Now I just need to figure out how to carve a good solid hour of "me" time to exercise and get ready all the way each day. So far it has been elusive; when Max and Kate nap Rhett will be awake. I am too tired to get up early and Rhett has claimed the early hours of the morning already. By the end of the night I am wasted and it doesn't get done. It has to happen in the morning or not at all. And not at all is winning. Phooey.

Pockets of Sunshine

To say I adore these images is an understatement. They stir up my heart and every time I look at them I feel a surge of love and contentment. A soft smile warms my face as I relive the moment. I love to study their faces, the raw emotion present, the joy. As this moment was unfolding I am so glad I was there to capture it. That I didn't shoo them away, that they adore their baby. 

Most of all, I am so glad that they are mine.

All four of my babies. This one is getting printed.

I have a good life.