Momedy

I made this for myself…

2012-01-25T21:32:00.001-05:00

Because this morning at about 3:30 am I decided that Pinterest+iPhone+night nursing baby=more sleep deprivation than necessary. (I think the feeding ended at about 3:00 am. )

(And now I’m off to pin it…)

Carry on.

Retrospective Part 2: ‘Twas the Night before Christmas~2011 Edition

2012-01-24T20:38:00.001-05:00

After we did our final stealth 12 Days of Christmas “Drops”, it was time for the festivities.

We started our evening with a gorgeous feast prepared by the men. Our traditional fare of lamb, roasted potatoes, baby peas and greek salad. My friend Carol provided the dessert of pecan pie. It was divine. Just like mom makes. (All that was missing was Mom,Dad, Seth, Thalia, Luke, Christina, Sandra and Samuel!)

Auntie Shona and Gracie set a magical table for us.

Ella joined us at the table and was very pleased with herself. Gracie wore this same little dress for her first Christmas. We call it her “Santa Baby” dress. (Incidentally, Gracie was exceedingly fond of that song when she was about 2.)

After dinner the kids were saying that they didn’t feel as “Christmassy” as usual. Maybe it was the lack of snow but we decided some fun random acts of kindness would fix that. At first we were gung ho to jump on the paying off of layaways wagon, but our local Walmart was already closed so that put the kibosh on that. So we drove to McDonalds and parked strategically so we could zip in front of someone to pay for their order and add a little treat to it. We were hoping to nab a large family and we waited and waited for one but happily all the large families seemed to be safe at home. Finally we chose our victim.When we told the cashier what we were doing she was so excited with us- it made it even more fun. As we zoomed away, the kids said all the right things, Gracie (glowing), “that was fun! I feel so happy”. Gabe (radiant) “Now it really feels like Christmas!” Finny (beaming sheepishly) “I cried!”. It was so fun that we went across town to another McDonalds to do it again. Definitely will become a new tradition. Not just on Christmas either. (The boys passing the time “styling” Gracie’s hair while we waited for our “victim”.)

Then it was time for the Christmas play. The kids’ version while entertaining and creative, was…well….not seasonally appropriate. In that at the end of it, the living room was littered with “dead” bodies. Which does not really say, Feliz Navidad and peace on earth. But they had fun.

When I objected to the notable lack of spirituality in their skit, (the children were most offended), Auntie Shona the Primary President Extraordinaire came to our rescue, and led the children in a stellar performance of the Nativity.

Here are Mary and Joseph on their humble donkey making their way to Bethlehem.

Here is the shepherd, tending his sheep (oh how I laughed)

The angel Gabriel exhorting said shepherd to be not afraid

The babe in a community fair trade manger…

..was delighted with the gift from the shepherd

The 2 wise men bearing their gifts (Benj was the Eddie Murphy of this play, he pretty much played everything).

The bemused babe in her swaddling clothes/toga loved her manger so much that she stayed in it, playing happily with her gold, frankincense, and myrrh while we ate dessert.

After we sang some carols, it was time for the opening of one gift. The kids each got a book they really wanted. Here is Finny clutching his to his bosom.

And then time for Auntie Shona to read “The Night Before Christmas”. This photo makes me laugh. Auntie Shona gave us this book many years ago and it was so good to have her in her rightful place reading it.

Santa and the Reindeer were provided for/bribed…

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Retrospective Series Part 1: Auntie Shona and Uncle Marc come to visit

2012-01-23T20:41:00.001-05:00

On December 22nd Aaron and I left the older 4 kids at home and went to the airport with Ella to fetch Auntie Shona and Uncle Marc. It was so exciting.

We stood at the arrivals gate for what felt like an eternity while everyone but them got off the plane. We were so anxious! When we finally saw them we were ecstatic. My poor sister had not slept in literally about a week. She still looked sickeningly good though.

Ella turned 9 months old that day, what a fun thing it was to finally be able to introduce her to my big sister! We had a giddy drive home…well mostly my sister and I were giddy. Ella was too busy updating her social networking sites and the men were being manly.

Finally we got home (after many anxious phone calls from those keeping the home-fires burning)

I can’t believe I have no photos of this…(genuinely, I’m sure I do, I just can’t find them) but when we got home, the kids had all the lights dimmed, just the Christmas tree sparkling, and as Shona and Marc walked through the door, the boys played, “God rest you merry gentlemen”. (it was so impressive, they had downloaded the sheet music from the internet while we were gone, and practiced it for the first time but you would never guess from their performance) on the cello and the violin, while Gracie and Finny held up a huge handmade welcome sign. It was sooooo cute. WHERE are those pictures? Here’s the aftermath anyway.

Then we all cuddled and did our nightly December traditions. Not before we went out again for some undercover do-gooding and some pancake eating.(The kids were most excited about Uncle Marc assisting them with last few installments of the nightly 12 days of Christmas “drop and run”).

Did you see how stand-offish Shemly was? So weird. (This was her first meeting of Shona and Marc too, I think it is safe to say that they hit it off).

It felt so wonderful to Shona and Marc back for Christmas! I was brimming with happiness. When I woke up the next morning, I turned to Aaron and said, “my joy is full”. I felt like a little kid.

Love this series of photos:

The next morning, we had a visit from lovely “Grandma” and “Grandpa” Moon who brought us lots of delicious Christmas treats. We loved spending time with them! They stayed with Shona and Marc when they went to Australia earlier in the year so it was a joyful reunion all around.

Then the kids and Marc completed the age old tradition of making a gingerbread house together (the first one he made with them was in 2001! Gracie was in utero and Finny and Ella were not even twinkles.)

While Shona and I went shopping ‘til we were dropping. Literally. At midnight we decided to call it a night (mostly because the store was closed and they were rudely expecting us to actually leave) and discovered we (I ) had lost the car keys. In a department store. Every department of which we had thoroughly visited. It was epic. Every exhausted anxious to go home employee was searching with us. Unfortunately we have only one set of keys for the van. And the next day was Christmas Eve, and Saturday which did not bode well for getting a new key from the dealership. Ack. After much fervent prayer and right about the time Aaron showed up to pick us up, my sister was miraculously led to the keys nestled under a cozy pile of PJ’s. Whew. Hooray for prayer.

No photos of that either. What a slacker I am.

Next up. Christmas Chez Sayer! It. Was. Awesome.

Guess who is ….

2012-01-21T14:42:00.001-05:00

That’s right! She’s been out for as long as she was in. So hard to believe! And she’s got personality! I took the above series of pictures on her 9 month birthday in the space of a few seconds. She has such a mobile, interesting little face. She is so fun and interactive and when she sleeps (I took those pictures the same day, ) she still looks as sweet and innocent as she did when she was 9 minutes old..

When Ella was 8 months old…

She modeled her new boots

She experienced her first Thanksgiving (and was outraged at the amount of calories available for consumption)

She hung her first Christmas ornament on her first Christmas tree

She hung out in her Johnny Jumper (literally)

She posed for her first family Christmas card

She partied with her adoring siblings

She continued to work on her puzzle skills and her clapping skills…

She rocked a Santa hat and was the cutest, cutest CUTEST little elf ever

She broke out the “bum scootch” as her primary mode of transportation. Exactly like her brother Finny before her. We are all so pleased. It is by far the cutest, most practical form of baby transportation. Protects the knees, leaves a hand free for holding stuff.

She wrote sweet notes for the Advent calendar.

She posed yet again for a Christmas card

She experienced her first snow fall. And dressed accordingly

She spent a lot of time looking skeptical and bemused

Here with Muss Cindi

and here at her first Messiah Sing-along

She posed for yet another family christmas card picture…(if you did not receive one from us please accept this with our love)

She went for rides on Gabe’s back

And monkeyed around with Gracie (our uber talented friend Rayna made these hats).

She gave lots of kisses

She enjoyed feeding herself puffs but she did not enjoy us feeding her anything.

She got goofy with Gabey

She met Santa Claus! He was charmed. She was not sure.

She got piano lessons from her big brother

And crashed on his shoulder when all the hard work was over

She discovered that she could take off her socks

She loved reading

When Ellabeth was 8 months old she dealt with the paparazzi endlessly

And pondered about how that would probably never end…..le sigh

Alas, Ellabeth teethed a lot when she was eight months old.

It was hard on all of us. We leaned heavily upon the music of Mindy Gledhill to get us through it. In the end it brought us closer together. We still think she is the cutest, most adorable, cleverest and most entertaining little baby girl in the world.

Midwinter’s Night Wonderland…

2012-01-20T19:25:00.001-05:00

My sister Shona and I love creating a sense of occasion. Especially when we can do it together. This year we were thrilled to be able to create a “Winter Wonderland” birthday party for Gracie who will be 10 *gasp* on Sunday. We had so much fun as we roamed pinterest for inspiration, and came up with some brainwaves of our own. Here are some vignettes from the fun (and very very loud) evening we had with her and her cute, screamy friends.

Setting the scene with a wintry tableau on a cake…cotton candy snow-fall, chocolate dipped pearly marshmallow, piles of snowy white donut holes, snowflake sugar cookies, a wintry tree bedecked with gift bags (glittery snow, winter-wonderland bubble bath and silver hersheys kisses-our colour scheme was silver, white and blue) and all manner of pastel coloured sugary goodies. We made tissue paper “snowballs” (what did I do before I knew how to make tissue paper puffs?), cut out dozens of paper snowflakes and strung up multiple strands of white Christmas lights.

Even the weather obliged by snowing just in time for the party!

We used figurines from our Christmas village for the cake…. and a dollar store mirror.

I bet all the moms loved us for the glittery snow that was brought home (sorry!)

The cotton candy was a huge hit

As were the donuts and blue twizzlers

I was very excited to find this cute glittery candle for 50c at the dollar store. Isn’t it perfect?

And then the noisy, noisy fun began.

We had pizza and lots and lots of sugar, we made snow “globes” with glass Christmas balls, we split into teams and had a design competition for the most beautiful snow-princess-toilet-paper couture gown, which of course morphed into an impromptu indoor TP snowstorm, we played the ever popular, ever ear-splittingly loud chocolate game, awesome gifts were opened and admired…

Happy birthdays were sung and candles were lit and blown out..

And then we settled in for a movie. We watched Eight Below to stay with the Frosty Theme. (I would like to say this made things quiet for a while but I would be lying).

Gracie had a wonderful time. She partied like she was nine.

Thank you Dahling and Sparks for all your help! (And sweet Jani for Ella-sitting). I want to throw all my parties with you from now on.

A Fresh New Year

2012-01-19T12:55:00.001-05:00

Hello Luvvies! Happy New Year!

(This is my living room this morning, the décor is left over from Gracie’s “Winter Wonderland party last week, it is so bright and cheery though, that I might leave it up all Winter….)

This is my first post of 2012. The long hiatus was not by design. Alas! Immediately after I posted my last post which was supposed to be the first of a series in a mammoth catch up in preparation for an onslaught of new posts…my computer gave up the ghost.

Thanks to a kind and clever friend (thanks Nick Rodgers!) we have just been reunited, and it feels so good.

So very much to catch up on! Oh so VERY MUCH.

Where were we when last we chatted? Hmmmm….

Sometime about a month ago my sister Shona called one dark and dreary Monday morning to tell us the uber exciting news that she and her husband Marc would be arriving at an airport near us in just 10 days. My sister lives in Australia and I had not seen her in 3 years so this was indeed exciting news. We were all ecstatic. And then, as the major, chocolate covered cherry on top, she announced that they would be taking us all to Disney World. Can you imagine?! It was a dark and dreary Monday morning no more.

The boys had already left for school but this was their reaction to the news when they got home:

Soooo coming up…..ASAP you can look forward to hard-hitting news posts covering: (not necessarily in this order)

The Arrival of Shona and Marc

Ella is Nine Months Old!

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Day!

Kids go on a week long road trip with Shona and Marc! Aaron and I experience having an only child for a while. (Fun for everyone).

New Year at Disney!

More Disney!

Yet more Disney!

Caroline’s Pinterest Worthy 10th Birthday Party!

Fun with Shona and Marc in Ohio!

Isn’t it exciting? Can you ever stand the anticipation? I can’t! I can’t! Stay tuned!

Shona and Marc left yesterday afternoon. It feels empty and sad without them but on a high note I found the Key Lime Pie Shona forgot in the fridge and ate it in my super clean living room while I looked at photos of the last month. Did I mention that my sister doesn’t just take my entire family to Disney for 8 days (and my kids for a fun and educational week-long road trip prior to that, and a fun road trip for several days on the way home). She and her husband also clean, fix, organize, dog walk, baby sit, shop, drive, entertain, take us out for dinner, cook and clean some more. Also they are fun. And they make me laugh. And they love my kids so well which makes my heart so happy. My home has not been so clean since before Ella was born. It’s such a great way to start a New Year. Why did they have to leave? Boo.

How is your 2012 going, darlings? I have missed you!

Guess who is.. 8 months old?

2011-12-28T17:29:00.001-05:00

With Sophie the Giraffe and Ellie the Elephant (who has taken photos with her since she was born).

Actually she is now 9 months old but I am a tad behind….so while my kids are on a road trip with their wonderful Auntie and Uncle, I am going to try catching up a bit. There is soo much to catch up on. Let’s start with a lovely little Ellabeth’s 8th month.

When Ella was 7 months old she… went apple picking

Enjoyed ringing a silver bell for her supper….(but not eating it….just smearing it on the tray)

Helped to carve her first pumpkin, enjoyed riding on mommy’s shoulders..

Went trick or treating as a sunflower

And spent days after playing happily with her haul

Learned to wave. Here she had just finished napping on the shoulder of one of her favourite’s Jani, when she woke up and saw me across a crowded room. It melted my heart. As one might imagine.

Had a formal introduction to Thumper the Bunny

Fell in love with wooden puzzles (in more ways than one)….and clapping

And making “sniffy” face…..and giving mommy awesome foot rubs

and clapping some more..

She had her first nudie photo shoot*scandalous*

Went to her first Christmas tree lighting downtown

And her first caroling horse and carriage ride (during which she clearly did not approve of the raucous choir)

The next day she attended her first holiday parade. Again…impressed…not so much.

But when we got home,this candy cane striped pencil really got her in a festive mood!

When Ellabeth was 7 months old she was quite wonderful.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas..

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And here are a few more of my favourite things.

In honour of her first snow day I dressed Ellabeth in this super, super cute snow(girl?) shirt from our sweet friend Carolyn. Can you see her little toofies? Now that she has 2 on bottom and one on top she likes to grind them. *Shudder* (very unfavourite thing).

Another favourite thing. Big and Little. We finally have some snow but up until now it has been rain, rain and more rain. The other day Finny’s chore was to clean the living room and I loved how he set up the girls’ rain boots. Ella, Gracie and Me. Little, Medium, Big. Love it.

Every night in December we have hot chocolate, I always get a little something extra (as do my thighs). That’s the perk of sleeping with the hot chocolate maker

As we drink hot chocolate we read a Christmas story (I wrap them up and each kid gets a turn to unwrap them. Most of them are from the library but we are trying to buy a new one every year for our own collection. Maybe by the time I have several grandkids I won’t have to go to the library anymore).

We also have a little Christmas themed devotional every night. Scripture, carol,etc. This year I put together the Christ book for our devotionals. I found it on my beloved Pinterest (thanks Peggy for sharing). Some more of my favourite things: cozy evenings watching my kids read to each other, and singing carols together.

Another of my favourite things: is there anything cuter than a baby in a white sleeper? My husband has always been a total sucker for our babies dressed in white sleepers. Some of my favourite mental images are watching him rock our white sleepered babies in the middle of the night(I buy lots of white sleepers ). In South Africa we call sleepers “Babygros”.I think that is a more endearing name for them. Love my babies in their white babygros.

Another of my favourite December traditions. Every night someone pulls a note (and chocolate) from our Advent calendar. Here’s a note to daddy from Gracie:

He does indeed buy mommy flowers. See? He’s my most favourite thing.

Another favourite thing: my sweet puppy. Illegally napping on the couch. I have almost the exact same photo of her a few years ago.

A few of my favourite things on a Friday

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1. Daily showers with my baby. Her happy coo as the warm water hits her chilly little body, the divine smell of her Elizabeth Anne baby shampoo. (Situation! Marmie! We are almost out and can’t find the pink type online! Help?!), the impossible softness of her baby skin, the gratuitous squeezing of her thighs and chubby cheeks (both ends), the way she wraps her little arms tightly around my neck, the way she stares in wonder at the water spray and the drops dancing in the sun from the skylight above the shower. Wrapping her up in a warm fluffy towel after. Buttering her buns and every inch of the rest of her with baby lotion. Fluffing up her crazy hair. Dressing her in soft cute clothes……

2. Speaking of bun butter…I love love love this stuff. I use it on myself and I used it on my baby. It smells like heaven, it feels like heaven. It is non-greasy and wonderful in every way.My sister Thalia gave me some when she visited and I am hooked for life.

3.Having Gabey baby home from camp. The reunion of siblings was the sweetest part. Watch this. It’s awesomely cute. And totally reminds me of this.

Gabe returned from camp today and was demonstrating the camp songs he had learned. This was the first time Ella heard any of them. She was into it. Yes indeedy.

4. Feeling better (I think!Knock wood!) thanks to my friend Kim’s miraculous soup and the help of modern medicine I actually got out of bed today.

5. The anticipation of a date with my husband. And we’re off. Happy Friday darlings!

Welcome December!

2011-12-01T16:21:00.001-05:00

It is December 1st and it is appropriately frosty outside. But! Sunny too! So that bodes well.

I love December with all my heart. It is a magical month and so I am frankly pretty bummed to be sick this week. I had big plans to kick off the month with a big festive bang but I cannot seem to shake the lurgy. No matter, we will still proceed with our millions of traditions, although they will probably go into full swing tomorrow, when Gabey baby returns from a chilly week at camp. I can’t get 100% cozy with things until he is back in the nest. Y’know?

Oh, I can’t wait to get his sweet cheeks in my mitts again! How cute is this boy?! I have missed him so, although I will admit to not shedding tears at his departure as I did with my firstborn. Maybe because he was a year older. Probably though, because I only had to wave goodbye as he got into our car. Aaron did the dropping off since I was sick (sigh). The bus scene probably would have undone me. This time the younger sibling weeping in his wake was sweet Gracie. Sniff.

Aaron stayed home today. He has been sick too, for a while now. But he is one of those annoying folk who have to be haemmorhaging before they call in sick. But today, because I am sick, he relented so that he could take care of me. Sweet, silly man. We took turns napping. I think we are both a bit better for it.

Happy, happy December m’lovelies! Last month was about what I am Grateful for. This month is all about My Favourite Things. Today’s favourite things are:

1. The way Mindy Gledhill music ALWAYS soothes Ella. She will cease crying and sit up and smile instantly upon hearing her dulcet tones. Today she added her most adorable newly acquired clap to her joyful appreciation of Mindy’s new Christmas song.

2. Supremely kind friends who jump at the chance to bring a meal or pick up kids or just generally offer support when we are sick. (Or would if they could).

3.Wendy’s cranberry pecan salad

4. Ella’s chubby legs stuffed into leggings.

5. The UPS truck slowing….and then stopping…outside OUR house

PS: One of my favourite things is giving things away: Congratulations to Mama Rachel who is the lucky winner of our My Baby Clothes giveaway. Thank you for playing!

Epic Thanksgiving Retrospective~ 2011 Edition

2011-11-29T12:53:00.001-05:00

The word for this Thanksgiving Weekend is “full”. As in wonderful. This will be long, but endure to the end because it just gets better and better. TRUST ME.

One of my favourite things about Thanksgiving is cuddling up with my kids to watch the Macy’s Parade. In reality, they cuddle up with me for a few minutes and then lose interest and wander away. And I sit and watch and fantasize about living in New York City. In an apartment overlooking the parade like the poor little rich girl in Miracle on 34th Street.

After that was out of the way, we started off the day in a wholesome way (as opposed to the way we ended the day. Read on..)The boys played football bright and early (Aaron’s ribs are still recovering) , then we all convened for a chilly turkey trot/shuffle in the park.

After these wholesome athletic pursuits, we went home to get beautiful and reconvened for the purpose of gluttony. But! First! More wholesomeness! Singing of Thanksgiving hymns and traditional folk songs much beloved of Richardsons in days of old!

Then! Pondering of blessings! Carol served as mistress of ceremonies this year as we all tried to guess who had written what.

Our greatest blessing since last Thanksgiving.

A couple of my favourite shots of the day. Aren’t these two serenity personified?

I am so thankful for my family and friends. To spend this special day with such wonderful, kind and funny people. I am truly blessed.

I love that my children have people who love them here.

And then! It was time to FEAST. And what a feast it was. I am thankful for gourmet foodie friends.

We thought we would introduce 1/2 Idahoan Ella to mashed potatoes in honour of her first Thanksgiving. They were not a hit with her. That’s my girl.

After the feeding frenzy it was time to burn some more calories in order to make room for pie. Awesome Aaron took the kids to the park for soccer. And the rest of us went for a walk.

Cue Heavenly Choirs……

Michael created a pie piano bar ambience that was a little bit cozy and a little bit chic.

My two bwown boys. Too full and sleepy to smile.

Time for fun and game. As an unprecedented treat even Nathan joined in on Apples to Apples. None of us will ever be the same.

Muss Cindi and our inestimable Hostess with the Mostest. the lovely Amy, show us how to shake our groove thang.

The boyz are in da house.

And now!Time for CONSUMERISM! The annual spreading of the circulars.

Cindi and Ella bond over the deals

Ella cannot contain her joy over the jewelry (she perfected her clapping on Thanksgiving AND she got her first top tooth-so much to be thankful for!)

Nathan cannot believe what he is about to do. Nor can anyone else. Pretty safe to say he will not be repeating that cultural experiment.

Every Thanksgiving we debate back and forth over whether we should partake in the horror story that is Black Friday. Almost every year, Cindi and I do. And it turns out to be fabulous fun. This year was no exception. Except that we were accompanied by husband and some children. A teen and an infant to be exact. Good times. Not always. We scored some great deals and shopped literally until we dropped. From midnight til 6:30am. Seriously, the time flies. Thanks to Amy for allowing our kids to sleep over at her house so that we could accomplish this dubious feat. Not like she hadn’t hosted us and several others for 12 hours prior to this. She’s a saint our Amy. No truly. She is.

So when we got home, I intended to push through the day and have a grand sleep that night. But something made me blow off those plans, and take a short nap. Something called Divine Mercy.

Because….

On Saturday evening we were decorating for Christmas, when at about 8:30pm I got a call that a little Richardson bebe was on his way into the world. And my assistance as Doula was requested. It was my privilege to watch and assist as this sweet couple

Became this happy family

With the addition of this beautiful boy

Mama was a heroine. Papa was a star. Congratulations Joel and McKenzie on your lovely little Axel! You done good.

The little cherub was born at 11:55am which meant I had pulled another all nighter. Two in a row. (During which I did not nurse or pump for 15 hours. Holy-c(OW)!! ) Which also may help to explain why I look like a very scary greenish vampire in this picture. Yikes. (I can’t even blame the lighting because look at the perfect baby.)

Sleep deprivation and chest woes aside, I feel so thankful to have the training and opportunity to do this work. It can be hard but is always very fulfilling.

On Sunday night, we finished packing our Gabey baby for a week long camp (sniff) and completed decorating the Christmas tree.

And then attempted some Christmas card pictures, but alas, ended up with only outtakes

Oh well. Can’t win em all.

And that, Gentle Readers, concludes our Epic Thanksgiving Weekend 2011 retrospective. Thank you for plowing through with me.

It was indeed one to be thankful for.

Ghosts of Thanksgiving’s Past: 2008, 2o10

Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

‘Tis the Eve of the start of my favourite weekend of the year. Oh how I love it.

Today I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for:

Wonderful friends who serve as our extended family when ours is so far away. They have made this my favourite weekend of the year. It used to be a really sad day for me.
My real family who are wonderful friends. I miss them so, but am grateful for all the ways we can keep in touch. When I first moved to the US phone calls were like, a dollar a minute, mail took weeks and email was not available. I used to send faxes to my mom via the college library. It was awkward. Now I can call for free, text and even see my family in real time. It is a complete miracle.
My amazing husband, I am still excited to see him every day and so happy I get to cuddle up with him every night.
My healthy fun and funny kids who make me laugh and keep me young
My healthy delicious baby and her thighs
My sweet, good doggy (and even the chewy poopy bunny.)
Technology, it can be a bad thing but it can also be a really, really good thing.
Yankee Candles and the sense of smell
Good food
My healthy body, it’s done so much for me
A cheap local movie theatre. Aaron and I went for our first solo date since I had Ella. We saw Breaking Dawn. Yup. I intended to laugh and mock, but instead I passed out. Not even kidding. Anyway, we had an Epic Date for $6. Can’t be beat. (See also #1: good friends who watched our baby). PS: Grateful I did not end up on the filthy theatre floor.
My house, as messy as it is (thanks to #4 )
The amazing, amazing weather we are having today (and apparently tomorrow too!)
Electricity. I have lived where it being on at any given time, is not always a foregone conclusion and that can make preparing big feasts a bit tense.
Everything that keeps me warm. My awesomely cozy coat (which arrived the day before the cold weather really hit), the heat in our house, fuzzy blankets, warm comforters, my husband, seat warmers in our van. (Every time I get bitter about having a van payment again I think of the seat warmers….)
The joy of waking up to a happy baby every day and getting to stay home with her all day. There is nothing happier than being able to cuddle and nurse her in my warm bed on a chilly morning.
Seasons and holidays. I love festivity and occasions to bring friends and family together and celebrate.
A wonderful little town which fosters a sense of community through downtown holiday parades and tree lightings with free hot chocolate and horse wagon rides. I am especially grateful that this year we had fun people on the ride with us who joined in with our raucous caroling.
Root touch up and the “ombre” hair colour trend. It works for me. Oh yes it does.
Ella’s cute new boots. How can they not make you happy? Want some for your bebe? See here.
Easy recipes. Online. And the ability to look them up when you are at the grocery store at 10:30pm
The fact that you can grocery shop at 10:30pm on Thanksgiving’s Eve. (And find everything you need, and some things you don’t). Grateful not to be that poor lobster.
Have I mentioned clean, warm running water? Clean fluffy towels?
Incredibly generous family and friends who have helped us out in so many ways, so many times over the years.
My faith. It is such a great comfort and guidance to me.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends! Thanks for reading my blog

A Grateful *GIVEAWAY!**

2011-11-23T20:14:00.001-05:00

I am grateful to Lori from My Baby Clothes who invited me to review another one of their cute beyond cute items AND give away a $25 gift certificate to their lovely store.

Last time I got this. This time, I selected these…could you die? (As Rachel Zoe would say?)

They are the Baby Deer Black and White Houndstooth Fashion boots. Ooh lala. Perfect for the 8 month old fashionista.

Little Miss. EllaB is very pleased with them too…these boots are made for walking. (But she’s not ready just yet).

They are cozy and comfy. Easy to pull on and off.

And HOLY COW how cute are they?? I die. (To quote Rachel Zoe again.)

Do you want your own hyper cute baby clothes? They have everything from shoes to shirts to dresses and tutus to baby headbands and the cutest baby hats

To enter, do one or all of the following (leaving individual comments for each thing you do, you get an extra entry for each one). Just commenting on this post will not make you eligible to win! Alas, U.S Residents only.

1. Follow My Baby Clothes on Facebook

2. Follow My Baby Clothes on Twitter followers for us (2 entries)

3. Subscribe to Parentsnewz.com, the My Baby Clothes internet newspaper where you can find all the latest recalls, celebrity news, parenting tips and more. Please like parentsnewz on facebook- , follow on twitter- OR become a newsletter subcriber. ( 3 extra entries for this one!)

I will draw a winner next Wednesday. Good luck! Oh the cuteness is too cute? You can’t wait ‘til then? Happy news!

Black Friday Sale: You will get $10 off of your purchase of $50 or more plus FREE SHIPPING on every order! Use the code: BLACKFRIDAY at checkout.

Cyber Monday Sale: You will get 15% off of your purchase of $50 or more plus FREE SHIPPING on every order! Use the code: CYBERMONDAY at checkout.

I shall leave you with this image of Ella striking a contemplative pose in her houndstooth boots. They perfectly frame her thigh rolls.

Gratitude for the magic of photography

2011-11-22T09:38:00.001-05:00

I have much gratitude to catch up on, but let us start with my immense gratitude for the gift of photography. It is such a miracle really. It allows us to capture the past in a tangible way and revisit it. It retains memories that would be long forgotten. It allows us to marvel and laugh and compare…and marvel some more.

Case in point.

Here is my sweet Gabey baby who is 11 now (and just as sweet as ever), this was taken of him at around the age our sweet Ella is now. People always wonder who Ella looks like…

Hmm… I don’t know..is there a resemblance at all?

Here’s Gabey sporting his Blue Steel pose (can you believe I never connected it with Blue Steel until my sister Thalia visited this Summer and pointed it out? Now I just laugh every time I see it.)

And EllaB doing her Marilyn Monroe

Oh the great joy photography has brought to my life. And comfort. This is the way I share my babies with my extended family. My cross to bear is having them so far away, but it is made bearable through photography.

I am so, so grateful for photography, digital photography, a nice camera and so many technological means of sharing it. Huge gratitude.

Gratitude

2011-11-14T22:59:00.001-05:00

I’ve got some catching up to do. Grateful today for:

Good health insurance

Caring doctors.

The fact that my husband can and will take off work to accompany me and/or our children to Dr.’s appointments whenever necessary.

Genuinely caring friends.

Watching my kids thoroughly enjoy their baby sister. Just a few of tonight’s antics which brought them much delight include: hilarity over her petting the dog, amazement as she drummed on her highchair tray in imitation of Finny doing the same on the table, the sound of her tapping her tiny teeth on the cup as I let her sip water, hysterical laughter over the way she blinks and cringes in anticipation before the things she tosses down even hit the ground.

Grateful over the last several days for

Heaven in a cone. Worth every.single.calorie. Yes.

Pinterest. Holy cow, that is some good stuff! The ultimate in nursing past-times. It’s just amazing how much creativity and beauty there is in the world. And now it is so readily accessible.It makes me very happy.

*source (via pinterest)

The miracle of my body. I’m ashamed to say I have been mostly really down on mine since I had the baby because it isn’t the size or shape I want it to be, but it works. It gets up every day and does what it needs to do to care for my family, to do the things I want to do, it feeds and comforts my baby. It’s an absolute miracle and I’m grateful for it and for the great inestimable gift of good health.

Clean bed linen. Courtesy of my dear husband.

*source (via pinterest)

Guess who is 7 months old?

2011-11-10T19:46:00.000-05:00

Actually, Ella has been 7 months old for a while now, so we need to catch up on what happened when she was 6 months old! It was a big month! Lots and lots of FIRSTS. For her 7 month birthday she visited the pumpkin patch. See more cuteness from that day here.

At Ella’s 6 month Dr’s appt she weighed: (we have to find the piece of paper but we know she was just under the 50th percentile for weight)

and measured: (still looking for that paper but we know she was 95th percentile for height)

her big giant head was: (searching for the paper but we know her big giant head was 99th percentile in circumference).

She very much charmed her Dr. and got started on her medical career path. Then she caught up on some reading whilst unsuspectingly waiting for her shots.

After her shots she had some retail therapy, trying on the holiday fashions at Gymboree. Vogue!

When Ellabeth turned 6 months old she posed in a leopard outfit as an option for Halloween, or perhaps an audition for The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

She and her little dog biscuit (and her big dog Shemly), went for an epic ride/run on her first 1/2 birthday to break in her brand new baby jogger. We loved it.

When Ella was 6 months old she was lit-lee and sweet (private joke for my husband)

She smiled even when she cried

She continued her love affair with Sophie the Giraffe and discovered a love of Daddy’s sunglasses.

She moved into her beautiful big girl crib! And she loved it! (Thanks, Richters)

She had her first taste of solid foods! Avacado! She was appears as fond of it as her Aunty Shona is. These facial contortions followed every bite, yet she kept going back for more.

So far she has tried avocado, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, prunes, peas, and oatmeal. Of course she loves the butternut squash the best.

She worked on her troll doll hairstyle

And she was mommy’s little SMUSH! Mmmmmmm smushy smush SMOOOOOOSH. Those cheeks are so addictive (the other cheeks are too ).

She was endlessly easygoing as she was dragged to soccer game after soccer game.

She was fascinated with the fascinator her Grandma and Grandpa Moon brought for her big sister. Royal Wedding, anyone? (Her expression reminds me a bit of Victoria Beckham).

She was daddy’s little Sweet Pea

She got her first toofie! And she did not whine about it. At all. We discovered it something like this.

“Hey Daddeh! There’s something weird going on in my mouth”

“Something hard and sharp. I feel it on my bottom gum and it is making me drool like craaaaaaazy.”

“Yep, that’s it, that’s the spot! You’ve found it sister!

“My first tooth? Hehe! Only about 6 years til I get some cash from the tooth fairy. Hey! Does this mean I get to eat chocolate?”

And now for some iPhone shots. Can you guess her favourite book?

Playing air guitar, CHEESING for the camera and celebrating the first time in her high chair.

Congrats for her brother post cross country meet and orchestra recital. Being her sister’s and brother’s guest on Special Friend day (check out the entourage she attracted, it was sooo funny. I only captured about half the girls marching along beside her stroller. Not one boy, mind you.

Here she was being so cute and irresistable that we had to take her out of her car seat as we were driving just to squish and kiss her. Juuuuust kidding. We were (surprise!) watching a soccer game from the car.

When Ella was 6 months old, she could sleep anywhere, and through anything (except the night!)

When Ellabeth was 6 months old, she was pure delight from head to toe.

Oh! I almost forgot! When she was 6 months old she said her official first word, “mama” (the first of my baby’s to eschew “Dada” as first word. Yay!)

Check out her progress

1 month 2 months 3 months 4 months 5 months 6 months

Praise for the Perfect, Appreciation for the Annoying

2011-11-09T13:54:00.001-05:00

So Monday was a great day. Not necessarily great in circumstances, I had been up all night with a sick and teething baby who was not in a great mood. I was very tired, my house was a disaster with a capital D, I’m pretty sure the weather was blah. But by about 9am I was in a fantastic mood. Boy, if they could make a pill that made me in that kind of mood every day, I would be an addict. For some inexplicable reason I was completely overcome with delight for every facet of my life, snotty baby, sleep deprivation, dirty house and all. I could not wait to work hard all day restoring my house to cozy order. Baby was uncharacteristically sad and needy for a good deal of the day, so I had to hold her on my hip while I was doing laundry, while I was wiping counters, while I was sorting through paperwork. I had to take many breaks to nurse and soothe her into a series of short and fitful naps. Really, there was no particular reason to love Monday, but strangely and happily, I loved Monday.

I was grateful for my little house. It is cute and charming and safe and warm.

I was grateful for my stay at home mom status.

I was grateful that my baby had nothing but a simple little cold.

I was grateful that I could nurse her (literally) back to health, I do not take a single day of breastfeeding for granted.

I was grateful that despite my sleep deprivation I had the energy to clean my house and take care of my kids. I was even able to exercise, even though I was horrified when I saw my reflection jogging. Something like this:

In short, although it was a very busy, tiring, moderately stressful and exceptionally unglamourous day, it felt complete and perfect. At the end of the day, I got almost everything I set out to do done, and I was finally able to get my tired sweaty body into a nice warm bath. My deliciously squishy bunned baby joined me. She kicked happily and nursed peacefully, staring up at me with her huge, clear eyes and I could not have dreamed of anything more sublime or satisfying.

Then came Tuesday. I was not in a good mood yesterday, the sleep deprivation really caught up with me and even though the weather was glorious, pretty much everything else was annoying. So (and only because I knew I’d have to write about it), I decided to play a game with myself and find something to be grateful for in every one of my annoyances. Pollyanna? Why yes. Annoyingly so. Here are a few things I was annoyed yet grateful for.

1. I was annoyed by, yet grateful for my baby’s unending fussiness, because it gave me increased appreciation for her usually super easy going and sweet disposition. I was also grateful that even though she cried probably more yesterday than she has on any other day of her life, she does not have a loud, jarring cry. I feel so blessed by this because I am extremely noise sensitive and am stressed to the max by the sound of loud crying. She cries politely.

2. I was annoyed but grateful that when baby finally dropped off to sleep, Gabe decided to practice violin. I was annoyed because it felt like it was searing through my tired, overstimulated brain (see above noise sensitivity), and I am really not crazy about the sound of a solo violin at close quarters. I was grateful that he played his song very well, he practices without being asked to, and he has the opportunity to do the things he wants to do and to develop his talents.

3. I was annoyed, yet grateful that my baby freaked out when I got into the shower, because it means that she is developmentally on track, and that she loves me a lot. It also meant that I hustled to get done washing my hair, so that I could spend longer cuddling her super soft squishy little body under the nice warm water. (For which I am also soooo grateful). Warm clean, plentiful water, and clean dry soft towels. How can we take these things for granted?

4. I was annoyed but grateful for the noise and chaos of my kids being home for the day because it means that they are healthy and they are mine. (It also gave me an increased appreciation for the peace and quiet that I enjoy when they are in school )

5. I was annoyed yet grateful for the fact that my baby became perfectly charming and delightful the moment my husband walked through the door, that she ate happily for him and did not utter even one whimper in his presence because…well…we’d had enough crying and sadness for one day, and he deserves a happy baby to come home to, especially when he comes home to wife like this:

*source

Gratitude 4, 5, 6

2011-11-06T22:14:00.001-05:00

I am grateful for:

Everything about a sunny Autumn afternoon…

Gratitude on the 3rd

2011-11-03T22:24:00.001-04:00

1.So grateful for an amazingly kind and unselfish husband. Neither of us got a lot of sleep last night (read: hardly any) but I guess he is tougher. I was crazy tired when he got home from work, and he sent me right to bed for a nap. A lovely, beautiful, desperately needed nap. He took care of kids and dinner and dishes. A prince he is.

2. I get to stay home so that when I have a rough night like last night, I can stagger around the house all day and have verrrry sloooooooow thought processes and nobody comments on my zombie like appearance or the fact that I can’t speak coherently. People who have to go to work and are expected to be fully functional when very sleep deprived, have my undying admiration.

3. My baby is ridiculously cute so even when I am zombie like with fatigue (because of her night time antics, )I am delighted by her.

I’m doing my super attractive“I can’t stand how cute you are, I might have to eat you” involuntary lip clamp. She’s doing her, super adorable “I can make cool sounds with my mouth now” thing.

4.I have the sweetest dog in the world. We could not have ordered up a better one. I’m so grateful she came into our lives. The thing she is doing in the picture on the right is her loud yawn. She does this in the morning when she needs to go out. She is extremely polite.

5. My kids have a committed, loving and involved dad. I seriously cannot imagine doing this whole parenting thing with anyone else.

Two Grateful

2011-11-02T23:39:00.001-04:00

1. I am grateful for my eyesight. I spent the day contact lens free, and the baby kept grabbing my glasses and throwing them on the floor. I can’t see very well at all without my contacts or glasses, but I do have great health insurance which covers vision…et voila…with a little help…I can see. I am indeed grateful.

2.The opportunity I have to raise another baby. I was always very delighted with my “batch” of kids so close together and there are so many advantages to doing it that way, but I am shocked and grateful at how much I am truly relishing my “laat lammetjie” (little late lamb). This article sort of describes how I feel. But in addition it is just so. much. fun. to share a baby with my older kids, to be all “first time parent-ish” with my husband again (it’s so much fun to go out and coo over just one little person rather than corralling a crowd in car-seats). It’s wonderful to get to do the things I always wanted to do for and with my baby, but was too busy and overwhelmed with a bunch of littles in tow. It truly does feel like such a bonus. I know it might not feel quite as much fun when she becomes more active and demanding, but right now I am enjoying almost every minute.

3.Roasted pumpkin seeds. I love the process of cleaning them, roasting them and of course eating them. Since I am eating Halloween candy like it’s my job this week, the savoury saltiness is a nice change. And did you know that they are really healthy?

4. Working appliances. Oh dear, I bet I just jinxed that. Didn’t I? But really, a dishwasher is a wonderful thing.

5. Beautiful sunshine the last couple of days. I know it’s days are numbered.

Hugely Hectic Hallowe’en Round-Up

2011-11-01T19:54:00.001-04:00

Halloween continues to be a marathon around these parts. Here’s a round up of photos from the various candy scavenging escapades of the last week.

It all started at our church’s Trunk or Treat with a Honey of a Bee showing her sunflower some love..

Napoleon showed off some freaking SWEEEEEEET dance moves

As did the sweet cereal killer

Finny’s costume was a major hit with the teens. I wonder why? (That’s his, “this is so embarrassing” smile in case you were wondering)

Lots of dancing fun was had by all

This is my sweet friend McKenzie she is due in a few weeks. Her cute stomach is the exact size and shape of a soccer ball and she can keep up with me when we go jogging. Isn’t that nice for her and depressing for me?

Shiny happy girlies

Ella and her friend Brady. She has discovered that Smarties are an excellent teething toy. (Don’t worry, we watch closely).

The next day it was time to take to the mean streets of our little town for Downtown trick or treating. I love our Downtown. It is so cute.

I love that you always see someone you know. Here’s our dear friend Carolyn with Caroline . We tried to trade Finny in for the latest iPhone at the cell phone store, to no avail. They did take a photo of him though.

A solemn little sunflower about to drop off to sleep.

She is our sunshine..

On Hallowe’en Eve we carved pumpkins and made caramel apples with my marvelous new 6 minute caramel recipe (found on pinterest if you follow me there).

And then it was time for the Annual Impatiens Stalk Stomping. They had been dealt a final fatal frost blow the night before and it was time.

Replaced by a Jack O’Lantern patch

Benj, Gracie and Finny’s pumpkins, followed by an E for Ella (designed by Gracie) and Aaron’s awesome pumpkin and my polkadots. Gabe made a baby he calls “little P.Nut”. I wonder why it was not little P.Kin.

And finally it was Hallowe’en Proper. Ella and I visited the kids at school. Finny wasn’t keen on being photographed but Ella is an old and popular prop in Gracie’s classroom.

Trick or Treating Gang 2011

A closer look at the Dynamic Duo. Note that Finny’s iPhone had been refurbished-into a fabric model, to allow greater maneuverability on the fiercely competitive trick or treat trail

And they’re off!

No sooner were we on our way but our poor baby who had been awake since 1:30pm after an abbreviated morning nap crashed..hard.

Since we were relying on her for the mommy and daddy candy stash (and even bought her a very cute bucket toward that end), we felt that it would not do. And so I began carrying her and shamelessly begging for candy on her 7 month old behalf as she snoozed on my shoulder.

Nathan would yell, “it’s not for the baby, don’t give her any!” at each door I went to. So guess what? He got the job. At which point Ella awoke. I love her expression.

When Nathan’s arm gave out, Aaron’s shift began. He held the baby, Nathan held the bucket. I pushed the empty stroller in the background. It was a very Modern Family looking scene. And Ella worked it. She was a delight to old…

and young alike.

She even helped herself to a piece

Eventually we went home and inspected our haul. I have just noticed that her poor little lips are blue! She never complained. Just started growling a little bit toward the end but we assumed that was her attempt at being appropriately Hallowe’eny. Here’s Nathan gloating over their haul

Another Modern Family Portrait

And then came the magic…. all this…crunchy, crinkly stuff…..for me?

WHOOOHOOOOOOOO!!! She was thusly entertained for about an hour. And again today.

The boys inspecting and dividing their loot

And then there was some getting down and partying..

Then we went to see some more friends. By this point Ella had still not slept since 1:30 (apart from about 5 mins before she was jostled awake). She had been exploited and frozen and it was about 9:30pm but she was still going strong. See?

She really is the most wonderful baby.

She waved “bye-bye” to her scratchy costume (her new trick as of yesterday)

And she got DOWN…

Here she is stealing a car from her friend. He does not look pleased. I think the whole Trick or Treat affair emboldened her and left her feeling entitled.

Here are the girls post loot-sorting

It was pretty much the perfect Halloween. Such a happy, happy, fun sweet night.

Which brings me to my 3rd annual November Gratitude List stolen from my dear friend Julie. Five things I am grateful for today.

1. The fact that my kids were all healthy enough to run around Trick or Treating last night.

2. That we live in such an idyllic little town where I feel comfortable letting them run around and where I can say, “I love your house” and be invited in for an impromptu tour (and leave alive).

3. That we have fun, good friends to share Halloween and other occasions with.

4. Nobody’s costume broke, nobody fell, nobody puked, nobody whined or melted down and we were left with only happy memories.

5. One year ago today, we made this marvelous discovery. It gets more fun every day! I am so, so, so grateful that my girls have a sister. I love my sisters so much and can’t imagine life without them.

PS: Have another hour to kill? Did you see our Apple picking photos yet? I heart them.

Click here to see the ghosts of Halloween’s past: 2008, 2009, and 2010

How do you like them apples?

2011-10-30T22:26:00.001-04:00

Last Monday I woke up sad. Inexplicably sad and anxious. Within a few hours I got a phone call which seemed to confirm my sad mood as premonitory. I spent the rest of the day feeling somewhat distraught and overwhelmed.

But the sun was out, as it had not been for a while, and Aaron had discovered that the apple orchards were still open for picking. We had missed our usual apple picking excursion earlier in the season due to the overwhelming schedule of 5 travel soccer teams. I felt the urgent need to get far away from the house with all my chicken close by and so we appealed to our kindly piano teacher to let the kids skive off their scheduled lessons that evening. Then we piled into the van and headed to the ye olde orchard.

It was amazing how quickly my heavy mood lifted and my shoulders relaxed as we breathed in the crisp Autumn air and enjoyed the sight of the almost artificially perfect red orbs in the crazy gnarled trees set against the brilliant blue sky as the sun sank lower in the sky. My kids ran and climbed and juggled and goofed around. And we all ate lots of delicious apples right off the tree.

It was the rare perfectly perfect family evening, where everyone gets along perfectly and nobody whines. Miraculously, everyone, yay verily, every last one was cheerful and enjoyed themselves, technology free in the great outdoors and I was so grateful that we seized the day or at least the evening.

Here’s Finny enjoying some fresh apple cider slushies and honey sticks. Yum, yummy yum.

Gracie can find a canvas anywhere

DIMPLES in flight!

Climbing crew

Did you know that Finny’s actual name is Jonathan? Well if you did not know, you do now

I am in love with this picture of my big girl.

Apple inspection

Balancing acts

The apples don’t fall far from the family tree. (Aaron and I are in there as shadows)

Click to see our Orchard excursion and Desperate Housekids of 2009 and 2010.

Pumpkin patch..ohohoh…pumpkin patch!*

2011-10-24T23:46:00.001-04:00

*See this if you aren’t South African or the title will make no sense. (Be forewarned, Aaron found it most disturbing).

On Saturday we hustled to the pumpkin patch between soccer tournament games. It was such a wonderful little interlude in our busy day. We even got to have delicious cider and amazing apple fritters. It was a gorgeous, sunny, crisp day…the picture-perfect Autumn experience and so…naturally, I took pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. The colours were so bright and vivid. No editing required.

Our little pumpkin (who turned 7 months old that day!) was enchanted with all she saw. We, as you can tell, were enchanted with her.

Spot the pumpkin…look closely

The annual sibling photo had a new addition this year. So much fun. See prior years here and here and here. I am laughing about the year we got a bunny to help me over my baby fever (the following year we got a dog to help me over my baby fever). Then we got a baby. If we’d just held out for a few more years we could have a lot less shedding going on around here

Don’t you love her little hat? My sweet friend knitted it for me when Benjamin was a baby. Every baby Sayer has had their first pumpkin patch photos wearing that hat.

I just love Gust Brothers farm. It could not be more picturesque.

Handsome Benj

I love these pictures of the two little friends cooperating amidst much hysteria

Sweet Gaber

Here we have Nathan helping me to stage a photo of Ella standing amongst the mums. (I was supposed to crop him out of this). Nathan is a great photo assistant. If it were up to my husband or his wife, there would not be any photos of the day at all. Nathan and I really bond over our shared sense of occasion and the fact that he is game to force my 7 month old (to the day!) baby stand amongst the mums…look at her little legs giving way…she did stand for a split second before she plonked on her little backside.

Benj “juggling” with a gourd he found amongst the pumpkins. Because 5 hours of soccer that day was not enough….

It was Nathan’s idea to give her the apples. It does add a certain something..

Spot the pumpkin again

Nathan was literally squealing like a little girl “take the picture!” “take the picture!” when she found the flower to examine.

For some reason he was keen to get a picture of himself with a cow.

The cow was keen to give him more than he bargained for..

Our cute kids! I am in pain over how much they have grown.

Not sure if you’ve seen this little pumpkin yet? How long suffering is she?

My beautiful big girl. Isn’t she lovely?

Gabe happily did not break or sprain anything before his next game

My sweet toothless Finny. I love him so.

Aaron found this beauty to represent him.

Ah…glorious Autumn. It almost makes Winter worth it. Almost.

The Epic Ellabeth 6th month recap

2011-10-18T22:41:00.001-04:00

Oops with the posting of the first 6 months video I sort of forgot the critically important 6th month recap. I need to catch that up before the month is over.

When Ella was 5 months old she loved:

Playing soccer

and just standing around-look ma no hands.

..twirling around and around at break neck speeds in her saucer and then gently resting her head down on it when she got too dizzy (too funny and too cute to put into words).

When she was 5 months old, Ellabeth loved:

Listening to her siblings practice their instruments and talking to Shemly. (She often finds Shemly so delightful that she cannot help herself from doing aforementioned saucer twirling with glee)

Being a genius stack the shapes? Sure! ……It just takes some determination….TADA!!!!!

Oh sure! NOW you give me the directions

Oh my WORD! Toys these days are so. much.fun!

Chilling with her peeps at the Black Swamp Art Festival. I can’t tell you how much it warms my heart to have a community of friends who love my babies.

Love the pics of her dancing with her big brother. He even dipped her

When Ellabeth was 5 months old she enjoyed:

Catalogue shopping for her Fall Wardrobe

Cheering Benj on at his cross country meets. (With our sweet friend Jessi, girls cross country champion!) She even enjoyed a post race salty snack of Jessi’s shoulder.

When Ella was 5 months old she rocked:

the Fall fashions on the runways of Toys R Us

When Ellabeth was 5 months old she spent lots of time exploring.

Things like her diaper bag

When Ellabeth was 5 months old, she spent lots of time

on the soccer sidelines, cheering on her sibs..in warm and sunny weather

And all bundled up in chilly weather too

When Ellabeth was 5 months old she was mesmerized by:

a dancing, singing cow all the way from Australia

…her soccer ball rattle (another gift we gave the sibs to announce my pregnancy)

..and her carseat strap which we quickly dubbed Mr. Strap and loved for his ever convenient presence.

When Ellabeth was 5 months old she kept very busy:

practicing her dog-back riding on her trusty sidekick steed.

..and practicing her driving for when her trusty steed is tired (or unwilling)

When Ellabeth was 5 months old she perfected:

looking like a naughty little doll

And an innocent little doll

She rocked the ruffle butt

And the heart applique butt. (While putting up with a brother who could not resist nibbling her)

She was declared the cutest Springbok Rugby fan

And nailed looking perfectly, preciously pathetic one evening when she was not feeling well.

Other things she was into when she was 5 months old?

Scratching different textures, scrunching paper, my iPhone, music (especially singing which she likes to harmonize with), kicking in the water and in general especially when her kicking makes a big noise (she has been dubbed “happy feet), tags of all sorts, going on jogs with Shemly and mommy, her siblings and her daddy, her mommy (nurnie!!!!), her many friends/fans, books and being read to, magazines, imitating sounds and making fake screamy sounds.

We loved 5 months old!!

So much to say……it renders me speechless

2011-10-17T23:16:00.001-04:00

As usual I am overwhelmed with too much to say, far too many photos (although I always maintain that there is no such thing) and an incredibly ridiculous amount to catch up on. Which of course makes me want to do nothing. Same old, same old. But! I vowed I would post regularly, and it is Monday and although I have exercised and read my scriptures as I had hoped I would today, I caved and ate the Mississipi Mud pie brownies after dinner (as I hoped I would not). And so I am making up for it by blogging. Saying something. Anything.

So I decided that I would just scroll through my photo album and whichever random recent photos I came upon would determine what there would be to say. Better than nothing eh?

This morning I woke up so refreshed. I actually had a typically or more than typically broken night. Ella has a cough, (her first illness since the dreaded RSV at 2 weeks old…so I’d say we have had a really good run considering she is one of 5). This means I have been obsessively checking and nursing her every time she stirred slightly, to try to keep her as hydrated, healthy and comfortable as possible. But for some reason I still hit the magical number of hours or depth of sleep or sleep cycle or something and it was such a delicious feeling to wake up from a deep, deep sleep and feel rested. I had forgotten what that felt like. Waking up today felt like this:

This is Ella waking up from her nap on the couch today. Ahhhhh……

What else? The end of the soccer season is in sight. It’s been a hectic season but for once I haven’t been completely desperate for it to end. Because we have four kids playing for five travel teams and a baby this season it has been impossible to attend every game, and so we’ve just done our best. This has been so liberating! I have really enjoyed watching the games I have attended. (Which I assure you have been plenty). And the weather has been on our side. The kids have all played really, really well this season and have had a great time doing it. Look at my little Finnster at his last game. He is such a star. And sooo much fun to watch. His intensity is incredibly endearing and wow, you can tell he grew up at the knee of two soccer obsessed big brothers.

It’s been fun but I’m looking forward to more laid back Saturday afternoons that look like this:

(The kids declared a family movie experience. It’s been too long)

I love the cozy feeling of hunkering down with the fam in front of a good Disney flick.

This is what I posted on facebook today. I feel bad that so many important snippets of my life end up there rather than here so …..cut and paste to the rescue

Two things: Ella got her first tooth on Friday without any whining and she is my first baby to say "Mama" rather than "Dada" as her first official word. ♥ Gracie is so thrilled over both events. She told me that Ella's tooth is "SO PERFECT!" and she can't stop telling everyone that Ella is saying "mama". She made me record her saying it about 5 times. She is such a sweet big sister.

We haven’t had a chance to decorate for Halloween yet so a resident spider took matters into it’s own….legs

(WARNING: if you are easily freaked out by spiders, scroll quickly past the next three photos).

Aaron called me outside the other night to show me that a spider had spun a massive web across the whole front path. It was a pretty amazing and impressive feat. I wish I knew how to use my camera better because the web was gorgeous. There was also a full moon that night to add to the perfect spooky atmosphere. Pity it was a few weeks early.

Ugh. I made the mistake of zooming in on these photos. Spiders don’t usually creep me out but those legs are hairy up close and…eeeeeuw.

I just saw these little legs in my random photo scrolling. They are soooo much cuter aren’t they?

Speaking of legs. Cross country season is over for Benj and he rocked it! I can hardly believe I once used to keep up with him. The other night he went on a jog with me, it was so nice of him because my pace must have seemed like going backwards. It reminded me of the good old days when we were training for the half marathon. That was such an awesome summer. He is really great at cross country and did better than ever this season.

Especially since he was often doing this on the same day. Ah to have the stamina of youth. Come to think of it, I did not have any stamina as a youth. So there ya go. Oh to have the stamina of Benj. How about that. He amazes me.

Ok that will do for tonight I think (or at least my computer battery has decided). I don’t think this is actually too bad a strategy for getting back into regular posting/catching up. How about you?

Five things Friday

2011-10-14T15:55:00.001-04:00

Five things I like

1.Drinking hot chocolate as my sweet baby naps on the couch beside me

2. Pretty leaf confetti in my yard

3.The fact that it is Friday

4.The fact that I don’t have to pay for or stress over costumes for Benj and Gabe this year.

5. The fact that I have exercised hard 4 days this week

Five things I don’t like

1.When I get busted doing something my kids get into big trouble for doing. (Drinking hot chocolate on the couch). Guess today is slipcover wash day.

2.Leaf confetti on my floors

3.The fact that it is not payday.

4.The fact that my 2 oldest boys have decided they are too old for Halloween this year. Thankfully Ellabeth is here to replace at least one of them on the trick or treat trail

5.The fact that I was supposed to have exercised hard for five days this week which means I don’t get the weekend off.

Can’t handle the cuteness

2011-10-08T19:10:00.001-04:00

Ok so I fell off the wagon for the trillioneth time regarding regular blog posting but I’m going to do it from hereon out. I swear! Ok I don’t swear. But I really am going to try. I am just so overwhelmed!

I don’t have much in the way of blogging time these days. The 5 travel soccer teams has something to do with it. The adorable baby who I can’t look away from, because she is seriously too cute to miss one second of, is another.

And then I take all these zillions of photos and I can’t decide which to share. Ridiculous. So I share none of them? Ludicrous!

But! No! I shan’t cave to the self imposed insanity. I will post photos today! I shall! I shall post photos I took at last night’s soccer game. To begin with. And you shall gaze upon them. And you shall oohhhh and ahhhhhh and I shall be inspired to post yet more photos. To please my clamouring public. And you shall never tire of them. Nay! Never! Lo! You shall love them so mightily that you shall clamour for more. And I shall post them, merely to appease you. And so it shall be. Or something like that.

Without further ado…BEHOLD!

BEHOLD! Brothers and Sisters! BEHOLD…..WITH YOUR EYES>>>>>> THE CUTENESS.

What?! You thought that was cute?? You don’t even know what cute is! Check THIS OUT

For Pete’s SAKE!! CAN IT SERIOUSLY GET ANY CUTER???? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO! It’s a DOLL! A SUPER ADORABLE DOLL! A SUPER ADORABLE LIVING DOLL> A CUTE ONE.

We find her rather enjoyable. Check out Aaron’s “I can’t handle the cuteness, I might squeeze her too tight and hurt her so I will squeeze my lips together instead” lip clamp

YUM! YUM! Yummy!! Yeah baby, that is some cuteness.

Oh the soccer game? Yeah there was that too. I suppose I should put some photos of the soccer game. Ok. Here is Ella watching the soccer game.

Did you say cute? Hmm….well yeah…I guess so. I hadn’t thought of her as cute before. Well yes I did. Glad it’s not just me…(I apologise for the brain squeezer and the fact that it caused her ears to appear to stick out.) Ok I don’t apologise for the “brain squeezer” aka darling head band. I think it makes the whole outfit. I am defiant in the matter of brain squeezers. So help me, I am.

OK so before Ella came along I had these four other kids who I delighted in photographing, obsessing over and and showing off on my blog. Do you remember them? They are still so beautiful and cute and talented.They remain wondrous and delicious to me. I still delight in photographing them. And obsessing over them. Check.It.Out.

Oh wait. Still Ella. Ok look: Look at my gorgeous Gabe. He is a super good soccer player. It was his soccer game we were at. And he was good. Really, I’m not just saying that. And he gives it his all. Every single time.

I love this picture of him with his teammates. They are such good friends. It’s so heart warming how supportive they are of each other. And their parents are awesome too. They are fun and cool and ever willing to help with transportation. It makes all soccer all the time a lot more enjoyable.

Gaber is super speedy. I don’t know where he gets that from. No really, not being ironic. I really don’t.

And so concludes my first, “stop obsessing and just post something already” blog. I trust you found it thoroughly enjoyable and are clamouring for more.

I wonder how many times I used the word “cute”?

Winner!

2011-09-29T12:07:00.001-04:00

Per random. org the winner of the My Baby Clothes Giveaway was Renee. Congratulations Renee and thanks for playing! You should be getting an email soon. Enjoy your adorable duds.

Happy 1/2 Birthday to our Ellabeth

2011-09-22T01:17:00.001-04:00

In honour of our Ella Enchanted’s first 1/2 birthday ever, I have finally gotten around to setting the Ella Project to the music of the divine Mindy Gledhill’s “Whole Wide World”.

This was (by design) the first song to play after Ellabeth entered the world, and it has remained her favourite (and consequently, mine too).

On the rare occasions that she is tragic and sad (at the end of a long car ride usually,) we cue it up, and….magic. Tears turn instantly to coos, chuckles and smiles of pure delight and while it plays, she is completely captivated. It truly is as if a switch is flipped. I really must get video of it because it is quite uncanny in the way it never fails, and her joy is just… oh so sweet.

The Ella Project was loosely based around this song in fact, and it was fun putting the silly little scenes to the sweet words of this tune.

I feel like I have come full circle getting this done, because when I was suffering from postpartum depression, I would go on walks with Ella and Aaron in the evenings, and we’d listen to this song as she would drift off to sleep. Even though I was usually quite miserable, I would imagine making a video of her photos to it and it would make me smile. It was somewhat of a lifeline to have even the simplest of projects to ponder, even if I could not get up the gumption to actually complete it.

What can I say about the last 6 months? They have gone by much too fast! I have had such an intense array of emotions, not all of them have been easy, but the overriding ones at this stage are amazement, joy, gratitude and adoration for our little angel. She makes us so happy. She is completely wonderful. I cherish every moment I spend with her and am so grateful that we were blessed with her. I wish I could freeze time! Then again, she just gets better every day….Happy 6 months my Ellabethy baby! Hope you enjoy this little tribute. It is imperative that you watch this with your sound up.

WFMW: Spelling list/Paperwork secret

2011-09-21T11:45:00.001-04:00

‘Tis the season when all those spelling lists keep coming home. And if we want to keep the family legacy of good spelling going it means I am occasionally going to have to help my second grader out with that. The problem is that he keeps leaving the list at school, or we put it on the fridge and more often than not, it gets forgotten there.

Maybe everyone does this, but since I had not thought of it before, I thought it was a genius little solution. I just take a photo of the list with my phone, and then whenever we are out and have some down time, I can just whip it out and practice a few words. This also cuts down on stress when it comes to locating the list at the critical moment.

Come to think of it, this would take care of mounds of paperwork that you feel you need to hang on to and need to refer to often. Soccer schedules, birthday party invitations, packing lists for camp. Wow. Serious breakthrough for me here, my friends.

I’m now preparing myself for everyone saying, “well DUH! I’ve been doing this for years”.

Linking up to Works for me Wednesday at We Are That Family

Hey!! Don’t forget to enter to win a gift certificate for something adorable from My Baby Clothes!

My Baby Clothes-GIVEAWAY!

2011-09-20T17:04:00.001-04:00

Thought I’d celebrate my return to regular blogging with an awesome giveaway. When My Baby Clothes contacted me to see if I’d like to sample and give away something from their store, I was paralyzed (once again) with indecision. The fun kind. Everything IS. SO.CUTE

My Baby Clothes sells boutique-style clothes in sizes newborn-4T in both boy and girl styles at affordable prices.

They have an amazing variety of baby clothes and I was profoundly torn between too-too cute tutus and adorable baby headbands (you know how I love me a brain squeezer). A bevy of baby hats and frilly bloomers were also hot contenders.

In the end, I could not resist going the route of something personalized. When it arrived I was firstly thrilled that it did not say, Elizabeth. Then I was delighted with how cute it was. Then I was enthralled with the lovely quality. Truly, I’m not just saying that because they gave it to me. It is really lovely quality. Beautifully made, super soft and sweet. I will absolutely do more shopping through their site because the prices are extremely reasonable and the quality and cuteness knows no bounds.

Ella was also enchanted. She loves loves loves the little ribbon fringe skirt (babies adore taggy things with a purple passion) and spent many happy moments playing with it as I tried to get her to look up and smile at me :) She was too interested in blowing spit bubbles and looking at butterflies to smile much but her adorable outfit made up for it. I love that this outfit is frou-frou but so comfy and wearable. I’m excited to layer it over black tights and a long sleeved black shirt when the weather is chilly.

To enter to win your own $25 gift certificate to My Baby Clothes:

1. Follow my baby clothes on facebook

2. For 2 extra entries follow My Baby Clothes on Twitter

. Subscribe to the My Baby Clothes newsletter on their site.

Post each separate entry below this post. Be sure to post separately for each thing you do! Good luck!

Entries close next Wednesday. Alas, U.S Residents only.

The paralysis of adoration

2011-09-19T15:53:00.001-04:00

My mom will not do facebook. Well not on any kind of regular basis anyway. She is defiant regarding facebook. We have had words. When I ask her why she does not want to keep up with the mundane and menial moment to moment aspects of my life, she asks me why I don’t put them on the blog instead. I have tried to explain that the blog requires more commitment and time than the facebook. I can easily jot down a thought on facebook, but the blog…..the blog requires editing, photos and prose. It is a project.

Some years ago I stopped checking the reader stats on my blog. For all I know, I get 3 hits a year (and they all are from my mom). I lost interest in trying to grow my readership. I decided what I wanted my blog to be, and that was a record of my family. I wanted to be able to look back on this day a year from now and remember the feelings, the thoughts and see the amazingly cute and ever changing faces. And that is what I do. I read my blog every now and again, and I am delighted, and appalled. I am delighted all over again by the things my kids have done which compelled me to record them the first time, and appalled at how much I had COMPLETELY forgotten.

But these days I am not blogging nearly as often as I would like to. I am paralyzed. Why? Because every single day I want to GUSH. Mostly about my baby. I want to gush that right now she is jogging in place with high knees and sparkling eyes in her saucer, and then looking up and catching my eye, and chuckling at how cute and funny she knows she is. I want to tell you about how she tries to get the dog’s attention by “talking” in a really high voice and wagging her head from side to side as she does. (she is five months old! Isn’t that amazing?) How she smiles even when she is crying. I want to tell how completely magical she is in every way.

I want to talk about how my older kids are even better big brothers and sister than I could have anticipated. How my trying hard to seem jaded 13 year old son lights up like a 6 year old in a candy store every time he sees her.

I want to tell you how endearing my husband is in his own adoration for his baby girl.

But you don’t want to hear that every day. I don’t want to bore you with all of that. I don’t want you to think that I don’t love my older kids passionately too, or that I am not as fascinated in their lives-(it’s just that they don’t do something brand new every day). I don’t want to have to spend the time trying to pick which of the 1,000 practically identical photos will come closest to expressing the cuteness I see (none of them come even a tiny bit close).

And I don’t have time to edit myself, to choose the photos, to make it perfect. So I’ve been contenting myself with a snippets on facebook. Much to my mother’s chagrin.

But today I remembered. My blog is for me. And for my family. If others enjoy it, I am thrilled but if they don’t, I must be indifferent. So be forewarned. Because I’m going to go back to posting regularly. And right now the parts I want to record about my life are gushy and somewhat repetitive and I would not want to have it any other way.

This is what I was looking at while I wrote this. Can you blame me?

One non baby related snippet: I really love that one of Gracie and Finny's favourite things to do is to play, "Clean Room". They pretend they are from a show which transforms your bedroom from chaotic to clean while you are out. All I have to do is act suitably emotional and hysterical with joy when I am led “blindfolded” to the revealed transformation. They do an amazing job. Our room looks quite sublime (although I'm a bit fearful of what lies within the closets). Benj and Gabe have eagerly signed up for their services and Gracie and Finny are hard and happily at work...
"In every task to be done there is an element of fun...you find the fun aaaaand SNAP the job's a game....."