bern, bella, and gabrielle

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:05:00.006-06:00

Someone lost her first tooth this Christmas Eve!

Although we are missing our family and friends, we had a very lovely, laid back Christmas this year. Wishing everyone a very happy holiday!

Santa Came to Town

2011-12-12T19:46:00.004-06:00

Santa came to our neighborhood tonight on a firetruck! Apparently in VA this is a common practice, and it was really cute. The kids loved it, and it was a fun way to hang out with neighbors for a bit. The only problem was we forgot it was scheduled for tonight, so the kids were all tucked in and we had to drag them out in their jammies.

Poor Bella is so sick. She hasn't been to school since Friday the 2nd. She's got a yucky fever that won't go away. She's been gone so long that her class sent her a get well card:( We are praying for the fever to break soon. She didn't even last outside long enough to see Santa, she said she was tired and didn't care.

Tonight I discovered chocolate hand prints on the stairs, that led to this in the kitchen.

It didn't take me long to locate the perpetrator. She was so covered in chocolate that she had to go straight to the tub.

Santa has added her to the naughty list.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:59:00.007-05:00

From a princess bride, a minnie mouse who wouldn't wear her ears, and a pirate.

Arrrrrr.

Many houses left candy on the porch so they could trick or treat with their kids, Gabbi had trouble with just taking one. And then not eating it immediately.

We went to the pumpkin patch a couple weekends ago. It was $20 all you can carry, but you had to be able to take 5 steps with your loot. Brian made us proud.

Our littlest punkin:)

Closed!

2011-09-29T19:18:00.009-05:00

We are official Virginians, not to be confused with virgins, because Virginia is for lovers:) As of yesterday we no longer own a home, yay! But, I cried, because I loved our house, our life in St. Charles, and I miss my friends and family. We are so not miserable here, just haven't made all the important connections yet. God was very gracious to us, as we received a contract and were able to put down a contract on a house here in time for the kids to start school in the correct district. And, I love love love the new house. It has everything we hoped it would, and we can't wait to get into it. The area that it is in is so charming, lots of gorgeous farms, nursery's, etc, but still has a target and Starbucks down the road. It reminds me a bit of the Defiance area, near the old house.

So, we've been bussing them back and forth, which is not so bad, except for my precious little Gabbi who is so, so, so fussy, in a very cute two-year-old kind of way. She has taken to yelling or saying Mommy (as in MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY, etc) the entire way back and forth to school, so I've decided to bring our trusty friend Elmo in video form for the ride. We've had a bit of drama with the type of loan we chose, but we've switched, lowered rates, and are back on track. Life's a bit crazy, and now it seems we might have the stomach flu, but we will survive. I'm glad Brian and I go way back, as it's not always easy to nurture the relationship, but there is so much trust and mutual love and we know it's just a season, and normalcy will return.

In the meantime, Gabbi turned 2!

Bella was in Aunt Brittany's wedding!

Everytime I turn my back this stinker is up to something (like creating murals on the walls). Hoping we get our deposit back.

Hmmm, what can I destroy next?

The kids started school! It's pitch black in our courtyard because school starts at the crack of dawn.

This is our soon to be new home! Credit for the photo goes to the listing agent.

Beach Time!

2011-07-16T18:44:00.005-05:00

We made it to the beach today, and words cannot describe how fun it was to be able to drive to the ocean from our house. We went to Yorktown, which was just a little over an hour from our townhouse. It was the cutest little town and beach, and we all had a blast. It was Bella and Gabbi's first time to the ocean, but they adapted quickly.

I guess I could learn to like it here.

We moved...

2011-07-12T17:47:00.002-05:00

So we've been busy getting settled in our new, temporary home. Before we left, we celebrated Bella turning 6!

Our last family picture on the porch:(

And missing Bern's BFF Max.

I think we'll like it here, it seems very nice and family friendly, I just think that we were so settled in Mo that it's just going to take some time.

2011-01-25T21:15:00.003-06:00

The children have been a little loud and a bit messy lately so we built them in igloo and moved them in. Everyone is very satisfied with the new arrangement. I know that it seems a bit cold, but they have each other to keep them warm. I also bring them hot chocolate from time to time, so it's a win win for all of us.

Baking

2011-01-20T15:05:00.002-06:00

Yesterday my helper and I made a cake for a friend's sprinkle.

I thought it turned out cute.

We received a huge amount of snow here, so the kids are home today. Hopefully the sprinkle is still on so I don't have to eat the cake myself.

the object of our affections

2011-01-15T20:10:00.001-06:00

snow!

2011-01-12T18:21:00.003-06:00

Gabbi has some "me" time.

2011-01-12T14:17:00.006-06:00

This is what happens when the baby closes herself in her room

and the mommy chooses to keep making cookies in the kitchen.

She seems proud of herself,

but is worn out from all that messing up.

The Mullet

2011-01-06T18:22:00.002-06:00

Gabbi's been sporting a bit of a mullet, so we are trying a new do.

Bam Bam!

Christmas/New Year's pictures

2011-01-03T15:22:00.004-06:00

Bella and Bern checking out the doll house.

Gabbi likes Bern's xylophone.

Meet Riley, Bella's new dolly.

Reindeer food on Christmas eve.

The lobby of our hotel.

Fountain Square

The view from our hotel room.

This is the first year in a long, long time that we've had legitimate New Year's eve plans. A friend from college was married in Cincinnatti, and we had such a good time.

It was a lovely weekend away, and very much needed. The kids had a great time with all of the grandparents and we had some quiet, good food, and rest.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T16:57:00.006-06:00

From our family to yours!

Special thanks to under grace photography for our family pictures!

Brrrrr

2010-12-13T20:54:00.004-06:00

It's that time of year where it takes us about 15 minutes longer than usual to get out the door.

Due to all the extra padding it takes to keep warm.

At least they look cute all bundled up.

Bernard is thrilled to announce he is now a yellow belt.

So if you are a robber don't come to our house, or he will kung foo you.

Now that it's almost Christmas I'll post some thanksgiving pictures.

Better late than never.

Happy Fall!

2010-11-03T13:21:00.003-05:00

This year we had a ninja, wonder woman, and a dalmatian. A little random but still cute. Gabbi went trick or treating with us in the cul-de-sac, then stayed behind with daddy to hand out candy. The big kids and I trick or treated with our neighbor Max and his mom, and it was a lot of fun. The kids were so excited and sweet. I didn't teach them any jokes before we left but I heard a funny little ditty by Bern. It went a little something like this: knock knock, who's there, bag, bag who, please put some candy in it?

Earlier in the day we took the kids to Daniel's, one of the local pumpkin patches. Highlights included petting the animals, running around in the mazes, swinging, train rides, grinding corn. Low lights included Gabbi eating the corn while playing in the corn bin, which resulted in some "issues" for her the next day. And Bern's hard head accidentally colliding with another boy's mouth in the maze, resulting in the boy losing a permanent tooth. Not cool at all.

Bad baby! Don't eat the corn!

Sometimes they drive me batty! Ha ha ha he he. Now we know where the boy gets his bad jokes from.

Gabbi and daddy horsing around.

Love her!

2010-10-27T21:11:00.001-05:00

Good

Better

Best

Vacation

2010-10-20T13:47:00.006-05:00

Last week Brian and I headed to Savannah to attend my friend Patti's wedding. Along the way we made stops in Nashville and Atlanta to visit friends, and spent a few days in Hilton Head to visit the ocean. It is never easy to leave your kids for a long period of time, but my mom did a great job with them and some alone time was much needed. We had a wonderful trip, full of good friends, food, quiet time, etc. Here are some pics from the beautiful wedding. A couple of the pics are small due to the fact that I am pirating them off my friend Jill's snapfish account.

The gorgeous bride and her groom. Is that not the most beautiful gown ever?

Grade school/high school friends Jill, Patti, myself, and Jacquelyn at the Friday night party.

On Sunday night we met our friends Hayli, Nathan, and BJ at passion city church and got to worship with Chris Tomlin and Louis Giglio, which was a very fun experience. We couldn't wait to get back home and see the monkeys, and now we are trying to get back into the swing of normal life again.

10 anniversary and Gabbi

2010-10-01T13:23:00.010-05:00

So it's October and I blogged once in September. In my defense we were busy. But, I failed to commemorate our 10 anniversary, and there is no excuse for that my friends! Except to say I was actually celebrating our milestone rather than typing about it. We had a great day, and spent some time in wine country. In some ways it doesn't seem like 10 years have passed, and in other ways it has as I am feeling a bit ummm, older. I am so thankful for Brian, and that I found one of the best at such a young age. Let's face it, I was not looking for a husband at band camp! But, I needed him and God knew that, and I am very blessed.

In honor of our anniversary, I present to you a montage of Heather and Brian through the years:

San Francisco, we made some new friends.

Prom/homecoming fashions through the years. Pretty, huh?

I think this was within the first year or 2 of our marriage, we were vacationing in DC, and the Carolinas.

Our 1st Christmas tree.

College dress-up party.

One of Brian's office parties, classic.

Enough about us, how about our cute little bubble baby?

She's very adept at helping herself to snacks in the pantry.

Cheetos make her happy.

Tutu's do not.

She has also gotten good at stripping down in her crib, but at least she hasn't figured out how to get her diaper off.

Gabbi's 1st Steps!

2010-09-02T20:58:00.005-05:00

Someone suprised us last night with some walking!

Looks like we're going shoe shopping soon!

Gabbi's Birthday

2010-08-25T11:52:00.007-05:00

Gabbi turned one on the 15th! We had a great day, and started the morning with a little present opening. She liked the box better than the present.

She likes pushing the lids down, but hasn't mastered getting them up yet.

Later we had a little party for her.

We were excited because cousin Paige and Kyle were out from Rhode Island!

Kyle kept Bern very busy, or Bern kept Kyle busy, either way we didn't seem much of them the whole day.

Presents

Bella and cousin Elyse.

She wasn't so sure about the cake till I let her try some icing on my finger, then she was more than happy to destroy.

Happy birthday Gabbi, we love you!

Summer Pictures

2010-08-04T16:51:00.008-05:00

So I've been dying to get the kids pictures taken, especially the Gabsters, but we have had lots of unexpected house bills and couldn't swing it. Luckily Grandma L bought a new fancy smancy camera, lives in the beautiful country, was willing to let me use it, and I just so happen to have majored in photography a million years ago, so I decided to do it myself. Disclaimer: I put the camera on automatic and can't really remember much technical stuff so I did my best. But, I think we got some cute ones. Here are some of the favorites.

The kids are all doing well, the big kids are loving school and Gabbi's going to be turning on very soon, which seems so crazy.

I wanted to share this adoption blog giveaway, mainly for selfish reasons because I get entered into a drawing for a awesome camera if I do. But, it's always nice to support an adopting family, right?

Happy Birthday Heather!

2010-08-02T06:37:00.002-05:00

I'm hijacking the blog today to wish my lovely wife a happy birthday. You are loved Heather, and if we don't let you know that every day, then at least we will today.

Milestones!

2010-07-15T10:37:00.003-05:00

This big girl is officially a kindergartner! She was really excited this morning. She asked when the bus was coming 589 times, and unfortunately the bus decided to not come it all, so it was a long, sweaty morning.

So humid that I couldn't get a picture without the lens foggy up.

Mr. 1st Grader, and Mr. I'm going to tell Bella everything there is to know about kindergarten until she screams at me to stop.

So the morning got off to a slightly rough start because of the bus snafu, but they got to school eventually and settled in fine. Gabbi and I attended the boo hoo breakfast and met some other mama's and babies then came home to a very quiet house. I think I probably would have teared up when Bella got on the bus, but since the bus was a no-show and we had to rush to get to school I didn't have time to think about it. I'll miss both of them, but they were ready to go. Plus my workload just got a light lighter!

This little girl turns 11 months old today! Now I am crying!

summer happenings

2010-07-09T17:05:00.005-05:00

We've been hitting the parks, pools, and bbq pretty hard in an effort to get as much summer in before the kids go back to school next week. This week we headed out to clinton county to spend time with the grandparents and take swim lessons.

I've been learning to sew and made the girls some matching pillowcase dresses. It's so much fun to make cutesy girl stuff.

Not sure what she's doing, but she likes to get her arms out of her pajamas during nap times.

I'm a little embarrassed that she is wearing the same unmatching outfit in both of these pictures (they are two separate occasions).

We've been having fun but the older one's have decided to push each others buttons this summer, so mommy's a little ready for the break that school will bring.

Happy Birthday Bella!

2010-07-01T16:46:00.005-05:00

5 years ago today our sweet Bella arrived. I can't believe how fast the time is flying with these kids. In 2 weeks this baby girl is heading to kindergarten! Thank goodness for Gabbi or I would be sobbing right now.

Bella at 8 months

9 months
1st birthday

We've been celebrating the older kid's birthdays all month long whenever we can get together with family. This weekend Brian's family came over for a BBQ, slip and sliding, and a pinata smash. This year the cake theme was little mermaid. I was informed tonight that next year it will be Cinderella. Nothing like planning ahead.

Silly us made the mistake of putting lots of chocolate in the pinata and letting it hang outside too long, so lots of smashed, smushy candy.

Bella is still super girly, and loves being a big sister. Doesn't love being a little sister much, though. She enjoys cooking up tasty meals in her cafe and driving the tractor, as long as she can look like a lady while doing it. She also enjoys tea parties, swimming, and root beer.

The children are obsessed with fried shrimp, so we went out for a birthday lunch to the cracker barrel (close to daddy's office so he could meet us), and then onto the park. We finished the day off with some pizza, cake, and a bubble bath. Fun was had by all.

Happy birthday big girl!

VBS

2010-06-12T10:24:00.008-05:00

We had a fun week of vacation bible school last week, the theme was Egypt and we studied Joseph's life. Bella made some buddies and ate lots of good snacks.Gabbi stayed in the nursery so I could help out with the big kids. She took lots of buggy rides,

and a few naps along the way. Usually the babies in the buggy are happy, unless they spot Mommy along the route. So, throughout the day, you see mother's diving into stairwells and under desks if the buggy comes by unexpectedly.

This is the power team (the kids who lead worship) and the drama team. I help with the power team because I'm so, so very talented at singing and dancing. Or maybe no one else will do it.

We had a really good group of kids this year, I think it was the best year so far.
My friend Desi feeding the nasty birds her daughter rescued.

Songs and drama.

Bernard with the rascally rat Runihura.

It was nice to have a change of pace and vbs was a lot of fun this year, but we are all a little worn out. Next week is our first "normal" week with all the kids out of school. I have some grand plans for the 5 weeks they are off, but not sure if I can actually accomplish them or not.
This week the big plan is six flags. Pray for me.

The big man on campus

2010-06-09T19:26:00.004-05:00

is now 7 years old. He is now officially a 1st grader (gulp) and Bella is officially a kindergartner (double gulp). Since we had a lot of snow days this year he was able to celebrate his birthday (a day early) at school. He got a birthday crown at school and wore it the entire weekend. Morning, noon, and night. It might of accidently gotten buried in the bottom of the recyling can.

We headed out Breese for the weekend and celebrated with the family.

Bern's becoming quite the lego engineer. Brian's got him building us a lego shed in the back yard.

Spider man cake (again). Lots of smoke from all those candles.

Birthday dinner. Starting to run out of room around the table, guess we'll be using a leaf soon. Uncle Jason's feeling a little camera shy.

While the girls hit the pool,

the boys fished.

and they caught some!

Bernard thinks he going to leave the whole removing the fish from the hook thing to Grandpa. Maybe when he's 8 he can handle it.

The training wheels are off!

2010-06-01T10:33:00.002-05:00

Peer pressure has finally kicked in, and now he claims to be a biking "expert". That occasionally crashes.

It's almost summertime...

2010-05-27T19:52:00.004-05:00

which means it's time to hang out outside,
do a little crawling in the grass,

maybe a little swimming,

and some birthdays are coming up so we need to be baking!

This weekend we celebrated the kids birthdays with papa and memaw. The kids chose a day at six flags (thanks for the tickets dad and phyllis) over a big party so we will just have a day here and there with the different grandparents as schedules allow. Gabbi chose a party since she can't really enjoy six flags just yet.

Today I accompianed Bern's class on a trip to the butterfly house,such a neat place.

I love my little man.

Cockroaches and kindergartners, which is scarier?

My little group and their teacher, Mrs. Radel. God bless Mrs. Radel for teaching 24 crazy 5 years olds this year. I imagine she needs a stiff drink every night.

Bella completed preschool last week and is gearing up for kindergarten in about 7 weeks. I can't believe she is already old enough, I think I would be taking it a lot harder if I wasn't so busy with Gabbi. I'm going to miss having her around every day, but she's a little bored and loves school so she is very ready.

9 months!

2010-05-17T11:33:00.006-05:00

Gabbi has hit the 9 month mark, her babyhood seems to be going very fast to me. She likes to feed herself, and is so over baby food. We've had to bump up her bath to once a day due to the fact that she likes to feed herself.
Bernard and Bella are never far away when Gabbi is awake. Speaking of Bernard, I tried to give him a haircut with my dad's old clippers right before school on Friday...it didn't go very well. Luckily he was spending the weekend at Grammy's so my dad (the best barber in all of the land) fixed it.

Gabbi's at the "let's destroy whatever I can" faze, and if she can get her pudgy little hands on it then consider it destroyed. She also likes to eat things that aren't necessarily edible.

On Saturday she suprised us by pulling herself to a standing position. It's weird to walk into a room and see her standing up. Sometimes she get's stuck and just cries, and other times she unsticks herself by taking a nosedive.

Her painting is finally done! Can't wait to get it and hang it in her room!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:56:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the long absence! Our modem went kaput and I have too many kids. Since I've been gone I've made breakfast, lunch, and dinner about 67 times, wiped noses, pushed children on swings, got a new bike, rode the new bike, tickled bellies, and tried to get some sleep.

Today I woke up to lots of kisses and lovely gifts from the children, then we participated in our church's child dedication. It was blessing to us to have our church family (and real family) praying over us.

Gabbi's making her sassy-girl face.

Gabbi felt moved by the spirit and decided to bestow a blessing upon Bernard. Bella wishing the dedication would hurry up and get over with, she is missing snack time in her classroom.

Brian's mom made us a beautiful christening gown (out of my wedding shawl) when I was pregnant with Bernard, all three kids were able to wear it.

With Grammy

With Grandma and Grandpa.

Sassy-face swinging.

Then we finished out the day with some good family time and food.

8 Months!

2010-04-20T20:34:00.004-05:00

Last week Gabbi hit the 8 month mark, so we decided to have a day-long birthday bash. We hired a clown to entertain her while she ate her breakfast.

Then we had a sprinkler princess dance for her.

The sprinkler princess was a little shy and uncertain of the cold water at first.

But Gabbi cheered her on and the sprinkler princess performed an amazing show.

Gabbi is so much fun right now, army crawling everywhere, and loves eating "real" food. She has a third tooth coming in, and is a very content baby. She loves anything that is not a baby toy, and thinks her siblings hung the moon. She is at her prime in baby deliciousness right now!

2010-04-13T13:54:00.003-05:00

On Friday Bernard went to school, Bella was at Grammy's, and Brian took the day off (because having only one child is a vacation) so we could go enjoy the weather and the view at wine country gardens. It was yummy and relaxing, and Gabbi did great. My beloved enjoying a lovely glass of red.

Gabbi really likes to make out, and we are happy to oblige.

Friday Fun

2010-04-09T07:20:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I took Gabbi to sears to have some photos made. Obviously sears does a so-so job, check out how badly they framed her in most of the pictures and some of the shadows, but it was very cheap (as in I spent $8 total). I decided to wait for fall and have my favorite photographer shoot all the children, then we can use them for Christmas cards. Here are Gabbi and Bella in the same dress (too thrifty to buy a new one), Bella was about 3 months older. Check out the difference in hair.

Then there's this guy.

Quite the clown is he.

He is Risen!

2010-04-06T16:04:00.007-05:00

Happy Easter! Here are some pictures from our Easter celebration.

The kids checking out their loot, which consisted of bible man/ bible girl masks and capes, and lots of chocolate.

The classic bible man and bible girl poses.

Someone's taking her pose very seriously.

Someone's not so sure about her Easter presents.

That's better.

The bible children hunting for eggs.

There wasn't any one good picture of us together, so here are all 3 bad ones.

Gabbi with Aunt Melanie, check out that windy hair action.

Gabbi checking out grass and leaves for the first time.

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."

Hope you all had a wonderful day!

Gabbi's New Trick

2010-03-29T21:17:00.006-05:00

She makes a face like this and snorts.

We all love it so we spend the entire day trying to get her to do it.

Which means she has 4 people in her face, making this face, and snorting at her all day long.

I'm sure it's hard to be so loved.

2010-03-24T20:18:00.002-05:00

I'm having trouble keeping up with my life right now, and here is one of the reasons why! Baby girl keeps me on my toes! Biter biscuits are stupid.

The girls are big cuddlers in the morning, it's just one big love-fest. Till someone gets hungry.

Gabbi likes to take a tubby with her sister. They like to talk about girly things, such as the best shade of pink for toenails.

Bern has lost another tooth, and is now missing both bottom teeth, which is ironic because those are the two teeth that Gabbi has. So if he is having trouble chewing his steak we just let Gabbi have at it for a few minutes. He was really thrilled because he went to the dentist the day after and got a tooth box, which apparently is a hot commodity.

We got to catch up with a lot of friends this weekend, had a great time but it took a lot out of us. We need a vacation from our vacations!

2010-03-13T19:53:00.004-06:00

Where do we keep babies in the Luitjohan household?

Clue #1

Clue#2

Under the bed, silly, they keep longer there! With crusty baby food all over their cheeks (in case they get hungry).

And we put their bibs on so they look like capes, because who doesn't like the superhero look?

Got drool?

Bella Princess Mommy had her dial 3 screening (a developmental-type test) this week, and memorable moments included: When asked her first, middle and last name Bella replied Bella Princess Mommy. When asked what to do when you break something her reply was tell the truth (somebody's been watching veggie tales). She was shown pictures of colors, and was asked to name as many as she could in 30 seconds. Apparently she thought that meant she had to shout the colors, as LOUD AS POSSIBLE!

Bernard is out and about visiting all the grandparents this week, as it is cycle break time around here. We all miss him, but Bella especially, she's asked when he's coming back almost every hour since he left.

It appears

2010-03-05T11:01:00.003-06:00

That someone likes to get themselves stuck under beds.

She does anytime I put her down on the carpet, no matter how far from the bed I place her. Then she's all "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA" till I rescue her.

Bernard's first lost tooth!

2010-03-03T15:28:00.001-06:00

It was not without tears, it was not without drama, but we have a lost tooth! Our boy is getting big!

Happy Baby

2010-03-02T09:43:00.004-06:00

We have had 65 weekends in a row where at least one or more of us were sick, and frankly I'm sick of it. Glad that spring is on the horizon and bad germies will go into hibernation for a while. Despite having an ear infection, she's still pretty happy.

Warning: Cute baby laughing, so if you want to stay grumpy don't watch.

Skating!

2010-02-22T13:30:00.002-06:00

I took the big kids skating for the first time this weekend, it was a blast! They did really well and loved it. The rink we went to offered lessons, so we took those first and then free skated for a while. The sounds of children splatting on the ground during lesson time was priceless. I even strapped on a pair, a bit overconfident because I was a skating queen back in the day. I didn't fall down but it definitely felt awkward.

Ahhh the skating rink, brings back good memories of skating at the rink in Belleville, scrambling to find a cute boy to skate with during the slow skates, not to mention shoot the duck and limbo (which I totally rocked)! But my time is now over, and now the children will skate on to Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. But they will not slow skate, until they are at least 20.

6 months old!

2010-02-15T14:55:00.002-06:00

We can't believe how fast time is going with this little angel! She is so much fun right now, and her new trick is to shake her head no. All day long it's no no no no no. She can finally take a bottle well thanks to the weekend of no nursing, and enjoys her solid foods.

She has an ongoing love affair with her toes, and her brother and sister are experts at making her laugh. She warms up to new people quickly, as long as mommy or daddy are around. We are all so in love with her!

Extreme home makeover: bathroom edition

2010-02-14T14:12:00.003-06:00

Whoo hoo! The bathrooms are beautiful!!! It was a taxing few days, but well worth the effort. I even missed bunko, and I don't miss bunko very willingly. There are just a few odds and ends to take care of and then I'll post some before and after pictures. I just go from one bathroom to the other staring at them, I love home improvement (and I love that Brian's dad is a contractor willing to help us make our house pretty)!

Bern was a big help to Grandpa with all the building, and Bella provided entertainment by dancing around in her leotard. Gabbi didn't seem to mind all the noise, sleeping through everything. Oscar, on the other hand, had a bit more trouble and spent the last few days shaking in terror. Brian has been to home depot at least 15 times since Thursday, and I am the mistress of all the painting. Together, we are an unstoppable home improvement team that is a force to be reckoned with.

Now we rest, sleep, and will spend some quality time in the new bathrooms.

2010-02-07T21:12:00.002-06:00

Sorry the blog has been a little quiet...it's because our lives have been a little loud. We had one or more sick kiddo for the past 3 weekends and are getting ready for a double bathroom remodel. Which I'm very excited about, not the work but the finished product.

This weekend the Gabster picked up a yucky virus and was/is so sick. She went on (and is still on) a nursing strike, and isn't sucking her thumb either so her throat must be bothering her pretty bad. On Saturday she stopped nursing and had a fever so we were concerned she'd become dehydrated, but luckily she started taking a bottle and has been eating a few ounces here and there. I miss cuddling up to her while I nurse her and our quiet time together, hopefully she'll drop her picket sign soon and come back to me. I've tried to negotiate with her but she doesn't communicate so well.

So, needless to say we missed church again and missed the super bowl fun. Hopefully we'll be back to the land of the living soon!

Hot off the presses: Gabbi has (finally) rolled over!

2010-01-29T16:17:00.003-06:00

Down but not quite out.

2010-01-22T16:53:00.006-06:00

This week we had a visit from our beloved parents as teachers educator. She recommended reading a book to Gabbi everyday, and I have to admit I groaned a bit inside because lately there is not enough time in the day. But, a little tiny light bulb went off in my brain. Combine the fact that Bella loves to "read" to anyone with ears and Gabbi needs a story a day and what have you got?

Bam!

We are all down with colds this week, and spent a lot of time lying around. From left to right: Daddy, Reid-O, Bella, Panda, Pinky-pie, Gabbi, and beary.

Poor Gabbilicious had her first ear infection, but she's taking it like a champ. Check out that drool action.

Hopefully this weekend will be restful and everyone will be back to 100% by Monday.

5 months!

2010-01-14T13:15:00.002-06:00

Bella playing with Gabbi. In her swimsuit. In Gabbi's bumbo chair.

Gabbi's entering her 5th month of life! She has 2 teeth, eats cereal, and has tried bananas. She does not sit up yet (too top heavy), or roll over (too bottom heavy). She is so happy and sweet, and lights up when she sees a familiar face. She loves her sister, brother, and teething toys. She is 17lbs of pure joy!

Smiley Girl

2010-01-12T15:33:00.001-06:00

2010-01-08T17:07:00.001-06:00

Sledding down our driveway.

Reason #6 why we had kids. I took this picture while sipping hot chocolate, snug as a bug in the house.

Going to bed after midnight ruins me for at least 4 days.

2010-01-04T15:18:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year! We rang in the new year with my lovely cousin Stacy (who is like a sister to me) and her boys. We had Chinese food, fondue, Champagne, and sparkling cider for the kids. The kids didn't like the cider, will not be wasting money on that again.

The pack and play was set up in order to accommodate baby Charlie, but the older kids decided to take over and play super babies in it. If you are a Dora the Explorer viewer you know what super babies are. If you are not a Dora viewer, consider yourself lucky. Brian gets excited when visitors are over, he considers himself a sort of amateur mixologist. He was so busy making a strange rum/hot chocolate concoction for us that we all missed the big countdown. Alas, I stayed up till midnight for nothing! It was fun to have someone over, we've been out of the loop lately and I miss other adults.

Bern, Benjamen, and Bella being super babies.

Babies Gabbi and Charlie, working hard to smile but their cheeks are too heavy.

All the kiddos the morning after.

The girls partied a little too hard.

In honor of the new year, Gabbi produced a tooth. It's a nice little tooth, all white and pointy. She resolves to get more teeth this year, and maybe sit up, roll over, crawl. She's also been eyeballing us eating and drinking, so we started cereal. She's concerned with her weight gain lately, so she only took a few bights. The drool production is at full force, we might need some more bibs.

I took 2 pictures of Christmas.

2009-12-30T12:49:00.002-06:00

We had so much fun I forgot to get out the camera. Our Christmas in a nutshell: Gabbi gnawed on things.
Bella's sleeping beauty dreams have all come true. Bern's many wishes were granted as well.

On Monday, Bern made a snow ball. Today he added to it.

We had a good Christmas, just busy. We are blessed with lots of fun family functions, but it can be a bit hard when you have a baby in tow. The kids (and mommy and daddy) received lots of great presents, delicious food was consumed, and fun was had by all. Hope your Christmas was joyous too!

2009-12-22T16:11:00.002-06:00

Gabbi's discovered her toes.

They are good for staring at, and inserting into mouths.

But they were a bit slippery.

So we used hands instead.

When the dirt is really bad...

2009-12-21T09:44:00.000-06:00

Gabbi's 4 months!

2009-12-18T12:49:00.002-06:00

To celebrate she had a check-up and 2 shots:( She is weighing in at 15 lbs, 12 oz. Oink oink.
She is blowing raspberries, trying to roll over, grabbing things and mouthing them, and using her voice for happy yelling. She is a sweet baby, but has been showing signs of reflux. She's been hard to feed and sleeping less (among other things) and we are going to try some medicine to see if that helps. She loves her brother and sister, and they are always wanting to hug/hold/smother her. She would like milk for Christmas.

Bella's preschool had an Advent service, she really enjoyed singing but looked a little skeptical while doing it. She really loves her preschool and likes to learn. She seems to be taking after daddy on the education front. She would like anything sleeping beauty for Christmas this year, with a little snow white on the side.

First snow of the year, nice big flakes but nothing stuck. Bern is very anxious to wear his new snow boats, he's been breaking them in around the house. He would like some real tools from Santa, so he can wreak further havoc upon our home.

Cabin Fever

2009-12-16T08:24:00.000-06:00

Bella spent 9 hours in a swimsuit the other day, in December.

Tis the Season

2009-12-10T19:48:00.002-06:00

For ginger bread house building.

Do to the tough economic times, we hired a non-union contractor. If you look closely you'll see that this house has a skylight.

And had some other problems.

So we gave up on the house and moved onto gingerbread men.

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-08T10:23:00.003-06:00

Only we didn't have breakfast, because Mommy forgot her checkbook and had no cash. Classic Mommy. But, the kids had already eaten anyway, and the line for the pancakes was super long, so we just did crafts and saw Santa. Bella was afraid of him, so Bern relayed the message that she wanted some sleeping beauty stuff. On Bern's list: a rubber sword, a stuffed power ranger (for the 3rd year in a row, I'm not sure why Santa doesn't bring him one already) and something else power ranger. Note-the boy has never seen a power ranger show, not sure why he loves them so.

I love this picture, and how Bern is playing with Santa's beard.

Bella was cranky about having to wait her turn for the sprinkles.

Still waiting, still cranky.

That's enough sprinkles Bernie!

We got pancakes from McDonald's on the way home, because they accept major credit cards.

Christmas Cutie

2009-12-03T21:39:00.003-06:00

Our Christmas Angel

It's hard to believe that last year we were just finding out the we were expecting her, and it felt great to hang up 5 stockings this year. Our family feels complete to me now. One of my friends was saying that it's hard to be "done" having babies, because your identity is "mom to small children" for so long, and suddenly those children grow up a bit. I love having a baby in the house, but it is a challenge to really be there for each child and I think that any more than 3 (for us) would be difficult.

I've started the holiday baking and am already sugared out. I really want to start a weight loss program, but it seems so futile this time of year. The older kids are so excited, we are counting down the days on their (chocolate) advent calendars, courtesy of Aunt Phyllis.

Elfie is also back , keeping a watchful eye on the children's behavior. Yesterday Bella was being a bit snotty and I told her Elfie was watching, she later proclaimed she didn't want to "do" Christmas anymore because she was tired of Elfie telling Santa about her naughtiness. I wonder if she realizes that maybe she could just be good, and still get the presents?

A Thanksgiving Tale

2009-11-25T22:06:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time a cute little pilgrim arrived in the new world.

There she met an Indian named Dash.

The Indian showed her how to hunt wild animals and grow food.

She was grateful for all of his help, and baked him a turkey.

The turkey was not pleased to be baked. The end.
Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16

Gabbi's discovered

2009-11-23T09:42:00.002-06:00

how to wave.

Bernard's discovered

2009-11-22T15:38:00.002-06:00

how to climb trees.

2009-11-13T15:56:00.002-06:00

Someone's been thumb sucking.

But she's also learned to put herself to sleep.

And it's just so cute.

Never thought I would have a baby that could put herself to sleep and sleep through the night this young. We are beyond grateful for it, it makes life with an infant so much simpler. The other kiddo's are doing well, we are starting to think about Christmas and getting preparations started for that. I get overwhelmed easily lately, but am learning to talk myself down from it. I want to find a way to get things done but still have time to play and relax. I just need to hire a grocery service and someone to clean my floors. I would need to pay them with cookies. Anyone?

Happy Girl

2009-11-07T16:54:00.002-06:00

Brian and I get to enjoy the little lady all by herself this weekend, the older monkey's are at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We watched a movie last night, and went for lunch at one of the wineries today, Gabbi is a big fan of Missouri wines. Just kidding, she actually prefers French wines. So grateful for our families for giving us breaks!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T21:40:00.002-05:00

With love from,

Batman

Cinderella

and a very sweet banana.

Pumpkins by Brian and Bern, and only one scratch in the kitchen table.

Sad and Silly

2009-10-29T10:14:00.002-05:00

Sad news first, the older germy kids infected the precious little baby with a cold. Gabbi is snorting around like a little piggy. Here she is trying to get away from it all.

On the silly front, Richard Simmons came to our house and dressed Bella last night, note the gloves that are being worn as leg warmers.

Bella changes clothes at least four times a day. She has changed her mind on her Halloween costume 6 times. Finally I had to decide for her. She also remembers special events by what she was wearing and or eating. We'll say "remember when you went to see Dora Live?", and she say "yes and I wore my bootiful polka dot dress and white easter shoes and had popcorn for a snack." She can remember what she was wearing and eating as far back as 2 years ago. I believe Brian's credit cards will be in serious trouble soon.

fall fun

2009-10-26T09:17:00.003-05:00

These pictures make me happy.

Bern was a bit camera shy (maybe because he was wearing his 2T sized cowboy costume) but let me take one.

Green Day

2009-10-20T18:53:00.003-05:00

Bernard had a good day at school yesterday and made up a little ditty to go with it. Bella was not impressed. Sorry it's sideways, I always forget it turns up like that if I turn the camera.

In other news Gabbi had her 2 month checkup yesterday and weighs 13 lbs! She is pleasantly plump. I disinfected my hands 323 times at the office, hopefully we can keep her healthy this season. I gave Bern a lecture on washing his hands at school a lot, and he promptly sneezed and wiped his nose with his hand. It's not going to be an easy battle.

2 months old!

2009-10-15T10:05:00.002-05:00

Who's the sweetest little lady that sleep for 7 hour stretches,

Smiles, coos, and sucks her hand like it's coated in chocolate,

and lights up when her brother and sister come in the room?

It's Gabbi, otherwise known as Gabbilicious, because she is delicious.

Batman and Robin

2009-10-13T20:10:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin patch 2009, otherwise known as watch Brian and Heather scramble to parent 3 kids.

2009-10-10T16:39:00.006-05:00

Bella locating the perfect pumpkin.

Bella realizing the pumpkin got her muddy.

Bella insisting on removing the muddy coat, because the princess cannot be dirty.

King of the hay bales.

Scary.

Hayride

Bella smiling so broadly for the camera.

Muddy boy.

Gabbi and mommy.

Some of the kids in our small group.

The pumpkin patch was not the most relaxing this year as Bella was grouchy, Bern was a tad naughty, and Gabbi screamed a bit too much. But, we got some good pics and at the end of the day it's not about how much fun you have, it's about looking like you had fun in the pictures.

Guess who's 32?

2009-10-08T21:38:00.005-05:00

Hope you had a day as good as this one! We love you lots!

Muffin Top

2009-10-07T14:33:00.003-05:00

Brian was dressing Gabbi for church and was amused at her chunkiness in tights. He took some pics:

she was not amused.

Wish muffin top was as cute on me as it is on her.

2009-09-28T20:32:00.004-05:00

Due to another bout of mastitis, I played the role of sleeping beauty this weekend. Only I didn't look so beautiful. My prince charming took good care of us, and Bernard was on vacation in Chicago with Grammy, so we weren't hit too terribly hard. Luckily Bella is always ready to lend a helping hand, here she is reading Gabbi a story during Gabbi's bath time. If only I could teach her to scrub toilets.

Today I felt much better and Gabbi slept a ton so I got all caught up and then some. Gabbi has decided to fatten up for the upcoming winter season, I have started calling her our little Christmas goose. She is also smiling a lot and we've even got an occasional giggle, so yummy!

Recipe For Disaster

2009-09-24T09:15:00.003-05:00

Take 2 kindergartners, mix well with water and chalk.

Add 1 black dog, 5 minutes before dinner is ready.

Fold in a sleeping baby that begins squalling 2 minutes before dinner is ready, and a mommy that only received 4 1/2 hours of sleep the night before.

Sprinkle in a hungry 4 year old. Call one kindergartner's father and tell them it's time to pick up their daughter. Send husband outside to clean up children and dog. Apparently when you mix chalk with water it turns into paint and doesn't come off easily. Pick up screaming baby, throw some goldfish at the 4 year old. Little girl's brother arrives to pick her up, she is still covered in chalk. Give up on dinner, feed baby. Send the boy to the showers, husband baths dog, throw the 4 year old some fruit snacks. Have dinner an hour later.

Gabbi's 1 Month! Married 9 Years!

2009-09-15T13:30:00.004-05:00

Happy one month birthday Gabbi! Happy anniversary Brian! We were gifted a night at the Rennaisance this weekend, it was very nice and relaxing. Gabbi came along for the celebration and her anniversary gift to us was to only wake up one time that night! She also slept through our yummy dinner at mosiac. Here are some pics from the weekend.

A Week of Firsts

2009-09-11T15:51:00.002-05:00

Gabbi's 1st bath, which went well.

Bella's 1st day of school, which she loved.

Our 1st family outing, which started off badly, and then went well, and then ended OK. We decided to go to Klondike Park in Augusta, and Gabbi started screaming as soon as her tushy hit her car seat. We stopped at the gas station to gas up the car and see if Gabbi had some gas to relieve. She decided she wasn't done eating, and Brian decided he couldn't get the gas cap off. Apparently Mazda is having a problem with this, we aren't just dummies who can't remove their gas caps. Since we didn't have enough gas to get to Augusta and back, we had to rethink the plans a bit, and decided since it was already lunch time to go to lunch and then a more local park/playground. Unfortunately we decided to eat at Applebee's, and it wasn't very good. That didn't stop us from actually eating though, and we both ate too much and then felt gross afterwards. But, Gabbi slept the whole time, which worked out well.

I've also made it out of the house by myself twice this week with the girls, which felt like a big accomplishment and left me a bit sweaty and disheveled. Life is slowly returning to normal, and Gabbi is sleeping well which helps a ton. This weekend we are going to the renaissance hotel downtown to celebrate our anniversary, Grammy took the older kids and Gabbi will be celebrating with us. I told Brian that he could stap her on in the baby biorn and we could hit the night clubs on Washington, ha. Should be good times.

Gabrielle's Photo Session

2009-09-04T13:06:00.002-05:00

Our Gabbi-girl is fattening up a bit.

She doesn't miss many meals.

She is a much better sleeper than the other two, usually only waking up twice a night.

The jury is still out on whether she has reflux or not, hopefully not.

Isn't she yummy? I love having a baby to cuddle again. The other kids seem ginormous compared to her.

Wanted:

2009-08-28T16:54:00.003-05:00

For sneaking into his baby sister's room at the crack of dawn and trying to feed her a sippy cup of milk. Also, for stealing sugar and trying to eat it under the guest bed.

Suspect may be armed with a buzz light year lazer gun and should be considered dangerous to the sweets in your pantry. If you see him, please notify his father as his mother has mastitis and doesn't want to be bothered.

Little Cuddlebug

2009-08-25T20:16:00.004-05:00

In honor of her one week birthday, Gabrielle awoke at 3:00 am, nursed, then had a diaper change. During the aforementioned diaper change, I was not fast enough with the new diaper and she wet through the burp cloth I had underneath her, the quilt under the burp cloth, the sheets under the quilt, and to the mattress pad. I will not be changing her on the bed anymore. She is doing great, and we are enjoying being a family of 5 very much.

Our Matching Girls

2009-08-21T15:07:00.002-05:00

Surprisingly these pajamas came from different locations and people, I just realized that they matched last night. Ms. Gabbi is doing well, she definitely likes her milk, she's been eating at least every 2 hours, except for night-time when she goes just a bit longer.

Today is Brian's first day back and we are doing fine, would be a bit better on a little more sleep. We are all enjoying having a baby in the house again, love the fuzzy head, the cuddles, the cooing and snorts. Bernard likes to come home from school and park himself wherever Gabbi is, he can't seem to get enough of her. I can't believe she's been here a week tomorrow!

Worth the Wait

2009-08-16T19:56:00.005-05:00

Before

12 hours later

The sweet pea

How much does Gabbi look like daddy?

The kids looooove her!

We are so blessed, and thrilled to be a family of 5! The birth went great and Gabbi is very calm, and a great nurser. It is wonderful to finally be able to cuddle her, and the kids are so excited for her to be here. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Finally She's Here! And the real name is...

2009-08-15T16:36:00.010-05:00

Gabrielle Louisa Luitjohan was born at 3:15am on August 15, 2009. She's 8lbs, 7oz, 20in, and so sweet. She was of course worth the long wait - we'll keep her. Thanks for all the prayers and wishes. We are so blessed and grateful! Love you all.

The kids, although it doesn't show here, were very proud and pleased. Bella sobbed that she couldn't take her back home with her yet.

2009-08-14T08:29:00.002-05:00

The plan today is to head to our doctor's appt at 11:00, then hopefully head to the hospital after that. Please lift us up in prayer for a safe and easy delivery, and a healthy happy baby. My sister will update my facebook acct after summer girl arrives. Thanks!

Light at the end of the tunnel.

2009-08-11T19:23:00.004-05:00

We went back to the doctor's office today, and saw a different nurse practitioner than last week (who was much more helpful and informative). I'm still at a 3, in her opinion summer girl's head is still a bit high up (even though it feels like she is on my bladder to me) and that's why I've not made much progress in the last few weeks. She said when the head is pressing down on the cervix it keeps moving along. She did a membrane sweep, in an attempt to get things going again, and baby had a non-stress test to make sure she is still doing well.

I'm scheduled to see the doctor on Friday, and should be heading to the hospital for an induction after that, assuming the hospital is not overbooked. We are going to try to keep the induction as "naturally friendly" as possible, so hopefully once my body starts having regular, strong contractions they can take me off the pitocin and see if my body will keep it up. We're still hoping to have a spontaneous labor before then, but it's nice to know there is an end in sight. We are not making this decision lightly as I really don't want to be induced, but by Friday will be 9 days overdue (they usually don't recommend going over 14 days because the placenta starts to break down), and there is a bit of concern about how big the baby is (Bern was almost 9 lbs at term and Bella was 8lbs).

We have been spending the last few weekends doing lots of fun things for the kids , because soon their world will come crashing down around them:) This weekend we let them do the trampoline thing at the mall, so cute. Bella was so light she barely touched the trampoline on the way down, so the worker would grab her feet and pull her down so she would bounce higher.

I have been out to eat like every other day (thanks Brian, thanks Grammy) because yummy food keeps me from going crazy. On a final note, should we start calling summer girl fall girl?

We have some babies...just not summer girl.

2009-08-08T08:16:00.006-05:00

And this is captain underpants, with a mickey mouse hat.

Stubborn Little Summer Girl

2009-08-05T15:50:00.003-05:00

I had my doctor's appt today, not much has changed since last week (boooo) but I am trying to be encouraged that I'm at a 3, and this baby will come out any time. Can't be pregnant forever, right? I am trying to relax, keep my mind off it, and picture our sweet baby arriving soon. Please pray for a safe delivery and healthy baby, and I'll update if anything changes.

Happy Birthday Heather!

2009-08-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late, but still on time. Just wanted the blogience to know Heather is thirty-one today and I don't know why I've been so blessed to have a wife like her. I would like to post a handful of fun pictures of her, but she never lets me take here picture. Oh wait, I did find a couple....

I won't mention the continued unborn state of my second daughter because this is Mommy's day.

Love, Brian

2009-07-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

I had my weekly doctor's appt today, was dilated to a 3, and had my membranes swept. My silly, silly doctor informed me that he is leaving for a week-long vacation on Saturday. After I kicked him, I asked who his back-up was and if he was on board with my birthing wishes (he is). On Sunday when I was dropping off Bella in her nursery room at church, a little boy looked at me a bit horrified and asked me how many babies were in my belly. I was chatting with a friend at the time and we both started to laugh, and I told him just 1 but she was just about ready to come out. He looked at my friend and said "that is one big baby!" I kicked him too.

I'm going to be pregnant for the rest of my life.

2009-07-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

Despite 3 days of contractions and cramping, and one trip to the hospital (I don't want to talk about it, but I am officially one of those girls who thinks they are in labor but are not, despite the fact that this is my 3rd pregnancy) I am still pregnant. Before you read on beware: there is a funny story coming that borderlines on too much info, so stop reading if you don't want to know. I lost my plug this morning, which has meant in the past pregnancies that labor will start shortly. I was excited and proclaimed to the household what had happened. Bernard said "don't worry mommy, I'm a plumber and I'll find your plug." He had no idea what I was talking about, and a few minutes later and proudly produced my ear plugs that I keep in my pillow case when I want to take a nap and the house is noisy. Um, thanks Bernard.

So, my plan is to get a good nights sleep and wake up to strong contractions, go to the hospital, have a 2 hour labor, and meet summer girl. Wish me luck!

Nursery Pictures

2009-07-22T18:42:00.000-05:00

Do you like the pink side of the blanket over the glider?

Or the chocolate with pink polka dots?

The swing will be moved out once baby is here.

This is pretty much the nursery, we are also having a painting done with summer girl's real name and in our nursery colors to hang above the crib. I also need to get a few nick knacks from hobby lobby to fill in the other spaces that look a little bare.

We had a very good doctor's appt today! I am at a 2, and he said based on the condition of my cervix (sorry if this is too much info) he would expect labor to begin soon. Yay! But also trying not to get my hopes up.

37 1/2 weeks, hopefully the last pregnant picture.

2009-07-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

If one more stranger asks me "when is that baby coming out?" I will cry. Not that I haven't been crying, but I will cry some more. Summer girl, PLEASE come out, mommy really wants to meet you.

1st day of kindergarten!

2009-07-18T14:51:00.000-05:00

Our little man on his first day of preschool, at 3 years old.

All grown up (well, almost)!

The little ducklings getting on the bus.

Bye Mommy, see you in 8 hours!

Bella missed him all day, she even talked to him like he was still here. He had a great time, so far he seems to love it and be doing well. I guess since he's been going to preschool (for a speech delay) and pre-k for so long it didn't seem that different, except I didn't have to pick him up at midday (which I have to admit was nice). I saw the OB on Friday, am dialated to 1 1/2. Was hoping for 3, but I'll take it. My friends threw me a lovely sprinkle last Tuesday, it was so much fun and summer girl got lots of great loot. She will be very well-dressed in all of the latest fashions. Her nursery is looking very cute, I'll post some pictures soon.

Summer Happenings

2009-07-14T15:48:00.000-05:00

Bella's birthday pinata.

Bella's dora cake (the one she's been asking for since the day after her 3rd b-day).

Bern (Batman), Bella, and cousin Elyse enjoying a healthy breakfast of donuts.

Our little slugger.

I'm still pregnant. Last night I got stuck on my back and felt like a cockroach, unable to get off it. My body is definitely showing signs of readiness, a few things that didn't happen at all with the other two, so I'm curious to see if I go to my due date. I'm fighting moodiness and hormones, and back to the first trimester tiredness feeling, but I think it's just because I don't sleep well at night. So, I'm a really fun mommy right now. But alas, there is light at the end of the tunnel! Bern starts school Thursday, and Bella's taking a vacation to Grammy's next week for swim lessons. And, I can't be pregnant much longer, right?

Operation Baby Watch, 2009

2009-07-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

Instead of posting a 36 week picture, I'll just post Gloria because that's who I most resemble at this time. What can I say, my husband "loves to love me" and there are consequences to that. If you haven't seen Madagascar 2 then disregard what I'm saying because it won't make much sense.

We went in for my weekly checkup yesterday and I'm one centimeter dilated! Not that it means anything but it's better than not being dilated at all. I've been having irregular contractions here and there and the baby dropped a couple weeks ago. We went to six flags on Tuesday (I think I can owe the one centimeter to trudging around the steaming blacktop) and I was denied every single ride there except the colossus. I highly recommend not going to six flags while preggo, at least silver dollar city allowed me to ride the kiddie rides and a few others. An older attendant wouldn't even allow me to ride the scooby doo ride (former castaway kids for all of you who haven't been there in a while) because I was in the "family way". He actually asked me if I was in the family way. I tried to suck my belly in, but was not successful. Not sure how a boat ride that goes less than 1 mile an hour could be harmful to summer girl, but whatever.

Yesterday my mom took the kids out for the day and treated me to a pedicure, so now the nurses and doctors can admire my beautiful tootsies while I labor. I also stocked up on Bernie's school supplies, he starts kindergarten in one week! The kids are both doing well, but not getting along as well as they usually do, I think they are getting sick of each other. Bella's perfecting the art of screaming and Bern's working on his aggravating skills. Mommy's ready for school to start!

Happy Birthday Bella!

2009-06-30T20:23:00.000-05:00

4 months old, wearing the SLU shirt her daddy bought for our future children when he was a freshman at SLU. I (still in high school) was feeling insecure about our relationship (he was out gallivanting around campus while I was stuck at home) and he bought this shirt to reassure me.

One year old.

2 years old.

3 years old.

Almost four.

Bella,
From the first day in the hospital we could tell you were a calm, sweet girl. You bleed pink and purple, and love anything girly, although your brother's love of superhero's is starting to rub off on you. You have a tender heart and are so easy to love and cuddle. You are starting to show some attitude here and there, and are sticking up for yourself to your brother more often. You bring us much joy, we are so thankful for you.
Love,
Daddy and Mommy

Snip Snip

2009-06-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

Guess who cut her hair today?

With a child's scissors?

While I was in the same room, and didn't even notice?

Emergency trip to the hairy elephant!

It was too hot for all that hair anyway, right?

2009-06-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

I'm in the annoying part of the pregnancy where all I can think about is the nursery and the birth. It's a lot like planning a wedding and not thinking about what life will be like after the day, all you can think about is the event. We ended up switching doctors this week, I went back to the doctor who delivered Bella. I left his practice because his office was about a half hour from our house, and I have trouble making it to an appointment 5 minutes away, let alone 30. He was very natural birth/low interventions friendly, which I loved. But, at the time we weren't even sure about having another so I wasn't too concerned.

The doctor I switched too was very nice, but very conservative. We gave him a list of birthing wishes (that was printed out from the hospital's web page-nothing too radical) and he wasn't exactly on board. I believe his first comment was "sure hope it's not a long labor" which did not give me the best vibe. I have also been told a couple stories from friends that delivered with him that he gave them an episiotomy even though they told him not to, which I think is a breach of trust. Anyway, my old doctor now has an office in O'fallon, and I figured it couldn't hurt to ask if I could come back. So, we are back and now I feel much better. Also, my due date has moved back down to the original date, Aug. 5th, yay! Not that the baby is not going to come till she wants to come, but it makes me feel better.

Her room is looking pretty, we kept the walls sage and are going with a chocolate/pink minky dot motif. I'll post some pictures when it's a little further along. Have I mentioned that it is hot here? Because it is. Very very hot.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

2009-06-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

Sorry for all the gray hairs!

Love you lots,
Bernard, Bella, and Summer Girl