December 2011

I’m so proud that I’m getting this up so soon after November’s post -woo hoo!

December started just like any other month, but I remember very clearly when I put our new calendar up on the fridge there was a big twinkle in my eye when I started to write “fly to KC” on it.  We were very excited to end the month with my family for Christmas!

Anna is so creative- here she is with her blocks.  She has two sets and plays with both often.  On the left we have a dog (with an extremely long neck), and on the right she made a person out of her circles and half-circles.  She’s always so proud of her work- I love it.

Emily had two firsts in the same day:  her first cold & fever along with her first big-girl bath.  You wouldn’t know it from the picture but she was so congested that I needed to give her a vapor bath, and I knew the baby tub wouldn’t cut it.  She loved it, though- super cute!

Anna & Jack had a Christmas show at their preschool- it was adorable.   Here’s Jack with his teacher, our beloved Rosy (we love her so much!).

After the show the kids got to line up and talk to Santa.  To my surprise, Anna was super excited to talk to him this year, and she didn’t shed a tear.  If I had known, I’d have taken her to the mall for some more “pro” shots, but I didn’t want to risk it after prior experiences.  Jack followed suit- he saw Anna go up and talk to him, so up he went.

In a whirlwind of a weekend we found ourselves short one tenor sax and up one piano! I sold my tenor sax from my college years and we put the money towards a used electric piano.  It’s not a dream piano, for sure, but it is nice to have a piano of some sort in the house. I’m slowly getting my fingers back, and the kids love it.  Sharing is a new focus now- can you imagine why?

When we left for KC the trip was surprisingly easy.  Packing was actually the most stressful part- the kids were awesome.  All three flew like pros, and I’m hoping we changed a few child-less people’s minds about kids and traveling- they were so well-behaved.  As soon as we got there it was time to jump into introducing Miss Em to her KC family.  Here she is meeting her two aunts (neither of them liked her very much):

Anna was delighted to find out that her cousin, Paul, had a tea set to play with.  They had tea at least twice.  Jack just played along.  We did have to remind Anna that crackers do not go in the teapot.

Of course, Em was very happy to see her Papa and Grandma Shearer, and they were happy to play with her.

Here are “the big kids” on Christmas Eve just after church.  It’s really hard to get three wired kids to stand still, smile, and look at the camera all together.

Christmas morning was awesome- Anna was so excited, and Jack was so oblivious.  He caught on pretty quickly.  They received so many wonderful presents from our family- lucky kids!

Jack in some “boogie monster” legs- can’t wait until it shows up in the box we shipped back to SD.  And Anna is very excited to dress up like a pirate.

Some other random pics from our visit.  My mom reading the kids “Twas the Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve, Em hangin’ with Papa’s shoes, Em & her Daddy, and the kids enjoying milkshakes and a movie at the same table my sisters and I used when we were little.

Anna made cookies with my sister, Lea Ann.  Lea Ann is a master cookie maker, and was so sweet with Anna- she let her do WAY more than I do in the kitchen.  It was a good lesson for me to let her do more.

Our time with Paul was cut short because he got a double-whammy of sickness- boo!  Croup and a stomach virus makes for a very unhappy camper and very unhappy parents.  Someday we will visit KC and everyone will stay healthy.  Someday.

Lastly, Anna and I opened a can with a “message bean” in it.  I think I received it as a gift when she was a baby, and I have just never opened it.  Now that she’s old enough to appreciate it, we’re going to see what happens.  It’s supposed to grow a bean that says “I love you.”  We’ll see…

Happy 2012!

November 2011

I hardly took any pictures this month, and I think it’s because somewhere in November I became obsessed with our closets.  Seriously- I was possessed.

Let’s start with Miss Em, shall we?  She’s pushing up when on her tummy.  I still get crazy looks when I tell people that I don’t do tummy time with our kids- they don’t need it!  They just pop up on their own at about this age.  I love these pictures- she’s in her “jungle bed” (a.k.a. baby contraption #8,320,000).   She was cooing and ah-ing at herself- it was adorable, of course.

Emily is quite possibly the happiest baby ever, as evidenced by these photos taken during a diaper & clothing change.  She giggles and smiles at the slightest funny sound. She is also grabbing and gnawing on her toes.  So sweet.

Lastly, Em is playing in her exersaucer- she loves it!  I think she likes being upright the best- if I put her in there and she’s not hungry or tired, she can hang in here for up to an hour.  Lucky mommy!

Jack is talking more and more- it’s helping in a lot of areas.  He’s also really getting into focused playing with toys.  Here he is sitting next to some blocks he lined up, which is a big thing for him to do.  He was super proud of them, too.

Anna is still drawing up a storm.  She is also obsessed with her baby sister.  She loves making her laugh and smile and will do anything it takes to see her baby sister happy.

Over Thanksgiving weekend we had a visitor in our yard.  There is definitely a pack of coyotes living in the hills behind our house- we hear them yip and howl at night.  This one must have been super hungry because we saw him in the early morning hours trying to root out a gopher.  Unfortunately he was not successful, but we were cheering him on because…we have a TON of gophers in our yard!

Thanksgiving was so busy that I hardly took pictures, and of course, the one cute one I take: blurry.  But it’s still cute- Em and her Papa Chiles.

December is up next!

October 2011

Warning:  picture-heavy post ahead!

October started with the end of my parents’ visit. Boo.  But we did get this awesome picture:

After they left, Jack felt it necessary to express his displeasure at being given a grilled cheese sandwich:

We had a few days to prepare for Jenna, John & Ella’s visit.  Jenna and John are friends from college, and now they have beautiful, sassy and fun Ella- she’s 2.  We have tons of fun memories together, and having friends like them is what makes life awesome.  I love it when you can be away from people for so long, and then when you see them again it’s like no time has passed.

Jenna took all of the following photos with her camera.  You’ll be able to tell when they go back to my camera- the pictures will not look nearly as cool anymore. 

We decided to hit Sea World.  What was nice is that we hadn’t been in ages, so it was new for all of us again.  And, we decided to stay all day.  Anna is forever telling me that she wishes we could “stay all day” wherever we go, so this was super fun for her.

Ella and Jack sort of look like they are on a reality TV show in the one on the left, don’t they?  “We are ready to take this place on!”

Sweet Ella.

I  had all 4 kids on me- hilarious!

Anna jumping- so happy she got to go in.

Ella Bella

Jenna and I loved these mirrors- Jack wasn’t so sure…

Sweet Em just hangin’ in the stroller

John provided plenty of rides for Anna

Visiting the dolphins- one of my favorite parts

Feed the seals- so fun and they are so ridiculous about a few fish!

Sweet Anna

Michael was able to come for the last half of the day.  He showed up at just the right time- we were doing fine without him, but having one more adult made it much more pleasant.

Getting some wiggles out

Rides: something I get to do with my kids forever- Michael doesn’t do rides well (but he gets to do the ER runs- fair trade?)

When all else fails, get some chocolate ice cream.

Jack was very into his ice cream.  So was Ella, as evidenced by that awesome chocolate face.

Checking out the “tidepools” before the Shamu Show

Shamu!

…and we’re done.  Or at least Ella was- she fell asleep in John’s arms before we even reached the car.  The sign of a good day.  An awesome day.

Other pictures from their visit:

So sad they couldn’t stay forever.   I really think if we lived in the same city I’d need and want to live within walking distance.  We love you, John, Jenna & Ella!

Cool coloring placemats

Anna is forever coloring and writing

Bumbo!

Jack is obsessed with motorcycles.  On the right- this is how I found him at the end of his nap.  He had put on PJ pants, or at least tried to- he could only get them just above his knees, then he gave up and fell asleep.

Anna asked to hold Emily, which is a normal request…

….but Jack finally caught on and asked to hold her for the first time.  For some reason I didn’t want to pressure him to hold her, so I just waited.  I knew he’d ask eventually.  It was super sweet- he didn’t want to give her up, gave her kisses and hugs, and kept saying, “Hi, Em-o-lee, hi!”

Face painting

Giggles

Bates Nut Farm

Em with her Godfather

Halloween Festivities

To see more about Anna’s costume, click here.

September 2011

Whoops.  I’m behind.  Lots of editing and uploading is in my future!

September was wonderful.  Sometimes I wish we could spell it “wonderFULL.”   We were so excited that my parents were able to come visit.  Before they came we enjoyed a visit to the Miniature Railroad Museum in Balboa Park.  It reminded me of my Grandpa.

Anna has been spending ridiculous amounts of time dressing up.  I love that she is sometimes a princess, and other times she is “super girl.”

Before my parents’ arrival, Michael and I got to take a short trip up to Mammoth to see our friends Mike & Wendy get married. We were so excited about this weekend- two friends joining in marriage, and some down time.  It seemed like down time even if we did have Emily- having an immobile baby seems like a breeze now, and she was so good.  The wedding was amazing- beautifully planned, so many small details that were just lovely.

One of my favorite details were Wendy’s shoes.  She had them illustrated by a woman in Canada, and each side of each shoe was different.  Such a neat touch.  There were also thousands of origami paper cranes that her mother folded- hanging everywhere at the reception.  Also, they had PIE instead of cake.  And it was amazing pie.  I’m going to try and recreate a couple of them- so yummy.

When Mom & Dad arrived it was super fun from the get-go.  Of course, first on the agenda was introducing them to Emily.

The very next day after they arrived was Emily’s baptism.   It was a really warm day, and after the service we gathered, ready for the event to happen.  We waited.  And waited.  My friend Janis took these pictures.  While this is the original picture:

This is what I was thinking:

The Deacon was so very nice, but he took so very long.  Thank goodness we have patient family and friends.  Afterwards we had everyone over for lunch.  It was quite a celebration- a fun day, for sure.

After that we spent the rest of that week hanging out and having fun.  Jack fell in love with his Grandpa Shearer- it was wonderful to see.  He also had some love for Em.

Anna was really into putting on shows for us- she did several.  We all had to gather around, and she would dress up her animals and tell us stories about them.  So cute.

My parents helped me do some things that are a bit more challenging now that I have 3 little ones to wrangle.  We went to the park in Mission Bay and had a blast- so nice to have a 1:1 ratio of kids:adults!

The first weekend of their visit my parents took us to Newport Beach again.  We did this last year and it was so much fun.  This time the weather was a little dreary- light rain and lots of clouds.  But we still had fun just hanging out, not worrying about housework or chores.

We also met the newlyweds, Mike & Wendy, for brunch while we were up close to where they live.  Anna hadn’t seen Mike for quite a while, but it was a testament to “kids remember stuff.”  Anna played shy at first while everyone was ordering food.  I reminded her of the last time she had seen Mike- he held her upside down and tickled her.  All of a sudden her eyes lit up and she said, ‘Mommy, I want to go stand with Mike in line.”  Off she went, and she was glued to him.

Total ham.  Or flirt- you pick.

Back in SD, we did lots many more fun things for my parents’ 2nd week.  We took them to Hash House.  The food was delicious, but Emily also decided to have a poop explosion to top all poop explosions, so that was…. not so lovely.

My parents’ visit ended with a birthday dinner for my Mom at Tapenade in La Jolla- it was divine.  I was so sad to see them go- it was really the best visit we’ve had in a long time.  Can’t wait to see them at Christmas.

And now the Baby Em update.  My Dad took this one:

So smiley

Even in the bath…

Sleeps like a champ.

Off to edit up October!

August 2011

My parents are coming!  My parents are coming!  This means that time is going to fly because we’re going to be having lots of fun, so I need to get August done before September evaporates, too!  These are in no particular order- by the time I get them edited they are all out of order anyway- so just know these are all from August.

Anna received a fairy house from her Aunt Steph; it came in a box she sent after Em’s arrival.  Sort of a “keep the kids busy” box.

I love that box (and Aunt Steph).

Anna made this crown at school with her teacher, Ms. Laura.  What’s amazing is that they guessed the size of Michael’s head perfectly!

Months ago we bought tickets to Pinkalicious.  It ended up being easier for Michael to take Anna because of Em’s feeding schedule, so they both dressed up and headed out after church one Sunday.  In the photo on the left she has no idea where she’s going- I probably should have told her but we were in such a hurry.  You can see in the other shots that she was on cloud 9 at the show- she loved it.

Jack had his first lollipop.  Now going to the grocery store isn’t so bad.   And I have some currency, too.

One morning my friend V and I took the kids to the library for story time, but the woman who was supposed to do it was a no-show.  V had a great idea to take the kids to the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College- it’s awesome!  So much prettier than I thought it would be.

This was one of my favorite spots- a little shade structure with hand-blown glass globes hanging from it.  Makes me want to do the same for ours…

But the best part was the outdoor amphitheater.  Anna had her own little dance performance- it was hilarious!  Complete with a bow at the end.  If you click on the collage you’ll see it a bit bigger.  I love this girl!

I think most little girls would flip if someone knocked on their door and asked to practice face painting on them.  That’s exactly what happened on a random afternoon- our neighbor’s son was applying for a job and needed to add some photos to his portfolio.  Anna was happy to oblige.  Jack did, too, but he was not as into it as Anna.

Emily is growing so fast- she is super-long.  We attended a wedding in which I played flute, so the middle photo in the top row is her attending her first music rehearsal.  Also, in the photo with Jane you may notice that her arm is totally up Jane’s shirt- so funny!  She is a very easy baby, and also very happy.  At the end of the month she started making lots of eye contact and lots of smiling.

This is definitely a top pick of the month- Michael was holding her while I was getting a few things done and she was sooo smiley and also making so many funny faces.  I’m so glad I stopped what I was doing to take pictures because she gave us some good ones!

Many friends have a spot they like in the bay area that they call “easy beach.”  We went one day this month, and while Jack did give me a HUGE scare by wandering into the water without me (thank goodness for my friend, Marla, who dove in after him, street clothes & all), it was a pretty easy visit to the beach.

We also spent a very fun afternoon with Lisa & Rosy, and we took the kids to a park in Mission Bay to fly kites.  Anna’s Tinkerbell kite was a huge success.  Jack was in a funk the whole time, so his kite didn’t get much air time.  It’s also way more complicated than Anna’s- maybe it was a mommy-foul?  Regardless, Anna is a huge kite fan, now!

Lastly, we have spent a couple of mornings at Funbelievable- this place is awesome!  It guarantees a nap, too.  Love love love.

Who does Jack look like?

People have been saying for the longest time that Anna looks so much like me.  I usually surprise them by saying that I think she is actually the spitting image of her Grandma Chiles.  They have the same eye shape, and their faces are the same shape, too, I think.

People have seemed more puzzled about Jack and who he resembles, so I just pulled up some old pictures and have confirmed my theory- he looks like me.  And my dad, I think.

I ran into a table, if you’re wondering where the shiner comes from.  I think I remember running into it, actually.  I remember my dad telling me to slow down, too- which is something I am constantly saying in my own house these days.  Ah, the seasons of our lives.

Years ago I scanned oodles of family photos- some of them date back to the late 1800s- they are awesome.  Today I am so glad I have preserved them because I can do stuff like this pretty easily.

I am in awe of how DNA works.

July… a blur, for the most part…

We survived!  I knew we would, but I am so happy that we took so many pictures in July because without them I would not remember a darn thing.  Talk about a sleep-deprived state of being…  Many of these photos speak for themselves, but I’ll add a few things here and there.  If you wish to see a collage larger you should be able to click on it and it will open up larger to make the photos easier to see.

Below:  we signed Anna and  Jack up for a two-week swim class at our local pool.  I’m not sure what I was thinking signing them for the class so soon after Em’s arrival, but we did it.  I’m glad we did because now Anna loves to swim.  With a capital L.  Jack, too- but I think Anna takes the cake.

Below:  Anna and Jack always managed to get their arms out of the miracle blanket, but I don’t recall them kicking their way out like Em.  I’m not sure how she did it, either- the way it’s made she really had to squirm her way out, hence the Houdini reference.

Below:  Jack needed a haircut.  It was time for a summer buzz-cut, mainly because I think his hair grows rather quickly and I didn’t want to have to torture him all summer with trims.  And torture it was- he screamed and cried the whole time.  I’d still rather do it myself than pay someone, and it turned out pretty good for my first attempt at a buzz-cut.  At one point, when I was trying to cut an area with the clippers, Jack was bending over in his chair and screaming full force.  I patted his back and tried to calm him.  He sat up and looked at me with a face covered entirely with snot and hair trimmings.  I felt so bad, and it was so funny at the same time.  Poor boy- someday he’ll be okay with haircuts (right?).

Below:  All of our kids seem to come home looking around already.  Maybe that’s why I’m so lax with tummy time?  Em is days old- not sure exactly how old, but just a few- and she was already trying to look around.  This is me trying to capture it whilst in my pjs, still looking pregnant- lovely.

Luke seems to be my barometer for how fast time flies.  He’s the first baby that I got to hold when he was just minutes old- perhaps that’s why. I just can’t believe he’s a) 5 years old, and b) starting kindergarten.  On his birthday we took some cupcakes over to celebrate, and it was a big hit.

My amazing friend Rosy invited us over for a day of swimming.  Michael had a migraine the day before, and it really threw us all for a loop, so it was nice to have a day of just hanging out with each other, enjoying the sunshine and watching our kids strut their swimming skills.

Below:  Anna loves her baby sister.  We do this often.

Below:  This picture shows how much I think Anna looks like her Grandma C.  Everyone tells me that she looks so much like me, but when I see her next to her Grandma, it’s no contest- I think it’s the eyes, maybe.

We had a family gathering at our house to celebrate our cousin Mandy’s visit- it was so fun.  I wish I had taken more pictures.  Jack was much more talkative than the last time a lot of them saw him, and Anna was soaking up the extra attention, too.

We took a walk at Lake Murray until I decided it was too stinkin’ hot- then we went home.

Em is turning out to be quite the little miss.  She is sweet, she loves to cuddle and be held, and she does not like having a wet or dirty diaper at all (Anna and Jack never seemed to care).  I love this life. Watching my kids and seeing them each as individuals and what makes them alike and different- it’s such a joy and privilege to be a part of each of their lives.

Meet Miss Emily Lou Chiles

Here it is, late-July and I’m finally getting around to posting about the arrival of #3.  Sorry for the delay, but this transition really threw me for a loop (and still is!)!!!

Ladies and gentlemen (who am I kidding…)… Ladies, please meet…

Emily was born on Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 at 12:06 p.m.  She weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and was several inches long (20, I think?!).  Michael chose her name.  He has always liked the name Emily, and Lou is his mother’s middle name.  So many family and friends have commented on how it just “rolls off the tongue” which is fun.

Now that I can say that I’m done (we have no intentions of having more, so if I do get pregnant after this, the post will start with a huge, bold, capital “holy crap”) I can truly say that all 3 of my labor experiences were totally different.  I have lots of thoughts on my labor with Emily, including the fact that I think my due date was totally wrong, but more on that later.  First, here are some pictures:

Not bad, eh?  Lookin’ pretty good for being totally exhausted, spent, and in the FUGLIEST hospital gown e. Ver.  I commented to my doctor about how bad they were and he said, “Those are the new ones- they’re pretty nice by comparison.”  Neat.

“But Natalie,” you say, “Where’s the sweat?  You look so… okay.”  Yeah- that’s because I only had to push 3 times and wham-o!  There she was!

Jane and Trish both had intentions of being present, but Jane was just a few minutes too late- darn!  Emily literally came out and maybe 5 minutes later Jane walked in- it was so close!  That made me feel better about missing her son, Ian’s arrival.

Janis came up when we found out we weren’t leaving when we thought we were going to.  Emily’s bilirubin counts were high and they just didn’t want us to leave even though we were ready to go.  So I called in the troops to help pass the time.  Jane & Janis came up to hang out while Michael went home to shower and see the kids (on the 4th of July, no less- also happens to be Michael’s mother’s birthday).  After they headed home I proceeded to have a post-partum meltdown, which, funny enough, tells the nurses that you need to be left. Alone.  So they did- and I slept.  A lot.

Em only did this the one time- hasn’t happened again.

Michael’s parents brought the kids up to meet Emily and it was so sweet.  Anna was so excited to meet her.  Jack was a bit overwhelmed by the hospital experience, but once he realized there was a baby in the room he was curious about her.  They were both pretty darn cute.

We finally got the go-ahead to leave Tuesday morning, but we still had to get Emily into the doctor to ensure her bilirubin counts continued to go down.  I think Friday was the first day we didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything, which was nice.

Emily has the longest toes I’ve ever seen on a baby.  And you can see here one of the reasons why I think my due date was wrong- her toenails aren’t done growing yet.  If she was truly 8 days late, they would have been fully formed.

While we were waiting for Emily to arrive Anna frequently asked if she would get to hold Emily, so that was #1 on her agenda once we got home.  We haven’t had Jack hold her yet, though, because he’s a snotty, coughing mess.  We think it’s just allergies, but better safe than sorry.

So, my due date…

I thought I was due 7/23, but my first ultrasound changed that.  They said I was measuring a full month ahead of where I thought I was, hence the change to 6/25 as my new due date.  However, even though I was mentally done and very, very tired, I wasn’t truly miserable in terms of my belly being hard to manage (though I was knocking things over with it and tagging table corners left and right).  But you get attached to that date- people ask constantly when you’re due, you think about it, the doctor mentions it.   So I went with 6/25.  But there are a number of things that, in hindsight, make me say that Emily was actually supposed to come much later.

#1:  she was covered in vernix.

#2:  she had a totally hairy back.

#3:  as mentioned above, her nails weren’t done growing (toes or fingers)

#4:  she was very jaundiced- post-term babies (like Jack) don’t have jaundice issues like early babies do.

Oh well.  She’s here and she is healthy.  While the labor was the most relaxed I’ve had, the transition of going from 2 to 3 kids has been a challenge.  Michael is back to work this week and we are managing okay- it’s definitely a juggling act at times.  I love these kids, though- so excited to see what the coming months bring us!

One last pictures- I posted this on Facebook because friends were asking who Emily looks like.  From the moment she came out I thought she looked like Anna, and this comparison backs that up.  But there are subtle differences showing lately- the biggest being that it looks like Emily might have blue eyes- we’ll see!

June, pre-Sweet-Tart

As I type this post it is June 28th.  Sweet Tart was due to arrive 3 days ago.  Needless to say, I’m a bit spent.  I decided to write a post now of our Pre-Sweet-Tart days this month since I imagine that once she arrives things will be busy with her cuteness.  Hopefully she will arrive before July.  Hopefully.

We’ve settled into our new schedule very nicely- I’m looking forward to getting into the swing of life with a newborn, post-labor.

Anna and Jack are really turning into buddies.  You’ll see in the collage below a picture of Anna helping Jack put his socks on.  He is asking her for help with things, and giving lots of hugs.  Jack is testing us with hitting a bit, and has a time-out if he hits Anna.  After the time-out he has to say he’s sorry and give her a hug, and while I don’t like the time-out part, he’s awfully cute when he hugs her.

Anna had a great time watching her ladybug larvae grow and her caterpillars turn into butterflies.  For me the whole experience was a bit…grosser than I had imagined, but it was still neat to see first-hand.

Michael also took Jack to an event called “Touch a Truck.”  They had all sorts of trucks, cars, and more for kids to climb in and sit in the seats of.

Our nephew from up north, Chaz, came to visit for his birthday trip.  Anna is totally in love with him because he is so sweet to her- it was fun to see.  She calls him “Jazz” because the “ch” sound seems to be a bit over her head.  Pretty cute.

We had a female Black Widow Spider build a nest in between our sliding glass door and our screen door of our master bedroom.  It was actually very interesting to watch, and great from the perspective of showing Anna what they look like without her actually being in danger of getting bitten.  You can see in the photo below that she had 3 eggs spun.  Not sure if there were any babies in there- after the 4th egg Michael went in and took care of things- she’s the biggest one we’ve seen, and unfortunately we don’t have a “set them free” mentality with this particular spider, seeing as how they are poisonous and all…

Lastly, Michael finished the play structure for the kids.  It’s so awesome- he worked so hard on it.  It’s between the house and the pool.  He has a few minor details to do, and of course the list for the house is never-ending, but we’re both happy to have it up before #3 arrives- it will provide some nice distraction for the kids and help get energy out. So far we have enjoyed using it in the evening after the sun isn’t so high.  I imagine I’ll actually have them play out there early in the morning once the weather gets too hot, and then it can be an evening respite as well.  The summer has already been warmer than last year, so I’m thankful that we have this play structure now that the kids are big enough to really enjoy it.  I’m also thankful that Michael is so handy around the house- it makes more work for him, but I imagine it’s saving us lots of money, too. 

And now, Sweet Tart….  show your pretty face!!!

May 2011: Big changes

I can’t believe May is already over.  But then again, I’m so happy May is over because it was such a hurdle for me.  Milestone.  Turning point.  New beginning.  I could go on, but I’ll stop there.

May 13th was my last day of work.  While I left because of maternity leave (thank goodness for doctors who listen to their patients) I also resigned from my position for the year, and I will not return in the fall.  I’m planning on writing a big therapy-ish post about it all soon- it’s a lot for me to process!

In the meantime, I came home and spent a week just trying to rest and get the kids used to their new preschool schedule.  It was quite a week, too- I was so tired, the kids were confused by not going to school nearly every day… but after that week it was smooth sailing.  Since then we have had quite a few adventures already- it’s wonderful to be back in “mommy mode” and to do things on a sane schedule.

Anna’s 4th birthday was very fun.  She requested an Ariel cake (Little Mermaid), and we just had a typical laid-back party for her.

She was very into this year- loved every minute of being a special girl for a while.

I took Anna to see Cinderella at a theater in Oceanside.  We went to Ruby’s on the Pier for dinner- it was quite the event!

Below are just some fun things we’ve done this month.

At the end of the month we went to Legoland.  It was the first time we tried staying all day and skipped naps.  The kids did great- we were very tired for a few days after, but it was fun!

This is my favorite picture from that day.  Anna finished her lunch and decided to kiss me all over my face.  I told her to go kiss Jack, and I was surprised that she did- a LOT!  It was so sweet, and Jack thought it was the best thing ever.  Michael took this picture- so sweet!  They are really starting to turn into buddies- which is GREAT timing considering that we have another one coming any day now!

As I post this it is June 10th.  Sweet Tart is due on the 25th, but I’m hopeful that she arrives early- I am really ready to be done!