"doorteen!"

This week I discovered Trystan "counts" to 14! A few weeks ago Nana told me he could count, but I never taught him, so I kinda assumed she was proudly exaggerating, but lo and behold while walking downstairs the other day, I heard him counting each step along the way. I couldn't believe it. I'm still trying to figure out where he picked it up from (hide @ seek maybe?) and what other tricks he's hiding from us. I attempted to record him counting. Hear for yourself.

first harvest

Lettuce, Beans & Peas, Oh My!

mini van full

On the way to the fireworks!

6 weeks

and smiling!

5th of July

Morning after late-night fireworks at Nana & Papa's:

waffleized

Tonight we tried out an idea I saw on Waffleizer.com which claimed you
can make ice cream sandwiches using regular old cake mix cooked in a
waffle iron. And this family is always up for anything involving our
beloved waffle iron. So lo and behold, it works! Regularly prepared
cake mix cooked just the same exact way as our typical waffles... fill
with a layer of ice cream and you've got one happy family!

finally - photos

At last, we are getting a bit more accustomed to being a family of (gasp) FIVE! We are all starting to settle into our new roles, while slowing our pace to fit our new family schedule (or lack thereof). And somehow amidst it all I managed to steal some time to edit the photos from little Miss Penelope's birth. It only took me a month... (plus yet another week to upload & post!)
Big thanks to Lisa who braved the delivery AND managed to capture some amazing images, and to Nana who, unbeknownst to me, picked up the camera when the kids met their new baby sis just minutes after birth and took our very first family photo.

What a proud moment it was!

win-win

We stopped at the arcade, where we enjoyed a couple endless games of skeeball - literally. The kids couldn't seem to roll the balls far enough, so it was more like a game of catch...
But we somehow managed to win enough points for a couple toy soldiers, a miniature Doberman figurine and two tiny packs of M&Ms which Trystan is obviously very proud of.
And now, as could be expected, Sydney is complaining that she "lost Rolo!" in her volleyball court sandcastle and Trystan wants me to take the sand off his candy...

roosters

Kimballs added a few more roosters!

my "babies"

Penny's already learning to share...

sunshine

Why yes I did sew her that bonnet - how could you tell?

4:00 am

Sleepy snuggles. My favorite!

HEY! ride

I'm hiding the keys as I type...

iLove

flutterfly

Can you guess what Sydney studied at school today?

here we go again

It's that time again! You've heard it before and I'll say it again. I can't believe it's been So long since I posted and I Swear I'll be better this time around and blah blah blah...
But this time I have the ultimate excuse - a new baby!
On May 25th at 10:48 AM we welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our family. Penelope Marie weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and was born quickly, just in time for the holiday weekend! My most civilized labor & delivery yet. So far we've been laying low and getting used to being a family of five. Nana has been staying with us to help out and the kids now wake up and instinctively ask, "NANA?!"
Yesterday I had to break the news that no, Nana had in fact gone home for a couple days, Tom was back to work, and I was on my own with all three for the day. There was a lot of crying, a little puking, and I even got a rock to the head - all before lunchtime. But I made it through the day, somehow.
So while I can't honestly promise I'll have free time to post lengthy commentaries on the joys of motherhood or the ins and outs of our daily lives, I Can promise a photo here and there or a quick update from any of our exciting outings. Just be prepared that "exciting" for us could mean a walk to the mailbox... or feeding a family of geese out the car window.

skating Sydney

Yeah so it's been forever since I've posted. I know I know, but give a girl a break. I've been busy! But more on that later. For now enjoy this photo of Sydney ice skating for the very first time ever! (And in our own little homemade rink too.)

twinkle toes

Sydney started dance class a couple weeks ago. One half hour ballet + One half hour of tap = One LONG hour of chasing Trystan away from the Dance Studio trophies, bars and mirrors.

limbo

Apparently Trystan sees any and all babyproofing as a personal challenge.

back to (pre)school

Today (to my surprise) Sydney was very excited to return to school and walked right in without even so much as a kiss or a wave for me.

Trystan on the other hand, cried from the moment Syd walked away to the second we hit the driveway, when his eyes fell shut for a nap and I did an old school fist pump in the front seat of my quiet car.