catch up

lightning speed is the way things tend to go around here.  that is, unless it is about 5pm and all the littles are pulling on my legs begging for food and drinks and help with homework.  then time moves at snail speed.  does it seem to anyone else that from the moment you expect your husband to walk through the door from work, until the moment he actually does, time passes sooooo slow?

ok- so i need to be quick and we have been up to so much, i better start now.

first, i am officially past the halfway point of my pregnancy!  hooray for me!  seriously.  things are not going as smoothly as i needed them to.  the baby is great- and already looks so much like the others.  it is unreal and i am so lucky.  but, oh, this rash i have.  evidently you can be allergic to having a baby (or the hormones that your baby produces), and yes ma'am, i am.  i have had a hive-like for over 9 weeks- and nothing seems to help much.  ewwww, i know. but it can be pretty miserable.

our "new" little boy at 20 weeks gestation

on the same note, i also celebrated my 35th birthday.  man, my clan sure did treat me special.  cakes, presents, special dinner, balloons.  it was wonderful and i did not mind turning one year older!  i also got to spend time with my bff and celebrate with my cute nephew and darling sister and husband.  fun times!

moving forward, we are heading to puerto rico in a few days.  a vacation is MUCH needed for everyone, even the kiddos.  afternoon activities are in full swing, and our days are so busy.  elias had been causing some problems at school (a terror for a mother-- whoosh-- i have never felt so responsible, and embarrassed, by my child's behavior!)  being judged as a parent, is no good at all!  elias is such a spirited kid, and boy is he a piece of work!  i couldn't love him more though.  he has more personality that any kid i have ever come across. fortunately, this week went more smoothly- hopefully this lasts.  otherwise, i just can't wait for summer!

aside from all the busy-ness of school and soccer (3 days a week!) and acting class (for ada), my favorite moments of our days are on the way home from school.  hanna, elias and i walk every day to get ada and on our way home we stop at the park together.  the littles (and many other neighborhood kids) have a made a very adventurous town in the woods behind the park with bridges, vines swings, and sand islands which they call creek town.  i love that my kids have the freedom to run around for an hour each day exploring the woods, creating their own adventures.  they come home wet and muddy, happy and hungry.  hanna doesn't venture into the woods yet, but she is splendidly happy playing on the playground.

 keeping busy during soccer practice

 hopscotch

 on the hammock

 luke

 learning to whistle with grass

 the bass fam

 happiness

 spunk

a robot drawing expert

and speaking of that kid, hanna, i will end by saying that she has a love of life unmatched by anyone i have ever met.  she tells me a million times a day how much fun she is having.  and how much she loves me.  she takes my face in her grimy hands and squishes my cheeks and say "i wuv my mommy" and smooches me over and over, and then tells me "i have fun wiv my mommy" "i have fun wiv my li-li" "i have fun wiv my ada (my friend)(my luke)(my park)".  you get the idea.  she is a ball of energy and it is all ignited by happiness.

i can't wait to share puerto rico with you- wish us luck with the travel, i am sure we will need it!  i will post more (using my shiny new mac) when we get home!

xx

my crew

who do you love?

these little ones of mine keep me pretty busy.  that, along with growing a new little seed in my belly, has me pretty worn out.  i do have a moment now though to take a little snapshot of my life.  of their lives.  it is valentine's day,  you know.

these little guys were obviously too excited for the holiday.  hanna and elias were both awake in the 5 o'clock hour.  yuck.  i do not like them up that early.  but the day is filled with little lovelies and they have now consumed enough candy (at 7:30am) that they will be running on auto-pilot for the next few hours.  what was i thinking?

ada is growing up into quite a little lady (aside from the incessant potty talk!)  she is a gift to our family. she is honestly the kindest person i have ever met.  she is an amazing reader and writer.  she is incredibly independent and does not follow anyone.  this sometimes causes problems, but i would rather her be herself than a follower.  she is smiley and happy.  what more can i ask for?  and did i mention how much so likes to clean!?!?  amazing.

elias is seriously a piece of work!  he is four, but wishes to be eighteen.  he is wildly creative and his imagination is always on.  he is very active and athletic.  he has so many hopes and dreams.  i hope they all come true for him.  he loves school and makes a scene every day when i drop him off.  he is an attention seeker and loves to be the center of attention.

hanna is a little ball of love.  she is a little jumping bean and rarely takes a moment to sit!  she loves to run, jump, play baby dolls, jump, sing, laugh, jump and play chase.  she is great at playing independently.  she goes to the park and runs to play, never looking back for me.  she is very social and will play with any kid that looks at her.  she has such a sunny disposition.  it makes my heart happy.

and lastly, reza deserves so much more credit than i could ever give him.  he works so hard and comes home after dinner almost every night, quickly shovels food into his mouth so he can help get the littles to bed.  kids are hard, and they are certainly hard on a marriage.  expectations are always high, and it is easy to be disappointed.  but, we make a good team.  elias idolizes him.  hanna thinks he is the silliest member of our family and ada thinks the world of him.  what more could i ask for?

and now, just a snapshot of what we have been up to.

 serious love, right here.

 and here.

 15 weeks and growing.

 valentine's morning.

 wrestling.

 trouble.

 ice cream date with mommy.

 elias got a gumball machine and i found chewed gum all over the house for days.  never. again.

 sunday mornings.

 look at that build.

scooter rides on campus. 

 sickness has been all over our house this winter.

ikea craziness.

ada's family portrait.

i swore the crib would break.

when i look back at pictures i can't help but smile.  but things aren't always hunky dory.  we still have fun, but beauty has it's price.  i lose me temper more than i want to.  they whine and pout and fight FAR more than i want them to.  but we are a family and we try to make it work.  i'm just saying, it's not always easy!

this little thing that happened.

sometimes,

when things get busy,

life hands you a little curveball.

it may be a something wonderful and delightful,

but nonetheless,

surprising.

this is our amazing little curveball.

debuting in early august.

a little boy.

perfection.

 it's a boy!

red in the face

there is nothing that embarrasses me more

than after going potty

hearing my newly two-year old cheer

"HOORAY FOR MOMMY'S PEE PEES!

HOORAY FOR MOMMY'S SPOOFIES!"

as loud as can be...

in a PUBLIC restroom.

it happens every time.

a few not to forget.

a have been a slacker lately.

this blog is our baby book for ada, elias, and little hanna.

i don't fill out pages

or make scrap books.

this is it.

i print it once a year and tuck it away.

but you see,

a few months ago

precious hannie spilled a drink on my keyboard

and now several (MANY) keys don't work.

so when we have special moments to remember

i am too lazy to go through the work it takes to find the old 

keyboard and plug it in

and actually type something.

we have been having a wonderful winter.

ada's new bathroom was finally completed this week.

no more worker will be in my house for a LONG time.

hooray.

our afternoon activities are at a minimum until february when we are action packed almost every day of the week.

i am thankful for the down time which has been filled with play dates and park time but will be happy to have some structure soon! 

enjoy!

 this kid has been so happy.  look at her, is she not so cute?  not to mention how helpful and loving she is.  i am one lucky mama.

 cousins and best friends.

 hannie's birthday morning.  she was thrilled and totally understood it was her birthday, with her presents, and her cupcakes!

 duke gardens with auntie shannon.

 ada's half-birthday.  she is very serious about half birthday celebrations.

and i almost forgot.

i hope her wish came true!

i am pretty sure it did!