Thirty- something (for the last time!)

While Gramma and Grampa were in town, the kids wanted to throw a surprise birthday party for Len.  Two days after Ali came home from the hospital we had to take her back for some more blood work to make sure her jaundice wasn't too severe.  While we were out the rest of the crew whipped up a cake and wrapped up birthday presents.  Len was totally surprised and may have shed a little tear or two (we love you Leonard!).

I am so lucky to have this man in my life, but how are we turning 39 this year?

(Now that baby girl is here, I HAVE to diet!  Which is so hard with birthday cake around!!)

Hiram crashed out literally moments before the big "Surprise!"

Ali crashed out after the phlebotomist gave her some sugar water and stayed asleep for a while.  Our party girl missed the party.

Five days later was Len's real birthday.

My family are such good sports, sporting these silly birthday hats.  But it makes life fun!

I made him another cake.

Well, actually I made 2!  The other was for the cake walk at the school carnival the next day.

Would anyone like lemon cake with fresh strawberry buttercream, strawberry ice cream with fresh strawberry purée, and a fresh strawberry?  I do, I do! (That's my problem!). 

My Little Chicky

At one week old, Ali has captured all of our hearts!

She is such a sweet baby!  We're trying to work on her sleeping and eating schedule though, she likes to sleep all day and party all night!

June Decor

Even though school doesn't get out until the last Friday in June here, June will always mean summer vacation in my heart!  The weather has been very mild, but I'm dreaming of hot days and love all the bright colors summer has to offer!

I have loved Pebbles in my Pocket scrapbooking supplies since 1997, and last year I found out they now have darling wood crafts.  Each week on their blog they would give away a new craft to one of their readers.  I won one week!  I was supposed to have won their watermelon kit, but when it arrived it was their flip flops kit.  That's fine by me, I like the flip flops even better!  It only took me a year to finally paint and mod podge them up, but I think they turned out pretty darn cute.

The Little People set this month is appropriately named Summer Vacation.  It has it all- camping on the beach with some s'mores, building sandcastles, sailing, and water skiing.  May I please do all of those things in real life?

The 3 little boys were anxiously waiting for me to get everything out of the box.

Play time!  All of my kids have seriously enjoyed playing with the Little People sets each month.  I have enjoyed watching them play together.

Okay, little girl is still too little to play with toys, but she has become another favorite play thing in our household!

May Decor (revisited)

I found some purple hydrangeas (thanks IKEA) and made another purple rosette ball.  I switched out the Subway art, but didn't make a purple flower paper-piecing for the small frame.  Oh well, the black and white print still works with this arrangement.

I mean this arrangement, much better.

Now I'm off to finish making June's mantel display.

Purplicious

This year Noé was in 2 dance classes and both of her costumes for the recital were purple!  Recital week is always crazy with picture days, rehearsal days, and 3 performances.  This year was especially crazy as it was also Ali's birth week.  Luckily, Gramma was here to help get Noé everywhere she needed to be.  This was her lyrical costume for "Dust in the Wind."

After 4 years off, Noé took ballet again.  This was her costume for "Winter Fairies."  Although, she and I both thought this looked like a spring fairy costume, as a winter fairy costume should be blue with a snowflake instead of purple with a flower, tee hee.

Her weekly lyrical uniform.

Ballet uniform.

Character skirt and shoes for ballet.

She convinced me to get this cute number at the beginning of the dance year.  Did she ever wear it to class?  Nope.  She did wear it for Halloween though, so it wasn't a total waste, ha!

I surprised her with the little outfit for next year along with a new dance tote.  What can I say, I guess I can't resist the Justice monkey either.

I love to watch this pretty lady dance.  I want her to continue to develop her confidence and believe in herself- that she can do anything!

Grandparents and Chocolate (2 of my favorite things)

I am so grateful that Mom and Poppa were able to come up for Ali's birth and take such good care of all of us, especially our older kids while we were in the hospital.  They always spoil us and left us with several gifts.  The gift I wish we could receive is living closer to them!  We sure miss all of our extended families and wish we could see them on a regular basis.

The Lynn's and the Jo's.

My honey also spoiled me with a rainbow of Lindt Lindor. 

Milk chocolate, orange, caramel, white chocolate, seasonal (milk chocolate with white chocolate center), stracciatella, sea salt, dark chocolate, vanilla, strawberries and cream, hazelnut, and extra dark chocolate.

I love that the new strawberry and sea salt flavors are pink and blue- such cute little babies!

110/3/22

We were in the hospital for 3 days and managed to take 110 photos during that time.  Here are my favorite 22, plus there are 8 more from the previous post.  I guess sharing 30 out of 110 isn't so bad, tee hee.

 

Getting ready for the Cesarean section.  The IV, spinal tap, catheter, and major abdominal surgery always make me anxious, but it's so exciting that I'll hold my new little one soon.

My handsome hubby looking good in his scrubs.

She's here!  After she was born, Len called home to share the good news.  My mom asked if she had any hair.  We didn't know, we had to take off her beanie to see all of her pretty goldilocks.  It looks like she may share the good hair gene with her sister.

Our hospital has a skin to skin policy, where mommy gets to hold her naked baby (plus diaper) for 2 hours after the birth.  I'm so glad that I got to participate with this even though I had  C-section.

Hiram was in denial of us having a new baby until the last 2 weeks before her birth, when he finally named my tummy "Baby Ali."  After she was born though, he fell completely in love and always wants his turn to hold her!

Teague loves to cuddle her too.

Gavin can't wait till she gets a little bigger and can play with him and he can teach her how to talk.

Sisters!  Finally! 

(I wouldn't trade any of my boys though!)

Her first day home from the hospital Kaleb held her for 3 hours.  Yep, she is adored by her siblings.

The kids made her birthday cupcakes.  Too bad Ali can't eat them, maybe she got some chocolate milk from momma, ha!

Big yawn, from such a tiny face.

Her second day of life was also Noé's big dress rehearsal for her dance recital, so Gramma and Grampa brought Hiram up during the school day for a visit.

Hiram became a big boy instantly.

Our nurse, Marie-Pierre was with us every day and was just the sweetest thing.

Although Ali's bath scared the p**p out of her!

After her bath, she got a hand knit beanie from hospital volunteers.

My sleeping beauty, sleeping in my bed.

They're so little for such a short time, I want to remember this forever!

It's hard to gauge in pictures, but she is just a tiny little lady (my pretty little lady, I call her).  He fingers are the size of match sticks and her nails are like sugar sprinkles.

 

Getting ready to go home.

 

Super baby- needs a nap.

 

I just adore this little girl!

 

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

 

Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood

William Wordsworth