Birthday Announcement

This video might be short, but it has such an important message.

We had a girl!  

Happy second birthday, Amalia!  You've been a joy from the beginning.

Mollie's First Moments

I have been wanting to post this ever since Bryson told me he was able to take it.  This is the video of Amalia's first moments in the world; the video of her birth.  For those of you that have been following for a while (and since most of you know me personally you probably already know this), you'll remember that I had a c-section with each kid.  We don't have a video of Baylor's birth, so this was quite special, at least for me.

Anyway, without further ado, here's Amalia's entrance into the world.

WARNING:  This is a graphic video of a c-section.  There is blood, some of it gushing.  Don't watch it if you're easily queasy.  

Tough to watch at first, isn't it?  I don't understand how you can pull on a kid's head that much and not damage something.  I'd say make the opening bigger, but ... well it's big enough as it is.

So here's an early happy birthday to my little sweetie!  I can't imagine life without you, Miss Mollie!  I love you love you love you!

Blowing Bubbles

My mom recently bought one of those no-spill bubble buckets for the kids to play with at her house, and with all this nice weather we're having these days they were able to try it out.

There were three wands, which the kids took as a sign that one of them needed to be holding two wands.  And yes, this made for a drippy mess.

The bubbles were easy enough to get at, and both kids were able to get them at the same time.

But actually blowing the bubbles proved to be a bit difficult.  First, there was the issue of wind; it was all over the place and took the bubbles away as fast as the kids could blow them.  (Or sent them flying into your face or clothes, popping them instantly.)

And then there was the issue of form ... Mollie seemed to think that, to blow a good bubble, she had to put it up to her mouth.  I'm sorry, I mean ON her mouth.

Want some?

Yeah, it made for some great chin bubbles, but very few that floated into the air.

Regardless of the outcome, and it wasn't great, it was overall a good first try with bubbles for Mollie.  Baylor got to work on his form as well, and both of them had a lot of fun.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2012!

Yesterday I took the kids to get shamrock shakes at McDonald's.  They did such a good job sharing!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

First Ice Cream of Spring 2012

Wanting to take advantage of our unseasonably warm weather, the kids and I went out with my parents to enjoy the first ice cream of the spring.  Baskin Robbins was having their dollar scoop night, but it thankfully wasn't as busy as it usually is.

Baylor got lemon custard and enjoyed every last bite of it.  He's adorable when he's eating something he loves ... my usually talkative boy won't make a sound if he's eating a tasty treat.  Even if you ask him if he likes it, he just keeps on eating; if he doesn't answer you, he loves it more than he can say.  

He didn't make a peep.  (Well, except to snag a bite of my ice cream ... ah, daiquiri ice, how I love you!)

Have a wonderful night!

When I Am Your Age ...

Tonight as I was putting Baylor to bed, he started talking about himself at my age (I'm assuming he meant 30 and not that we'll eventually be the same age).  He said that when he is my age he'll get to sleep in my bed.  I said, "Well sweetheart, you probably won't live with me when you're my age.  You'll probably live in a different house, and you might even have a family of your own!"

"No," he replied, "I will live with you."

I smiled, remembering how I wanted to live with my parents forever when I was his age, and we walked to the bathroom so he could use the potty before bed.  As he was washing his hands, he started talking again about living with me, and I told him that we probably wouldn't live together but that hopefully we'd live very close to each other so I could see him a lot.

"No," he replied, "I will live with you in an apartment."

I smiled.  Today was a rough day and he and I had butted heads quite a bit, but it was so nice to know that, at the end of the day, he still loves me.  Because boy, do I love him!

2012 Big Ten Champs

Michigan State University, my alma mater, is home to the Big Ten Champions this year!  Last Sunday, the kids and I went to my parents' house to watch the championship game and cheer on our team.  The kids, however, were less interested in basketball and more interested in battling over who got to use Oma and Grandpa E's iPad.  Taking turns is a bitch when you're a toddler.

We try to take turns according to whose "day" it is; Baylor was born on the 7th so he gets odd days, and Mollie was born on the 22nd so she gets even days.  Now, that doesn't mean that the child of the day gets to completely monopolize whatever it is they are quibbling over, but it does mean that said child gets to go first (which seems important at the time, but often the child who goes second gets more time with the desired item/activity).  Anyhow, Baylor went first, then he let his sister play.  She was very excited to play with it and very happy to sit on the little step stool like a big girl.

Baylor, after hovering for a few minutes, went off and played with his big Legos.

Then they snuggled in for some reading time with Oma.

After the game (GO GREEN!!!) and dinner, my mom and sister helped me wrangle Mollie into her pajamas.  Then they paused so the little lady and I could take a picture of them.

Of course, Amalia's at that stage where she's attracted to cameras like a moth to a flame, so she got her picture taken too!  First alone ...

... then with all the ladies!

Baylor, on the other hand, is not too fond of being in front of the camera right now, so snapping a picture of him these days is difficult ... and even more so if you want him to be happy about it.

We had an awesome day and so enjoyed watching the game in the company of other loyal fans!  Go State!

Butterflies 2012

Last weekend was the first real weekend of the butterflies exhibit at The Frederik Meijer Gardens in town, and we actually got ourselves together in time to get to the Gardens right when they opened.  After seeing Grandma (my mother-in-law volunteers there multiple times a week) we headed through the arid desert area and ended up in the seasonal exhibit.  The spring bulbs were out, and I wish I'd gotten a chance to look at them a little longer; they were so beautiful!

But the butterflies were what we were there for, so the butterflies we saw!

These big blue morphos are always the talk of the exhibit.  While their outside is brown and largely unimpressive ...

... the brilliance of the inside of their wings certainly make up for it.

Right after we saw the butterfly above, a (thankfully!!) smaller butterfly landed on Mollie's shoulder.

Though you can't really see it in the picture, she was pretty much terrified by the whole experience.  She spent the rest of the time in the conservatory trembling slightly and enjoying being held by whomever would take her.

We saw some more butterflies, both real and not ...

... and enjoyed a walk across the bridge.

Then Baylor decided he'd had enough of the heat and people and promptly left the exhibit to cool off in the hallway.

Bryson and Mollie didn't know we had left, though, so after leaving Baylor with my father-in-law I went back in and found Daddy and daughter.  They were having a lovely time.

Of course, no trip to the Gardens would be complete without at least one ride on the elevator.

Now that is a happy boy!

The kids seemed to have a decent amount of fun, and I certainly enjoyed seeing all the beautiful butterflies.  We'll undoubtedly be back again soon.

Budding Artists

For an incredibly long time when I was a kid, I wanted to be an artist when I grew up.  My talents didn't match my desire, so my dreams of sculpting and painting a way to a living were put by the wayside for more realistic goals.  But that doesn't mean I don't still LOVE a good art project session ... especially with the kiddos!

Mollie chose fingerpaints-with-a-brush as her medium.

While Baylor decided to use watercolors to create his masterpieces.

Eventually Mollie tried to put her fingers into the gooey paint, but she was nonplussed by the experience.

Baylor's first piece of artwork was a picture of me ... I'm apparently the smiley face in the upper right-hand corner.

He soon followed that up with a much more impressive picture, though.  And here it is ... "Tow Truck" by Baylor.

Mollie really got into swirls for her first picture, and though it got ripped when we untaped it from the counter, it was definitely worth keeping.

I can't wait for art time again soon!

Finger Hats and Heart-Shaped Sandwiches

Lunch doesn't get much better than enjoying finger hats (a.k.a., raspberries) ...

... and heart-shaped sandwiches.

Sometimes you just need to see your favorite things in a new light for them to be exciting again, you know?

Amalia, My Funny Bunny

Amalia is such a funny little girl, and I can't get enough of her quirky little antics!

Like when she does her own hair ...

Or dresses up in this or that ...

Or absolutely insists on wearing one of her brother's old shirts ...

... with her Aunt Christine's glasses, of course.

Or hoovers some raspberries, rocking a top knot all the while ...
(Oh, and yes she does have a shiner there in the picture; I was trying to get a potty seat down from the top of a cabinet in the bathroom when it slipped through my fingers and hit Mollie right under the eye.  It happened on a bad day, and by the end of the evening, Mollie and I were both quite spent from all the tears.)

And who really wants to wear leg warmers on their legs when it's really their arms that are getting cold?

She truly is my funny bunny.