Surprise

Look who drove all night to surprise us this morning. I love him!

Morning Play

Stella is going to be bored out of her mind next year when Isabel is gone all day in first grade. Who else is going to act out stories of queens, dungeons, castles and peasants for her?

Flips

They've got this trampoline stuff down.

Her Tinyness

I love her tinyness in the Bumbo.

Mommy Blessings

They are my mommy blessings. I'm sure every mom thinks that they have the best kids but mine really are better. As a group they are fun, loving, smart and loud. Individually, they each bring a different personality to our family that makes us complete. I am so thankful for these little people in my life. I pray every night that I can be a good mom for them, that I will know what they need and how to help them because I need them. I love you guys!!

A Season

For the first time ever my boys have enjoyed the baseball season. They didn't really like baseball before. But this year Papi got to be their coach for half the time. He showed them how fun baseball can be.  Soon they were excited for their games and thrilled to spend more time playing with Papi. They needed this season and Papi made it awesome.

Friday

Sometimes I would rather take them late to school than play drill sargeant in the morning. Mornings aren't meant for yelling.

10lbs. 10oz.

It took four months but she finally made it. Stella weighed in at a happy 10lbs. 10oz. today at her well check. Yay Stella!!

Band Concert

She's adorable, smart, caring, funny, a great big sister, a wonderful daughter, spelling bee champion, ice skating princess, and she plays the flute!!

Baby Shadows

Seeing this cute little shadow attached to mine every morning as we walk the boys to the bus stop makes me smile.

Ho Hey

Do you have a favorite song?

I do.

Ho Hey by the Lumineers

I've loved it since I was born.

Whenever my mommy plays it,

it makes me happy.

Mommy tries to sing it.

It makes me laugh.

She doesn't sing very well but we have fun dancing.

I just like to let her know,

"I belong with you, you belong with me,

you're my sweetheart."

Field of Dreams

Today was nostalgic as I sat at Salt River fields watching my boys while they participated in a baseball clinic with the Diamondbacks. It reminded me of when Papi played in the states. I really didn't appreciate it back then. Honestly, I didn't even like it.  But for a moment I wished we could relive that time. There are things I would love to do differently. I think I would sit on the grass and relax watching the games instead of stressing in the stands. I would soak up the sights and sounds of the ballpark, just loving the moment. As I saw my boys practicing a sliding drill, I realized for the first time ever that I could enjoy watching my boys play on a big field. As their mother I had never wanted that baseball life for them before.  But now I know that if that's their dreams then my heart will be there with them.

Flames

Bar-b-queing has always seemed complicated to me.
Then Papi found this cute little bar-b-quer at a garage sale. It had never been used so he paid $7, put it in his car and came home to proudly show me his new find. Food cooked on this grill is delicious. And since it is super easy to use I thought I would even attempt it on my own.
Maybe I should just stick with the oven because the whole thing burst into flames. In a confused frenzy we pulled the chicken off and poured baking soda on the fire before it burned the house down. Luckily, no damage was done. The grill even still works.

I'm 4 Months!

Guess what guys!

I'm 4 months old now.

I've learned all sorts of fun things like,

rolling from my back to my tummy,

and from my tummy to my back.

I can pick up my pacifier and put it in my mouth.

My mommy thinks my best accomplishment is that

I learned to LAUGH.

I'm still a tiny little pixie.

Some call me "delicate".

I think I finally hit 10 lbs. but we won't find out until next week.

I like being small.

I'm just giving my mommy lots of time to soak up the smallness.

She needs a lot of baby time.

That's why I still wake up at night too.

I got a new toy this month.

It's a Bumbo.

I love sitting in my Bumbo.

They didn't make those when my brothers and sisters were my age.

Mommy had to get one just for me.

Luckily, she's a regular at the gym so they gave her an old one that they weren't going to use anymore.

I still tease my mommy and only smile when she's not looking through a camera lens.

I think it's funny how she tries to get me to smile for pictures and then hurries to take the picture.

So I make her do it....a lot.

I'm too quick for her though and make my smile disappear before she can click the button.

It will be fun to see what new things I'll learn this month.

Little Reader

She's trying to read 100 books before school's out, only 10 more to go. I'm pretty sure she'll make it.

He's in the Zone

"For some reason when they pitch the ball to me it comes slower so I can hit it better." -DJ

The Story of a Pacifier

I wanted to show you a perfect picture of my children all responsibly doing their homework at the table when I got home.

Really, it happened.

It was almost too good to be true.

I swear they heard the garage door opening and immediately left the chaos that they were in for a seat in front of their homework.

However it happened, it was awesome to walk in the door to a quiet house and children all doing what they were supposed to be doing.

I wanted to document it in a photo but my dumb phone battery has no life.

So I'm documenting it in writing. 

And instead you get a photo essay on the 

Story of a Pacifier.

Enjoy!!

The End!

Weight Gain

Normally those two words would be a bad thing,

but not in Stella's world.

We want lots of weight gain.

It was slow going but she finally hit 9 lbs this month!

It was an exciting day at the doctor's office.

I'm hoping she'll be 10 lbs by her 4 month visit.

Although, I do admit as long as she's healthy I'm kind of loving this tiny stuff.

Saturday

It's Saturday and we were looking for something to do. What's more entertaining than fake glasses and mustaches?  But seriously, I remember going to the mall and people watching, seeing the boy with a mohawk, the girl with 15 earrings in one ear, or the cute old couple that still held hands. Now I'm so wrapped up in my motherly world watching 5 shorties in 5 different places that I don't notice a soul. Sometimes I wonder what we must look like walking in crowded places and if any one notices us. I hope if they do they see a smiling mom without a mustache having an awesome time with her kids.

A Challenge

Making sure baby girl is gaining weight is keeping mommy extremely busy. I've hardly been able to blog. So in an effort to keep our family's journaling current (and keep Papi up to date now that he's gone), I am challenging myself to a post a day for 30 days. It's not going to be easy but I've armed my phone with new ammunition to take on the endeavor. Today's memory is Krispy Kreme and report cards, a donut for every A. With four smarties we make a killing. It's awesome! Krispy Kreme is awesome!