Birthday Donuts with My Four Favorite Kids

Blogging Blahs

So, here we are almost a week after my last post. I just haven't been in the mood for blogging lately. As you can imagine, I don't have a lot of free time these days. And when I do have some, I prefer to spend it horizontally not sitting vertically at my computer. So, I was just going to post some pictures, but I can't find the camera. So instead here is an update of what we've been up to this past week.

Tuesday - Caleb and I did not have to go to school since it was winter break. Over the break, the main task I wanted to complete was looking over the kids' summer wardrobes and making lists of what they still need. I succeeded in organizing everything and making lists in my head, but nothing has actually made it on paper yet. Oh well, I tried.

Wednesday - Caleb didn't have speech in the morning, which enabled us to get started on school and get enough done in time to make it to story time at the library. Caleb worked on math while Alexa and Jordanna attended story time and Sierra pooped all over the place. Of course I didn't have a change of clothes for her in the diaper bag, so I had to run to the van for one.

Thursday - My 32nd birthday. We were supposed to have friends over for a play date and lunch, but they had to cancel due to illness. So, instead we got some school work finished, and then I took the kids out for donuts and to the park. I grilled out for dinner because the weather was so warm, and Dave picked up a cake on his way home.

Friday - We hosted our church's monthly women's gathering in the morning. Caleb diligently worked on school while the girls played. It sounds like I torture him, but all the other kids there were much younger than him, and he thinks he is too big to play with them anyway. One of the ladies sent me this picture that she took of Alexa and Molly.

Dave was out of town Friday night, so the kids and I ran some errands and then got dinner at Chickfila.

Saturday - I managed to survive the morning until Dave got home. Then I got some groceries without having to drag all four kids with me. We met my parents for dinner and then went back to their house for cupcakes.

Sunday - Church as usual. Both Jordanna and Sierra tried to refuse their afternoon naps, but they eventually gave in, so we were able to head back to church in the evening. Some wonderful ladies volunteered to watch Sierra and Jordanna, so I actually got to hear the sermon, which was nice.

Monday - Mondays start with running around like crazy getting everyone ready to take Caleb to speech therapy, and this Monday was no different. After speech, we stopped at the store to get some Cold Eeze to try to ward off a cold I felt like I was getting. So far it seems to be working. We also dropped off both of Dave's suit coats at the dry cleaner. I usually don't drop off both at the same time because I'm afraid I won't remember to pick them up before Sunday, so someone remind me. Then we came home and got all of Caleb's school finished and most of mine. I must admit, though, that I was still grading papers at school today while eating lunch, but I got them all finished before class started. I also did approximately 78 loads of laundry and took care of a million other random details involved in running a house and in leaving things ready for the babysitter.

Tuesday - Today I worked and Caleb went to school. A wonderful family from school brought us dinner, so I didn't have to worry about that when I got home. Too bad they didn't hire me a maid as well because I did spot clean two bathrooms, do two loads of laundry, unload the dishwasher and other random things after work. I'm tired!

So, now all five of you are caught up on our week. I'll try to blog more often this week, but I make no guarantees, especially if I can't find the camera.

Good Morning

Coffee, hot cider, animal crackers, sleeping baby, three cute students, and a pile of good books

More Portraits

New Portraits

We normally take the kids for portraits around Christmastime, but with a new baby, I decided to wait a bit. Here are some of the pictures we got. Aren't they cute?

Best Friends

Molly and I bought these matching shirts from Gymboree for Sierra and Audrey for next winter. Aren't they too cute? And they were only $2.39 each.

I must admit that when we found out that we were expecting our fourth child, I kinda wanted another boy to even things up to two boys and two girls. But, in God's perfect timing, we found out that we were expecting a girl on the very morning that I flew up to meet Audrey. When I texted Molly that we were having a girl, she responded, "Audrey's BFF!!!" I prayed for many years for Molly to become a mom and specifically for us to have babies together, and God wonderfully answered my prayers with Audrey and Sierra who are only 4ish months apart. It has already been so much fun swapping girl clothes back and forth and toys and other things and now buying them matching shirts. And I hope that one day Audrey and Sierra's friendship will be as precious to them as Molly's is to me.

Date Night

Dave and I put the girls to bed Thursday night (Caleb gets to stay up later than them now) and then went out for a date while one of his students babysat. Knowing an ample amount of babysitters is one of the perks to being a high school teacher. I'm not sure I've ever gone on a date without my other babies when they were this young, but Sierra takes a bottle fairly well since I work one day a week. And she's the 4th child after all. Anyway, we went to Ippolito's for dinner and then to the Melting Pot for chocolate fondue with a trip to Target in between while we let our food digest. It was nice to get out without the kids for a few hours. Having four kids wears me out!

Sierra's Two Month Stats

Sierra had her two month check up yesterday, and her shots today (poor baby).

Here are her stats -
Weight - 9 lbs 12 oz - 30th percentile
Height - 23 inches - 70th percentile
Head - 41 cm - 90th percentile

The doctor declared her healthy and long and skinny with a big head. So far, she is following a perfect growth curve unlike all her siblings who started out huge and fell down on the chart until they finally settled into their growth curve. And now they are all tall and skinny. Sierra just started out that way.

Here's what Sierra is up to at two months -
-coos and smiles (when she wants to, which is apparently not when she's having portraits made)
-likes sitting in her swing, but no longer falls asleep in there
-for the most part, she can be put down in her bed with her paci when she's drowsy, and she'll go to sleep
-eats, stays awake for an hour or so, sleeps, and then eats again
-naps range from 45 minutes to 3 hours, and usually the longer nap is in the afternoon
-sleeps in the pack n' play next to our bed (doesn't need to sleep upright anymore)
-still can be fussy at times, but she has definitely gotten less fussy over the last two weeks
-still wakes 1-2 times per night, but she usually goes back to sleep pretty quickly after eating

Just Some Light Reading

Jordanna reading Beowulf. She's so talented that she can even read it upside down.

Two Months Old

Sierra is two months old today. Time flies when you're having fun (or when you're too busy to sit down)! She goes to the doctor on Thursday for her check up, so I'll post her stats then.

Daddy and His Girls

Our Family is Complete

Even on the back of my van

What I Haven't Told You Yet

Our sweet Sierra was born with two big toes on each foot. They are joined together, but each has a nail on it. Our pediatrician recommended waiting until she is about six months old to go see a surgeon because they don't want to put a tiny baby under anesthesia if it's not necessary. Anyway, I'll keep you updated once we know more.

Good Big Brother

Caleb reading a book to Jordanna

Bath Time

Sierra LOVES bathtime. She can be screaming before and after, but she always calms down when she's in her bath. I had been bathing her in the sink, but Molly let us borrow this bath seat. Sierra thought it was great; she just chilled the whole time.

Jordanna thought it was great having Sierra in the bath with her.
See, Sierra does not think that getting out of the bath is a good thing even if she gets to wear a cute matching diaper to Jordanna. She was mad!

Date Night: Part 2

Heading out for Daddy/Daughter Date Night at Chickfila
Jordanna's cheeseball smile. Notice the tablecloths and the flower in the background. Both girls got a flower, a balloon, a note pad, and a stuffed cow. They also had waiters to serve them.
Alexa's fake smile
Alexa and the cow. No picture of Jordanna because she is terrified of it.
Daddy and two of his girls

Date Night: Part 1

Dave took the girls to Daddy/Daughter Date Night at Chickfila on Saturday night (more on that in Part 2), so Caleb and I went to La Parilla since Dave won't go there with me. He loved the queso dip and proceeded to drip it all down his shirt while eating it. I persuaded him not to order a cheeseburger at a Mexican restaurant, so he had a quesadilla while I had enchiladas and a taco. (Excuse the cell phone pictures; Dave had the camera.)

We took a tag-a-long with us. Except for screaming in the van, she was very good.

After dinner, we went out for frozen yogurt.

It was a fun date night with my favorite boy!

Fun with Math

Alexa working on math with Jordanna "helping"
Caleb is working on fractions in math right now. I bought a take n' bake cheese pizza at the store this morning. At lunch time, I divided into halves and then into fourths. The kids then got to put toppings on their fourths of the pizza. They thought it was great fun!