july

Several times I have tried to add pictures on here, and met with a challenge I folded. I give up easily when battling technology. I admit it.

Here are my kiddos. 4, 2, and 8 mos. Max is almost 9 months now. He's been a crawling fool. Slapping the ground as he chases his big brother and sister from room to room. He won't stay in a room by himself; he wants to be with the crowd!

We took this picture for a friend's birthday gift, per request, but I just love it. It's rare getting a picture of all three of them.

We've just been busy rowing through the summer. Max has had many ear infections, or one never ending one- and that has taken center stage for my attention lately. Actually, it's only 2 more weeks until Tripp starts K4!

We spent a week in Branson with my family. Nine adults and four kids in a three story cabin. I heard Jase say he was more tired when he got home than when he left... unfortunately it was pretty accurate. It was fun, and there were a lot of things I hadn't gotten to do before- but it wasn't a "vacation" when you think about the true definition of the word. I certainly wasn't lounging around with my feet propped up. Maybe that's just my definition... The best part of the trip was getting to hang out with my big sister and her family for a whole week, since they live so far away. Such a treat.

Onwards and upwards!

growing too fast

Hard to believe my little guy is almost 6 months old. He out grew his infant car seat at 5 months!! Tripp out grew it at about 10 months, and I think Frannie made it to her first birthday. It will be very interesting to see if he stays this tall...

Here he is dozing in his new seat.

 

Don't even think about touching Duckie. Look at that grip! (And those cheeks!)

no, she's not crying

When Frannie got here with tear duct problems, we had already been down that path thanks to Tripp. He had stents put in his tear ducts, they came out on their own, and we never had another problem. Frannie has been a different story...

About 9 months following her first stent placement, I pulled one of the stents out that was hanging out of her left eye. Once the stent was removed, her eye started draining normally. Since her right eye wasn't, we [well my MIL since Max ended up being born that week :)] took her back in and he had to remove the right one. He said if it didn't start working to bring her back.

Well, it didn't so we did. She typically has a tear sitting atop her right cheek at all times. Her tear duct doesn't drain the normal fluid in her eyes, so they just spill out. Everywhere we go, people say "aww- why are you crying little girl?"

Me: "No, she's not crying. She has tear duct issues."

Friday, he put dye in her eyes:

 

This stuff is pretty cool. This fluorescein dye shines neon green under a black light and lets the eye doc see how her eye is draining. It's pretty freaky the first time you see your kid with crazy, zombie eyes. This wasn't my first rodeo. Wish I was quicker with the camera. You can tell in the pic how it is pooled up in her right eye even after wiping it multiple times... This girl was such a trooper, and was so cooperative at the eye doc.

 

When he did the first surgery, he said her eye was a little different that other kids. She was born without a complete right tear duct and it was attached to the bone. So he "unstuck" it, but it looks like it still won't cooperate. We're all signed up for surgery attempt number 2! He said we try at least 3 times to "unclog the drain" before we move on to a different and bigger surgery.

 

(See how yellow her right eye is? And her left is white?)

 

Here's hoping this one does the trick. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed so we don't have these issues with Max. So far, so good.

round here

Shoot. I missed March. And now April is already almost over. Here are some pictures of how it's been around here. The "real" pictures on my camera tend to stay there, and I grab the real camera for the life events- like Frannie turning 2, Max's baptism, and Easter. But here are the little things.

We went camping! Not too far; for two nights. I'm pretty sure we spent more time getting everything ready before hand, and cleaning everything after than we actually did camping... but I still had so much fun. I let the kids just cover themselves in dirt, which they absolutely loved. I was sitting there wincing and fighting all my instincts to stop them. I did hose them down afterwards... literally. I asked Tripp what his favorite part was, and he said "playing in the camper". I am determined to go camping more and use this pop-up, but not in the middle of summer!

 

Here's Frannie "helping" me cook Pops' favorite dessert. She thought this was the BEST thing ever, and kept demanding more. The dress she's wearing is one me and my sisters wore, and I recently acquired it from my mom. This was the first time Frannie wore it. She looked at herself and said "I pretty. I like this dress."

 

Here's sweet Max during the cold snap after Easter, with his sweet Daddy. What the heck?? The weather has certainly helped us make sure atleast one person at my house has a runny nose at all times. Gee, thanks Mother Nature!

 

Here's Frannie outside swinging with Daddy once it warmed up again. Girl loves to swing, and refuses to get out once you put here in there. She is definitely embracing being "two" and all the lovely characteristics that go with it.

 

Tripp is always grabbing Max and saying "Mama, take our picture!" So I have lots of these. Tripp loves his brother, and it shows! I can already see them sneaking off getting into trouble.

 

"Mama, take our picture!"

 

And this picture captures life these days most accurately:

Tripp busy building something.

Me trying to get Frannie to stop sitting like this.

Max putting anything and everything in his mouth.

And the mess. Always the mess.

 

I love it though. These quiet moments sprinkled in the day.

Makes this mama know it's all worth it. 

 

busier than usual

It all started a week ago...

last thursday:
picture day for Tripp. Mom (me) forgot and had to run by picture place to pay for a late order

friday:
Tripp and Jase supposed to get haircuts... forgot!
Little sis home from college for the weekend comes by to visit with her four friends

saturday:
get gift for wedding shower
wedding shower
get cake and balloons
lots of cooking and party prep
Frannie's birthday party
party clean up

sunday:
Frannie's birthday
mass in the pouring rain
highland parade

monday:
no work, Tripp has a pneumonia follow-up appointment at the doc
trim all 20ish rose bushes, haul 2/3rds to the street, get out relatively unscathed

fat tuesday:
Tripp and Frannie both have Mardi Gras parades at school. Frannie needed cat ears and beads for her class
I had a patient at work, and missed the parades :(

ash wednesday:
Tripp and I went to mass at St. Elizabeth's at 7am. Best Ash Wed mass ever! No crowds! Will definitely be going here every year (like I will be able to remember, ha!)

thursday and valentine's day:
tripp's class- 18 unmarked valentines, 2 teacher valentines, ice cream
frannie's class- 14 unmarked valentines, 2 teacher valentines, fruit cups
max's class- 8 unmarked valentines, 3 teacher valentines, 12pack of sprite
PM- you forgot Tripp's allergy medicine. You realize this Friday morning and feel terrible.

friday:
YOU MADE IT. You remembered (almost) everything. You spoke with Tripp's teacher and she doesn't hate you for leaving the ice cream of the step outside her door because you were late and the whole class was at the flag ceremony and you didn't know what to do. You figured out Tripp left his coat in music class yesterday. You remembered to bring Max's gas drops, and talk to Frannie's teacher about what happened to her cat ears from the parade.

slow, deep breath.

And here is why it was worth it:

 

 

 

 

 

We are always busy. Here's hoping next week is just a tiny bit less

turning two

"Turning two must be easy to do,

I just blinked my eyes and it happened to you"

I can hardly believe Frannie is already 2 years old.

It seems like we were just bringing her home yesterday:

 

She is so full of life. She is just starting to take care care of her baby dolls, and she loves to make cake in her pretend kitchen. Then she brings it around for everyone to sample. She makes a mean "chock-it" (aka chocolate) cake. She also serves tea, but be careful... 

It goes like this: (huge grin) "Tea?" (holding out a cup for you)

"Oh, thank you" (You go to take a sip)

"HOT! HOT!"

It's only slightly worrisome how much pleasure she takes from you almost (pretend) burning your tongue.

 

She can count to 10, and she loves to draw... on pretty much anything but paper. She typically prefers to draw in her coloring books with an ink pen rather than colors, I'm guessing because that what her parents and big brother do. She is a way better sleeper than her big brother has ever been. She is still sleeping in her crib, and it's working so I really don't want to mess with that. Still no attempts to climb out- I wonder how long this will last?

 

She is also terribly independent. I knew this day would come since she comes from a very long line of strong, independent women. Hell bent on making their own mistakes. I still feel blessed everyday that she is in my life. I wish I could slow down time a little bit; I'm trying so hard to freeze these memories in my brain.

 

 

The world is a better, brighter place with Frannie in it.

 

and then there were five

I can hardly believe it is 2013. New year, new blogging resolutions I suppose. It's already been 3 months since we welcomed Max to the family. This happy little boy fits right in:

One friend sent us a gift, and having 3 children of her own, wrote on the card "enjoy the chaos". That is exactly how I would describe what's going on... we are enjoying the chaos. It's crazy and hectic and there are no days (or nights) off. Whenever I sit down to nurse Max, which is pretty much the only time I do sit down, atleast one small person brings me a book to read aloud. It's hard to say I'm loving every minute, because sometimes the screaming really gets to you. But come on, it would get to anyone.

a person

“A person’s a person, no matter how small”- Dr. Suess, “Horton Hears a Who!”

“I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.  I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” –Dr. Suess, “The Lorax”

We have to stand up for (literally) the smallest people of all, unborn children.  They have no voices.

[these are ultrasound pictures of my soon to be 4 year old son]