On the mend (& loving our Bapa time)

I'm happy to report that we are (finally) on the mend. 

 No more fevers.

No more pinning down my 18 month old to give her eye drops. 
Four. Times. A. Day. 

 No more getting sprayed in the face by sneezes and finding random mocos (our family's word for boogies) on my arms. No joke. 

Other than momma's very annoying, very persistent cough, we are excited about our health. And our energy.

 And about seeing Bapa shortly after waking for donuts; for fixing things; for hanging new sconces because momma found some for $10 that she just had to have; and for getting ready for a very exciting event coming up. 

Thank you Dad for choosing to spend the last 3 days with us in your final days of summer vacation. 

Thank you, yet again, for your labors of love. 

Thank you for brightening our day.  

Thank you for giving yourself to us.  

Thank you for bringing excitement and inspiration to our home. 

Thank you for infusing your love into each and every one of us.

 

 I'm not sure why this came out so blurry but I love what it depicts.

A special moment between the guys. No words necessary.

Family of Five

Our first official photo as a family of five.

Ignore the fact that the females are sitting far from lady-like and the boy is halfway dressed.

 Not too bad considering naps and feedings were completely thrown off "schedule" (very loosely used) due to 2 parties and 3 stops, hours away from home, in one day.

Speaking of family of five, it finally happened. I knew the day would come. I've been expecting it with sort of an anxious, nervous dread. Well, today was the day. It lasted for what seemed to be an eternity to this delirious, sleep deprived, irritable mom who has absolutely zero perception of time but I'm sure it really was only a few minutes, maybe even one. All 3 offspring whining crying screaming at the same time. And all for good reason.  All needing mommy. One was tired and hungry in need of a "milk booby" (as Spicy refers to it), one uncomfortable sitting in a dirty diaper, and the oldest completely flustered by a time constraint (I'm sure my yelling didn't help her level of anxiety) and frustrated at the inability to put her shoes on solo.  I knew daddy was busy grooming himself for an important meeting and I felt so overwhelmed. So paralyzed. So frustrated. I was tempted to join them as my internal thoughts quickly turned to audible shouts. I was on the brink of a breakdown when daddy stepped in (or rather, out, of the bathroom), reminded me to keep my composure, and swept the youngest babe away, making it manageable to attend to the other 2, pull it together and see daddy and Spicy off with a smile (genuine or not) on my dry, pale, worn face. ha! 

And now? As I sit in total silence, other than the clicking of my laptop keys, Spicy is en route to enjoy the Ringling Brothers circus, thanks to an extremely thoughtful and generous cousin of mine, Daddy is off hopefully making a big sale, and the house is still with two sleeping babes. Ahhh! How quickly things can change around here.

And although unfolded laundry, sticky floors and dishes caked with dried oatmeal residue from this morning's breakfast seem to glare their ugly faces at me, I think I'm going to go catch a wink or two. 
Good night!

Barbies and Boyish Blue

Two weekends ago, Bapa came over to paint the nursery a more masculine shade of the rainbow. Although the color we had was gender neutral, after 4 years, momma was getting pretty tired of the bright green. What he didn't know was that his mission would be slightly delayed by an inability to refuse his first granddaughter's pleas to play. He didn't seem to mind that the 'play' involved dressing Barbie dolls. 

  This grandpa can do it all, I tell you. He can build a home and with the same two hands entertain a 31/2 year old with talk of ballroom gowns and fairy tale endings. He's got a really cute high-pitched female voice too... 

Oh yeah, and the room....
Once the paint was bought and I knew it was going up on the walls, I got a little scared terrified that I would hate it mainly because the color scheme I chose would remind me too much of my high school and college days practicing living in the gym of my gold and blue Alma maters. But, I was so relieved and thrilled to see it up and actually looooove it!

Thanks Dad for giving up your Saturday and lending your professional painting skillz.
Now it just needs those special touches. 

Be back soon with the finished before and afters...

The adventures of a SAHM (with an awesome Mom!)

I get asked how I survive without a vehicle. Often I wonder why I even used to worry about what I thought at the time was one of Daddy's silly, extreme ideas. Boy was I wrong. Between 2, often 3 staggered naps, meals, homeschooling lessons, a park within walking distance, strolls to the local fabric store, wagon rides, a spacious front yard to indulge in chalk art, bubbles, play-doh, playing in the dirt, with leaves, sticks, a sand table that captures the girl's attention almost every time they set foot outdoors, a swing, a playmate next door, almost daily walks to Gramma Yvonne (our neighborhood grandma & watch dog)'s house for sweet treats & lovely chats, none of us are ever deprived nor bored. Besides, as hard as I try, I am convinced it is a forgone conclusion that every time I enter the mini-van, I am doomed to spend money we don't have. 

And then there are the visits from Mimi when she often whisks us away for an outing that is never less than perfect.

 

Like say, enjoying the gorgeous 80 degree weather at the beach...

The girls were so content for so long, amidst the mild rays of sunshine and gentle ocean breeze, I sat on the park bench not quite sure what to do with myself. So I rested. And snacked. And snapped a few pictures.

 

Thank you Mimi for an incredible day!  

Spending time with you is the greatest gift we could receive.

I can't tell you how good it feels to say I only have 12 weeks to go (hopefully less, please Lord!). Of course, to the rude clueless outsider, apparently I look "huge" "ready to pop now" and the fact I still have 3 months to grow seems impossible. But whatever, people. 

Let the countdown begin!

B is for Boy, C is for Caleb

We've been seeing a lot of this little guy lately which is definitely adding to my excitement and increasing the anticipation for a little boy coming into our family.

I can only dream he will be as low maintenance and easy going as this special tot.

 It's so fun to watch the dynamic change with a third in the mix and one of the male species. I see even more balance, shall we say, in my future, (namely a sibling strong enough to defend himself from the 1st-born's passionate playfulness. I guess it will be awhile for that although this weekend another male cousin of less than a year clawed & climbed all over Spicy and yanked on her hair so hard that caused her to surrender her will like I've never seen before.) Balance, I say. God knows what He is doing.

On the other hand, I've also gotten a glimpse of daddy's potential for rough-housing and wrestling that has me a bit scared. 

I'm so thankful for the bond these 3 (& soon to be 4) are forming. It's something special and it's a blessing for my children and for me.

How we love you, Caleb J!

The Baby Blues

It's been a little over a week since we found out that TreSoto is a boy! 

I think the reality is sinking in.

Big sis is sure ready for another newborn at home.

She has been very interested lately in carrying around her  "baby brother"

It's so neat to hear her speak of him and witness her excitement for another sibling and her heart of gold.

(I just hope his nose isn't so pronounced. tee-hee)

 About a quarter of Sweet's closet has already being taken over by both new and used clothing in varying shades of blue.

And mommy is having a ton of fun researching nursery ideas, starting with a possible color palette.

As for names, we're still thinking and praying and listening but it'll be tough to find one that Daddy likes better than Soren Charles. 
After 2 of his favorite philosophers.

Any suggestions? 

What are your favorite boy names?

A Super Sweet Sundae Celebration

This past Sunday we celebrated Sweet G's 1st beautiful year of life!

 (pictured in the same dress big sis wore 2 1/2 years ago)

After much dialogue on how to celebrate while staying within our modest budget, we set the date and time and made the notice to our immediate extended family and a couple friends who, are family. Once it was official, the SUPER Duo Team Emde (aka, Mimi & Bapa) pitched in for absolutely amazing results. This included hours of research, visiting 10 different nurseries, questioning, translating, working with the landscaper to finish our beautiful cottage style soft-scape backdrop. Meanwhile, Superdad is mixing and pouring cement, scoring on his hands and knees, installing patio covers, hanging lights, sealing floors, building a fire pit, cleaning up, hauling dirt and much more I am forgetting, to make our backyard a gorgeous place for hosting and enjoying. 

Late last week, I had 1 of the hardest days since becoming a mom which included passing out in the morning (in keeping with my pregnancy tradition) and a tantrum by a certain Spicy one so bad that had me considering performing an exorcism. Once that was behind me, somehow I pulled it together and with Mimi's help snatching the girls away for a day and a half, I was able to do some much needed deep cleaning, painting that was started and unfinished from over a year ago and lot of fun little projects! 

Without the constraints of feeding, entertaining, bathing, wiping bums & napping (that is, imposing forced naps, not partaking in them myself), my creativity let loose and the ideas kept coming! It started with this banner made from wooden pendants my dad cut that I covered in various scraps of fabric I already had. 

    
Then I found a font I liked, printed out the stencils and went to town with different paper. It was so fun to make, I even used a cordless saw for the 1st time but boy were my hands sore after all that stapling and cutting! It was definitely the 'centerpiece' and the source of much inspiration!

Since I am obsessed with themes (as you can probably tell by looking at every room in my house) I took the "Sweet" theme and well, ran with it... all the way to the candy store! The next idea was for the centerpieces. Re-purposed jars (originally filled with peaches which we enjoyed as a side dish) filled with a variety of candy with a few bright faux Gerber daisies. 

The best part about this? They didn't go to waste because once dinner was finished, the flowers came out, and the jars moved over to the "Sweet Sundae Station" for ice cream sundae's with lots of yummy toppings! 

 Add some over-sized lollipops and you're practically in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. 

 kidding. 

But the party prepping fairies were definitely looking out for me. The only thing purchased for this event was a couple cans of spray paint, dowels at 75 cents a piece and the styrophone circles for the lollipops. Everything else we already had! And while I was in line waiting to check out, wouldn't you know, I see leftover Christmas items in the dollar bin and some of them, even 1/2 off! 

I couldn't resist. A variety of sanitizers, body sprays and bath salts in "Sweet Candy Kiss" and "Frosted Berries and Cream" scents, they were the perrrrfect favors!

And pictures were cropped and displayed on an old cork board that got a nice coat of bubble gum pink!

The meal was centered around BBQ Beef Sandwiches on Hoagie Rolls in a sweet & tangy BBQ sauce

Side dishes were homemade and brought by loved ones such as Grama Emde's famous tomatoes & cucumbers in a sweet vinegar marinade

 ...Mimi's yams in a secret sweet syrup

and a sweet corn bread treat made by yours truly!

Even the corn dogs were transformed into a sweet delicatessen

We had about 30 guests. Less than half of the number at Spicy's party. However, it is important to note that her event had a dual purpose, namely to give mommy a major emotional boost to survive through the 2nd half of daddy's deployment. 

Needless to say, from young to old not so young, everyone had a great time!

Me & my Sweet G

Following in her sister's footsteps, Sweets surely did not disappoint when it came time for the cake...

        Getting her 1st taste from Spicy             Spicy getting a taste from mommy

That a Girl!

Another flashback

Pure Joy. 
What an incredible baby girl you are!

After dark, we inaugurated the fire pit by roasting marshmallows for Smore's with good friends. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.