Three's a CHARMer

This little guy...

 in his quiet, unassuming way is quite the charming little fellow

He shared & played impressively well for a two year old whose behavior was the furthest thing from "terrible" and 15 months his junior, I could tell Genevieve appreciated this very much in contrast to the bullying badgering pestering she experiences daily.

 

Spicy couldn't sit close enough to him watching their favorite "Blues Clues" video

And he sat unbothered  like the sweet gentleman he is, until he decided to bust out his dance moves for the ladies

And of course, obliged to give Spicy a kiss that she so desperately wanted

  

What a special time we had with Mr. Caleb today. 
You have such a pleasant, happy, calm, funny, easy-going, fun personality! 
You definitely reinforced my desire & excitement to have more babes around the house.  You are an absolute pleasure to have around.
(Kudos to Momma & Memaw for an amazing job you are doing, teaching & loving him) 
We love you and we can't wait for the next play date!

Double Playdate

Today we had a super exciting play date. It was "super exciting" because I always look so much forward to seeing and chatting with "Miss Juweeanna" (as Alizea calls her) and her red-head beauty, Elyse, and we were long overdue! I got up extra early to make our lunches so I could maximize the time while they were here! Once Elyse warmed up to her surroundings, we couldn't have asked for more from the girls. They were so incredibly adorable together, hugging and holding hands spontaneously and partaking in "parallel play" that would have impressed the experts giving us moms plenty of time to relax, catch up and chat about life, families, motherhood, married life, womanhood.

 (Below) with my great pal, Julianna.  I am so thankful for this woman and our friendship. She is the reason I had such an incredible doctor and birthing experience. She generously shared so much about her pregnancy with me that I always had at least a couple weeks warning before I was going to experience some unknown and unforeseeable 'pelvic pain' and of course we had fun researching fun nursery decor ideas together and even helped each with baby names! What a special blessing it was to experience pregnancy for the 1st time side by side with a friend who happen to be a coworker too!

(taken by one of the girls) 

We sure had a wonderful time together!

In the afternoon after some "down time", Spicy was outside playing in her the very popular neighborhood sand table when her new-found friend, Kayla (who is visiting for a month and staying next door) came over to play. It was quite comical observing this 4 year-old as she strongly suggested to Alizea with hand motions and sneaky whispers that they should go inside and play in her room!  I was fully anticipating hearing the whines and groans at any given moment due to the lack of nap but to my surprise, they never made a peep! In fact, it was adorable and I laughed out loud hearing Spicy remind Kayla to "be quiet because baby Genevieve is sleeping" They were like 2 teenagers having the best of times! And I'm so glad her extra spacious circus-themed room is getting such good use!

 I did have one of those odd self-awareness moments realizing that my daughter was old enough to have friends over to play (and fairly unsupervised for nearly 2 hours!) I felt old. But in a good way, I suppose.  

After all, this is what I have always wished for!

Welcome Summer Heat

Well, we sure got our recommended daily dose of Vitamin D today and momma's got a very red back and shoulders to prove it. But oh so fun to get out and chat with other mommies, sweat off some toxins and calories pushing a heavy double stroller filled with 55 pounds of perfect girl goodness (or just sitting in the heat) and give the girls a special outing! 

 I wondered if we had this in our backyard (because you know, Bapa could and would build it!) if  it would have the same appeal...I think not. The other kiddos, especially, good friend, Brayden were just as exciting as the shooting spouts!

Check out Carrie's blog for some more pictures and a short video!

We finished off the outing cooling off in Target's candy aisle collecting come goodies for the Little Miss's special birthday cake to be made tomorrow for her 1st (of 3) celebrations (the perk of having so many family members who want to love on her and see her) ...stay tuned!

Oh Baby!

Today was a very fun day! It dawned on me after finding myself as excited & giddy as a teenager getting ready for the Prom, that I have a new appreciation for opportunities to get out and connect with old friends as well as meet new ones. I took for granted the simple pleasure of curling my hair, putting on some heels and make-up, which rarely happens, feeling very feminine and well, single. Not in a single, trying to find a suitable guy to marry, single. Single as in, individual, Marisa, ME. Having the opportunity to express myself, my silly and bad sense of humor and all, make new connections, hear new ideas and ways of thinking, being apart from my full-time motherly role for some time, laughing... hard. I concluded I look forward to this, I enjoy it, I need it! 

And of course, celebrating a new, beautiful life, made in the image of God, ready to bless the world in less than a month and a glowing momma who said "yes" to His life-giving LOVE, incarnate!

The guest of honor

With oh so many goodies (that is going to be one well dressed baby girl!, PJs and all!)

The college buddies:

pointing to the star of the show, Miss A????? (all we know is the name starts with an 'A' and has 6 letters) Spottsville

Meanwhile, Daddy was enjoying quality time with his ladies. It very much impressed me and charmed me when I walked out of the clubhouse & hiked up a small hill, to find this tall, dark, handsome father on a park bench talking to his toddler as she was building a sand castle and feeding his baby....I kinda wanted to ask him out on a date! 

:)

Field Trip & Bon Voyage

After a mellow day at home yesterday catching up on house chores and nursing 2 mild colds, we were more than ready today for some fresh salt air. Even the June gloom didn't stop us from taking advantage of something that we often take for granted and is less than 10 miles away. The best part? Bapa was going to be there on a field trip with his students. He was confidant the fog would burn off & it did (when we pulled into the driveway at home, ha!) Nevertheless, a trip to my hometown is always welcomed....Good ole HB! We built sand castles, collected seashells, got our 1st touch at sand, chased (& ran away from) waves, loosing our balance just a bit, marveled at a ladybug with a slightly impaired wing, had a picnic and met some new friends. It was very special for me to see my dad in such a heroic role as patient teacher, caring father figure and wise counselor to so many broken, impressionable and beautiful children. Here are just some of the highlights...

It was so powerfully humbling to be surrounded by 30+ adolescents with varying degrees of mental handicaps and then in one second to glance down and see my 2 perfectly healthy children, 1 in my lap, 1 playing at my feet. I was overwhelmed. With a knot in my throat, literally fighting back the tears of gratitude, I discovered a new-found realization & appreciation of my blessings as well as an admiration for all who care for and help those with special needs.

Part 2 of this Friday included a fun visit saying farewell to Auntie Karyn as she gets ready for yet another hiatus to South Africa for safari's, bungee jumps, World Cup games and many other adventures! Alizea was very excited for her date with Mr Miller (aka, 'Co-wa' or Cole) & the 2 played extremely well together for over 2 hours! I had to carry spicy A out of there kicking & screaming, "I want to stay at Auntie Karyn's" so I'd say she had a great time!

this picture doesn't do them justice, but this kid's got UH-mazing eyes and lashes!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Make a new friend

 Very shortly after waking this morning, (since all three of us slept in until 9 o'clock - Ahhhh, that felt good! ) I could hear lots of little voices coming from our kitchen window. I peeked a few times and realized that there was some kind of play gathering going on next door. I tried for as long as I could to distract and prolong the inevitable, knowing that once we stepped foot outside, it may be a tad chaotic trying to stay on some sort of eating, feeding, napping schedule, not to mention changing diapers and keeping an extra close watch on both children with many fun distractions in the mix. So I stalled with puzzles, blowing bubbles in the bath, and lots of computer games. And then, Miss spicy wouldn't be fooled any longer with mommy's stories. She kept asking in the cutest tone of voice "Mommy, may I go outside and see the kids?" Now how can you reject an inquiry like that???

So out we went into a new world of socialization opportunities. There were kids everywhere, I think I counted about 10, all under the age of  6 wandering everywhere you stepped. An initially shy Alizea turned into one who was bossing the other kids around oblivious to the fact that we totally invited ourselves!  But it ended up being lots of fun for kids and moms alike! I met a new friend, an expecting mommy (with a 2 yr old) who lives in our track! And Alizea got to practice sharing toys and smiles!

Isn't it humbling to see how kids interact for the 1st time (well, some, I suppose). When I was taking these shots, it dawned on me that this is precisely how Christ commands us to treat strangers, our neighbors and brothers even upon 1st meeting. How simple and innocent is their love...

This is Whitney and at 4 yrs old, she was only a smidgen taller than Alizea.

 And this is Addison. She was a total ham!

 

 Genevieve was the center of lots of extra lovin' not to mention many 'oooh's and 'ahhhh's as I walked outside with her as if I were a celebrity. Oh and that's Halia to the left of G. She's a year + older than G but they weigh the SAME amount! What can I say? My girls like to eat just like their momma!

It melted my heart to see Alizea so protective and proud of her baby sis in front of everyone.

And for the baby books, Mommy just gave sweet G her 1st hair 'trim' to create some bangs. But yes, those are pig tails spotted behind spicy A's tender kisses....

Sometimes, making new friends is just what we need!

PS - There were a couple rowdy boys playing in the pools with spicy A. She said to me "I don't like those boys. They're too loud and mean!" Get used to it, girlfriend. It doesn't get any better until you're in your 20's!

My tribute to Karyn

 One of the things I loooove about living where we do is being a 3 minute drive/5 mile jog to my BFF Karyn's house.  Even if we go weeks (shame on us!) without seeing each other, just knowing she is so close is comfort enough. It's hard to believe that this picture was taken just under 5 years ago! So many things have come to pass since then: home purchases, trips, babies, separations, loss, masters degree, more trips to faraway lands, more babies and lots of sharing in each others daily joys and struggles. 

When I look at your face, I see beauty. Interior beauty as well as exterior. I see a maturity and wisdom that is hard to describe. I see honesty (even when it hurts to hear), thoughtfulness at the deepest level, selflessness. I see a listener, a teacher, a nurturer, a big heart. And I see a witty sense of humor that is sure to make me laugh no matter what my mood or how bad things seem to be! 

I see a blessing that I never want to take for granted.

Some friends bring ruin on us, but a true friend is more loyal than a brother.
-- Proverbs 18:24

I must express my incredible gratitude for this wonderful jewel in my life for my future generations, although my children will experience it firsthand (& brag about her a bit). She has been such a tremendous support in my life, ironically, especially after I got married and had kids (which to me, shows her incredible maturity).  As a mother, there is no greater joy than sharing my love of my children with those closest to me. I just love how from the very beginning she has created a special bond with Alizea (& now Genevieve), apart from our friendship.

 I feel like she knows her so well. And it's no wonder why...

(reading to Alizea from her X-mas present "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie"- one of her FAV's now/2 yrs later)

 One of things that stands out in my mind is her presence and support during Dean and my time apart. Her words of comfort, encouragement and wisdom always came at the most perfect time and were an answer to prayer and shot to my heart like an arrow  at any and all times of the day or night. (what would we do without "ping"?) God definitely used her to help me through such a challenging time. And her physical presence never failed.

Memorial Day '08 @ the mall

Auntie Karyn's Birthday Party: Sept '08

Spicy A's 2nd Birthday Party  @ Chuck E Cheese's, July '09:

 I've said it before but this is perhaps the most unselfish, thoughtful person I know. This morning she arrived at my house around 9:30 with a latte in hand for me, whisked Alizea away so I could have a few hours of special time with Genevieve, run errands, rest, etc etc. This is not out of the ordinary for Karyn to do, but I am always taken back by her thoughtful, giving heart. She always has me in mind. Yes, she enjoys being with Alizea (& is so incredible with kids) and who wouldn't? I mean, she is pretty darn adorable but she is always looking for opportunities to help me out, give me a break, spend time with the girls, give our relationship the time it deserves, etc. etc.  Sooo, she continued to develop her bond with spicy A at the park (amongst other fun outings) today:

 Oh and did I mention that this was after getting up at 4:45am, flying in from SF less than 2 hours prior on her day off that she only gets once every two weeks after working 9 hour days and commuting at least 2 hours every day?!? You catch my drift?!? And the girl is not lacking in the friend category. I've never known anyone with so many close relationships (although it doesn't surprise me one bit!)

 I must document for the record that when I arrived to pick up Alizea, the second she heard my voice, (before she even saw my face) she began yelling "noooo!". I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry! She was so afraid her special time with Auntie Karyn was coming to a premature end. These 2 most definitely have a special bond!

Anyway, miss Karyn, whenever you get around to reading this, know that I appreciate you from the depths of my heart. Thank you for being such an angel to me. I LOVE you! (oh and we need some recent pictures of us!)