Ten Spot

1.  Last week seemed to drag on forever with Justin being gone - but we survived!  And he had a great time, saying he was able to truly relax and forget about work - which makes it a successful trip in my book!  So glad he was able to have some guy-time in the woods!  He may not of shot a deer, but Brad did - so at least someone was able to!  And I hear it was a big one!!!

2.  I am very thankful my MIL was able to stay here Friday night through Sunday afternoon!  It worked out well since she was planning to come down anyway for an appointment, and the girls just LOVED having her here!  Thanks again, Nel!

3.  Poor Paige was sick the whole time, and still has a little bit of that cold left.  But the rest of us managed to stay healthy.  She is so funny right now - will NOT stop talking!  Seriously.  She loves to act goofy and crazy, and is such a good big sister - doting on Jaelyn every chance she gets!

4.  Jaelyn is filling out a bit now.  She still has a hormone rash, and something is still going on with her tummy (gas/spitting up), but overall she is doing really good.  We had one stretch of 5 hours between feedings at night, but nothing consistent.  She is so sweet and snuggly, really loving to be held!  Still thinking her eyes are going to be brown, and the hair that is coming in on her balding area looks a lot lighter than the hair she has now!  

5.  Lauren is now loving school!  Her improvement in letter writing and drawing/coloring after just eight days is amazing!  Today she came home with a "Good Job" card from her teacher and was very proud.  Dinosaurs are still an obsession of hers at the moment - she loves reading about them, talking about them, pretending to be one, watching various shows/movies about them.  I need to find a girly dinosaur t-shirt for girls to commemorate this quirky time in my biggest princess' childhood!

6.  I am hoping to go to Flagstaff for the day on Saturday.  It is only supposed to be a high of 70 degrees!  Sign me up!  Really, it will be worth all the ridiculous work to get the five of us there and around town just to sit outside in the grass without SWEATING!

7.  I'm missing my clients already!  I truly enjoy photographing people so much, that this three months off is starting to give me a twitch.  ;o)

8.  I hung some family pictures last week in an asymmetrical pattern.  Justin was home about an hour before he was talking about how they needed to be rearranged.  LOL!  I don't mind making them more symmetrical, I just thought this was a funny example of the differences in our personalities!  We are still working on how they will finally be hung...  

9.  Our older two were finally introduced to the joy of Silly Bandz this week.  Those things are crazy, how do they make them so they always go back to their original shape?!?  But, they sure do make a mess when there are 26 to a pack!

10.  I find myself choosing between showers and naps these days -- and I don't feel like that is a fair contest, because at this point all I want to do is find some sleep!  But, today I miraculously got that shower before noon, so now I am off to try to catch a few z's as well.  Wouldn't that make for an amazing day?!?  ;o)  

Happy Wednesday, everyone!  The week is half done!!!

One Month

How has it been a month since Jaelyn arrived?  She is awesome - so sweet, and her old man hair cracks me up more every day!  Love you baby girl!

Ten on Tuesday

1.  Lauren is really enjoying school - but I am not enjoying the attitude she has had once she is home!  She doesn't want to tell me about her day.  Already?!?  Are you 13 years old?!?  she and Paige have had more altercations in the last two afternoons than in the last month.  Fun times of transition around here!  ;o)

2.  Apparently I didn't really have thrush, or at least that is what my OB's office told me.  Though they couldn't tell me what it WAS.  It is mostly gone now, so I am glad to be on the upswing health-wise - it was a long two weeks!

3.  I am in love with these boots.  Aren't they fabulous?  I don't know why I am obsessed with them... I am not really a boot girl.  I currently don't own any boots.  These ones just speak to me - though I am not sure my size 10 feet would love them.  And neither would my bank account - $200!  Yowza.

4.  Is it fall yet?  I am anxious for this heat to go AWAY.  The end.

5.  Along the lines of #4... Still hoping to squeeze in that trip to a beach while we could still swim in the ocean.  This would be the first year in I-don't-know-how-many that I have not been to the beach.  Sad.

6.  Justin leaves for his Kaibab deer hunt TOMORROW.  Ack!  I am so excited for him to go on this adventure -- I am just praying that my time alone with the kids LACKS adventure.  Hahahaha...

7.  Anyone want to go to H&M at Scottsdale Fashion Square?  I am dying the check it out!  Not that any pre-pregnancy sizes would fit me yet.  *sigh*

8.  Planning to purge the toy-room soon.  It just gets too crazy messy in here - and the girls don't play with half their stuff.  It has got to go!  I am using the new baby as an excuse... eventually she could choke on all these little toys!

9.  Three hours and 45 minutes does not make a school day.  Seriously... how are they learning anything in that timeframe when they have recess two times during it?!?

10.  Jaelyn is losing her hair!  At least on the top of her head.  Neither of my other kids lost any hair, so I find her new look hilarious, and she will be having to wear lots of hairbands and bows in the near future!

Kindergarten

Today was Lauren's first day of Kindergarten!  We were all up early and running around like crazy to get out the door.  All the while, I am thinking to myself, "I have to do this every day?!?"  LOL!  I know it will be a lot simpler most days than the first day, but it was hectic to say the least!

Lauren did great, and didn't seem nervous at all!  Doesn't her backpack make her look tiny?!?

I can hardly believe she is in school already...

I just love these girls!  Paige did surprisingly well, and wasn't upset that we left Lauren at school and didn't say a peep about her while she was gone!  I was shocked.

So glad Justin was able to go in late to be there for her big day!

Doing a little craft while she waited for class to start.  Check out the tongue!  Ha!

Saying goodbye... we could hardly get her to look up from her paper!  She was definitely ready to get started on this new chapter of her life.

At pick up, her teacher called her an "angel" and said she did great.  She told me all about recess, and the rules, and some other little girl named Julia who she said was "cute" and "talked a LOT, like Paige".  She seemed to enjoy it, and is looking forward to going back tomorrow.  

Great job, Lauren!  We are so proud of you!!!

Ten on Tuesday

1.  The last week has been an adventure.  I had a clogged milk duct, which then developed into mastitis - flu-like symptoms that really knocked me over!  I got on antibiotics and am much better now, but still fighting the clog off a bit.  Plus, with the antibiotics I have to be super careful not to get thrush or give it to Jaelyn.  ACK!

2.  So to fight off thrush (yeast) while on antibiotics, you take probiotics.  To be taking two things with these names at the same time makes me laugh!

3.  For those of you who are thinking how much our kids look alike... and I know you are out there...  ;o)  Here is a little comparison of each of them around three weeks:

Jaelyn yesterday (3 weeks, two days):

Lauren (3 weeks, five days):

Paige (3 weeks, two days):

You can make your own decision on this!  I see too many similarities to even start a list!!!

4.  Being a parent of three is NOT the same or "just as easy" as having two.  At least not when #3 is a newborn.  Many people told me this - and I think they had all just forgotten about the first six weeks and how exhausted you are!  Maybe it is just as easy in three months, or six months, or two years - but not today, that is for sure!

5.  Lauren had her Kindergarten assessment yesterday - and tomorrow we have parent orientation/meet the teacher night.  The assessment freaked.her.out.  She was terrified of getting something wrong.  As much as we have tried to battle the fear of failure in our kids, Lauren still has it bad!  But she went with Daddy and it was great.  She came home and told me it was "really easy" and that she got "everything right".  I have a feeling she is going to be fairly competitive about grades in school!  

6.  She also told us that she "read two books to the teacher" - which was strange because she doesn't really know how to read.  :o)  So Justin and I are just looking at each other thinking there must be some sort of misunderstanding... but we certainly couldn't get it out of Lauren!

7.  I feel like we need to do something special with Paige.  The baby gets all sorts of attention right now, and Lauren is going to be getting a lot of attention in the next week with Kindergarten.  My middle child needs something FUN just for her!  I will have to try to drum up some ideas and maybe do something with her while Lauren is in school next week.

8.  Justin sent me to get a pedicure "just because" on Friday afternoon (right before I started having a fever), and it is crazy how happy it makes me to look down and see pretty toes and un-callused feet!  I have such a wonderful, thoughtful hubby!!!

9.  Friends are coming over and bringing dinner tonight, and I also think that is just the most awesome thing people do for you after you have a baby.  Bring food!  Dinner is the best, there is nothing quite like the feeling of knowing all day that you don't have to worry about dinner!  It has helped this day to be a much less stressful one for me!  We have had several people support us by bringing food, so consider this a huge THANK YOU AGAIN to you all!

10.  For anyone who hasn't seen our baby announcement yet - I am posting it over on the business page.

Happy Tuesday!