part 2 of june 2014....

so last june was chris and marks (matts sister and her nubby) 10 year anniversary... they got married on a beach in destin...we all went down there...rented a beach house...partied and enjoyed the beach and sun...so, it was decided that we all were going back to celebrate their 10 years!
in 10 years, the family has grown by 7 children...and girlfriend became a wife (thats me!)
the girsl were so excited to go to the beach house! they really are great little travelers for as long as we were in the car! driving 800 miles south to florida with a 4 1/2 year old, and almost 3 year old and a 5 week old! we did it! and survived!
our beach house rocked!!!!
it was one of those 3 story ones, 1 house back on the beach! not RIGHT on the beach, but a short board walk away! and we had a pool as well!
the first day we chilled by the pool...

the second day we went to the beach! finley is our fish! she cant get enough of the water..and the waves! she loved holding onto matts hand and jumping over them...or at least trying to!
danika...is our sand girl....she wants nothing to do with the water...or the waves. and is super content playing in the sand all day...filling the bucket, pouring int out, filling it, pouring it out...
nora stayed back at the house, in a baby wrap with my sister, and slept! my sister and her hubby got to come over for a night! it was great to see them!

the next day....we went to the beach...do you see a theme here?!?! thats all we did the entire week, walk down to the beach and stayed there for a few hours. then came back for lunch and nap...then it was dinner time!
some of the other family went out shopping, or on excursions...we didnt see the sense in that...spending money on something that the girls were probably too young to enjoy...and packing everything up to drive somewhere...when they were having a blast at the free beach right there in our back yard!
so thats what we did! and it was grand! finley played in the water with matt, danika played in the sand, nora slept...matt and i enjoyed a few beers, and i was at peace listening to the waves and the giggles of my super happy girls! (by the way, they still talk about the beach house and the beach, almost a year later!)

another beach day...
another 2 happy girls
another 2 happy married people watching their girls enjoy life...

this day, we went to the national park down the road...to their beach!
we made volcanoes (out of sand) and then put baking soda and vinegar in them and watched them "explode"! all the kids got a kick out of that!
our sister in law does photography, so she graciously took every ones family pictures...
this was our night...
i love the colors (i picked for everyone to wear!)

the last day in destin...
spent...
where else but at the beach!

after our destin week, we packed up and drove the few short hours over to tallahassee to spend a few days with my sister, her family and my mom!
they have a pool....finley was thrilled!
she was jumping in like her older cousins....till she was so tired she couldnt do it anymore...
danika...sat on the steps...and ventured into the water by stepping down one step!

FINALLY...danika is "swimming" and she was so proud of her little doggie paddling self!!!
Popsicles by the pool are the best idea ever! (thanks barbie!)...all the drips are not a problem...
they are just going to get washed off with pool water anyway!!!!!
brody and bryn loved baby nora and were sooooo good with her!

the last day in tallahassee...and what do we do...
go swimming of course!
after all, its florida...and its june 30!!!!
and the kids arent complaining either!

before we leave, i always have to get group shots of everyone...
its fun to see how everyone ahas grown!

that, my friends was our big trip of 2014...10 days in florida with a 4 1/2 year old, almost 3 year old, and 5 week old...
it was a great time...
filled with memories that we all will remember for ever!
and im so glad we went (a few people thought we would back out since we had a 5 week old! us? never!)

finley is 5

finley turned FIVE on jan 20!
my baby...the one that made me a MOM!
 the one that we tried for 2 1/2 years for...and spent our entire savings on!....
and we wouldnt have it any other way!

she wanted a flower cake...so...i did my best and made a yellow flower cake! i think it turned out pretty good! and i will never go back to icing a cake with a knife, i discovered bags and cake decorating tips! sooo much easier!!

she wanted pizza and quesadillas! how easy is that! we had a loose doc mcstuffins theme....and a pinata!!!!!
that was a HUGE hit!@!!! they loved it!

we had matts family over...the girls ran around with max...and had a great time!

 

 

on her birthday she took flower shaped sugar cookies iced with yellow and orange frosting and sprinkles to school! she was super happy and in a great mood! she even got to be the line leader at school! her favorite "job"!

she wore her new dress she got from aunt chris and uncle mark.

for dinner she wanted to go to "the restaurant with the little games, pizza, and oranges"...for those of you that dont know (which im sure is all of you!), that is buffalo wild wings! they have little game players the girls love, flat breads the girls call pizza and mandarin oranges!

win!

 

after dinner we came home and she opened gifts, we sang to her and she blew out her candle on cupcakes i had gotten!
what a great birthday celebrating finley!

her birth minute...jan 20, 2015. 2336...sleeping.

F I V E!

finley is so caring, helpful, wants to "do it all myself", mother hen to the other 2 girls.
 loves her sisters, milk, puppy, strawberries, broccoli, cheese sandwiches (grilled cheese), quesadillas. not a big sweets eater.
she is turning into a goof ball....she has discovered she can cross her eyes...so she does this every time i try to take a picture of her!
her favorite color is yellow.
she is in 5t clothes size 11-12 shoes.
still needs her afternoon naps! (YES!) and will nap from 2-5ish. goes to bed around 830 (but probably falls asleep closer to 9 or 930) wakes around  7 or 730 every morning.  she is afraid of the dark and has to sleep with her door open, the bathroom light on, her pink lights plugged in in her room, and a night light! she asks me to "lay with me" every night i put them to bed...and of course i oblige!
she still sucks her thumb when she is tired.
she loves princesses...right now her top 2 are "disney tangled" and frozen (elsa)

i am so proud of the little girl she has grown into....
finley grace...
our caring, sweet, helpful, strong willed, blue eyed, blond haired 5 year old

nora is 9 months

well, nora was 9 months on feb 19....
 she is in size 3 diapers. size 6-9 and 9 months clothes.
she weighs 17 lbs 5 oz (25%) and is 26 3/4 inches long (25%). her head is 17 1/2 inches (50%)
she is finally a GREAT sitter. but thats is. no desire to move. not trying to pull up, scoot, crawl. nada. happy as a clam sitting in the middle of the floor having her sisters bring her stuff.!
she is great with "food"/purees now! she opens her mouth like a little bird! she started the month eating only 2 cubes at a feeding, but now she eats 4-6 at a time! she has improved greatly! (i puree the food, then freeze them in ice cube trays). she started "getting it" around 8 months 1 week! we try to feed her at least 2 times a day now...one veggie and one fruit. the new foods she has tried (and loved! hasnt disliked anything yet) are mandarin orange slices, then pureed butternut squash, apples, blueberries, and peas. she hits her tray with her hands when she wants more food! and im not giving it to her fast enough! loves trying to feed herself puffs! she can pick them up with her hand, but cant transfer them to her mouth very well...
she still gets her breast milk bottles 5 oz every 3-4 hours. she will hold her bottle herself, and when she finishes is all...will throw it down! and dont try to stop her to burp her! no way!
she poops once a day now
jan 6 she got #4 tooth (and finley had croup). upper middle left.
she is starting to grow HAIR!!!! it looks like it is going to be the darkest out of the 3 girls hair.

still 2 naps a day, and hour around 10. then a few hours at 2 (with the rest of us!). she gets super cranky when she is tired. she still sleeps in our room in her rock n play...with her taggie (actually finleys) blanket. she goes to bed at 8pm and will sleep till 8am...but still wakes once between 12-1 for a bottle.
the girls still love her to death. and she gets so excited when they play with her! she will smile, giggle, and flap her arms like she is flying!
she is super drooly. super happy. super smiley! super ticklish.
rocks her thunder thighs and squishy cheeks.
loves to chew on the tags of things (stuffed animals...anything with a tag)
she still sucks on her l finger and thumb...
no words yet, but "mamamama" every once in a blue moon... lots of babble, squeals and growls!

still not a fan of the bath...but did actually not cry the entire bath time last time. i gave her a foam letter and she chewed on it...distraction at its best!
is totally a mamas girl right now...and will cry if i try to hand her to someone....or walk out of the room.
loves playing the dropsy game and peek a boo!

shes a peach! a gem!

our sweet lynnora ann

the last few days!

i know, i know.... blogging something in real time?!?!?!?
NO WAY!
but i am...
i am in the middle of a 6 day stretch off and so much has been happening!
i want to quickly blog about it all...
i will probably blog more in depth about each thing later (probable next year at this rate!)

~ last wednesday, finley had her 5 year check up and nora had her 9 month check up...
finley weighed in at 41 lbs and 45 inches...and got 4 separate vaccines...it was horrible! and thats why i brought back up (matt) to the appointment!
nora weighed in at 17 lbs 5 oz and 26 3/4 inches tall...she got one vaccine...
then on the way home with girls, one cranky from 4 shots, one claiming she was starving, and one peacefully sleeping baby....i RAN OUT OF GAS! with the gas station in site!!!!  i have NEVER done that! thank goodness matt was able to rescue me quickly!

~thursday morning i came home from work to the house being 60 degrees and matt telling me the heater didnt work!
the big girls went to school, and nora and i hung out at home. i kept the fire going all day and we hung out in the living room dressed like we were walking in a blizzard! (the umbrella over her bed is to keep the sunlight out while she was napping, im a genius!). i also gave her cut up string cheese which she LOVES feeding to herself! what a biggie girl!
matt came home from work that night and was able to get the heater up and running again with some help from his friend that was walking him through stuff on the phone.

~friday was supposed to be a date night for matt and i to see a comedian (katt williams) but we had gotten mixed up and thought the daddy daughter dance was saturday...welp, it wasnt, it was friday. so with some quick craigs listings...we sold our comedian tickets (gone was date night). and matt and finley went to the daddy daughter dance. she was super shy at first, but ended up having a great time and was so excited to tell me about it all when she got home that night.
while they were at the dance, me and the 2 littles went to walmart. danika was so good and such a great helper! we wont mention that she picked up a 24 pack of cupcakes from the bakery and was running them to me and ended up dropping them all! she says "ut oh, mama...its ok. it was an accident" and shes wiping whipped cream off her shoes and eating it and exclaiming YUMMMM!

~saturday night it started snowing..
and we woke up sunday to 7 inches of snow!!!
whoo hoo we get to use the snow boots and snow overalls!
the girls had an absolute blast playing in the snow!!!
they were out there for at least 2-3 hours!
they built a snow man, made snow angels, and had a snow ball fight!!!!

what a great few days!!!!

june 2014....

june 2014.... this is the first half of june... i am splitting it into 2 posts...cause june 20 we traveled to florida for 10 days! so thats a post worthy of all by itself!

last june 3 we FINALLY got to swim in the big pool! finley was all about it! she is like a fish. no fear! jumps in...loves it! danika...well, she isnt as fearless...she likes to hang onto one of us like a scarf! and will not jump in... but she does have fun...just dont dunk her or splash her!
and sweet nora....love that sweet cleft face!

we also went strawberry picking at our tiny little side of the road patch....i absolutely love doing this, and i think the girls have fun too...
it was at the end of the season (i was busy having a baby earlier!) so the plants were pretty picked over, but we were able to find enough for us! and danika ended up picking flowers...she was over the little strawberries pretty fast!

we went to an indoor water park for a birthday party....the girls LOVED this! although finley got super mad that she couldnt go down the big slide (she wasnt tall enough) and may have had a pouty fit...but dumping water on daddys head made things all better!

ha....june 12 2014 brought us to a first for finley....a hair cut! she was 4 1/2...
OMG! it was horrible! as you can see by the pictures! you would have thought we were cutting off her arms! she seriously tried crawling back inside me via my rib cage!!!!
but we were able to get a good trim (which is all i really wanted, her ends were getting straggly looking)...weve been back once since, it wasnt as bad, not as many tears, but still kicking...and not a fan!

target dollar bin is awesome! seriously i find so much stuff in there for the girls! this craft that we did, thanks to the dollar bin, was painting bird houses! the paint was a tad dried out, but they were from the dollar bin....thank goodness i have paint on hand!
so, this afternoon, we stripped down to our undies (im no dummy) and we went outside, and i let them paint away!they had so much fun! and their bird houses are proudly displayed on a book self in the dinning room!

just some sweet pictures of the girls....nora sleeping (she did a lot of that this past summer!)
and danikas first pony tail!!!

FATHERS DAY 2014!
arent these pictures just the best!!!
matt with his posse of girls!!!!

closing up the first part of june...
the picture of the 3 of them is on noras 1 month birthday (she is so tiny) and the face close up above that is her at 4 weeks...
my time flies fast
and girls grow faster!

what a great weekend!

it was 65 and sunny all weekend here in st louis! in February! what a great few days!

we got out in the back yard and enjoyed the sunshine!
we ate lunch on the back porch in the sun...
the big girls ran around and played
and giggled
and "raked"
and blew bubbles!
and nora jumped till her little heart could jump no more in her jump-a-roo...
and watched her big sisters run!

sunday was just as nice...
so we did it again!
what a nice break from the cold and grey skys of winter!

sunday night...we ate like princesses!
matt grilled steak and asparagus! and baked fancy potatoes!
then we had dairy queen for desert!!!!

we watched the grammys (my guilty love, thanks matt) and the girls danced to Madonnas performance! it was such a great family moment! watching them dance (they are definitely white girls and learned all their moves from their dad!) and giggle! (yes, i videoed it!) nora was sitting up in the middle of the floor watching and giggling too!
we had to rewind Madonna 3 times so they could dance again! per their demands!!! :-)

these 3 girls.

these days.

 

 

these memories.

 

 

 

life.

is.

good.

8 months jan 19th....

8 month post....only 2 weeks late!

nora wears 6, 6-9 and 9 month clothes
still size 2 diapers (probably could move up to a 3 but we still have a ton of size 2!)
 has 3 teeth!got #2 (bottom middle right) jan 4 and #3 (upper middle right) jan 13.
babbles all the time! and can say "mamamamamamama"
is the most smiliest baby ever!
is a drooling fool still
has thunder thighs!
loves her sisters and gets so excited when the talk to her and play with her!
she is getting better at sitting up but still a tad weebly wobbly

we now give her 5 oz ob breast milk with 2 spoons of formula added. she eats this every 3-4 hours.
still attempting the puree thing...she has had sweet potatoes, bananas and peas. and still, if she sneezes, the food comes out her nose, and it pisses her off and she is done eating "food" for the day.
still takes her 2 naps. around 10 and 2. the first one only about an hour, and the afternoon one about 3 hours! then she is ready for bed by 8pm and will sleep until 8am with her 2 bottles in the middle of the night around 1 and 5am. she still sleeps in the rock n play in our room.
she loves chewing on her toes and will lay there on her back with her feet up in the air babbling and having a good ole time!
she chews on everything.

loves to chew on the tags of everything! i got out finleys and danikas "taggie" blankets and these are by far her favorites!
still her left thumb and pointer finger are her fingers of choice to suck on.
hates baths.
is super ticklish
still bald...but hair is starting to come. and it looks like she will be the darkest of the 3 girls...

some things she has done the past month....
her first sound was on dec 21 (7 months 2 days) and it was "mmmmm" that has progressed to "mmmmammmmammmammma"
she had her first christmas
we went back to florida to spend some time with my family
she got to enjoy (not really! remember she hates baths!) her first hot tub while at my sisters on jan 2.
got her 2 and 3 teeth!
on jan 10 she was doing tummy time and pushed her chest up off the floor (like a seal)
and on her 8 month birthday she rolled from her back, to her belly, and back to her back again...right in front of me! (i may have shed a tear when i witnessed that!)