Santa Claus

A few weeks ago, we went for our annual visit to see good old St Nick.

Despite his blue shirt and the $18 bucks I had to pay to get this bad resolution photo on a CD (cheapest "package" available), he was the nicest, jolliest Santa we've visited at this mall in years, and was so adorable with the kids.

Which made it all worth it.

I love nice people.

Especially nice Santas.

 

I'm happy and surprised to report that we've continued with our record of no crying upon visiting the Big Man in Red.
 How does that happen you ask?
I 've figured out that P & E turn on their charm & flash those big smiles and good manners to score points with him, because they know good and well that their behavior record isn't exactly flawless.
Mmmhmmm. 
Don't let those dimples fool you, they've learned early how to work the system as well as they know how to work their Daddy's Iphone.
Better than me, that's for sure...and somehow it always seems to work...

Parker asked for a "SURPRISE" this year (he's an adventurous child), and Emmie asked for a dollhouse (she came up with it on her own and has had Santa's elves scrambling at the last minute to ensure her Christmas fantasies aren't shattered on Christmas morning...it seems even the North Pole is sold out of all the semi-desirable dollhouse furniture!).

Since we were prohibited in taking our own pictures with Santa, I admit we snapped a few outside the perimeters, stealing a little of their backdrop. Afterall, we did pay $18 bucks. It's the least they could allow, right? 
 I don't know if there is a candy cane shortage or what, but the last few years they give out these See's candy suckers - my sweet-toothed children's favorite part. On Christmas morning we have to hide the stockings until the very end, or all they want is the candy in them. Forget the plethora of too many gifts under the bedazzling lights of the Christmas tree. All they can focus on with their hypnotized eyes is the blasted chocolate. Don't worry. I've already been brain storming of how I'm going to instill a love of cardio activity into them throughout their lives. It might involve some chocolate bribery, but hey, whatever gets them moving, right?;)

And of course, after all that hard work to get all dressed up, we had to snap a few pictures at home of the Christmas cuteness.

Poor Roxy SO wants to be a part of this threesome. Like always, she's pretty good at weaseling her way into the picture.
Poor dog thinks she's a human.

MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!!

2 months

Lexi turned 2 months old on Sunday!

As you can see, her little cheeks are filling out and she's even sprouted another chin! We took her to the doctor last week due to her tummy troubles (she was put on some meds), and she weighed in at just over 10 pounds! That is a 3 lb increase since her 2 week appointment so I am happy to know she is putting on weight despite all that she is spitting and throwing up. She has her official 2 month appointment next week. She just started fitting into her 0-3 month clothes so girlfriend will finally start fitting into some of those darling outfits that so many sweet people have brought by for her.

She has been flashing contagious smiles and has been testing out her little voice with coos and mimics the sounds I make the last few days.  So fun!

She is SUCH a sweetheart and it's pretty safe to say that we all adore her around here!

Grateful

Someone pinch me.
Am I really a mom of 3?



Yep.
Here's the proof.
Count 'em yourself.
It feels great.
Especially that they all turned out so darn cute.
How'd that happen?
Okay, so I might be biased.
But they ARE super smart. Destined to be geniuses for sure.
O-kaaay. So I might be biased on that one too.
Well whatever I think they are or are meant to be, I just hope I don't go messing them up along the way.

Anyhow, on Thanksgiving morning we woke up to an extra special surprise and found that one of our basement bedrooms had flooded from a dripping faucet by the window well outside. Perfect. It ruined the dry wall by and around the window and the carpet was nonsalvageable. So for the moment our basement is in chaos as everything had to be moved out of that room & into the family room while it sits in limbo and waits for a new wall and carpeting which won't be in for another 10 days or so. Not fun in trying to get ready for Christmas, and not so good on my sanity as the clutter moved from that room is driving me a bit CrAzy. But it could have been much worse so I'm trying to breathe deep and count our blessings that the whole basement wasn't effected...

Back to Thanksgiving...

We try to just stick with visiting one family per Thanksgiving. Otherwise it's just way too hectic. And way too much food. And way too much toting around napped deprived kids.
We save that special day for Christmas. :)
This year we were with the famous Hansen crew.

It was Lexi's first Thanksgiving, and as you can see, she was a popular guest.
Maybe the most popular of all, in fact.

The food was delish and the company delightful.;)

But the star of the night seemed to be playing old school Nintendo from back in the day in Uncle D's room....

Go figure.

BOYS.
Throw these Nintendo-playing fellas in with a room full of 15 year old Nintendo-playing dudes and I dare you to tell me who are the twenty and thirty somethings versus the high schoolers.
Okay so maybe the receding hair lines would give it away.
Darn receding hairlines.
I kid, but really, if this is the way they bond, so be it.
I'm happy for them. ;)
Really.

Seriously though.
Thanksgiving.
I am so grateful for a great husband who works hard for our family, for my beautiful three kids who keep me on my toes and put up with me even when I'm sleep deprived (not that they have a choice, bless their souls), for good health and the survival of this latest pregnancy, for a nice home in an area I absolutely love, for my treadmill that I can finally use again, for Christmas cards from friends we've made over the years who have touched our lives, for the molasses spice cookies I anticipate making all year and will finally make this week since 'tis the season!', for the perspective I am blessed with through the gospel, for Amazon.com for making my holiday shopping not only a possibility but a dream come true, for Hobby Lobby moving in within 12 minutes of my home this last year, for Baby Gap sales that provide this deal-hunter a shopping high with prices better than Target, for avocado turkey and parmesan lunches, for a husband who rubs my back without me asking and in all the right places, for a church calling that allows me to work with young women I adore and women I admire, for TLC for giving me some quality television to watch while I nurse my sweet baby (Say Yes to the Dress, Sister Wives, The Little Couple anyone? What...they're good!), for the Today Show for keeping me informed in the few minutes I manage to catch of it each week, for Emmie finally catching onto potty training this last week and for the way she dances and sings throughout the house and whose creative thinking and stories always have me laughing, for Parker who is suddenly so grown up and helpful and whose high-pitched voice always makes me smile (okay maybe not always) and whose dimples make my heart sing, for Lexi who loves to snuggle and doesn't make messes (besides in her pants that is) and who is finally HERE and HEALTHY and who has me completely SMITTEN!

I could go on and on as I have much to be grateful for...but I'll wrap it up right here since my cute baby Lexi is finally asleep and I should be too. :)
HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg! :)

Here's a Story...

I think if you visit this blog at all, you can quickly assess that this last summer I became quite smitten with the Thanksgiving Point Gardens. In fact, I'm sure that all three readers out there rolled their eyes everytime I posted new pics from another summer stroll through this beautiful place.
As behind I am in blogging these days, and in realization that I am at risk of more eye rolling, (hey ya'll don't have to read, alright?) I have to give overdue credit one last time to these acres of wonder before year's end...and before I forget...as that is something I do often these days...
See this hill?

If you're 37+ weeks pregnant and ready for that baby to come, go hike it, baby!
 It worked for me. And if it can work for ME...
 Just sayin'.
Yes. My love grew even fonder for TP Gardens and I will forever be grateful for the part it played in it's assistance in kicking me into labor in the early morning hours of October 4th. Alright so I'd already been in labor for weeks at this point (hence my misery), but this made it a done deal. A done deal at last!:)
Mmmhmm. You catch my drift.
 Filled with that crazy, "I need to have this baby NOW or I might just kill someone" adrenalin, I dragged begged Chris to go hiking through here just one more time on the afternoon of October 3rd. So off we went, and even though the irregular contractions I was having hurt like (fill here words that I don't say), I busted through them hard and fierce, with fueled determination that I could not, & would not stand ONE MORE DAY of this pregnancy.
It's so nice when your body listens.

{Of course I had to take a slew of pictures, are you kidding...}
...And so here they are, the last hours that these twosome siblings would be mere twosomes!
At 4 a.m. the following morning my water broke and
 I WAS NEVER HAPPIER.
And then a few hours later I met this little bundle and became even happier...


(pic taken at 4 weeks)
And ever since, life has been a bit of a whirlwind.
But yes, I have never been happier.
{Ok except when I haven't slept. Then I've never been meaner..funny how that is}
I truly adore adore ADORE this little munchkin.
The end.

7 weeks

This little peanut is 7 weeks old today!


So far life with 3 kiddos hasn't been too overwhelming!
Then again, there hasn't been much required of us but making it through the day... thank goodness for that, because that's easier said than done as it is. Just don't expect us to be anywhere on time. Ever. Again. And it's not for lack of beginning to get ready three hours prior to our expectant time, believe me. We had a hard enough time not being tardy with 2 kids. 3 is a joke. We really try though. :)

Lack of sleep is definitely the hardest part for me. My lovely, already-existing undereye circles are even darker than usual (if anyone knows of a miracle concealer please share!), and having the energy to blog and/or think of anything somewhat interesting to say just doesn't happen. But I'm pretty sure that's in the job description for life with a new baby.  On average she is waking up about twice a night. Not so bad but not good either. :) I pretty much feel like I'm sleep walking through my days lately.

The kids have been so great with her. They really haven't had any jealousy issues that I can pinpoint. They love to hold her and LOVE to watch her take her baths (which Lexi loves!). Parker is especially sweet and tender with her. He loves to rub his nose in her hair and when he was sick he would blow her lots of kisses so as not to spread his germs. He told me today, "Mom, isn't the baby just adorable?".
I guess I'm not the only one that thinks so! ;)

We've gotten to know Lexi's cry pretty well this last week. (Thankfully not in the middle of the night however!). Her fussiness has definitely increased. I'm hoping it's not an indicator of what we have in store. I'm pretty sure it's mostly due to her lingering tummy troubles...my poor baby! I'm hoping she doesn't have any strange food allergies. I always feel so bad for people who have to banish peanuts from their diets... Life without peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and reeses peanut butter cups just can't be near as fulfilling. It would be a sad day for me to give those up!;) If her projectile vomiting and runny diapers continue we'll be visiting the pediatrician soon to have things checked out. 

I am so glad she is still taking a binky...it is such a help in soothing her and those belly aches!

 

Life is awesome with our sweet little Lexi. She has started giving smiles and I just love to sit and cuddle with her. We have much to be grateful for around here and we definitely adore her!

Happy Thanksgiving.

A little rewind

Back in September, the week before I had Lexi, we got together with the Hansen crew. Chris' brother Eric (in the red) and his wife Cindy and their kiddos were in town from Texas so we took advantage of a photo op of the whole clan.
 Of course my child decides it's the perfect moment to pick her nose.
Lovely.
And don't mind my yoga capris. My clothing options at that point were sparse to say the least. :)

It was Becky's (my MIL) birthday so we did some celebrating, some barbequing and some relaxing while enjoying the perfect fall weather.

Oh how I love the Fall!

Lance also took Becky on a blindfolded trek in the backyard to find her hidden birthday present - a new treadmill!

The big group pics above are of Chris and his five sibs (& parents of course).

The Handsome Hansens. :)

A few days prior, Chris' mom had a "Cousins Storytime Party" since our little Texan cousins, Isaac and Atticus were in town. The kids had a great time reading the stories and doing the activities that went with them. Very cute!

Atticus and Isaac are our kiddos only cousins for the moment so we love it when they come to visit! This was our first time meeting Isaac, aka Chunk.

 Isn't he the cutest?

The kiddos had a great time and we're excited to see them again for the holidays!

Kicks

This little man has loved playing soccer this year.

He must take after his Pops... Chris' entire fam (6 kids) played high school soccer and his dad was a high school soccer coach. The game might just be in his blood.

Then again, this 5 year old just loves to be outside, be with friends, and have fun... whatever the activity or venue.  

I love that he has a smile on his face in all his 'action' pics.

Lexi went on her first outing (besides 2 trips to the hospital for blood draws) to Parker's last game when she was not quite 2 weeks old.

She wasn't super impressed and slept the entire time.

 Maybe she'll wake up in time for the spring season.

Then again, with the way she sleeps, maybe not.

 

In hindsight I realize it was a little mean to make these cute kiddos line up for team pics facing the bright sun. Sorry troops. Their squints are kinda cute though right?

Here's to a fun Fall season and lots more fun memories to come!

GO BANANAS!!

p.s. That's not really their team name but I can't remember it right now...maybe when I get some sleep it will register.;)

One month old

Lexi is ONE MONTH OLD today!

Talk about a sweet baby!

It's hard to believe that just over a month ago this cute little munchkin was swimming around in my belly. It's MUCH more fun having her out than in, let me tell you! I feel a million times better than I did pregnant and I am just soooo happy to have her safely here with us! She has been such a fun addition to our family and I feel so blessed at the opportunity of raising such a precious little person. There have been adjustments, as to be expected, but I really am loving having a newborn again! I just want to hold her all day... and often I do...probably more than I should, but I can't help it --I just adore her!  

Parker and Emmie have been sick for the past 12 days or so, so we've been trying to keep them away from Lexi and myself as much as possible so as not to pass on their germs. I have felt guilty with them watching more TV and Parker playing more Wii than I would normally ever allow, but I keep trying to remind myself that it's for good reason and just temporary. That has definitely been the hardest part of this month, but so far the baby hasn't gotten sick so our quarantine efforts have been worth it. Can I say that very few things stress me out more than having sick kids!?
It's going to be a looong winter and sad to say but I don't think Emmie will be going to nursery for the rest of the year! It's just a guaranteed ticket to get sick!

Lexi is waking up during the night every 3 -3 1/2 hours but she pretty much just takes care of business and goes back to sleep without crying (or very little). The sleep deprivation has kicked in for me and I have had a hard time making it through the afternoons this last week. I am not a big pop drinker, but I decided today that I might have to give in to having a Pepsi now and then to help me out!

Lexi does spit up more than my other two did, and seems to struggle a bit with some tummy trouble. She definitely knows how to use her lungs to let us know she's not happy, but most of the time she is very easy to appease -- the tricky part is just having the free hands in the moment to pick her up!

These two are also in love with their new sis! Parker loves to talk to her... the other day I heard him telling her (standing not to close because of his germs) that she is the "cutest baby" he's ever seen, and the "tiniest baby", and that she's his "very favorite" and that he loves her sooo much. He's always concerned of where the baby is if she's not in the same room and always wants to make sure she's okay.

Emmie is just so excited to have a real life doll to play with! She is darling with her and always wants to see the baby and also make sure she's okay. For the first few weeks Emmie would tell Lexi over and over, "HI! I'm Emmie. And this is my Mom. And she's going to be REEAAL nice!".  My favorite quote though in this last month was soon after we brought Lexi home and upon examining the baby for a minute, Emmie let out this huge gasp and yelled,
"She's ALIVE!".
That she is. And we are so grateful!
We are excited for everyone to get completely healthy around here so that we can actually function like a real family again, but besides that,
LIFE IS GOOD!!!
(If half this post didn't make sense, blame it on my lack of sleep! I'll have to proof read when I'm actually coherent...which unfortunatley isn't too often these days.:)

Jake, Izzy, a baby, and a Fairy Godhusband

 Is it really November???
I keep wondering what in the world happened to October, and then after some serious thought (a little more than I'd like to admit), a little light bulb goes off in my head and I remember....


(3 weeks, 5 days old)
"Oh, yah, THAT'S what happened!
ALEXIS!
I had a baby!".
I'm blaming my onset of amnesia of this significant event on severe sleep deprivation. I have no other explanation.

Anyhow, we let the entire month get away from us without doing anything especially Halloweeny. But having had a baby on October 4th, I have a good excuse, right?! Whatever. Still sad...no pumpkin patch, no pumpkin carving, no parties, not even Halloween crafts or treats (not unless you count the handfuls bagfuls of candy corn I consumed)....but yes, having a baby was much more exciting than all of those things combined... for ME at least. I don't know for my 3 and 5 year olds. Or my husband...

Okay, so we DID do one thing. We hit up Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point when Alexis was a few weeks old. I've always wanted to go and since we have an annual pass this year, we decided it was now or never.
Never might have been better...

I won't get into it (okay I might!), but let's just say that I was regretting it in the first 5 minutes.
Why so?
 Let's see...the freezing cold wind that none of us were really dressed for might be to blame, or the rocky terrain that made stroller pushing an earthquake simulation for poor Lexi - not to mention had she and I stranded in various spots because we literally couldn't get to the next attraction (it was WAY too cold to take her out of her seat), OR the fact that despite our annual pass "discount" we still paid a whopping $30 (THIRTY DOLLARS!) for some lame, overpriced carnival, might have added to my irritance...!
 But oh well.
 It didn't turn out to be what we expected but in the end the kids still supposedly had some fun and that was the point. 
AND it's good that we went so that we know to never go again! :)


Back to Halloween.
Needless to say I just wasn't prepared for the holiday this year. P and E decided a few months back that they wanted to be Jake and Izzy from Jake and the Neverland Pirates (a show on Disney Jr).
You know, these guys:

And despite the fact that I knew months in advance what they wanted to be, I could not will my oversized, unbendable, nearly handicapped prego body to get their costume digs together before October. I had gathered a few items since September here and there, but never in completion. Fast forward through Lexi's birth, &  before I knew it, and in the midst of having sick, goopy coughing kids for 8 days straight (& still going...),
  Halloween was upon us. 
But no need to fear when the Fairy Godhusband is near!
That's right. My husband is not only handy, but crafty!
Jealous? :)
This guy came to the rescue and made Parker's entire costume.
 While I injested hoards of candy corn.
Don't worry, no sewing machines were involved, but a couple of old shirts, some scissors and yellow duct tape came in quite handy....I owe him big time!

Here is the final product:

Walah!

 Jake and Izzy!

They were sooo excited for their costumes.

And yes, Izzy the Pirate is wearing Jessie the Cowgirl's boots...

but judge not, they were red and that's all that mattered. Phew.
So in the end, Halloween was a success.

And as for this cute little one, she just sat back and enjoyed the chaos.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Happy Halloween

....from a couple of pumpkins.

A 2 week vacay... I deserved it, right?

I have spent the last 16 days snuggling this:

and kissing and squishing this:

While eating far too many of these:

(Yes, I know, great for ridding that postpartum belly gush...)

While having many of my meals (that I did not prepare) served to me here:


(For the record, that it is not my bed. And yes, this is the best picture I could find. I don't advise googling 'breakfast in bed'. And is that the hugest tray you've ever seen? Pretty much I think they brought up the whole kitchen table. Just sayin'.)

While Chris took care of them:


...and everything else.
Sound blissful? It was!
Awesome husband? He is!
My mom stayed to help take care of the kids and house for four days after Lexi came home

(bless her),
and Chris was able to be home from work for all of the rest of the days other than 3 out of 15! I have definitely been spoiled and loved spending all that one on one time with my newest baby girl while all other operations around here were taken care of! I think Lexi kind of liked it too.
 She's my newest pal.
And quite possibly my favorite child... for the moment.
Don't tell the others.
She's been such a great little baby!
Okay, so why wouldn't she be when I've been able to promptly meet her every whim and fancy since she's all I've had to worry about for 2 weeks straight? Still, I think she's pretty great. For now I am checking the "great baby" box.

Yesterday it was back to business as usual...no more vacation time (aka snuggling my baby in bed all day while Chris tackles the dirty work). Poor Chris ended up contracting Strep on Tuesday and has since been banished to the basement bedroom since he walked in the door from Instacare on Tuesday.  We haven't seen him since. Really.  Don't worry, I delivered him some pajamas and I leave food and Ib Profen by the door.
We take germs seriously around here. ;) No joke.

Beyond that, life around here has been a big thumbs up!
Okay so a little more sleep would be nice, nursing that didn't feel like a baracuda were latching on to me every three hours would be a huge perk, and a 3 year old who were more proactive about going potty in the potty would make life EXTRA fantastic, but overall I really can't complain!

I mean, how can I when I have this little munchkin staring up at me?

(18 days old)
*Sigh*.
I love her. :)