Backyard Visitor

We found this little guy in our neighbor's backyard tonight when I was putting Luke to bed. He's so cute.

I've got a lot to share, but no time to do that now. How do you keep an idiot in suspense? :) Hope you had a great day. Be back soon!

Out of the house and into the woods

Yesterday was a really frustrating day. A no good, terrible, awful, very bad day. Mark's on a 3 day trip and the kids were arguing and being really, really awful. Did I say that already? I wanted to run away by the time they were in bed it was that bad. I decided that I didn't want to have that day again today, so I decided we were going out.

Usually when Mark is gone, I just stay home. Nash is happy napping in his crib and taking Stella places isn't that much fun anyway. I figured going out with all four of them couldn't be as bad as yesterday was staying home so out we went. We had nowhere to go but up.

We ended up going to Sharon Woods. It's a park about 20 minutes from our house that we've never been to. I've seen online where people have taken some really pretty pictures on a neat bridge and near a beautiful waterfall and I wanted to see it for myself.

When we first got to the park Brooke, Luke, and Stella played on the playground while I fed Nash. After that we went exploring and we found the bridge and the waterfall. It was all I'd hoped for. :)

A very friendly stranger offered to take our picture. I thought that was very nice of her and since she was a very friendly stranger, the kids actually looked at the camera without being threatened. Except Nash, I never threaten him unless it's the middle of the night. :)

I know the grandpa that was sitting in a lawn chair while his grand kids played in the creek thought I was out of my mind. I had Nash and my camera strapped to me while I was holding Stella's hand walking through the creek. I'm crazy fearless like that. I figured it wasn't deep enough for anyone to drown and I had extra clothes in the car. With a friendly smile he told me that I needed a few more kids. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic. :)

I love that there are parks to escape suburbia. I can almost forget that we live in a subdivision in a city when we are having fun in places like this. Luke asked when we were first walking through the creek, "Mom, why are we walking in here?" Luke isn't a huge fan of water anyway so I told him it was just for fun and if he didn't like it, he didn't have to walk through it. He got on board with my plan pretty quickly and was soon throwing rocks and such.

At first I had Nash strapped into the Sleepy Wrap while we were walking in the water but then I put him in the stroller as we moved to a different section of the creek by the falls. He was happy with the breeze blowing through his toes so I parked the stroller halfway down the hill and left him in the stroller. I could at least see if someone was trying to steal him. :)

After we played in the water we had a picnic under some great big shade trees. I brought a blanket along and we sat down on the grass. Again the kids were questioning me, "Mom, how come we aren't just eating on one of those picnic tables over there?" We eat on tables all the time so I thought they might appreciate doing something different. Why do I have to explain myself all the time? Can't they just go with the flow? Can you see us in Luke's glasses? I hate being questioned.

This day was hands down so much better than yesterday. I'm not saying that Luke didn't have to spend rest time in the basement for screaming like a lunatic or that Stella wasn't a pain at dinner, I'm just saying yesterday was way worse.

We stayed at the park until 2 and then went home and got baths before rest time. By the time they actually got to resting, it was 3:30. By that time, the day is as good as done in my book. I can say that because Stella was in her bed by 6 PM. Some days are like that.

And this little Nash took a wonderfully long nap and woke up after Stella was in bed. I love this baby boy. He is going to be a ton of fun. My cautiously pessimistic self says he'll be fun at least until he turns two. Then all bets are off. For now, I'm just going to eat our "Nashy" (that's what Luke has started calling him) up. If you want to eat him too, then you'd better get your own baby. I can do that because he's mine. :)

The Little Brother

I can hardly explain in words how fun Nash is becoming. For starters, he's finally moved on to stage 2 Avent nipples which has almost cut the time it takes to feed him in half. Don't get me wrong, I love to snuggle with him, but I am glad that it doesn't take 30 to 40 minutes to give him a bottle. I should step on the scale with him to see how much he weighs because this boy can eat! He finishes off 6 to 8 ounces at one feeding. I've never bottled fed the other kids so I don't know, but it just seems like a lot for a 3.5 month old to eat.

For the last couple of nights Nash has slept really well. He went to bed last night a little before 7 and then slept until 8:30 this morning! I am so blessed to have a baby that sleeps that well. Luke and Stella didn't sleep through the night until they were close to a year old so I am delighted to have a good nighttime sleeper. Napping is another story. It just depends on the day.

Today in church during a particularly quite time, Nash was chatting away. He sounded so cute, but he was really distracting. It took all I had not to laugh out loud at him which would have been really, really distracting. Maybe he was talking to God. :) I hope other people found it as cute as I did.

Luke said today that Nash was so cute and he's so glad we have him. I couldn't agree more.

So Long, Farewell...

It's been fun, but now it's time to go home. I've been packing a majority of the day, which is half of the time it took to get all our stuff into the suitcases the first time. I'm just not sure where to put the kitchen sink again. :)

Nash had a little bit of trouble sleeping this week. He was waking up several times a night and Mark and I were doing the pacifier run. Mark figured out that the white noise CD Nash listens to was too quite and once Mark cranked it last night, Nash slept from 8 PM until 10 AM! I gave him his pacifier at 4:30 and then he slept in. Jealous!

Nash also found his voice this week. He's now cooing and talking constantly. It's an adorable stage and I imagine that he's practicing to talk over the other three crazies.

Nash also got one chance to dip his tootsies in the pool. He normally loves the bath water, but he was more subdued in the pool. Maybe it was the temperature?

This morning I took family photos for Mark's sister and her family. They were really sweet and very cooperative. They are fresh subjects, yet to be annoyed by my camera in their face.

I'm not exactly jumping for joy to go home, but I am looking forward to sleeping in our own beds again. The kids had so much fun with the cousins that I hate to leave, but it's nice to know that there's always next summer. Same time, same place. :)

The Pier Revisited

The cousins went with Mark's dad today on their annual road trip to Ocracoke (the same trip Mark, my parents, and Brooke and Luke made in May). We decided since there would be a lack of company hanging out on the beach, we'd take the kids back to the new pier we checked out earlier in our vacation.

It was BLAZING hot with absolutely no breeze what so ever. Funny how the pictures don't reflect that.

Oh, look! Those children DO have a mother. She looks so young, not at all like she's going to turn 33 in two weeks. :)

Stella's been talking up a storm lately. She's been telling us exactly what she doesn't want to do, like nap. :)

Does that picture make you nervous too? It seems like it should be a rule that all little kids that are lifted up to the railing of a pier should be tethered with a rope, or at least wearing a US Guard approved flotation device. Amazingly, Sister Sue survived without either.

After sweating like a whore in church (sorry for my vulgarity, I couldn't resist some old Glaser humor) on the pier and then buying temporary tattoos for the kids, we were extremely happy to find a slushy machine in the gift shop.

As we were walking to the car, I told Mark how lucky we are that we don't have to tote Nash around everywhere we go. I think every family with kids should either vacation with a grandma... or a nanny if you have one. And if you go to Disney, an Uncle Poodle. :)

Gotta go soak up some sand and surf before it's too late.

P.S. You might have noticed that I "fixed" the pictures on my blog. There's a rumor going around that it was operator error. I won't be making that mistake again.

Cookies for lunch and the other fun we're having

Our vacation is winding down and we are enjoying our last 2 days before we head back home. It's a good thing to go home so we can stop eating cookies for lunch and all the other forms of junk food. I've been exercising while we've been here, but I feel like it's all been negated by the dozens of cookies my mother-in-law has been baking and then leaves lying on the counter. My will is weak, I tell you!

The kids have been enjoying the ocean, but I have yet to get more than my knees wet. As I get older, the murky waters of the Atlantic seem less inviting, especially when Luke brings up a mini jelly fish from the beach yesterday.

Lucy has yet to nap since we arrived a week ago today. Fun times...

It's been an all out cousin fest this week. Brooke and Luke can't get enough of their older cousins, but I'm not so sure the obsession is reciprocated. :) Joe, Emily, and Dan are very tolerant and patient with our kids.

In theory we come to the beach for the beach, but there is something to be said for having a pool even while we are at the beach. When the kids get tired of sand, they head to the pool to wash it all off. :)

As the days wear on the kids are increasingly more exhausted and it shows in their short fuses. Brooke and Luke have been swimming and playing all day without a rest so heading home will be a much needed break from all the fun we're having. That's out of the mouths of one spoiled family. :)

I love that the kids have this time with their cousins. Next summer there will be another cousin in the mix because Mark's brother, Kevin, and his wife, Megan, are expecting their first baby (a boy!), at the end of this August. How exciting!

Now that Stella is so comfortable in the pool, she should be good to go in the lake when we get home. It's always so nice when the kids learn to swim with a life jacket and we don't have to hold them. A week with a pool in the backyard is all it takes. Imagine what we could do with a pool in OUR backyard. :) For now we are enjoying our vacation the best we can with 4 overly tired kids...and 2 overly tired adults.

Sister Sue Has Fun at The Beach Too

Stella is daring and fearless when it comes to the pool. In just a few days she's become so comfortable in the pool that she'll jump in by herself without being caught. It's like Brooke only Stella can't swim and wears a life jacket. Stella in the water and Luke in the water couldn't be more different. Luke still won't jump in because he doesn't want water in his face. In fact, in the bath tub he's been known to cry for a dry wash cloth over and over again.

Stella, Nash and I had a little fun with the baby doll stroller this afternoon. Stella wanted to put Nash in it and I, seeing a good photo opportunity, obliged her.

Nash was extremely happy that Stella kept giving him her toys. He was happy to be sitting upright and to be pushed around. He's very easy going like that.

And he's very cute with his double chins. :)

Day 2

We've had another great day today. The weather is unbelievably pleasant for this time of year and the kids are having so much fun.

Today the kids were having a blast playing on Grandma's ipad. We are so behind the technology curve so our kids don't know about those kind of things (neither do I!). Mark's mom said we need two ipads for our family. I laughed and said maybe she can buy those for us for Christmas. :)

Today we also went out to get some lunch at one of our favorite places, Sam and Omies. Nash is usually napping and we typically work it out so that we don't have to take him. I snapped this picture of him in the car smiling at his toys hanging on the car seat.

While we were waiting for our table we walked across the street to a new pier that just opened a few months ago.

I don't know who Jennette is but her pier is one happenin' place. It's so clean and nice and by no means do you feel like you might fall through the floor boards like some other piers I've been on.

In all it's newness it's pretty cutting edge with gigantic windmills.

Stella was all over Grandpa she shoved past some lady so she could get beside Mark's dad. It was really cute.

The employees of Jennette's Pier found this Skate on the beach. It's a cousin of the stingray. Brooke and Luke touched it. No thanks!







We had so much fun but our time there was cut short because our table was ready and we had to race back so we didn't lose it.

Nash was super sleepy because he was missing his nap. He was crying and upset because he was tired and then I figured if I could just lay him down on his belly he might be happy. I was right and he fell asleep in seconds after I laid him in the booth. Thanks to Mark's aunt Nash no longer has to be embarrassed by his pink pacifiers. :)

We all lived happily ever after eating our Nags Header "Sam"wichs and are looking forward to going back to the pier this week.


I've got to get to bed so I can get up in time to have pancakes at another favorite place, Stack 'em High. :)