Shhhh, it's a book

So ever since I joined Pinterest, I have wanted to make a felt book, a quiet book, a busy book, whatever you call it, but the birth of my Nephew provided impetus to actually do it, I sketched out some ideas and cut out some felt, let the kids help stitch together the edges, and after several months of sewing a little here, and a little there,  here is the result,

Oliver is soooo smart, kind, fun, creative,etc. He can be anything...

He might be a builder,

 (mounds of dirt dump of out the truck)

 He could be a teacher!

 (students can be rearranged, or at least their heads can)

 He could work in publishing

( He can read books in a number of interesting spots, while wearing a helmet similar to one his father has.)

 He could be a farmer (and pick all home grown  sewn produce)

 He may even become President of the U.S.A

   

 (And give interviews in front of finger-puppet cameras that can be put in number order then tucked away under the stage)

 Oliver is SO Super that He can be ANYTHING! but we know he will be this

 (finger puppet fits into super body suit and snaps off for flying adventures)

 LOVED
(by his parents, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof, crafty I am, realistic not so much)

 And the last page I really love because each of my kids designed to cover of their "peek-a-boo" flap,

 and actually stitched their own name and design on the revealed page, well I helped the 3 year-olds with their names, but their stitches actually turned into really cool little abstract line "drawings"

All in all I am very pleased with the result, pleased enough to want to do it again for another niece or nephew, but maybe later...., when the kids are back in school and I have a few minutes to myself here and there, even if it's only while I am waiting to to pick them up from something, 

I was thankful on Facebooklast November but I guess I never found the pictures so I didn't publish this here, I will bravely post it anyway

Praying for light to come into the dark places, grateful that so far my loved ones are all safe and weathering the storm and the aftermath.

ThankFULL November, grateful my brother has such great in-laws/friends to shelter him and his beautiful wife while their apartment has no power or water.

Thankfull November day 3 grateful to know that I am a Daughter of my Heavenly Father who loves and loves each of us. Glad we live close enough to attend my Nephew Ethan's baptism today. Good job Buddy, you are a great kid and a great example for my little Buddy.

Thankfull November, #4 Grateful that my children know their Grandparents, all of them!
We spent yesterday with Eddie's family and this evening with my Mom and Grandma, and a whole bunch of Aunts and Uncles and cousins, such a great thing in life to see the generations connecting!

Thankfull November #5
Grateful for modern technology, from the generator (that is bring warmth to my sister Mary and her family), to the Internet (that allows her to keep me updated across the country.)
Also grateful for the LDS church Specifically the organization and orderly infrastructure that allows it to answer so many needs so quickly, that's where the generator came from :)

Thankfull November #6 grateful for the impending end of political insanity and really grateful that this is the only "political unrest" we have to deal with. As annoying as FB posts can be free speech is so much better than the alternatives, things like martial law, warring clans, daily terrorist attacks.

ThankFull November #7 Thankful for my healthy children, we all have our struggles, but as I feel stretched with the ins and outs of 5 kids I am grateful for smart brains, kind hearts, functioning limbs, healthy kidneys, even gassy little tummies, runny little noses and sweaty little toes. If your struggles include the above please know that I am in awe of you and grateful for the many examples of compassion, empathy, endurance, hope, and determination that I have to learn from in my friends and family members.

ThankFULL November #8 - Tonight as I frost cupcakes, stuff goodie bags, and sew 8 tutus for Nina's "Pink Ballerina Birthday" I am grateful for my mother. She taught me to sew and that my own hands can create great things. Also she was the

re 5 years ago to take care of my "big girls" while I went to the hospital, and she was there when I came home post C-Section to make recovery possible. Grateful for Cheryl Ferguson who always made me the cake I wanted cake even though it was her birthday too.

Thankfull #9 Grateful for my Nina, my spunky, thoughtful, funny, kind hearted, spitfire, I am glad you are my middle daughter, you have such a strong personality and you know how to get attention, helps me make sure you don't get lost in the shuffle.

ThankFULL #10 grateful for couches and pillows and 5 fun kids who know what they are meant for.

ThankFULL #11 Electricity.
After so many loved ones on he East coast went without for so long we decided to go a day without, both to help the kids have more empathy, and to try out some of our emergency supplies. We did pretty good, ate w

ell, played board games by lantern light, bundled up against the 60 degree weather ;). We had a good day, of we had to go without I would miss the furnace and microwave most of all, but I am thankful that we have some good supplies and some better ideas of what else we need. Especially thankful to Eddie who keeps track of it all.

ThankFULL #12 Remembering Veterans on this day, Vets of all kinds.
Those who served along with their brothers and came home to build their country.
Those who died in service to our nation and it's freedoms and ideals.
Those who left behind parts of themselves behind in the battlefields, whether physical, mental, or emotional.
Those who came home, but never made it home because they were so changed they could no longer fit there.
And those who watched their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, their loved ones, leave, and sacrificed all that comes with having them gone.
Grateful for the service,
Sorrow for the sacrifice,
Prayerful for the future.

ThankFull # 13 my Hero my Husband Eddie who spent his day off yesterday getting my van all tuned up and re-tired so we can visit my parents and brothers family in AZ next week, not only did he make my vehicle safe but managed to foil a would be gang of thieves in our neighborhood,... Yeah he's kind of awesome that way 

Thankfull #14
Thankful for washers and dryers and not having to actually washboard or wring out my clothes.....and more to the point the clothes of my children, 4 outfits for the youngest girl alone.

Thankfull #15
I opened today's gratitude up for suggestions from the kids, here are a few suggestions;
Birthdays
Chocolate Milk
House
Chocolate Spider milk
Mommy
Daddy
Sisters and brother
Relatives are safe, and.....wait for it......
POTTY TALK (Bursts of laughter resulting in milk snorting out of noses)

Thankfull #16
Grateful for this little mouse who wanted a bedtime snack....of cauliflower! 
"cuz it my faybrit"

Thankfull #17
Grateful for a clean house, even if it doesn't last.

Thankfull # 18 Grateful for DVD player in the car and children that still sleep in the car, and Grandparents that love to have their grand-kids visit.

ThankFULL #19
Grateful for Grandparents who took the kids to the zoo so my hubby could take me on a hot date Horseback riding! grateful for strong horses and beautiful weather, and my hot date!

Thankfull # 20 grateful for the animals of the desert and that I don't have to live with them, 

(visited the Desert Museum today) 

Thankfull #21
Glad that I am not
-living in the 1800's
- living in a mining town
-a prostitute
(visited Tombstone AZ today)

Thankfull #22Grateful for two parents, two grandmas still with us, 6 godparents, 3 brothers, 2 sisters, 5 brothers in law, 6 sisters in law, 5 children, 24 nieces and nephews, 2 more on the way, too many friends and side dishes to count, 1 turkey, and 6 pies!

Thankfull #23 my (almost) 8 year old learning to fish from her Grandpa, and as a bonus, actually catching a fish!

Thankfull #24 an uneventful ride home

Thankfull #25
Grateful that God in His wisdom did not create individual planets for each of us, but rather put us together and told us to love each other, grateful for church organization that helps an insecure gal such as myself to make friends, be a friend, and serve others.

Thankfull #26
Glad my kids have fun together, we played famous people charades tonight, wish I had my camera running, highlights included Eddie as Dora and AJ dancing Gangnam style.

Thankfull #27
Loving this boy who prayed for me tonight, sweet thoughtful boy, his exact words being;
"Bless mommy to safe to dragons" (safe from dragons)

Thankfull #28

Grateful for my siblings who have been a constant in my life, even though we are separated by miles and time zones, they  are there for me and have often come here for me too.

Thankfull #29

Grateful for teachers that support my kids in learning and challenge them to improve

Thankfull #30

Grateful for family friends, people who I can call to help in a pinch, and feel comfortable to call on my family for help as well.

These little people.

There are these little people in my life, and I tend to blame things on them, things like;
"they are the reason I never blog, every time I sit down to type two of them literally climb up on my lap and or back."
OR
"they are the reason I never exercise, every time I do downward dog they go in the tunnel, and every time I try to swan they lay on my back, if I try to do Pilates they climb in my boat and beat down my hundreds."
OR
"They are the reason I never exercise, every time I get in a groove someone gets sick and throws off the whole schedule again."

Really and truly they are the reason for many of the things I do, or at the very least the manner in which I do them, but lately I have been forgetting the other part of it.

Mothers Day reminded me of some other things,
Amalia is the reason I smiled during church, when asked what special thing she did for her mom she answered "We boughted her a leotard."

A.J. is the reason I smile and giggle at bedtime, because he loves to squeeze my earlobes.

Nina is the reason I stop doing "Things I have to do." because she literally gets in my face and says things like "Mom I really just want to something that is fun with you" or When can you ever teach me a new song on the piano" or "Mom, watch me spin/dance/pose/stand on my head with no hands!"

Liana is the reason I look around and say Where is she? and then go looking for her only to find her playing with the smallest of toys, using the greatest intensity, to achieve the most fun, in the quietest of ways.

Ella is the reason that i take a breath and remember how fast it is all going, how she used to be tiny and now she is big, but only halfway to the big she is going to be. She is also the reason I take note of these tiny people who change so quickly but remain so much the same, she is still the same little girl who got mad at herself for not perfecting things on the first try, and the same little girl who went back to perfect her frustrating task after she said she was going to give up.

I forget so many things, it's good to remember the reasons for my life, I am here on this earth to become a better person, to become more like Christ, I am here to be Eddie's partner, I am here to be my children's mother.

If I remember the reasons for my life, it makes it easier to forget that I am tired..

the joy of two two year olds.

It's October, and in 2 months my babies will be three, I call them babies because that's what we called each of the girls...until the new baby came and usurped the title. There will be no more usurpers so the twins are doomed to be babies, for a long time, maybe until they are taller than me. OR maybe not, as I think of that book "I'll love you forever" which is alternatingly sweet and creepy, maybe its time to use their other nicknames more often, here is a brief list of nicknames I use on a regular basis;

chickens, ducks, piglets, puppies, monkeys,
twins, twinners, twinnies, hooligans, the Wonder Twins

And if you are concerned that we don't encourage them to develop their own identities
AJ is AKA Little man, Buddy, Captain Destructo, The Boy, and Superboy.
Amalia goes by Big Girl, Screamin Meemie, and Muppet.

And of course if I am flustered I call any child by any other childs name several times before landing on the correct moniker.

Honestly its a little silly that I stressed so much over giving them their actual names since I end up calling them something else so often, but I digress, the point of this post was not supposed to be names, but state of life.

I love two year olds, I know they are supposed to be terrible, but personally I have always found 2 preferable to 3, at 3 they talk back in full sentances and logic, 2 year olds are so silly that its easier to forgive their tantrums and angers.

Examples?
Ok, so in the car when the kids start to fight, I say "Lets play I spy!" No matter how mad she was, Amalia immediately perks up and says "Ok, you turn mommy" and she is a good guesser, rapid fire questions that come so fast Nina often complains she didn't get a chance to guess. Amalia gets to the answer, it helps that things easily seen from the car window are often repeated "Is is a sign? is it a car? is it a tree?" And she has a decent sense of color, she can guess appropriately green means a tree, plant, bush, etc. red a stop light, truck, flower etc.. And then it is her turn, and this is how it goes
"I pye my  little eye somefing red" (or whatever color)
We ask a litiny of questions, car? truck? house? wall? flower? and so on, till she decides we have guessed enough and gives us a clue
"It's somefing red on a ground"
Ella makes a rookie mistake and starts to guess "is it a flower?" "Is it a red bush?" "is it a red curb?"
I have learned the correct thing to say is this..."Is it something Red on the ground?"
"Yes Mom you winned!"

They are twins, and AJ has learned his sisters approach to the game, but has less patience for our flawed logic, he wants to say  this
"I pye my little eye a red truck"
we are then allowed to guess two incorrect items and must follow it with the exact wording he gave us, "Is it a red truck?" to diverge from the script is to invite his wrath "No mom talk it eye spy" translated as "you are doing it wrong."

I remember Liana at this age would always "spy" something that was at home, often in her closet, thus infuriating Ella who at age 4 was already a stickler for rules and not amused that she couldn't actually spy the object in question, thankfully she is now a wise almost 10 year old and is now my biggest ally in keeping the wonder twins content in their versions of the game, this is especially nice as Nina is at the stickler age.

Another great 2 year old joy is jokes, AJ has mastered a few Knock knock jokes, or rather has memorized which ones will gets him a laugh, I taught him
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Police
Police who?
please open the door.

he created his own answer
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Police
Police who?
Please eat cookies!
I am pretty sure his is better, but if he would change it to "donuts" he would really be in business.

Amalia reverts to logic and her favorite themes
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Princess?
Princess who?
Princess live in a castle......(crickets chirping in the silence) Stand Up Comedy is not her forte... at least not yet, watch out Honey Boo Boo (Just kidding, I promise you that I will not enter any of my kids in a pageant, even though more than one has asked to do it).

With or without good timing, they are still fairly hilarious, when I am pushing them in the stroller on my quest to be healthier and I am nearing the top of the hill, panting and out of breath, I often hear them singing "keep trying, keep trying, don't give up, never give up"

It makes me laugh, and pass out, fortunately my body keeps the stroller from rolling down the hill, and when I come to I feel better, good enough to get up and keep trying some more.
Love me some 2 year olds.

Confession

Pinterest and Facebook have been sucking up my internet time. I have been consuming internet content without producing any of my own fodder.
Well I think that is about to change.

Some random thoughts to get me started,
We had a fun and busy summer.
School has been in session for 2+ months, and Nina Started school this year
the twins are generally Hilarious, lots of raw material there for the mining
We have tried some interesting recipes and had interesting responses to my quest to be healthier
I am exercising with a goal to be thinner, or at least  reduce the damage the twins hath wrought, is there any way to post my "before shot" without grossing all 13 of my readers out?
I may not have 13 readers anymore, it has  been 7 months since I last posted anything

The kids are going insane behind me right now, maybe that is the reason I don't blog much anymore

hopefully more posts soon

The Difference between Boys and Girls

Since the twins were born, people often ask me if I notice a difference between boys and girls.  I notice that there are differences between each of my children and similarities with all my children, but yes, I have noticed a few striking differences between AJ and all my girls.

1. None of my daughters have ever been able to throw overhand before the age of 4 or 5. A.J. has been lobbing overhand pitches since about 9 months old.

2. Place a baby doll on the floor in front of any of my girls and that doll will immediately be rocked, dressed, sung to and possibly breast-fed. A.J. will use said baby as a nunchuck (sp?) though he will say "sorry baby" if he happens to drop the doll, he is after all a very sweet boy.

3.All my girls are moody girls who hold on to their sadness with a vengeance, and when injured they may point to said injury and cry until I kiss it better for weeks, even when the band-aid, scab and scar have all disappeared.  A.J. lost a fingernail completely and all he said was "Owie?"

and finally (for today anyway)


4. The twins brought me "presents" from the garden today, a fistful of flowers and two rotten tomatoes,
can you guess which gift came from which twin?

 

Did you guess right?

Another year older!

We have reached it, the end of our holiday season and finally the end of our birthdays. Since I haven't been able to muster up individual entries I am trying a different way of reporting on them all, lets start with

NEW AGE
Nina - 4, excited to be in dance class and preschool
Jannah - 37, happy to be in love with my younger man
A.J. and Amalia - 2 terrible and terrific.
Liana - 7, 1st Grade is great, Dance classes are fabulous and looking forward to starting piano lessons
Ella - 9, enjoying 3rd grade practicing for a spelling bee, enjoying dance classes with the big girls, zooming through her piano lessons, reveling in going to her activity days at church.
Eddie - still younger than Jannah in everything but years, working hard and working out.

PARTY THEME,
Nina - "Surprise Party with Butterflies"
Jannah - "sit back and enjoy what Eddie planned for me"
A.J. and Amalia - "Potluck and cupcakes for Nursery"
Liana - "Animals"
Ella - "Design of many kinds"
Eddie - "Went to Work day so I could go to a gun show later that month"


CAKE
Nina - funfetti cupcakes with frosting and fondant butterflies
Jannah - who needs cake when you have Indian food at a restaurant with a handsome man and no small children?
A.J. and Amalia - Mini funfetti cupcakes with melting chocolate "icing" caps so yummy but not so messy!
Liana - Funfetti cupcakes  with melting chocolate icing and sixlets on top.
Ella - chocolate cupcakes for school, chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes for guests to design at the party,  funfetti tiered cake covered in marshmallow fondant to blow out candles on.
Eddie - Fruit plate at restaurant on dinner break at work.






FAVORITE PRESENT
Nina - Baby Alive
Jannah - a desperately needed haircut and night out with my handsome sugar daddy.
A.J. - Thomas the Train "Shake-N-Go"
Amalia - Fisher-Price Cash Register
Liana - Disney Animators collection Belle doll
Ella -Harumika Mannequin (fashion design dress dummy)
Eddie - A new New Balance wardrobe

A Thankfull November!

Ok, So I thought in October I would think about "things" I liked and was grateful for so that November would be a higher plane of gratitude. As evidenced by the sparse nature of entries, we see that my thoughts were not enough to get it onto this blog, but since I like to use this blog not only to feel creative and productive, but also to document my life, I think I will share my Thankfull November facebook posts here, with apologies to those who have already read them. Actually no apologies, this is good stuff!

AThankfull November
#1 - Eddie, My Husband, who works hard and budgets wisely so that we can afford for me to be home with blessings
#2 thru 6.
#7 - Modern Medicine especially for small blessings with fevers
#8 - A reliable car, especially on a cold rainy day, combined with the above mentioned fevered blessings and school pick-ups.
#9 - Preschool friends that make sure my little bird has fun while she learns, especially on her birthday field trip to the Chino Children's Museum.
#10 - Grapeland Elementary Public School, for teaching my kids with the kind of attention and care many others have to pay private tuition for!
#11 - Veterans of all wars and conflicts, past and present. some gave their lives, and some the lives they could have lived. Thank you for your sacrifice and service. Thanks also for those who fight and defend here at home as well.
#12 - Carbs. I know I need to be grateful in moderation, but they are really yummy, especially in the form of Rosemary Foccocia Bread hot from the oven.
#13 - Extended Family, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, cousins of all ages and sizes, people who I can see echoes of in my own children. I am lucky to have so many still alive and so many close enough to spend time with.
#14 - Independence, Lately my children are gaining enough independence that Eddie can watch them while I actually use my gym membership.
#15 - Libraries that foster a love of reading, ours has a weekly story time full of fun and encouragement.
#16 - Dollar Tree, and 99Cent Store, so many party favors, so little money, such a happy 4 year old birthday girl!
#17 - Parks, and friends from near and far to enjoy them with, healthy children who like to climb and swing, good friends who will push my children on the swing while I sit and watch.
#18 - A clean living room, it won't last but I have to be grateful while I can.
#19 - Surprise Parties, even when the birthday girl plans it herself and tells me when to have everyone hide and then jump out and say "surprise!" - actually especially in that case!

#20 - Little people who are not related to me, I get to work with the 18 month -3 year olds in church, they are really funny and grumpy, and stubborn, and sweet, and never fail to make me grateful that I have twins,.....not quadruplets.

# 21 - Sisters and sisters in-law, its amazing to me that not have my sisters become women that I love and admire, but also that my brothers found such amazing women and were able to convince them to marry into our family :)happy B-Day Steph!

#22 - Skype, without which my parents could not have read my kids a bedtime story last night, and my parents would have missed the insanity that is my house at bedtime.

#23 - Vacuum cleaners (did I spell that right?) I'm just saying, I am glad I don't live in the "drag the carpet outside and beat it" era.

#24 - In advance, 2 Screen Portable DVD player for my car, which means my kids actually looking forward to car rides longer than 20 minutes.

#25 - Surprises! We drove Thanksgiving morning all the way to Arizona, to my Parents house to surprise them on their first post-retirement, stateside Thanksgiving, the kids did really well and we made it in less than 8 hours, the looks of surprise made it all worth it!

#26 - Turkey soup, YUM and 10 kinds of pie handmade by my Mom, and my Brother the chef, speaking of him, I am grateful for him and his Wife Tia who let us invade their home on short notice, made us incredibly comfortable and welcome, contributed to the subterfuge of surprise, and all this when they needed to hop on a plane to D.C. Sat morning.

#27 - Grandparents that enjoy their grandchildren, My mom crafted with the bigs, broke out my childhood toys for the littles, moved many potential hazards in her home, so that I could relax a little more, My Dad took the kids to the park and out for ice cream, over to feed the ducks, and endured much noise and mess. We love Gamma and Bumpaw (not their real names)

#28 -A safe trip home, though we had a 10 hour trip home, much of it standing still or going less than 20mph, we were not in either of the 2 cars we saw rolled over and the 4 or more involved in other, more minor accidents, grateful to be home.

#29 - Dance classes that make my girls feel fancy and special, and loving Grandparents who's Christmas and Birthday gifts often contribute to the ongoing nature of these classes.

#30 - Artificial Christmas Trees. Don't get me wrong, I love me a real tree with a real tree smell, the quirky "bare spots" that occur, but a nice little artificial tree, standing up on a table where my almost 2 year olds can't reach, with pose able branches that can secure more fragile ornaments, that's a nice thing, plus it doesn't turn brown even if we set it up in Nov., and I never have to water it.

Favorite bottle prep Aid,

I went to Target shortly after the babies came home, ostensibly to purchase a bottle warmer, but I was frustrated that there wasn't one that would warm 2 bottles at one time, a book on twins I read had said to get a small crock pot that you could use later for dips etc. Once I was in the kitchen aisle I saw this beauty and thought, I'll try it.
I love this thing, not only could I have hot water to mix bottles in the middle of the night, I could use the same water if I wanted a cup of Chrysanthemum tea in the wee hours, without the hassle or noise of the microwave.  In the early weeks, I filled it and kept it upstairs at night so I didn't even have to go downstairs to make bottles. It doesn't sound like a big deal to me now, but having breast-fed all my previous babies I was used to being able to feed, burp, change, etc. without getting out of my bed, the carafe at least meant I didn't have to turn on lights and risk waking the older sisters.

My favorite things!

I am gearing up, trying to get into the habit of blogging more, and starting myself with an assignment, My Favorite Things. Not my favorite color (blue) or indulgence (DARK chocolate) but things that have made my life easier, especially in my mothering duties. things that don't quite seem important enough to make my list of things I am grateful for, though I am, just practical sorts of things.

Starting with....
My LAUNDRY ROOM SINK!
Not only can I soak soiled articles of clothing right next to the washing machine, but I can also scrub dirty shoes, bleach bath toys, and perhaps my favorite, wash small children without filling up a big tub! It was also the perfect size to put my infant tub right onto, allowing me to hose off the baby and drain the tub without even moving my child, especially nice when you have a super pooper infant who needs multiple wash cycles to get clean!
Hooray for laundry room sinks!!!

Just cuz it makes me smile!

Every now and then I remember to grab the camera and document the cuteness, this video is of the babies when they learned to "snap"
I'm still trying to get a recording of them singing Old McDonald, they only know the E-I-E-I-Oh part.

August 2011 - The Wedding Trip!

My baby brother recently got married, in NY State, on the first day of school. There were many reasons our family should have missed this occasion, let me list a few

1 - It was the first day of school, 1st grade for Liana and 3rd grade for Ella

2 - New York is a whole day on a plane, we have 5 children, that's FIVE CHILDREN, ages 8 and under, on a plane, for a whole day, 2 of them sitting on laps!

3 - Cost! 5 plane tickets, a minivan rental, hotel fees, food, snacks, etc. etc. etc.

4 - Crazy Travel Syndrome - what happens when you remove the above listed 5 children from their familiar routine and schedule, symptoms include fatigue, nausea, complaining, tantrums, whining, delirium, and loss of hair (last symptom only relating to parents)

My Handsome Husband, bravely (and/or foolishly) battled all of the above to make me happy, and we went. We didn't get to do all of the things we wanted, or eat all of the food we wanted, but we had a fabulous time and I am really grateful to have been able to be there with (most of) the rest of my family to welcome my beautiful new sister-in-law to our crazy-fabulous family. I am still doing laundry and other catching up activities, but we are safely in our home, The big girls are happily settling into their school routines, and one of these days the little 3 will sleep through the night again,...Right?

I am still catching up on a lot of things, so these are a brief representation of some of my favorite things we did.

What could be better than a cold otterpop on a hot NJ day, with Grandpa and the cousins?

Breakfast in Brooklyn (that's my brother the groom in the background)

The Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn

On the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.

Eddie's Calander shot at the Full Moon resort where the wedding was held.

Some of the flower girls picking wild flowers.

Amalia getting in some quality Grandpa time

Chillaxin outside of our lodge.
Exploring the frog pond, watching the tadpoles, trying not to fall in.

Getting lavander blooms ready to toss at the newlyweds, I would include pictures from the ceremony, but we were too busy wrangling children and listening to the beautiful vows and music to take pictures.

Cheese and crackers...and the fruit that was probably supposed to be decorative, but hungry twins are not good guests!

At the reception.

Blowing bubbles with cousins and friends outside of the reception tent!

One last picture before leaving for the airport!

Nina Can Be....

Nina can be many things, funny, sweet, grumpy, prcocious, tender, insightful, the list goes on and on, the other day however, her older sisters helped her explore a few specific things, they staged a "professional model shoot" and so without further ado, I now turn my blog over to artistic and creative directors Ella and Liana. (all photo credits to Ella age 8)

Nina Can Be...

A Princess

A Dancer

A Cheerleader

A Bride

A Jazz/Tap Dancer

A Zookeeper

A Woodland Fairy

A Doll

A Prisoner

A Witch

A Cat....Meowww

A Chinese Girl

A Babysitter

A Florist

A Hula Dancer

A Waitress

A Ballerina

A Drummer

And a Movie Star

And now here is her Debut Short Film