October 4th and 5th

Here's your invite, Y'All

Jonah's birthday party is October 4th at 2 p.m.

Selah's Christening is October 5th at 1:15 p.m.

You are hereby invited.

Call me or email me if you are coming.

Enjoying the last weekend of summer!

In celebration (or maybe mourning) of Fall, the neighbors heated the pool up to 89 and we went over to enjoy the last of the swimable days.

(Next weekend is the "Polar Bear Swim". Reminds me of camp Jess! Last year the water was 54 for the last swim. The "rule" is parents must accompany kids. Better work on your dad boys 'cuz Mama is past those days!)

Bryan stealing the kids toys! He is such a big kid.

Buddy got in the way, but Jaclyn pushed her "baby" Noah around for quite a while. He wanted to take a nap he said. He didn't, but Daddy had a great idea of putting arm floaties on his feet to keep him up. I KNEW I should have said no. You know he ended up upside down with his ankles up in the air! Thankfully Brad saw him and saved him.

Bryan tormenting Cheyenne. They had a lot of fun, kind of makes me feel a bit guilty for saying no dogs.. but not quite guilty enough!

SUPER JONAH!

Selah, enjoying the warm weather in the shade. We wrapped it all up with a BBQ and smores. What a great day- since the Buckeyes managed to win this week. Wish we could say the same about the Browns...

Do I want to be a pit bull with lipstick?

Because according to Sarah Palin, that is what hockey moms are. Not the image I was going for...

We took the boys to try hockey.

Are you kidding me?Okay, I am ready!

Here goes nothing.
(He went skating once last year. When I knocked his tooth out, some of you may remember that story. I should find the video of that.)

Spill #1

Spill #13
Ever tried to pick up the hockey stick with those gloves on? I haven't, but apparently it is not easy!

Spill #27

Getting better at getting up.

Noah decided to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and watch instead.

GOAL!!!!

So he had a blast and wants to play. We have to find out how much the pads and skates are going to cost before I agree. Lessons aren't too expensive- but they are on Sundays, and I don't really like that- however people keep saying the gear is the expensive part. We will see.

Oreo milkshakes and babies

We made oreo milkshakes-they were delicious, as evidenced by the mustaches!

Daddy let me dress myself. Is there something wrong with swim shorts and thermal shirts?

They called themselves the "Three Mustacheteers."

Tyler (next door neighbor), Jonah and Noah

"Stay away from our baby sister!"
Overprotective big brothers already!
(I know, it looks like we have 3 boys, but I am not buying pink sleepers when I have perfectly good blue ones!)

Selah is finally starting to cuten up!

In an effort to avoid more hate mail...

Here are some pictures of Selah. I was trying not to bore people with pictures of a baby who looks virtually the same as she did yesterday. However, I keep getting emails and phone calls about a lack of pictures of her. So here are some more pictures.

This is what the boys did while I was upstairs feeding Selah.

My mistake was going upstairs, but the couches are covered in laundry, so it was upstairs or sitting at the kitchen table. I chose the comfy rocking chair, and paid the price.

She looks like the boys, with a pink blanket.

Look how fat her hands have gotten! They have dimples now. (Her hands and feet were terrible looking when she was born. All skin and bones like an old lady!)

A big ol' stretch while snuggling Jonah. ALL he wants to do is hold her. Even when she is screaming! At least he likes her. Though he did hit her in the head with a football the other day, accidentally, of course. (Unless you consider the no throwing balls in the house rule. Why they think I make rules to torture them I do not know!) She should probably get used to it, I doubt it will get better as she gets older!


Gotta have those hands in her face!

Yes, her head is still attached, and no I did not photo shop this picture. In fact I have some of Jonah just like this. I'll have to find them...

Bryan and the Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup came to Selfridge ANGB today. Bryan and his co-worker Kelly went to see it- and some of the players. The Red Wings winning was a pretty big deal out here- you couldn't miss it if you tried! Although I enjoy watching hockey- minus the fights as I think that they need to grow up (could be the counselor in me)- I have never been a big viewer, probably because Cleveland doesn't have a pro team. However, hockey is pretty huge out here and Bryan is dying to put Jonah in-Uhh...I'm a bit scared, he is not even 7 yet! Funny since we were discussing it last night. And there just happens to be a free "come try out hockey" thing going on this weekend. So apparently we are taking Jonah. And they start at 3, but I just think I am going to have to say no to Noah- if nothing else, for the money!

Back to the original topic, here are a few pictures of the Stanley Cup and a couple of Red Wings.

Defender Kris Draper bringing out the Stanley Cup.

Bryan with the Stanley Cup.
Do you have your gun, dear? I'd bet we could get a pretty penny for that on Ebay!



Kelly, Chris Osgood-goaltender, and Bryan.
He appears to have all of his teeth... Do you think that some are fake? I thought that all hockey players were missing half of their teeth!

If you leave a 3 year old with markers...

You just might want to make sure that they are washable!

(Which they are. I don't care how much extra it is, I have learned the hard way it is cheaper in the long run!)

In my defense, I didn't REALLY leave him, I just moved to the couch while I fed Selah. I can see him from the couch, so I guess I was just not paying attention! Hmm, could be that sleep deprivation catching up with me.

I told Jonah he could not hold Selah while I made lunch, as I wanted to eat lunch before having to feed her again. SO... he just pulled up a chair and WATCHED her SLEEP! Talk about infatuation!

The boys released the butterflies last night. They were sad that they flew off so quickly! They had hoped to recapture them with their nets a few times. No such luck... not that I blame the butterflies one bit!


Can't resist adding another picture of the BABY! Since her crib hardware is still MIA, she has a basket to sleep in downstairs. Of course the cover shrunk when I washed it, so I will have to make a new one- but she will probably be too big for it by the time I do! Why do they NEVER seem to preshrink stuff? GRRR...

She's two weeks old today. Hard to believe. But, I am grateful too, as I am feeling much better- and much more tired- smile. My belly is not longer quite so frightening, which my children did not hesitate to point out. Noah asked if there was another baby in there- and maybe we'd have TWO babies on the weekend! Thankfully not, don't think I could handle that right now! The lady who cut Noah's hair last week asked if we were having another boy. HELLO, the baby was not but 5 feet away! Thankfully she was only 6 days old so I did not feel TOO horrible. But I thought my shirt hid it well that day. I will not be wearing that one again , I assure you! And Jonah just wanted to know why my belly was still so big when the baby wasn't in there anymore. Just another one of those evil things about life, I suppose. Bryan has been a bit kinder. He has mentioned a couple of time how much smaller my belly looks. I am taking that as a compliment no matter what the intention had been! (As if the belly wasn't enough, I tore my very last back up contact a week and a half ago, and have had to wear my glasses since then. I look terrible, and just can't seem to motivate myself to call the eye doctor. Probably because it is going to cost a fortune, since Bryan needs to go, too. Ahh, maybe tomorrow!)
Actually, I forgot. Bryan did make a comment last week wondering how many people thought that I was already pregnant with our fourth child. If looks could kill... I assured him that anyone with half a brain would realize that with a baby that small, I couldn't possibly be that far along.
Mean ol' hubby.

Selah's first trip to the park

We took Selah- and the boys of course- to the park when she was 4 days old. She loved it can't you tell? Yep, she slept the whole time. And Daddy took her out to the van without a hat, and i didn't know. You know I was in a panic that she was hatless. Nevertheless, she survived!

Bryan and Jonah found an old rope swing to swing on. Unfortunately I did not get a picture when the rope broke and Bryan landed on his back. Thankfully it was Bryan and not Jonah, and thankfully he walked away with just a few scrapes and bruises. And a very sore back. Let this be a lesson to all, if it is in an abandoned area, it is probably not safe.





CAUGHT!



But it wasn't just me!

Soccer in the Rain...Is there anything better?

I was reminiscing of my childhood when I saw Melissa's post about soccer in the rain recently. And today we got to have the same thing. Jonah plays for the Dogfish (there are worse names- like the slugs and the guppies! I think that we actually have the best name in our league) and Bryan is their coach (poor kid!- only kidding, they both love it). Noah is their cheerleader- he yells dogfish all of the time.

Anyway, it was Selah's first game, and we managed to keep her asleep and dry, though some of the moms were disappointed to only get a peek. I forgot Noah's snacks and toys- it was hard enough to get Selah fed, dressed and out the door by 8:50! (Okay, I did not succeed. We left at 9:01, but that is not so bad, right?)

Noah holding the umbrella up high so that I could come under with him. (As if I was getting off my chair to stand in the rain under a Diego umbrella. Umm, not today, sorry!)


That is Jonah about to eat the ball. Well, it was pretty wet out there...

Stay back or I will karate chop you in the neck!

Just getting a little exercise. Gotta be in good shape if I want to go to the Air Force Academy in 16 years!

Selah, enjoying the fresh air.

Jonah made it to the front of the swarm.

Selah is so precious, that her soon-to-be Godfather cannot bear to think a drop of water may somehow get to her. (Well, she is pretty sweet, she may melt!) He walked her all the way to the van like this. And as a side note, Beach umbrellas are not totally waterproof... as proven by my wet hair and jeans...


Totally unrelated, but our butterflies hatched. We have 4 that made it. The boys think they are pretty cool.

Selah's a week old!

Actually she is almost 2 weeks old, I am a bit behind!

Selah's first walk. Bryan and Jonah had a soccer game, and Noah, Selah and I stayed home and took a walk. After screaming her head off before we even left, I gave in and left the stroller and carried her around the block. (Unbeknownst to me, the "block" is a bit larger than a regular block, and it took the 3 of us 42 minutes to walk "around the block". She is light, but she is not that light!)


Noah's new bed tent.
What's that they say?
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
(There is, of course, a story behind this. Don't worry Granny Ellen, you don't have to come kidnap the kids and teach them the right way, we are only kidding! When we moved form GA, JoAnn's was relocating and everything left in the old store was 90% off. I got an incredible deal on this fabric, and we used it to wrap up the furniture. If you think that this is bad, you should see the zebra print and the green shag stuff!)

HER EYES ARE OPEN!!


Not anymore.
If she wasn't wearing a pink blanket (thanks to the Ozdens) I would not be able to tell you which kid of ours this was.



Daddy picking up the slack and schooling Jonah. He now thinks that he gets to take credit for the entire year. (Like how he gets to take credit for making dinner if he takes the rolls out of the oven!)

Daddy thinking that he now knows hit feels to be pregnant. You should have heard him whining about his back.

Hmm, She is 7 pounds, i gained 38... I think you have some more weight to pack on there!

If you leave a three year alone for only a minute...

He will get himself a snack. When I caught him, the knife was in his mouth. Good thing it was a butter knife!

There is so much pink! Maybe Daddy will know which clothes are Selah's.

(If Bryan put away laundry, I usually find my shirts and socks in Jonah's closet. Jonah shirts and shorts in Noah's. Should I be flattered... or offended?)

Selah saw the doctor Friday. Although the jaundice has not improved, it does not seem to have worsened. So... they think she will be fine. And she gained 12 ounces in one week, so the doctor was thrilled (they wanted her to gain 7) and I no longer have to wake her every 2 hours! Of course, she didn't go much more than that last night, but hopefully she will from now on!

In Honor of Selah...

Thanks to Jamie, I found this pretty layout. I know that it doesn't fit the FAMILY, but we've been blue for 7 years, I figure we can be pink for a little bit! (Layout is courtesy Allie Brown, I am not that talented, nor do I have that much time!)

Things here are going okay. I spend most of my time feeding Selah and trying to spend the little time that is left eating, with the boys or , when I am really lucky, grabbing a shower! I hate to wish away time with her, as it goes quickly enough as it is, but October sounds really good to me right now!

Bryan has done all of the cooking, Jonah's schoolwork, most of the picking up, and is still trying to squeeze time in with Noah and Selah! (Basically he has become Mommy!) I think that he is glad that he is the one who gets to go to work in a week.

Selah is sweet,, though all she does is eat, sleep or cry. If she is awake, she wants to be eating, even if that is what she has done for the last hour. No pacifier because of the jaundice (supposed to wait 3 weeks if you are nursing anyway, don't know that we will make it that long!), so we listen to her cry as long as we can, and then I go feed her. I know that it will get better, so we are toughing it out.

The boys, are of course sick. Why not? Probably got it from their 2 hour visit to the germy old hospital. I just pray they are better before Bryan goes back to work, or I may just lose my mind. Noah is whiny, and Jonah is mad because he cannot go near Selah. I think we will be staying in this winter!

I will post pictures later, the camera is upstairs, and I am too lazy to get it!

I apologize for not responding to emails or phone calls yet. I will get back to you all soon (I still have thank yous from Noah's Bday to write, not to mention Selah's!) I have received your well wishes and we appreciate them!

The first few sleepless days

Not sleepless for Selah, just for Mommy, of course!

(And Daddy, he has been VERY helpful when we need something!)

We can home Wednesday afternoon, just as soon as we passed the 24 hour mark. The only concern was jaundice- which both the boys had as well. She saw the doctor again Friday, and she was down to 7 lbs 2 oz., and has "grown" to 19 inches. (Probably a bad measurement at birth they said- or she is going to grow REALLY quick!) jaundice is worse so now she HAS to eat at least every 2 hours. Kind of a pain, since she is a good sleeper-she is SO different from the boys! No signs of the dreaded reflux though, nor any leftover problems from the pregnancy! Her antibody screen came back negative, and she has positive blood so she will never have these issues! They will keep a bit closer eye on her this week, but she should be fine (plus, this is so minor compared to what it could have been!) By the way, her name is pronounced Say lah, rhymes with Jonah and Noah.

Welcome Home Selah!

We weren't expecting her to be quite this small, so her clothes are bit big! Thankfully Jamie sent some newborn stuff as we had NONE, so she has some stuff that fits! (The boys never wore newborn, and barely wore 0-3 for a couple of weeks. Just goes to show you, be prepared for the unexpected!)

Swinging during dinner, notice the boys put their swing with hers!


Selah, entertaining her big brothers by "telling" them stories.


Jonah and Jacelyn hanging out at the fence.
They do this all of the time. It's cute- and pathetic!


Noah hit himself in the eye with a bucket.
Hey, it got him out of cleaning up the backyard!

Selah's first bath at home.

Don't let her fool you, she screamed the WHOLE time!

Like this! We are loving the pink!