Saturday, September 18, 2010
Enjoying Labor Day 2010
I am very thankful for the idyllic suburban life my husband has provided for his three girls. Here we are enjoying the last swim of the season in our association pool. Over the summer we enjoyed many family evenings together swimming, splashing, and racing; we had several friends come over and enjoy it with us and hope that many more will be able to come next year. I particularly enjoy that it is a two minute walk from our home, always maned with lifeguards, spacious, surrounded by trees, and kept immaculate and leaf free. As we would never have a backyard pool (safety, time, expense), I am thankful husband has provided this one for us to enjoy as a family.
They both pour out their love and smiles upon me every day.
My little and littlest sweeties
Each day that goes by we are getting more excited to meet our daughter. Here she is at 31 weeks. After the morning sickness passed, I have been enjoying an extremely comfortable pregnancy.
I love her thighs and sweet tutu. My mother bought her this adorable suit I found half off at ON. It was the first suit I saw all year that I LOVED, and my mom treated me to two seasons of matching cuteness for the girls. As we go to the pool after husband comes home and we've eaten dinner, this suit works perfectly for the evenings. Yet, on the rare occasion we go to the beach or pool during the bright hours of the sun, I am a firm believer in protecting her skin with a rash guard and floppy hat.
May we go in the pool?
Please!
Daddy is a blast...
and really fun to splash!
We are all wet and ready for a good night's sleep.
Friday, September 17, 2010
To Have And To Hold
Saying farewell to M for the day
With my 26 week old date for the evening. In husband's absence, he does provide me with the sweetest company.
I was able to snap this with the bride moments before she slipped into her gown!
Beautiful bouquet!
Darling little face in the corner
All ready
Love this one
Man and wife!
A beautiful July day!
Over the summer, I saw my sweet D three times~ each time at a wedding :)
A beauty with an engineering brain
The bride-to-be!
How precious
I love bustles~ the look~the process~ and all the helping hands
And she is a married woman! After 3 years of marriage, don't you think I should know how to wear wedding rings in the correct order? I love the look of my four dollar "sticker" manicure.
First dance
Playing around with the huge sunflowers
Two of my favorite aunties
Something blue
Beautiful bouquet!
Love this one
Man and wife!
A beautiful July day!
The bride-to-be!
How precious
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Celebrating
This summer has been wonderfully full of weddings. How delightful to see a dear childhood friend get married! I also felt particularly blessed to be able to enjoy the prewedding festivities with her. We spent one evening together with her fiance and his family folding the wedding programs. Living far from her, I was deeply grateful for this opportunity to get to know the family she was joining; having never met them before, I was particularly gladdened to see how much they all cared for her.
The next day, I was able to get a lovely one on one outing with the bride. I took her into the city to treat her to lunch and pick out her wedding present.
We enjoyed lunch at Max Brenner. The restaurant is unique in its preponderance of chocolate. They make amazing crepes, the best hot chocolate, and delicious cocoa free burgers.
Two days before the wedding, her sister threw her a days long party. We began the day at the shore.
It was a rare treat to be with so many of my girl friends at once (although we greatly missed you, DH!).
The hand shot
All ready to enjoy dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy in family style.
These 2 girls are ready to eat :)
The restaurant was beautiful, and thoughts of the food is getting me hungry.
The next day, I was able to get a lovely one on one outing with the bride. I took her into the city to treat her to lunch and pick out her wedding present.
We enjoyed lunch at Max Brenner. The restaurant is unique in its preponderance of chocolate. They make amazing crepes, the best hot chocolate, and delicious cocoa free burgers.
Two days before the wedding, her sister threw her a days long party. We began the day at the shore.
It was a rare treat to be with so many of my girl friends at once (although we greatly missed you, DH!).
The hand shot
All ready to enjoy dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy in family style.
These 2 girls are ready to eat :)
The restaurant was beautiful, and thoughts of the food is getting me hungry.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
By Plane, Train, and Automobile
{Alternative Title: By 3 Cars, a Taxi, a Bus, and a Train}
Instead of driving back home, I ventured to take the train for the first time in years with my two little girls in tow. We started the day with smiles while driving our car to husband's place of work so that it would be there for him when his ship pulled into dock. Baby girl loves her big girl car seat. We love that she is a rear facing sweetie, and that she sleeps in it!
Enjoying the naval view while we waited for our taxi to get off the base. As Momom would say, "But where's your bow?"
There it is
Still all smiles...
Mommy and lil sis getting a wee bit hot in the one hundred degree weather and less than patient for a "Be there in ten" that turned into thirty. Did you notice my lounge wear (aka pj's)? Comfy is the only way to travel.
When the taxi came, I threw her in and then attended to folding the stroller and my luggage (one backpack for the three of us :) You are surely safe to travel lite when you are going to stay with your own mommy. They have everything you need. While I was in the midst of heaving her and her infant carrier into the taxi, she proceeded to scream unprecedentedly. Once I got in the back with her, I thought she would cheer up, but this baby would have none of this taxi ride and hollered louder when the driver dared to utter a word. As M rarely ever cries, whenever she does I am most amused by the occasion.Why does this picture make me laugh so?
In the presence of a lil gentleman, a little lady is prim, proper, and pleasant. On the way to the bus, we enjoyed a little visit with friends. I find the juxtaposition of their car seats entertaining. She is over a year older than he, yet he is in his big car seat and she is in her infant carrier (Yay for a thirty pound limit).
On the bus, the same thought travels through our minds. "Are we there yet?"
Once on the train, a little rest is in order.
And of course eating would quickly follow.
And a "baba" too
And then she slept happily ever after...
Not so much... I was very pleased with her behavior. She did very well for all that she could control. She is usually the most delightful traveling baby. We past the time by walking the aisles, going to the snack car, and walking outside when the train stopped for its breaks. We then settled down for the evening. She was falling asleep and I was enjoying sips from my frappuccino and a game of Sudoku, when the serenity broke loose initially by faint whimpers and whines. I was less than pleased but understanding that after so many hours of travel, one hits a breaking point. And a breaking point she did reach when a few moments later she proceeded to toss up everything! I unstrapped her as quickly as possible and assisted her to go all over me. (Pj's are washable; train seats not so much). I then cleaned us up as well as could be with baby wipes and napkins from our kind aisle neighbor. Baby quieted down, and I placed her back into her seat. She fell asleep for a while and then started to go again while still asleep. This poor sweet one. I decided to lay her out on the seat with me hoping that might help and to be able to assist her more quickly. She then had two more bouts. After the fourth and final bout, we were covered and there was only so much baby wipes and napkins could do. Twelve "tossings up" can produce a surprisingly large quantity even coming from such a little one. I was concerned for the state of my own stomach because the smell was so horrible. At this point, you would have noticed a smile on my face. The situation was just too ridiculous to not see the humor in it.Then over the intercom the conductor announces that we are going to be stopping at DC and please move over in your seats because every seat will be taken. I looked over at the unoccupied seat next to us and smiled knowing that there was no reason for us to move over as our empty seat would not be wanted.
This experience reminded me of the true and unique nature of motherhood. Scenes of motherhood are often painted with a beautiful peaceful woman looking adoringly down upon her spotless child amidst the ethereally white nursery, and yes I have been blessed with a plethora of such serene moments and the pictures that go with them. Yet, it is the mothers that rush to their children when the situation is awry and all others are fleeing their presence. Here was my little girl projectilely tossing up, and of course I rushed to her aid without a seconds thought. When a child (and the couch next to them) has become sticky, grimy, snotty, bloody, pooy, and tossed up upon, there you will find a mother. When most others go "ewww," a mother says, "here I am". And there she is ready at the front battle lines for whatever God has decided to throw her way :)
Instead of driving back home, I ventured to take the train for the first time in years with my two little girls in tow. We started the day with smiles while driving our car to husband's place of work so that it would be there for him when his ship pulled into dock. Baby girl loves her big girl car seat. We love that she is a rear facing sweetie, and that she sleeps in it!
Enjoying the naval view while we waited for our taxi to get off the base. As Momom would say, "But where's your bow?"
There it is
Still all smiles...
Mommy and lil sis getting a wee bit hot in the one hundred degree weather and less than patient for a "Be there in ten" that turned into thirty. Did you notice my lounge wear (aka pj's)? Comfy is the only way to travel.
When the taxi came, I threw her in and then attended to folding the stroller and my luggage (one backpack for the three of us :) You are surely safe to travel lite when you are going to stay with your own mommy. They have everything you need. While I was in the midst of heaving her and her infant carrier into the taxi, she proceeded to scream unprecedentedly. Once I got in the back with her, I thought she would cheer up, but this baby would have none of this taxi ride and hollered louder when the driver dared to utter a word. As M rarely ever cries, whenever she does I am most amused by the occasion.Why does this picture make me laugh so?
In the presence of a lil gentleman, a little lady is prim, proper, and pleasant. On the way to the bus, we enjoyed a little visit with friends. I find the juxtaposition of their car seats entertaining. She is over a year older than he, yet he is in his big car seat and she is in her infant carrier (Yay for a thirty pound limit).
On the bus, the same thought travels through our minds. "Are we there yet?"
Once on the train, a little rest is in order.
And of course eating would quickly follow.
And a "baba" too
And then she slept happily ever after...
Not so much... I was very pleased with her behavior. She did very well for all that she could control. She is usually the most delightful traveling baby. We past the time by walking the aisles, going to the snack car, and walking outside when the train stopped for its breaks. We then settled down for the evening. She was falling asleep and I was enjoying sips from my frappuccino and a game of Sudoku, when the serenity broke loose initially by faint whimpers and whines. I was less than pleased but understanding that after so many hours of travel, one hits a breaking point. And a breaking point she did reach when a few moments later she proceeded to toss up everything! I unstrapped her as quickly as possible and assisted her to go all over me. (Pj's are washable; train seats not so much). I then cleaned us up as well as could be with baby wipes and napkins from our kind aisle neighbor. Baby quieted down, and I placed her back into her seat. She fell asleep for a while and then started to go again while still asleep. This poor sweet one. I decided to lay her out on the seat with me hoping that might help and to be able to assist her more quickly. She then had two more bouts. After the fourth and final bout, we were covered and there was only so much baby wipes and napkins could do. Twelve "tossings up" can produce a surprisingly large quantity even coming from such a little one. I was concerned for the state of my own stomach because the smell was so horrible. At this point, you would have noticed a smile on my face. The situation was just too ridiculous to not see the humor in it.Then over the intercom the conductor announces that we are going to be stopping at DC and please move over in your seats because every seat will be taken. I looked over at the unoccupied seat next to us and smiled knowing that there was no reason for us to move over as our empty seat would not be wanted.
This experience reminded me of the true and unique nature of motherhood. Scenes of motherhood are often painted with a beautiful peaceful woman looking adoringly down upon her spotless child amidst the ethereally white nursery, and yes I have been blessed with a plethora of such serene moments and the pictures that go with them. Yet, it is the mothers that rush to their children when the situation is awry and all others are fleeing their presence. Here was my little girl projectilely tossing up, and of course I rushed to her aid without a seconds thought. When a child (and the couch next to them) has become sticky, grimy, snotty, bloody, pooy, and tossed up upon, there you will find a mother. When most others go "ewww," a mother says, "here I am". And there she is ready at the front battle lines for whatever God has decided to throw her way :)
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