Field Trip to the Fire Station

It was several weeks back now, but I couldn't find the camera cord!

We went on a field trip to the fire station and had so much fun learning about fire safety and exploring the fire trucks.

Since M isn't my kiddo, and I don't think her parents are online much at all , I try to put a sticker over her face. She's a cutie and her expression in this picture was awesome, but I'll let her parents have a copy and enjoy it. Pip and M did amazing during the presentation. They asked questions and listened really well!

Roo was really into heat sensor so they could find people in the dark.

Friendly is into awkward expressions apparently, must be a "5" thing. :0D

They had so much fun climbing through the trucks.

Checking out all the things!

When I remember her at 5, I will remember The Hair. The Hair that *never* stays back and always gets quickly undone when I fasten it back. Five is the Year of The Hair Waterfall. In.her.face.all.the.time. :0D

Pippy has the same issue. ;0) Such beautiful hair hiding such beautiful faces. childhood.

This trip was fantastic, we can't wait to go back next year!

Ziggy

Ziggy...it's fun, and it's a little silly, like all our other waiting-for-baby-nicknames. Roo was Lampshade, Friendly was Goobie/Goober, and Pip was Newby...And now Ziggy.

Ziggy comes from the name Siegfried which means "Victorious Peace". Siegfried also happens to be one of my favorite literary characters of all time (think, James Herriot).

Anyway, Victorious Peace has definitely been a theme of this pregnancy...Just learning to go with the flow, hold onto peace, even when it's a bit of a battle to do that!

We had the big ultrasound today, after having a few friends have babies with unexpected health concerns we felt quite strongly about being sure every thing was really well checked out.

As far as science can say, Ziggy is perfect.We concur, isn't he beautiful?

Yes, HE! Pip was very much right when she made this picture of our family...

 It definitely is, a baby brudder!

 We were really content with our 3 girls, I've said it many times..."I never knew three could feel so complete."

Four feels fantastic too. Our bonus baby, boy. We feel so very very blessed. We can't wait for September!

Easter 2014

Easter this year... The younger two got some strange (thankfully) short lived virus that involved a high fever, and ended with an ear infection for Pip and a doctor trip because she was inconsolable.

We had some of my Mom's family over in the afternoon and I'm really trying to remember much of the day. I was quite sleep deprived from 3 rough nights with a sickie little Pip.

Sunday morning Pip and I stayed home from church and took a walk,

This is actually from the next weekend but I didn't take a picture of our Easter walk...She loves to take walks and talk, it's one of her most frequent requests in life!

then there was some cleaning...Lots of visiting with family....An Easter Egg hunt...And an afternoon crash.

The day before we dyed Easter Eggs...

 All of the kids are sensitive to food dyes. We don't eat any thing with food dye in it, and haven't for a few years. Red Dye 40 is like ...No words describe what it does to my children. So we avoid all dyes..And haven't felt safe enough to allow Easter egg dye because of how messy it is (and your skin is an organ of your body, getting dye on your skin is almost as bad as eating it!). This year we chanced it and they all did great!

Aren't they pretty? Next year we'll use a different kind of dye, this kind was a little too hard core and soaked through the egg shells!
The easter egg hunt was fun! It was funny to watch how intense and FAST the kids aged 4+ were

Roo hunting!

Pip Hunting

Friendly off to hunt!

It was a great Easter...And after the company went home...

We crashed. Ryan napped, Pip and I snuggled. :D

I don't think I got a picture of the Easter Baskets or of them opening them. My Mom might have taken some...

Oh here are a few from breakfast that morning...We had Donuts, OJ, and Berries with Easter Eggs

So 7! <3

Spring...It's a Real Thing!

Well, spring took it's sweet time trickling in, but we're finally getting to really enjoy it!
We took a few damp and chilly walks...

Battled a few spring colds...

Pippy fighting an ear infection: a lot of cuddles!

A lot of falling asleep on Mommy because she, "didn't need a nap."

 the end of March and early April have been full of sniffles and snuggles for sure...

And parties when the sweet baby finally falls asleep!

But there has also been tons of this...Our "field trip" to the "Fish Factory" (AKA the Hatchery, thank you Pip!)

 Swings and slides!

 Science Center!!!

 And getting the yard ready for spring!! We built our bean teepee and the kids have been picnicking in it every chance they get!

 And our favorite, the Rose Garden..Always in for a good show there!

And lot of this with colds and fevers happening...

Netflix had new episodes of Rescue Bots, so exciting!!!

And this little girl...

 Pretty much any time I am sitting or resting she is snuggled up right next to me. She knows her days as "the baby" are numbered and she has been soaking up Mommy Time for all it's worth. Pretty much every hour of every day is a potential "Mommy Date" and she is taking all she can get. I can't say I mind!! :D

 

Because Ziggy (baby's nickname) is growing...

17............................18..............and.................19 weeks.

We're 20 weeks through- half way (hopefully!) there! Every thing seems fine. Feeling lots of pops and kicks and he seems to love any time music comes on, he wakes right up and starts playing. He Also seems to respond when it's been quiet an one of big sisters starts talking to me. I don't feel as much movement as I did with some of the others, I think I have an anterior placenta again and the movements feel very different than the other times (even Pip- who I also had an anterior placenta with). 

It still hasn't sunk in that all these changes are really coming. After being out of baby mode for longer than the other times, it feels a bit strange. I do like that our spacing will end up being 1.5 years between Roo and Friendly, 2.5 years between Friendly and Pip, and 3.5 years between Pip and Ziggy. We couldn't have planned that if we tried, but I like nice tidy sequences like that. :D

We have our "big" ultrasound this week. Checking all the parts, making sure Ziggy is growing well, and confirming gender! We are pretty sure we saw "boy parts" at the 15 week scan, it very much looked like it. Prayers that everything goes well with the anatomy scan and that Ziggy is healthy and well would be appreciated!

 So far this has been my easiest pregnancy, except for a few weeks of "uuuuugh", I have felt pretty good. But the more babies we have the more I worry about them. I am so thankful for our 3 healthy children so far and I just can't wait to hold this one in my arms and know he's here safe and sound too!

Next Post EASTER!!

Glimpses of Spring

It's officially the last week of winter and we're anxiously waiting and looking for signs of spring...

Shivering in jackets and mittens, burning cheeks and numb noses, we have felt relief in the upper 30's (and 40's! And even 50's!) and wandered the local parks celebrating in the green patches between grey and white.

Wet slushy side walks on 40 degree days feel like summer after weeks (months!) of being frozen and walking carefully across crusted ice.

Roo apparently finds 40 degrees perfectly acceptable jacket-free weather!

While the cuddle bugs shiver in winter jackets and keep blankets close...

But we're still celebrating! Spring is coming! 

 

From today...The snow is losing!

From our trip to the park today...

This was all buried in about 2 feet of snow not 6 days ago! 

Spring is a glorious thing! We're so excited! I think my favorite part of raising people and being around kids is their ability to bring us back to really appreciating the seasons. I am so glad we live where there are 4 seasons. Winter is hard, but in a way it teaches me to rest, to appreciate the shorter darker days. This winter especially I embraced the rest of winter in a way I haven't really allowed myself to ...ever. I needed the rest, we need the seasons of waiting and rest. But there comes a point where the long dark days drag on, it feels like a terrible transition- stuck in between knowing things have their proper seasons- and desperately ready to move on! Winter, there is some discomfort in the long darkness, there are lessons and joys as well. 

Because...When spring finally does arrive, you wish you could kiss it in welcome! You're so happy n a way you never could have remembered if you didn't know the winter so well. And the thrill of seeing buds on the trees, the smell of the ground waking up after a long sleep. You remember it hasn't always been cold silence. The days are longer and it feels delicious to be tucking little ones in bed and knowing that the day is not really ending. I could wax poetic about this way longer than I will. We're so happy, SO happy to welcome spring this year.

Especially this year it feels like the waiting time has passed, now it's just one fun leap to prepare for all that's next. Spring! To make the yard beautiful.  Spring! To grow our garden. Summer! To eat our fruits and veggies and listen to the buzz of the the cicadas and the sound of the sprinkler. The hum of the air conditioners and the cool family room during rest time on hot July days. To know that soon we'll be  welcoming some one new. That our autumn will be full of just as many changes as the trees, and our winter will come again, well won rest. 

To spring! Yes, we're so excited we would kiss it! 3 more days!