Maiden Voyage (with all 3 kids)

Last night we took the kids out on the canoe. I had to admit, I had my reservations about how it would all turn out. After all, although we know that Tiana loves canoeing, neither Luke or Jake had ever been, and they're so young....

I needn't have worried for even a second. They loved it, and were so calm and collected through the whole trip across Tibble Fork reservoir and up an inlet stream.

We found a grassy bank to stop and roast hotdogs for dinner, and wade and throw rocks into the stream.

It was a short voyage, but you gotta start somewhere, and now that we know the kids are practically canoeing pros, we can seek out bigger and better family canoeing adventures in the future!

Summer Lunch

I admit it. I wish I could take credit for this AWESOME lunch idea, but all credit goes to the kids' aunt Rachelle. She's the awesome one....and they will be forever grateful for her ingenuity! We've had such a rainy stretch, it was finally warm enough to eat outside today. That's one of our favorite things about summertime. Tiana's been begging for weeks...

Luke just couldn't get enough blueberries, Jake downed his goldfish crackers in record time, and Tiana artfully made flies on a log with celery, p-nut butter, craisins & blueberries. It's silly, I know, but in this moment I realized again how much I ADORE these children, how happy I am to be their mom, and how very precious each moment truly is. Today is a good day.

The Recital

Tiana looked forward to this big night for WEEKS!!!
Of 5 dance performances, she danced in 3 of them and did such a great job! One of her favorite things about dance class is that all of her friends are in it with her....

Tiana & Madi & their purple tutus

Dancing the night away....

Working Out

Spring has finally arrived and we are outside and loving it! This morning on our way back home from our dog walk/bike ride/jog Tiana stopped for a little rest. She drank some water, took off her helmet, and started to stretch: "I'm just doing some stretches. That's what good bikers do. I have to stretch my bones so I can rock n' roll down those hills and ride my bike really fast!"
And then, near the end of our jaunt, this comment: "Mom, that was a good workout. I'm really sweatin'!!"
Oh, thank goodness for warm, sunshiny days and fun family workouts!

Family pics

These adorable children may have had a hard time smiling at just the right moment for a family picture(especially the boys), but we'll keep them anyway. What an exhausting experience a photo shoot can be!

Tiana, ever-the-photogenic-one, was a great sport despite the chilly weather and her fussy brothers. I always tell her the prettiest thing about her is her smile....

Luke LOVES to be tossed in the air. The more air he can catch, the better!

Jake LOVES to snuggle and cuddle and bury his face in your neck. Aw!

Maybe we'll attempt family pictures again in a few more months. Or maybe we won't feel up to it for a few more years. For now, we'll take what we can get!

Look What Popped In!

Yes, Jake cut his first two teeth in one weekend! Besides an incredibly runny nose, he survived the whole ordeal without too many side effects. This little one is settling right into our family routine and we're loving him more and more each day. He's such a happy baby, and so cuddly...how could you not just wanna kiss those chubby cheeks and never stop??

3's a Crowd!

And we're loving every minute!

I'm learning to pick my battles....Luke won this one when he refused to get his jeans back on after a poopy diaper change. Then, promptly insisted on wearing his snowboots around the house. What a boy!

Tiana can't get enough of baby Jacob. These two love to play!

Luke just loves having someone to push around....

...and tripping over toys all day long

never was so much fun!

Triple Addiction

It's true. Our little family of four grew to five over the past week and a half, and we couldn't be more thrilled! As with the other two kids, Jacob came unexpectedly with his own special story. He's a 6 month old bundle of joy who is successfully winning his brother and sister and parents over with his adorable smiles and giggles and sweet personality.

Eric and I were in Ohio to adopt Jacob within 72 hours of first hearing of him. These last two weeks have been a whirlwind of life change that we didn't really see coming, but are so glad that it did! Check out more pics of Jacob on our web album...

Addicted

I can't help it. I am totally addicted to these kids. I just LOVE being their mom. With all the ups and downs an average day entails, I hate to put them to bed at night because it means I won't see them again for too many hours! Each morning when they wake up is like CHRISTMAS. Literally! I can hardly wait to hear Tiana's door crack open (unless it's 3 a.m. and she's awakened from a scary dream...those aren't my favorite nights and I admit that waiting until 7 for that blessed sound might be better...) and Luke's first sound - sometimes it's a cry, sometimes he's just babbling happily - which indicates that I may freely waltz right into his room and rescue him from his crib. They are the center of my life and I just love 'em!! Can you blame me?

Snow Day!

FINALLY!
We woke up this morning to enough snow to play in! Tiana wanted to head out before she'd even had breakfast!! We both agreed that it feels like Christmas is coming soon - like tomorrow could be Christmas Eve, that's how much fun the snow is!

Luke wasn't sure what to think at first -- it seemed like a lot of trouble to get that many clothes on, only to have to learn all over again how to walk in them!

Tiana loves to eat snow...I keep warning her to steer clear of any yellow tints in it...

In the end, Luke still got to swing - this boy's favorite pastime - so I guess all the snow clothes are worth it! Nothing beats a morning romp in the freshly fallen snow with a nice cup of hot chocolate to help you thaw out again.