One week old

H.A. #3 is one week old today and perfect timing for his first bath! He slept through the whole thing but finally woke up in time for a cute snap shot. There's nothing that smells as sweet as a freshly bathed babe :)

The New Kindergartener!

When H.A. #1 turned 5 earlier this year I was taken back at how quickly my little peanut has grown. Now her first day of kindergarten has arrived ... sniff sniff ... I did my best to hold back the tears as the teachers aide whisked her off along with her classmates. Silverback & Nono peeked through the classroom windows to watch the bunch settle into their seats. In her class of 35 she knows nearly half but recognizes everyone from around church or Sunday school. Her new teachers are sweeter than peaches and she will be with her best friend from preschool for the next 9 years. The transition to a new school can't get much better than that!

18 days early ...

House Ape #3 threw us off guard by arriving into the world with lightning speed last Friday, August 29th at 7:00 pm. He weighed in at 7 pounds exact, measuring 20 1/2" long. Talk about a real "Labor Day" weekend experience!

So were you a winner on the baby name poll? After meeting him face to face deciding what to name him came easy for us: Zachary Laurence. And the old silverback is quite happy that the male population outnumbers the female in our home.

The poor little guy didn't have a proper place to sleep when we brought him home so we've been pretty busy these last couple of days getting all the baby gear in place for him. It should be a smooth transition now. Thanks for all your phone calls & love!

House Ape #3 baby pool

Since we wanted to torchure everyone & decided to not find out House Ape #3's sex during the ultrasound, months ago I sent out an email giving you guys the opportunity to officially vote for your opinion on whether we're having a boy or a girl and the birth date if you wanted to get really specific. Now that we're getting down to the wire I figured this will be your last chance to reevaluate your guess or add your name to the list if you still want in on potential bragging rights! Send me an email or post a comment before time runs out!


BOY GIRL

Nono, Nonie, MorMor, Colleen R.

9/1
9/2
9/3
9/4 Jeff S.
9/5
9/6 Connie
9/7
9/8
9/9 Brenda T., Angela, Kelli
9/10 H.A. #1, Michelle
9/11 Mommy
9/12 Seth, Andria, Daddy
9/13 Becky
9/14
9/15
9/16 Papa
EDD 9/17 Uncle Dave
9/18
9/19
9/20
9/21
9/22
9/23
9/24

It's worth every second

Sleepless nights have kicked in & I'm butt tired. Even now the whole house is fast asleep, all cozy in their beds as I sit here staring at this screen typing away ...

Just the other morning around 6 am I was gently awaken by a very softly spoken 2-year old carefully holding a brightly colored toy birthday cake with a stubby plastic candle on a blue play kitchen plate, singing:
"Birf day to you
Birf day to you
Birf day Mommy -- bwow out candle"

As I opened my eyes House Ape #2 was grinning ear to ear. "Bwow candle Mommy" he whispered again with the cake nearly touching my nose. I blew out my very un-birthday candle and smiled back "thank you for my birthday cake Sweetheart." He trotted back off to the bedroom to play a little more. I tried to drift back off to sleep but he came back yanking my arm from under the sheets "Up, up Mommy! Play me!"

Now how could I resist that? That was by far the very best alarm clock I've ever woken up to! Later on I took a nap when #2 did and we ended up having a pretty great day. For days like that it's worth every sacrifice, no matter how trying, exhausting & anguishing, to be a stay at home mom!!

Front Page News!

This is pretty surprising & fun news -- House Ape #1 made the front cover of the new park & recreation guide for this fall season. Her debut head shot to the general public. And yes, for those of you who have inquired, we will set up a time for autograph signing after I have determined an appropriate fee to charge -- LOL!

A Day Out With Thomas

On Saturday we went with our friends Noah & Sophie to Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton to see Thomas the Tank Engine & go on a very special train ride. There were a lot of other activities for the kids to do ... face painting, Thomas & Friends tatoos, a coloring/painting/rubber stamping station, bounce houses, play tables with tracks set up for play, story time/movie viewing, a puppet theater (all for free) ... Other than the fact that it was so hot & the bbq lunch offered had a lot to be desired (you know chicken is over cooked when the bones disintegrate & the meat turns to powder in your mouth!) we had an exceptionally fun day.