The Actual Birthday

First Year Highlights

Ruby and Eliza Claire had a great birthday. Ruby woke up early (5ish) - I guess she was just too excited about turning one to sleep. We opened presents and spent the a while playing with them. Then it was time to go grocery shopping. After shopping we had lunch at a pizza place with Michael. After lunch we came home for nap time and then had some friends over for a playdate and cake. After that it was time for dinner, bath and bed.

First Birhtday in Pictures

It is amazing how different the day was from a year ago. Then Michael and I got up at 5ish and headed to the hospital. About 7:00 they started getting us ready for the c-section. By 7:30 they were doing my spinal. Ruby arrived at 7:58 and Eliza Claire arrived at 7:59 am. Both were healthy and perfect. Within an hour they were both in recovery with me nursing. What a new experience. Rehm and Charlotte both ended up in the NICU and it was several hours before I got to see them. After lunch their big siblings got to come to the hospital to meet them. Wow how they've changed in a year.

Ruby currently weighs 21.5 lbs and is inches long. Eliza Claire weighs 23.5 lbs and is inches long.

Happy Birthday Girls,
Jenn

The Birthday Party

The party ended up being a small affair with us, Grandma and Grandpa and our dear friends the Weatherbys. We had a great time. Ruby and Eliza Claire clearly enjoyed being the center of attention. They both had great fun with their cakes though they attacked them in totally different ways. Ruby went for the big mess and annihilated her cake , Eliza Claire went for eating more but doing so very neatly and having half the cake saved for later.

You can see all the pictures here. Make sure to check out the cakes. A friend of ours made them and they were delicious and beautiful!

Happy Birthday Girls!
Jenn

Note to Self

Don't leave the room when children are playing with play dough.

I decided to be Super Cool Mommy and make play dough with the big kids this afternoon. Of course they enjoyed measuring, mixing and kneading. Once it was done they got out some play dough toys and were sitting happily playing. I decided to go upstairs and fold a load of laundry. A few minutes later Rehm came to tell me Charlotte had put some of her play dough in water. Still I wasn't too concerned. Of course I came downstairs to find huge blobs of wet, messy, gooey playdough, water dripping from the counter, and a girl with play dough smeared all down the front of her outfit.

So half of our new, just made play dough is now in the trash, a girl is in another set of clothes and they are getting ready to color. I wonder what excitement that will bring.

Ah the joys of summer,
Jenn

Play Dough Recipe (I like this one because it is a no cook recipe)

1 cup salt
2 cups sifted flour (I didn't sift it - I never do)
2 tablespoons alum
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water

Mix all ingredients together until they form a smooth dough. Food coloring can be added to the water before adding it to the mixture. More flour may be needed to get the right consistency. Can be stored in a zip top bag for several weeks.

Ironing

No, I'm not ironing. I don't do that. Well, at least not very often, really only for special occasions. I don't like ironing and always seem to burn myself in the process so I avoid it if at all possible.

Charlotte informed me when I took the picture that "the thing I'm holding is very HOT!"

Charlotte came in the kitchen today and ask for help setting up her ironing board (which is actually my play ironing board from when I was her age). We got it set up and in a few minutes she was back again. This time she needed help finding her "ar-on." It was imperative that we find out it immediately because today was Charlotte's only day to "ar-on" this week! She had to get all of her "ar-oning" done today because she wouldn't have time to "ar-on" again for another week.

A few minutes later she came out to tell Rehm she had "ar-oned" his vampire cape for him. And she just informed me that when our friend come over to play today they aren't allowed to wear any dress up clothes because she has already "ar-oned" them and doesn't want to get them messed up and she is done "ar-oning" for the day. Especially the Cinderella dress that she "ar-oned" that she wants to wear for Halloween.

I don't know where she gets this new found love of ironing from as I don't think she has ever in her life seen her mother do it.

Happy Ironing!
Jenn

PS She is now coloring and keeps telling me "I have to concentrate really hard on what I am doing now."

Typical Summer Day

What does a typical day look like around here? I'm not sure I know but here are some of our normal activities for our home days.

I invested in the Crainium Mega Fort. I found it on sale at TRU Memorial Day weekend. We love it! It is great and the kids can spend about an hour at a time playing with it. This is the day the decided to build a hot air balloon. After building it they came to ask me for a fan to make it blow up. We didn't have one so they had to pretend.


We also have craft/school time everyday. This consists of Rehm working on his summer work book and writing in his journal. Charlotte usually gets some paper and markers out at this time too.

We play with lots of dolls, dress up clothes, blocks and other building things as well.

Three days a week we go to the gym so I can work out and the kids can all play. Two days we go to swim lessons. We try to have at least one playdate each week as well.

I didn't forget the girls. They usually are crawling around playing with their toys are being entertained by their older siblings or they are asleep.

For the last couple of months Charlotte has been much more interested in letters and what sounds they make. She has been trying to spell her name for several weeks. This week she finally got it right will all the letters! Now I think she thinks "tt" is it's own letter in the alphabet but that is OK. Here she is showing off her new skill. Maybe in the next six months we will get her interested in actually writing letters.

Portraits

Today we had pictures done of all four kids. What was I thinking? I took them all by myself and with two outfits each! Overall it went well. Ruby and Eliza Claire both did fine for individual pictures but wanted nothing to do with group pictures. Hmmm, I wonder what that says about them. Finally at one point I handed them each a tag off of their dresses and told the photographer to just take the pictures whether they were crying or not. Here are a few of the pictures. More can be found here.

We did the pictures at Portrait Innovations. This is the second time I've had pictures done at one of their studios. I really like them. They took over 100 shots, we picked the ones we wanted and had all the prints by the time we walked around the building to Target and back.

Jenn

PS I should mention that Eliza Claire figured out clapping for the very first time in the middle of the shoot. What a smart girl to hit a milestone during professional pictures.

Swim Lessons

Rehm and Charlotte started swim lessons last week at Nitro Swim. They have had three lessons each and I am so impressed. The facility is amazing, except for the fact that it is not air conditioned. The instructors seem to be top notch. The kids are learning at a very fast pace. The focus is definitely on proper technique.

I'm not surprised we are impressed since Rehm had private lessons with the owner two years ago. I've been singing his praises ever since. He loves what he does and has a great method of teaching that really seems to click for my kids. I've been referring everyone to Coach Mike since the very first lesson.

Today Rehm swam the width of the pool on his back and on his stomach- only kicking, no arms (they were practicing kicking technique) and for the first time figured out how to breathe without stopping. This is a huge development for him. I was so proud of him.

Charlotte is learning to glide and float and is doing a great job as long as she remembers to hold her breath. Sometimes she forgets and it isn't pretty. Of course she chokes and gags but her poor instructor looks at her like shes grown a second head she carries on so.

The swim lessons are set up as stations. When a child finishes a station they get to get out of the pool and go ring this large gong set up to one side. Of course the kids love this. The first day of lessons Rehm finished the first station and got to ring the gong. After class he came up to me, really excited, and said "Mom, I got to hit the bong!" After I got done laughing I explained that it is a "GONG" not a bong! I don't need him going around town telling everyone he loves his swim lessons because he gets to "hit the bong." I don't think that is quite the kind of advertising they are looking for.

Happy Swimming
Jenn

It's about time!

Rehm and Charlotte checking out the Guadalupe River in Gruene

Ruby and Eliza aren't very impressed with the river, must have something to do with nap time

Yes I know I haven't written anything in forever! "Why?" you ask. Well because life has gotten in the way of blogging. Summer seems to be much busier than the school year so far. We have swim lessons twice a week, lots of play dates and just finished VBS. We made a little road trip to Gruene last weekend to visit Uncle Steve. I'll have to post more about that later. Not to mention just keeping up with four very active, very demanding kiddos. OK, my kids aren't that demanding and actually do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves, but man can the older two get on each other's nerves.

Charlotte with the longhorn at VBS - Yes we had real live longhorns for the kids to have their picture made with, and the last day we had a petting zoo for them to enjoy (the theme was Avalanch Ranch - think Colorado Western). Forgot to mention this longhorn is no longer alive - it is stuffed. I wouldn't actually let her stand unattended that close to the live one and the line was shorter with this one.

Wa-hoo!

I pretty much spent all of my "free" time the last 3 weeks on VBS. I'm happy to say it is over and went very well. Rehm and Charlotte loved it and are still insisting we listen to the songs every time we get in the van. Charlotte especially enjoyed dressing as a cowgirl all week. Rehm said his favorite part was the snack station, except for the day they made make-a-plates - that day the craft station was his favorite. Charlotte's favorite was Mommy teaching the Bible story for her class everyday. My favorite was getting to share the Bible story with all the 2 and 3 year olds everyday. It turned out to be a very neat experience for me. One I didn't feel equipped for but God did his part and I think it went OK.

Ruby and Eliza Claire spent a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa's and seem to enjoy getting some spoiling. Although Ruby wasn't a big fan of napping in the pack-n-play. But then again Ruby is very picky about her sleeping arrangements.

I had a very funny conversation with Charlotte last night about what she was going to wear to church today. All of the kids that attended VBS were supposed to wear their VBS t-shirt to church this morning because they were all going to be singing (the big kids in the sanctuary, the little ones in their music time). This is the conversation that ensued:

Me: Charlotte you need to wear your VBS shirt tomorrow.

Charlotte: No Mommy! I can't! I have to wear a Sunday dress so I can look my most beautifulest!

Me: You can wear your denim skirt and your cowboy boots.

Charlotte: No! No! No! Those aren't Sunday clothes I have to look fabulous on Sunday for church!

Me: Miss Gayla wants all the boys and girls to wear their VBS shirts!

Charlotte: I'll wear my shirt but I must wear my new Sunday shoes (thanks Brooke for the hand-me downs)

Me: You need to wear your boots so you look like a cow girl to sing. You can wear your Sunday shoes after church

Charlotte: No I can't Mommy Sunday shoes are only for church!

Me: Since they are new you can do it just this Sunday.

Charlotte finally agreed and wore her cowgirl clothes complete with bandanna and pigtails. Needless to say she was adorable. I guess I should be glad we have ingrained in her that her church clothes are special, but man I didn't know it could be so difficult to get a kid to dress up like a cow girl on a Sunday!

Happy day! Yes I know it is Father's Day and I need to write about it but can't right now - I'll add it to the list of things I need to write about. Ugh! I'm behind.
Jenn