[the Lake] Part 8: Swimming

Swimming in a lake with small children can be a little challenging, but the gorgeous pool provided a perfect place for our little ones to play.

Addie had so much fun swimming with Daddy! 

The little girls enjoyed lounging around the pool way more than swimming.

In fact, Anne Perry never even made it into the pool because she fell asleep the one day I actually put them in swimsuits! And how long did I spend searching for tiny swimsuits...?

Grandpa (pronounced: Gran-PAW) even got in on the action!

Ms. Gail actually got to relax a little too. She was an amazing help with all of our girls. It's even harder to juggle 3 girls when you're only feet away from water 24/7. I'm pretty sure she either had a baby or Addie as much as we did!

Little Nolen (9 months) is Addie's only 2nd cousin. He is the son of Paul's first cousin. Isn't he just adorable?!?!? He loved splashing in the water!

But I think Uncle Ron fly fishing with hook attached was a pretty funny sight to see! He wanted to get in every minute of fishing that he could! (It was a pretty cool rod and Addie really got into the flies!) Thankfully, there were only the bigger cousins in the pool at the time...

Yup...sure do love that sweet girl!

More fun times to come!

Three Months

It always amazes me when another month rolls around. Days seem to go so slowly sometimes, yet weeks and months seem to speed by. I often find myself stopping even in the midst of the chaos and trying to savor the moments: the smiles, the coos, the intense curiosity, the feedings, even the crying. I now know how fast it goes.

This past month has opened up a whole new world for the girls. They love to smile and talk to you. They both have increased head control, which I'm discovering has it's advantages and disadvantages.

I'm no longer holding limp noodles that move and bend exactly as I direct. I feel like I'm fighting against them sometimes. I always know when they have grown because my arms and neck start to ache, but it is amazing to me how much they change each day and each week.

Their little personalities just keep emerging. People really like to try to peg them: who cries more, who's happier, who talks or smiles more, who's the bad/good one {?}; but every time I think I have them pegged as their mother, they prove me wrong. I keep thinking one needs more sleep than the other and they flip. I was certain one was waking us up every night, and the next week it was completely opposite. So I continue to encourage people not to label them or even compare them. As their mother, I don't want to ever limit them because of a perception that I might have developed years (ok, months or weeks) before.

I love how they surprise me every day. I love how they are starting to really interact with Addie. I love how each of our three girls are already three very different individuals.

Anne Perry

• Has some rather serious expressions (note the pictures).

• Continues to be quite the observer.
  
• Is often accused of crying more, but I'm pretty certain that's not true.
• Started really babbling & talking.

• Inhales a deep, loud breath after talking that sounds like she just saw something frightening (like my mom used to frequently do when I was learning to drive!)
• Very selective with her smiles (which makes them even more special).

• Loves to grab things with her hands & feet still.
• Let's you know when she has a poopy diaper...immediately!
• Loves the bouncy seat & is likes the swing more and more.

Audrey Kate

• Loves her play mat & will stay there for extended periods of time.
• Hates the heat to the point of tears.

• Loves to smile & talk to you.

• Spits up mid-feeding, after each feeding, when you put her down, and on cue when she's put in her car seat; can soak through a bib like it's her job!

• Started consistently grabbing things w/ her feet & hands
• Feels heavier than even last week and has some super cute, chubby cheeks!

Both girls

• Prefer to be up & out looking around.
• Have slept 7-8 at night hours at least four times over the last week+
• Love their playmat, swing, and bouncy seat!
• Love to snuggle! ;)
• Know immediately when we enter the grocery store or walmart and demand (i know, shocking) to be held!
• Let us know when they're tired. It's like a light switch and usually within minutes of each other: get fussy, pick up, give paci & snuggle & are off to sleep within minutes!
• Love their mobiles/rattles/hanging toys!
• Can be screaming at the top of their lungs (tired), lay one up on each of my shoulders, they grab hands and stop crying...amazing!

I know they aren't identical twins. I know they are only siblings. But there is a sweet bond there, and I love it!

Happy 3 months little girls!

[the Lake] Part 7: Bubble Blowing

Bubbles are {super} fun; but when you can actually blow the bubbles yourself without tipping over the container, it's even more fun for a one and two year old!

 but it's even better when you're with your cousin, 2 sweet friends and uncle jay!

i'm pretty sure kira wins the prize for best bubble blower!

{the Lake} Part 6: the Family

What's a family trip without family pictures?

Our plan was to take one picture with the entire family.

I simply cannot imagine how that would have turned out! ;)

But due to people having to leave early, others coming late and babies going to bed; it became impossible!

As the picture taker, I'm pretty sure I can count my blessings for that one this year (mainly because of our 2 year old!)

Here's the rundown on the attendees:
{5 children}: our 3 month old twins, a 9 month old, a 16 month old, and a 28 month old...otherwise known as a 2 year old!

{5 teenagers}: enough said. but seriously. these were some of the greatest kids to be around and they were all so sweet to our girls!

{7 young/younger adults}: ranging from around 23 to 34

{7 adults}: (i wouldn't dare call them older adults!) basically, the grandparent/great aunt/great uncle generation.

The 4 siblings are: Paul's Uncle Dennis, Aunt Jan, Uncle Ron, and his dad. They've been taking a family trip for years...at least 30+ years! Wow! We feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful tradition! Everyone, and I mean everyone, was a HUGE help with the babies. From keeping an extra eye on Addie to holding babies to playing with Addie and Kira, they were wonderful!

So let's get to the pictures already...

We'll save the {best most humerous} pictures for last and start with the youngest sibling's family:

{Annemarie, Dennis, Laura, Timmy}

leave it to these boys to be the ones to get randomly sprayed by the pool cleaner!

{Graham, Jan, Duncan, Travis, not pictured: Tom}

{Ron and Pat, Lauren and Alan with baby Nolen, Katelyn}

I just loved this picture of them!

Paul's dad: aka Grandpa is the oldest. He loves to be called the {paterfamilias}, but that got him in a bit of trouble with his siblings. According to them, the {paterfamilias} picks up the tab! Can you imagine picking up the entire tab for 24 people for 7 days!?! Thankfully, their {bark} was bigger than their {bite}, and I'm pretty sure they split it all!

We never could get everyone looking at the camera, smiling or not crying!
Take 1:

Take 2:

Take 3:

{Millie, Gail, me, Jay, Grandpa, Paul, Kira, Audrey Kate, Anne Perry, Addie}

Just in case you missed the faces...

...and a super cute one of Kira

But things really fell apart when I tried to get a picture of Grandpa and the granddaughters...

Things went from bad...

...to worse!

...really fast!

So we resorted to Grandpa and just the babies!

And the {whole} family!

Many more pictures to come as soon as I figure out how to organize a select few from the {975} I took!

A New Do

I finally caved.

Addie couldn't go any longer without a haircut.

I was dreading it.

I could just envision the tears. The tantrum. The meltdown. The crying and gnashing of teeth. The drama.

The motivation: she's been not only twisting her hair as she goes to sleep, but she's been knotting it so tightly that she's pulling it out.

Why? You're guess is as good as ours: two new baby sisters, potty training, being two, wanting attention, just because she can.

We've talked about it. We've ignored it. We've carefully picked knots out, attempting to save every last inch of hair we can. We've cut out knots ourselves. We've begged. We've pleaded. We've fussed. And we've ignored again. Nothing worked.

But when one side of her hair ended up almost 2 inches shorter than the other, I caved. Really. I just couldn't stand it anymore. All those beautiful curls.

I decided there wasn't anyone else I trusted with Addie's first haircut than J. Leigh, who's been cutting my crazy curly hair for years. 

It started just as I envisioned:

Thankfully J Leigh is super patient, and there's not much a sucker can't fix!

Of course it had to start with getting the tangles out:

And then it was onward and upward:

A snip here. A trim there. A little shaping.

(can you see the huge difference in thickness of the left and right side of her hair?)

those sweet locks of hair:

My saving grace: it's obviously going to stay curly, and it will grow back!

Of course you can't leave without a 2nd sucker for being such a BIG girl!

Check out her new do! Don't let her pouty face fool you!

And what's a photo op without a smile-for-the-camera face!

 I think that was as painless as it could be...for Addie and Mommy!

Tonight I put her to bed with three pigtails. Nap time resulted in no knots. We'll see how bedtime goes! 

*a special thank you to the lady at Amplify who's dating a professional photographer and had actually shot with a 5D! thanks for being so creative and taking pictures for us even though the lighting was crazy!

{the Lake} Part 5: Addie-boo