Dave turns 34

Dave turned 34 on May 7th and luckily had the day off since Adella had a doctors appointment for turning 6 months old the same day.  In all honesty the day of Dave's actual birthday wasn't very eventful - it was spent mostly running errands together.  BUT we did make sure to check out a mom&pop ice cream shop in Sharpsburg, MD called Nutters that we've heard rave reviews about.  With Dave it's not a true celebration until ice cream is involved.  Suzie and Ian joined in on the action with cups of frozen yogurt.

Blurry phone photos

He did luck out to coming home the night before on May 6th to a surprise birthday dinner with his parents and brother, Sam.  His mom, Dorothy, made a cake and brought ice cream over.   

 As you can see the twins were a bit mesmerized by the blinking red light on the timer setting on the camera and Adella decided it'd be the perfect time to start crying.  It's real life here people.  After singing happy birthday it was time to dig in.

 Suzie was kind enough to share some with daddy.

This year my gift to Dave was "letting" him go on a weekend camping/biking trip with his buddies.  Since I was super sleep deprived at the time and I look forward to his help on Saturdays all week long the prospect of taking care of all 3 kids by myself for 2 straight days (and nights) seemed daunting, so in my eyes this was a very generous gift for me to give.  He took Friday, May 10th off work to head up to Cumberland, MD to start of the start of the C&O trail.  The plan was to bike 60 miles the first day, set up camp for the night then bike 60 miles the next day to Harpers Ferry, WV where they'd be picked up and come back home.  That was the plan, but rain in the forecast has a funny way of changing things.  It ended up just being Dave and his friend, Brent - the other one decided biking in the rain wouldn't be all that fun and the distance biked was cut short due to the conditions.  Luckily it ended up not raining until Friday evening so they did get a little rain free ride time.  These guys were determined to make memories out of the experience and I think they definitely did!

Getting ready to start the trail in Cumberland

Brent chillaxin'

About to ride through the Paw-Paw Tunnel 

Happy 34th, babe!

Easter 2013

Easter was the last weekend in March this year, which was odd, but we were so glad the weather was nice.  Saturday morning we dyed eggs with the kids.  Since they're all so young this year we didn't delve too deeply into the meaning of Easter, but in the years to come I really look forward to filling the week leading up to it with some of these Christ centered activities.

Suzie and Ian were intrigued by their hard boiled eggs.  I tried many many times between the time they were 12-15 months old to get them to eat eggs, even preparing them all sorts of ways.  Since eggs are such a great source of protein I really wanted my kids to be egg lovers.  With every attempt they'd clearly express it was a "no go."  Enough time had passed between then and Easter that they'd forgotten about eggs and even took a few bites...then promptly spit them out.  Oh, well.  

Our friends, Steve & Patrice Koller, invited us to their neighborhood for an afternoon Easter egg hunt/potluck.  Adella and I hung out while we watched the hunt unfold.  

It didn't take long for Ian and Suzie to discover there was edible yumminess inside the eggs.  

Ian was so content that after opening his first egg he just sat in the same spot for quite some time.  Silly guy.

Suzie on the other hand was off and running to pick up as many as she could!

Mmmmmmm, that tastes good!

Eventually, Ian got the idea and joined in the hunt to find more eggs.

I gave the twins their Easter baskets Sunday morning with Bible story board books, bubbles, a Cabbage Patch bunny and chick (thanks Aunt Karen!), some egg toys my mother-in-law dropped off and some candy my mom brought by.  During the craziness that was Easter morning I didn't get a picture of the baskets, but I did snap this photo of adorable Suzie with Dave.  She is 100% her father's daughter!

I couldn't resist getting those seersucker pants for Ian since I knew Suzie had a coordinating dress.  It's actually a bit too big for her, but I wanted to try to capture a "twin moment."  Try being the key word.  As you can see, none of these photos turned out very well and we ended up with some rather cranky children even before heading out to the car for church.  

I probably should have sprung for the blazer and belt to complete Ian's outfit, but couldn't bring myself to do it knowing he'd outgrow them so fast.  But the bow tie was a must!  Seriously, is there anything cuter than a little boy in a bow tie?!

This was the dress Suzie actually wore to church since the other was too big.  I was trying to get a bow in her hair before heading out the door to church and by the look on her face you can clearly see that was not going to happen.  That look, by the way, is a classic - Dave and his mother both do it.

My sweet sassy Suzie, I love you so!  For as crazy as I thought things were before church, coming home it was meltdown central and a family photo was not in the cards.  Maybe next year.

At church there was some wonderful musical numbers during sacrament meeting and I'm always grateful to celebrate the amazing knowledge that CHRIST HAS RISEN!!!

Our New House

Here are a few photos we snapped on February 27, 2013 - the day we closed on the house.

Yipee!

The home was already built as a model so we didn't choose any of the finishes.  There are some things that I love and some that aren't my taste, but I'll be just fine living with for a while.  When you walk in the front door the 2 story foyer gives the space a nice open feeling.

Open Foyer

There is a mud room between the double garage and the main floor.  With kids this is a serious plus feature!

Just may be my favorite room in the house - the MUD ROOM!

Family Room

The family room opens up to the kitchen with a small breakfast table area.  I wish there was a bump out for the kitchen table, but it's totally enough space for now.  One of the first things we did after moving in was to put lights up where all the pre-wires were and change out that double sink for a huge single basin one.  I couldn't stand the high chair trays not fitting the sink when I washed them so Dave was able to fix that for me ASAP.  This is the first time since we lived in Utah in 2006 that I'm not cooking with gas.  I miss it.  I'm not a fan of the glass cooktop (sooooo hard to keep clean!) and it's harder to gage/control the temperature of things while I'm cooking.  Only way we'll get a gas stove here is if we buy a stand alone propane tank (which is how our fireplace is set up) and I don't see that happening anytime soon...maybe not ever.  

Kitchen with Breakfast Table area

Dining Room

The dining room and study have the 3 piece molding in them which is a nice touch.  Dave and I would like to add french doors one day to make the study one room that doesn't need to be child proofed.

Office/Study

View out foyer window from upstairs hallway

Master Bedroom 

One of my honey-do projects for Dave is to switch those bathroom doors to swing out into the bedroom so they don't block the sink or shower.  I think that was a poor design on the builders part.  

Unpacking was a slow process and decorating will be even slower.  Things like that are a bit tricky to do with 2 toddlers and a baby.  It's funny though, I'm totally fine with that and am excited to take time to really decide how I want to decorate each room.  It also allows me time to find, buy or upcycle the right furniture for the right spaces.  With our townhouse Dave & I had it 80% painted within 3 months of moving in.  This time around I'm content with the white walls until we've been here for a year since the builder will come back and do drywall touch ups and I do not want to repaint.  I'm lazy like that these days.

Sunrise view from the master bedroom

Morning view from our front porch 

First snowfall in our new home

We are the first of seven houses on the gravel road behind the equestrian farm.  The other six are further down the street and all share a cul-de-sac.  One of the things we liked most about the house was the location of being on its own.  It is still amazing to me that we have views of trees out of every window with no houses in sight.  We've met the farm owner, whose name is Sue (love her British accent!) and her farm hand who is a really nice older gentleman named Dale.  He amazes me.  Just from what I see him do out our windows he is one hard working man and keeps the farm in great shape.  On Easter a new foal was brought to the farm and when my friend, Gina, came to visit we went over to say hello.

 Gina, who is a horse lover, helped us city folk become more comfortable with petting them.

 She even got up close and personal with one of the ponies!

There is a veterinarian who lives in an older home a little ways away from us and has a pen that he puts stray or unloved animals in to enjoy the rest of their days.  Currently it is occupied by a sheep that we walk over and visit each week.  At first Suzie was really afraid when the sheep would say, "baaaaa," but now she can't stop saying, "baaaaaa," back!  I adore the prospect of our children growing up with an appreciation for nature and animals.

   

It's Been A While

**I hope to re-cap the holidays and events of the past few months with picture posts in the near future.**

As May comes to a close and we roll on into June I realize it's been a whole THREE MONTHS since my last entry and I figure I need to document things before I forget them completely.  I could blame my lack of blogging on the slower pace of country living that we've embraced since moving to West Virginia, but I'd be lying.  If you look back in my last two posts there are clues as to the real reason for my blog recent absence.  It has to do with one very cute little girl and the pillow on my side of the bed that looks pristine since my head is hardly ever on it.  Sleep depravation sucks.  I held Adella while she slept a lot when she was 0-3 months and I even re-read what I wrote in a previous post, "I'm setting myself up for failure."  Oh how I wish that didn't come to fruition, but it has and in a big way.

From the time Adella was born until nearly four months old she slept in my arms during the day, mostly out of convenience.  I have a much better understanding now of just how critical a skill it is for babies to learn to self sooth and fall asleep on their own.  

So here's the rub of it all that makes it more than just sleep training her.  Between Adella's 4 month and 6 month check ups she had only gained a little over 1 pound.  That's not good.  Not at all.  By six months pediatricians like to see a baby at least double their birth weight.  Adella was 8 pounds 11 ounces when she was born and only reached 14 pounds 14 ounces at 6 months.  It's been an amazingly difficult balance tying to help her drop one or two of her night feedings when I know she isn't growing as she should.  I've seen a lactation consultant and my supply doesn't seem to be the issue, but Adella had started to nurse for shorter times since the twins prove to be quite the distraction for her.  So I made a concerted effort to sit in her nursery with the door closed while nursing her to help eliminate distractions and hoped that'd increase her milk intake.  And it has helped, but not enough.  Not to mention that while I'm doing that Ian & Suzie are being babysat by Rachel Coleman of Signing Times - yeah, I totally get mommy brownie points for that, not :-/  We started Adella on cereal at 5 months and pureed fruits & veggies at 6 (which was just on the 7th of May) and while it helps her to get a few more calories in, the weight on the scale hasn't gone up quite as much as I'd hoped.

I usually put her down for the night between 6:30-7pm then she is up again sometime between mindnight-1am, back to sleep, up again between 3-4am, back to sleep and up for the day between 6-7am.  I was totally okay with that schedule at 3 months old, but she should be able to drop the 1am for sure by now and even the 3-4am one too.  I have not gotten more than 4 hours (and 4 hours is A LOT right now) of consistent sleep since before she was born - November 2012 - and if affects everything.  Seriously, I feel like I'm barely treading water over here.  The thought has crossed my mind so many times how much harder this would be if I had kids old enough to be in school and have activities to go to or if a paycheck for out family depended on me functioning at full capacity during the day.  So there is some silver lining in all of this.  But really, I have not been firing on all cylindars since....hmmm, well not sure about that one.  Probably since the twins 1st birthday since right after that is when all of Suzie's breathing problems started and filled me with worry during the end of Adella's pregnancy.

After the twins have had their dinner, are bathed and put into bed, Adella nursed and in her crib I then have no energy or desire to spend my precious evening moments blogging.  I spend them in bed.  Since I know it'll only be a few short hours until I'm up again :-(  The current issue Dave and I are discussing and praying about is supplementing with formula.  I know breast milk is best, but what I learned from the twins when my milk never really came in and we turned to formula - a well rested mommy is better!   I wasn't sure how nursing would go this time around and I truly feel blessed to have had this bonding time with Adella.  But now it's time for sleep.  I worry about supplementing then my supply coming to a screeching halt.  I worry about her not transitioning well.  I worry about the added cost of formula (even though it will be no where near what it was with the twins).  I worry if I'm doing the right thing by even thinking about formula.  Then I remember, I haven't had a full nights sleep in over SEVEN MONTHS!  Then the worries are all put into perspective because honestly, I'm too tired to worry.  She will grow.  She will thrive.  And we will all start to do more than just survive.  Oh, happy day!

We love the new house and have enjoyed the location of it so much!

Our first family photo in front of our new home!
I think my dad actually got a shot of all 5 of us looking on his camera.

It has been such a blessing to open the door and let Ian and Suzie walk right out to play.  No worries of fast cars zooming by (did I mention we live off a gravel road?) or running too far away since we have 3 acres for them to explore.  The views are stunning and I hope I never get used to them.  I love seeing the sun rise over the barn across the street.

View from our front porch rockers.
Yes, the grass is super long right now.  That's on the Saturday honey-do list :-)

I've loved watching the baby foal learn to use it's long lanky legs while it's Momma stands close by.  I enjoy seeing and pointing out all the animals in our back yard to Ian and Suzie - deer, ground hogs, cats, turkeys, beautiful robins, blue jays and orioles, butterflies, farm cats and a sheep down the street.  Along those lines there are also some critters we're not so fond of around here, mainly stink bugs which have tried to take up permeant residence in our house.  It's an ongoing battle.  We drive to Martinsburg for Target or Winchester for Costco shopping, but there is an Aldi here which helps.  We are big Aldi fans.  Not everything there is great, but there are so many of those generic brands that work for us and it really helps stretch our food budget.  Of course regular grocery stores are just a few minutes away also.

The church ward here is small.  The smallest I've ever been a part of.  Which means every member pulls their weight.  Dave was called to be the ward mission leader our SECOND Sunday here.  Between his commute and that calling he stays pretty busy.  I get to teach Sunday School to the 16-18 year old youth.  I love it!  They are such amazing teenagers and I try each week to prepare engaging lessons where my ultimate goal is being a moderator of a discussion they have amongst themselves rather than stand and talk for the entire hour.  The Come, Follow Me lesson outlines are great and really lend themselves to this format.  Since we both have 2nd hour callings we put the twins into nursery right when we moved here even though they were 1 month shy of the 18 month mark.  They are the youngest ones in nursery, but my oh my it has helped our Sundays be so much more do-able.  There are still tricky things to figure out.  Like the time the bishop asked us to give talked the same Sunday - 1 adult with 2 toddlers and a baby is NOT the easiest thing in the world to manage, but just like other parents we figure it out as we go.