growing...growing...growing and pool fun

Parker is three weeks old today and had a check-up with the doctor. When he was born he weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. When he was 5 days old he had his first check-up and he weighed 7 lbs 7 oz. Today he weighed in at 9 lbs 14 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. Wow!!! What a change...he is a growing boy who is apparently well fed :)




It has been HOT HOT HOT in our neck of the woods this week so we have been doing A LOT of this...


The girls LOVE the water. Parker hangs out pool side or sleeps in the nice air conditioned house missing out on all the water fun. Melia is a fish and would spend from morning till night in the water if we let her. She was begging to swim yesterday, when the thunderstorms stopped and it was only raining a "little bit". After a slow start, Eva is finding out the the pool is way more fun that she initially thought.

Bath Time!!!

Parker had his first real bath last week after his cord fell off. He loved it!!! The girls stayed out ad watched at first, when I was just about done...they got to join their brother for his first bath.





Content...content...content



Daddy washing the girls hair...mohawk anyone???

Two weeks old

Parker is two weeks old!!! It is hard to believe. Three other baby boys have been born to friends in that time. First came Gabe, born to friends Dan and Laura on June 10th.

Our best friends, Ben and Rebekah became parents through the miracle of adoption on June 16th. Tyrus (Ty) Lee was born at 6:24 pm weighing 7 pounds 4 oz. He is absolutely beautiful.

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Our hearts are so full of joy for them. After a VERY long five year journey...they are now parents to a beautiful baby boy. We can't wait to meet him. You can read the full story and see more picts here. There is nothing more precious than seeing those closest to you become parents. We are so excited to walk the journey of raising boys with them.

We are still waiting to see picts and get the details from the third baby boy, born to friends Doug and Heidi.

Reflections on motherhood...

• I LOVE being a mom. There is NOTHING better.
  
• I have an incredible husband. Chris has stepped up his game. His love for his children runs so deep. He has waited on me, supported me, and let me cry on his shoulder (more times than I can count) in these past two weeks.
  
• I can live on way less sleep than I thought.
• Being a mom of three is not as hard as I anticipated (I know it's only been two weeks). Everyone told me the jump from 2 to 3 kids was so much harder. In some ways I have found it to be easier. The girls play together and keep each other occupied more when I have to care for Parker. Getting out of the house takes longer, but this was to be expected.
  
• I love having blue clothes in the house
• It's inevitable that one of the kids is going to fuss longer than I would like, because someone else is taking priority
• Naps with three kids under three are going to be few and far between. The scheduling just hasn't worked out
• My expectations for a clean house are on the decline, although Chris has come up huge in this area.
  
• A load of laundry a day will keep the clothes mountain away
• Two kids in cloth diapers = equals a huge cost savings but = more laundry...well worth it :)
• I love my kids more than I could ever know - they can make me laugh, cry, and frustrated in the same 10 min. (I'd be lying if I said it was not frustrating at times)
• I love my life

Now for some picts...

When did our baby girl get so big...she is climbing the 8 foot rock wall at our local park

You could get lost in those eyes

what a sweet baby boy

a dad and his son...so precious

Name that BABY!!!

Here are our three children in their first days of life...Can you guess who is who???




.It is crazy to me how much they look alike...I know people say that all babies look the same (I don't know if I agree), but there is no denying these three children are from the same family. To be honest, I do not know if someone showed me these three picts, if I would of been sure who is who (and I am their mom).

answer...Parker, Melia, Eva

First Zoo Trip of the Season

I say that this is the first trip of the season because today we bought a zoo pass for the year. We can now go anytime with admission and parking covered. If we use it twice, including today, then it is more than paid for. We ventured out this morning, diaper bag, lunches, stroller, and wagon packed in the van. It was overcast, and the further we went south the darker it got. It did rain off and on all morning, but the girls did not mind. They were more excited about seeing the animals than getting wet. It was so great watching their little faces light up as we made it to each exhibit. I was able to make great use of my telephoto lens today, taking pictures of each animal to make an ABC book of the zoo for the girls. We have had great family time this week with Chris being home. The girls love having Parker in the house (too much sometimes), as they smother him with hugs and kisses. Here are some picts, so you can share in the experience :)

What Parker did most of the day

A stop at the fountain to watch the water splash

Some of the favorite animal shots





Looking on in wonder of the sights

I did come out from behind the camera to feed Parker, while sitting on the ground under a shelter, while Chris fed the girls lunch, and we escaped the rain

One of the favorites of the day...the seals and polar bears...
taking a look in the underground tunnel...seals swimming overhead

Our best attempt at a family picture using the timer in the butterfly house

Two very sleepy and wet girls after a great outing at the zoo

We are home and more picts...

We were able to come home Sat. night. Only having to spend one night in the hospital was wonderful. Our parents kept the girls for the weekend, so we were able to come home, visit with friends, who brought us dinner (thanks B and B), and sleep in our own beds. Parker did good for his first night home. He was up from 12-2am, but then slept till 5am, ate and went back to sleep at 6am and then slept until 9:30am. He had his first visit to Church today. We skipped the service, but went up for a luncheon to honor a friend who has graduated and is leaving for the Air Force tomorrow morning. He slept in his seat the whole time. Chris, Parker and I came home and napped this afternoon, and then our parents brought the girls back with dinner (thanks mom and dad). The girls immediately wanted to hold and snuggle Parker. They love their little brother. The house is pretty quiet now, as the girls are in their beds (not sleeping yet), and Parker is sleeping peacefully next to me as I type. now for some picts...in random order

The girls come home

Ready to leave the hospital

Waiting to be discharged

Mom and Baby

Our first family picture

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Dad and his THREE kids

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Kisses from Melia

Kisses from Eva

Their first time seeing Parker

Just a few min, after birth