Sleeping Babies -- Visit to Kansas City (to see baby Eva!)

 

I got back last Thursday from visiting my brand new niece! Her mom is not only my sister-in-law, but also my good friend for the past 17 years (well before Daniel and I were a couple).



It was such a treat to get to go.  The time was a good mix of productive, visiting, and resting.  I wish Daniel (and the kids) could have been with me, but it was really fun to travel just with Oliver.  He was a huge hit in the airport (I put him in a "news boy" style hat and could hear people whispering about him as I walked by).  It was so fun - he's been traveling so much these first four months!



Sleeping babies are the best, right??  (the above photo was Oliver during nap time a couple days ago)



I love all three kids.  And I love them when they're awake.  And I really love it when they're asleep.
 

Baby Evangeline was a breeze to pose.  I could have done it all day. 
 

Especially compared to a couple babies I've worked with recently (shout out, J!), Eva was just easy breezy.  


(below is a pull-back from the above picture.  I think it's funny.)




(Me and my niece)





(Oliver's first time to hold a baby!)

 (Below is a pull-back from the above picture.  Isn't Oliver a GIANT, compared to Eva??  He's only 4 months older but twice her size)


We are already counting the weeks until we get to see this sweet baby and her parents again in November!! 



We love you, Heather, Justin, and baby Evangeline!!

Quick Trip to Houston

We traveled to Houston this past weekend for a quick, not-even-24-hour trip. 

 

The objectives of the trip were to celebrate Daniel's grandpa's 90th birthday and to take newborn photos for one of my best friends, Jennifer! 
 

Jennifer and I were pot luck roommates at A&M a million years ago. 


Last week she had a beautiful baby girl named Evie!  This is pretty Evie. 



In a terrible mistake, I lost the photos I took at Grandpa's 90th birthday party :(.  So I don't have any of those to post.  But these two were from the hotel. 
 

The kids loved the hotel.  The elevator, the swimming pool, the beds for jumping on and watching TV on, and the pizza delivered... let me tell you--it was an adventure of epic proportions. 

We're Leaving Tomorrow!!!

Oh my goodness I can't believe our trip to England is finally here!!  Daniel and I leave with baby Oliver tomorrow evening for an 11-day trip to England/Scotland to visit my sister Carrie and my brother-in-law, Ben.



We are so, so excited!!!  I barely know our itinerary... but I know what time our flight leaves, and I know they are picking us up at the airport with a carseat in the car.  So, I've got the basics down.
 

It has been a whirlwind of a past month.  We had Oliver, visited several doctors, I got really sick, we celebrated Lucy's birthday with a swim party, more doctors appointments, a Sip and See for Oliver, and a baby shower for my dear college friend.  It has felt crazy busy.  And here I thought it would be quiet for a bit after Oliver was born.  Silly silly.



Although there have been a few moments of quiet, here and there.



This post turned sort of photo-heavy when I realized I haven't gotten the chance to post all these fun photos!



I was experimenting with dramatic lighting the other day during nap time.   




 
Everybody's nap time -- can you believe that?  All three kids were asleep for a solid 45 minutes, and a couple of them slept even longer than that.  It was amazing.  So quiet.
 

A friend was getting rid of this chalk board/easel.  Isn't it cool?



The kids really like it, and our homemade chalk paint fits perfectly in the little holder!

 

Lucy's been practicing drawing the letter "L" and Elliot loves saying, "Eeeeee" whenever he recognizes that letter.



I draw it a lot. Lots of "L's" and "E's" these days.
 

It's fun to see him recognize a few letters here and there, and Lucy is getting very good at recognizing them!
 

Have I mentioned Elliot has regressed in the area of pacifiers??  



My nephew Jack came over the other day, and he and the kids had a blast building towers and knocking them down.

 

He's so good with them.  He's grown up a lot in the past year.  I am amazed every time I see him.  He is becoming so responsible and considerate!
 

He's lots of fun, and the kids love it when he comes over.



I love it when Oliver sneezes.
 

Newborn sneezes are so stinkin' cute.



This is our laser thermometer.  It's so fun to use in the kitchen while cooking.  I saw Elliot using it on Oliver the other day. 
 

I got out with ALL THREE KIDS all by myself this week!!!  YES!
 

It was an overly-ambitious outing.  It consisted of getting all the way up to McKinney for a combination photo-shoot and playdate at a park and sprayground.  For those of you who don't have kids or for whom it's been a while... let me remind you what getting out with three babies/kids looks like--

1.  Sippy cups
2.  Snacks that can double as "lunch" for the car ride home
3.  Diapers/clean underwear
4.  Extra outfits for everybody
5.  Towels for everybody
6.  Sunscreen/mosquito repellent
7.  Portable potty for the car
8.  Toys in equitable portions for both "big kids"
9.  Shoes for both "big kids"

--it looks like gathering all that stuff while holding a newborn and with a 1-year-old clinging to your leg and a 3 y/o crying that you didn't put ice in her milk.



I am still impressed with myself for not forgetting anything.  It only happens maybe once a year that I don't forget something.




The kids were not super impressed with the photo shoot until they were allowed to eat their watermelon and cookie.  That brought some smiles.



The sprayground brought smiles from Lucy and intense horror from Elliot.



Not sure why he was terrified of the jets of water spraying from the ground, but he was.  He wouldn't let go of my hand while we were in the spray ground's vicinity... which made nursing Oliver very challenging, logistically.



We made it home in one piece!  Poor Daniel started that morning scrubbing expletives off our fence (some hoodlums had spray painted it the night before) and most of the day getting a passport re-issued for Oliver (since the post office misplaced the one that should have arrived several days ago).  It was a sad day for poor Daniel.



I just realized I never posted these photos.  They are some of my favorites from this newborn period.  This one particularly required 3 adults spotting and supporting the kids, plus me to photograph it.  But I absolutely love it, and given their young ages, I don't think they could have done better.



I'm hoping to continue blogging through our trip! But we'll see...