A Birthday Party!

One of Joanna’s friends from school had her birthday party at Build-A-Bear this weekend – fun!

Joanna Pink Pony chose a bunny to stuff and dress at the party.

Waiting to stuff their animals.

I only had my little camera with me, and the quality of the pictures makes me cry a little.  :)  I am glad I didn’t decide to try and lug the big one with me all day though.

All stuffed and ready to go!

I tried to talk her out of a swimsuit and into some more all-weather wear, but she had her heart set on Claire the Bunny being ready for the pool.  :)

It was a very sweet party, and the kids had a great time!  Here they’re being corralled for a group picture.

Since we were at the mall in Humble, I decided I should get all my Humble-y things done that day.  (Oh, my body would regret that later.)  First we ate lunch in the food court.  ‘Cause at only 11am I had eaten all the snacks from my purse.  :)

Then I popped into Motherhood Maternity to get a couple of things.  Joanna was curious about the belly.  :)

Then we hit Payless for some sandals for Joanna.

She did NOT get these shoes, much as she deeply loved them.  :)  I think six is young for heels.

I was already needing to stop for rests at this point, but I really wanted to get all my errands that have been on my list for forever done. 

So we went to Hobby Lobby, Half Price Books, and Academy.

And then I died.

Joanna was such a trooper, and she was very fun to shop with!

Dressing Up

Lisa had us over to play yesterday – yay!

It’s always good to have some fresh dress-up to put on.

One of James’ other big sisters.  :)

Very cool shades James!

Today Mom, Joanna, and I went to The Woodlands to do some shopping.  I thought I was going to go by myself, but then my mom was up for coming along (yay!) so we brought a kid too. 

We hit the mall because I needed to do some, um… woman kind of shopping, which is why I haven’t tried to go with my children during the week.  Yikes! 

Mom and Joanna played in the play area while I shopped, then we headed to a shoe store close by for some “running” shoes.  They really are running shoes, but I don’t know how much running they’ll do with me as their owner.  :)

I really am headed toward actual exercise in my life, but I didn’t have a pair of athletic shoes fit for walking or jumping or running or anything.  I’d heard about this store called Luke’s Locker (and I’m sure there are other stores like this) that really fit your feet for shoes.  It was a very neat experience!  The guy (who had a very cool South African accent) looked at my feet, measured them (size 11 – boo!), and had me walk around to see how I walked.  Then I put a pair on, and he had me walk and run on the treadmill to see my stride and gait and what-not.  Then I tried on a few pair of shoes, compared them, and picked out the best one.

They feel so good!

The kids and I took them for a walk to the little park area a couple of blocks away.

I had my camera along, in case you couldn’t tell.  :)

James is hilarious – he crawled backward for several feet.  Ha!

Joanna rode her bike there, and when we got home she realized one of the streamers from her handles was missing.  When Matt got back I took the opportunity to run/walk our little path by myself and look for it.  I didn’t find it, but I got a little exercise in!

This little hat keeps appearing in the house, and all the children like to put it on.  It doesn’t so much look like it in the pictures, but it made James look like a biker to me.  :)

This is my pretty flower and flower pot from Joanna for Mother’s Day:

I love my flower pot that Joanna decorated for me, but I’m not holding out much hope for the flower.  :)

It’s a sun-loving little guy, so I’m going to have to plant it out by the mailbox.  I have a very shady (not complaining!) lot, so there aren’t many spots of “full sun.”  Now if I actually get it planted and if the neighbor dogs don’t mess with it, it might have a chance!  Then I can put something else in my pot, like love notes or chocolate or fabric scraps or pens or… something fun.

Two things having nothing to do with each other but alone are not enough for a post.

My new wallet came in on Friday, and I LOVE it!  I should probably take some pictures of the inside, but I think my hands were full at the time.  I just took one pic of the old and new wallets, together.

The new one is just beautiful, and it holds everything I need it too.  It makes me feel happy.  :)

I gave Natalie a French braid in church on Sunday.  I can’t believe her hair is long enough for this!

Most of it fell out after just a little bit, but it’s just so pretty!

I have a longing…

I will never ever try to deny I am a material girl.  I like stuff.  I always have.  I struggle with this.  Part of me actually desires to be a minimalist.  I’m torn.  :)

So now that I’ve made that clear, on to the next thing I deeply desire… the next thing I simply must have.  Who wants to tell Matt?

There’s a seller on Etsy who makes these gorgeous CLOTH cash envelope systems – wahoo!!  Cash envelopes made out of beautiful fabric??  Sign me up!!

Another view:

She also sells the patterns, but bah ha ha ha ha!  I’d rather buy one all made up.  The only problem with the wallet is it’s short 1-3 envelopes for my needs.  I may convo her and see if it’s possible to add one.  If not, I’m also kind of crazy about her loose envelopes and pouch:

In fact I can’t decide which I’d like better!  This one would be more customizable, and I like the idea of just having the envelopes I need in the pouch.  (Having said that, I’d have to remember to grab the money out of the “haircut” envelope if I left it at home.)

I could add my coupons to the pouch as well as my cell phone, keys and chapstick, I guess!  I would need to find some sort of gadget for my cards (license, debit, library, you know…) to slip in there as I wouldn’t want a wallet in addition to this.

Thanks for “listening” to me ramble a bit. 

You know I made my own envelopes (out of paper) a while back, and while they certainly serve my needs, they are suffering a little bit from use.  And my wallet is nowhere near as cute as these cloth things!

See?

Here are my envelopes:

If you look really really closely, can’t you see they’re getting worn out? 

It’s terrible, isn’t it?  Embarrassing really.  Somebody tell Matt.  :)

The one where Lisa calls me 11 times and then chases me across Kingwood. And later, I buy a blue hat.

That title got ya, didn’t it?  Not too wordy, right?  :) Yesterday the big girls had their swim lessons, and we were headed to the Bear Branch pool instead of Miss Jen’s house.  I was almost there when I noticed Lisa behind me and she was driving strangely.  She had her turn signal on way before the turn, and looked like she was trying to get around me.  I’m a little slow, but I eventually (once she started waving out the window) pulled over and let her come alongside.  I said, “I don’t have my phone with me, do I?”  Turns out the Bear Branch pool was not in fact open at 10:00, as she had investigated it was, so we were headed back to the Mills Branch pool.  I was telling this story to my mom and I told her that I would have figured it out once I got there, and then just gone across the street and borrowed David’s phone.  Then my mom said, “Do you know Lisa’s phone number?”  And… I do not.  But I’ve decided I should learn it.  :)  So, thanks Lisa for chasing me across Kingwood.

This was James’ first time in the pool!  I didn’t get any pictures of him in the water because that would have required either a water-proof camera or another arm.  I had neither.  :)  He didn’t care much for the baby pool.  It was shaded so the water was cold, and it was too deep for him to sit.  I put him on the top step in the big pool though, and he thought that was pretty nice.  It was warm and he could sit and splash.  It was very hot and sunny so I decided he needed a hat.  Sadly, this is what we had:

But if you look at it in Black and White, you can’t tell the hat is pink!

As Lisa put it, “That’s a boy with two sisters!”  Truly as I was packing the swim bag, a hat for him didn’t occur to me, but the girls’ hats were already in the bag.  I actually don’t have a hat for him though, so we picked one up last night as we strolled through Target.  It’s cute.  It’s blue.  It’ll do.

Even though it’s not the closest or the cheapest, we may have to do all our shopping at Target.  :)  I LOVE these baskets.  LOVE them.  I can fit all the kiddos in it, and James can look at his sisters!

This was his first time sitting in the cart, I think.  He was sturdier than I thought he’d be – I’m so impressed!  He really thought it was great, and I think the girls liked looking at him as well.

Sick Kids and Astros T-Shirts

On Tuesday I would have said that Natalie had some allergies.  She was congested, but not too runny, not goopy.  That evening I might have classified it as a cold, she was a little more drippy and I think a light cough started.  That night the hacking seal cough came – it was so sad!  Same overnight, Joanna appeared to have a stomach bug and threw up several times.  (Including all over Matt – have I mentioned I love my husband?)

So Wednesday morning rolls around and Matt and I are both sleep deprived, the girls are pretty puny, but thankfully James slept through it all!

Matt was going to take a little time off of work to help, since I really don’t think that two sick kids and one little baby is the right amount of work for one person, you know?  Maybe there are some supermoms out there to disagree with me, but that’s my opinion!  I was joking that my mom could help (she was on call that day) if she ended up with an 8pm assignment, thus freeing her day.  I swear not ten minutes later she called to say she had an 8:00 airport alert.  Ha!  Thank you Continental for getting my telepathy!

So Matt shuffled off to work a little late since my mom was on her way over.  I had Joanna asleep up next to me on the couch and James asleep on me (he’d flat out refused a nap in the crib).  When Natalie got up she was actually very chipper – happy, playing, with no sign of the hacking seal.  Wahoo!  She was good and goopy, congested, and had a little normal sounding cough, but she felt good.  Just a cold – yay!  So Natalie was wondering around the house, entertaining herself as I snuggled my “Js.”  Fortunately the worst trouble she wanted to get into was chillin’ in the baby bouncer.  I usually don’t let her sit there, but she knew I wasn’t going to jump up and stop her!

Here’s how Joanna was crashed after I got up:

And this is probably an example of how James got his cold.  Ummm… oops.

When Joanna got up, she was really feeling fine, so she got to have the very first tasted of my canned applesauce!  She proclaimed it good.

Joanna and Natalie really were both pretty okay during the day.  Natalie felt great, and Joanna didn’t throw up at all, she was just tired.  I was still really really thankful to have my mom over for most of the day since everybody needed extra snuggles.

By the evening I had pretty much decided that Joanna would go to school Thursday but I’d keep Natalie home.  She felt great but was pretty drippy, and could probably use some down time.  So Joanna and I headed to out get her some shoes for picture day!  We found her annual Jellies at Payless, but then hopped over to Target to pick up some Vicks and a birthday present.

I found what I was looking for, and…

Astros T-shirts!

But not just any Astros shirts – PENCE shirts!

I couldn’t help myself (okay, I could help myself, but I didn’t).  I picked up one for each of us.

I try not to be such a spender :), which is why I usually try to just STAY OUT of stores, but I really had been looking for some “Pence” shirts for the kids.  I mean, how often is it that a “cousin” (ha!) of ours will be a famous ball player?  So now, as Matt says, we can can go on family outings.  Hee hee hee.

It was too late to get everybody in the shirts for a picture, but I made Natalie try hers on, since I wasn’t sure which size she really needed.  I had trouble getting her to smile since she had started to feel bad.  I ended up having to tell her I wanted to show her picture off – would she smile for Pop?  Yes, she decided she would smile for Pop.  So, Pop, this one’s for you.  :)

I guess now we’re ready to watch some baseball, eh?

James had a pretty good night last night, even though he started feeling a little punk.  Natalie had a pretty great night, even with all her goop.  But poor Joanna had another rough night.

My first theory was that she really had a little stomach bug Tuesday night, but I’ve since revised my theory.  I think her ears are draining.  I don’t even know if that’s medically possible, but I think they’re draining ,causing 1.) some kind of equilibrium issue that made her throw up after she’d been laying down a while, and 2.) snot and fluid and gunk running down her throat into her stomach, making her not feel good and throw up.  She’s also had a lot more trouble hearing us the last couple of days, which makes me think something’s up.  Should I take her to the doctor?  Eh, maybe.  But I really think it’s going to resolve itself here pretty quick.

So this morning, James is doing okay, Natalie’s chipper and playing, and Joanna is falling asleep in weird positions:

I didn’t move her because I thought it might feel good.  She has since rolled over and collected a blanket.  She’s still out though.

I’m sad she’s missing her class picture.  :(  Wouldn’t it figure that her class is the only one taking theirs today!  We’ll still be able to get their individual shots done on Tuesday though.  Assuming we manage to heath up!

Natalie gave me her cold too, so we’re sure a bundle of fun around here.  :)

I’m very very thankful for the big ol’ pot of beef stew my mother made for us yesterday.  And the milk and eggs Matt will be stopping to pick up on the way home today.  And for Sola Gratia practice tonight, if I still feel okay!  And for a healthy Matt, so far.  And for a happy Natalie.  And a sunny day for drying diapers.  And I’m sure a million other things… like “personalized” Astros t-shirts.  :)

The Swimdress!

Back in this post I wrote about a swimdress I was thinking about getting.  I noticed on their site that they were clearancing the little girls versions, so I ordered one to fit Joanna!

It came today, and I think it’s soooo cute!

It’s sturdier than I thought it would be, and she didn’t want to take it off.  She said it was very comfortable.  She’s got some room to grow in it, but because it’s one piece, it doesn’t fall off her little hips. 

I didn’t order one for Natalie at the time because I wanted to see how this one fit Joanna first.  Since it’s got growing room in it, I feel comfortable now ordering a 2 for Natalie (Joanna’s is a 4).  So I did!  I ordered mine as well.  They have some cute patterns, but I opted for black.  I think that will be more slimming as well as more versatile for me.  Here’s the site if you’re interested.  The girls suits are in the “closeout” tab, and for the women’s suits, you have to click “online store” on the homepage.  While not the original suit I was planning to get, this is the one I opted for:

I think it’s going to have support where I need it, if you catch my drift… more than the other one would have.  I took their advice on sizing (I sent an email asking questions), even though that particular letter makes me sad.  :)  They did say I could exchange it if it is too big.  I don’t know which I’m hoping for, the hassle of an exchange or having to wear that letter.  Hee hee.

Clothes

I really hate the few weeks/months post-partum when you can’t really wear maternity clothes anymore but you also can’t wear anything you’ve ever worn before either.

And sadly, I have to buy a black suit.  Now.  In these adjustment weeks.  That blows… to put it mildly.

For our Sola Gratia performances this winter, we all need matchy(ish) black suits.  Here’s why I’m whiney about that.  I used to have a black suit.  I bought it back in ‘05 (pre-Pence!) when we went to the White House.  It was a size 10.  In ‘08 when the group went to the White House again (and I was 38 weeks pregnant with Natalie), I loaned it to the group.  That would be the last time I saw it.  It disappeared off the face of the earth never to be seen again.  Since I had a newborn in January, I didn’t do a good job of tracking it down.  Still…  Last year, when we needed a suit again, I was able to borrow one (Thank you Kim!).  I wasn’t too grumpy about my missing suit, since it would have been too big, and the one I borrowed fit great!  Now, however, I know I could make that 10 work (somehow!).  So I’m whining.  My main complaint is that I don’t want to shell out any amount of money for a suit I WILL NEVER WEAR AGAIN.  Because frankly, I’m very optimistic that I’m on my way down, weight-wise, and anything I buy now will be too big by the time I need it again. 

Okay, thank you for letting me vent.

Today I began my search.  Because even though I want to wait until the very last minute to buy anything, this may not be as easy as I hoped.

My requirements:

• Inexpensive.  Very very inexpensive.
• “Matte” black.
• Jacket must close.
• It should fit.  At least basically and from the aspect of anyone looking at me.  This probably means a size 12 right now.  :(

I don’t care if it’s comfortable.  I don’t care what it’s made of.  I don’t even care if it’s flattering.  This is not an investment black suit for me.  This is an interim black suit.

I began by shopping at a couple of stores where I have gift cards.  I hit Kohls this afternoon (by myself!).  Matt kept the kiddos during naptime.  I love Kohls, and they have a lot of really cute things (it was hard to leave!), but no plain black suits.  Then I hit Target because it was there, and I needed a couple of Targetish things anyway.  Their Misses section is awful.  Strike two.  Then it was time to go home.  My mommy said she’d shop with me on Tuesday while the girls are at school.  And that is saying a lot because she doesn’t really like shopping.  It’s much more fun to shop with a friend than all alone!  I have several other places I want to hit, so get ready Mom and James for some power shopping!  I’ve also done a little hunting online, but I don’t think that’s going to work for me this time.

Custom Play Mat

How cool is this?!

I saw this post at Ohdeedoh today, and I’m thinking one of my children needs this for Christmas!  Okay, that’s a lie; they don’t need it.  But it’s way cool!  It’s from an Etsy seller, boardstiff.  Had to share!

The fun of putting together a new stroller!

Our new stroller was (one of!) our splurge items this baby go around.  I really prefer buying this kind of thing used (greener, cheaper), but I couldn’t find just what I wanted.  I loved having our sit-n-stand with the girls, but Natalie’s technically a little young for the stand part.  If I want to start using it right away (and I do), I really would prefer having her in a seat.  So I found a sit-n-stand that offers two full seats which both accept a carseat, but the back seat can be converted into the “jump seat” that is standard on the sit-n-stand.  Another cool feature is that I can put the carseat in the seat closest to me and Natalie up front.  She can see the world; I can see the baby.  I decided to sell our sit-n-stand as well as the side by side double umbrella stroller we had.  I liked the double umbrella, but it didn’t fit in many doorways, which was troublesome to say the very least.  By selling both of those and adding in the Target gift cards we received (!!), we were able to buy the stroller without dipping into our baby savings.  That’s a nice feeling!

It came today, and we spent a few minutes getting it ready for flight.  And playing (on the part of the girls) and taking pictures (on the part of me).

The box made for a good little tunnel!

 

It came basically assembled; the trays and wheels had to be snapped on.

The girls are very good helpers in this kind of situation.  :)

     

Time for a test drive!

We just went to the mailbox and back, which was not enough for Natalie!  She threw a fit when it was time to get out.  Daddy may just have to take them on a longer trip this weekend.