Schupp Scoop

Not Pics of the Kids!!!

2012-02-16T06:48:00.007-08:00

So Cory and I got to get all sorts of decked out this past Friday night for something called 9 O'clock Cotillion...me and Cory with Ryan & Julia (phone pic=demon eyes!)

For all of my northern relatives that read this, I have no idea how to describe it other than adult prom meets sorority rush? Cory and I were "presented" this year (with about 20 other couples), meaning it was our first year...which also meant he had to wear coat, tails, and white gloves, and I had to wear a long dress and elbow length gloves. You with me so far?

Your names are announced while 600 of your closest friends watch you, clap for you, and if they are our friends, they cat call, scream, whistle and take your pictures with mad paparazzi skills. All the while you hope and pray that the couple of cocktails you drank before being presented don't cause you to trip down the stairs or slip on the hardwoods.

Once the presentation is over, the party gets started. And I mean...started!

Cory looked so handsome in his tux...we clean up pretty good when given the chance!

These are just a couple of the pics of my girlies. It was a fun, hilarious night! Lots and lots of dancing!

Does it look like we had fun? Let a girl out once and while and things get a little ca-razy! Seriously, it was a great party and it was so fun to get all dressed up and hang out with alot of friends minus kiddos for a change...that happens never!

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-14T12:16:00.001-08:00

3 of my Valentines! Happy Valentines Day!!

My Monkey

2012-02-06T12:41:00.001-08:00

Cory took Cael outside yesterday to run off some of his seemingly endless amounts of energy! He ended up, up a tree. Cory said he would have stayed there all day if he would have let him!

Note the shark boots and his "best" (his vest...another wardrobe must have these days).
I have a feeling I will spend many days trying to get him down from our trees. We have some good climbing ones in our yard!
Sometimes he is all boy...then last night I found him sitting on my bathroom counter (which he had somehow gotten on to), had opened up my clear nailpolish (again, not sure how he managed to crack it), and had pretty successfully painted all 10 of his toenails with a shiny topcoat!
When I asked him what the h*&$ he was doing, his response was
"Oh, petty mommy..paint dem toes! See?"

One Day...

2012-02-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

One day, I will have time to blog on a regular basis again. But for now, its random pictures and random posts because these 3 little people keep me all kinds of busy and I would not have it any other way. I wish I could put it more poetically but they are the funniest, craziest, most lovable 3 little people I know! Quinn is changing, literally before our very eyes each and every day. She is pulling up on everything and truly will be walking so soon.

Maeve, oh my sweet, talkative, curious, loving Maeve. We are in the midst of kindergarten decisions and I need a Xanax (and a vodka) just thinking about it. I don't think its that I can't decide which school to send her to necessarily; its that I don't really want to send her off to any school. Obviously, I know I have to (for the record I have no desire to ever home school!) but imagining sending her to this big school, with strange kids, to eat in a big cafeteria, not in the safety of her sweet, loving pre-school is tearing me up. I will be fine. She will love it. It is still MONTHS away thank you Jesus! I am going to savor these last few months of pre-school...I could have never ever imagined how much she and I would love love love it and just how quickly it would go by!

And my bestie Heather and her sweet girl Fisher came to visit last weekend! Fisher and Cael are just 2 months apart however, she talks circles around him! Not surprisingly, Maeve & Fisher played "Giada" and babies all weekend. Cael hung out by himself. Pretty much the way he prefers! And we had a wonderful, low-key weekend catching up and hanging out!!!

My littlest mischief maker is all over the place which has opened up a whole new dynamic in the sibling department. Cael is so not cool with Quinn messing with his stuff and on occasion has been known to give her a swift kick or push her on her head. Thankfully Quinn is tough, but it is a job in itself keeping everyone safe. Maeve tries to protect both of them, but sometimes ends up getting into it too!

There's been alot of these two things lately. 1)"panties" as he calls them. Can you blame him living in a house full of women. Cory needs to be home more talking about his underwear I guess, so that Cael will stop calling them panties. If I correct him, he then corrects me and say "panties mama." Fabulous. We are slowly but surely working on the potty training. Not pushing it but encouraging it when we are home. He loves loves loves to wear them. 2)Shark boots. I got him these rainboots and he calls them his "shark boots" and like his "panties" wants to wear them everywhere we go. I could not resist this picture the other night. Seeing him in underwear makes me laugh out loud everytime. It never gets old!

Does she look 12 here? Slow down Maeve...I am having a hard time having you grow up on me!

Just one more Squishy shot! Happy SuperBowl Y'all!

iphone dump...

2012-01-26T12:10:00.000-08:00

Some recent phone pics...we have had ridiculously warm weather lately!

Moms friends Patty got a new French bulldog, Walter...Maeve loves him! (I do too!)

My little stick collecter on his batmobile!

A moment of piece thanks to the ipad!

Maeve taught Cael how to blow the dandelion things. He thought it was "awesome!"

My little superhero...fighting (or more likely committing) crimes all over our playroom!

9 Months...wow!

2012-01-19T07:39:00.000-08:00

Look at my sweet boy on his 9 month birthday... I will never ever forget it. August 13, 2010

Because that was the day, I found out I was pregnant with Quinn! Look at Cael- he was still a baby! I cannot believe that! I can't imagine being pregnant now (which I am NOT) because Quinn seems so baby-ish to me. But I guess Cael was too! But he survived! We made it!

And now here's my big boy who still "is my baby boy" He loves to stuff his pockets full of treasures. Basically anything that will fit and gets quite mad when he wants something to fit but it won't..like this ball. Yesterday alone, I pulled from my washing machine: half an orange crayon, 4 strawberry shortcake pieces, .67 cents, a q-tip, and what I think may have been skittles. I try to remember to check his pockets, but obviously didn't do a great job before yesterdays wash! Love that mischevious little man!

9 Months Old

2012-01-19T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my girl turned 9 months old. I am seriously in denial that our next well visit at the doctor will be for her ONE YEAR? WHAT? I have no clue where the time has gone...well, I do have a slight clue, but its quite foggy!

Big Squish comes by her name honestly...weighing in at 19.5lbs and 27.5 inches (60% for weight and 50% for length) she is by far my biggest baby at this age. Cael was 18.3lbs at his ONE year check up!

She is so funny, engaged, and just full of spunk.
I feel like her name just fits her so perfectly.
She is crawling everywhere, trying to pull up on everything, says Da-Da all day long (where is the love people?!) claps her hands, dances, and waves bye bye. A genius! :)

Quinn- you are growing up on this mama too fast..I say it every month! But I love you more than anything and am thankful for all the joy you bring our family!

Are You Sick of Quinn Yet?

2012-01-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you are not sick of Squish pictures....they just keep coming!

Here's the problem (well, not really a problem) she's the only cooperative one these days. Cael rarely is one place long enough to take a picture and Maeve is (UNFORTUNATELY) kinda too cool to have her picture taken most of the time :(

So that leaves me and this girl...I am about to get a new camera (insert major excitement here) but Cory asked if I really needed it since no one wants their picture taken.
Um...this looks like the face of a girl who LOVES her picture taken:

And yes, thats the attempt of a clip/bow in her crazy mane to bring some sort of order to it. It failed somewhat miserably and looked more like a flower places haphazardly on her head. Oh well! We tried!

Quinn

2012-01-16T05:45:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe this fuzz ball is about to be 9 months old! She is growing up on me too fast (but I certainly would not complain if she would just sleep a little bit more!)
Her hair seems to be her claim to fame...other than her giant smile!

Seriously, everywhere we go in public, someone makes a comment about her wild hair. I am so used to it, I dont even notice it anymore.

Mimi bought her a clip the other day but it doesnt seem to work...

Oh, that smile...

Crawling...she's mastered it and will find you in any room of the house if you leave her somewhere else.

My girl- just such a delight. She loves to play and explore all the "big kid" toys now that she has found her freedom.

Cael

2012-01-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

Cael continues to do his best to age me prematurely. He is a wild man by all standards. He runs everywhere, is not neccessarily the best listener, and hates to eat most of the time...but he is hilarious, full of personality, and makes me laugh so many times a day. He has a new found obsession with 2 things: Nai-Hao Kai-Lan (the chinese version of Dora) and lolli-pops.

He calls lolli-pops popsicles no matter how many times you correct him and he wants them for every meal. He scales the pantry shelfs to get to them. Here he was sharing with his BFF, Stella. She was appreciative.

And the best $14.99 we have spent lately was on itunes for an entire season of Kai-Lan for the iphones and ipads. Sure, I don't want him watching it 24-7 but this usually buys me time to take a shower safely or he will sometimes sit and watch it on the ipad and EAT...like actually EAT an entire meal. The other day I found him laying here...he had snagged my phone and pulled up a cartoon all by himself!

Catch-Up

2012-01-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

Strangely, I can't seem to find the time to blog these days. I am behind big time. Not that anything exciting has been happening...but do have alot of pictures on my camera. We've had some great weather, and now some freezing weather! Bike riding to hats & gloves in a matter of hours it felt like!

Could Quinn's smile be any bigger? Does she have eyes in there somewhere? She does...her huge smile just shrinks them! Happy happy girl!

All of my children prefer nudity over warmth. Maeve takes her clothes off literally the minute we walk in the door from school, lunch, errands. It doesnt matter the temp. Cael has starting doing it too. However, a naked Cael means interesting things. The other day I found him trying to pee in Stella's water bowl. So not cool, dude.

Wet, slobbering, drooly. All adjectives used to accurately describe Squish.

Ok, its been cold long enough. Spring, you may come now!

Just Because!

2012-01-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

My girl got teeth 5 & 6 this week! And put away the legos and polly pocket pieces...she is CRAWLING! I will post pics and a video soon! Its hilarious!

Last Christmas Post

2012-01-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to my last Christmas post! We did Christmas with the Councills and Mimi and Goose later on Christmas morning. It was wrapping paper chaos!! Kids were opening other kids gifts out of pure excitement! It was hilarious!

Unlike at our house, at Mimi and Goose's house, Quinn did not get shafted in the gift department and got her very own Bitty Baby! Of course, Maeve has temporarily adopted her until Quinn can take care of her herself!

Cael got all sorts of tools and was sporting his goggles and belt. Safety first!

This is what 6 kids under the age of 5 do to two people who are not used to that kind of energy level. They broke them down!

Onto 2012! Its going to be hard to top 2011..a new baby and a new job for Cory made 2011 a pretty amazing year! Let's see what 2012 has in store!

Christmas Morning!

2011-12-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

"He came! He CAME!!" Maeves screams Christmas morning! Santa totally took the note writing as an opportunity to further encourage excellent behavior in 2012. Why miss out on

Santa thought Maeve and Cael would get a kick out of these giant stockings!

Maeve was really about to jump out of jammies when I made them sit for this pic before we would let them start opening! Doesn't Quinn look so excited!!

Maeves #1 wishlist item: A closet for her baby doll's clothes. Silly Santa forgot to give her hangers, but other than that she loved it!

Naturally, Santa shafted Quinn in the gift department but she did not seem to mind in the slightest! She loved all the paper and cardboard to chew on!

Out of order pic....before the destruction!

My big girl! Loved opening all of her gifts! And was so sweet to help Cael and made sure he had plenty of time to rip into his too!

A bathrobe!!

I'm pretty sure this was one of the 97 times he yelled "Cank You Santa!"

Big boy race track for all of his cars that I am bound to slip on and break my neck! Once Cory showed him how this worked, he lined cars up on it all morning!

They were so fun/funny! Overwhelmed by things, but thankful and sweet! I think Cael's favorite thing he got was race car slippers that he wears everyday! He loves them and shows them to everyone! Maeve told me her favorite thing was the bathrobe so she can not wear clothes all day. Fab.U.Lous.

Christmas Eve!

2011-12-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

Where to begin?! We had a WONDERFUL Christmas weekend! There are alot of pics! Let's start with this goose egg Cael got on his head on Christmas Eve Eve...running down the hallway with 4,573 legos in his hands=tripping and falling directly into the corner of the baseboard. Ouch!

So I did what any good mother does and gave him ice cream!

Onto Christmas Eve...we all went to Mass at 4pm and then back to Mimi and Goose's for a delicious Italian dinner which has become our tradition! Ryan and Julia...amoungst the chaos that is now our family! Here is the "kids table". Yep, Maddie is shirtless, thats how she rolls!

Mom got these poppers so Jack was helping Cael out with his!

The Councills gave everyone these great puppets and the kids had a great time playing with them..

Goose and Cael. Peas in a pod.

Goose and Quinn...his other pea. This girl loves him! He can make her smile so big and she watches him like a hawk when he's around!

This makes me smile!

Trying to get a PJ pic...missing Virginia Ann and Q who had already forgotten about Santa's impending arrival and gone to bed. This pic stinks...it was the best of the bunch sadly! I guess we were boring Jack!

Out of order pic: Maeve and Cory made these awesome cookies for Santa and she made sure to put them out with a big ole glass of chocolate milk and a sweet note thanking him in advance :)

Caels face when Mimi was playing with the puppet with him. He loved it and was laughing so hard!

The kids were FIRED UP that night! They finally went to bed around 9 but Maeve said she would be listening for bells or "ho-ho-ho-ing" all night! I'm not sure what the years to come will bring bc I know every age is so different but 5 seems to be like such wonderful age for several reasons! She believes SO hard in Santa, his elves, toymaking abilities, etc and it is the sweetest thing. She also is starting to understand the real reason for Christmas and talked alot about Jesus' birthday, Mary, and Joseph. She even dressed up like Mary one day (although I am pretty sure Mary didnt rock heels) and put Gracie in "swaddling clothes." Third, we really tried to explain to her about generosity and the fact that we need to give back because we are so fortunate to have what we have. We did our Angel Tree shopping together and I let her pick out alot of the things. Christmas afternoon she even told me that she wanted to give some of her toys away to a girl who didn't get as much. See...she does listen!
More to come...

8 Months!!

2011-12-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

Someone squishy I know turned 8 months yesterday!! She was happy about it too!

This is Quinn's "serious" look...

Tooth #3 and #4 have come threw on the top and crawling is literally days, if not hours, away. Say it ain't so!

Straight chilling in the chair. Would someone bring her a drink?

Getting in the Christmas spirit by eating some curling ribbon! And I do believe, that that hair is almost ready for a bow. A small bow, but a bow!!

Quinn continues to have a shining halo this Christmas season! She is amazing! She's happy and fun most all of the time. A sleeper, she is not, but she makes up for it in other areas, like her huge smile and belly laugh! She is scooting backwards all over which we all know is the step right before crawling. Once that starts, things will get interesting! And finally...Miracle of all miracles..she has started eating SOME baby food...its like she finally realized she was hungry. Not huge amounts, but enough to make me feel good about things, but she is definitely more of a self feeding type of girl. Today at lunch she ate a ton of pita pizza from McAllisters! Atta girl!

Early Christmas with Granna!

2011-12-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Oh Christmas tree Oh Christmas tree! (I'm doubting its going to still be standing by Sunday! Needles are everywhere!)

Granna came down this weekend to celebrate Christmas! Maeve was so excited and could not wait for present time!! Cael was pretty pumped too when he saw Mickey wrapping paper!

His excitement did not include taking a picture with Maeve!

Mickey Mouse camper and airplace. He loved these and has not stopped playing with them since he got them! Thanks Granna!

Maeve helping Granna open her gifts!

Squish loving life!

Yes, Cael is in a trashcan and Maeve was being moody and would not participate in the picture. So this was the best we could do!

She did love her Strawberry Shortcake dolls and awesome doll bunkbeds for Gracie & Casey that Granna got her! A huge hit! We had a wonderful visit celebrating and hanging out!

Christmas Fun....

2011-12-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

Now I am not a big "let's dress the kids alike" mostly because I do not want Cael looking all girly and I would spend a small fortune on M & Q. However, occasionally, we find a cute compromise and its pretty damn cute! Susan made the kids these adorable Christmas shirts so....we tried for a group shot. Not happening!

This one below is better...

Big squish got her 3rd tooth! Top right I think. More are coming. She is a human water fountain of drool. But she's happy!

This just makes me laugh. Maeve loves Quinn and Quinn finds Maeve highly entertaining most of the time!

My big girl! You know your baby is getting big when she asks to go with you to get her hair done too. She requested highlights. Um, no! Then she opted for "a feather?" Um, nope again. So we finally agreed to just a haircut for her, highlights for me! We had alot of fun hanging out at Hairpeace together, chatting like girls do! She's hilarious and had all the hairdressers fully entertained!

One more attempt out of about 167 taken. Not horrible....

Cute Cute CUTE!!

2011-12-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

I think this level of cuteness speaks for itself...

Night night

2011-12-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

The other day I had to wake Quinn up...this is a rarity. Let me be the first to say, she is a pretty crappy napper and sleeper in general. Its great that she's cute, bc that keeps me going. Anyways, when I went in to wake her, she was so so sacked out and had her lovey in her mouth just like Maeve & Cael do. This must just be an instinctive thing to do...put the little corner of the lovey in their mouth? So of course, I ran and grabbed my camera to snap some sleepy pics!

Cael is still pretty obsessed with all things Mickey. When Granna was here they went to the Disney store and Maeve picked out Cael an "Oso" stuffed animal. It was really sweet of her, but Cael had no clue who he was. So we went back and got his this Mickey which now sleeps with him, Clifford, and big Monkey. The other night he set up his 3 friends and read them a Thomas book.

It really was so so sweet! He was telling them the names and colors of all the trains. He here is "showing" Big Monkey the trains (aka face planting monkey into the book). Mickey and Clifford are just listening. Its good he has an attentive crowd!

One more of Princess Q.

Chrismas Tree Fun?

2011-12-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas miracle of all miracles! A picture of these two both looking at the camera!?!? Yahoo!

This is Cael trying to snap his fingers above his head the way I do when I take pictures trying to get them to look at me. He's trying to get Quinn to cooperate...he thinks this helps things?!

Oh. Em. Geee.... Could this moment be any sweeter?

Quinn loves the tree when its all lit up!

Cael, on the other hand, as waged a one man war on our beautiful tree that Cory and Maeve picked out. Once it was up and lovingly decorated, it took Cael all of 12 hours to do the following: break 3 ornaments (as in shattered), pull off every ornament on the lower levels he could reach, tear a strand of lights off, launch his body into the center of the tree twice, coming out with pine needles all over. I found glitter in both his ears and glitter and a couple of pine needles in his diaper. Good times.
I vividly remember when Maeve was 2 that she would just stand in front of the tree and say "Oh pretty Christmas tree! I love you!" And never once touched it. Cael is apparently quite different.

Happy Holidays Yall!

Santa...Take 2.

2011-12-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

So, like we do every year, we visited Santa at our local nursery. Of course, Maeve was beyond excited...Cael claimed he was excited and that, yes, he wanted to sit with Santa. And foolishly, I thought Squish would be completely oblivious and not even notice that I handed her over to a jolly old bearded stranger:
WRONG WRONG WRONG! Above pic: She is crying hard.
Pic below: She is trying to launch herself right out of that damn sleigh and more importantly, Santa's stronghold! Cael is teetering on the verge of a major meltdown but is trying to be brave for Quinn I think! :)

I could NOT believe how quickly she turned on me! Cael was timid and nervous, but didn't cry a tear and even said "Cank You Santa" when he gave him a candy cane at the end of this 27 second experience of terror for Quinn.

She pulled her shiz together for a decent family photo op though!

We met the Kohls there and Davis and Maeve milked Santa for another picture! Maeve told him she would like a closet of her American Girl baby clothes and Davis asked for a Barbie Jeep. These girls don't lack in the taste department. Cael stared blankly at Santa when asked what he wanted?!

On to see the reindeer! Cael loved these guys and I am pretty sure would have stayed perched on the fence til dinner time watching them if we would have let him!

Some "horses" as Cael told us.

It was a fun little outing and the weather, for the 1st time in 4 years since we started going, was amazing! It was 62 and almost sunny! No jackets or hats needed! Hooray!

Being the OCD germ-a-phobe that I am, I'm staunchly opposed to the mall Santa...no offense to those of you who love him! I am sure he's great and washes his hands, but I almost break out in hives thinking about it. For me, no thanks...so we will not be trying a Santa pic with all 3 again. This will have to do...another one for the scrapbook!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, having lots of fun with Granna! There was alot of eating & playing going on!

Love this chubby girl and her daddy!

My official Thanksgiving cookie taste tester. He approved!

Quinn looks like quite the happy girl here even though she has been getting up 5-7x a night PEOPLE! Every night for going on 2 weeks now with horrible diaper rash and stomach issues! Let me just say for the record, I will NEVER put her on Augmentin again unless I have to! It has done a number on her and we are still working through it. She only got up 3x last night which seemed like a dream comparatively speaking. Needless to say, I have just been trying to push through!

I LOVE this pic! She looks like the ultimate BIG SQUISH here! Straight chilling naked in Daddys arms! Happy girl! So now its on to Christmas I suppose! Maeves been asking when Sam, our elf, is coming back. I guess some friends at school have already had their elf come! I gotta do dig in the closet to find Sam asap.

Thankful

2011-11-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

On this Thankgiving, I am so incredibly thankful for our healthy, happy, wonderful family!!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!
(Here's a video from a few days ago...its a wonder we have not had stitches more often!)

7 Months!

2011-11-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

Quinn's 7 month pics finally!! Happy, drooly girl!

Her new favorite trick is spitting. She spits on herself, on maeve & cael, on anyone. She doesn't discriminate and thinks its hilarious if you spit back at her. Gross.

Maeve came in during the photo shoot looking all of about 16 years old. She knows belted dresses are in fashion and pulled this number together (with heels) all by herself. She told me this is what she's wearing to Thanksgiving dinner...hmmm, I dont think so.

My big girl! 17.4lbs at the doctor the other day...

Yes, we go to the doctor alot. It seems like someone has an appointment, a well visit, sick visit, vaccine, at least once a week. I knew it would be like this when we added a 3rd child. I was right. She went this week bc of some nasty tummy issues thanks to an antibiotic she was on. Cael went for his 2 yr check up. On different days. 2 appts in 1 week! Love it!

We have a sitter!

2011-11-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Here is Quinn munching on some pizza crust the other night...she was pleased as punch! Pepperoni anyone?

AND, we have officially have a sitter! She's so proud and smiley, her eyes are hardly open!

So now she loves to just sit and play with a bunch of toys. Give her a pile and she is happy as a clam!

Double fisting!

One more pizza shot! 7 months tomorrow! oh.my.gosh.it.cant.be.true....

My Girls!

2011-11-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

Look who got her own highchair! We have a spacesaver highchair for Cael too but he is just not quite right to sit in a normal chair all the time. There are definitely times I need to be able to restrain and confine him in his chair! Which meant, Quinn got her own brand new chair! She loves it!

My girl...I swear she is growing more and more every single day...she looks like such a girl now and not a toddler at all. It makes me sad but she is also so much fun and loves to do fun things with me! Which is great!

I have determined that Q may be one of those babies who just never eats alot of baby food and goes straight to the good stuff. Here she is gnawing on a piece of french bread. She loved it! We've also given her waffles, pancakes, and crackers.

Maeve, standing on the table singing her heart out to Nicki Minaj "Super Bass" a totally inappropriate song for a 5 year old to sing, however I did download the non-explicit version. The girl loves loves to sing and really is into Super Bass right now. I will say, its catching and a great running song on your ipod!

Happy girl got another tooth! Thats 2 and I feel bumps on the top so I know more are coming! She was 17.4lbs at a dr appt for her ear recheck last Friday.
Chunky, but not chunky enough to keep her fat thighs in the Bumbo...if you have one, you know what I am talking about. I thought those things were supposed to be like a straighjacket, meaning, they cant get out. Well yesterday Quinn debunked that theory! Thankfully the Bumbo was on the floor in the kitchen while I was making lunch, next thing I know I hear a THUMP, and sweet Squish is laid out on her tummy on the floor. Apparently her head weighs more than the rest of her and out she plopped! She cried for a few seconds but then was completely fine, but thank GOD it was not on the table or island! So here is my parenting advice for today:
DO NOT PUT BUMBOS ON TABLES, COUNTERTOPS, or ISLANDS!
We will now be retiring the bumbo to the closet of baby equipment I cannot wait to sale one day!

Caels School Party!

2011-11-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

These are the hilarious pics Cael's sweet teachers Maggie & Sharon took of Caels little school celebration on Thursday!

They truly are wonderful women! They love our kids so much and even let Maeve come down when it was time for cake to celebrate her brother!

This pic basically sums Cael up...he is a knucklehead! A funny, funny boy!

Get after it!

Caels 2nd Birthday!

2011-11-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had a wonderful celebration of Cael! It was so much fun to celebrate this crazy little boy with family and friends who love him! So Cory and I got crafty late into the night last night making Cael this train cake! Obviously, he is way into trains these days. He was pretty pumped when he saw it and everyone time someone would tell him Happy Birthday, his response was "CAKE!"

Goose possibly wins the present award of the evening. He and Mimi showed up with 3 of Caels all time favorites...a fountain Diet Coke from Wiegels, pretzels, and a tub of his own cheese. He is just like his grandfather!

Thoroughly enjoying his big boy drink!

He was so ready to blow out the candles...he practiced all day!

He waited so patiently as I got my camera and video ready!

Out of sequence picture...erg! Pretzels from Goose!

He managed to blow both candles out in just 2 tries...some of the cake may have gotten damp in the process!

Party kids!

And once all the company left, both kids took their clothes off to really eat some cake!

At 2, your vocabulary has exploded...it is like you are finally able to unleash all these things that have been in your brain! You talk constantly...most of it we can finally understand! You love to be outside and run crazy! You love Maeve and are starting to love "Finn" (Quinn) too. You love to tickle her and pat her fuzzy hair when I am nursing her. Its so sweet how you know to be gentle with her...most of the time. You love to wrestle with your Dad and even watch football with him! You know all your colors and can count to 12 when you want to. You love all animals, know all of their names and sounds. You are quite the character!

You keep us on our toes, make us laugh alot, cry some, teach us patience, give me wrinkles and always help us meet our insurance deductible.

Cael, I cannot believe you are two...sometimes it feels like you have been here longer than 2 years? But I also remember your birth like it was yesterday! I was beyond nervous on how to love a boy, how to play and teach a boy. But I knew I would figure it out and that first night in the hospital I fell madly in love with you and knew you were my special little man! You are the sweet little baby I prayed for! I love you Cael!!

Let's Party!

2011-11-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

I hate when the blog doesnt upload the pics in the right order...anyways...today was my little mans 2nd birthday! We partied hard! Donuts, presents, pizza, cake! Below is the train cake I made to bring to his school on Thursday. Each kid got their own train car. Maeve & cory helped deocrate them! The kids loved them and I heard lots of "Oh choo choo! Cakes!" when i walked in with it!

Little man coming down the stairs this morning! He was excited, but I don't think he really knew!

Running once he saw the presents and balloons!

Mmmm... birthday donut breakfast! Then he proceeded to eat panakes and turkey sausage too! Sometimes he eats, sometimes he doesnt!

LOVE this face! He loved the Mickey Mouse rocket ship that Daddy picked out for him and this pic says it all! Cory wanted to be in charge of Cael's gifts so he got this and about 47 matchbox cars and a case. Seriously...he got at least 20!

"Ba-woons!"

It's All Fun and Games...

2011-11-09T14:20:00.001-08:00

Til someone gets hurt...and actually this was not even a rough housing injury... This was purely self inflicted. Cael decided to launch himself head first out of his crib and it did not end well. It actually ended in the ER getting 5 stitches in his head and a decent haircut as well!
And of course, the next day was picture day at school. As his teacher told me, "You don't have to buy the pictures!" You better believe I am buying them!
Cael was a trooper at the ER. Cory took him and said he cried the most when they put the admitting bracelet on him! However we had to go back to Childrens today for an appointment and we pulled into the hospital and he said "Daddy? Boo-boo!" He had not quite forgotten!
One for the old scrapbook!
Stitches before 2...the track record is off to a great start!

A belated birthday wish!

2011-11-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

A belated birthday to wish to my mom...and mimi! We were so excited for her big day! (This was Cael's warm up for his own set of candles that are quickly approaching)

We cooked a great dinner for her and had a wonderful timing celebrating the wonderful woman that she is!

Maeve wanted to choose Mimi's cake but only wanted white cake/white frosting which is not what mimi likes...so we compromised with an assortment of delicious cupcakes! Everyone got their favorite!

Happy belated Birthday to the most wonderful mother! I am so lucky to have her as my mother!! I love you Mom and am thankful for all that you do!

Disney on Ice

2011-11-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to see Disney on Ice with some friends! Davis, Maclain, & Carson!
Susan made these awesome shirts to match the girls pants!

I have no idea what they are looking at, but they were so excited and talked nonstop in the car all the way there!

Cael would have lost his mind over how close we were to Mickey and his gang!

Carson, Maclain, and Maeve waiting on the show!

So cute!

The whole cast...it wasn't just princesses this year. Everyone was there...Toy Story, Lilo & Stitch, Chip & Dale. It really was an awesome production!

Of course, Minnie!

The Incredibles!

At the end of the show they let kids come up to the ice who were in the 1st few rows to shake hands with the characters. I suddenly turned into "that mom" when the lady next to use would not gather all of her crap and move. Maeve was DYING to get down there to meet someone...anyone! And this lady was just taking her time packing up her 4,532 items she brought with her. Finally I was like "EXCUSE ME!" Yes, I was that mom. Oh well! Maeve got to meet Mickey!

A great morning with great friends! Next year I think the little man will get to go with us!

Little Kids

2011-11-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Cael loves to perch himself on the arm of the couch to watch Mickey Mouse. But he thinks this is a very fun game...

To launch himself backwards with all of his might, onto the couch behind him. Laughter every single time..it never gets old!

This big old cheesy grin never gets old either!

Big girl, so wants to sit up totally on her own!

Finally! Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's my final blog post about Halloween! Yeah! A turtle and his train!

Quinn, I sincerely apologize for not buying a size up in your adorable cupcake costume. Don't they always seem to run big? Well, not this one. Her hat would not come close to fitting and the bottom of her cupcake "liner" kept riding up. So sorry!

Knuckleheads

2 lifelong teenage mutant ninja turtles..i think they karate chopped eachother a couple of times.

Me and my cupcake!

A ful body shot...again, my apologies Squish for any discomfort or cutting off of leg circulation I may have unintentionally caused!

Quinn is not crying...this is her laughing hard bc Cory is tickling her fat thighs!

So cute!

Cael...ready to kick some ass and take some names. Who's next?

The very best we could do!

Olivia!! She was so excited!

And even more excited when her sweet friend Maggie got to the neighborhood cookout. They are 2 peas in a pod and had a wonderful timing sprinting from house to house, leaving Cael and Sophie in their dust!

Jamie, Charlie, Campbell, & Payne came over too! It was so fun to see Quinns boyfriends all dressed up!

Payne and Quinn. A cupcake and a banana. Ha.
I am pretty sure this is not the last you will be seeing of Cael in his costume. He has grown to love it and asks to put it on almost daily. I am heading to Targ tomorrow to try to snag some fun boy costumes (think superheros or trains) at 50% off. I am tired of seeing him walk around in light up princess heels!

Halloween Parties

2011-10-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yet even more Halloween festivities...the build up to the big day is unreal. Above is Maeve's tennis Halloween party! Her coach Ms. Sherry, is awesome and went all out with rat blood to drink (red gaterade) and rat cupcakes (choc cupcakes). The kids loved that they got to play tennis in costumes!

Next up was Maeves halloween party at school which yours truly was in charge of. It was alot of fun and the kids had a great time!

Picnic in the circle. Boy-girl-boy-girl :) One of the funnier things they do is whoever is the leader says a little blessing before they eat. Now the leader can choose one of the shorter blessings that all the kids know by heart or he can choose to "roll the prayer dice" which has longer prayers on each side and the teacher reads it...kinda like a little bit of Vegas!

Craft time...Halloween Necklaces. Its so funny and special to get little sneak peeks into their day at school. Obviously we are not there with them all day and only hear from the teachers how things went, etc. But to see them interact is so fun. Of the 12 kids in Maeves class, all but 2 have been together since they started!

The monster cupcakes we made for the party!

More Halloween!

2011-10-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Maeve and I got crafty in the kitchen for the
first time in a long time for a pre-Halloween treat for school! She is very into cooking shows, looking at pics on the ipad with me of fun baking ideas and we found these rice krispie treat mummies. Super easy when you buy the ready made Rice Krispie treats! Melted white chocolate, chocolate chip eyes..spooky mummy! We even made mini-mummys for Caels class!

And while the big kids were off at school eating mummys, Q and I attempted a photo shoot outside. Except she was distracted by this huge crow that was sitting right on the tree next to us.

If you look close...very close, you can see the beginnings of her tooth!

Loved feeling the pumpkins!

And today was Cael's Halloween party at school since they don't go on Monday. He got to dress up again which he was pumped about it. He looks half asleep bc I had to wake him to turn into a Ninja Turtle in time for school.

So now I think we really are ready for Monday!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

Is this not the best pumpkin ever?
I mean, really? Could she be cuter?
And this, friends, is the capital A attitude I deal with on a daily basis. I am not sure if Maeve turned 5 or 15 a couple of weeks ago? I have to gently remind her who is in charge here. I have found myself saying things like "If you roll your eyes at me again, they are going to get stuck there" or "I am the mom, thats why!" You know, all standard phrases I heard from my mom but swore I'd never say! Hmm...

But I did manage to get one great pic of all 3 pumpkins! Maeve was pissed bc she didnt want to touch Quinn bc Quinn had just taken a giant poo that went all up the back of her shirt. Cael wanted to climb on every pumpkin and yell "pun-KIN!" This was not an easy accomplishment. But Quinn, of course, looks quite pleased with herself and did not mind sitting in the mess at all!

The pumpkin patch itself was lame. It used to be awesome. Tons and tons of pumpkins with decorations all over...headstones, ghosts, etc. Creepy music playing. Now its about 75 pumpkins, some gourds, a couple of mums, and a handful of "workers" chain smoking in their lawnchairs taking cash for pumpkins that I'm certain they are not reporting the government. Ah, good stuff!

Overall I think we were there for about 13 minutes before I decided it was time to go. If we had been organized we could have gone to one of the real pumpkin patches but we were lucky to make it here. Next year, people, next year.

Boo at the Zoo

2011-10-22T17:11:00.001-07:00

We started going to Boo at the Zoo 3 years ago and it is something that Maeve looks forward to every Halloween. I think of it as our "dry run" for the real deal...does the costume fit? Comfortable? Etc. However, throwing another costume into the mix (cael) and a 6 month old made for a busy time at the zoo. And the traffic was absurd...if it had been up to me, we would have turned around on the interstate...that would have caused a level 10 meltdown though!

So when Cory made the final call on a Ninja Turtle as Caels costume, I took him to the costume store and asked Cael "You wanna be a turtle?" His response, "Ya!" Me: "You wanna be a red turtle or a blue turtle?" Him: "Boo turdle....peas" So he rocked it. Hard. Even wore the mask for a decent portion of the night.

Maeve was all "I'm gonna be Jasmine!" since like July. Then she saw the Olivia costume when we went to get the boo turdle and she suckered me into yet another costume. She was adorable though! The leg warmers are the best part.

Love this one. Cael was kind of unsure of all the (creepy) costumed adults at the zoo and wanted to hold Maeves hand. Very sweet!

I bombarded him early on with sugar. Literally traffic was at a stand still on the interstate and I just happened to have a full bag of candy corn in my purse (Don't you?). He popped it like it was his job and managed to get it on his shell. If he was a real ninja, he could have figured a way to get it off! (This was one of those "full circle moments" for me. Having a son dressed as a ninja turtle bc Ryan was OBSSESSED with all the turtles when he was young. I can still sing the theme song. Funny now, I have a little Leonardo running around my house with his shell askew)

So overall, I think we have some winner costumes for the real night. Quinn did come, but did not dress up tonight. She's saving her costume for Halloween...it will be something sweet!

6 Months Old- Half A Year!

2011-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

No way Jose! It cannot be true! Big Squish is officially HALF A YEAR old! I literally could cry!

And she was ready to celebrate!

The big news around here is that Quinn got her 1st tooth! Its on the bottom and either her front left or right...its hard to tell with no other teeth in there yet.

I'm thinking she weighs around 16.5lbs. We go for her 6 month check up Monday so we will see!

She wants to sit up on her own so badly and hates laying flat bc she wants to see the world! Unfortunately her 6 pack hasn't quite caught up with her brain and she just falls over if she is not leaning against something!

Maeve took this of me and Squish!

Quinn continues to hold reign as my easiest child...Her crown is blinding sometimes compared to everyone elses behavior! :) She smiles at everyone and is totally becoming a little person. She loves interaction with Maeve, Cael, and Cory and loves loves loves Stella! And much to Cael's pleasure, she loves Micky Mouse Clubhouse and will sit in her exersaucer and watch it with him! It is too cute!
I cannot believe Quinn has been here half of a year. I feel like before I blink she's going to be asking me for the car keys. Its amazing how much faster time goes by when you have 3 little people to take care vs just one. I remember with Maeve on her 6 months bday it truly felt like she had been here for 6 months...even longer! :) With Quinn, it feels like yesterday I was snuggling her squishy soft self in the hospital!

Busy Bees

2011-10-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

I am not sure I ever could have fully imagined how busy my life would be with 3 young kids. Between pre-school, activities, doctors appts, and every one still needing at least 3 meals a day, life seems to fly by these days!
Cael is 100% a 2 year old, even though its not quite official. His tantrum ability is unsurpassed. He's a pro and can flip the switch at a moments notice. Give him what he wants, and its all good. Obviously though, that doesn't happen all the time! Here he is precariously perched on the bumbo trying to get a glimpse of his buddy, Goldie!
And it took Maeve all of 1 week to realize fish food stinks and that she doesnt really want to feed him. Uh, too bad. He's all yours!

Miss Quinn is 6 months old today! Her pics will come soon! We are still working on the whole "eating" thing. We may be making slight progress...maybe. For as much that was on her face, I am just guessing some had to get in her tummy right?

And through the amazing powers of technology, we were able to Skype with Corys mom and grandpa, Papa, the other night. We skype every week with Granna but Papa happened to be over there this time. It was truly crazy to think about...he is about to turn 96 years old and here he is chatting with his 3 great-grandkids via computer!

Miss Maeve...she wins the award for bravest flu shot receiver! (I took all 3 for flu shots + a sick visit all by myself. I would not recommend this. Ever) She told me she was not going to cry and she did not! Until after it was all over and I told her it was ok to cry, that I know they hurt...then the tears came spilling out! Poor girl managed to muster up a decent looking limp the rest of the day and claimed she couldn't do normal things like get a snack or go potty bc she was injured! :)

The "Little Kids"

2011-10-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

It is rare that Cael asks me to ask his picture...usually I am chasing after him, begging for just one smile AT the camera. But this morning, he was loving me taking his pic with Stella!

I'm not sure if Stella felt the same?

I mean, could you eat this smile up? Honestly!

No, Cael did not just get back from a bar fight, or some bender...this is just what he looks like after lunch. He looks like this every single day...and this was his 3rd shirt of the day.

I laughed out loud at this pic...Cael thinks its hilarious while Stella has the fear of God in her buggy eyes!

And Cael wanted his picture taken with his little sister but of course getting them to both look at me, at the same time, would NOT happen!

Cael saying "cheese!"

Apparently my command of "Go sit next to Quinn" was easily translated to "Go sit ON Quinn!"
Quinn was laughing so hard!

Sweet fuzzy headed big squish! She doesn't know it but Operation Sleep in Your Crib starts next week! Its time. She is almost 6 months old (sniff sniff) and needs to be in her own room/crib. She won't be smiling for long when that happens!

The Cutest Baby on Earth!

2011-10-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm just saying...I am pretty sure this is the cutest,

most beautiful,

squishiest baby around town.

And she's all mine!

Round 4 and We are Done!

2011-10-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

This pic was taken this morning, after Quinn was feeling much better after having a 103+ fever since Friday afternoon! Needless to say, it made for a loooonnngg weekend with another trip to the doctor. (I just may have set a personal record this week: Cardiologist visit Quinn, Pediatrician Cael, Dermatologist Maeve, Pediatrician Quinn. All in 6 days! Thankfully, she seems much better!

My girl woke up READY to party this morning! Every hour was, "How much longer til my party?"

We feel special bc this was Payne's very first party! Yahoo!

The favors! If anyone has the need for 850 giant size gumballs, let me know. I bought the wrong size box of gumballs at Sams and obviously, cannot return opened gumballs. We probably are down to about 828 by now, but thats a lot of gumballs. Good thing I found the right size and these were a hit. Other than the one that was dropped and gumballs went rolling EVERYWHERE! (Heather, I bought those juice jugs for you...sugar water with food coloring...I swear they are organic! :)

Maeve, Mary Helen, & Mallory: school buddies who were enthralled with the cheerleaders that were having practice at the gym!

Me and my wild man!

The cake ladys take on Rapunzel...she warned me she had never done Rapunzel...I thought it'd be fine. The 1st thing Maeve said when she saw the cake was, "that looks nothing like Rapunzel and surely thats not supposed to be Flynn Rider!" Oops!

The whole gang...minus a couple. Just a note to myself for next year: This was too many kids. Have a quiet tea party with like 5 girls dressed as princesses! :)

Maeve truly got embarrassed everytime we sang to her this birthday. Here she just turned to Mary Helen I think for emotional support!

Make a wish!

Maeve and Granna had a wonderful time at the party and a great weekend!

And Cory got in on the action, showing off his mad CrossFit skills by climbing the rope with no legs. If you've never tried this, its ridiculous. Way to go Cory!!
Ok, I am partied and pictured out. Now I can take a breath for a few weeks before my moms, Jacks, Caels, Virginia Anns, & Clays birthdays which are all in November!!

Partying Round 3!

2011-10-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

Let's keep the party going...here is what Maeve woke up to yesterday morning. Her favorite donut, surrounded by munchkins. I mean, if you are going for it, just go all out, right?!

And then she looked into the den and saw this! A dollhouse!! She was so surprised and excited. It was adorable. Apparently my measurements were a bit off, as you can see from the pic, this thing is much bigger than I thought. Its almost as tall as I am! And there is a whole garage side that we decided to not put together since it was 12.15am when we were finishing the main part up! True love!

And she got a fish! She'd been asking for one, so I went out Wednesday afternoon to PetSmart and bought her a beta that the saleslady told me "has an average life span of 2-3 years!" Great, I was really looking for more like 2-3 months, but whatever. However, when I came down Thursday morning to set up her bday breakfast, he was floating!! DEAD! I know I killed him somehow with the transfer to sink water! So I scooped him out, flushed him away and when Maeve saw the empty bowl we said "Surprise! We got you a fish but you get to pick it out this afternoon!" :)

Maeve asked for a rainbow cake so I got my creativity going and carved a five and made a ton of buttercream icing (I think I used 10 sticks of butter in all!) and made this for her! She loved it!

Quinn could sense the excitement!

Granna is in town for all the celebrating and Maeve is thrilled!

My 5 year old!

Blowing out the candles!

A camera from Granna! She's been taking pictures and videos of all of us every moment!

Our new, and very much alive (knock on wood), addition to our family. Meet Goldie.

Happy man, eating some cake!

Me and my girl!!

Partying: Round 2!

2011-10-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my girl turned 5! We had a fun little celebration at school!

The cookie cake for school!

Her class enjoying some cake and juice boxes!

Maeve was so embarrassed when we sang to her! But i insisted!!

A little treat for her friends at school...bc she got a fish for her birthday...which is a whole other story, coming in my next post!

Sisters...

2011-10-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Quinn, my happy camper!

This week at school, each day is a different color. Today was orange, so Maeve was doing her V-O-L-S cheer!

A future cheerleader perhaps?

Yesterday was blue, so Maeve cooperated and wore some blue too!

Random Pics...

2011-10-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Aunt Tricia- we used your gift card from Quinns baptism to buy her this fabulous jumperoo! The one baby item we didn't have for Maeve or Cael. And she loves it!! Thank you!!

Twinsies! I promised Cory I would not dress M & Q alike everyday bc it would cost a small fortune...But every once in a while, its too cute to pass up!

Bundled up for the lady Pumas soccer game on Saturday! It was COLD!

A favorite: when I try to change the sheets...its an open invitation to come jump on the bed!

Inevitably, someone was going to get injured!

And of course, it was this guy! Just a minor bounce off the bed!

Quinn just watches in amazement when they act crazy, jumping on the bed and dancing to All the Single Ladies, thank you Beyonce.

Oh what fun!

Cael...In a Nutshell

2011-09-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

A cute pic of M&C

This picture can pretty much sum up Cael...No shorts on. Clifford shirt (his favorite even though its a 3t) M&Ms in his mouth. Snot on his nose. Carpet burn on his forehead! Happy as a clam.
Cael plays this game we have come to call, simply, Bulldozer. He puts his head on the carpet and pushes himself all over...tonight, he was a bit overzealous and came up with some significant rug burns on his forehead!

Maeve's Celebration: Round ONE!

2011-09-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had our 1st round of Maeve's birthday celebration! Mimi and Goose will be in NY for my cousin Jessica's wedding on Maeves actual birthday, so they wanted to take her out to dinner tonight. They told her she could pick anywhere to go. Here were her choices in order 1)Mr. Gatti's Pizza 2) Taco Bell...then we told her "choose somewhere nicer since we won't have the babies with us and she said "Oh! Ok, Moes!" LOW MAINTANENCE!

We finally got her to choose Sullivans! A fave amoungst the whole family! Gracie came with us! Maeve got Gracie from my Aunt Eileen on her 2nd birthday, so I guess, technically, its Gracie's 3rd birthday!

Ok, I am putting the above pic on to show that I am not vain! How big of a dork am I?? Singing my little heart out to Maeve even though she was embarassed and asked us to "whisper sing!"

She was adorable...so thankful and grateful for a night all to herself!

Jasmine shoes and costume from Mimi and Goose...she said "it was exactly what I wanted!" (thats not easy to get out of a 5 year old)!

I LOVE this pic! So sweet!

Blowing out her candles and making a wish!

A huge thanks for a great, special night to Mimi and Goose! And Goose got all the balloons and cake, which Maeve loved!

During our dinner Maeve said "this is such a special night!" Melted my heart that she felt so loved by all of us!

They Say its Almost Your Birthday!

2011-09-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Last year we made a birthday chain to help Maeve figure out when her big day was! The other night I was laying in bed and started counting it out on my fingers and thought "Oh crap! Its in 10 days!"So I whipped up a birthday chain and surprised her in the morning with it. I really cannot believe she will be FIVE in less than 10 days. I promise (on numerous occasions) I have been nursing Quinn in the middle of the night and called her Maeve...it does not seem like five years could have already passed!

Slow down time, my baby girl is getting too big! I may well up at the thought of her turning five..for some reason, it seems so old. So not a toddler at all any more. However, she is ridiculously pumped up about it! Good for her..I hope her enthusiasm is contagious so that I do not cry through her entire birthday!

The Little Man

2011-09-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

Cael doesn't eat alot of alot of things...However, he has inherited his grandfathers love of pretzels and cheese. And now that Cael is a vocabulary wizard, he goes to the fridge and firmly says "Pretzels AND cheese." "Peez!" "He came around the corner the other day just going "Daaaadddddy?" And when I looked, he had Corys shoes on. He almost broke an ankle but it was pretty funny!

The little man continues to give me gray hairs and keep me on my toes. Between his love of jumping off of things, climbing into things, and just all around causing trouble...there is no down time when he is awake. I think thats how most boys are.

And...I am back!

2011-09-29T17:18:00.001-07:00

Quinn...sweet cheeks...still hating on the baby food..you name it, she hates it. Cereal, applesauce, bananas, beans...But she loves her tongue!

But these do not look like the thighs of someone who misses too many meals? Do they?

They say babies are fine til the age of one on breastmilk along and I think Quinn is trying to test that theory out.!!

5 months!!

2011-09-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Same speech as every month...the time is just wizzing by! This girl is 5 months old! She is weighing in around 15lbs these days!

Teeth are on their way, something is in her mouth almost constantly for her to chew on. Except a bottle...bc she won't take one. At all. Or a spoon, bc she apparently hates baby food too right now! We are still working on the crib thing too. All in due time!

Giggly girl...loves to laugh!

Don't you hate when your muffin top sticks out of your elastic waist pants. I know I do! Fashion no-no Quinn!

Looking all sorts of serious in her exer-saucer...but she loves it most of the time!

Attempting to shove the whole toy in her mouth!

Quinn, you are a joy! Your little belly laugh makes me smile every single time I hear it! You are such a smiley little girl and love your brother and sister! I am not wishing these baby days away at all. Even the "not sleeping through the night" isn't really bothering me bc I know it will eventually pass...and you, sweet Quinn are the last squishy baby I get to cuddle in the middle of the night, so I will do it and not worry about what the books tell me to do!
We love you Q!!!

Nash-Vegas

2011-09-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a girls trip to Nashville. Now a "girls trip" these days means something much different than what it used to mean...staying up late, drinking too much, etc. A girls trip nowadays means me, Maeve, & Quinn! We may stay up too late and Quinn may drink too much, but in a much different sense of the word!!
First we stopped by to see the Browns! Here is sweet Mr. Dean who is about to turn ONE! I cannot believe it. Quinn looks a bit stunned when Dean leaned over to put the moves on her, I think!Maeve was excited to see Stefanie, Jason, Dean, and their lab Gus! She wanted to hold Dean and did a great job...her big sister skills were in full effect!

Then we headed over to my friend Susanna's where we were spending the night. Suz has 2 girls, Annie (6) and Ella (3) so Maeve was in heaven! The girls played all night and then crashed in Susanna's bed around 10.30pm finally!!! Please notice that Anna fell asleep in her belly-dancer costume!

This is what you call "sacked out"!

A better shot of Dean and Quinn!

Our main purpose of the trip was the go to Fishers 2nd birthday Luau and I did not take one picture there! I'll have to get some from Heather! It was a great party and so fun to see old friends!! I even drove Maeve by our old house (which looked awful!) and where I used to work (she found it hard to believe I used to "have a real job like Daddy?!"

Random Pics

2011-09-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Big Squish...looking quite squishy here!Loves her hands and her feet!

Her BFF, Stella. Stella was trying to sit in Quinns lap and she did not mind at all. And then Quinn put Stella's tail in her mouth and that was the end of that!

Cael loves to "draw and color" these days...his pictures are abstract! :)

My very soon to be 5 year old! So darn cute!

Her dog she named Sweetie!

Grandparents Day!

2011-09-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was Grandparents Day...yes its now officially a holiday on the calendar and rightfully so! Maeve wanted to make Mimi and Goose a cake to celebrate!

We did half chocolate half vanilla, mostly bc Maeve likes vanilla and Mimi and Goose like chocolate!

Cael could not keep his fingers out of the cake!

We missed Granna on this day but Maeve made sure to leave her a voicemail wishing her "a Happy Grandparents Day!"
We love Goose, Mimi, & Granna and we appreciate all that you do for us!

Lady Pumas...Game 2

2011-09-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

This morning was the Pumas second game...Last weekend I was worried about how hot and sweaty Quinn was at the game...this morning I had her in a footed one piece. It was 52 degrees when we left the house this morning!

Getting in on some ball action! Go Maeve!

Cael enjoyed running through the tunnel too once all the teams were done!

Cael & his buddy, Goose!

Oh my gosh, the joy that running through the tunnel brings Maeve is amazing! Look at her face! When we asked Maeve how the game was, she immediately said "I love running through that tunnel! Its my favorite part!"

Just picking a little wedgie during some down time :)

Cael has most definitely picked up on his Dad and Goose's love for Diet Coke. Here he is after he had confiscated Goose's...the cup is as big as his head!

Post game time drink and snacks! Maeve & Maclain

And Quinn has found her feet and boy does she love them! She can even get them in her mouth which is quite impressive!

Being silly!!

Big Squish

2011-09-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Big Squish is holding true to her name and just gets squishier every day! I love it!

She tipped the scales at the doctor the other day at 15.4lbs! Nice!

Every since we figured out she got an ear infection right after her vaccines, she has been MUCH happier! There was a very rough week-10 day period where she was not happy after her shots and then got an ear infection after. Thanks to the wonders of Amoxil, we are doing better!

Is double gingham wrong? And I am sure there is a southern dress code about gingham after Labor Day too...But either way, I thought she was looking adorable in this outfit...its been chilly here this week so we have busted out some old stuff of Maeves that fits this squishy figure!

And pray for me, we are getting a new roof which makes me want to scream every cuss word in the book! They were here yesterday from 7.15am-8.25pm. Now I can appreciate a good work ethic, but come on! Kids must sleep! Cory keeps telling me to relax, I just hate it! Hate the mess, the noise, the men...hate it all! Wrap it up boys!

Cael's 1st of Preschool!!

2011-09-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Cael's 1st day of Preschool (Finally!) and he got to come downstairs to the same fun set-up Maeve had last week! Preschool poster, Spiderman lunchbox, backpack, and of course "smartie pants" treat bag!

He helped himself to the smarties and started his day off with a healthy dose of sugar!

I seriously thought I had a better chance of making ice in hell than getting Cael to sit STILL and HOLD the poster...probably wasn't going to happy. But he WAS ALL ABOUT IT! What a big boy!

Big sis had to get in on the action of course. Yes, she has a shiner. No, she didnt get beat up at school. She had an unfortunate mishap with her father and a door knob. Ouchie!

I love this picture...Maeve laughing and Cael just grinning it up!

We even got some pics with me, Cory, and Big Squish...these pics do not happen often!

My loves....

Caels 1st day went as good as can be expected! Some tears, some playing, and a big fat 3 hour nap when he got home! I cant believe my baby boy is old enough for preschool! Wow!

Season Opener

2011-09-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was the season opener for the Lady Pumas! Bright and early at 8.30, I had to set an alarm and wake the entire family to get there on time...even then, Cory & Cael barely made it for the tunnel bc Cael was still snoozing!
Maeve & Maclain...ready for action!

There is a HUGE difference in Maeve's "skill level" from last year to this year. The biggest difference is that she "gets it" and has alot more confidence this year which is wonderful!

One of her breakaway goals!

Action shot!

This is her leading the team out of the tunnel that they get to run out of...their team name and coach's name is announced on the loud speaker!

Kick-off

I LOVE this one! Her reaction is priceless...she had just scored her 1st goal of the season and was so proud of herself!

The Lady Pumas...coming at ya!

1st or 2nd Day of School!

2011-09-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was this girl's LAST first day of pre-school...Cue the tears! No seriously, the tears were coming but for different reasons! Yesterday we had another "incident" with Cael and his bloodsugar. What was supposed to be a fun & exciting morning for their 1st day, turned into Cory and I rushing Cael to the ER, bc his bloodsugar had dropped to 51 after he had had a fever all night, my mom cancelling her root canal to stay with Quinn who doesn't take a bottle, and Goose taking Maeve to school. This is the same thing that kept us in the hospital for almost a week earlier in the year. LONG story short, he is ok now, added some gray hairs to our heads, and continued to perplex our doctor and Maeves 1st day kinda went to the toilet.
BUT I redeemed myself with all the fun goodies I had for yesterday, TODAY! Her new backpack, lunchbox, "smartie pants" treat bag and pre-school poster were all a big hit!

She had a great 1st day yesterday and an even better 2nd day today! Sadly, Cael missed his 1st day so we will have to take his pic with all his goodies next week!

I really cannot believe my baby is about to turn 5 and started the "Fab Fives" class at school...its the equivalent of "being a senior." You rule the school. And I think she thinks she actually does...rule the school, that is!

Ready to go!

Maeve told me the other day not to worry about Cael while he was at school. (I guess she realizes I worry about them!) That she would walk down to "the baby room" and check on him and talk to him if he was missing me. Such a good big sis!

The "Ice Cream Man"

2011-08-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

Randomly every now and then the ice cream man drives through our neighborhood...usually at very inopportune times...nap time, or like 5.30...right before dinner. But today she came right at 4 and everyone was up, so we grabbed some money and bolted out the door!

This is not quite the ice cream man I remember from my childhood days growing up in New York..a nice friendly, normal looking older gentleman, selling Good Humor treats for .75. This is a lady, without several of her teeth, sporting tats on quite a bit of visible surface area. And when I gave her a $20, she handed me back $16 in ones...perhaps she has another job on the side? Not sure!
However, she has been very nice to both the kiddos, so....

Cael picked a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bar.

Maeve picked Shrek!

It was only about 452 degrees out while we ate these treats so they melted quickly!

And then Maeve had her 2nd soccer practice of the season! Go Lady Pumas!!
Cory's exact synopsis of the team: "We certainly will not be the most athletic, but we definitely are the cutest." And thats whats important, right?

Cereal & Dentist

2011-08-25T16:31:00.001-07:00

Cael had his 1st trip to the dentist this week. We thought that would be an enjoyable way to wrap up the summer fun! He actually did fairly well and only clamped down on the hygentist's hand once.

Quinn had her 1st run in with some cereal...

She was not a huge fan...at all. And I have not tried it again since then. Bad mom...

One more of Cael looking slightly concerned about this chair and his surroundings! He got the all clear though..no cavities!

4 Months Old!

2011-08-20T11:26:00.001-07:00

Broken record...I can't believe Quinn is 4 months! Seriously, this is flying by!
Here she is much happier than last months photos!
She is loving her fingers these days!

Drooling like a fool! All the time!
She weighed 14.3lbs (75%) and was 23 3/4 inches (35%) Now at our 2 month check up she was 23 3/4 inches and in the 90% and I told the nurse I was certain she mismeasured her...this months check up confirms what I thought! None of my children have ever been in the 90% for ANYTHING! Other than their brains! :) So I knew she was off.

Miss Pink all snuggled with her lovey....that she loves.

We are still working the kinks out on the crib sleeping...its getting better, but what i have realized now that i have a monitor on in there is that Maeve talks in her sleep...alot! Which wakes Quinn up. Which is not good...so we are working things out!

Overall, things are going well. School starts soooonnn! While I did not want to wish the summer away, I knew it was going to be a challenge...and it was. But we made it! And we had alot of fun along the way even with a 4.5 year old, a 1.5 year old, & a newborn. Here's to one more week of summer vaca! We will see how much fun we can cram in it!

My Girls!

2011-08-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

I've started called Maeve "freckle face fifi" and she hates it! But she loves her freckles and will tell me she wishes she had them "all over her body!" I love them too!!!

Sunday night was a big night around here...Maeve had her first sleepover! She and her best buddy Maclain have been plotting a slumber party all summer and since Maclain starts kindergarten tomorrow, it was time to attempt it! Maeve stayed over there and was so so excited. She packed her own bag and barely told me good bye. When I asked her if she missed me, her response was "I was having so much fun, I didn't have time to miss you!" Well alright!

And this squishy, drooly thing turns 4 months old in 2 days! All my girls are growing up on me!!! Quinn has started sleeping in her crib which has made for some sleepless nights for me. Between her waking up and me worrying, i do alot of walking up and down the hallway.
And I realized on Saturday it was ONE year ago (Friday the 13th & Caels 9 month bday!) that I was told the rather surprising news that I was pregnant with Big Squish! It is truly a moment that I will never forget and can laugh about (now) and thank God for. I was so SO worried about having a baby (Cael) and having another baby. Well, the worrying was probably pretty spot on because this is not for the weak or impatient. They wear me out by 8pm but I sincerely would not trade it for the world. Even though it may be hard, motherhood is the most amazing job. I would not trade it for a second and now I can't imagine our family without Quinn!!
Isn't life funny how it all works out?

Pool Crashers!

2011-08-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a little pool party over at my parents...minus my parents! Cael was ready to get in....waiting patiently!

Love this pic of rare, very rare stillness and sitting together!

Perfecting her cannonball!

Hey little fishy!

The Kohls joined us and we all just swam and ordered pizza. It was a very fun night and everyone slept well that night!

We have yet to find a flotation device that works well for the little man...this was less like a life vest and more like a straight jacket. Not working for him.

Crack is whack

Quinn & Brooks chilling with their matching loveys.

Cael jumping to Dad! No fear, this one has no fear!

Play Date!

2011-08-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

Today Maeve & Cael had a little playdate over at their friends' Louis & Ella's house. All 4 big kids and all 4 lil kids (plus Quinn) were there!

A very gracious hostess, Elizabeth, set up fun pools and lots of toys to play with!

Cael and Ella on their way somewhere...Tin Roof? Roosters? He told her he'd take her anywhere!

The "big kids" Maeve, Mary Helen, Louis and Cooper...have all gone to school together since before they turned 2! Now in a couple of weeks each of their younger siblings is about to start school together too! Cael, Edward, Ella, and Colemore are all the same age too! Its very strange to me that we all had babies together Round 1 and then all had babies together Round 2...somehow I am the only one on Round 3?

Bath time Fun!

2011-08-13T13:35:00.001-07:00

Cael has loved the bath since he was a newborn...so did Maeve and so does Quinn. He loves to just splash around, make waves, and now "swim".

He is a mess, but certainly makes us laugh ALOT!

When Does School Start?

2011-08-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Seriously, when does school start? I am having a hard time keeping everyone entertained, safe, and happy these days! Its not easy to go anywhere with all 3 of these munchkins, which leads to either lots of babysitters or lots of time at home. Which leads Cael to do things like above.

My eternal quest to get a good pic of all 3 kids!

Sitting on the back stairs..devising a plot against me I am sure of it!

Chubs and Maeve!

Quinn is getting big!!!

One last attempt! Forget it!

Lunch Date

2011-08-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

Friday, Quinn had a double lunch date. Meaning, her and two boys. Charlie Denovo and Payne Dillon came over for some lunch and play time!

Payne seemed bored!

Maeve thought she would eat his head to wake him up a bit!

Charlie was born May 13, so he and Quinn are just weeks apart...of course, little Payne is still pretty new! (July 18)
Fun times!

Cute Phone Pics

2011-08-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

Cory took this pic of Cael, Clifford, & I tonight. I LOVE it! A bit blurry, but it perfectly depicts just how much the little man loves his dog! They remain tight buds! And of course, he picked out "Dogs" to read before bed time. We got 2 copies of this book when Maeve turned 1...1 from the Donaldsons and 1 from Granna and both are literally falling apart they have been read SO MANY times. Cory and I both know the words by heart! It is a wonderful book for any dog lover out there!

And here is Schupp Family Movie night. Maeve and Cory love popcorn and now Cael does too! He will come up to us every night and ask "Pop?" and then tonight he added "Moo-bie? Pop?" Movie and Popcorn? Why not? So here are the "big kids" watching Toy Story 2. What does it say when you refer to your 4.5 yr old and 20 month old as the big kids? Ha!
The evenings are always crazy, but they are my favorite part of the day...not just because bed time is coming, but because Cory is home and we have such a fun little routine. Everyone loves bath time and it seems to give them a little second wind and the 5 o'clock whineys go away. They wrestle with Cory and get gorilla rides. Read lots of books. And of course, "moobies and pop!"

Where Does the Time Go?

2011-08-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

These kids are getting so big. And so FULL of personality. I think I am going to have 3 very strong-willed children on my hands...well I know I have 2 for sure, already.

Maeve was having some fun holding Quinn and singing her an Usher song about "we gonna tear the club up!" Fabulous.
Quinn was enjoying herself and I promise I was close by in case she got dropped!

This is Quinn's serious look...

Biased, but she's gorgeous!!

Then Cael found her newborn hat and he and Maeve thought it was hilarious to try to cram it on Quinn's big old noggin. Obviously, she thought it was funny too!

If you know Cael, you know he loves dogs! Today we were at Kohls and he saw this Clifford dog. He immediately grabbed as many as he could hold and started carrying them around the store. We managed to convince him we only needed one, but he literally has not let Clifford out of his sight since we got home. They are snuggling in the crib together now! Its really cute!

Quinnious Maximus

2011-08-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

You know how nicknames just come up? One day, you're bored and you call your kid something funny and it sticks...so I started calling Quinn "Quinnious Maximus" and I have no idea why?!? I don't know where it came from but I am thinking it was during a sleep deprived moment...Maeve calls her that too now. So her nickname is either Quinnious Maximus or Big Squish. Take your pick. I call her both. When she is older, she will appreciate neither...especially Big Squish, just a hunch!

Big Squish was having an exceptionally wicked hair day the other day that had to be documented! Love how the lights hitting her hawk!

As mentioned before, Maeve & Cael were both born sweet angels that grew horns shortly after arriving home from the hospital. I waited and waited for Quinn's horns to grow. She keeps maintaing her angel stature, day after day...exhibit A:

Sound asleep on her "activity" mat...not a whole lot of activity going on here...in the middle of the play room which hits record decibel levels these days thanks to Cael's constant screaming. Not crying, just screaming. Because he's a boy and apparently thats what boys do!

Can You Handle This Cuteness?

2011-07-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

Helper Munchkins

2011-07-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

I made the most heavenly thumbprint cookies the other day to bring to some baby-having friends...I had some "helpers" (thats being generous) in the kitchen...(I realize someone should have brushed Maeves hair...I'm picking my battles. If she wants to look homeless inside our house, by all means!)

Cael basically served as icing quality control.

I like a man who takes his responsibilities seriously!

Payne Dillon!

2011-07-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Quinn and I went to go visit the newest love in her life this morning...Mr Robert "Payne" Dillon!
Payne was born last Monday and we could not wait to meet him! We are so excited for Spencer and Campbell to have Payne here safe and sound!

Look how incredibly giant Quinn looks next to all 7lbs of Payne. They are exactly 3 months apart!

She can't wait for him to get bigger so they can chill together!
We had a little pregnancy supper club that was me, Campbell (Paynes mama) and 3 other girls. Since the end of March til now, all 5 babies have been born!
What a blessing!!
2 girls...Quinn and Camilla and 3 boys...Charlie, Bennett, and Payne. Now we just need one big old newborn playdate!!
Those boys are gonna be fighting over Quinn & Camilla! :)

Phone Pics

2011-07-28T08:41:00.001-07:00

Some cute pics from my phone. Cael's other long distance girlfriend was in town from Nashville last weekend, Taylor May Smith. Here they are heading out on their 1st date? Cael was letting the lady drive!

Once again, quiet equals nothing good with a 1.5 year old. Here Cael decided to throw every book off his shelf and then climb on in. When I walked into his room, this is how I found him. I laughed out loud!

And last weekend, Aunt Juju had cheercamp and she invited Maeve down to watch all of the squads perform their routines. So I took her and Quinn down to get their cheer on. She loved it and asked me to video tape the routines with my phone "so she could come home and learn them" Nice! I don't think I want my 4 year old dancing to Katy Perrys "Teenage Dream"...For that matter I dont want my 14 year old to be dancing to that song either! But it was fun!!!

Cael & Quinn

2011-07-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Quinn is getting so big these days...

And Cael loves to be near her (or on her) often!

Showing me his abs for the camera!

Have I mentioned this kid is a climber/trouble maker? I thought he was playing quietly in Maeve's closet with the kitchen..

Nope, he was scaling the kitchen.

My sweet, easy, non climbing child!

Time to Catch-Up

2011-07-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Cael wanted to get in on the Crossfit action...here he is mastering the art of pull-ups. No problem when you weigh 23lbs.

Maeve and I made bird feeders...an idea I found online. Something fun to do indoors since its 248 degrees outside!

Quinn is loving the bumbo at the ripe old age of 13 weeks!

I think she loves to be upright and check out whats going on...

Before I had my own kids, I will admit, I was judgmental of some things. There were things I said I would NEVER EVER do. One of those, was feed my children Lunchables. Well, come to find out, Lunchables are the "cool" thing to eat at pre-school and Maeve suckered me into letting her have them. But the rule is only ONCE a week. Well, Cael got a hold of one the other day and PUT IT DOWN. I mean, he killed it. I will buy them in bulk now. One: he actually eats it...any calories/somewhat nutrition is better than no calories. TWO: he keeps him quiet for more than 2 minutes like most food does!

The Lemonade Stand

2011-07-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

Literally, all summer long, Maeve has been begging me to let her (me) set up a lemonade stand. Cory was thrilled that her entreprenurial (sp?) spirit showed itself at an early age! So we whipped up a few posters and dragged ourselves down to our corner at 5pm...

We figured we get all the "rush hour" traffic through our neighborhood and that Maeve would kill it. Hmm..not so much!

Here's our most loyal (and 1st) customer...he loved his lemonade and cookie.
Maeve did great once she realized complete strangers were stopping and getting out of their cars to buy from her. She was shy at first, but warmed up...literally. It had to have been one of the hottest, sunniest evenings. We were dripping with sweat but she was thrilled that at one point "we caused a traffic JAM!!"

Maeve made all the posters herself and chose what to write on them. I'm thinking she heard "fresh cold lemonade" in a cartoon or something? Cory says Crystal Light doesn't count as "fresh" and we could be sued for false advertisement...I told him to take his lemonade you know where.
She ended making $15.50 which is great considering she chose to price a glass of lemonade and a cookie at .25. A bargain these days! But she had several generous donations (that were not just Mimi and Goose) and one stranger even gave her a speech about how successful she will be one day if this is her ambition at just 4 years old. Music to her daddy's ears!
Great job Maeve!! So proud of you!!

3 Months Old!

2011-07-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Really? Where is the time going? Quinn is already 3 months old...she's going to be driving soon, I swear!

Everyone wanted in on Quinns photoshoot, but of course, no one would look at the camera at the same time.

Quinn was kinda grumpy on her 3 month birthday and was not handing out alot of smiles...

I had to work hard for the little ones I could get!

She is getting big, smiling alot (most days), sleeping through the night (most nights) and starting to chuckle every now and then. She loves Maeve and Cael and smiles at them all the time!

I remember with Maeve & Cael, I longed for the 3-4 month mark. Everyone told me that was the magic milestone...where the colic would suddenly disappear and the reflux would improve. I would have made one of those tear away paper chains, to count the days down if I had had time with them. They cried all the time and wanted to be held constantly...but would still cry. I was ready for them to get a little bit bigger!
But this is flying by with Quinn and I find myself wanting the days to slow down...
Stay small Quinn...don't grow up on me too fast.
Love, Your Mama!

20 Months Old!

2011-07-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

So Cael turned 20 months old last week, and I could not let it just slip by! I can't believe what a toddler he has turned in to...so not a baby anymore! This is his face when I have the camera and ask him to say cheese...he literally says "CHEESE!" and then goes to the fridge, wanting cheese. Makes sense!

Showing off all of his big teeth...I took these pics about 24 hours before he took a major loss off a chair at my moms house which resulted in a trip to the dr to see if he needed his first set of stitches. I say "first set" bc I think there are going to be many in this wild man's future. He bit straight through his lip which was not pretty...a decent amount of blood and even more tears! But thankfully, Dr Peeden said all he would do would pull the stitches out if we put them in! So we were in the clear...this time.
And we found out he is up to 22.13lbs...way to go bud!

This knucklehead is talking more and more each day which is great! He loves loves loves to read books. He brings you his favorite and plops down in your lap to read...its so cute. And he loves to wrestle with Cory every night after bathtime which is hilarious! He jumps all over him...which will also probably result in injury at some point too! And he has a new found love for Mickey Mouse and will hand you the remote and say "Tooties?" Which, if you watch Mickey, is his word for "toodles" (when they say "Oh toodles?" Its hilarious!)
Cael, Happy 20 months little man! 2 is right around the corner (sniff sniff) We love you!!